单选题
Baby boomers fretting over their pensions should spare a thought for Constance DeCherney. Like many of her generation, the 27-year-old Web strategist at Planned Parenthood in New York has done little to prepare for retirement. "Just the idea of [saving for retirement] feels overwhelming," she says. "My fear of doing something wrong, or not doing enough, sort of paralyzes me." DeCherney is typical of America's so-called Generation Y, the twentysomethings who have entered the workforce in the past I0 years. Already saddled with student debts averaging almost $20,000, according to New York-based think tank Demos, Gen Y is in a tougher financial position than previous generations. The average salary for 25-to 34-year- olds, for instance, fell 19 percent over the last 30 years, after adjusting for inflation, to $35,100, Demos estimates. That's if they can get jobs: unemployment among 19-to 24-year- olds stands at 15.3 percent vs. the overall rate of 9.5 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While many of their parents have guaranteed retirement income from being in a company-funded pension for part of their careers, Gen Y is "the first do-it-yourself retirement generation," says Catherine Collinson, president of the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies in Los Angeles. Investment companies are stepping up efforts to engage Gen Yers in retirement planning. Charles Schwab has revamped its website to include weekly advice for younger workers on everything from retirement planning to paying down debt. Vanguard is testing out social media, using more blogs, a Facebook page, and soon, Twitter. "It's how this younger generation learns," says Vanguard Chief Executive Officer William McNabb Ⅲ. Fidelity, the nation's largest 401 (k) administrator, in June launched an iPhone app for tracking retirement savings and has replaced bulky pension literature with e-mail updates. "This generation lacks confidence about making financial decisions," says Beth McHugh, Fidelity's vice-president of market insights. "You have to explain why planning for retirement is so important." That's presuming you can get their attention. Fewer than 4,000 Facebook users have clicked the "like" button for Fidelity's page and about 9,000 have done so for Vanguard's. Meanwhile, 4.2 million people say they like Apple iTunes on Facebook. Schwab, which began sending Twitter feeds in mid-June, has 277 followers. Whole Foods Market has 1.8 million. Some baby boomer parents enlist the help of their financial planners in giving their kids a retirement reality check. Jim Stoops, a Schwab financial consultant in Chicago, says his 250-plus clients often bring their sons and daughters to his office for advice. "Parents just can't believe how difficult retirement will be for their children," he says. "They're trying to instill financial values in their kids./
单选题
According the passage, Generation Y is a generation that______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[试题类型] 具体信息题。 [解题思路] 阅读题干可知，本题就“‘Y一代’是什么样的一代人”提问，据此可定位至文章第二段。该段首句就给出了“Y一代”的定义：在过去十年间进入职场的二十几岁的人(twentysomethings who have entered the workforce in the past 10 years)。该段第三句指出，25至34岁的人的平均工资在过去三十年里下降了19%。紧接着第四句继续指出，19至24岁的人的失业率为15.3%，而美国总体失业率仅为9.5%，由此可推知，Y一代的工资水平不如上一代人的工资水平，且失业率较高，故选项[D]正确。 [干扰排除] 选项[A]中work in their twenties错误，根据原文中列举的数据(25岁至34岁，19岁至24岁)可知，Y一代不仅仅指目前是二十几岁的人。选项[B]过度推断，文章第二段第二句后半部分指出，Y一代与父辈们相比，面临着更为艰难的经济状况(Gen Y is in a tougher financial position than previous generations)，此处仅仅是在描述客观事实，并不能由此推出Y一代必须比他们的父辈更努力地工作，选项[C]与文章总体内容不符，文章全篇都在讨论Y一代是需要自己筹划退休金的一代人，而他们中的人大多数却都没有为退休而储蓄的观念，这引起了父辈们的担忧，可见，没有周密的计划，其退休生活不可能安逸而舒适，故选项[C]错误。
单选题
In the view of Catherine Collinson, Gen Y______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[试题类型] 推理引申题。 [解题思路] 根据题干关键词In the view of Catherine Collinson可定位至文章第二段最后一句话。该句指出，Y一代的许多父辈们由于其职业的原因，拥有由公司出资的退休金，而Y一代却是首批需要自行解决退休金的一代人(do-it-yourself retirement generation)，故选项[C]正确。 [干扰排除] 本题就Catherine Collinson的观点提问，但选项[A]、[B]、[D]都无法从她所说的话中推知，故排除。
单选题
What measures do investment companies take to attract Gen Y?