A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.
It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.
So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.
My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.
This casual attitude toward responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.
Our parents looked to rise vertically(垂直的)--starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.
Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, strive for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.
【小题1】When the author walked through her parents’ house, she _______.

Awareness Weeks（认知宣传周）have become a regular part of Britain's cultural landscape over the past few years. They started back in 1957,when one charity（慈善机构）,Christian Aid, decided to make all its money-raising efforts on one time of year. It was thought that by doing this they would get more publicity for their cause.?

They were right, and soon other charities and campaign groups followed them. These days, most donations to charity are not collected on the streets. So instead of just asking for money, charities prefer to spend their time “raising awareness”—spreading knowledge of the work they do or the cause they support. They also compete with businesses and trade groups who use awareness weeks as marketing campaigns for their products.

There are now 500 awareness weeks held every year in the UK. No week goes by without one group or another trying to make the British public aware of something, with most held in May or October.?

The danger with all these awareness weeks is that people start to become cynical(不信任).Take National Smile Week, it seems like a great idea. Let's all make each other's life a little bit happier with a friendly smile. But really it's just a group of dentists and cosmetics companies trying to sell us toothpastes. It's enough to make you want to start National Forget About It Week.?

“People feel that many awareness campaigns are just marketing exercises,” says Ms Ormiston, who edits the Awareness Campaign Register, a newsletter which encourages people who run Awareness Weeks to become more aware of each other.“But 90 per cent of campaigns are run by traditional charities or not for groups to make money.”

“There's still no official group for awareness campaigns,” says Ms Ormiston.“People can do what they like, whatever the size of their budgets（经费）or their public relations machines allows.”?

This situation has led to calls for laws to stop real charities having their efforts overshadowed by marketing campaigns. This could be done by making the two groups hold their weeks at different times or stopping businesses running imitation(模仿) charity campaigns.?

But there is another way. Maybe it's time for National Weak Awareness Week, especially for people whose awareness of Awareness Weeks is weak.?

What's the main purpose of awareness weeks run by charities in Britain?

A. To raise money for charities.

B. To spread knowledge of charities.?

C. To take up marketing campaigns.

D. To advertise their goods for sale.?

Why do people start to become cynical about awareness weeks?

A. Too many awareness weeks make people feel bored.?

B. People feel many awareness weeks are just for marketing exercises.?

C. People have a weak awareness of awareness weeks.?

D. Awareness weeks are held too often and too much money is raised.?

What does Ms Ormiston think about awareness weeks??

A. Most of the awareness weeks should not be for making money.?

B. Official groups should take the place of charities in awareness campaigns.?

C. People can do what they like in awareness weeks.?

D. People can get larger budgets through awareness campaigns.?

Which of the following is the right measure to be taken to solve the problems in awareness campaigns??

A. Laws should stop awareness weeks run by real charities.?

B. There should be large public relations departments in awareness campaigns.?

C. Business and awareness campaigns should not be held at the same place.?

D. Marketing campaigns should not be in the name of charity ones.

My sister, Cathy, who lives in Vancouver, sent me a package full of Christmas gifts. She told me that she had 36   it in advance to make sure it would arrive at my house weeks before the 37 . Christmas was drawing near, but no package arrived. Cathy checked the tracking number every 38  with Canada Post, and every evening she would call me to 39  if there was any sign of it on our end.
The 40  always started with questions about the package, but twenty minutes later we would still be 41   . We talked about our family, such as parents, our kids, 42  and so on. Of course we also talked about our jobs. We had never made so much 43  for each other! The talk always took us back to the hours we spend together in our childhood.
By Christmas Eve we finally had to 44   the fact that the package was 45  lost. On Christmas morning, Cathy got on the phone with everyone in my 46   and told them what she had sent. Later on, after a big Christmas dinner, I had forgotten all about the 47  package when there was a knock on the door. Who could it be at such a time? As I 48  the door, a man was standing there. “I 49    this is yours.” he said, holding a package. Just then I 50  that it had been delivered to the wrong address. “I just got home from vacation,” he explained, “51 I wanted you to have this in time to open for Christmas.” I thanked this 52  stranger for taking so much trouble to 53 this gift to us on Christmas Day, and 54 thanked God that the package had been lost in the first place.
The real gift that holiday season was the new 55  to my sister who lives far away from us. Now there’s one gift I never want to give back!

Our “Mommy and Me” time began two years ago. My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of age 6 and under ride their bikes up and down. “I wish I could take one of my children out alone,” said Christie.
Then we worked out a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I’ll watch her other three. And when she watches two of mine, I’ll take someone out.  
The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of “Mommy and Me” time. Christie’s daughter, McKenzie, went first. When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions. McKenzie was smiling broadly. Christie looked refreshed and happy. “She’s like a different child when there’s no one else around,” Christie shared with me quickly. With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn’t have to make an effort to gain attention. 
Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times. For example, I am always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently. My stuttering（口吃的）son, Tom doesn’t stutter once during our activities since he doesn’t have to struggle for a chance to speak. And the other son, Sam, who’s always a follower when around other children shines as a leader during our times together.
The “Mommy and Me” time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest gain. Every child deserves（应得到）to be an only child at least once in a while.
【小题1】What is the text mainly about?