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.

A blind boy sat there with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said, “I am blind, please help.”
There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took out a few coins and dropped them into the hat .He then turned the sign around and wrote something on it. He put the sign back and walked away.
　　Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and ask, “Are you the one who changed my sign in the morning? What did you do?”
　　The man said, “I only wrote the truth in a different way.”
　　What he had written was, “Today is a beautiful day, but I can’t see it.”
　　Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply told people to help by putting some money in the hat. The second one told people that they were able to enjoy the beauty of the day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind.
　　The first sign simply said the boy was blind, while the second one told people they were so lucky that they were not blind.
　　There are at least two lessons we can learn from this simple story.
　　Treasure (珍惜) what you have. Someone else has less. Try your best to help those who need your help.
　  Be creative. Think differently. There is always a better way.
【小题1】From the passage we know that________.

Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly? Have you ever bought something just because the shop assistant asked you to buy it? Have you ever been afraid to ask someone for an appointment?

    Many people are afraid to assert themselves （坚持主见）. Dr. Alberti, author of Stand Up and Speak Out, thinks it’s because their self-respect （自尊心） is low. “Our whole system （体制） of society is designed to make people less confident,” says Alberti. “There’s always a person who knows more and better around us—a parent, a teacher or a boss. These people often chip away at （削弱） our self-image （自我形象）.”

    To help people assert themselves, Alberti and other scientists offer AT courses where people learn that they have a right （权利） to do so. They learn to speak out and feel good doing so. They learn to be more active without hurting other people.

    In one way, learning to speak out is to get over fear. A group taking an AT course will help the shy person lose fear. And AT even encourages the need to share （分享） so that even the shy person wants to tell others how he feels.

    Whether you speak out depends on your self-image. If someone you face is more “important” than you, you may be afraid to do so. But, why should you? AT says once you can learn to speak out, you will gradually feel good about yourself.

1．The author asks some questions in the first paragraph in order to     .

A．find out the answers

B．make a survey

C．ask for some advice

D．introduce the topic

2．The underlined phrase “talk back” in the first paragraph means     .

A．criticizing somebody

B．answering to show disagreement

C．talking behind somebody’s back

D．fighting with somebody

3．One thing that AT does NOT do is     .

A．help people to get over fear

B．remind people of their right to assert themselves

C．teach people to assert themselves without respecting others

D．help people to feel good about themselves

4．What’s the author’s attitude towards AT courses?

A．肯定的          B．否定的         C．冷漠的       D．怀疑的

5．The most suitable title for this passage would probably be     .

A．The AT courses

B．Speak out for yourself

C．The sadness of shy people

D．The importance of self-respect

Have you ever thrown away a bottle of water? Maybe a bottle of water does not seem like much to you, but it can save the day for people who live in drought-hit* areas in China.

In the past few months, some places in southeast China has experienced a serious drought. In Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou and Chongqing, there has been very little rain since last autumn. Crops have died. The land has cracked* and wells and rivers have dried up. More than 20 million people are having difficulty finding safe drinking water.

After learning about the drought, many people across the country have helped by giving water, money and other resources*.

Last week, China asked every member of the Communist Youth League and Young Pioneers to give one bottle of water to the drought-hit areas. Students in primary schools and middle schools quickly joined in the activity. “A bottle of water isn’t much, but thousands of bottles will be of great use.” One student said. Some students offer their pocket money to the people there.  Other students also wrote their best wishes on the bottles.

The serious drought has also made students realize that saving water is very important. Some students decided to take a shower twice a week instead of every day, so that they can save a little water. Some students said they would never forget to turn off the water taps after using. Some students even went on the street to tell people to take part in water-saving activities.

Actually, learning how to save water is not difficult, and it can begin with teaching good habits to others around you. All you have to do is to think a little about how easy it is to waste water in everyday activities.

(   )48.What does a bottle of water mean to the drought-hit areas?

       A. It can change the whole situation.

       B. Even one bottle is important for them.

       C. It won’t help the drinking problem at all.

       D. It means nothing because it is not enough.

(   )49. There is a drought in those provinces because____________.

       A. the river has no water all the time.

       B. the sunshine is not strong enough there

       C. it has not rained for a long time

       D. people there don’t save water

(   )50.People are doing the following to help the drought-hit areas EXCEPT___________.

       A. giving best wishes to the people there

       B. encouraging more people to save water

       C. visiting drought-hit areas by themselves

       D. raising money for the drought-hit areas

(   )51.What have the students learned from the drought?

       A. The importance of water

       B. How to get on with others.

       C. Never waste food.

       D. How to find safe drinking water.