Question

    When you’ve finished your studies at school and college, do you feel like a well-earned rest? If you’re about to embark on a course at university, you’ll want to recharge your batteries and have some fun. But how long should you do that for? Now the idea of taking a year off before you move into further education seems to be the thing to do.

A year off—also called a gap year—is not a new concept, but there’s now a focus on making the most of this break from academic life. Long gone are the days of just hanging out on a beach or backpacking round the world. While that is still an option, a gap year is now more about gaining skills that will help you in later life. The BBC’s Smart Consumer podcast spoke to a student called Meg, who said “I just always had in the back of my mind I’d spend a year doing something productive and something that would just be good fun.”

Doing something productive is exactly what students are being encouraged to do because doing more purposeful things like work experience or charity work helps them acquire skills to use when competing for a place at university. It looks good on their CV and ultimately makes them more employable.

While the benefits of taking a gap year are clear to see, some students worry they can’t afford it. Another student, Tom, told the BBC that to him, a gap year was an ‘alien concept’. He said “it would have been far too expensive and it’s not something that I would have been able to rely on my parents or family members for.” But some experts say that it needn’t burn a hole in your pocket; you don’t need to travel far and you can even earn money by doing paid work.

For those who do have the funds, a combination of working, volunteering and travelling is undoubtedly an amazing opportunity. It increases confidence and independence, gives you a chance to learn new crafts, and gives you time to contemplate whether university is right for you.

1.What is the new focus of “taking a gap year”?

A.Hanging out on a beach.

B.Backpacking round the world.

C.Spending time trying challenges.

D.Gaining useful skills for future life.

2.Why are students encouraged to do something productive?

A.To make them capable in later life.

B.To get the best result in the competition.

C.To enrich the experience of doing voluntary work.

D.To gain the sense of achievement during the participation.

3.What’s the attitude of some experts towards a gap year?

A.They approve of it. B.They are against it.

C.They are indifferent to it. D.They think it unworthy.

4.What can we infer from the text?

A.You must go to university after taking a gap year.

B.A gap year makes sense if you have the fund to take.

C.All students can afford a gap year if they prefer to.

D.Fund is the most important factor for taking a gap year.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.A

4.B

【解析】

本文是说明文。文章介绍了“间隔年”的重点是鼓励学生做富有成效、明确目标的事情。它的好处是将工作、志愿服务和旅行的结合起来，可以增加你的自信和独立性，为以后的生活获得技能。

1.

细节理解题。根据第二段中“a gap year is now more about gaining skills that will help you in later life.”可知，“间隔年”的新焦点为将来的生活获得有用的技能。故选D项。

2.

细节理解题。文章第三段中提到“Doing something productive is exactly what students are being encouraged to do because doing more purposeful things like work experience or charity work helps them acquire skills to use when competing for a place at university.（做一些富有成效的事情正是鼓励学生们去做的，因为做一些更目的明确的事情，比如工作经验或慈善工作，可以帮助他们获得在大学竞争中需要的技能。）”，根据其中“helps them acquire skills to use”可知，鼓励学生做些富有成效的事情的目的是让他们为以后的生活获得技能，具备能力。故选A项。

3.

推理判断题。文章第四段中提到虽然“间隔年”的好处显而易见，但一些学生担心他们负担不起。根据“But some experts say that it needn’t burn a hole in your pocket; you don’t need to travel far and you can even earn money by doing paid work.（一些专家说，这并不需要在你的口袋里烧个洞（即花费很大）；你不需要去很远的地方，你甚至可以通过做有偿工作来赚钱。）”可以推断，专家们对于“间隔年”持支持的态度。故选A项。

4.

推理判断题。文章最后一段提到“For those who do have the funds, a combination of working, volunteering and travelling is undoubtedly an amazing opportunity. It increases confidence and independence, gives you a chance to learn new crafts, and gives you time to contemplate whether university is right for you.” 对于那些有资金的人来说，在“间隔年”中，将工作、志愿服务和旅行结合起来，可以增加你的自信和独立性，给你提供学习新技艺的机会，也给你时间考虑大学是否适合你。由此可以推断，作者认为如果你有资金的话，“间隔年”是很有意义的。故选B项。