Đề thi thử tiếng Anh THPT Quốc gia 2023 (Mã đề 008)

Have you ever had the feeling that people older than you are hard to understand? Or, have you felt like people from younger generations just don't get it? Maybe you find it easier to connect with people ___(26)___ are closer to your age than those who are older or younger than you. You can probably thank the generation gap for these feelings.

There are currently six generations living in the United States: the Greatest Generation, Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. ___(27)___ generation has its own unique set of characteristics and norms. For ___(28)___, the Greatest Generation (born 1901-1924) is known for its patriotism, hard workers, and loyalty to institutions. The Millennials (born 1980-2000) are characterized by their dependence on technology, detachment from traditional institutions, optimism, and open-mindedness. It is no ___(29)___ that many people from different generations have a hard time understanding each other.

Generation gap refers to differences in actions, beliefs, interests, and opinions that ___(30)___ between individuals from different generations. So, what causes these differences?

Stars have been significant features in the design of many United States coins and their number has varied from one to forty-eight stars. Most of the coins issued from about 1799 to the early years of the twentieth century bore thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies.

Curiously enough, the first American silver coins, issued in 1794, had fifteen stars because by that time Vermont and Kentucky have joined the Union. At that time it was apparently the intention of mint officials to add a star for each new state. Following the admission of Tennessee in 1796, for example, some varieties of half dimes, dimes, and half dollars were produced with sixteen stars.

As more states were admitted to the Union, however, it quickly became apparent that this scheme would not prove practical and the coins from 1798 were issued with only thirteen Stars - one for each of the original colonies. Due to an error at the mint, one variety of the 1828 half-cent was issued with only twelve stars. There is also a variety of the large cent with only 12 stars, but this is the result of a die break and is not a true error.

Do you feel like your teenager is spending most of the day glued to a phone screen? You're not too far off. A new survey from the Pew Research Center reveals the surprising ways that technology intersects with teen friendships – and the results show that 57 percent of teens have made at least one new friend online. Even more surprisingly, only 20 percent of those digital friends ever meet in person.

While teens do connect with their friends face-to-face outside of school, they spend 55 percent of their day texting with friends, and only 25 percent of teens are spending actual time with their friends on a daily basis (outside of school hallways). These new forms of communication are key in maintaining friendships day-to-day – 27 percent of teens instant message their friends every day, 23 percent connect through social media every day, and 7 percent even video chat daily. Text messaging remains the main form of communication – almost half of survey respondents say it's their chosen method of communication with their closest friend.

While girls are more likely to text with their close friends, boys are meeting new friends (and maintaining friendships) in the gaming world – 89 percent play with friends they know, and 54 percent play with online-only friends. Whether they're close with their teammates or not, online garners say that playing makes them feel "more connected" to friends they know, or garners they've never met.

When making new friends, social media has also become a major part of the teenage identity – 62 percent of teens are quick to share their social media usernames when connecting with a new friend (although 80 percent still consider their phone number the best method of contact). Despite the negative consequences-21 percent of teenage users feel worse about their lives because of posts they see on social media – teens also have found support and connection through various platforms. In fact, 68 percent of teens received support during a challenging time in their lives via social media platforms.

Just as technology has become a gateway for new friendships, or a channel to stay connected with current friends, it can also make a friendship breakup more public. The study reveals that girls are more likely to block or unfriend former allies, and 68 percent of all teenage users report experiencing "drama among their friends on social media."