Question

    Boomerang children who return to live with their parents after university can be good for families, leading to closer, more supportive relationships and increased contact between the generations, a study has found.

The findings contradict research published earlier this year showing that returning adult children trigger a significant decline in their parents’ quality of life and wellbeing.

The young adults taking part in the study were “more positive than might have been expected” about moving back home – the shame is reduced as so many of their peers are in the same position, and they acknowledged the benefits of their parents’ financial and emotional support. Daughters were happier than sons, often slipping back easily into teenage patterns of behaviour, the study found.

Parents on the whole were more uncertain, expressing concern about the likely duration of the arrangement and how to manage it. But they acknowledged that things were different for graduates today, who leave university with huge debts and fewer job opportunities.

The families featured in the study were middle-class and tended to view the achievement of adult independence for their children as a “family project”. Parents accepted that their children required support as university students and then as graduates returning home, as they tried to find jobs paying enough to enable them to move out and get on the housing ladder.

“However,” the study says, “day-to-day tensions about the prospects of achieving different dimensions of independence, which in a few extreme cases came close to conflict, characterized the experience of a majority of parents and a little over half the graduates”.

Areas of divergence included chores, money and social life. While parents were keen to help, they also wanted different relationships from those they had with their own parents, and continuing to support their adult children allowed them to remain close.

1.What is the finding of the previous research?

A.Boomerang children made their parents happier.

B.The parents were looking forward to their children’s return.

C.The parents’ quality of life became worse than before.

D.Boomerang children never did any housework.

2.What are college graduates’ attitudes towards returning home?

A.They are ashamed of turning to their parents for help.

B.They are glad that they could come back.

C.They are doubtful about whether they should return.

D.They are proud to be independent from the family.

3.What is the reason for the “boomerang children” phenomenon?

A.The children want to keep in closer touch with their parents.

B.The parents want to provide support to their children.

C.It is harder for the children to secure a satisfying job.

D.There is more housework needed to be done by the children.

4.The underlined word “divergence” in paragraph 7 may be best replaced by ________.

A.disagreement B.harmony C.responsibility D.cooperation

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

本文是说明文。一项研究发现，“啃老族”子女在大学毕业后回到父母身边生活对家庭是有好处的，他们会与父母建立更亲密、更具支持性的关系，并增进两代人之间的联系。

1.

推理判断题。根据第二段“The findings contradict research published earlier this year showing that returning adult children trigger a significant decline in their parents’ quality of life and wellbeing.”可知，以往的研究显示，返乡的成年子女会导致父母的生活质量和幸福感显著下降。故选C项。

2.

细节理解题。根据The young adults taking part in the study were more positive than might have been expected about moving back home the shame is reduced as so many of their peers are in the same position, and they acknowledged the benefits of their parents financial and emotional support.可知，大学毕业生对回家的态度是积极的。因为现在很多同龄人都这样做，所以也没什么丢脸的。而且他们承认父母确实可以从经济上和情感上给予他们支持。故选B项。

3.

推理判断题。根据But they acknowledged that things were different for graduates today, who leave university with huge debts and fewer job opportunities.可知，父母们认识到现在的情况和以前不同。大学生们一毕业就面临高额债务，也很难找到一份满意的工作。所以导致大量毕业生返乡回到父母身边。故选C项。

4.

猜测词义题。上一段讲了大学生回家之后和父母同住会产生一些冲突。通过day-to-day tensions，conflict这些词可以推断出这里指和父母会有分歧出现。下文也提到分歧主要体现在家务、经济以及社交生活这些地方。故选A项。