Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and it is always true. It has never been truer than it is today. The young are better educated. They have a lot more money to spend and enjoy more freedom. They grow up more quickly and are not so dependent on their parents. They think more for themselves and do not blindly accept the ideals of their elders. Events which the older generation remembers vividly are nothing more than past history. This is as it should be. Every new generation is different from the one that preceded it. Today the difference is very marked indeed.
The old always assume that they know best for the simple reason that they have been around a bit longer. They don’t like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened. And this is precisely what the young are doing. They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency. Office hours, for instance, are nothing more than enforced slavery. Wouldn’t people work best if they were given complete freedom and responsibility? And what about clothing? Who said that all the men in the world should wear drab grey suits and convict haircuts? If we ruin our minds to more serious matters, who said that human differences can best be solved through conventional politics or by violent means? Why have the older generation so often used violence to solve their problems? Why are they so unhappy and guilt-ridden in their personal lives, so obsessed with mean ambitions and the desire to amass more and more material possessions? Can anything be right with the rat-race? Haven’t the old lost touch with all that is important in life?
These are not questions the older generation can shrug off lightly. Their record over the past forty years or so hasn’t been exactly spotless. Traditionally, the young have turned to their elders for guidance. Today, the situation might be reversed. The old—if they are prepared to admit it—could learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not “sinful”. Enjoyment is a principle one could apply to all aspects of life. It is surely not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your leisure, to shed restricting inhibitions. It is surely not wrong to live in the present rather than in the past or future. This emphasis on the present is only to be expected because the young have grown up under the shadow of the bomb: the constant threat of complete annihilation. This is their glorious heritage. Can we be surprise that they should so often question the sanity of the generation that bequeathed it?
13. Which of the following features in the young is NOT mentioned?
14. What do the young reject most?
15. The phrase “shrug off” (Para. 3) is closest in meaning to ____.
16. Why do the young stress on the present?
17. What can the old learn from the young generation?
18. The passage is focused on ____.
问题1选项
A.Better educated.
B.More money and freedom.
C.Independence.
D.Hard work.
问题2选项
A.Values.
B.The assumption of the elders.
C.Conformity.
D.Conventional ideas.
问题3选项
A.get rid of
B.take off
C.give a cold shoulder
D.think of
问题4选项
A.They have grown up under the shadow of the bomb.
B.They dislike the past.
C.They think the present world is the best.
D.They are afraid of destruction.
问题5选项
A.Enjoyment is not sinful.
B.People should have more leisure time.
C.Men might enjoy life.
D.One should enjoy one’s work.
问题6选项
A.the gap between old people and young people
B.the old don’t like values to be questioned
C.the old give guidance to the young
D.the old could learn from the young
第1题:D
第2题:B
第3题:C
第4题:A
第5题:A
第6题:D
13. 事实细节题。
1）精准定位：根据题干“以下哪个年轻人的特征没有被提到”可定位到原文第1段。
A选项“受教育程度更高”，可定位到本段第4句The young are better educated.（年轻人受到了更好的教育。）由此可知，选项表述与原文一致。
B选项“更多的金钱和自由”，可定位到本段第5句They have a lot more money to spend and enjoy more freedom.（他们有更多的钱可以花，享受更多的自由。）由此可知，选项表述与原文一致。
C选项“独立”，可定位到本段第6句They grow up more quickly and are not so dependent on their parents.（他们成长得更快，不那么依赖父母。）由此可知，选项表述与原文一致。
D选项“努力工作”，原文并未提及。
2）综合理解：本题要求选择没有被提到的特点，A、B、C选项原文都提到了，属于反向干扰；只有D选项未被提及，符合题意。因此，本题最佳选项为D。
14. 事实细节题。
1）精准定位：根据题干“年轻人最排斥什么”可定位到原文第2段。
A选项“价值观”，可定位到本段第2-3句They don’t like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened. And this is precisely what the young are doing.（他们不喜欢自己的价值观受到质疑或威胁。这正是年轻人正在做的事情。）原文仅指出，年轻人质疑老一辈的价值观，而不是选项所说的所有“价值观”，该选项属于过度推理，排除。
B选项“老一辈的设想”，可定位到本段第4句They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency.（他们质疑老一辈的设想，扰乱他们的自满情绪。）原文指出年轻人质疑老一辈的设想，可以推断出他们排斥老一辈的设想。
C选项“随大流”，原文并未提及。
D选项“传统的观念”，原文并未提及。
2）综合理解：A选项表述错误，属于过度推理，C、D选项原文并未提及，属于无中生有。B选项表述与原文相符，符合题意。因此，本题最佳选项为B。
15. 词汇推测题。
1）句中前后信息衔接：根据题干定位到原文第3段第1句These are not questions the older generation can shrug off lightly.（这些问题不是老一辈可以轻易____的。）由此可知，shrug off是老一辈的人对这些问题的行为。
2）上下文语义衔接：上文第2段第4句They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency.（他们质疑上一辈的设想，扰乱他们的自满情绪。）由此可知，年轻人的这些问题是对上一辈的某些设想的质疑，挑战的是老一辈的自满。因此，shrug off是老一辈的人对年轻人质疑的态度或反应。并且，根据第2段第2句They don’t like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened.（他们不喜欢自己的价值观受到质疑或威胁。）由此可知，他们的态度应该是不喜欢，所以shrug off的词义应该与不喜欢相关，排除B选项“起飞；脱下；离开”、D选项“认为；想到”。
3）篇章主旨：本题不需要参考。
4）搭配用法：shrug off的对象是questions（年轻人的质疑），B、D选项不能与之搭配，排除。
5）词汇本身：shrug off中shrug的意思是“耸肩”，off的意思是“离开”，结合来看，字面意思是“耸肩以脱离”，与C选项give a cold shoulder“（字面意思）提供一个冷的肩膀”意思最接近，两者的引申义均为“不予理睬”。
综上所述，本题最佳选项为C。
16. 事实细节题。
1）精准定位：根据题干“为什么年轻人强调当下”，可定位到原文第3段倒数第3句This emphasis on the present is only to be expected because the young have grown up under the shadow of the bomb: the constant threat of complete annihilation.（这种对当下的强调是意料之中的，因为年轻人是在炸弹的阴影下长大的：持续不断的彻底毁灭的威胁。）
2）综合理解：由此可知，A选项“他们是在炸弹的阴影下长大的”，表述符合原文。B选项“他们不喜欢过去”、C选项“他们认为当下是最好的”、D选项“他们害怕毁灭”原文均未提及，属于无中生有，排除。因此，本题最佳选项为A。
17. 事实细节题。
1）精准定位：根据题干“老年人能从年轻人身上学到什么”，可定位到原文第3段。本段第5句The old—if they are prepared to admit it—could learn a thing or two from their children.（老年人，如果他们愿意承认的话，可以从他们的孩子身上学到一两件事。）
A选项“享乐不是罪恶的”，可定位到本段第6句One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not “sinful”.（他们能学到的最重要的一课就是享受并不是“罪恶的”。）由此可知，选项表述符合原文。
B、C、D选项，可定位到本段第8句It is surely not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your leisure, to shed restricting inhibitions.（享受你的工作，享受你的闲暇，摆脱束缚，当然没有错。）原文提到了享受闲暇时间没有错，但并没有说要有更多的闲暇时间，B选项“人们应该有更多的闲暇时间”属于偷换概念，排除。D选项“我们应该享受自己的工作”，原文有提到，表述符合原文；原文提到“享受你的工作，享受你的闲暇，摆脱束缚”，也就是在享受生活，C选项“人们可以享受生活”表述也符合原文。
2）综合理解：题干问“老年人可以从年轻人身上学到什么”，A、C、D选项表述都符合原文，但是，A选项概括性更强，C、D选项是对A选项“享乐不是罪恶的”的具体例子，因此，本题最佳选项为A。
18. 主旨大意题。
1）梳理各段核心句：
第1段：本段第1-3句Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and it is always true. It has never been truer than it is today.（老人们总是说年轻人已今非昔比了，同样的观点代代相传，而且总是正确的，这一点从未像今天这样真实。）由此可知，本段主要介绍年轻人和老一辈的不同。
第2段：本段第4句They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency.（他们质疑长辈们的假设，扰乱他们的自满情绪。）由此可知，本段主要介绍年轻人对老一辈的质疑。
第3段：本段第5-6句The old—if they are prepared to admit it—could learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not “sinful”.（老年人，如果他们愿意承认的话，可以从他们的孩子身上学到一两件事。他们能学到的最重要的一课就是享受并不是“罪恶的”。）由此可知，本段主要介绍老年人可以从年轻人身上学到的东西，其中一点就是享受不是罪恶的。
总的来说，本文层层深入，先铺垫背景，年轻人与老年人的不同，再说年轻人的质疑，最后落脚点在，老年人可以从年轻人身上学到的东西。题干“这篇文章的重点是____”，D选项“老年人可以向年轻人学习”最符合题意。
2）排除干扰项：
A选项“老年人和年轻人之间的差距”，这是本文第一段的内容，但不是本文的重点，该选项属于本末倒置。
B选项“老人们不喜欢价值观受到质疑”，可定位到第2段第2句They don’t like to feel that their values are being questioned or threatened.（他们不喜欢自己的价值观受到质疑或威胁。）但是原文提到这一点，是为了引出年轻人对老一辈的质疑，所以该选项也不是文章的重点，属于本末倒置。
C选项“老人给年轻人以指导”，可定位到第3段第3句Traditionally, the young have turned to their elders for guidance.（传统上，年轻人会向长辈寻求指导。）但是原文提到这一点，是为了引出后文Today, the situation might be reversed.（今天，情况可能会逆转。）所以该选项也不是文章的重点，属于本末倒置。
综上，本题最佳选项为D。
