4.This summer,Monika Lutz's life took an unusual turn.Instead of heading off to college,the high school graduate packed her bags for a Bengali jungle.Lutz,like a growing number of other young Americans,is taking a year off.Gap(間隔) years are quite common in Britain and Australia,but they are just beginning to catch on in the U.S.Lutz,who grew up in Boulder,Colo.,has put together a 14-month schedule that includes helping deliver solar power to some communities in India and interning (實習) for a fashion designer in Shanghai---experiences that are worlds away from the lecture halls and university dormitories that await other students."I could not be happier,"she says.
Why are students attracted to the gap-year concept?According to new survey data from Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson,education-policy experts and co-authors of The Gap-Year Advantage,the most common reason for this is to avoid burnout."I felt like I was focused on college as a means to an end,"says Kelsi Morgan,an incoming Middlebury College freshman who spent last year interning for a judge in Tulsa,Okla.,and teaching English at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.The hope is that after a year out of the classroom,students will enter college more energized,focused and mature.That can be an advantage for colleges too.Robert Clagett,dean of admissions at Middlebury,did some research a few years ago and found that a single gap semester was the strongest predictor of academic success at his school.
Most experts recommend securing a spot in college before taking a gap year and warn against using the time off to lengthen your resume."Most admissions folks can see right through that,"says Jim Jump,the academic dean of St.Christopher's School in Richmond,Va.But for students like Lutz,who,after getting rejected from five Ivies,decided to take time off,a gap year can help focus interests.Lutz now plans to apply mostly to non-Ivies that have strong marketing programs."This experience has really opened my eyes to the opportunities the world has to offer,"she says.
But at least one education expert doesn't want schools spreading the gap-year message.In a study that followed 11,000 members of the high school class of 1992 for eight years after graduation,Stefanie DeLuca,a sociology professor at Johns Hopkins University,found that,all things being equal,those who delayed college by a year were 64% less likely to complete a bachelor's degree than those who didn't.DeLuca did not say whether these students voluntarily started college late,but at the very least,her work indicates that taking a gap year doesn't guarantee success."I'm not going to say that time off does not have benefits,"says DeLuca."But I think we should not be so enthusiastic."
67.The students take gap years mainly becauseB.
A.they want to be more unusual
B.they want to refresh themselves
C.some experts advise them to do so
D.their parents think it good for them
68.According to Lutz,the gap year has made her moreC
A.energetic B.relaxed C.practical D.enthusiastic
69.Stefanie DeLuca probably agrees thatA.
A.students should think twice before taking gap years
B.taking gap years enables students to achieve success
C.schools should encourage their students to take gap years
D.taking gap years increases students'chances of getting a good job
70.What's the author's attitude towards gap years?D
A.Sceptical.B.Positive.C.Disapproving.D.Objective.
分析 本文屬于說明文閱讀,作者通過這篇文章主要向我們描述了許多學生以及專家對于"間隔年"("休學年")的看法,大多數(shù)人都贊同這一做法,認為這可以使學生將進入大學更有活力、專注和成熟.但也有人反對認為這并不會保證學生的成功.
解答 67.B.細節(jié)理解題.根據(jù)文章第二段"According to new survey data from Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson,education-policy experts and co-authors of The Gap-Year Advantage,the most common reason for this is to avoid burnout"可知學生們休學一年主要是為了避免疲倦,從而放松自己;故選B.
68.C.細節(jié)理解題.根據(jù)文章第二段"‘This experience has really opened my eyes to the opportunities the world has to offer,'she says."可知這次經(jīng)歷讓她看到了世界提供給她的機會,對她來說這是很實際的;A.energetic精力充沛的;B.relaxed放松的;C.practical切合實際的;D.enthusiastic熱情的.故選C.
69.A.推理判斷題.根據(jù)最后一段"but at the very least,her work indicates that taking a gap year doesn't guarantee success."可知她說休學一年并不能保證學生成功,因此學生在休學之前要仔細考慮,故選A.
70.D.主旨大意題.通讀全文,可知本文作者是客觀地描述很多學生休學年,以及一些專家的觀點 A.Sceptical懷疑的;B.Positive積極的;C.Disapproving不支持的;D.Objective客觀的;故選D.
點評 考察學生的細節(jié)理解和推理判斷能力,做細節(jié)理解題時一定要找到文章中的原句,和題干進行比較,再做出正確的選擇.在做推理判斷題不要以個人的主觀想象代替文章的事實,要根據(jù)文章事實進行合乎邏輯的推理判斷.