the trying twenties

1. What does

“

the trying twenties

”

mean? Why is the twenties a

“

trying

”

period?

Here

“

trying

”

means straining one

’

s power of endurance, so the phrase means that the twenties

is a period in which people undergo many ordeals that will temper their willpower and make them

more mature.

Twenty- somethings

are

presented

with

numerous

tasks

which

they

are

not

yet

equipped

to

deal

with. For example, to prepare for a career, to find a mentor who will guide you through life, to

find a mate with whom you will spend your

life, etc. These are the things that were once irrelevant, but now have become imminent. In a sense

these are the

“

trials

”< /p>

they need to go through as they are becoming an adult.

2.

How will you describe people in their twenties?

Positive:

energetic/incandescent

with

their

energies,

impatient

to

be

on

their

own,

eager

to

find

their own way of living in the world, ambitious, brave, curious, adventurous, vivacious, confident,

optimistic, cheerful, straightforward

Negative: changeable, baffled, confused, lovelorn (sometimes), rash, reckless, immature

3. Illusions are usually considered as negative. Can you think of

how illusions can sometimes be beneficial for people in their

twenties?

People in their twenties are faced with problems never met before. They don

’

t yet have enough

experience and resources to deal with them, but they usually have no one to turn to and they don

’

t like to look for help either. In times like this, illusions take away the fear inside a person and

replace it with confidence and excitement. Since all they have is they themselves, the belief that

their intelligence and willpower conquers all propels them forward. It is in the attempt to solve the

problems that they mature.

struck a chord in young people: appealed to young people and made them feel sympathy for the

hero

the loans and laundry endless: the tedious aspects of everyday life such as financial worries and

domestic chores (cleaning, ironing, etc.)

The evil bait of selling out: the insidious temptation of neglecting one

’

s ideals in order to make

money for a comfortable life

the wheel of life: symbol of life as a wheel, found in

many faiths.

In some religions the wheel

stands for the whole cycle, beginning with birth, the rise to the height of a person

’

s power, and the

decline again until death is reached. In other faiths the wheel can also stand for the rise and fall of

fortunes at different

times in life.

defense mechanisms: People develop specific psychic means, known as defense mechanisms, to

defend itself against unacceptable impulses. These include repression, the exclusion of impulses

from

conscious

awareness;

projection,

the

process

of

ascribing

to

others

one

’

s

own

unacknowledged

desires;

and

reaction

formation,

the

establishment

of

a

pattern

of

behavior

directly opposed to a strong unconscious need.

经受考验的

20

来岁

接受考验的

2 0

来岁使我们面临的问题是应如何在成人世界里立足。这时的我们精力最为充

已不再需要家庭的呵护，

也已度过了转型期的 稚嫩，

正急于寻求一种最适合自己的生活

——在这个世界上属于 我们自己的生活方式。

或者说，

在寻求生活模式之际，

我们想尝试一

下某种过渡性的方式，

因为此刻我 们不仅在努力证实自己在较大社会环境中的能力，

而且还

强烈地 意识到正在接受考验。

对那些经济上能承受的人来说，< /p>

读研究生是一种既稳妥又熟悉的方式。

攻读学位已是年

它使得我们不必过早地投身于令人生畏的社会大竞技场 上去证实自己的

能力。

在二战前，很少美国人有这种深造的荣幸 ；

在

16

、

1 8

或

20

这样尚未成熟的年纪他们

就到达了人生的出发点，

并且不论他们是否已作好准备，

但今天，常常是

在四分之一世纪 的时间过去之后，一个人才被指望或自我期

盼去选定自己的人 生道路。

或者所需时间更长。

对一个冒险者而言，

既然容许他去试验人生，

延长求学的时间，或是暂且搁置一下学业，那么临近

30

岁才确定人生道路也毫不为奇了。

今天，这一跨越七年的求学阶段似乎都介于

22

岁至

28

岁。

这一时期的任务令人振奋，同样也艰巨繁重：

使梦想成形，即在这个激发能量、活力

和希望的世界中发现自身的潜在价值。< /p>

为毕生将从事的工作作些准备。

可能的话，

寻求一位

良师益友。

并且培养与人亲近的能力，

在此过程中又不致丢失迄今为止所形成的真实的自我。

人生的第一个考验必须 围绕着我们选择尝试的生活而展开。

一个年轻人，对于如何展开自己富有创意的事业，志向未定，他拿不定主意到底他最