Generation Gap

A few years ago,itwas fashionable to speak of a generation gap,a division between young peopleand

their elders.Parentscomplained that children did not show them proper respect and obedience,whilechildren

complained thattheir parents did not understand them at all.What had gone wrong?Why had thegeneration

gap suddenlyappeared?Actually,the generation gap has been around for a long time.Manycritics argue

that it is builtinto the fabric of our society.

One important causeof the generation gap is the opportunity that young people have to choose theirown

life styles.In moretraditional societies,when children grow up,they are expected to live in thesame area

as their parents,tomarry people that their parents know and approve of,and often to continue thefamily occupation.

In our society,youngpeople often travel great distances for their education,most out of the familyhome at

an early age,marryor live or choose occupations different from those of their parents.

In our upwardlymobile society,parents often expect their children to do better than they diD.to find

better jobs,to makemore money,and to do all the things that they were unable todo.Often,however,the

ambitions thatparents have for their children are another cause of the division betweenthem.Often they dis-

cover that they havevery little in common with each other.

Finally,the speed atwhich changes take place in our society is another cause of the gap between the

generations.In atraditional culture,elderly people are valued for their wisdom,but in oursociety the

knowledge of alifetime may become obsolete overnight.

The young and theold seem to live in two very different worlds,separated by different skills andabilities.

No doubt,thegeneration gap will continue to be a feature of American life for some time tocome.Its causes

are rooted in thefreedoms and opportunities of our society,and in the rapid pace at whichsociety changes.Theword"around"in paragraph one means________.

A.on all sides

B.in every direction

C.near

D.in existence