第1441期:Are you ready for your exam?

So, it's exam time again – have you done the necessary work to get good marks? 

所以，又到了考试时间——你是否已经完成了必要的工作以取得好成绩？

Sleeping with the textbook under the pillow in the hope that knowledge will be magically absorbed into your brain as you sleep doesn't work.

把课本放在枕头下睡觉，希望知识会在你睡觉时神奇地吸收到你的大脑中，这是行不通的。

 
The best strategy is to space your practice out, rather than cram it all together. It means hit the books early!

最好的策略是把你的练习分开，而不是把它们塞在一起。这意味着早点打书！

In an article in the British newspaper The Guardian, Tom Stafford, a lecturer in psychology and cognitive science at the University of Sheffield, UK, advises: "If you organise five hours of study into one hour a day, you'll remember more than if you study for five hours on one day."

在英国《卫报》的一篇文章中，英国谢菲尔德大学的心理学和认知科学讲师汤姆斯塔福德建议：“如果你把每天五个小时的学习安排成一小时，你会记住的如果你一天学习五个小时。”

Don't rely on memory alone – get pen and paper and start working.

不要只依赖记忆——拿起笔和纸开始工作。

Students who can test themselves in advance will be better at retrieving material from their memory and learn that material in the long run.
可以提前测试自己的学生将更善于从记忆中检索材料并从长远来看学习这些材料。 

John Dunlosky, Professor of Psychology at Kent State University in the US, suggests that "you start by reading a textbook using your favourite highlighter and favourite colours, but then you go back and make flashcards of all the critical concepts and instead of just rereading those, you basically try to test yourselves on them."

美国肯特州立大学心理学教授 John Dunlosky 建议：“你首先使用你最喜欢的荧光笔和最喜欢的颜色阅读教科书，然后你再回去制作所有关键概念的抽认卡，而不是仅仅重读那些，你基本上是试着在他们身上测试自己。”

Good revision should give you confidence, but if you are still anxious, there's no harm in indulging in a personal ritual.

在日本，学生在考试前吃Katsudon似乎是一种传统。 

In Japan, it seems to be a tradition for students to eat Katsudon before a test. 

好的复习应该会给你信心，但如果你仍然焦虑，沉迷于个人仪式并没有什么坏处。

This is a warm bowl of rice topped with egg and a deep-fried pork cutlet. 

这是一碗热乎乎的米饭，上面放着鸡蛋和炸猪排。

The name of the dish reminds people of the word 'katsu', meaning 'winning'.

这道菜的名字让人们想起了“katsu”这个词，意思是“胜利”。

For some students in South Korea, the key to success is not washing their hair before sitting an exam because they believe they could wash all the knowledge out of their head. 

对于韩国的一些学生来说，成功的关键不是在考试前洗头，因为他们相信自己可以洗掉所有的知识。

And in different parts of the world there are always those who swear by their 'lucky underwear'.

在世界不同的地方，总有一些人以他们的“幸运内衣”发誓。

The bottom line is that you need to study, sleep well on the eve of the test, eat a nutritious meal, drink plenty of water and believe that your efforts will pay off. 

底线是你需要学习，在考试前夕睡个好觉，吃一顿有营养的饭菜，多喝水，并相信你的努力会得到回报。

Good luck in your exam!

祝你考试顺利！

词汇表

mark  分数
textbook  课本，教科书
strategy  策略，行动计划
space your practice out  把做练习的间隔时间距离拉开
cram  （考前）突击学习，死记硬背
hit the books  学习，做功课
lecturer  讲师
cognitive science  认知科学
retrieve  搜索、获取
highlighter  荧光笔
flashcard  抽任卡
critical concept  关键概念
ritual  老规矩，仪式，习惯
sit an exam  参加考试
nutritious  营养丰富的
pay off  取得成功，取得好结果