1、t have a solid idea of childhood as beingseparate from adulthood. A hundred years ago, no one thought ofadolescence. Until recently it was understood as a norm that their induction toadulthood was completed as soon as they graduated from college. They wouldnow find a sensible job which would lead to
2、 a career. Then during this careerthey would start a family, ideal y before they turned 30.4 Today we have an equivalent need to recognize a new phase of life thatcomes after high school graduation, continues through college, and then leadsto starting a family and having a career, the so-cal ed odys
3、sey years. Recenttrends show radical changes as young people are fol owing adifferent agenda. They take breaks from school, live with friends and oftenreturn to living with their parents. Similarly, they fall in and out of love, quit onejob and try another or even shift to a new career. So, we need
4、to recognize thisnew stage, the odyssey years, which many now consider to be an unavoidablestage in reaching adulthood.5 People who were born prior to the 60s or 70s in the last century tendedto frame their concept of adulthood based upon achieving certainaccomplishments: moving away from home, beco
5、ming financial y independent,finding the right spouse and starting a family. But that emphasis on stability didnot remain static. Today, young people are unlikely to do the same. During theodyssey years, a high proportion of young people are delaying marriage, childbearing, and even employment.6 The
6、 odyssey years can saddle young people with enormous pressure tomove forward quickly. As the sole heir and focus of their parents expectations,hopes and dreams, some react with rebellious and prideful attitudes andbehavior toward their parents. They often resent the pressure theyre feelingand keep a
7、 distance from their parents or even run away from home. Theirconfusion comes from the difficulties to make parents understand them andthe fluid journey of discovery they need in this phase of their lives. To get awayfrom this confusion and upset, many young people resort to computer games,iPods, iP
8、hones, or iPads, to help distract them from their pain and stress.7 Likewise, their parents are feeling more anxious. They maymake allowances for a transition phase from student life to adult life, but theyget upset when they see the transition of their grown childrens lives movingaway from their ex
9、pectations and stretching five years to seven years, andbeyond. The parents dont even detect a clear sense of direction in theirchildrens lives. They look at them and see the things that are being delayed.8 Its hard to predict whats next. New guidelines havent been established yet,and everything see
10、ms to give way to a less permanent version ofitself. Theres been a shift in the status and balance of power between thegenders, too. More women are getting degrees than men. Male wages haveremained stable over the past decades, while female wages have boomed.9 Apart from anything else, this has had
11、an implicit effect oncourtship. Educated women can get many of the things they want, such assecurity, accomplishment, and identity without marriage. However, bothgenders are having a harder time finding suitable mates to build their liveswith. Considering all of this, its beneficial to know that eve
12、n though graduatesare delaying many things after college, surveys show they still hold highlytraditional aspirations. For example, this contemporary generation ratesparenthood even more highly than previous generations did!10 This new phase will likely grow more pronounced in the comingyears. Nation
13、s around the world have witnessed similar trends toward delayingmarriage and spending more years than ever shifting between highereducation and settling down with a career and family.11 Nevertheless, graduates shouldnt be deceived into thinking they can backoff simply because things have become more
14、 difficult. A large number ofpeople chasing relatively fewer opportunities can create strong competitivepressure. So, from the outset, keep your resume professional and up-to-date.12 To reinforce this essential message, success moving through the odysseyyears will come to those who dont expect to ac
15、hieve their goals right away butknow that they must have the strength, capacity and confidence to endure overthe long term. If youre a little late with your goals, dont feel like a failure! Staystrong, be positive, and keep focused! Someday you will look back and wonderat the vast changes as you pas
16、sed through the odyssey years.Language Points:1 Most of us know about the phases 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 di
17、fferent age groups: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age.2 We think of infancy before childhood and middle age before old age, with each unique phase bringing its own peculiar set of challenges. (Para. 1) We sequence the life stages of infancy, childhood, middle age and old age according t
18、o 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
19、 . 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
20、来越热。(状语表示时间)Usage note: peculiar, characteristic, unusualpeculiar, 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“未曾预料的”特征。*The wine has a peculiar taste. 这种酒有种独特的味道。*It
21、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”。*Great minds in general look
22、 at life in a way peculiar to themselves. 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 these people, they opened their house 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。Its not unusual for teenagers to go through a phase when they feel ashamed of their paren
23、ts, afraid that they might not live up to their friends standards. 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 couldnt 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 These challenges can be overco
24、me by acquainting ourselves with them, such as the childs need to learn, the adults need to find the right career and build a family, and the seniors need for support and good health care. (Para. 1) By familiarizing ourselves with the particular challenges such as the needs for different age groups:
25、 child, adult, and senior, we can surely overcome all these challenges.Meaning beyond words: If we stay positive and optimistic, wel successful y handle the challenges at different life stages.4 Interestingly, ideas about the stages of life are changing. (Para. 2) Since the sentence states that the
26、ideas about life stages are changing, its predictable that the fol owing text will focus on this topic.5 In previous times, people didnt have a solid idea of childhood as being separate from adulthood. A hundred years ago, no one thought of adolescence. (Para. 3) In the past, people didnt have a cle
27、ar concept about separating childhood from adulthood. Children were simply seen as youngsters. Likewise, people didnt think about the life 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 f
28、rom college. They would now find a sensible job which would lead to a career. (Para. 3) People used 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 towarda career. Things are no longer the same as t
29、hey were in the past.College graduates wont find an ideal job right after they graduate from school. Itl take longer time before they start with their career. sensible, sensitive1. sensible 表示“明智的”,如:a sensible person(一个明智的人),a sensible plan(一个切合实际的计划)。A sensible person makes good decisions and adjustments based on reason rather 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。*sensible 还可以表示“知道的;觉察的”,be sensible of 表示“感知某事;察觉到某事”。*I am sensible of the suffering you are undergoing. 我清楚你正在经历的痛苦。2. sensitive 在
copyright@ 2008-2022 冰豆网网站版权所有
经营许可证编号:鄂ICP备2022015515号-1