2014职称英语综合类新增文章（A级）：补全短文第十四篇

　　Today people often look forward to their middleage as a time when they will be able to take things easier. After theirchildren are grown, they expect to enjoy the life they have worked hard to create.____(1)____. In middle age, many people discover that they have two ongoingresponsibilities1: one is to look after their aging parents,and theother is to help their young adult children deal with the pressures of life.Around the world, there are millions of people who are “sandwiched”in betweenthe older and the younger generations. Sometimes there may be two or threegenerations living in the same household — a situation that is common in manyAsian countries and in some parts of Europe. In other cases, a couple may betaking care of parents and children, but they do not live with them.

　　There are two important reasons for the rise ofthe sandwich generation. First, people are living longer than they used to. Inthe early nineteenth century, the average life expectancy for adults in theUnited States，for example，was about 40，whereas today people live to anaverage ageof 75. ____(2)____. The second reason is that these days, youngadults often live with their parents for a longer time than they did in thepast. This is often for financial reasons. It’s also more common for today’syoung adults to return home during or after college if they need financial oremotional support.2

　　____(3)____. They may have to cover expenses thattheir parents cannot. They may have to manage their parents’ financial andlegal affairs. They may have to prepare for their parents’ future needs, suchas special medical care or a move to a nursing home. This can be a traumaticexperience for everyone.

　　Caring for adult children presents challenges aswell, and caregivers have to resolve important questions; How can financialresponsibilities be shared among members of the household? How can householdchores be shared? What is the best way to ensure everyone’s privacy? ____(4)____.

　　The financial and emotional pressures on thesandwich generation can be overwhelming. However, this time in life also hasits rewards. ____(5)____. It can also provide a valuable opportunity to spendmore time with them. However, in order to survive this difficult period intheir lives, the members of the sandwich generation must remember that theyalso need to pay attention to their own needs and look after the quality oftheir own lives. They can’t be totally selfless.

　　词汇：

　　sandwich/ ˈsænwidʒ / n.三明治

　　traumatic/ trɔ:ˈmætɪk / adj.使人不快的

　　overwhelming/ ˌəuvəˈhwelmiŋ/ adj.令人难以应对的

　　lifeexpectancy 预期寿命

　　resolve/ riˈzɔlv / vt. 解决

　　selfless/ˈselflɪs / adj. 无私的;不考虑自己的

　　注释：

　　1.two ongoing responsibilities意为“同时担负两项责任”。

　　2.It’s also more common for today’syoung adults to return home during or after college if they need financial oremotional support.：现在，年轻人在上大学期间或毕业后还会回家，以寻求经济或情感支持，这种情况也很常见。

　　3.Successfully coping with theseissues can avoid a lot of stress for the whole family.：成功解决这些问题，就可以为整个家庭减轻很大负担。

　　练习：

　　A.Successfully coping with these issues can avoid a lot of stress forthe whole family.3

　　B.Therefore, children are taking care of their parents over a longerperiod of time.

　　C.People who take care of elderly parents often face difficult issues.

　　D.Young adults feel sandwiched between their financialresponsibilities and their desire to enjoy life.

　　E.However the reality is often very different.

　　F.It can be a time to rediscover the special qualities of one’sparents or children.

　　答案与题解：

　　1.E　根据本空的上一句：孩子们长大了，中年人期望有时间享受努力工作创造的生活，但是现实却不允许;所以后一句论证为什么会这样，即中年人因为上有老、下有小，所以不能无忧无虑地享受生活。

　　2.B　依据上一句：19世纪早期，美国人的平均寿命在40岁左右，而现在人们通常能活到75岁。人们寿命延长的结果是：孩子要照顾父母的时间也相应延长了。

　　3.C　该句是本段的主题句。本段其余几句都在讲照顾父母可能要面临的种种闲难，C是一总括句。

　　4.A　本段都在讲照料成人孩子面临的种种问题。these issues可以是一种提示，就是指上面提到的问题。

　　5.F　依据本空的后一句It can also provide a valuable opportunity to spend more time withthem，可以断定这两句是并列句，also一词是提示词。