Old age in the United States presents many

problems and opportunities. With the result of 【S1】______

improved medical services, people live longer than they

used to. This increase in longevity creates a wide range

of social needs that didn't exist when the average life

expectancy was higher. The medical specialty of 【S2】______

gerontology (老年医学) has opened research areas and

careers related to the elderly.

Because of changes in the family structure from

extended to nuclear, the elderly has to create existences 【S3】______

apart from basically small family units. This situation is

complicated by the fact many of their friends may have 【S4】______

died and their children may have moved away.

The elderly person must set up a new life. Often,

the elderly must rely on a fixed income—Social

Security and pensions—and gradually diminished 【S5】______

savings. While some live with their children, many

more live by themself, with a friend, or in a nursing 【S6】______

home.

Moreover, the increasing proportion of elderly 【S7】______

people has given .them a new political power. They have

formed organizations such as the Grey Panthers to voice

their own need and concerns over local , state, and 【S8】______

federal agencies. Lobbying (国会院外游说活动) for

such issues as increased Social Security benefits, better

healthy care, income tax benefits, and rent controls 【S9】______

have brought to the public an increased awareness of the 【S10】______

determination of the elderly to assert their ability to

deal effectively with their own lives.

【S1】