To work or not to work this summer?
暑期工作 今年暑假要不要打工呢？
Years ago, more than half of American teenagers had summer jobs. Since 2000, however, that number has gone down to about a quarter. The main reason for this is rising academic pressure. Many students are studying harder than ever, including through the summer. According to The Atlantic magazine, "Summer classes are the new summer job." That said, plenty of students still need summer work. The high cost of university education forces them into it. And there are a number of upsides if you have a summer job. So, to work or not to work this summer?
High school student's Leah and Terry discuss summer plans and future earnings.
What are you going to do after final exams, Leah?
I expect I'll be working. I'm looking for a summer job that pays well. How about you?
I'll be too busy to work. I'm taking a couple of language courses this summer.
Well, I'm taking a math course in the evening. But that won't stop me from getting a job.
Don't you want to have a good rest before your senior year?
I'd love to, but I can't afford it. If I can't save money from my summer job, I won't be able to attend university after high school.
Info Cloud
SAT(Scholastic Achievement Test) 學術能力測驗
ACT(American College Testing 美國大學測驗
Welcome to Info Cloud, everyone. How many of you are stressed out about getting into a good school? Let's talk about that today.
When I think of getting into a good school in the U.S., I think about letters, the SAT or the ACT and your GPA.
The SAT stands for Scholastic Achievement Test. ACT stands for American College Testing. They are standard tests for college admissions.
GPA is Grade Point Average. It's the average point score for all of your grades. And you need to have good grades to get into a good school.
A perfect GPA looks great on a college application. But not all schools are the same. Some schools are much more difficult than others.
So that's why they have standardized tests. Standardized means the same test taken the same way by everyone.
Your SAT or ACT scores are very important as admissions to universities in the U.S. are highly influenced by your score.
If you don't get a good test score, you can take the test again. But it looks bad if your score is worse. So taking the test is very stressful.
在華人傳統社會中，曾經有過科舉制度，或是近代的高中或大學聯考。在美國，雖然沒有大學聯考，每一位高中生還是需要進行正規的大學入學測驗，像是SAT(Scholastic Achievement Test) 學術能力測驗，和ACT(American College Testing 美國大學測驗，測驗出來的分數就可以拿去申請大學，因此SAT跟ACT對於想要在美國讀書的學生來說，是非常重要的考試。
另外，在校期間，每個學生的GPA也是申請大學的主要評量項目之一。GPA就是Grade Point Average 學術成績的平均積點，也就是你所有科目加總起來的平均成績。如果要在申請美國的大學，SAT、ACT和GPA都是主要的評量項目。
Language Lab
academic adj. 形容一個人很聰明又很會唸書
of or relating to schools and education
academy n. 學院
a school that provides training in special subjects or skills
- Amelia’s parents sent her to a music academy.
Amelia的父母把她送到一所音樂學院。
academic adj. 跟學院/學校有關的
of or relating to schools and education
- Bobby’s academic life was making him depressed, so he decided to take a year off.
Bobby得學院生活讓他抑鬱不堪，因此他決定要休息一年。
- The teachers haven’t received the newest academic calendar and they are wondering what is going on.
老師們都還沒有收到最新的學校行事曆，所以開始懷疑發生了什麼事。
academic adj. 形容一個人很聰明又很會唸書
good at studying and at passing exams : good at academics
- If you want me to describe the kind of person Collin is, I would say he is very academic.
如果要我形容Collin是一個什麼樣的人，我會說他很會唸書。
upside n. 好處、優點
a part of something that is good or desirable : an advantage or benefit
- Things have been hard for Denise ever since she moved into the city, and she has to keep reminding herself the upsides to being in her new neighborhood.
Denise 搬到都市裡後，一直很難適應，而且得常常提醒自己住在新公寓的優點。
- There are many upsides to working for that company, and that is why a lot of people are looking for a job there.
在那家公司上班，有很多優點，因此有很多人會想在那裡工作。
downside n. 缺點、不利的因素
a part of something that you do not want or like : a drawback or disadvantage
- This job pays really well, but the downside is I have to work on weekends.
這個工作薪水很高，但是缺點是週末要上班。
- I like living in this neighborhood, but the downside is all the apartments here are very small.
我喜歡住在這個社區裡，但是住在這裡的缺點是所有的公寓都很小。
earnings n. 收入、薪資; 公司的利潤
money received as wages or gained as profit
- Gregory worked very hard all summer, but his earnings were not enough to pay all his bills. Gregory 辛苦工作了一整個夏天，但是他賺到的錢還是無法付掉所有的帳單。
- Investors were shocked to hear how low the company’s reported earnings were.
那家公司所報告的利潤非常低，讓投資客相當地驚訝。
earn v. 賺
to get (money, a salary, etc.) for work that you have done
- Henry wants to get a job, so he can earn some money and help his family.
Henry 想要找工作，為了賺錢好幫忙承擔家計。
earn v. 得到、獲得
to deserve or get (something) because of something you have done
- Mr. Irving has earned a reputation as a strict manager.
Irving 先生有非常嚴格的經理的名譽。
afford v. 做得到、承擔得起
to be able to do (something) without having problems or being seriously harmed
- Emily really wants to take a family trip, but she can’t afford the time.
Emily 很想跟家人出外旅遊，但是她沒有時間。
- Mr. Fredickson is always very honest to his customers because he can’t afford to lose any of them.
Fredickson 都很誠實對待顧客，因為他承擔不起流失任何一位。
afford v. 買得起、付得起
to be able to pay for (something)
- I would love to but a new car, but I can’t afford it right now.
我很想買一部新車，但是我現在買不起。
afford v. 提供 (較正式)
to supply or provide (something needed or wanted) to someone
- This park affords some of the best hiking trails in the county.
這座公園提供縣裡面一些最好的步道。
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