 Generation After Generation
Reading Exercise: top During the past three decades, lifestyle and social changes have dramatically affected the attitudes and desires of young adults (18-30 years of age). The Baby Boomers dominated the 1960s and 1970s, the Yuppies prospered in the 1980s, and now the new millennium is the time of Generation X. The Baby Boomers are the children of the Silent Generation (those born between 1925-1942). Baby Boomers were raised in era of post World War II optimism; full of affordable homes and terrific career opportunities. The Baby Boomers are credited with providing dramatic social change: women’s liberation, global peace and sexual freedom. This period of North American history was characterized by civil unrest and increasing divorce rates. This was also a time that saw many women enter the work force. In 1960, only 20% of all mothers with children under the age of six were working; in 1990, that number grew to 60%. The Baby Boomers represented all of the optimism associated with President John F. Kennedy. The optimism of the late 1960s and 1970s was replaced with the materialism of the 1980s. This new decade saw the rise of the Yuppie (Young Urban Professional) generation. Competition replaced cooperation, and money and status became this generation’s goal. Family became even less important during this decade, as Yuppies worked longer hours to climb the corporate ladder. Technology dramatically developed to meet the need of doing everything faster and cheaper. By the late 1980s, we began to see another shift in the attitudes of the young adults. Generation X has been referred to as the "Lost Generation". To members of Generation X society is in crisis. Technology and medicine have failed us; as witnessed in the Shuttle disaster and the AIDS epidemic. The individualism of the 1980s has been replaced with the idea of a "Global Village" where everyone is responsible for the safety of our environment. The Internet, cell phones and satellites have removed geographical borders. Generation X members distrust government and big business who they feel are responsible for all of society’s problems. Generation Xers know that their world is broken, but they don’t know how to fix it. This generation is also a generation of paradoxes. They rebel against technology, yet they embrace personal items like cell phones and the Internet. There has been a return to family values and a ‘simple’ lifestyle. All of these values are evident in the current advertising campaigns which embrace community values and an ‘honest’ product. Therefore, it is not surprising that we see slogans like Nike’s "Just Do It" and Microsoft’s "Where Do You Want to Go?". With our world constantly changing, no one can accurately predict what the next generation will be. 1. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT: (a) The Silent Generation is a predecessor of the Baby Boomers. (b) Generation X is associated with contradictions.(c) In 1960, only 20% of all mothers had 6 children. (d) Generation X is suspicious of government. 2. Generation X is referred to as the "Lost Generation" because: (a) They have lost their technology . (b) Their location is not known. (c) They have lost their family lifestyle and geographical borders. (d) They appear to lack their sense of purpose in society.3. From the passage we can infer that: (a) The divorce rate of Generation Xers would probably be lower than that of the Yuppie generation. (b) Yuppies did not want cell phones. (c) The unemployment rate was high during the Baby Boom generation. (d) John F. Kennedy was a member of Generation X. 4. The expression "climb the corporate ladder" (in line 10) probably means: (a) lose your job (b) succeed at work (c) renovate your office (d) get laid off5. The word "unrest" (in line 5) could be replaced by all of the following EXCEPT: (a) conflict (b) depression (c) turmoil (d) strife
(PART ONE) Instructions: Change the following active verbs to their passive forms. 1. is writing2. will show 3. is searching 4. tells 5. has seen 6. was typing 7. will have begun 8. is going to correct (PART TWO) Instructions: Change the following sentences to the passive voice. Decide when the "by phrase" is necessary. 1. The Baby Boomer will file her application for divorce next week. __________________________________________________________________________ 2. Fortunately, The Future Shop was able to repair Laura’s cell phone. __________________________________________________________________________ 3. A few minutes ago, someone was e-mailing David about the upcoming high school reunion. __________________________________________________________________________ 4. Several Baby Boomers have purchased the new model of the Volkswagen Bug. __________________________________________________________________________ 5. Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated John F. Kennedy on November 22nd 1963. Listening Exercise: BINGO top Sample Bingo Card
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