完整版范文
    Question

    Your professor is teaching a class on education. Write a post responding to the professor's question.
    In your response, you should do the following:
    -Make a contribution to the discussion in your own
    -An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

    Doctor Achebe
    This week, we’ll look at how well students transition to university. Many recent high school graduates have taken a gap year -- a yearlong break after graduation -- before studying at a university. During a gap year, students may get jobs, travel, or simply relax and think about their future. Some students say their gap year was beneficial, while others regret having taken one. In your opinion, does taking a gap year create more advantages or disadvantages for students?

    Andrew
    The gap year would be a good opportunity for students to reflect on their education goals and confirm their plans for university. At least it would give someone time to investigate different fields and get a better sense of what it means to be in business, to work in an office, or to work with their hands,etc.

    Claire
    Because university can be expensive, students should not take a gap year. Tuition, the cost of books, and living expenses rise every year. The money a student might save during a gap year might not be enough to cover the rise in prices when they enter university a year later.

    范文正文

    I agree with Andrew that taking a gap year offers more benefits, as this yearlong experience is instrumental in helping students reflect on their future.【原因状语从句】 Nowadays, school leavers often live in their bubbles, where they primarily experience events occurring around them, with limited opportunities to engage with the broader world.【定语从句+with结构】 It is no surprise that many high school graduates have little understanding of their future career paths.【主语从句】 However, taking a gap year provides them with the chance to step outside their comfort zones. For example, Maria Obama, the daughter of former US President Barack Obama, spent her gap year in 2017 traveling with family and serving a stint with the Weinstein Company, which laid a foundation for her career as a filmmaker.【定语从句】 Although Claire may argue that this is merely an advantage available to the affluent,【让步状语从句】 measures have been implemented to support young people across the economic spectrum. More programs blend travel and work, and some universities are even considering offering financial aid and scholarships to encourage students to take a gap year. In these ways, this emerging trend may offer greater advantages to young people.

    写作思路和特色

    本题出自ETS样题4，话题与间隔年（gap year）有关。教授说许多中学毕业生在上大学之前会有一段间隔年，即毕业后的一年假期。在此期间，学生可以找工作、旅行，或者只是放松并思考自己的未来。一些学生说他们的间隔年是有益的，而其他人则后悔选择了间隔年。在你看来，间隔年给学生创造了更多优势还是劣势？Andrew认为间隔年让学生有机会思考自己的未来目标和上大学后的计划，还能让他们有时间探索不同领域。而Claire考虑到经济成本，说学生不应该选择间隔年，因为大学的学费、书本费和生活费用每年都在上涨。学生在间隔年期间节省下来的钱，可能不足以抵消以后上大学时价格上涨的部分。
    “间隔年”在雅思和托福写作中都是一个经典且经常重现的话题。虽然考试中常见，但大多数国内的同学对此现象并没有切身体会。今天我们也将在文末为大家简要介绍一下间隔年在国外的发展现状，希望能给备考的同学们一些启发。
    本文采取了“论点+解释+举例+让步反驳+总结”的结构。首先提出总论点“间隔年给学生带来的好处更多”，紧接着给出理由“因为它让学生有机会思考未来”。在解释的部分，作者阐述了间隔年对中学毕业生的必要性：学生上学时往往只能接触到自己身边的事，对社会缺乏了解，也很难对自己的职业发展做出明智的选择，而间隔年让他们能走出舒适圈。针对“间隔年对职业发展的影响”，作者举了美国前总统奥巴马的女儿玛丽亚·奥巴马的例子。她在2017年被录取到哈佛大学后，没有直接上大学，而是和家人旅游、去影视公司实习，为她现在电影制作的事业打下基础。
    当然，对方Claire可能会辩称，间隔年只是家境*越的孩子才有的优势，但是文章也反驳道，一些大学已经采取措施让来自不同家庭背景的年轻人都有机会完成间隔年。比如，很多间隔年项目会把旅行和工作相结合、一些大学甚至考虑给学生发奖学金来鼓励他们去间隔年。因此，通过这些方式，间隔年这一新兴趋势可能为年轻人提供更大的优势。

    用词用语整理

    【原因状语从句】
    I agree with Andrew that taking a gap year offers more benefits, as this yearlong experience is instrumental in helping students reflect on their future.
    “as”引导的原因状语从句为前半句的总论点提供了理由。指出“间隔年这一整年的经历有利于让学生思考未来”。

    【定语从句+with结构】
    Nowadays, school leavers often live in their bubbles, where they primarily experience events occurring around them, with limited opportunities to engage with the broader world.
    用“where”引导定语从句，解释了“bubble”的概念。“学生在自己的舒适圈里”与后面with结构中“很少有机会接触更大的世界”，形成了鲜明的对比。

    【主语从句】
    It is no surprise that many high school graduates have little understanding of their future career paths.
    “It is +名词+that ...”是用It作形式主语的主语从句结构。其他常用搭配还有：
    It is no wonder that ...
    It is a boon / bane that ...
    It is a general complaint that ...
    It is a worrying situation that ...
    yearlong adj. 一整年的，一整学年的
    这个词也在题目中教授的话里出现，可以替换one-year、a whole year等，使表达更简洁。
    instrumental adj. 起作用的，有帮助的
    常用搭配是be instrumental in ...，后面接名词或动名词，意为“对某事有帮助”。可以替换helpful，beneficial，be conducive to等，是一个比较正式的词。
    例句1：The Senator was instrumental in the release of some of the hostages.这位参议员在释放部分人质的过程中起到了重要作用。
    例句2：He was instrumental in persuading the Democratic Party to enact open procedures.他在说服民主党制定公开程序方面起了重要作用。
    school leaver n. 中学毕业生
    当“school”表示“学校”时，一般指中小学。因此“离开学校的人”，即是“中学毕业生”。本词也可同义替换为high-school graduate。
    bubble n. 舒适圈
    这是一个很生动的词。Bubble除了表示“泡沫”“经济泡沫”之外，还可以表示“舒适圈”。在一个人的“bubble”里，他只需要处理自己能力范围里的事、只需要与和自己相似的人打交道。
    例句1：The candidate liked to talk to ordinary people to get a fix on what was happening outside his bubble.这位候选人喜欢与老百姓交谈，以了解他生活圈外所发生的事情。
    例句2：On social media we all tend to live in our bubbles, where everyone feels the same way we do.在社交媒体上，我们都喜欢处在与自己同声共气的舒适圈中。
    stint n. 从事某种活动的规定期限、工作期限
    例句：Perhaps her most productive period was her five-year stint as a foreign correspondent in New York.也许她创作上最多产的时期就是她在纽约担任驻外记者的那5年。
    the affluent n. 富裕的人
    implement v. 实施，贯彻
    其名词形式为implementation。
    economic spectrum n. 各经济阶层
    “spectrum”本意为“光谱、频谱”，也可表示“各层次的看法和感觉”。所以文中“support young people across the economic spectrum”，即“支持各阶层出身的年轻人”。同类词组还有：
    social spectrum 各个社会阶层
    a wide spectrum of opinion 广泛的意见
    emerging adj. 新兴的，发展初期的

    常用搭配有：
    emerging nations 新兴国家
    emerging markets 新兴市场
    emerging economies 新兴经济体
    本题中的“间隔年”现象，起源于20世纪六七十年代的英国。当时的西方社会各方面都在经历大规模的震荡，各种新思潮促使年轻人通过旅行等方式来认识自我、寻找精神家园、与他人交流。时至今日，间隔年在英国、美国、澳大利亚、荷兰等很多国家都已发展为比较成熟的产业。学生可以选择参与各类项目，比如环游欧洲美术馆、参与反对种族歧视的组织、担任志愿者等，体验人生，并为下一阶段进入大学做好准备。

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