胡藝菡

Are you feeling down about your grades？ It is easy to get the blues when you receive low scores on a big test or small quizzes， but you cant let poor performance get you down. There is always time to make things better.

你對自己的成績感到沮喪嗎？當(dāng)你在大考或小測驗(yàn)中得低分時(shí)，很容易悶悶不樂，但不能因?yàn)樵愀獾谋憩F(xiàn)就變得沮喪。你還有時(shí)間把事情做得更好。

And there are always reasons to improve. If you fail a few tests， you can do better next time. Just dont get down on yourself！

而且總是有改進(jìn)的理由。如果你幾次考試失敗了，你下次可以做得更好。只是千萬不要對自己失望！

STEPS TO TAKE IF IT ISNT OVER YET

如果一切還沒結(jié)束時(shí)應(yīng)采取的步驟

If youve received a few low grades on quizzes throughout the year and youre facing a big final， then you still have time to bring up your final grade. Dont accept failure！

如果你在學(xué)年里幾個(gè)小測驗(yàn)的成績都較低，而你將面臨一個(gè)期末大考，那么你還有時(shí)間來提高你的期末成績。不要接受失??！

Gather all your quizzes to determine exactly how and why you earned the low grades. Identify your weak points. Did your grades suffer because of careless grammar or poor writing habits？ If so， be more mindful of grammar and structure during the final.

收集你所有的測驗(yàn)題來找出你是怎樣和為什么得了低分。認(rèn)清自己的弱點(diǎn)。你的成績低是由于語法上的粗心大意還是受到糟糕的寫作習(xí)慣的影響呢？如果是這樣，在期末考試時(shí)要更加注意語法和結(jié)構(gòu)。

Visit the teacher and ask her to go over your quizzes with you. Ask for advice from the teacher. Ask her what you could have done differently.

去拜訪一下老師，讓她同你一起檢查測試卷。向老師征求意見，問問她你能做些什么改變。

Put all your energy into the final test. Find a tutor to help you. Target your study accordingly1.

把你所有的精力投入到期末測試中去。找個(gè)家教幫你進(jìn)行有針對性地學(xué)習(xí)。

Discuss the final exam with other students. They may have notes that you missed or they may have better insight into the teachers preferences when it comes to test questions and answers.

同其他同學(xué)討論期末考試。他們可能有你漏記的筆記，或者他們可能更了解老師關(guān)于測試問題和答案的喜好。

Improve memory skills. There are many techniques to improve your memory. Find one that is best for you and the material youre studying.

改進(jìn)記憶技巧。有很多方法可以提高你的記憶力。找到一個(gè)最適合你并適用于你正在學(xué)習(xí)的材料的方法。

TALK TO YOUR PARENTS

和你的父母談?wù)?/h3>

If you know a bad grade is imminent2， then it might be wise to talk to your parents first. Let them know that you are trying to make a change and improve your performance.

如果你知道會(huì)有一個(gè)壞成績，那么最好先和你父母談?wù)?。讓他們知道你正在努力改變和提高自己的成績?/p>

Get your parents involved. You may want to discuss creating a homework contract3 with your parents. The contract should address time commitments4， homework help， supplies， and other issues that affect grades.

讓家長們一同參與。你也許想和父母就家庭作業(yè)達(dá)成一致，包括時(shí)間上的承諾、家庭作業(yè)上的幫助、學(xué)習(xí)用品和其他影響成績的問題。

LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE

展望未來

If youre looking forward to improving your performance next year， there are plenty of things you can do.

如果你期待著明年提高你的成績，你有很多事情可以做。

Get organized. Keep a note of your homework to identify strengths and weaknesses. Organize your supplies and establish a good study space.

要有條理。做好家庭作業(yè)記錄，弄清你的優(yōu)點(diǎn)和缺點(diǎn)。整理好你的學(xué)習(xí)用品，并創(chuàng)造一個(gè)良好的學(xué)習(xí)空間。

Identify your personal learning style. This is critical to improving your study habits. Dont waste valuable study time using ineffective study methods.

確定你的個(gè)人學(xué)習(xí)風(fēng)格。這對改善你的學(xué)習(xí)習(xí)慣很重要。不要用無效的學(xué)習(xí)方法浪費(fèi)寶貴的學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)間。

Review your schedule. Cut out extracurricular5 activities that dont help you reach your true goals. If youre involved with those teams or clubs just for fun—then you may need to make some tough decisions.

回顧你的計(jì)劃表。減少那些不能幫助你達(dá)到真正目標(biāo)的課外活動(dòng)。如果你只是為了好玩而加入一些團(tuán)體或俱樂部，那么你可能需要做出一些艱難的決定。

Improve your writing skills. Students sometimes complain because they are penalized6 for poor writing in courses other than language. Teachers dont have much patience for this complaint！Good writing skills are critical for every subject.

提高你的寫作技巧。學(xué)生有時(shí)會(huì)抱怨他們在語言課程以外的課程中因?qū)懙貌缓枚艿綉土P。老師對這種抱怨沒有太大耐心！良好的寫作能力對每門課都很重要。

Join a study group.

加入一個(gè)學(xué)習(xí)小組。

KEEP A REALISTIC7 PERSPECTIVE8

從現(xiàn)實(shí)角度看問題

You should know that perfect grades arent everything， and expecting them isnt very realistic， either. While it is true that some colleges place a lot of value in grades， it is also true that they are interested in recruiting9 humans， not machines.

你應(yīng)該知道完美的分?jǐn)?shù)不是一切，而且期望得到完美的分?jǐn)?shù)也不太現(xiàn)實(shí)。雖然有些大學(xué)確實(shí)將分?jǐn)?shù)作為考量的重點(diǎn)，但他們有興趣招收的是人，而不是機(jī)器。

If you are hoping to get into a specific， highly competitive college and you are worried about your grades， then you are smart enough to make yourself stand out in another way. For example， you could use your creativity to craft an essay that stands out.

如果你希望進(jìn)入一個(gè)特別的、競爭激烈的大學(xué)，而又擔(dān)心你的成績，那么你就該聰明點(diǎn)用其他方式讓自己脫穎而出。例如，你可以用你的創(chuàng)造力構(gòu)思出一篇引人注目的文章。

Give yourself credit if youre doing your best. If you have tried everything， but you just cant become the perfect student you want to be， perhaps you should give yourself a break. Identify your own strong points and make the best of them.

如果你盡力了，就相信自己。如果你已經(jīng)嘗試了一切方法，但是仍不能成為自己理想中的完美學(xué)生，也許你應(yīng)該放自己一馬。然后，認(rèn)清自己的長處，并充分發(fā)揮自己的長處。

Notes：

1. accordingly adv. 因此，于是；相應(yīng)地

2. imminent adj. 即將來臨的；迫近的

3. contract n. 合同

4. commitment n. 承諾，保證

5. extracurricular adj. 課外的；業(yè)余的

6. penalize vt. 處罰

7. realistic adj. 現(xiàn)實(shí)的；現(xiàn)實(shí)主義的

8. perspective n. 觀點(diǎn)；透視圖

9. recruit vt. 聘用；征募