Part 2 3. Talk to any parent of a student who took an adventurous gap year (a year betwee

Part23.Talktoanyparentofastudentwhotookanadventurousgapyear(ayearbetweenschoolanduniversitywhensomestudentsearnmoney,tr avel,etc.)andamistylookwillcomeintotheireyes.Therearesomedisastersandeventhemostmotivated,organisedgapstudentd oesrequirefamilyback-up,financial,emotionalandphysical.Theparentalmistinessisnotjustaboutthebrilliantexperiencethathasmaturedtheiroffspring;itisvicariousliving.Weallwishpre-universitygapyearshadbeenthefashioninourday.Wecanseehowmuchtougherourkidsbecome;howmuchmorepreparedtobenefitfromuniversityortodecidepositivelythattheyaregoingtodosomethingotherthanadegree.

Gapyearsarefashionable,asisreflectedinthehugegrowthinthenumberofcharitiesandprivatecompaniesofferingthem.PicturesofPrinceWilliamtoilinginChilehavehelped,butthetr endhasbeengatheringsteamforadecade.Therangeofgappackagesstartswithbackpacking,includesworkingwithcharities,buildinghospitalsandschoolsand,verycommonly,workingasalanguageassistant,teachingEnglish.Withthistr end,however,comesadanger.onceparentsfeelthatawell-str ucturedyearisessentialtotheirwould-beundergraduate’sprogresstoabetteruniversity,agooddegree,animpressiveCVandwellpaidemployment,asthegapcompanies’blurbssuggestitmightbe,thenparentswillstartorganising—andpayingfor—thegaps.

Wheretherearedisasters,accordingtoRichardOliver,directorofthegapcompanies’umbrellaorganisation,theYearOutGroup,itisusuallybecauseofpoorplanning.Thatcanbethefaultofthecompanyorofthestudent,hesays,butthebestinsuranceisthoughtfulpreparation.“Whenpeoplegetitwrong,itisusuallymedicalor,especiallyamonggirls,itisthattheyhavenotbeenawayfromhomebeforeorbecauseexpectationdoesnotmatchreality.”

Thepointofagapyearisthatitshouldbethetimewhentheschoolleavergetstodothethingthatheorshefancies.Kidsdon’tmatureifmumanddaddecidehowtheyaregoingtomature.Ifthe18-year-old’swayofmaturingistosloboutonHampsteadHeathsoakingupsunshineorspendingayearworkingwithfishermeninCornwall,thenthat’swhatwillbeproductiveforthatperson.Theconsensus,however,isthatsomestr uctureisanadvantageandthattheprimemoverneedstobethestudent.

The18-year-oldwhowasdispatchedbyhisparentsattwoweeks’noticetoCanadatolearntobeasnowboardinginstr uctoratacostof￡5,800,probablycamebackwithlittlemorethanahangover.The18-year-oldonthesamepackagewhoworkedforhisfareandspenttherestofhisyearinstr uctinginresortsfromNewZealandtoSwitzerland,andcamebacktoapplyforuniversity,isthepositivecounterbalance.

第31题：Itcanbeinferredfromthefirstparagraphthatparentsofgapstudentsmay_____.

［A］helpchildrentobepreparedfordisasters［B］receiveallkindsofsupportfromtheirchildren

［C］haverichexperienceinbringinguptheiroffspring［D］experiencewatchingchildrengrowup