单项选择题

The American Family In the American family the husband and wife usually share important decision making. When the children are _________(51) enough, they take part as well. Foreigners are often surprised by the permissiveness（宽容） of American parents. The old rule that "children should be seen and not heard" is rarely_____________(52), and children are often allowed to do _________(53) they wish without strict control of their parents. The father seldom expects his children to listen to him_________(54) question, and children are encouraged to be ___________(55) at an early age. Some people believe that American parents carry this freedom_____________(56) far. Others think that a strong father image would not ____________(57) the American values of equality and independence. Because Americans emphasize the importance of independence, young people are expected to_____________(58) their parental families by the time they have _________(59) their late teens or early twenties. Indeed, not to do so is often regarded as a __________(60), a kind of weak dependence. This pattern of independence often results in serious_____________(61) for the aging parents of a small family. The average American is expected to live ___________(62) the age of 70. The job-retirement age is _____________(63) 65. The children have left home, married, and ____________(64) their own households. At least 20 percent of all people over 65 do not have enough retirement incomes.__________(65) the major problem of many elderly couples is not economic. They feel useless and lonely with neither an occupation nor a close family group.

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