Question

As I was reading a recent story in Slate on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy was ruining their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled children who grew up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, I certainly share their disappointment: my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our 40s, and we too are burdened by student loans(貸款). But why should it be any different? Being young persons in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?

Consider some of these views shared in the Slate story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet.

I read that, and I thought, what planet is she living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury(奢華), not a fertility requirement.

A 26-year-old in the story despairs(絕望) that he can’t afford to get a Ph.D. in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.

Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations are slowly adjusting, but today’s 20-somethings grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be expanding. Their parents probably saw their home values rise along with their investments. “So you have people who have grown up in an environment where people had great expectations of what living well means,” says Kobliner.

This recession(衰退) will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems a lot better for our mental health to focus on being grateful－for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day－than on longing for some kind of luxury life.

41．What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?

A．They expect everything to be easy for them.

B．They complain that the economy is spoiling their life plans.

C．They are reluctant to face all of the challenges.

D．They are burdened by student loans.

42．The underlined word “fertility” in Paragraph 3 probably means        .

A．baby production                                         B．pleasant

C．baby comfort                                             D．essential

43．Which of the following is not one of the complaints of the 20-somethings?

A．They can’t have children for at least a decade to buy a house.

B．They have only one-bedroom apartment to live in.

C．They can’t buy a house until 40 because of student loans.

D．They despair at not being able to afford a Ph.D. in literature.

44．What’s the author’s attitude towards the 20-somthings with high expectation in Paragraph 5?

A．Intolerant.

B．Negative.

C．Unbelieving.

D．Understanding.

45．What is the best title for this passage?

A．How Young People Afford to Continue Their Study

B．Why Young People Can’t Afford to Buy a House

C．When Young People’s High Hopes Create Despair

D．What the 20-somethings’ High Expectations Are

Answer 1

41—45 BABDC

解析:

41．細節理解題，由第一段第一句話可知答案。

42．劃線猜詞題，根據第三段的上下文語境。You need to own a house in order to have kids. Own a house 是 have kids 的條件。

43．細節理解題。點分散在幾段中。

44．分析判斷題。 第五段中 but 轉折。So 表示結果。加上引用 Kobliner 的話““So you have people who have grown up in an environment where people had great expectations of what living well means,” says Kobliner. 還是環境使然。因此不難判斷作者對于 20-somethings 的態度是理解的態度

45．分析判斷題.。文章的最后一段告訴我們：當我們的高期望變成失望時，我們應當對現在所擁有的一切感恩。