精品学习网考试频道小编应广大考生的需要，特为参加考试的考生策划了“2012年考研英语模拟试题：adventurous gap year”专题等有关资料，供考生参考!

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, organized 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 undergraduates’ 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 organizing and paying for the gaps.

Where there are disasters, according to Richard Oliver, director of the gap companies　 umbrella organization, 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.

31. 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

32. 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.

33. 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

34. 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.

35. 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

试题精解

31.从第一段可推知经历学业间断年的学生的父母可能--。

[A]帮助孩子准备迎接灾难

[B]从孩子那里得到各种支持

[C]在抚养孩子方面有丰富的经验

[D]经历了看着孩子成长的过程

答案D

[精解]本题考查推理引申。第一段论述了经历学业间断年的孩子的父母的感受，包括两个方面：一是由于这个时期的学生需要家庭从经济上、情感上和体力上给予帮助，因此父母可能有帮助孩子成熟起来的美好经历;二是父母间接的感受，即看着孩子们变得更坚强，自己做决定，从而成长。由此可知，[D]项是父母可能经历的。[A]项中出现了原文中的disaster，但含义不同。第一段第二句中disasters指的是"困难，危机"，是下文提到的"孩子需要家庭给予帮助"造成的。[B]项与第一段第二句含义相反。第三句提到，父母有帮助孩子成熟起来的美好经历，而非[C]项中的rich experience(经验丰富)。

32.根据文章，下面哪个说法正确?

[A]学业间断年的普及是因为慈善机构数目的增长造成的。

[B]威廉王子在他的学业间断年期间努力工作。

[C]现在学业间断年不像十年前那样普及了。

[D]一个精心安排的学业间断年是大学成功的保证。

答案B

[精解]本题考查事实细节。第二段首句提到，学业间断年现在很时兴，反映在提供它们的慈善团体和私人公司的数目呈巨额增长。[A]项错在将表现归为原因。第二句提到，威廉王子在智利吃苦的事情(对间断年的流行)发挥了作用。由此可推出[B]项正确。第三句提到，(间断年普及的)趋势十年来一直在加强。因此排除[C]项。第二段后半部分谈到"学业间断年的时兴"带来的隐患，即一些父母相信公司的介绍，认为精心安排的间断年对于孩子未来的求学、就业都很重要。因此[D]项是一些公司的宣传及部分家长的错误看法。

33.第二段第三行的单词packages的含义是--。

[A]旅行中带的包裹

[B]一套综合的活动

[C]用特殊方式呈现出来的东西

[D]慈善行动

答案B

[精解]本题考查词义。词义的确定依赖上下文。上文中gap一词多次出现，指"学业间断"，下文提到一系列活动，即背包旅行、和慈善团体一起工作、修建医院和学校、做语言助教教英语。因此gap packages指学业间断期间学生从事的多种活动。[D]项没有包括所有的活动，应选[B]项。

34.什么可能造成学业间断年出现问题?

[A]父母的干预。 [B] 公司的不负责任。 [C] 没有保险。 [D] 期望过低。

答案A

[精解]第二段后半部分论述了随着学业间断年的普及而带来的一个隐患，即父母以为好的间断年可以决定孩子未来的的求学和就业，因此会主动安排孩子的间断年，甚至出钱。显然，这么做妨碍了孩子独立的成长。[A]项是造成问题的原因。第三段提到另外一个问题是计划不周，其表现有：健康问题(medical)、从未离开过家、期望与现实不符。[B]和[C]出现了原文中的词语company和insurance，但其含义与原文已有很大出入;文中只提到"期望与现实不符"，[D]中"过低"一词无从推知。

35.18岁的年轻人被认为度过了有意义的学业间断年，当他/她--。

[A]达到父母的期望

[B]无所事事

[C]通过花父母的钱学会技能

[D]自己谋生并获得工作经验

答案D

[精解]本题考查推理引申。第四段首句提到，学业间断年的意义在于它应该是离校生开始做自己喜欢做的事情的时候。第四段后面部分进一步进行阐述。由父母来决定孩子怎样成熟，并不能使孩子真正成熟。无所事事的行为也没有收获。行动的安排者应是学生自己。第五段举了两个截然不同的例子，前者遵照父母的安排，后者自食其力。因此，[D]项符合题意。

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