爱思英语编者按：又到11月——难熬的不只是“光棍一族”，还是很多即将大学第一考的新生。正在为考试发愁的你，不妨来听听学长们传授的独家学习妙招。

November is a tough month – not only for single people, but also for many students who will take their mid-term exams. It’s an especially intense time for freshmen because they will take their very first exams at university. They may be worried, but here, their upperclassmen offer advice on studying and preparing for exams.
又到十一月——难熬的并非只有“光棍一族”，还有很多即将参加期中考试的学生们。大一新生们尤其紧张，因为他们将面对大学第一考。他们可能正为考试发愁，而本文中，学长们雪中送炭，向大家传授了一些关于学习和备考的建议。

Sciences
理科

Mathematics gives me a headache
令人头疼的数学

Ask university students what is the most difficult course, and most of them will give you the same answer: advanced mathematics. This is also true for Dai Shuang, an 18-year-old student studying geodesy and geomatics at Wuhan University.
要问大学生们哪门功课最难，大多数人会给出相同的答案：高数。对于就读于武汉大学测绘学专业、18岁的戴双（音译）来说亦是如此。

“Advanced mathematics pushes mathematics to a whole new level,” he says. “It’s so difficult that I get a headache whenever I think about the exam.”
他说：“高数将数学这门学科提升至一个全新高度，高数太难了，我每次想到考试就头疼。”

According to Dai, studying this course is not easy. “Our professor assumes that we always understand him, so he teaches in a way that only the top students can follow,” he says. He has no choice but to study the course by himself. Apart from participating in social activities, Dai spends most of his spare time reading course books and doing exercises.
戴双表示，学习高数并非易事。他说：“教授以为我们都能听懂，所以他选择一种只有尖子生才能跟上的授课方式。”他别无选择只有自学。除去参加社交活动，戴双将大部分课余时间都花在了课本和练习题上。

Solution: Following the course is important
解决方法：课堂学习是关键

Qin Xia, 22, is a finance major at Renmin University of China. Having dealt with advanced mathematics for almost four years, the senior student has found his way to study the course.
22岁的秦夏（音译）就读于人民大学金融系。他攻读高数近四年时间，如今正在读大四的他已经摸索到了高数的学习方法。

“Most students fear advanced mathematics because they have a negative attitude toward it,” he says. “These students tend to sleep in class or even skip classes.”
他们说：“大多数学生之所以谈高数色变，是因为他们不喜欢这门课程。这些学生往往会在课上睡觉，甚至是选择逃课。”

In Qin’s opinion, course hours should be valued because it’s difficult to study this course alone. “If students think the class is too difficult or boring they can take notes to stop themselves from getting distracted,” he says.
在秦夏看来，我们应该注重课堂学习，因为自学高数十分困难。他说：“如果同学们认为高数课太难或者太无聊，他们可以通过记课堂笔记来集中精力。”

Another part of studying is doing a lot of exercises. “Doing exercises helps in consolidating the knowledge taught in classes and preparing for the exam,” Qin says.
题海战术则是学习高数的另一法则。秦夏说：“做练习提一方面可以巩固课堂知识，另一面可以帮助你备考。”

Arts
文科

Learning languages is all about memorizing
学语言全靠死记硬背？

Zhu Tianjiao, 18, thought she would have an easy and colorful life at university that was less stressful than being at high school. But reality proved her wrong. Studying at university is even more intense.
18岁的朱天娇（音译）曾认为大学生活应该是无忧无虑、多姿多彩的，不像高中时那么“压力山大”。但事实证明她错了，大学的学业没有轻松，只有更紧张。

Zhu is a Japanese major at Shanghai International Studies University. Since the very beginning of campus life, she has felt under pressure. “All of my classmates are straight-A students, which means I have to spare no effort in studying to keep up with them,” she says.
朱天娇就读于上海外国语大学日语系。自大一开学伊始，她就倍感压力。她说：“我们班都是尖子生，这就意味着我必须要在学习上拼尽全力追上他们。”

Zhu will have her first university exam in two weeks, and she’s very nervous because she doesn’t know how to improve her language proficiency other than by memorizing words and phrases.
两周后，朱天娇将迎来自己的大学第一考，她感到非常紧张，因为除了死记硬背单词和短语之外，她不知道该如何去提高自己的语言能力。

Solution: It is a matter of accumulation
解决方法：要注重日常积累

Xia Bingcong was in the same position three years ago. The 22-year-old English major at Tsinghua University remembers doing badly in her first exam, but figured out ways to improve her language skills in the following years.
三年前，清华大学外语系学生、22岁的夏冰聪（音译）也面临相同的困境。第一次考试的失利令她记忆犹新，而在接下来几年中，她终于摸索出一些提高语言能力的方法。

According to Xia, memorizing, listening and reading are all equally important in language learning. “After my first failure, I started watching American programs and TV series. I also read English newspapers every day. In one year’s time, I found that my English improved a lot, which made taking exams easy,” she says.
夏冰聪表示，在语言学习中，“听、读、记”同等重要。她说：“在我第一考失利后，我开始收看一些美国节目和剧集。此外，我每天还坚持读英文报纸。只用了一年的时间，我的英语水平便突飞猛进，各种考试都可以轻松应对。”

In her opinion, cramming a few days before the exam is never the best way for studying a language. “Learning a language is about accumulation, so in order to grasp a language, it’s wise to study on a daily basis,” Xia says.
在她看来，考前临时“抱佛脚”绝非学习语言的最佳途径。她说：“语言学习是个日积月累的过程，所以想要掌握一门语言，最明智的办法便是‘好好学习，天天向上’。”