Mind the gap
关注休学实践年
By tradition, a student leaving school at eighteen would go straight to university and study for three or four years
传统而言，学生在18岁中学毕业后会直接上大学，学习三到四年，
before joining the world of work and beginning the slow climb up the career ladder.
在进入工作环境，开始慢慢爬向升职的阶梯之前。
However, this year, like last year and the year before,
然而，如同去年和前年一样，今年
thousands of young people will travel to every point of the compass
成千上万的人年轻人将奔赴世界各地，
and work on projects for up to a year before returning to the UK to enter university.
为某些项目工作一年之后回到英国，步入大学校门。
They could work as an English teacher in Vietnam
他们可以在越南当英语老师，
or perhaps even work in a nature reserve in Africa.
或者甚至可以在非洲的自然保护区工作。
In fact, these young people can now be found nearly everywhere in the world except the Antarctic.
事实上，现在几乎在世界各个地方，除了在南极，都可以看到这些年轻人。
This year off between finishing school and starting university is known as a gap year.
在中学毕业和入大学之间有一年休学称为休学实践年。
It is more than just a long holiday.
它不仅仅是一个长假。
The British government is now providing funds to some young people to help them take a gap year.
英国政府现在给一些年轻人提供资金有助他们进行休学实践年。
Universities encourage students to take a year off before entering university,
各大学鼓励学生在上大学之前休学实践一年；
and more and more companies say they prefer to hire graduates who have taken a gap year
而且越来越多的公司说，他们更喜欢雇用有一年实践经验的毕业生，
rather than those who stay in the education system and go straight from school to university.
而不愿雇用中学毕业后呆在教育系统内直接上大学的那些毕业生。