The odyssey years refer to a life stage that young people have to go through. It's described as an unsteady or fluid journey that young people need to take before they enter 1____.

A2. Read the passage and select one word for each blank.

 The odyssey years refer to a life stage that young people have to go through. It's described as an unsteady or fluid journey that young people need to take before they enter 1____.

The contemporary generation, also called pre-adults, adolescents, the lost generation, extended adolescents or emerging adults, are living in a society full of 2____changes. They graduated into one of the worst economies in decades, saddled with 3____ pressure. According to a news report, half of recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed with low-wage service jobs.

Research shows that young people, with prideful attitudes, 4____to be more depressed and less motivated if they are underemployed for just nine months.

Since they usually 5____competitive pressure, they often resort to heavy drinking to help distract them from their pain and stress.

6____, they act with rebellious behaviors, keep a distance from their parents, or even run away from home.

In this 7____phase, many young people unfortunately underestimate the satisfaction that comes from joining the working world.

During this unavoidable stage of their life, they are moving back home, going back to school or embracing unpaid internships as new starter jobs. Lacking 8____aspirations, they are marrying later and starting families still later. However, they 9____enjoy having fun. Obviously, in this unique phase, many young people think real life starts later, but they are actually falling behind. They don't really understand that they are 10____facing peculiar challenges and dealing with a phenomenon that is a matter of choice in many cases.