5．WHEN the White House announced that Malia Obama，the older daughter of US President Barack Obama，would wait until 2017to enroll in Harvard and would take a gap year in the meantime，a lot of Americans were confused．But the White House didn't say what Malia Obama would do during the year she's taking off．
Gap years are so popular in Britain that more than 200，000students take them every year．However，they are virtually unknown to many students in the US．Only about 1percent of graduating seniors，or about 30，000American students，decide to take a year off between high school and college．
Gap years，as defined （定义） by most US colleges，are structured （规划好的） educational periods of travel，volunteering or other kinds of learning through experiences．They usually have to be approved by the colleges students plan to attend，and more American students have started to take gap years．
According to American Gap Association surveys，there was a 22percent increase in students taking gap years in 2015over the previous year．
While many colleges，and particularly public universities，don't allow students to defer enrollment，Florida State University has begun encouraging its freshmen to take a year off from their studies in order to get some extra maturity and new experiences．
"We know very clearly now that gap years can be an educational experience that changes you completely，"said Joe O'Shea，president of the board of the American Gap Association．"They show an increase in determination．Gap years help increase students'focus while their identities and future plans take shape．"
Just ask Karis Engle，who spent a year with a charitable organization in Haiti at age 18．The experience has made her realize that she wants to help others．Engle，now the president of The Glades Initiative，a non-profit organization that helps with food security in communities in southern Florida，said the immersion （沉浸） in a very different culture completely changed her worldview．
By the time she entered Bethel College in Kansas a year later，her life had changed．
"I felt like I was different from most people there．I knew clearly what I wanted to study，which was international development with an emphasis on social work，"Engle said．
She believes gap years are good ways for young people to get away from their comfortable lives，family expectations and pressures from society to see their lives from a new angle．
"It helps you choose your path，"she said，"instead of letting it choose you
29．According to the article，which of the following statements is TRUE？C
A．Malia Obama is going to go backpacking through Europe with her friends during her gap year．
B．Most public universities in America encourage students to take a gap year．
C．Students learn through their experiences by traveling，volunteering etc during gap years．
D．American students can take a year off whenever they want．
30．The example of Karis Engle is used to show thatD．
A．students have a new worldview after taking a gap year
B．gap years can help students become better leaders
C．students can experience what it is like to be away from comfortable lives
D．gaps years help students become more clear about their future
31．The article was mainly written toB．
A．explain why Malia Obama wants to take a gap year
B．explain what a gap year is and what its benefits are
C．show the growing popularity of gap years in America
D．encourage Chinese students to take a gap year．
分析 文章主要介绍了美国学生高中毕业前与进大学前的Gap years，即间隔年的相关情况，以及间隔年对学生的益处．
解答 29，答案：C考查细节理解．根据文章第三段第一句"Gap years，as defined （定义） by most US colleges，are structured （规划好的） educational periods of travel，volunteering or other kinds of learning through experiences．"可知，本题的答案是C．
30，答案：D考查细节理解．根据文章倒数第三段"'I felt like I was different from most people there．I knew clearly what I wanted to study，which was international development with an emphasis on social work，'Engle said．"可知，本题的答案是D．
31，答案：B考查文章主旨大意．根据文章可知，文章主要介绍了美国学生高中毕业前与进大学前的Gap years，即间隔年的相关情况，以及间隔年对学生的益处．故本题的答案是B．
点评 在阅读时要抓住文章的主题和细节，分析文章结构，根据上下文内在联系，挖掘文章的深层含义，对于暗含在文章中的人物的行为动机，事件中的因果关系及作者未言明的倾向、意图、态度、观点等要进行合乎逻辑的判断、推理、分析，进一步增强理解能力，抓住材料实质性的东西．
