【听力文本】
A: How old is Keith?
B: He’s 21. How old is James？
A: He’s a year older than Keith, but he looks younger.
B: How’s your father?
A: He’s fine. He retired last week. It’s a turning point in his life. Now he can relax and enjoy his retirement.
B: He can spend more time with his grandchilden.
A: Oh, I don’t think he wants to. He wants to travel to several different countries around the world.
B: So, he wants to have a more active retirement. Good idea!
A: How do you want to spend your old age?
B: In the same way, probably. Intermediate
A: What’s the life expectancy in your country?
B: I’m not sure, but probably about 75 years. How about in your country?
A: About 70, I think. This newspaper article talks about the problems of
an aging population. It’s a problem that will soon affect most of the world.
B: I heard that the government might need to increase the retirement age,
because otherwise there will not be enough workers to support the young and the elderly.
A: Perhaps we need to have more babies! Tina gave birth to a baby boy yesterday.
B: Did she? That’s great. However, if we have too many children, that will have a bad effect on the environment.
A: How’s your son these days?
B: Oh, he’s fine. Kids seem to grow up very quickly nowadays.
A: He’ll be a teenager before you know it! Teenagers are often rebellious!
When do you think it is a good age to have a child?
B: I had mine when I was 24. That’s a little young.I’d suggest you wait until you are in your late twenties, or even in your early thirties if you have a good career.
A: Yes, I think you’re right. I’m thinking about having a child, but not just yet.
B: Is there a big generation gap between parents and their children in your country?
A: Yes, there is. Teenagers do not want to live traditonal lives. They want to go out, have fun, and explore the world. They want to develop their own view of life. Parents usually try to discourage them, but they don’t often succeed.
B: Parents usually give their children more freedom in my country. Sometimes they give them too much freedom.
A: It’s almost impossible to get the right balance. If you are too strict, kids might ignore you. If you are too lenient, they might go wild.
【每日一句】
It’s a turning point in his life
turning point，通俗地讲，就是我们常说的“转折点、契机”。
如：After joining the company, my career has had a very smooth development. It seems that this job-hopping is a turning point for me（我来到新公司发展得不错， 看来这次跳槽是我的一个转折点）。
This is a turning point in history.（这是历史的转折点）。
在口语中，我们还经常用a big break来表示“大转折、大的突破”之意。
如：When the star was taken ill, the understudy finally got her first big break（主角生病的时候，那个候补演员终于得到了第一个露脸的机会）。
【年龄相关表达】
middle-aged
中年
elderly
of people 人 used as a polite word for old 年纪较大的，上了年纪的（婉辞，与 old 同义）
childhood
the period of somebody’s life when they are a child 童年；幼年；孩童时期
adulthood
the state of being an adult 成年
teenager
a person who is between 13 and 19 years old （13 至 19 岁之间的）青少年，青少年男女
Generation
all the people who were born at about the same time （统称）一代人，同代人，同辈人
early-twenties
二十刚出头
mid-thirties
大约三十五六岁
late-forties
快五十岁
baby toddler
婴儿学步
