A few years ago it was common to speak of a generation gap between young people and their elders. Parents said that children did not respect and listen to them, while children said that their parents did not understand them at all. What had gone wrong? Why had the generation gap suddenly appeared? Actually, the generation gap has been around for a long time. Many people argue that it is built into every part of our society.
One important cause of the generation gap is the opportunity that young people have to choose their own ways of life. In a more traditional society, when children grow up, they are expected to live in the same area as their parents, to marry people that their parents know and like, and often to continue the family jobs. In our society, young people often travel great distances for their education, move out of the family at an early age, marry or live with people whom their parents have never met, and choose jobs different from those of their parents.
In our society, parents often expect their children to do better than they did, to find better jobs, to make more money and to do all the things that they were unable to do. Often, that is another cause of the gap between them. Often, they discover that they have very little in common with each other.
Finally, the speed at which changes take place in our society is the third cause of the gap between the generations. In a traditional culture, senior people are valued for their knowledge, but in our society the knowledge of a lifetime may become out of date. The young and the old seem to live in two very different worlds, separated by different skills and abilities. No doubt, the generation gap will continue in American life for some time to come.
1. The first paragraph tells us that ______. (A)
A. the problem of the generation gap draws much attention from people
B. it is out of date to talk about the generation gap
C. children and parents are trying to understand each other
D. it is very important for people to frequently communicate with each other
2. In a more traditional society, old people_______.(A)
A. have their children respect and listen to them
B. do not care for their children at all
C. expect their children to rebel against them
D. do not live together with their children
3. In American society young people________(.B)
A. do not need to find jobs
B. leave home at an early age
C. have better education than their parents
D. marry people younger than them
4. Which of the following is NOT the cause of the generation gap?（ B）
A. Young people like to depend more on themselves.
B. Parents do not love their children dearly.
C. American society changes rapidly.
D. Parents expect too much of their children.
5. The main idea of the passage is ________.（C）
A. that the generation gap needs considering
B. when the generation gap is necessary in American society
C. why the generation gap exist
D. how we can reduce the generation gap
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