新视野大学英语第三版第二册课文语法讲解 unit3.pdf

新视野三版读写 B2 U3 Text A
Journey through the odyssey years
1 Most of us know about the phases of life which we label to parallel different
age groups and life stages: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old
age. We think of infancy before childhood and middle age before old age, with
each unique phase bringing its own peculiar set of challenges. These
challenges can be e by acquainting ourselves with them, such as the
child's need to learn, the adult's need to find the right career and build a family,
and the senior's need for support and good health care.
2 Interestingly, ideas about the stages of life are changing.
3 In previous times, people didn't have a solid idea of childhood as being
separate from adulthood. A hundred years ago, no one thought of
adolescence. Until recently it was understood as a norm that their induction to
adulthood pleted as soon as they graduated from college. They would
now find a sensible job which would lead to a career. Then during this career
they would start a family, ideally before they turned 30.
4 Today we have an equivalent need to recognize a new phase of life that
comes after high school graduation, continues through college, and then leads
to starting a family and having a career, the so-called odyssey years. Recent
trends show radical changes as young people are following a
different agenda. They take breaks from school, live with friends and often
return to living with their parents. Similarly, they fall in and out of love, quit one
job and try another or even shift to a new career. So, we need to recognize this
new stage, the odyssey years, which many now consider to be an unavoidable
stage in reaching adulthood.
5 People who were born prior to the 60s or 70s in the last century tended
to frame their concept of adulthood based upon achieving certain
plishments: moving away from home, ing financially independent,
finding the right spouse and starting a family. But that emphasis on stability did
n