People from different generations often live and work together. Sometimes they’re happy being together, other times they’re not. One of the reasons for their unhappiness maybe a generation gap. A generation gap is the difference between two or more generations—not the differences between their years but the differences between the generations’ ideas, attitudes, and interests. Of course, people can have differences and still be happy together, but according to the experts, communication between the generations helps everyone get along.
Good communication between the generations starts in the family. These days many families are changing their communication style. They are moving from a “one-way” style to a “two-way” style of communication. To show this change, let’s compare two families:
The Smith family uses the “one-way” style of communication. Mr. and Mrs. Smith show interest in their children, but they don’t discuss problems of feelings. The parents make all the rules and decisions. They don’t ask for their children’s opinions. They explain their decisions to their children, but they don’t discuss them. The explanation is clear and the children understand. The communication goes one way: from the parents to the children.
The Jones family uses the “two-way” style of communication. Mr. and Mrs. Jones show interest in their children and ask for their opinions. They discuss problems and express their feelings. The family makes rules and decisions together after a discussion. The communication goes two ways: from parents to children and from children to parents.
Better communication between generations at home means better communication between generations at work and in the community. When people from different generations understand each other better, they learn from each other more. This helps them form stronger bonds, work together more easily. As a result, people of all ages can team up effectively and come up with new ideas in different parts of life.
1. What is a generation gap?2. Where does good communication between the generations begin?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
If Jack’ parents discuss with him where to spend their summer vacation, they use the “one-way” style of communication.
4. To bridge the generation gaps, what other suggestions would you make besides better communication? (In about 40 words)
| A．Her brother. |
| B．Her final exams. |
| C．Her accident. |
3 . As we grew up, my mother would sit my sister and me down on the last Sunday of every month and force us to write letters to family in India. Despite being an orphan, my mom came from a large, tight-kmit Anglo-Indian family back in Hyderabad and loved the cousins she was raised with like siblings. At the time, we were the only ones who had left India to go abroad. She missed all our relatives deeply.
It was the 1970s, and my mother was recently divorced, raising two little girls on her own and finding her way in a new country. We lived in a basement apartment and couldn’t afford long-distance calls. Letter-writing was the cheapest and only way for us to maintain contact. The last thing I wanted to do was sit down for an hour after dinner and write letters to people I barely knew. But over time, my sister and I came to enjoy it. My mother would tell us stories about each family member, and it was interesting to get to know a whole clan of people who looked and sounded just like us.
When my mother died, my sister and I took her ashes back to India. We hadn’t been back for over 25 years, having visited only once when I was 10. After the funeral, we spent a month visiting relatives. Each household would take out photo albums full of photographs of us as well as the letters they’d received over the years. They’d saved them all and wanted to show us that they’d never forgotten us.
As we struggled as new immigrants, my mother ensured that we always knew who we were, where we came from and where we were going. She kept us connected to a family that was thousands of miles away but near to our hearts through a lifetime of letter-writing. And she taught me the power of storytelling.
It's a legacy to be proud of and a gift I’m grateful for every day.
1. What can we learn about the author’s mother from the text?| A．She was born into a poor family. | B．She raised her children alone. |
| C．She left India to study abroad. | D．She once lost touch with her cousins. |
| A．Curious. | B．Excited. | C．Confused. | D．Unwilling. |
| A．They lived all over the country. | B．They had forgotten about them. |
| C．They had saved all the letters from them. | D．They had similarities with the author’s mother. |
| A．The power of trust. | B．The joy of giving. |
| C．The impact of storytelling. | D．The importance of caring for one’s relatives. |
| A．where the writer’s family came from |
| B．what the writer’s relatives did with their letters |
| C．why the writer’s family moved to a new country |
| D．how the writer’s family kept in touch with their relatives |
| A．Seeds. | B．Gloves. | C．A cake. |
| A．Gray. | B．Black. | C．Brown. |
| A．Become a member of a club. |
| B．Spend more time studying. |
| C．Take pictures of his friends. |
1. What did the speaker learn from her father?
| A．Cooking. | B．Driving. | C．Swimming. |
| A．She fixed her computer. |
| B．She learned to ride a bike. |
| C．She went camping in the countryside. |
| A．They’re strict. |
| B．They’re confident. |
| C．They’re patient. |
| A．Husband and wife. | B．Mother and son. | C．Teacher and student. |
9 . One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap (包装).
On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is.” What an honour! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it.Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”, and “dying”, which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room.“If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I’d never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home!”
“Thank God!” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!
1. What happened to the author on September 11th, 1958?| A．He got a baby brother. |
| B．He got a Christmas gift. |
| C．He became four years old. |
| D．He received a doll. |
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Fearful. |
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
| A．A sad Christmas day. |
| B．Life with a lovely baby. |
| C．A special Christmas gift. |
| D．Memories of a happy family. |
10 . Six years ago, Libby and Joseph Lombardo gave birth to their first daughter Isabella. To the new parents, Isabella was surely perfect and they went home
| A．secretly | B．excitedly | C．worriedly | D．hurriedly |
| A．checking | B．moving | C．touching | D．training |
| A．misunderstood | B．expected | C．feared | D．dreamed |
| A．puzzled | B．amazed | C．angry | D．glad |
| A．exit | B．solution | C．suggestion | D．aim |
| A．remembered | B．realized | C．ignored | D．believed |
| A．unfortunately | B．luckily | C．similarly | D．unexpectedly |
| A．heard | B．predicted | C．promised | D．discovered |
| A．live | B．walk | C．speak | D．sleep |
| A．opportunity | B．point | C．possibility | D．rule |
| A．strength | B．independence | C．responsibility | D．confidence |
| A．discuss | B．report | C．observe | D．compare |
| A．admitted | B．requested | C．complained | D．warned |
| A．traditional | B．hopeful | C．popular | D．normal |
| A．results | B．problems | C．disappointment | D．failure |
