第一段
Against a backdrop of drastic changes in economy and population structure, younger Americans are drawing a new 21st-century road map to success, a latest poll has found.
单词&词组
backdrop n. 背景
poll n. 民意调查，民意测验
against a backdrop of 在……背景下
population structure 人口结构
draw a road map to success 绘制一幅成功路线图
本段翻译
一项最新民调显示，在经济和人口结构急剧变化的背景下，美国年轻人正在绘制新的21世纪成功路线图。
第二段
Across generational lines, Americans continue to prize many of the same traditional milestones of a successful life, including getting married, having children, owning a home, and retiring in their sixties. But while young and old mostly agree on what constitutes the finish line of a fulfilling life, they offer strikingly different paths for reaching it.
单词&词组
generational line 代际线
prize v. 珍视，高度重视
milestone n. 重大事件，里程碑
constitute v. 构成
finish line 终点线
fulfilling a. 令人满意的
strikingly ad. 惹人注目地；醒目地
本段翻译
跨越几代人的界限，美国人继续珍视许多成功人生的传统里程碑，包括结婚、生子、拥有房子和60多岁退休。但是，尽管年轻人和老年人对什么才是充实生活的终点线意见一致，但他们提供了截然不同的到达终点的道路。
第三段
Young people who are still getting started in life were more likely than older adults to prioritize personal fulfillment in their work, to believe they will advance their careers most by regularly changing jobs, to favor communities with more public services and a faster pace of life, to agree that couples should be financially secure before getting married or having children, and to maintain that children are best served by two parents working outside the home, the survey found.
单词&词组
start v. 开始生活，开始立业
prioritize v. 按优先顺序列出；确定（事项、问题等）的优先顺序；优先考虑（处理）
personal fulfillment 个人满足感
advance v. 前进，推进；（使）进展
pace of life 生活节奏
financially secure 有经济保障
maintain v. 主张；坚持认为
serve v. 为……提供服务；满足……的需要
本段翻译
与老年人相比，刚开始生活的年轻人更有可能在工作中优先考虑个人成就感，相信他们会通过定期更换工作来提升自己的职业生涯，更倾向于公共服务更多、生活节奏更快的社区，调查发现，同意夫妻在结婚或生孩子之前应该有经济上的保障，并坚持孩子最好由两个在外工作的父母照顾。
第四段
From career to community and family, these contrasts suggest that in the aftermath of the searing Great Recession, those just starting out in life are defining priorities and expectations that will increasingly spread through virtually all aspects of American life, from consumer preferences to housing patterns to politics.
单词&词组
contrast n. 差别，差异
aftermath n. （战争、风暴、事故的）后果，余波
searing a. 炽热的，灼热的；灼痛的，剧痛的
the Great Recession 大衰退
define v. 给……下定义，解释；界定，说明
spread through 蔓延到
virtually ad. 实际上，几乎，差不多
consumer preference 消费者偏好
housing pattern 居住模式
本段翻译
从职业到社区和家庭，这些对比表明，在严重的大衰退之后，那些刚刚开始生活的人正在确定优先事项和期望，这些期望将越来越多地传播到美国生活的几乎所有方面，从消费者偏好到住房模式再到政治。
第五段
Young and old converge on one key point: Overwhelming majorities of both groups said they believe it is harder for young people today to get started in life than it was for earlier generations. While younger people are somewhat more optimistic than their elders about the prospects for those starting out today, big majorities in both groups believe those “just getting started in life” face a tougher climb than earlier generations in reaching such signpost achievements as securing a good-paying job, starting a family, managing debt, and finding affordable housing.
单词&词组
converge v. （观点、目标）趋同
overwhelming a. 巨大的，压倒性的
somewhat ad. 有点儿，有几分
optimistic a. 乐观的，乐观主义的
prospect n. 可能性；机会；希望；前景
climb n. （社会地位）上升；（职务）晋升；提高（地位）
signpost n. 路标；标志物
secure v. （尤指经过努力）获得，取得，实现
本段翻译
年轻人和老年人有一个共同点：两个群体的绝大多数人都认为，现在的年轻人比前几代人更难开始生活。虽然年轻人对今天开始创业的人的前景比他们的长辈更乐观一些，但这两个群体中的大多数人都认为，“刚开始生活”的人在取得高薪工作、组建家庭、管理债务等路标性成就方面面临着比前几代人更艰难的挑战，找到经济适用房。
第六段
Pete Schneider considers the climb tougher today. Schneider, a 27-yaear-old auto technician from the Chicago suburbs, says he struggled to find a job after graduating from college. Even now that he is working steadily, he said.” I can’t afford to pay ma monthly mortgage payments on my own, so I have to rent rooms out to people to mark that happen.” Looking back, he is struck that his parents could provide a comfortable life for their children even though neither had completed college when he was young. “I still grew up in an upper middle-class home with parents who didn’t have college degrees,” Schneider said. “I don’t think people are capable of that anymore.”
单词&词组
technician n. 技师，技术人员
struggle v. 奋斗，拼搏，作出极大的努力
steadily ad. 稳定地，稳固地
mortgage n. 抵押贷款，按揭
本段翻译
皮特·施耐德认为今天的攀登更艰难。来自芝加哥郊区的27岁汽车技师施耐德说，他大学毕业后很难找到工作。即使现在他工作稳定，他说：“我自己付不起每个月的房贷，所以我不得不把房间租给别人来纪念这一点。”回首往事，他感到震惊的是，他的父母可以为他们的孩子提供舒适的生活，尽管他年轻时两人都没有完成大学学业。施耐德说：“我还是在一个中产阶级家庭长大的，父母都没有大学文凭。”。“我认为人们再也没有这种能力了。”
五道题
36. One cross-generation mark of a successful life is_____.
[A] trying out different lifestyles
[B] having a family with children
[C] working beyond retirement age
[D] setting up a profitable business
37. It can be learned from Paragraph 3 that young people tend to____.
[A] favor a slower life pace
[B] hold an occupation longer
[C] attach importance to pre-marital finance
[D] give priority to childcare outside the home
38. The priorities and expectations defined by the young will____.
[A] become increasingly clear
[B] focus on materialistic issues
[C] depend largely on political preferences
[D] reach almost all aspects of American life
39. Both young and old agree that____.
[A] good-paying jobs are less available
[B] the old made more life achievements
[C] housing loans today are easy to obtain
[D] getting established is harder for the young
40. Which of the following is true about Schneider？
[A] He found a dream job after graduating from college.
[B] His parents believe working steadily is a must for success.
[C] His parents’ good life has little to do with a college degree.
[D] He thinks his job as a technician quite challenging.
参考答案
BCDDC
答案解析
36、根据题干关键词cross-generation定位至第二段第一句。该句指出,跨越代际线，美国人依旧重视那些成功人生传统里程碑,诸如结婚生子拥有住房及六十来岁退休。[B]正确。
37、第三段从职业、社区和家庭角度指出年轻人追求的成功道路，他们赞同结婚或生子前经济上有保障，由此可知，年轻人往往重视婚前财务状况，[C]选项正确。
38、根据题下关键词priorities and expectation定位至第四段。该段指出，身处于人生起步初期的年轻人正在定义首要事项及期望,这些事项及期望将逐渐蔓延至美国人生活的方方面面。[D]正确。
39、根据题下Bob young and old agree 定位至第五段。该段首先指出年轻人和老辈人的共识:对今日的年轻人来说人生起步比之前的几代人更困难，继而进步阐释:在找到薪水不菲的工作组建家庭、管理债务和拥有可支付性住房这些标志性成就上，那些“刚刚人生起步”的人比几代之前的人攀行得更困难。即，成家立业、安稳下来对年轻人来说更困难。[D]正确。
40、根据题干关键词Schneider定位至第六段。该段④⑤句指出，Schneider的父母虽然没有攻读大学,但给孩子们提供了舒适的生活;父母虽然没有大学文凭,但他却仍在上层中产阶级家庭长大。由此可推知，他父母的上乘生活和大学文凭几乎没有关系,[C]选项正确。
