上高中时，我要知道这些就好了

祝莉丽

Stretch1） your brain. Take a class that scares you at least once during high school. Dont let preconceptions2） about the class or the teacher sway3） you from taking a class that you know you can do well in. The experience will definitely make you a stronger student and prepare you for future academic challenges. If you can face those challenges and enjoy them， you will succeed.

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Dont sweat4） your grades too much. Getting a B is not the end of the world. In fact， its kind of a good thing. I started college at a top university with straight As since seventh grade， and it was hard to deal with not being able to repeat that. I shied away5） from taking some harder courses I might have done well in because I was afraid of doing poorly. Now， I can fully accept that if I try my hardest in a class and get a B+； that is still something to be proud of.

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Ask for help. Learn how to forge6） relationships with teachers. Ask for help on a concept youre trying to grasp after class； meet with your English teacher to talk about an upcoming essay. Getting comfortable with talking to teachers will help when you get to college. You will need help outside of class sometimes， and you have to be able to ask for it and interact with your professors.

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Find your own de-stressing7） routine. Another essential skill to begin building in high school is how to manage work and stress. Maybe you deal with stress by going for a run， or taking a break to watch a silly sitcom. Talk with a friend for a while or play with your dog. Find out what relaxes you and take short breaks from amounts of work that seem unmanageable to de-stress. Youll find that it will be easily manageable.

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Spend your summers wisely. Dont take on a full-time job the first summer you decide to work—forty hours a week will be a huge shock and youll have plenty of time for that in the future. Do find something to do that will make the ten weeks worthwhile. Look for programs that take you to interesting places， internships that will be good experience， or a job that will give you insight into something you might be interested in.

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Dont focus too much on popularity. While the idea of the clique8） is definitely high school specific， there are still loose9） groups in college. Fortunately these are not based on the vague10） idea of "popularity" and instead on things you actually have in common—your fraternity11） or sorority12）， where you live， classes， sports， clubs and activities. You do have to be active about making friends， especially at a larger school， but those friends may be much more of a reflection of your values than kids you hung out with in high school because they were your group. Everyone wants to be popular in high school， but dont waste too much time worrying about it. In four years， youll be in a completely new situation， and no one will care what clique you were in high school.

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Join a（n） club/team/activity. Extracurriculars13） are what make your time in high school worthwhile. A lot of what you learn you will forget or have to learn again in college， but the experience of being on a team or president of a club or writing for the newspaper is what you will remember. Youll learn a whole lot about dealing with others， and about yourself and your own limits.

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Accept that you may get rejected. Just because you dont get into your "top choice" college doesnt mean you wont have a completely fulfilling experience. Just make sure you try to make the most of it.

Teen Topics

青春话题·成长之惑

Sometimes high school seems like a necessary evil， which steps between elementary school and college. I remember feeling like I was just ready to finish studying and that was only the beginning of sophomore year. Now at the end of my college journey， I know that while I did well in high school， there are some things in particular that made high school and college easier for me. And there are still more things I could have done to make my high school experience more fun， more manageable and more beneficial.

有时候，高中就像一个躲不开的恶魔，横亘在小学与大学之间。我记得那时感觉自己都准备好完成高中学业了，可其实高中二年级才刚刚开始。现在我的大学生涯已接近尾声，我开始明白，虽然我在高中阶段表现优异，但还有一些尤为重要的事情能让我的高中和大学过得更为轻松。我本来还可以做更多的事情，让我的高中生活更有趣，更可控，更让自己受益。

充分发挥你的聪明才智。高中时至少上一门令你害怕的课程。别让对课程或授课老师的成见影响你去上一门明知自己能学好的课程。这种经历将必然让你成为一名更强的学生，也能助你做好准备去迎接未来的学业挑战。如果你能直面那些挑战并乐在其中，你就会取得成功。

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不要为了分数过度担心。得到一个B并不意味着世界末日的到来。事实上，这在某种程度上也是件好事。我从七年级开始成绩就一直全优，并以这样的成绩上了一所顶级大学，因此如果不能重现那样的成绩，我就会很难接受。为此我不再选修一些比较难但我也可能会学好的课程，因为害怕成绩不好。现在，我完全能够接受以下这种看法：如果我在课堂上全力以赴，即使得了B+，那也仍是件值得骄傲的事情。

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寻求帮助。学会与老师建立联系。若你在努力掌握某个概念，就在课后去寻求帮助吧；你还可以去找你的英语老师，聊一下即将要写的论文。如果能够与老师们轻松自在地交谈，这对你上大学之后有好处。届时你时不时地会在课外需要帮助，并且你必须有能力去寻求帮助，有能力与你的教授们交流。

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找到你自己的常规减压方式。在高中阶段要开始打造的另一个必备技能就是学会如何处理学业和压力。或许，你应对压力的方法是出去跑步，或看无厘头情景喜剧休息一下。去和一个朋友谈会儿心，或和你的小狗玩儿。找到让你放松的方法，从看似难以应对的繁重学业中抽出身来，暂时休息一会儿，给自己减压。你会发现你的学业变得更容易搞定。

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明智地度过你的暑假。在你决定出去打工的第一个暑假，不要去找全职工作——每周工作40个小时对你将是个巨大的冲击，而且将来你会有大把时间去做全职工作。一定要做一些能让这十周的假期变得有意义的事情。找一些能把你带到有趣地方的项目，一些将让你拥有很棒经历的实习工作，或者找一份能让你洞悉自己可能感兴趣的事情的工作。

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不要太关注人气。纵然“小团体”无疑是高中生活的典型现象，但大学里也有很多自由度很高的组织。幸运的是，这些组织并非基于“人气”这种模糊的概念，而是基于你们实际拥有的共同特点——你们参加的兄弟会或女生联谊会，你们的住所、所学的课程、从事的运动、加入的社团和活动等。你的确需要积极地交朋友，特别是在规模较大的学校里。但那些朋友更多的是你自身价值观的体现，而不是高中时因为同在一个小团体而和你出去玩的那些孩子。每个人都希望在高中拥有高人气，但不要浪费太多时间担忧这个。四年后（编注：美国高中为四年制），你将身处一个全新的环境，没有人会在意你高中时属于哪个小团体。

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加入一个社团/小组/活动。课外活动会让你的高中时光过得有价值。你学的很多知识都会被遗忘或者还得在大学重学一遍，但是参加小组活动、做一个社团的团长或为报纸撰写文章将会成为你难忘的经历。你会了解到很多关于待人接物、关于自身以及自身局限性的东西。

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要接受你可能会被大学拒绝录取的事实。你没有被“第一志愿”大学录取并不意味着你不会拥有完整、充实的大学经历。你只需确保自己全力以赴即可。

1. stretch [stret?] vt. 使充分发挥；使竭尽所能

2. preconception [?pri?k?n?sep?n] n. 事先形成的看法；先入之见；成见

3. sway [swe?] vt. 影响；左右；使改变看法

4. sweat [swet] vt. 为……担心（或烦恼）

5. shy away： 避开；回避

6. forge [f??d?] vt. 缔造；建立

7. de-stress [?di? ?stres] vi. 放松，减轻压力

Finally， remember to have fun. Your life does not depend on high school—not on the academics and not on the popularity aspect. Do your best， but leave time for fun with friends. You will have plenty of time to work hard in college and beyond. Be prepared， but dont stress out too much about it. If you can make your high school experience fun， you will have no problem doing the same for your life in college and beyond.

最后，记得要开心。决定你人生的并不是高中时光——不是你在高中的学业表现，也不是你在高中时的人气值。要全力以赴，但同时也要留出时间与朋友共享欢乐。在大学和以后的日子里，你还会有大把的时间去努力奋斗。做好准备，但也不要对此感到过分紧张。如果你能让自己的高中生活充满欢乐，那么在大学和以后的日子里，做到这一点就更没问题了。

Teen Topics

青春话题·成长之惑

8. clique [kli?k] n. 派系；小集团

9. loose [lu?s] adj. （分组、安排、组织等）不严密的；松散的

10. vague [ve?ɡ] adj. （记忆或想法）模糊的，不清晰的

11. fraternity [fr??t??n?ti] n. （美国男大学生）联谊会，兄弟会

12. sorority [s??r?r?ti] n. （美国大学里的）女子联谊会，女子俱乐部

13. extracurricular [?ekstr?k??r?kj?l?（r）] n. 课外活动