A “Gap Year” is a period of time when a student takes a break before going to university. It is often spent travelling or working. It can give young people useful learning experiences and new skills.
Gap years are popular with European and Australian students, but remain less popular in America. However, in recent years, more and more American students are preparing for college by taking a gap year. The advantages of taking a gap year are as follows：
Learn about the World and Yourself
Although you don’t have to go abroad to experience gap years, most gap year students catch the chance to travel abroad. You are able to work out who you are and what you are for. The experiences of different cultures offer you interesting lessons. You can learn more about the world and get to know yourself better.
Face Challenges and Have Fun
A gap year is not only a time to take a vacation_, but also a time to face challenges. Gap year students usually work, volunteer or take service projects. You have to learn how to get along in the real world. This process isn^’t always easy, but it is an important part of growing up. Only in this way can you enjoy life and have fun.
Save Money and Improve Your College Admission Chances
There^’s a common thought that gap years are only for rich students_, but it’ s not true. Actually, taking a gap year can save your money. Gap year students often take a part-time job. Besides, at the end of a gap year, students are much more likely to know what to study in college. Clear learning goals ran keep the students working hard instead of wasting time and money playing.
Imagine an admission officer trying to admit (录取) only one between two students. Both of them are excellent and have high grades. However, one student has much practical experience or has volunteered in his vacation. Who do you think the admission officer will choose?
【小题1】A “Gap Year” means       in the passage.

阅读理解

　　Many people go to school for education. They learn language, history, geography, physics, chemistry and maths. Others go to school to learn a skill (技能) so that they can make a living. School education is very important and useful. Yet no one can learn everything from school. A teacher, no matter how much he knows, can not teach his students everything they want to know. The teacher's job is to show his student how to learn. He teaches them how to read and how to think. So much more is to be learned outside school by the students themselves.

　　It is always more important to study by oneself than to learn some facts or a formula (公式) by heart. In fact it is quite easy to learn a certain fact in history or a formula in mathematics. But it is very difficult to use a formula in working out a math problem. Great scientists, such as Einstein, Newton and Galileo didn't get everything from school. But they were all so successful. They invented so many things for mankind. The reason for their success (成功) is that they knew how to study. They read books that were not taught at school, they worked hard all their lives, wasting (浪费) no time. They would ask many questions they read and they did thousands of experiments (实验).

　　Above all they know how to use their brains (大脑).

1．What do people go to school for? ________.

[　　]

2．The subject that is not spoken of in the article (文章) is ________.

[　　]

3．The teachers' job is to teach ________.

[　　]

A．everything the students want to know

B．the students everything that they know

C．the students some facts of formulas

D．the students how to learn

4．Einstein, Newton and Galileo did so many things for mankind because ________.

[　　]

A．they learned a lot at school

B．they were so successful

C．they knew how to learn new things outside class by themselves

D．they went to college and learned from their professors(教授).

5．Who does the article say didn't waste a single moment? ________.

[　　]

A．Great people

B．Persons who work as teachers

C．The great scientists-Newton

D．Great scientists

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项．

　　It's very common for students' marks to fall. Sometimes it is because of situations outside of school, such as problems at home. Sometimes it is simply because the tests get harder as you get older.

　　If you can think about what was happening when your marks started to fall, you may be able to solve this problem.

　　Stop comparing yourself with other people. It does not matter if other students get higher test marks than you. What is important is that you do your best.

　　Try to talk to a friendly teacher. He or she will be able to help you with the subjects you find difficult.

　　Before each test, you should go through your notes from class. You should remember the most important things you have written in a shorter form.

　　Pictures can also be helpful. Write the subject in the center of a page, and then surround(围绕) it with main related(有关的) points.

　　Look through your shorter notes and pictures again just before the test, You will be surprised when you find you remember so much.

　　It may take hard work. And your marks may not improve straight away. But let your confidence rise by every mark.

　　Soon they should begin to climb again.

1．What does the writer think of the marks to fall?

[　　]

A．It's very hard to believe it's a common thing.

B．It's not possible for the hard working students' marks to fall.

C．It's sometimes because of the problems outside the school and the more difficult tests.

D．When the students get older, it's very common for their marks to fall.

2．If your marks fell in the tests, you should ________.

[　　]

A．compare with the others and find out how they can get higher marks

B．find out how difficult the subjects are

C．think about when your marks started to fall

D．do your best to learn the subjects with the help of friendly teacher

3．If you want to stop your marks from falling, you should ________ before the tests.

[　　]

A．remember the most important points you have written in a shorter form

B．draw pictures in the centre of a page in and after class

C．write down all the important points you have learned

D．he surprised that how much you will remember

4．After you do your best and work hard, ________.

[　　]

A．you'll find your marks may be straight improved

B．you'll find your confidence rising by every mark

C．you'll begin to climb trees again when you are free

D．you'll soon catch up with the others by getting high marks

5．This passage is maybe the most helpful for ________.

[　　]

A．a good student to win the first place in his tests

B．all the students in trouble to pick up their confidence and good marks

C．only a few poor students in study to catch up with the others

D．few students to find better ways to do well in the tests