While reading a story on 20-somethings plaining about how the economy is ruining their life plans, I couldn't help but think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children who grow 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 forties, and we two are burdened by student loans. But why should it be different? Being young people 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 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 she is 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, not a fertility requirement.
A 26-year-old man in the story is disappointed 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 grow up when their wealth appears to be increasing. Their parents probably see their home values rise along with their investments. So we have people who have grown up in an environment where people have great expectations of what living well means, says Kobliner.
This recession will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems much 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 luxurious life.
【小题1】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 plain that the economy is ruining their life plans.C．They are unwilling to face all of the challenges.D．They are burdened by student loans.【小题2】Which of the following is NOT one of the plaints of the 20-somethings?
A. They can't have children for at least a decade for they can't afford to buy a house.
B. They have only a one-bedroom apartment to live in.
C. They can't buy a house until 40 and are burdened by student loans.
D. They despair of not being able to afford to get a Ph. D. in literature.
【小题3】What's Kobliner's attitude towards the 20-somethings with high expectations ?A．Unbearable.B．Opposing.C．Doubtful.D．Understanding.【小题4】What is the best title for this passage?A．Young people afford to continue their educationB．Young people can't afford to buy a houseC．Young people's high expectations lead to despairD．The 20-somethings' high expectationsB
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(答案→)B
解析：文章大意：文章主要讲述的是年轻人过高的期望的原因和产生的后果。
【小题1】B细节理解题。根据第一段的While reading a story on 20-somethings plaining about how the economy was ruining their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled 可知答案。故B正确。
【小题2】B细节理解题。根据第二段的Consider some of these views shared in the story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband可知B项错误。故B正确。
【小题3】D推理判断题。根据第五段Beth Kobliner, author of Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be increasing, 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可知，Beth Kobliner认为这些年轻人过高的期望是有环境因素的，因此抱有理解的态度。故D正确。
【小题4】C主旨大意题。文章主要讲述的是年轻人过高的期望的原因和产生的后果，故C项标题符合题意。故C正确。