Integrated Skills Development
Passage Seniors Find fun on Web
Thousands of Americans over 50 are discovering friends, fun, and new ideas on an Internet-based community called SeniorNet. "I am an old lady—except on-line when 1 am 37, blonde and ready to roll," says a respectable member of SeniorNet, a true community of seniors that includes a 104-year-old member. A fifth of Americans with Internet access, or 8-10 million people, are over 50. SeniorNet is a non-profit site that develops very quickly thanks to voluntary contributions from its 25 000 members and a handful of retirees who design the website and manage more than 200 discussion groups set up on the network. "Of course, the usual topics linked with old age are very much there—health and financial questions—but they are not the only topics," says Glen Gilbert, the site's director of development. Subjects ranging from cooking and knitting to digital cameras and politics are discussed, he says. "It's a place where one can break the isolation of a bedroom without having to leave it, where you can comfort one another in times of sickness," Gilbert says. "But it is also a place where you can share in the happy moments of life, be it birthdays or even weddings." The almost complete liberty of expression provided by the Web also allows for a "men's lounge" which wives are asked to avoid, and for the constitution of a group of "gay and lesbian seniors." This group permits men and women to discuss issues that, in their youth, would have been shameful to them. One senior says that, "for a teacher like me, to come out at that time was a bit like signing your death sentence." SeniorNet has also established a network of 130 computer learning centers. These provide the basics on navigating the Internet and tips on setting up a website as well as a computer for those who lack their own equipment.
New Words and Expressions
access n. 進入，接觸
blonde a. 金發(fā)碧眼的
comfort V. 安慰，慰問
community n. 社區(qū)，社團
constitution n. 組成，構(gòu)成
contribution n. 捐助；貢獻
digital a. 數(shù)字的
financial a. 財政的，金融的
gay n. 同性戀者（有時專指男性）
handful n. 少量，少數(shù)
internet n. 英特網(wǎng)
