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新视野三版读写B2 U3 Text A
Journey through the odysy years
1 Most of us know about the phas of life which we label to parallel different age groups and life stages: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old
蓝色的天空age. We think of infancy before childhood and middle age before old age, with each unique pha bringing its own peculiar t of challenges. The challenges can be overcome by acquainting ourlves with them, such as the child's need to learn, the adult's need to find the right career and build a family, and the nior's need for support and good health care.
2 Interestingly, ideas about the stages of life are changing.
3 In previous times, people didn't have a solid idea of childhood as being parate from adulthood. A hundred years ago, no one thought of adolescence. Until recently it was understood as a norm that their induction to adulthood was completed as soon as they graduated from college. They would now find a nsible job which would lead to a career. Then during this career they would start a family, ideal
y before they turned 30.
4 Today we have an equivalent need to recognize a new pha of life that comes after high school graduation, continues through college, and then leads to starting a family and having a career, the so-cal ed odysy years. Recent trends show radical changes as young people are fol owing a different agenda. They take breaks from school, live with friends and often return to living with their parents. Similarly, they fall in and out of love, quit one job and try another or even shift to a new career. So, we need to recognize this new stage, the odysy years, which many now consider to be an unavoidable stage in reaching adulthood.
5 People who were born prior to the 60s or 70s in the last century tended
to frame their concept of adulthood bad upon achieving certain accomplishments: moving away from home, becoming financial y independent, finding the right spou and starting a family. But that emphasis on stability did not remain static. Today, young people are unlikely to do the same. During the odysy years, a high proportion of young people are delaying marriage, child bearing, and even employment.
6 The odysy years can saddle young people with enormous pressure to move forward quickly. As t
he sole heir and focus of their parents' expectations, hopes and dreams, some react with rebellious and prideful attitudes and
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behavior toward their parents. They often rent the pressure they're feeling and keep a distance from their parents or even run away from home. Their confusion comes from the difficulties to make parents understand them and the fluid journey of discovery they need in this pha of their lives. To get away from this confusion and upt, many young people resort to computer games, iPods, iPhones, or iPads, to help distract them from their pain and stress.
7Likewi, their parents are feeling more anxious.They may make allowances for a transition pha from student life to adult life, but they get upt when they e the transition of their grown children's lives moving away from their expectations and stretching five years to ven years, and beyond. The parents don't even detect a clear n of direction in their children's lives. They look at them and e the things that are being delayed.
8 It's hard to predict what's next. New guidelines haven't been established yet, and everything ems to give way to a less permanent version of
itlf. There's been a shift in the status and balance of power between the genders, too. More women are getting degrees than men. Male wages have remained stable over the past decades, while female wages have boomed.
9Apart from anything el, this has had an implicit effect on
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courtship. Educated women can get many of the things they want, such as curity, accomplishment, and identity without marriage. However, both genders are having a harder time finding suitable mates to build their lives with. Considering all of this, it's beneficial to know that even though graduates are delaying many things after college, surveys show they still hold highly traditional aspirations. For example, this contemporary generation rates parenthood even more highly than previous generations did!
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10This new pha will likely grow more pronounced in the coming
years. Nations around the world have witnesd similar trends toward delaying marriage and spending more years than ever shifting between higher education and ttling down with a career and family.
11 Nevertheless, graduates shouldn't be deceived into thinking they can back off simply becau things have become more difficult. A large number of people chasing relatively fewer opportunities can create strong competitive pressure. So, from the outt, keep your resume professional and up-to-date.
12 To reinforce this esntial message, success moving through the odysy years will come to tho who don't expect to achieve their goals right away but know that they must have the strength, capacity and confidence to endure over the long term. If you're a little late with your goals, don't feel like a failure! Stay
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strong, be positive, and keep focud! Someday you will look back and wonder
at the vast changes as you pasd through the odysy years.
Language Points:
1 Most of us know about the phas of life which we label to parallel different
age groups and life stages:childhood, adolescence,adulthood, and old age. (Para. 1)
Meaning:Most of us know about the different life stages that we describe according to different age groups: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age.
2 We think of infancy before childhood and middle age before old age, with
each unique pha bringing its own peculiar t of challenges. (Para. 1)
Meaning:We quence the life stages of infancy, childhood, middle age and old
age according to their natural order, with each particular life stage facing its own
featured challenges. Sentence structure note:
“with＋名词/代词＋现在分词”作独立主格结构
“with＋名词/代词＋现在分词”构成独立主格结构，主要用作状语，可以表示
伴随、方式、原因、时间等。
with之后的名词和其后的现在分词构成主谓关系，其中现在分词表示主动或
正在进行的动作。例如：
*She sat down at the table, with each dish emitting a delicious smell .
她在餐桌旁坐了下来，
每道菜都散发出扑鼻的香味。（状语表示伴随）
*The girl sat there quite silent with her eyes fixing on the wall.
女孩坐在那里一言不发，目
不转睛地盯着墙壁。（状语表示方式）
*With our food running out, we had to walk to a vil age for help.
由于我们的食物即将吃完，
我们不得不步行到一个村子寻求帮助。（状语表示原因）
*With summer coming, it is becoming hotter and hotter.
随着夏季来临，天气变得越来越热。（状语表示时间）
Usage note:peculiar, characteristic, unusual
peculiar,characteristic和unusual都可用作形容词，都含有表示“有特点的；有特色的”等意思，但有细微差别。
*1从词义上说，peculiar着重“独特性”，强调“与众不同的”特征；characteristic常强调所指性质的典型性，也可以表示这些性质使某一事物区别
我像梦一样自由
于其他的事物；unusual强调“少见的”，与通常的情况“截然不同的”或“未曾
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预料的”特征。例如：
*The wine has a peculiar taste. 这种酒有种独特的味道。
*It’s characteristic of her that she never complained.
从来不发牢骚是她的个性。
*It was not unusual for me to come home at two or three in the morning. 凌晨两三点回家对
我来说是很平常的事。
2从用法上说，peculiar通常和介词to搭配，表示“为某人或某物所特有”；characteristic通常和介词of搭配，表示“某物或某人有?特性、特征、特
色”；unusual通常和介词for搭配，表示“对?不同寻常”。例如：
*Great minds in general look at life in a way peculiar to themlves. 一般来说，伟大的思想家都以自己独特的眼光来看待生活。
With the friendly and generous care so characteristic of the people, they opened
their hou to over 50 guests. 这些人以特有的友好和慷慨关爱，在家接待了
50多位客人。
It’s not unusufaolr teenagers to go through a pha when they feel ashamed of their parents, afraid that they might not live up to their friends 青少年’经历为自己的父母感到羞愧的阶段是很平常的，他们生怕自己的父母达不到
他们朋友所设的标准。
He asked me if there was anything unusual about the man who had robbed me, but
I couldn't accurately describe the man.他问我那个抢劫了我的男人是否有什么
不寻常之处，但我不能准确地描述那个男子。
3 The challenges can be overcome by acquainting ourlves with them, suc
as the child ’s need to learn, the adult ’s need to find the right care
a family, and the nior ’s need for support and good health care. (Para. 1 Meaning:By familiarizing ourlves with the particular challenges such as the needs for different age groups: child, adult, and nior, we can surely overcome all
the challenges.
Meaning beyond words: If we stay positive and optimistic, we’lsuccessful y handle the challenges at different life stages.
4 Interestingly, ideas about the stages of life are changing. (Para. 2)
人生观价值观Meaning beyond words: Since the ntence states that the ideas about life stages
are changing, it ’s predictable that the fol owing t extf owci u ls on this topic.
5In previous times, people didn ’htave a solid idea of childhood as being parate from adulthood. A hundred years ago, no one thought of adolescenc
(Para. 3)
Meaning:In the past,people didn’h tave a clear concept about parating childhood from adulthood. Children were simply en as youngsters. Likewi,
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people didn ’t think abthoeutlife stage of adolescence a hundred years ago.
6 Until recently it was understood as a norm that their induction to adulthood
was completed as soon as they graduated from college. They would now find
nsible job which would lead to a career. (Para. 3)
声卡设置Meaning:People ud to consider it normal: As soon as students graduated from college,they would become part of the adult community and find a practical and reliable job toward
a career.
Meaning beyond words:Things are no longer the same as they were in the past. College graduates won ’t find an ideal job right after they graduate from schoo take longer time before they start with their career.
Usage note:nsible, nsitive
1. nsible 表示“明智的”，如：a nsible person（一个明智的人），a nsible plan（一个切合实际的计划）。
A nsible person makes good decisions and adjustments bad on reason rather
社会技能than emotion.
一个明智的人会根据理智而不是情感来做出合理的决定和判断。
准备英文*nsible还可以表示“知道的；觉察的”，be nsible of 表示?“感知某事；察觉到某事”。
例如：
*I am nsible of the suffering you are undergoing. 我清楚你正在经历的痛
苦。
2. nsitive 在词义上表示“敏感的；易受影响的”。例如：
*A nsitive person is easily upt by other people ’s rem敏ar感ks 的or b
人很容易因他人的言论或行为而生气。
*You shouldn ’tsboensitive about what people say. 你不应该对别人说什么
如此敏感。
* nsitive to 表示“对?过敏的；对?理解的”。例如：
Unfortunately,she is nsitive to penicillin, and I doubt whether any other drug will help her. 不幸的是，她对青霉素过敏，我不能确定是否有其他药物
可以帮助她。
We’re trying to make people more nsit ive to the difficulties faced by working mothers.
我们正在努力使人们更理解上班族妈妈所面临的困难。
7Then during this career they would start a family,ideally before they turned 30.(Para. 3)
Meaning:While working on their career, they would get married to start their own family,preferably by age 30.
