(2)A new national poll of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 — the millennial generation — provides strong evidence of a new generation gap, this time with the boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)playing the role of uncomprehending parents. When Millennials say they are liberal, it means something very different than it did when Barack Obama was coming of age. When Millennials say they are socialists, they're not participating in ostalgie for the old German Democratic Republic. And their strong belief in economic fairness shouldn't be confused with the attitudes of the Occupy movement.
(3)The poll of Millennials was conducted by the Reason Foundation and the Rupe Foundation earlier this spring. It engaged nearly 2400 representative 18 to 29 year olds on a wide variety of topics.
(4)This new generation gap certainly helps to explain why Millennials are far less partisan than folks 30 and older. Just 22% of Millennials identify as Republican or Republican-leaning, compared with 40% of older voters. After splitting their votes for George E. Bush and Al Gore in 2000(each candidate got about 48%), Millennials have voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 elections. Forty-three percent of Millennials call themselves Democrats or leaning that way. Yet that's still a smaller percentage than it is for older Americans, 49% of whom are Democrats or lean Democrats. Most strikingly, 34% of Millennials call themselves true independents, meaning they don't lean toward either party. For older Americans, it’s just 10%.
(5)Millennials use language differently than Boomers and Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1980). In the Reason-Rupe poll, about 62% of Millennials call themselves liberal. By that, they mean they favor gay marriage and pot legalization, but those views hold little or no implication for their views on government spending. To Millennials, being socially liberal is being liberal, period. For most older Americans, calling yourself a liberal means you want to increase the size, scope, and spending of the government (it may not even mean you support legal pot and marriage equality). Despite the strong liberal tilt among Millennials, 53% say they would support a candidate who was socially liberal and fiscally conservative (are you listening, major parties?).
(6)There are other areas where language doesn't track neatly with Boomer and Gen X definitions. Millennials have no first-hand memories of the Soviet Union or the Cold War. Forty-two percent say they prefer socialism as a means of organizing society but only 16% can define the term properly as government ownership of the means of production. In fact, when asked whether they want an economy managed by the free market or by the government, 64% want the former and just 32% want the latter. Scratch a Millennial “socialist” and you are likely to find a budding entrepreneur (55% saying they want to start their own business someday). Although they support a government-provided social safety net, two-thirds of Millennials agree that “government is usually inefficient and wasteful” and they are highly skeptical toward government with regards to privacy and nanny-state regulations about e-cigarettes, soda sizes, and the like.
(7)For all the attention lavished on the youthful, anti-capitalist Occupy movement a few years ago, it turns out that Millennials have strongly positive attitudes toward free markets (just don't call it capitalism). Not surprisingly, they define fairness in a way that is less about income disparity and more about getting your due. Almost six in ten believe you can get ahead with hard work and a similar number wants a society in which wealth is parceled out according to your achievement, not via the tax code or government redistribution of income. Even though 70% favor guaranteed health care, housing, and income, Millennials have no problem with unequal outcomes.
(8)Like most older Americans, too, Millennials are deeply worried about massive and growing federal budgets and debt, with 78% calling such things a major problem.
(9)It would be a real shame if we can't have the sorts of conversations we need to address and remedy such issues because different generations are talking past each other. Millennials are different than Boomers or Gen Xers: Culture comes first and politics second to them. They are less partisan and they are less hung up about things such as pot use, gay marriage, and immigration. But in many ways, they agree with older generations when it comes to the value and legitimacy of work, the role of government in helping the poor, and the inefficiency of government to do that.
(10)Everyone agrees that there are crises everywhere: Social Security and Medicare are going bust and the economy has been on life support for years. The best solutions will engage and involve Americans of all ages. The Reason-Rupe poll points to some places where generations are talking past each other and others where there is wide agreement. Giving its finding a close read might just help narrow today's generation gap so we can get on with improving all generations' prospects.
Answer the fowling essay question in English within 80-100 words.In what sense are young people important to their country?
【正确答案】：
     YOUNG PEOPLE ARE A NEW GENERATION. THEY HAVE UNIQUE THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS, AND PLAY VERY IMPORTANT ROLE ON THE STAGE OF SOCIETY.
     FIRST OF ALL, YOUNG PEOPLE BELIEVE IN FREEDOM. THEY WILL NOT LEAN TOWARDS EITHER SIDE IN THE ELECTION, BUT WILL ONLY INDEPENDENTLY CHOOSE THE POLITICAL PARTIES THAT THEY THINK ARE REALLY CAPABLE. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE ELECTION PATTERN OF AMERICAN POLITICS.
     SECONDLY, YOUNG PEOPLE FIRMLY BELIEVE IN FREE MARKETS AND OPPOSE GOVERNMENT CONTROL. THEY BELIEVE THAT AS LONG AS THEY WORK HARD, THEY CAN SUCCEED. THIS HAS ALSO ENCOURAGED THE PEOPLE OF THE WHOLE SOCIETY TO BECOME MORE INDEPENDENT, CREATE WEALTH AND THUS PROMOTE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. 
     IN ADDITION, YOUNG PEOPLE ALSO PLAYS A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE SUPERVISION OF THE GOVERNMENT'S ROLE. THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE PROBLEMS DURING THE PROCESS OF GOVERNMENT'S WORK, SUPERVISE THE GOVERNMENT'S ACTIONS, AND EFFECTIVELY IMPROVE THE PEOPLE'S INTERESTS.
     IN A WORD, THE ROLE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN SOCIETY IS UNIQUE AND IRREPLACEABLE. 
【题目解析】：本题考查年轻人在社会中的重要性体现在哪些方面。可以通读原文从中提取出几个重要的角度进行切入，详细展开。 年轻人是全新的一代。他们有着独特的思想和行动力，拥有着很重要的社会地位。 首先，年轻人的信仰比较自由。他们在大选中不会倾向任何一方，只是独立自主地选出认为真正有作为的政党。这对于美国政治的竞选格局来说非常重要。 其次，这一代年轻人坚信自由市场，反对政府控制。他们相信只要努力就可以成功。这也激励了整个社会的人民更加独立自主，创造财富，促进了社会发展。 另外，这一代年轻人在对于政府作用的监管上面也发挥着很重要的作用。他们忧心着政府工作中出现的问题，监督政府有所作为，切实改善人民利益。 总而言之，年轻人在社会中的地位是独一无二无可取代的。