For a large number of young adults in Britain, homeownership has become increasingly difficult to achieve, viewed as a distant goal attainable only later in life, if at all.
That is a significant shift for Britain. For years owners occupy a higher percentage of homes in Britain than in the United States, France or Germany. One reason homeownership is so attractive in Britain is because property values dropped less drastically than in the United States, in part because of a shortage in housing. Prices in some large cities, including London, have even increased recently. People still perceive a home to be a better and safer investment than a pension fund, said Andrew Hull, research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research. "Homeownership is also culturally entrenched, " he said. "Owning a home is the main way of showing you made it. "
The big shift toward homeownership came in the 1980s when Mrs. Thatcher issued right-to-buy policy, which allowed many in rented government housing to buy their homes. About two million homes were sold, earning the government tens of billions of pounds. At the same time, the rental market became increasingly unattractive. Unlike Germany and other Continental European countries, Britain’s private rental market is highly fragmented, with many landlords and laws that generally favor the property owner. Most leases are for six months only, with landlords rarely agreeing to commit to longer terms; this makes renting highly insecure.
But as the pain of government-imposed austerity sinks in, disposable income has shrunk and loan requirements have toughened , forcing more and more Britons into renting rather than buying. Over the last 10 years the number of people who owned homes here dropped to 67 percent from 70 percent. Meanwhile, the number of people in private rented housing rose to 16 percent from 10 percent over the same period, according to the Office for National Statistics. Rising demand has pushed up rents by an average of 4.4 percent over the last year, according to LSL Property Services. In London rents increased 7.8 percent.
"A growing number of young would-be buyers are preparing for lifelong renting—by necessity rather than choice, " said Jonathan Moore, director of easy roommate, co. uk, a property Web site. Charlotte Ashton, 30, has lived in rented accommodations ever since she left her parent’s home to attend university. She said she was saving for a down payment to buy her own home. "I do believe in the fundamentals of owning bricks and mortar as security for the future, more than leaving my money in the banks at a low interest rate, " said Ms. Ashton, who works in public relations. "But now it seems unless you have a very well paid job and are willing to save every penny, it’s unfeasible to buy without the help of the bank of Mum and Dad. "
Some economists are concerned that as more people are forced to wait to buy a home, it could open up a widening of the wealth gap that already exists between homeowners and non homeowners, endangering the retirement prospects for a swelling group of young adults they call "generation rent. " It could also have implications for the cohesion of neighborhoods, Alison Blackwell, a research director at the National Center for Social Research and author of the Halifax report said. Renters tend to be less involved in local communities because they are forced to move more often. And the economy as a whole may suffer because renters tend to curb spending to save for a deposit.

A:a distant goal B:a symbol of success C:a compulsory choice D:nothing but an investment

Thousands of years ago, ten of our very distant ancestors were hungry. They went out and picked berries or dug up roots to eat. Four of them chose poisonous food and died. The remaining six noticed that their food was safe to eat. They told their children, who, in turn, passed the message on to their descendants. In this way, habit became a vital factor in the survival of mankind: if you ate the right plant, you lived; if you wanted to make your own experiments, you would probably die.
The importance of habit on the survival of the human species is an interesting matter. Even today, most of us hesitate when we are invited to eat a new type of food or drink something we have not tasted before. Even if the food or drink is offered by a friend, we are usually not at all anxious to experiment and accept the offer.
When you get up tomorrow morning, notice which shoe or sock you put on first. Then notice which one you put on first on other days. You may discover that you tend to put on one shoe or sock first every day, and that if you are right-handed, you usually deal with your left shoe or sock first. If you try to change this habit, you may find it uncomfortable or annoying, and you will soon return to your old habit.
When it comes to other matters, we often follow a fixed pattern. We sleep in one or two favorite ways. We often follow familiar routes even when they are not the shortest or best. We often wear a watch on the same wrist even when there is no real reason for doing so. In hundreds of other ways, we show that we are creatures of habit, following fixed patterns of behavior. This characteristic can help us to survive but it can be a barrier to progress too. We must be alert and not let a beneficial factor become a harmful one.

A:the danger of making experiments B:the importance of habit in the survival of mankind C:the food our distant ancestors ate D:the behavior of younger generations

Old Japanese living alone can now hire a "family" for lunch and a few hours’pleasant talk. Just give them a ring and ask for, say, a daughter, son-in-law and grandchild. They will show up at your door, and greet you happily as if they hadn’t seen you for years.
Some 15 couples have so far hired "families". "We have nearly 80 people on the waiting list."Said the president of the company that offers such services. "What is common about these senior citizens is that they are eager for human love. We are helping them make their dreams come true."
Where once big families with three or more generations living together were common, now numbers are reducing fast. In cities there are very few indeed. Many old people seldom see their families. This may be because the children’s bosses have sent them to a distant city, even abroad, or just because busy family members can not find time to visit their parents.
"We have seen many cases in which parent-children relations are not in a happy state," company president continues. "When a son finally visits his parents after a long while, it is often just to ask for money or for them to let him have their property(财产) early." Loneliness is not a one-way street. "One young mother came to us to ask about grandparents," he adds.
The company is now developing into other fields. Their services include providing "employee" for businessmen to scold and "lovers" for young people unlucky in love. Company’s "lovers" for hire is not a service to be misunderstood, company president makes clear. "You shouldn’t think about our lover too romantically(浪漫地) ,"he said, "She’s there to act as an adviser on how to find a girlfriend./
Which of the following is NOT the reason that Japanese grown ups seldom visit their parents

A:They are too busy. B:They work in distant cities. C:They can’t afford expensive visits to their parents. D:Their relations are not very tight.

A

A:They are too busy. B:They work in distant cities. C:They can’t afford expensive visits to their parents. D:Their relations are not very tight.

Edwin Hubble Edwin Hubble changed our ideas about the universe and how it developed. The work of few other scientists changed our understanding of 【51】 suddenly. He made his most important discoveries in the 1920s. Today, other scientists continue the work he began back then. Edwin Powell Hubble was born in 1889 in Marshfield, Missouri. He 【52】 his early years in the state of Kentucky. Then he moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois. He attended the University of Chicago, taking mathematics and astronomy 【53】 his specialty. As a student, Hubble was also a member of the University’’s basketball team and an excellent boxer. Several people urged him 【54】 for the world heavy weight boxing championship after college. Instead he decided to continue his 【55】 . In his first observations from Mount Wilson, California, Hubble used a telescope with one-hundred fifty-two and began 【56】 more and more distant objects. His first great discovery was made 【57】 he recognized a Cepheid variable star. Cepheid variable stars are stars whose brightness changes at regular periods. Hubble then began to observe more details about galaxies. He studied their shapes and brightness. By 1925, he had made enough observations to say that the universe is organized into many shapes and sizes. As stars differ from one another, he said, 【58】 galaxies. According to his observations, the galaxies have a center, and arms of matter that seem to the center like a pinwheel. Other are shaped 【59】 baseballs or eggs. A few have no special 【60】 Hubble proposed a system to describe galaxies by their shape. His system is still used today. He also showed that 【61】 are similar in the kinds of bright objects they contain. All galaxies, 【62】 , are related to each other much as members of a family are related to each other. In the late 1920s, Hubble studied the movement of galaxies through space. His investigation led to the most important 【63】 discovery of the 20th century—the expanding universe. Hubbies discovery 【64】 a major change in our ideas of the universe. The universe had not been quiet and unchanging since the beginning of time, as many people had thought. It was expanding. The expanding often is 【65】 the Big Bang.

A:the universe B:universes C:galaxies D:distant objects

Edwin Hubble Edwin Hubble changed our ideas about the universe and how it developed. The work of few other scientists changed our understanding of 【51】 suddenly. He made his most important discoveries in the 1920s. Today, other scientists continue the work he began back then. Edwin Powell Hubble was born in 1889 in Marshfield, Missouri. He 【52】 his early years in the state of Kentucky. Then he moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois. He attended the University of Chicago, taking mathematics and astronomy 【53】 his specialty. As a student, Hubble was also a member of the University’’s basketball team and an excellent boxer. Several people urged him 【54】 for the world heavy weight boxing championship after college. Instead he decided to continue his 【55】 . In his first observations from Mount Wilson, California, Hubble used a telescope with one-hundred fifty-two and began 【56】 more and more distant objects. His first great discovery was made 【57】 he recognized a Cepheid variable star. Cepheid variable stars are stars whose brightness changes at regular periods. Hubble then began to observe more details about galaxies. He studied their shapes and brightness. By 1925, he had made enough observations to say that the universe is organized into many shapes and sizes. As stars differ from one another, he said, 【58】 galaxies. According to his observations, the galaxies have a center, and arms of matter that seem to the center like a pinwheel. Other are shaped 【59】 baseballs or eggs. A few have no special 【60】 Hubble proposed a system to describe galaxies by their shape. His system is still used today. He also showed that 【61】 are similar in the kinds of bright objects they contain. All galaxies, 【62】 , are related to each other much as members of a family are related to each other. In the late 1920s, Hubble studied the movement of galaxies through space. His investigation led to the most important 【63】 discovery of the 20th century—the expanding universe. Hubbies discovery 【64】 a major change in our ideas of the universe. The universe had not been quiet and unchanging since the beginning of time, as many people had thought. It was expanding. The expanding often is 【65】 the Big Bang.

A:the universe B:universes C:galaxies D:distant objects

Edwin Hubble Edwin Hubble changed our ideas about the universe and how it developed. The work of few other scientists changed our understanding of 【51】 suddenly. He made his most important discoveries in the 1920s. Today, other scientists continue the work he began back then. Edwin Powell Hubble was born in 1889 in Marshfield, Missouri. He 【52】 his early years in the state of Kentucky. Then he moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois. He attended the University of Chicago, taking mathematics and astronomy 【53】 his specialty. As a student, Hubble was also a member of the University’’s basketball team and an excellent boxer. Several people urged him 【54】 for the world heavy weight boxing championship after college. Instead he decided to continue his 【55】 . In his first observations from Mount Wilson, California, Hubble used a telescope with one-hundred fifty-two and began 【56】 more and more distant objects. His first great discovery was made 【57】 he recognized a Cepheid variable star. Cepheid variable stars are stars whose brightness changes at regular periods. Hubble then began to observe more details about galaxies. He studied their shapes and brightness. By 1925, he had made enough observations to say that the universe is organized into many shapes and sizes. As stars differ from one another, he said, 【58】 galaxies. According to his observations, the galaxies have a center, and arms of matter that seem to the center like a pinwheel. Other are shaped 【59】 baseballs or eggs. A few have no special 【60】 Hubble proposed a system to describe galaxies by their shape. His system is still used today. He also showed that 【61】 are similar in the kinds of bright objects they contain. All galaxies, 【62】 , are related to each other much as members of a family are related to each other. In the late 1920s, Hubble studied the movement of galaxies through space. His investigation led to the most important 【63】 discovery of the 20th century—the expanding universe. Hubbies discovery 【64】 a major change in our ideas of the universe. The universe had not been quiet and unchanging since the beginning of time, as many people had thought. It was expanding. The expanding often is 【65】 the Big Bang.

A:the universe B:universes C:galaxies D:distant objects