Brinda+Sullivan

My first day of high school was the best and the scariest. I was in the band， so I had already been exposed to some of the upper classmen at my school during summer drills1） as the band did freshman initiation2） week. We not only were put through the wringer3） as being the new kids on campus， but we also had our first opportunity to begin building great friendships as we found our spot in the high school crowd.

As I walked into the high school， I remember my stomach feeling as if it were about to slide down to my knees on my walk through the hallway to my first class. I could see eyes fixated4） on me as if the older students were trying to figure out exactly what I could have been. Although I was only a few years younger than them， I felt like I was a baby. It's amazing that just a few months before I was one of the coolest kids on school in junior high. I had all the sixth and seventh graders looking up to me. If I dropped a book， they were right there to pick it up for me， hoping to be noticed. However， that day， I was a freshman and when I dropped a book I had the upper classmen laughing at me.

I remember how excited I was when I finally made my way to my locker to find my best friend standing there smiling and waving. I was so happy to see a familiar face. The day did get better. I had some people pick on me and some that I had met during the summer band camp defended me. It was all good. I knew that once I got through the first day， every day thereafter would be getting better. I told myself that after my freshman year was over， I would be an upper classman and the tables would be turned onto another little man5） on campus.

You may go through a few months of teasing and tormenting when you first enter into high school， but after that， the next three and half years will be the best years of your life. When you begin high school， remember how you feel on those first few days. Then， as the years go by and you see younger kids replace you as freshmen， take those memories and use them to help the little guy. You will play a positive role in his or her life.

我上高中的第一天是最美好的一天，也是最恐怖的一天。我是樂隊(duì)的成員，所以在樂隊(duì)進(jìn)行夏季排練以承擔(dān)新生歡迎周的任務(wù)時(shí)已經(jīng)接觸過我們學(xué)校的一些高年級(jí)學(xué)生了。我們作為校園里的新生不只受盡折磨，而且隨著在高中生群中找到自己的位置，還有了第一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)開始建立偉大的友誼。

當(dāng)我走進(jìn)高中校園，穿過走廊，走向第一堂課的教室時(shí)，我記得我的胃感覺似乎要滑落到膝蓋了。我能看到盯著我的一雙雙眼睛，似乎這些高年級(jí)學(xué)生竭力想要弄清我以前可能會(huì)是什么樣的。雖然我只比他們小幾歲，但當(dāng)時(shí)我感覺自己就像一個(gè)嬰孩。這真是太驚人了，要知道，就在幾個(gè)月以前我還是初中里最酷的學(xué)生之一，我讓所有6年級(jí)和7年級(jí)的學(xué)生都仰慕我。如果我把書弄掉了，他們就會(huì)過來幫我撿起來，希望借此引起我的注意。但是，那一天，我是個(gè)新生，我把書弄掉時(shí)，只會(huì)讓那些高年級(jí)的學(xué)生笑話我。

我記得，當(dāng)我終于走到儲(chǔ)物柜，看到我最好的朋友站在那兒朝我微笑并招手時(shí)我有多興奮。能夠看到一張熟悉的面孔實(shí)在是太讓我高興了。那一天的確變得好起來了。雖然有人找我的茬，但是之前在樂隊(duì)夏季訓(xùn)練營認(rèn)識(shí)的幾個(gè)人保護(hù)了我。這一天還是很不錯(cuò)的。我知道一旦我熬過了第一天，之后的每一天就會(huì)越來越好。我告訴自己，高一上完以后，我就是高年級(jí)學(xué)生了，這種不太有利的局面就會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)向校園里的另一個(gè)小鬼。

剛剛進(jìn)入高中時(shí)，你可能會(huì)經(jīng)歷幾個(gè)月的戲弄和折磨，但是在那之后的三年半（編注：美國高中學(xué)制是四年）將會(huì)是你人生中最美好的歲月。開始讀高中時(shí)，記住最初那幾天的感受。然后，隨著時(shí)間流逝，你看到一批批比你小的孩子取代你成為新生，請(qǐng)帶上這些回憶并利用它們?nèi)椭切┬〖一?。你將?huì)在他們?nèi)松谐蔀橐粋€(gè)發(fā)揮積極作用的角色。

1. drill [dr?l] n. （軍事、體育、語言等的）操練；演習(xí)；練習(xí)；訓(xùn)練

2. initiation [??n??i?e??n] n. 加入組織

3. put through the wringer： 使受盡折磨

4. fixate [f?k?se?t] vt. 注視

5. turn the tables onto sb.： 扭轉(zhuǎn)局面（使之對(duì)某人不利）endprint