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 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(分歧). 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 friends.”   
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(演化的) roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic 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 accomplished 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.”

Answer 1

【小题1】Generation
【小题2】separate/different
【小题3】unlikely/unwilling
【小题4】exists
【小题5】similar
【小题6】common
【小题7】respect
【小题8】Lead/Contribute
【小题9】confused/puzzled
【小题10】difference

解析【小题1】根据第四段可知，
【小题2】根据第三段move in separate orbits可知
【小题3】根据第四段Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago可知，
【小题4】根据第四段Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families可知，没有消失也就是说还存在
【小题5】根据第一段Parents and kids today dress alike可知
【小题6】根据第二段可以总结出
【小题7】根据第四段可以看出
【小题8】根据第六段But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents可以看出
【小题9】根据第七段there is a lot of confusion among parents可知
【小题10】根据最后一句sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now可知