In Changzhou, a city in Jiangsu Province, something heartwarming is happening. A 21-year-old college student named Yue Yuhan now lives in a “full-age community,” a place where young people and seniors share the same building. Her rent is only 300 yuan a month. In return, she spends time with the elderly residents and teaches them simple English while doing hand exercises.
This idea is called “cross-generation living.” In China, many old people live alone. They have food and a place to sleep, but they often feel lonely. Young people, on the other hand, face high housing costs in big cities. By living together, both sides can help each other. The seniors get company and a little fun, and the students get a cheap and safe place to live.
At first, the two generations did not know how to talk to each other. But slowly, they became close. The old people began to treat Yuhan like their own granddaughter. They share their life stories, and she teaches them new things. “Taking care of the elderly is not just about food and clothes,” said one community worker. “We also need to solve their loneliness.”
This model has already been copied by cities in Jiangsu and Guangdong. Experts say it is a clever answer to an old problem: as society ages, how can we take care of our grandparents without leaving them alone? Perhaps the answer is not only hospitals or nursing homes, but simple friendship between generations.
Cross-generation living shows us that when the young and the old share a home, everyone wins.
Words to know:
- heartwarming (暖心的)
- senior (老年人)
- generation (一代人)
- lonely (孤独的)
- housing (住房)
- community (社区)
- nursing home (养老院)
- model (模式；榜样)
长难句拆解 · 同位语加 where 从句与 while doing 省略
① A 21-year-old college student named Yue Yuhan now lives in a “full-age community,” a place where young people and seniors share the same building. 主干是 A 21-year-old college student… lives in a “full-age community”（一名大学生住在「全龄社区」）。named Yue Yuhan 是过去分词短语作后置定语，相当于 who is named…；逗号后 a place 是 community 的同位语；where 引导定语从句修饰 a place，在从句中作地点状语。
② In return, she spends time with the elderly residents and teaches them simple English while doing hand exercises. 主干是 she spends time with… and teaches them…（她陪伴老人、教他们英语）。and 连接两个并列谓语；while doing hand exercises 是「while + 动名词」的省略结构，相当于 while she is doing…，只有从句主语与主句主语一致时才能这样省，是书面语里非常紧凑的写法。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
出题人善于用同义替换「掩藏」原文出处。先在题干划信号词，再回原文找改写，定位不再凭感觉。本文可迁移的替换组：
- lives in → resides in（居住类高频）
- feel lonely → feel isolated
- face high housing costs → confront high housing expenses
- help each other → support one another
- became close → formed a close bond
- has already been copied by → has already been adopted by
- a clever answer to an old problem → a smart solution to a long-standing problem
阅读自测 · 3 题
- 判断（T / F / NG） — Yue Yuhan pays more than 1,000 yuan in rent every month.
- 简答（不超过 6 个词） — What does Yue Yuhan teach the elderly residents?
- 判断（T / F / NG） — The cross-generation living model has spread to cities outside Jiangsu.
参考答案与解析
- F — 原文「Her rent is only 300 yuan a month」，题干把数字抬高到 1,000 以上，属「数字偷换」。
- Simple English. — 首段「teaches them simple English while doing hand exercises」，答案就在 teaches 之后。
- T — 原文「been copied by cities in Jiangsu and Guangdong」，广东在江苏之外，需要一步小推断，属合理推断。
中文译文
在江苏常州，正发生着一件暖心事。21岁的大学生岳雨含如今住在「全龄社区」——年轻人同老人共居一栋楼。她每月房租仅300元，作为回报，她陪伴老年住户，并在做手指操时教他们简单的英语。
这种理念叫「跨代共居」。在中国，许多老人独居，虽有吃有住却常感孤单；年轻人则在大城市面临高昂房租。同住一处，双方便能互相帮助：老人有了陪伴与乐趣，学生有了便宜安全的住所。
起初，两代人不知如何交谈，但渐渐变得亲近。老人开始把雨含当作自家孙女，同她分享人生故事，她也教老人新事物。一位社区工作者说：「照顾老人不只是吃穿，还要解开他们的孤单。」
这一模式已在江苏、广东多座城市被复制。专家表示，它巧妙回应了一个老问题：社会日益老龄化，我们能否不让祖辈独自老去？答案或许不止医院或养老院，还有代际间朴素的友谊。
跨代共居告诉我们：当老少同住一个家，人人都是赢家。