Unit 8

Secrets of Straight-A Students

This text is taken from Improve Your English Through Comprehension Practice by Christina Lim Cher Kee. System Publishing House Pte. Ltd. Singapore. 2001.

close1RT A professor of education who has conducted major studies of super-achieving students revealed that top grades do not always go to the brightest students. According to him, other education experts and top students themselves, it is far more important for a student to know how to make the most of his or her innate abilities.

全優(yōu)生的秘訣

一位研究教育的老師對成績優(yōu)異的學生進行過幾項大型調(diào)查，發(fā)現(xiàn)成績最優(yōu)秀的學生不一定是頭腦最聰明的學生。根據(jù)這位教授、其他教育專家以及全優(yōu)生們自己的觀點，懂得如何充分發(fā)揮自己的潛能對于學生來說更為重要。close2RT The students at the top of the class attain academic excellence by mastering a few basic principles that others can easily learn. To begin with, top students know how to set their priorities right. Study time is never compromised for phone calls, television programmes or snacks. In other words, it is always placed above recreation. In addition, top students make a point of study anywhere or everywhere. A top student who is also a top athlete memorises biology terms as he works out every day. Another student learns a new word every morning while brushing his teeth. Among all the students interviewed, every one agreed that study times are strictly a matter of personal preference. Some thrive at night when all is silent. Others prefer to study as soon as they come home from school when the lessons are fresh in their minds. However, all agreed that consistency is a main factor if one is to perform well at all times.

在班上名列前茅的學生之所以學習優(yōu)秀，是因為他們掌握了幾個基本原則，其他學生也可以輕松學會的。首先，全優(yōu)生知道如何決定輕重緩急。他們從來不會為了打電話、看電視或者吃零食而犧牲學習時間。換言之，學習總是擺在娛樂之前。另外，全優(yōu)生們總是注意隨時隨地學習。有位成績優(yōu)異的學生同時也是優(yōu)秀的運動員，每天利用戶外訓練時間背生物學術(shù)語。而另一位學生則利用每天早上刷牙時間記一個新單詞。而在所有被采訪的學生中，無一例外都認為在什么時間學習完全是個人偏好問題。有些人在夜深人靜時學習效果最好，有些人則喜歡趁著自己還能清晰地記得上課所講的內(nèi)容，一放學回家就開始學習。盡管如此，所有的全優(yōu)生都一致認為，如果想任何時候都表現(xiàn)優(yōu)秀，一個主要的因素就是要持之以恒。close3RT A student must also learn to be organised. For example, a top student who is actively involved in his school band, track and field, rugby association and debate team disclosed that he keeps his things in their proper places because he simply cannot afford time-wasting searches. Another student immediately files the day's notes in colour-coded folders so that they are available for review nearing examination time.Another technique advocated by top students is to read effectively. This includes speed-reading, improving one's memory or retention ability, and actively asking questions that will lead to a full understanding of the author's message.

學生還必須學會有條理。舉個例子，有一位全優(yōu)生在學校樂隊、田徑隊、橄欖球協(xié)會和辯論小組里都很活躍，他透露，他之所以把東西放得井井有條是因為他浪費不起到處找東西的時間。還有一位學生喜歡把當天的筆記馬上整理出來并放進用不同顏色標記的文件夾里，以便臨近考試時能隨時用來復習。全優(yōu)生們提倡的另一個技巧是有效的閱讀，其中包括快速閱讀、提高記憶能力以及主動提出問題以便充分理解作者的意思。close4RT It is also important for students to know how to schedule their time. They must know how to pace each assignment or project according to their daily timetable and work ability so that they might not be overwhelmed by the tasks at hand. Being able to set timetables not only allows students more time to review and polish their work, it also prevents them from procrastinating. Top students believe that a secret of their success is the taking down of good notes during lessons and using them for revision. One student revealed that she writes notes from the text on one side of her notebook and those from her teachers' lectures on the other side. This allows her to review both aspects of each lesson at once. The student also revealed that instead of wasting time whispering to friends and getting ready to rush out of the class just before the bell rings, she uses those few minutes to jot down a two or three-sentence summary of the lesson's principal points. She then scans the notes to refresh her memory before the next day's class.

對于學生們來說，合理安排時間也同樣重要。他們必須懂得如何根據(jù)每天的時間表和學習能力來安排做作業(yè)和項目的速度，不至于讓手頭的工作壓得喘不過氣。能制定時間表不僅讓學生能夠騰出更多時間來復習和完善功課，而且還能防止他們拖拖拉拉。成績優(yōu)異的學生認為，他們成功的一大秘訣就是上課時做好筆記，供復習時使用。有個學生透露，她把從課文上摘抄的內(nèi)容記在筆記本的一邊，把課堂筆記寫在另一邊。這樣，就可同時復習到兩方面的內(nèi)容。她還透露，她不會浪費下課鈴響前的幾分鐘跟朋友交頭接耳，準備隨時沖出教室。相反，她會利用這幾分鐘用兩三句話概括那節(jié)課的要點，然后在下次上課前瀏覽這些筆記，借以加深印象。close5RT Another winning formula which teachers promote lies in a student's ability to hand in neat work. According to one professor, the student who turns in neat work is already on the way to scoring an A. In the classroom context, it is equally important for students to speak up and ask questions. This is perhaps the best way for a student to clarify any doubts. Classroom participation also demonstrates a student's intellectual curiosity. As a student concisely puts it, "Better grades come from better understanding."

老師們提倡的另一個制勝秘訣是盡力讓自己的作業(yè)整潔。有位老師說，學生交上整潔作業(yè)就已向高分邁進了一步。在課堂上大膽發(fā)言和提問也同樣重要，這或許是學生澄清疑問的最好辦法。課堂參與還能反映一個學生的求知欲。有個學生概括得好，“成績來自透徹的理解”。close6RT The value of studying together was demonstrated in an experiment conducted at one top university. The study revealed that students who discussed homework and problems together, tried different approaches and explained their solutions to one another scored higher than those who laboured on their own. The experiment also illuminated the value of hypothetical tests conducted among the students and on their own. This means that students frame tentative test questions based on their notes and give each other or themselves written examinations the day before a test. Experts confirmed that students who devise possible test questions often find many of the same questions during the real examination and thus score higher.

一項在一所世界頂級大學進行的調(diào)查證明了小組學習的價值所在。研究表明，學生們?nèi)绻黄鹩懻摷彝プ鳂I(yè)和問題，嘗試不同的解決辦法，并且互相解釋各自的方法，分數(shù)就會比那些單獨用功的學生要高。研究也證明了學生間互相進行模擬測試或自我測試的好處。這就是說，學生們根據(jù)筆記設計可能的試題，在考試前一天相互之間進行書面測試或自測。專家們證實，那些能設計模擬試題的學生，往往會在正式考題中發(fā)現(xiàn)很多相同的試題，自然能得高分了。close7RT Another technique employed by top students is to do more than the assigned homework. A student revealed that if her teacher gives five problems, she will undertake ten. In the student's words, "Part of learning is practising. The more you practise, the more you learn." Last but not least, all experts and top students agree that the most important "secret" of super-achievers lies in the crucial contribution by parents. From infancy, super-achievers were taught the importance of learning by their parents. The latter set high standards for their children and held them to those standards. They encouraged their children in their studies but did not undertake the work for them. Instead of pressuring their children, these parents were always loving, gentle and took pains to explain and motivate. They impressed the lessons of responsibility on their children, and the children delivered.

全優(yōu)生使用的另一個技巧是超額完成規(guī)定的家庭作業(yè)。一位學生透露，老師若是布置五道題，她會做上十道。用她的話說，“練習是學習的一部分。練得越多，學到的也越多。”最后一點同樣不容忽視：所有的專家和優(yōu)秀學生都認為，全優(yōu)生們之所以成功，父母的功勞至關(guān)重要。從孩提時起，父母就給他們灌輸學習的重要性，為他們制定高標準，并且引導他們達到這些標準。在學習方面他們給孩子以鼓勵，而不是代勞。這些父母從不給孩子施加壓力，永遠都溫柔慈愛，不厭其煩地解釋和激勵。他們使孩子們銘記肩負的責任，而孩子們則將其付諸實踐。

2

College Pressures

William Zinsser This text is excerpted and adapted from The Norton Reader, 11th Edition by Peterson, L.H., & Brereton, J.C. New York & London: W.W. Norton. 2004.

close1RT As master at Branford College , I see four kinds of pressure working on college students today: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. It is easy to look around for villains (罪犯) — to blame the colleges for charging too much money, the professors for assigning too much work, the parents for pushing their children too far, the students for driving themselves too hard. But there are no villains; only victims.

象牙塔里的壓力

威廉·津瑟

身為布蘭福德學院的院長，我發(fā)覺當今的大學生面臨著四種壓力：經(jīng)濟壓力、來自父母的壓力、來自學伴的壓力、以及自己給自己的壓力。我們往往會去尋找"罪魁禍首"：學校收費太高，老師布置太多作業(yè)，父母逼迫孩子太緊，學生對自己要求太嚴。但在壓力問題上，沒有惡人，只有受害者。 close2RT Students today live in a brutal (殘忍的) economy . Tuition , room, books and various kinds of fees have come to such a great sum that it is not unusual for a student, even if he works part time at college and full time during the summer, to accumulate $5,000 in loans after four years — loans that he must start to repay (償還) within one year after graduation.

當今的學生生活在一個殘酷的經(jīng)濟現(xiàn)實中，學費、住宿費、書本費及這樣那樣的費用加起來數(shù)量不菲，即使一個學生在校期間做兼職，暑期做全職，四年內(nèi)還是會欠下5,000美元貸款，畢業(yè)后一年內(nèi)就要開始償還。close3RT For those lucky few who can get financial help from their parents, money may not be a tough problem, but they will suffer from the pressure that comes from their parents.

少數(shù)幸運的學生能得到父母的經(jīng)濟援助，錢并不是一個棘手的問題，但是來自父母的壓力讓他們的日子也不好過。close4RT I see many students taking pre-medical courses with joyless determination . They go off to their labs as if they were going to the dentist . It saddens me because I know them in other corners of their life as cheerful people.

我看到很多學生一門心思修讀醫(yī)學院預科課程，但卻毫無快樂可言。他們?nèi)嶒炇揖拖袢タ囱泪t(yī)一樣痛苦。這讓我很傷心，因為我知道在生活的其他方面他們是開朗快樂的。close5RT "Do you want to go to medical school?" I ask them.

我問他們：“你想學醫(yī)嗎？”close6RT "Not really," they reply.

他們回答說：“其實并不想?！?/span>close7RT "Then why are you going?"

“那為什么還要進醫(yī)學院呢？”close8RT "Well, my parents want me to be a doctor. They're paying all this money and ..."

“嗯，因為我爸媽希望我當醫(yī)生。他們一直在供我讀書，而且…?！?/span>close9RT Poor students, poor parents. They are caught in one of the oldest webs of love and duty and guilt (罪過). The parents mean well; they are trying to steer their sons and daughters toward a secure future. But the sons and daughters want to major in history or classics or philosophy (哲學) — subjects with no "practical" value. Where's the payoff (報償) on the humanities (人文學科）? It's not easy to persuade such loving parents that the humanities do indeed pay off. The intellectual faculties developed by studying subjects like history and classics are just the faculties that make creative leaders in business or almost any general field. Still, many parents would rather put their money on courses that point toward a specific profession — courses that are pre-law, pre-medical, pre-business, or, as I sometimes heard it put, "pre-rich."

可憐的學生，可憐的父母??！他們被困在一張亙古以來由愛、責任和自責交織而成的網(wǎng)中，難以自拔。父母的出發(fā)點是好的，他們想引導自己的孩子走向無憂無慮的未來，但孩子們卻想攻讀歷史、古典文學或哲學，這些專業(yè)毫無“實用”價值。人文學科的專業(yè)有什么回報？要說服這些關(guān)愛子女的父母人文學科的專業(yè)確有回報并非易事。攻讀歷史、古典文學等專業(yè)而開發(fā)出來的智能，正是富有創(chuàng)造力的商界及其他領(lǐng)域的領(lǐng)袖人物所必備的。然而，許多家長還是寧愿出錢供孩子讀一個能從事具體職業(yè)的專業(yè)，比如法律預科、醫(yī)學預科、商務預科，或者是我有時聽到的所謂“財富預科”。close10RT But the pressure on students is severe. They are truly torn. One part of them feels obligated to fulfill their parents' expectations ; after all, their parents are older and presumably (可能，大概) wiser. Another part tells them that the expectations that are right for their parents are not right for them.

可是，學生承受著太大的壓力，他們簡直無所適從了。一方面，他們覺得有義務不辜負父母對自己的期望，畢竟父母比自己年長，該更有智慧吧。但另一方面，他們又覺得，父母認為合適的期望未必適合自己。close11RT Just like economic pressure and parental pressure, peer pressure and self-induced pressure are also closely intertwined (交織在一起), and they begin almost at the beginning of freshman year.

經(jīng)濟壓力和來自父母的壓力交織在一起，來自同學間的壓力和自己給自己的壓力也是如此，而且?guī)缀跏菑拇髮W一年級剛開學就開始存在了。close12RT "I had a freshman student I'll call Linda," one dean told me, "who came in and said she was under terrible pressure because her roommate, Barbara, was much brighter and studied all the time. I couldn't tell her that Barbra had come in two hours earlier to say the same thing about Linda."

有一位系主任告訴我：“我知道這么一個大一的學生，姑且叫她琳達吧，她來向我訴說她正承受著可怕的壓力，因為室友芭芭拉比她更聰明，一天到晚在學習。我不好告訴她，就在兩小時前芭芭拉也來我這里說了類似的話，說琳達帶給她多大的壓力?！?/span>close13RT The story is almost funny — except that it's not. It's symptomatic (表明[某種]癥狀的) of all the pressures put together. When every student thinks every other student is working harder and doing better, the only solution is to study harder still. I see students going off to the library every night after dinner and coming back when it closes at midnight. I wish they would sometimes forget about their peers and go to a movie. I hear the clack (噠噠聲) of typewriters in the hours before dawn. I see the tension in their eyes when exams are approaching and papers are due: "Will I get everything done?"

這件事看來可笑，但實際上并不可笑，這表明所有壓力都匯集在一起了。當每個學生都認為別人更為勤奮、成績更好時，他唯一能做的就是更加努力地學習。我看到許多學生每天吃完晚飯就去圖書館，直到深更半夜圖書館關(guān)門才回來。我真希望他們有時能忘掉他們的學伴，去看場電影。我常常在拂曉時分還聽到打字機在噼噼啪啪地響，考試來臨或論文限期快到時，我能從學生的眼神中看到他們的緊張心理：“我能把所有的事情做完嗎？”close14RT Probably they won't. They will get sick. They will get " blocked." They will sleep. They will oversleep.

他們很可能完成不了。因為他們會生病，腦袋會"僵硬"，無法正常思維。他們要睡覺，而且會睡過頭。close15RT Part of the problem is that they do more than they are expected to do. A professor will assign five-page papers. Several students will start writing ten-page papers, and a few will multiply it to fifteen. Pity the poor student who is still just doing the assignment.

出現(xiàn)這一問題的部分原因是：他們會遠遠超額完成任務。老師布置一篇5頁的論文，一些學生就會寫上10頁，而少數(shù)人甚至會把賭注升到15頁?？蓱z那些僅僅寫了5頁的學生。close16RT "Once you have twenty or thirty percent of the student population deliberately overexerting (努力過度的)," one dean points out , "it's bad for everybody. When a teacher gets more and more effort from his class, the student who is doing normal work can be perceived as not doing well. The tactic (策略) works, psychologically."

一位系主任指出：“一旦20％或30％的學生刻意地去超量學習，對每個學生來說都不是好事。當一位教師在班上看到越來越多的努力嘗試，那些只是正常完成作業(yè)的學生就會被看作是表現(xiàn)不夠好。就心理上而言，這個策略還是有效的?！?/span>close17RT People around, professors, parents, and friends can help, but ultimately it will be the student's own business to break the circles in which they are trapped. They are too young to be prisoners of their parents' dreams and their classmates' fears. They must be jolted （使震動) into believing in themselves as unique men and women who have the power to shape their own future.

要打破這些“怪圈”，周圍的人們、老師、父母、朋友都能給予幫助，但歸根結(jié)底還是要靠學生自己。他們太年輕，不該成為父母的夢想和懼怕同學心理的俘虜。我們必須喚醒他們，使他們相信自己是獨一無二的、有能力創(chuàng)造自己未來的人。