Talk to any parent of a student who took an adventurous gap year (a year between school and university when some students earn money, travel, etc.) and a misty look will come into their eyes. There are some disasters and even the most motivated, organised gap student does require family back-up, financial, emotional and physical. The parental mistiness is not just about the brilliant experience that has matured their offspring; it is vicarious living. We all wish pre-university gap years had been the fashion in our day. We can see how much tougher our kids become; how much more prepared to benefit from university or to decide positively that they are going to do something other than a degree.

　　Gap years are fashionable, as is reflected in the huge growth in the number of charities and private companies offering them. Pictures of Prince William toiling in Chile have helped, but the trend has been gathering steam for a decade. The range of gap packages starts with backpacking, includes working with charities, building hospitals and schools and, very commonly, working as a language assistant, teaching English. With this trend, however, comes a danger. Once parents feel that a wellstructured year is essential to their wouldbe undergraduates progress to a better university, a good degree, an impressive CV and well paid employment, as the gap companies blurbs suggest it might be, then parents will start organising-and paying for-the gaps.

　　Where there are disasters, according to Richard Oliver, director of the gap companies umbrella organisation, the Year Out Group, it is usually because of poor planning. That can be the fault of the company or of the student, he says, but the best insurance is thoughtful preparation. "When people get it wrong, it is usually medical or, especially among girls, it is that they have not been away from home before or because expectation does not match reality."

　　The point of a gap year is that it should be the time when the school leaver gets to do the thing that he or she fancies. Kids don't mature if mum and dad decide how they are going to mature. If the 18-year-old's way of maturing is to slob out on Hampstead Heath soaking up sunshine or spending a year working with fishermen in Cornwall, then that's what will be productive for that person. The consensus, however, is that some structure is an advantage and that the prime mover needs to be the student.

　　The 18-year-old who was dispatched by his parents at two weeks' notice to Canada to learn to be a snowboarding instructor at a cost of ￡5,800, probably came back with little more than a hangover. The 18-year-old on the same package who worked for his fare and spent the rest of his year instructing in resorts from New Zealand to Switzerland, and came back to apply for university, is the positive counterbalance. ［502 words］

1. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that parents of gap students may--.
［A］ help children to be prepared for disasters
［B］ receive all kinds of support from their children
［C］ have rich experience in bringing up their offspring
［D］ experience watching children grow up

2. According to the text, which of the following is true?
［A］ The popularity of gap years results from an increasing number of charities.
［B］ Prince William was working hard during his gap year.
［C］ Gap years are not as fashionable as they were ten years ago.
［D］ A well-structured gap year is a guarantee of university success.

3. The word "packages" (Line 3, Para. 2) means--.
［A］ parcels carried in travelling
［B］ a comprehensive set of activities
［C］ something presented in a particular way
［D］ charity actions

4. What can cause the disasters of gap years?
［A］ Intervention of parents.
［B］ Irresponsibility of the companies.
［C］ A lack of insurance.
［D］ Low expectation.

5. An 18-year-old is believed to take a meaningful gap year when he/she--.
［A］ lives up to his/her parents'expectations
［B］ spends time being lazy and doing nothing
［C］ learns skills by spending parents' money
［D］ earns his or her living and gains working experience

核心词汇

at two weeks'notice 提前两周通知；at short(a moments) notice随时，提前很短时间通知 例：We are ready to start at short notice.我们已准备好，接到通知就可以出发。

backup n./ a. *① 支援（者），支持（者） ② 备用品 例：a backup plan/system/pilot备用计划/备用系统/候补飞行员

back up ① 支持（某人），证实（某说法） ② 备份，复制（磁盘） ③ 向后移动

counterbalance n./v. 平衡，抗衡；平衡抵消物； counter 前缀，表示"相反的，相对的"如 counterattack v. 回击，counterpart n. 地位、职务等相当的人，对等物

look up ① 抬头看 ② 尊敬，仰望 例：look up to sb. as ones teacher把某人尊为老师 *③ （形势等）好转 例：Things are looking up now.情况正在好转。 ④ （在字典、参考书等中）查寻 例：look up a word in a dictionary在字典中查一个词

package n. ① 包，盒，袋 *② a set of related things or services sold or offered together（必须整体接受的）一套，一揽子 例：a benefits package 一套福利措施 / an aid package 综合援助计划 / package deal 一揽子交易

pick up ① 拾起，拿起 例： pick up the phone拿起话筒 ② （偶然、无意地）获得（收益、知识、消息等） pick up a tip from my mother 从妈妈那学到一个窍门 ③ 接收（讯号），收听（广播等）例：pick up the BBC World Service 接收英国广播公司国际广播节目 *④ （情况等）好转，改进 例：Trade is picking up nicely.生意很有起色。

structure n. ① 结构，构造，体系 *② a situation in which everything is carefully organized and planned组织性，条理性 例： Kids need some sort of structure to their day. 儿童的日常生活需要有点条理性。

vt. 构造；组织；安排 例：You need to structure your arguments more carefully.你需要更仔细地组织好自己的论据。/ well structured精心组织的，安排周密的

umbrella organization an organization that includes many smaller groups伞状机构、组织

超纲词汇

a gap year （中学和大学之间）学业间断的一年，间断年

backpack v.背包旅行 例：go backpacking n.背包

blurb n. ① （印在书籍封套上的）简介 *② 夸大的广告或介绍词

hangover n. 遗留的感觉（或风俗、习惯等）（常后跟介词from） 例：the insecure feeling that was a hangover from her childhood 她儿时留下的不安全感

slob n. 懒惰而邋遢的人 *vi. slob out/around游手好闲，无所事事

toil n.辛苦，劳累；苦活，难事 例：some books are a toil to read.有些书读起来真费劲。 v.苦干，辛苦从事（于......） 例：toil at/on one's task辛苦工作

vicarious a. ① 代理的，代表的；代理人的 例：vicarious authority代理的职权 *② （想象别人的苦乐等而）产生同感或共鸣的 例：He got a vicarious thrill out of watching his son score the winning goal.他看到儿子射入致胜一球时，也同样感到欣喜若狂。

语篇分析

本文题材涉及青少年教育。作者介绍了现在十分时兴的"学业间断年"现象，先分析它存在的问题，然后提出实现一个有意义的学业间断年的方法。这是一篇现象解释型文章，按照"提出现象-解释现象-提出建议"的脉络展开论述，可以分成三大部分。

第一段为第一部分，提出现