B2 · Upper-Intermediate🎧 1 min read

🌎 The Gap Year

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After finishing school, Leon decided to take a gap year before university. His parents were against it; they were convinced he would waste the time and never go back to studying.

Leon spent the first six months working in a warehouse to save money. Then he travelled around South America, volunteering on farms and teaching English in a small school in Peru. It was there that he discovered his passion for teaching.

Originally, Leon had planned to study law, mainly because his father was a lawyer. However, after his experience in Peru, he changed his mind and applied for a degree in education instead.

Today he teaches at a secondary school and loves his job. "If I hadn't taken that year off, I would be a miserable lawyer now," he says. Even his parents admit that the gap year was the best decision he ever made.

Key words

gap yeara year off between school and university
convincedcompletely sure
warehousea big building for storing goods
passiona very strong interest
miserablevery unhappy

Questions about the story

  1. Why were his parents against the gap year?
  2. How did he save money?
  3. What did he discover in Peru?
  4. What would he be if he hadn't taken the gap year?
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