Spirit of Adventure

Prince William had one and worked for a charity in Chile. Prince Harry is about to finish his 'year off' after spending last Autumn in Australia on a sheep farm. For the last few months the young Prince has been working with disadvantaged children and Aids sufferers in Lesotho. More than 200,000 young Britons are now choosing to take a gap year at the end of their secondary school studies. Some people are also taking gap years at the end of their university course.

A gap year used to be called 'a year off' because the people who chose to do it were taking a break from their studies. It can be stressful to go from Primary tests to Secondary school exams and then straight on to Higher Education without ever having a rest. It also gives you a chance to think about your future, make plans and decide what type of work you would like to do.

Nowadays there are so many different voluntary projects world wide and so many British and International charities looking for helpers those students have little trouble finding something useful to do during their gap year. Employers now look closely at the experience of new graduates. A gap year can be great fun but it also looks good on your CV. Some volunteers might find themselves alone in far away places or working in a team under difficult conditions in a jungle, up a mountain or in a very poor country. They all agree that this adventure is a very important part of growing up.

Exercise3. Listen to the song and complete the gaps. What is the song about?