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第十四篇　The Sandwich Generation(2014新)

　　Today people often look forward to their middle age as a time when they will be able to take things easier. After their children are grown, they expect to enjoy the life they have worked hard to create. However the reality is often very different. In middle age, many people discover that they have two ongoing responsibilities: one is to look after their aging parents,and the other is to help their young adult children deal with the pressures of life. Around the world, there are millions of people who are “sandwiched”in between the older and the younger generations. Sometimes there may be two or three generations living in the same household — a situation that is common in many Asian countries and in some parts of Europe. In other cases, a couple may be taking care of parents and children, but they do not live with them.

　　There are two important reasons for the rise of the sandwich generation. First, people are living longer than they used to. In the early nineteenth century, the average life expectancy for adults in the United States，for example，was about 40，whereas today people live to an average age of 75. Therefore, children are taking care of their parents over a longer period of time. The second reason is that these days, young adults often live with their parents for a longer time than they did in the past. This is often for financial reasons. It’s also more common for today’s young adults to return home during or after college if they need financial or emotional support.

　　People who take care of elderly parents often face difficult issues. They may have to cover expenses that their parents cannot. They may have to manage their parents’ financial and legal affairs. They may have to prepare for their parents’ future needs, such as special medical care or a move to a nursing home. This can be a traumatic experience for everyone.

　　Caring for adult children presents challenges as well, and caregivers have to resolve important questions; How can financial responsibilities be shared among members of the household? How can household chores be shared? What is the best way to ensure everyone’s privacy? Successfully coping with these issues can avoid a lot of stress for the whole family.

　　The financial and emotional pressures on the sandwich generation can be overwhelming. However, this time in life also has its rewards. It can be a time to rediscover the special qualities of one’s parents or children. It can also provide a valuable opportunity to spend more time with them. However, in order to survive this difficult period in their lives, the members of the sandwich generation must remember that they also need to pay attention to their own needs and look after the quality of their own lives. They can’t be totally selfless.

　　詞匯：

　　sandwich 三明治 life expectancy 預期壽命

　　traumatic 使人不快的 resolve 解決

　　overwhelming 令人難以應(yīng)對的 selfless 無私的;不考慮自己的

　　注釋：

　　1.two ongoing responsibilities意為“同時擔負兩項責任”。

　　2.It’s also more common for today’s young adults to return home during or after college if they need financial or emotional support.：現(xiàn)在，年輕人在上大學期間或畢業(yè)后還會回家，以尋求經(jīng)濟或情感支持，這種情況也很常見。

　　3.Successfully coping with these issues can avoid a lot of stress for the whole family.：成功解決這些問題，就可以為整個家庭減輕很大負擔。

　　譯文：三明治一代

　　現(xiàn)在很多人都向往中年，覺得到那個時候就能放松一下了。孩子們長大了，中年人期望有時間享受努力工作創(chuàng)造的生活，但是現(xiàn)實卻不允許。到了中年，許多人發(fā)現(xiàn)自己同時擔負兩項責任，一個是照顧老去的父母，二個是幫助剛成年的孩子分擔生活的壓力。全世界有數(shù)百萬人像三明治一樣夾在兩代人中間。有些情況下，兩代或三代人住在一起，這在許多亞洲國家和一些歐洲國家很常見。在有些家庭中，夫婦倆會照看父母和孩子，但并不與他們居住在一起。

　　三明治一代人數(shù)的增加有兩個重要原因：一是人們的壽命比以前長了。比如在19世紀早期，美國人的平均壽命在40歲左右，而現(xiàn)在人們通常能活到75歲。因此，孩子們照顧父母的時間變長了。二是出于經(jīng)濟考慮，現(xiàn)在的年輕人跟父母住的時間比以前長了。現(xiàn)在，年輕人在上大學期間或畢業(yè)后還會回家，以尋求經(jīng)濟和情感支持，這種情況也很常見。

　　照顧年邁父母的人常常要面對一些問題。他們要解決幾個重要問題：家庭成員間該怎樣分擔經(jīng)濟負擔?家務(wù)活怎樣分配?怎樣才能更好地保護每個人的隱私?成功解決這些問題，就可以為整個家庭減輕很大負擔。

　　三明治一代肩上的經(jīng)濟和精神壓力可能使他們不堪重負，但中年這段時間也給他們帶來回報。這段時間可能會使他們重新發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的父母或孩子的特殊才能，同時也給家庭成員共度歡樂時光提供了機會。然而，為了度過生命中這段艱難的時光，三明治一代也要注意，一定要注意自身的需求和健康，不能只為別人考慮而忽視了自己。