Meet “kangaroo tribe”走近“袋鼠族”

周艳霞

1 According to a recent report from the Republic of Korea's national statistics office， more than 50 percent of unmarried adults between the ages of 30 and 40， and 44 percent of those between 40 and 44， still live with their parents. They are called “kangaroo tribe”. It noted that 42 percent of children who live with their parents are unemployed.

2 The report caused a stir in the country. Despite the recent media attention， however， experts say that it's long been common for children in the Republic of Korea to live with their parents into adulthood.

3 “The kangaroo tribe phenomenon is hardly a modern phenomenon in the Republic of Korea， since the percentages of adults in their 30s and 40s living with their parents in the 1980s and 2010s do not differ by much，” Kye Bong-oh， a sociology professor at Kookmin University， said.

4 While a lack of economic independence is often a reason why children don't leave the nest， the truth is that many continue to live at home for a variety of reasons. The  kangaroo tribe phenomenon is not as simple and one-sided as often explained in popular culture. For some adult children， the arrangement allows them to care for their aging parents more easily and save money for the future.

5 “Housing prices in big cities including Seoul have sharply increased since 2000， while the job market has become highly unstable， with an increased number of temporary job hires，” Lee Chul-hee， an economics professor at Seoul National University said. “These factors all make it much more difficult for people in their 30s and 40s to move out of their parents' home and be independent.”

6 Lee Young-wook is 61 years old. His son， Lee Jeong-kyu， is 31 and still lives with his parents. Given the fact that his son has never had a stable job， Lee Young-wook is confident that he is making the right choice not to pressure his son to move out. “My wife and I want to be like a big mountain that our son could always lean on，” he said. “I won't be worried at all about him until he is at least 35.”

Reading  Check

Choose the best answers according to the text.

Gist 1. What are the statistics in paragraph 1 mainly about？

A. The trend of unmarriage.

B. The rate of unemployment.

C. The number of children in a family.

D. The kangaroo tribe in the Republic of Korea.

Discourse 2. Why does the author mention Kye Bong-oh's words in paragraph 3？

A. To introduce his new research.

B. To prove the opinion mentioned above.

C. To show the changes of living with parents.

D. To describe the trend of the “kangaroo tribe”.

Inference 3. What can be inferred about the “kangaroo tribe” in the Republic of Korea？

A. It benefits itself only.

B. It is due to the economic depression.

C. It can be more complicated than thought.

D. It exists because of the country's tradition.

Inference 4. What is Lee Young-wook's attitude towards his son living with him and his wife？

A. Negative. B. Indifferent. C. Concerned. D. Supportive.

Language  Study

Discover the useful structure in the text

Given the fact that...意為“考虑到……的事实”，that引导同位语从句

Given the fact that his son has never had a stable job， Lee Young-wook is confident that he is making the right choice not to pressure his son to move out. 考虑到他的儿子从来没有一份稳定的工作，李英旭确信他做出了正确的选择，不强迫他的儿子搬出去。