【推荐1】How to Get Straight “A”s for Tests

Tests appear like weeds (杂草), don’t they? You take one test and there’s another just around the corner. Start showing those tests who’s boss:     1    

Make time for breakfast. Studies show that students who eat breakfast before a test do better.     2     Focusing on that lump (肿块) of fatty food in your stomach won’t do you any good. Stick to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and light dairy products.

    3     Time management is key to studying for a test or tests. If you plan out your time, you’ll feel less rushed and hurried. You’d be able to avoid a Sunday night, 3 a.m. cram (临时死记硬背) session.

Avoid the last minute cram session. Studying the night before the test will make it even more difficult—you’ll be lacking sleep, weak and unable to think clearly. You don’t want to gather a lot of information in one night; it’s impossible to take in that much information at once. Studies show that late-night crammers get average grades.     4     But if you’re looking for something a bit better, avoid it.

Study right after waking and just before bed.     5     Though you wouldn’t think it works this way, your mind seems to have more room to take in information right when you wake up. At night, your brain produces chemicals to strengthen the information into your memory. So studying right before bed and when you wake up is a safe bet.

【推荐3】The new year is an excellent time to reflect on your accomplishments and your disappointments at about the halfway point in the school year, as well as to plan how you will improve in the future.

Reflect on your first school term: Honestly review your school year thus far. List your classes and your grades in each. What did not go as well as expected? Such as, exams you scored poorly on, projects you rushed through and long-term goals you did not meet. Revisit those plans you may have made related to selecting after-class activities or maximizing your senior year.

Be positive: As you are working on your list, remember to highlight (强调) the positives. Honesty is more than just telling the hard truths—it is also offering proper praise. Include your high grades and impressive test results on your list as well. Remember that excellence is not a result, but a process. As you are recording your accomplishments, list the times when you made significant progress. Note the projects you started on time, the papers you outlined before you wrote and the study plans you followed.

Set new goals: Television shows sometimes reflect a world view that suggests success comes from a few weeks of competition rather than a lifetime of’ hard work and devotion. In truth, success in life is largely a result of continual small improvements that finally lead to great changes. With this in mind, make a short list of areas or tasks you wish to improve upon in the coming year. Keeping your list short is important, as creating too many goals can become overwhelming (压倒一切的).

Build on strengths: Include your strengths when you set goals. If you did well in algebra last year, determine to do just as well in geometry or calculus this year. If you submitted all your assignments (作业) on time, resolve to finish your work a day earlier in order to allow for editing. Successful people build on their strengths to reach true excellence.

【推荐1】These next three years in senior high school may see many relationships coming to an end, a lot of drama between people, and especially a lot of stress (压力). During these next years, you’ll experience a lot, and hopefully, this advice could be of use to you.

First of all, high school is not how the movies show it to be. There are no life-changing things that make you popular, and there are no big parties where teens enjoy themselves together and new friends are made. The reality is that you’ll stay up till three in the morning doing homework, the food in the school isn’t the best, and you will cry about everything.

Just know walking through this next part of your life won’t be a simple walk in the park. You will go through difficulties, but at the end of the day, you’ll decide whether they’re going to influence you or not. While going through a difficult or unpleasant time, know that whatever happens these experiences don’t define (界定) you.

These next moments will be happy, mad, sad, etc. There will be amazing good days, and awful bad ones. Be yourself because many comments will be made about you, your friends, your attitude (态度), and everything in your life. Aside from those people that cause drama, make bad comments about you, and hurt you, there are people who love you and want the best for you. Learning this will take time and you’ll be hurt, but you will be okay. So, in a word, a high school is a work in progress.

High school only comes along once, so make the most of it because very quickly you’ll be shaking your principal’s (校长的) hand while they hand you your high school diploma (毕业证书).