Question

Young women are more adventurous than young men when travelling abroad in gap years．One in three female backpackers visits more than three countries during a year out and travels alone, according to new research．
By contrast, the majority of their male counterparts（地位相当者） visit only one country and tend to travel in groups, says a survey by the Gap Year company, which provides information and services for students considering taking a year out．
More women than men say that their prime reason for taking time off is to see the world and experience different cultures．Men are more likely to rank “having fun” higher on their list of priorities．Women are more likely to value the challenge of a foreign trip, and many cited reasons such as learning a language and meeting new people．
The more adventurous gap years taken by women seem to work to their benefit; more than three quarters of those surveyed have reported increased confidence, self-reliance（自立） and independence, whereas only half of the men had that experience．
The research also shows that women are more likely to do voluntary work while travelling, with more than one in ten helping with teaching or development projects．One of the reasons given for this is a wish to see the country in an authentic light．
A greater proportion of women than men face objections or criticism from their families over their gap­year plans．Among the men surveyed, lack of money is the main barrier to travel．
Carolyn Martin, a doctor from London,is a typically confident female traveller．Starting in Cape Town, she travelled around southern Africa and Australia with a string of unusual and sometimes dangerous jobs．
“I had one job chasing elephants off the runway in Africa by banging a stick against a pan，” she recalled．“It was OK but one day I did get chased by one．”
She said that she had travelled alone because “you meet more people”．
【小题1】By referring to “gap year” the writer means ________．  

A．a gap you come across after leaving high school

B．a time when you are caught in a dilemma between work and study

C．a period after you find a job upon your graduation from college

D．a year off between high school and college for certain purposes

【小题2】In the third paragraph, the underlined word “priorities” most probably means ________

A．selections

B．attractions

C．preferences

D．projects

【小题3】Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Men students will travel less during the gap year because of their part-­time jobs．

B．Women students will travel more but face more objections．

C．The article suggests that women travelling alone will have dangerous experiences．

D．Men students prefer to travel inside their own country to going abroad．

【小题4】Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Girls Get the Best out of Gap Years

B．Boys Lack Courage in Gap Years

C．For Fun or for Adventure?

D．Young Women Are More Adventurous

Answer 1

【小题１】D
【小题２】C
【小题３】B
【小题4】A

解析试题分析：文章介绍女性在空档年会独自旅行”，而男性更倾向于团体旅行。他们的旅游对的目的也不尽相同。男性主要是为了玩，女性更喜欢利用这个机会体验不同的文化，语言等。
【小题１】词义猜测题。文章第二段提到 students，所以相比之下，D 项最适合。在英国等国家，年轻人会有“空档年”，即上完高中、上大学之前的这段时间。而C 项是最大的干扰项，由常识可知，大学毕业后，学生一般都得忙着找工作，然后上班，没有足够的时间去旅行，所以D 项比C 项更贴切。
【小题２】猜词题：从文章的句子可以看出男性把玩乐看成是更偏爱的东西。选C
【小题３】细节理解题。由第六段第一句A greater proportion of women than men faced objections or criticism from their families over their gap-year plans. 可知，女性更喜欢在空档年出游，但与男性相比，她们面临更多的反对意见。选B
【小题4】主旨大意题。文章第三段提到女性旅行原因是了解世界、体验不同的文化、学习语言、认识新朋友。在第四段中作者提到“more than three quarters of those surveyed reported increased confidence, self-reliance and independence（超过四分之三的女性通过旅行会增强自信、自立和独立）”，而只有一半的男性有同样的体验。所以 A 项正确。D 项是最大的干扰项，其实 D 项与原文第一段首句相比缺少了关键的状语限定部分（when travelling abroad in gap years）。选A
考点：考查社会现象类短文
点评：这篇文章考查较全面：细节，推理，句意和主旨都考查了，特别是主旨题要注意最适合做文章题目的选项应该是最能概括文章主旨大意的选项，不能以偏概全。考生头脑中要对文章有了大概的印象：