卷首語
作者：Angie Pinchbeck
The world is a book and those who do not explore read only one page.
—Author Unknown
At the beginning of 2006， my best friend came to me and told me that he wanted to move back to China. He asked if I would go with him. “Great！” I answered. “But， you know， if we’re going to China anyway， why don’t we check out Southeast Asia before we settle down？” He agreed.
And so it came to be that， with one thing leading to another， I left home at the end of 2007 on a year-long trip around the world. A year. No work， no school， no parents， no commitments. Just me， the road， and adventure.
Sure， I learned a lot in university， for example， physics formulas and literary critiques. And I learned a lot once I joined the work force， too； simple things， like don’t be late for work， as well as more complex issues， like don’t let people walk all over you. But I have to say， nothing was able to teach me life lessons so quickly or thoroughly as my gap year.
This month at Crazy English Reader we’re taking a look at the phenomenon known as the “gap year”. We’ll delve into its beginnings （Brief History of the Gap Year） and show you some of its influences （Students See World During “Gap Year”）. We’ll show you， with a firsthand account， exactly what kind of adventures you can have （My Gap Year in China）. And finally we explore exactly who is taking these gap years—because it’s not always students （“Gap Years” Aren’t Just for Students）.