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YOU may have heard of the “American Dream”, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.

It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. At times, the dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last.

Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Time magazine pointed out, quite different from their predecessors (前辈), many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility (机动性), flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.

Home ownership, once the cornerstone (基石) of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority (优先事项) for this generation, as a new research released by US insurance company MassMutual noted. Meanwhile, nearly four in 10 Millennials choose travel as part of their dream. And entrepreneurship (创业) is a rising favorite, as 26 percent of Millennials cite self-employment as part of the dream.

So what has led to this huge change?

Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Contemporary young Americans seem destined (注定的) to [face] a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and societal stagnation (停滞),”noted The Daily Beast.

“The rate of 16- to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15 percent. Many college graduates have taken jobs that d on‟t require a degree,” Time reported.

The Atlantic magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporate (公司的) ladder”.

Dan Kadlec of Time sees Millennials as resetting their expectations. “The [situation] is different for young adults today”, he wrote. “A true American Dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennials aren‟t feeling they can attain much more than a day-to-day lifestyle that suits them.”

1. The article is mainly about ____.

A. how American youth today are trying to realize their dreams

B. changes in American youth‟s beliefs about the American dream and the reasons for them

C. how the American dream has inspired Americans to achieve success

D. why the meaning of the American dream varies from generation to generation

2. According to Time magazine, unlike their parents, many Millennials in the US now consider ____ to be the American Dream.

a. home ownership

b. travel

c. a stable job

d. self-employment

e. a flexible schedule

A. a, b, d

B. a, c, e

C. b, d, e

D. b, c, d

3. The underlined word “cornerstone” in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to ____.

A. basis

B. growth

C. purpose

D. balance

4. What has changed Millennials‟ views of the American Dream according to the article?

A. A lack of confidence in themselves.

B. Their dissatisfaction with their government.

C. Fierce competition in the job market.

D. The discouraging economy and unemployment.