In Britain and other countries, young people sometimes take a gap year, a year off between high school and college. This idea never gained a big following in America. Recent news reports have suggested that interest may be growing , though there are no official numbers.

Charles Deacon, Dean of Admissions at Georgetown University in Washington, DC estimate that in the current first-year class of 1600 students, only about 25 decided to take a year off. He says this number hasn’t changed much over the years.

Mr. Deacon says the most common reason for taking a gap year is to have a chance to travel, but he says international students may take a gap year to meet requirements at home for military duty.

Some high school graduates see a year off as a chance to recover after twelve years of required education, but it can also give students a chance to explore their interests. Students hoping to be doctors, for example, could learn about the profession by volunteering in a hospital.

Many colleges and universities support gap-year projects by permitting students to delay their admission. Experts say students can grow emotionally and intellectually as they work at something they enjoy.

The Harvard admissions office has an essay on its Web site called “Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation.” It praises the idea of taking time off to step back, think and enjoy gaining life experiences outside the pressure of studies. It also notes that students are sometimes admitted to Harvard or other colleges partly because they did something unusual with that time.

Of course, a gap year is not for everyone. Students might miss their friends who go on directly to college, and parents might worry that their children will decide not to go to college once they take time off. Another concern is money. A year off, away from home, can be costly.

Holly Bull’s job is to specialize in helping students plan their gap year. She notes that several books have been written about this subject. She says these books along with media attention and the availability of information on the Internet have increased interest in the idea of a year off, and she points out that many gap-year programs cost far less than a year of college.

64. What is the passage mainly about?

A. If you want to go to an American university, take a gap year first.

B. More and more American students are choosing to take a year off.

C. It is likely that taking a gap year is becoming popular in America.

D. Americans hold different opinions towards students taking a gap year.

65. How many reasons for students’ taking a gap year are mentioned in passage?

A. 2        B. 3      C. 4       D. 5

66. The essay “Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation” suggests that________.

A. every student must take a gap year before applying for a famous university

B. some famous universities encourage students to gain more life experiences

C. taking a gap year can make students free from life learning

D. the stress of studies does harm to the students’ health

Next autumn, studying for a degree in Britain will become more expensive, and the results are already clear. This week, figures from UCAS(the Universities and College Admissions service)show a 15-percent downturn in applications(申请) from this time last year. With fees having reached ￡9,000 a year, some students are beginning to consider other ways of getting higher education—including distance learning, which allows them to get a degree while still living, and earning money, at home.
That is important, because fees are only part of the picture. The National Union of Students says that UK students pay an average of ￡4,900 a year for basics such as rent, food, books, equipment, field trips and the like. If those costs can be reduced, the burden of fees will be lessened. Therefore, many people are thinking not only about what and where to study, but how—that is, whether they have to be on campus to get a degree.
Distance learning is best suited to certain subjects and to ultra-motivated(极有主动性的)student, according to Carrie-Anne Rice of Resource Development International(RDI).“The advantage is that the fee system is more flexible(灵活的), and you can have full-time work while studying, Rice says.”“You graduate three years ahead of possible competitors(竞争对手)— with the same degree, but with three years of work experience and without the debt.”
“I left school and went straight into work. But at the age of 23, I changed career and soon realized I needed a degree to advance. Because of lack of money ad time, full-time university wasn’t a good choice, but I discovered that distance learning was financially flexible and enabled me to work and gain skills from my workplace without affecting the quality of my life,” Andy Cain, a distance learning student says.
Although distance learning has many advantages, a campus-based university experience remains the dream of most school-leavers. There is no question that “being there” is not only fun, but rich in shared experience, pooled knowledge, and—perhaps most importantly—friendships that will go on long after the degrees have been awarded.
【小题1】The number of students applying to universities    compared to this time last year.

Next autumn, studying for a degree in Britain will become more expensive, and the results are already clear. This week, figures from UCAS(the Universities and College Admissions service)show a 15-percent downturn in applications(申请) from this time last year. With fees having reached ￡9,000 a year, some students are beginning to consider other ways of getting higher education—including distance learning, which allows them to get a degree while still living, and earning money, at home.
That is important, because fees are only part of the picture. The National Union of Students says that UK students pay an average of ￡4,900 a year for basics such as rent, food, books, equipment, field trips and the like. If those costs can be reduced, the burden of fees will be lessened. Therefore, many people are thinking not only about what and where to study, but how—that is, whether they have to be on campus to get a degree.
Distance learning is best suited to certain subjects and to ultra-motivated(极有主动性的)student, according to Carrie-Anne Rice of Resource Development International(RDI).“The advantage is that the fee system is more flexible(灵活的), and you can have full-time work while studying, Rice says.”“You graduate three years ahead of possible competitors(竞争对手)— with the same degree, but with three years of work experience and without the debt.”
“I left school and went straight into work. But at the age of 23, I changed career and soon realized I needed a degree to advance. Because of lack of money ad time, full-time university wasn’t a good choice, but I discovered that distance learning was financially flexible and enabled me to work and gain skills from my workplace without affecting the quality of my life,” Andy Cain, a distance learning student says.
Although distance learning has many advantages, a campus-based university experience remains the dream of most school-leavers. There is no question that “being there” is not only fun, but rich in shared experience, pooled knowledge, and—perhaps most importantly—friendships that will go on long after the degrees have been awarded

1. 1.

   The number of students applying to universities    compared to this time last year

   1. A.
      has increased greatly
   2. B.
      has decreased
   3. C.
      hasn’t shown any change
   4. D.
      has become zero
2. 2.

   Students who study on campus spend      each year, on average

   1. A.
      ￡9,000
   2. B.
      ￡4,900
   3. C.
      ￡13,900
   4. D.
      ￡4,100
3. 3.

   Which of the following is NOT the benefit of distance learning?

   1. A.
      Lower debt levels
   2. B.
      A head start on the job market
   3. C.
      Valuable friendships
   4. D.
      A flexible fee system
4. 4.

   Which of the following statements is TRUE?

   1. A.
      The change in fees has had no effect on school-leavers
   2. B.
      Distance learning has the same advantages as campus-based learning
   3. C.
      Distance learning is so attractive that nobody wants to go to university any more
   4. D.
      Distance learning doesn’t suit all subjects or all students

In Britain and other countries, young people sometimes take a "gap year", a year off between high school and college．This idea never gained a big following in America．Recent news reports have suggested that interest may be growing, though there are no official numbers．

Charles Deacon, Dean of Admissions at Georgetown University in Washington, D．C．, estimates that in the first-year class of 1600 students, only about 25 decided to take a year off．He says this number hasn't changed much over the years．

Mr．Deacon says the most common reason for taking a "gap year" is to have a chance to travel, but he says international students may take a "gap year" to meet requirements at home for military （军事的）duty．

Some high school graduates see a year off as a chance to recover after twelve years of required education, but it can also give students a chance to explore their interests．Students hoping to be doctors, for example, could learn about the profession by volunteering in a hospital．

Many colleges and universities support gap-year projects by permitting students to delay their admission．Experts say students can grow emotionally and intellectually as they work at something they enjoy．

The Harvard admissions office has an essay on its Web site called "Time Out or Bum Out for the Next Generation"．It praises the idea of taking time off to step back．think and enjoy gaining life experiences outside the pressure of studies．It also notes that students are sometimes admitted to Harvard or other colleges partly because they did something unusual with that time．

Of course, a " gap year" is not for everyone．Students might miss their friends who go on directly to college, and parents might worry that their children will decide not to go to college once they take time off．Another concern is money．A year off, away from home, can be costly．

Holly Bull's job is to specialize in helping students plan their "gap year"．She notes that several books have been written about this subject．She says these books along with media attention and the availability of information on the Internet have increased interest in the idea of a year off, and she points out that many gap-year programs cost far less than a year of college．

60．What is the passage mainly about?

       A．More and more American students are choosing to take a year off．

       B．If you want to go to an American university, take a "gap year" first．

       C．It is likely that taking a " gap year", is becoming popular in America．

       D．Americans hold different opinions towards students' taking a "gap year"．

61．How many reasons for students' taking a" gap year" are mentioned in the passage?

       A．2．                   B．3．                  C．4．                  D．5．

62．The essay "Time Out or Bum Out for the Next Generation" suggests that ______．

       A．every student must take a "gap year" before applying for a famous university

B．some famous universities encourage students to gain more life experiences

       C．taking a" gap year", can make students free from life learning

       D．the stress of studies ．does harm to the students' health

63．What can we learn from the passage?

       A．Books and media have contributed to the students' interest in school learning．

       B．Charles Deacon doesn’t support the idea of the students' taking a "gap year"．

       C．Parents might disagree with the program, concerned about their children's future．

       D．Experts agree taking a year off will benefit the students emotionally and physically．