中國網(wǎng)站品牌欄目（頻道）
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 Grey-gappers: Backpacking is no longer just for teenagers, according to a new report |
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It used to be the preserve of teenagers with itchy feet and few responsibilities. But these days, it is their 50-something parents who are more likely to take a gap year. The number of ‘grey gappers’ picking up their backpacks and setting off on foreign adventures has soared. One in four over-55s has either been on a gap year in the last five years or is planning to take one, according to a report. But the research also revealed that the gap year is ‘no longer an option for many post A-level students’, with fewer than one in five plotting the same sort of escape – and many blaming the soaring costs of going to university. The research comes after official figures showed thousands of students are ditching the traditional year-off adventure after leaving school. Just 6,000 18-year-olds have deferred a firm offer of a place on a university course for this year, according to admissions service Ucas. Last year, 20,000 did. The slump is due to the crippling cost of a university education, with fees due to rise from ￡3,290 a year to as much as ￡9,000 in 2012. Students starting their degrees in 2012 are expected to face an average debt of ￡56,000 on graduation, compared with around ￡27,000 if they began their studies this September. As a result, many do not want to spend money on a gap year – and the grey gapper appears to be filling the void left by their children. The report found that the most common destinations for older travellers are Australia, New Zealand, America, Singapore and Spain. And for the more adventurous, India, Vietnam and Hong Kong are also popular. Dr Ros Altmann, director of over-50s travel and finance specialists Saga, explained that grey gappers typically want to leave their children behind and enjoy the adventure with their spouse. She said: ‘It is often the first thing that a lot of people do when they have retired. They go on a very long holiday.’ (Read by Christine Mallari. Christine Mallari is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
“空檔年”過去曾是閑不住、負(fù)擔(dān)輕的青少年獨有的時光。 不過現(xiàn)在反而是他們五十多歲的父母們更可能休個“空檔年”。 拾起背包、踏上異國探險旅程的“銀發(fā)空檔年”旅客人數(shù)大大增加了。 報告顯示，年過55的人有四分之一在過去的五年內(nèi)曾經(jīng)休過“空檔年”，或正計劃要去。 不過，研究還揭示，空檔年“已不再是許多高中畢業(yè)生的選擇”，有類似遠(yuǎn)行計劃的人不到五分之一，許多人將此歸咎于高漲的大學(xué)學(xué)費(fèi)。 在該研究發(fā)布之前，有官方數(shù)據(jù)顯示成年上萬的英國學(xué)生在高中畢業(yè)后放棄了這一傳統(tǒng)的長達(dá)一年的探險之旅。 根據(jù)招生服務(wù)機(jī)構(gòu)大學(xué)和學(xué)院招生服務(wù)中心的數(shù)據(jù)，今年只有6000名18歲高中畢業(yè)生延后接受大學(xué)的邀請。而去年，有2萬名學(xué)生這么做。 休“空檔年”的學(xué)生人數(shù)減少原因在于讓人無法承受的大學(xué)學(xué)費(fèi)，將從每年3290英鎊升至2012年的9000英鎊。 從2012年開始就讀大學(xué)的學(xué)生預(yù)計將在畢業(yè)時欠下人均5.6萬英鎊的債務(wù)，相比之下，在今年九月入學(xué)的大學(xué)生畢業(yè)時將欠下約2.7萬英鎊的債務(wù)。 所以，許多人都不愿將錢花在“空檔年”上，而銀發(fā)出行者似乎填補(bǔ)了他們的孩子留下的這一空缺。報告發(fā)現(xiàn)，年紀(jì)較大的旅行者去得最多的度假地是澳大利亞、新西蘭、美國、新加坡和西班牙。 對于那些更具冒險精神的人而言，印度、越南和香港也很受歡迎。 羅斯?阿爾特曼博士解釋說，休“空檔年”的銀發(fā)旅行者通常想和伴侶一起單獨享受這一探險旅程。阿爾特曼是一位理財大師，為50歲以上人群的旅游提供指導(dǎo)。 她說：“這是許多人退休后通常想做的第一件事。他們會去度一個很長的假?！?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 為避學(xué)費(fèi)上漲 英掀起入學(xué)申請潮 英企業(yè)質(zhì)疑畢業(yè)生文憑 稱求職者素質(zhì)差 （中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 陳丹妮 編輯：馮明惠） |
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Vocabulary: gap year: 空檔年，在英國，學(xué)生會離開學(xué)校一段時間，經(jīng)歷一些學(xué)習(xí)以外的事情，比如外出旅行或者工作。當(dāng)然，這段時間不一定非得是一年。空檔年一般選在離開中學(xué)進(jìn)入大學(xué)之前。 post A-level students: 參加過高等水平考試的學(xué)生。英國高中生在參加過高等水平考試后，根據(jù)考試成績申請大學(xué)。 ditch: 放棄，拋棄 defer: 推遲，使延期 Ucas: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service的縮寫，即“大學(xué)和學(xué)院招生服務(wù)中心” slump: 下降 crippling: damaging or injurious（造成嚴(yán)重?fù)p害的） |
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