A major source of anxiety about the future of the family is rooted not so much in reality as in the tension between the idealized expectation in the culture and the reality itself. Nostalgia for a lost family tradition, which, in fact, never existed, has prejudiced our understanding of the conditions of families in contemporary society. Thus, the current .anxiety over the fate of the family reflects not only problems in the family but also a variety of fears about other social problems that are eventually projected onto the family.

　　The real problem facing American families today are not symptoms of breakdown as is often suggested; rather, they reflect the difficulties of adaptation to recent social changes, particularly to the loss of diversity in household membership, to the reduction of the variety of family functions and, to some extent, to the weakening of the family adaptability. The idealization of the family as a refuge from the world and the myth that the work of mothers is harmful has added considerable strain. The continuous emphasis on the family as a universal private retreat and as an emotional haven is misguided in light of historical experience.

　　中譯英5

　　十月的上海，陽光明媚，秋高氣爽，來自35個國家和地區(qū)的1300余名比賽選手參加了在滬舉行的本世紀最后一屆世界中學(xué)生運動會。

　　世界各國青少年在滬逗留的時間雖然短暫，但上海的風(fēng)貌和中國的傳統(tǒng)文化仍然給他們留下了深刻的印象。無論是參觀矗立于浦江之畔的東方明珠電視塔，還是游覽靜臥一隅的城隍廟，他們都能感受到傳統(tǒng)與現(xiàn)代的美妙結(jié)合。博大精深的中國傳統(tǒng)文化讓這些外國朋友感受到的是神秘和新奇，這種認知來自短暫的接觸，但從此之后，他們不會忘記;有這樣一個民族，生活在世界的東方。