A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house,the same house I grew up in,I had a sudden,scary realization.When my parents bought the house,in 1982,they were only two years older than I am now.I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.
It seemed ridiculous.On a practical level,there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon.More importantly,I wouldn’t want to.I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years,or what kind of job I’ll have.And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.
So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents.When our parents were our age,they’d got their education,chosen a career,and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.
My friends and I--“Generation Y”--still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives.Whatever we end up doing,we want to make sure we’re happy doing it.We’d rather take risks first,try out different jobs,and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place.We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.
This casual attitude toward responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”(自大的), “impatient”, and “overprotected”.Some of these complaints have a point.As children, we were encouraged to succeed in school,but also to have fun.We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cell phones,the Internet,instant messaging,and video games.
Our parents looked to rise vertically(垂直的)--starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.
Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, strive for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.When the author walked through her parents’ house,she _______.
A.had no idea what she wanted from life |
B.realized I should buy a house |
C.started to think about her own life |
D.wondered why her parents had settled down early |
What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their parents according to the article?
A.Their attitude toward responsibility. |
B.Their ways of making their way to the top. |
C.Their ways of gaining experience. |
D.Their attitude towards high technology. |
Which of the following might the author agree with?
A.It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier. |
B. It’s all right to try more before settling down. |
C.It involves too much effort to rise vertically. |
D.It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”. |
What is the main theme of the article?
A.The sudden realization of growing up. |
B.Criticisms of the young generation. |
C.A comparison between lifestyles of generations. |
D.The factors that have changed the young generation. |