Question

Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests they both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.

“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”

Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.

Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent—child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood.

No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”

But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”

Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic(民主的) process that encourages everyone to have a say.

“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the  ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily done by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”

1.The underlined word gulf in Para.3 most probably means _________.

A．interest           B．distance           C．difference         D．separation

2.Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?

A．Parents help their children develop interests in more activities.

B．Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities.

C．Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs.

D．Parents share more interests with their children.

3.The change in today’s parent-child relationship is _________.

A．more confusion among parents

B．new equality between parents and children

C．1ess respect for parents from children

D．more strictness and authority on the part of parents

4.By saying “today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side.” the author means that today’s parents _________.

A．follow the change

B．can set a limit to the change

C．fail to take the change seriously

D．have much difficulty changing their ideas

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述的是现在社会中父母和孩子之间的代沟的消失，讨论了这一现象的好处和坏处。

1.B 推理题。根据本句Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.可知音乐不仅仅的二者之间的差异，服装，发型以及期待值都是双方之间的主要不同之处。故B正确。

2.D 推理题。现在的父母亲和孩子之间的共同语言在变多，这正说明两者之间的代沟在慢慢地消失。故D正确。

3.B 推理题。根据文章最后一段可知现在父母亲和孩子之间的交流的增加让两者之间变的更加的平等，没有了封建家长的权威，取代的是双方之间的真心交流。故B正确。

4.A 推理题。根据本句“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the  ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer.可知现在的家长能够顺应时代的变化而采取一种和孩子交流的方式。故A正确。

考点：考察社会现象类短文阅读