新托福阅读练习材料：生存在夹缝中的“80后”们

会计考友

作为中国第一代独生子女，80后承载了众多长辈的关爱。但在即将跨入而立之年的许多80后看来，他们的工作生活压力史无前例。今天我们托福考试阅读练习材料要说的就是生活在夹缝中的80后。
   
　　When Yu Bingbing, a 28-year-old market research manager, is on her way to work in central Beijing each morning, she always cannot help feeling anxious about whether she has locked the door of her apartment and turned off the gas.28岁的于冰冰是某公司市场调研部经理，每天清晨上班的途中，她总会不由自主地感到焦虑：“房门是不是锁了，煤气是不是关了?”

4 e5 X2 V; f( p) d5 e. `　　"I'm usually wrestling with these feelings for the entire day," Yu said. 于冰冰说:“我经常一整天都在同这些情绪斗争。”
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- X; x9 j) f4 N( C9 u# B! C　　Working at an international pharmaceutical firm, Yu looks older than she is and her heavily made-up face always has an exhausted look. 现任职于某国际制药公司的她，看上去要比实际年龄成熟得多，画着浓妆的脸上总是带着疲惫的神情。

% l* g0 ]. j7 _; _& R- c　　"Since I have been promoted to a managerial position, I lose my temper with my parents and husband more frequently just because of some trivial things," she said, adding that slight wrinkles and acne on her face have irritated her even more, and even luxury cosmetics cannot help her. 她说：“自从升为管理层后，我频频因为一点小事就对父母和老公大动肝火。”
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8 B5 b7 f2 w9 G( g  U6 \  P3 X　　"I have to work six days a week and don't even have extra off time when I'm sick," she said. "I have to push myself to become a workaholic since the competition in my company is really fierce and I also have to pay a 5,000 yuan monthly mortgage, besides saving a certain amount of money for my planned baby." 她说：“我每周必须工作6天，即使生病时也不例外。我必须强迫自己变成一个工作狂，因为公司里的竞争实在是太激烈了。我每月要偿还5000元按揭贷款，还要为将来生宝宝攒钱。”

　　Life is like riding on a rollercoaster for Yu and many other members of China's post-80s generation, the first generation born after the introduction of the family-planning policy and the group to benefit most from the country's opening-up policy and its booming economy. 对于于冰冰和其他的中国80后来说，生活就像是在坐过山车。他们是实施计划生育政策后的第一代生人，在改革开放、经济腾飞的大潮中，他们是受益最大的群体。
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　　Being the only child in their family, and without much to trouble them during their youth, most of them were taken good care of or even spoiled by their parents and grandparents. 作为独生子女，他们青春时代可谓一帆风顺，大多数人都得到父母以及祖父母的精心照料，甚至是娇宠。
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& T9 R3 n6 y' m, L# _- z/ d　　Having such a relatively carefree youth - when this generation reached adulthood and had to cope with soaring prices, the high cost of raising children and intense competition in the workplace - they suffered a rude awakening. 当慢慢长大成人时，他们必须应对飞涨的物价、抚养子女的高昂开销以及职场中的激烈竞争;曾经无忧无虑，漫步青春的他们此时如同大梦初醒意识到现实的残酷。

, x6 k; l4 b* a4 \$ F1 p　　According to statistics, the population of China's post-80s generation is over 200 million. The media usually refers to them as "slaves" to property, credit cards, children and marriage. 据统计，中国80后一代人口数量已超过2亿。媒体经常将他们比作“房奴”、“卡奴”，“孩奴”和“婚奴”。
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' {! k  U! \5 ~; V4 d4 b　　According to the "White Book on the Health Condition of China`s Urban White-Collar Workers", 76 percent of white-collar workers in China`s major cities are in worse than average health, with nearly 60 percent being over-fatigued.《中国城市白领健康状况白皮书》显示，中国大城市中有76%的白领处于亚健康状态，其中近6成人有过度疲劳症状。

会计考友

　The survey showed that nearly 80 percent of white-collar workers in China suffer from irregular sleep and diets and feel tired every day. In addition, more than half feel irritable, 20 percent feel lonely, and more than 70 percent are unhappy.该报告显示中国近80%的白领职员饮食和睡眠不规律且每日感到疲劳。此外，有超过半数的人焦躁易怒，20%的人感到孤独，70%多的人缺乏幸福感。  
　　Members of the post-80s generation, who generally have a good educational background and also have profound insights into many issues,should be confident about their future because of their talent and potential.They shouldn`t underestimate their own capabilities and constantly bemoan their fate. Meanwhile, employers can take some measures to help relieve the pressure on their staff, but what`s more important is that employees themselves should learn how to manage their emotions and deal with stress.
　　80后普遍有着良好的教育背景，对很多事情都具有深刻的洞察力;对于自己的未来，他们应当自信才对，因为他们拥有智慧和潜能. 他们不应低估自身能力，也不要自怨自艾，哀叹命运. 雇主们可以采取一些措施来帮助职员排解压力, 但更为重要的是员工们要学会控制情绪，对抗压力。
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3 ~' H9 X9 C% `　　【Notes】
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　　Wrestling：v.摔跤;使劲搬动，用力举起;努力解决
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( C0 t0 w8 e1 _7 L1 ^　　n. 摔角, 扭斗, 格斗wrestle的现在分词
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0 C' K% K% D9 Q4 s2 o+ a( u0 ^　　After wrestling with myself for some days, I decided to accept her offer.

( d; K/ Q3 u3 X　　经过了几天的内心斗争，我决定接受她的建议。
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　　Can't you help your mother wrestling with that heavy box?
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% u4 ^3 u: q% ~5 P5 b2 C8 N+ ]' B9 s　　你不能帮帮你妈妈搬一搬那沉重的箱子吗?
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　　Spoil：vt.损坏;溺爱 vi.变质 n.[ pl.]战利品

　　Isn't it a shame that the rain spoiled our picnic?

　　这场雨把我们的野餐给搅了，可惜不可惜?

5 D( [7 r' X8 z/ [' _; E/ V　　He spoiled my enjoyment of the film by talking all the time.

　　他一直说话，影响了我看电影的兴致。

　　Everybody enjoys being spoiled from time to time.
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　　谁都喜欢偶尔让人宠一宠。

; P! y2 e- r- |5 h　　A rude awakening：猛然的醒悟

　　I had a rude awakening when I found myself on the verge of bankruptcy.
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+ o) S/ i' ]0 V, f$ c+ m( \　　我发现自己已到了破产边缘时才猛然意识到事情不妙。

2 y6 G8 v" a" p　　Thousands of other people have stepped into the welfare lines in Ohio's 88 counties and experienced a rude awakening.
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; v* [$ M, T" c0 O4 C9 C8 V( a5 \3 W　　在俄亥俄州的八十八个县里,另外有几千人踏进了福利救济的行列,并且突然觉悟了。