Beat the Back-to-School Blues 克服返校忧郁感
How to make the new school year go smoothly
如何让新学年顺利展开
September 1
Rrrring! That's the bell telling you that school is in session for another year.
How do you approach a new school year? Do you have feelings of happiness and excitement or feelings of dread? New teachers, classes, classmates and maybe even a new school can all cause students to worry. But there are some things you can do to avoid the back-to-school blues.
Become familiar
Will you go to a new school this year? Then during the summer, visit your new school. Find out exactly where it is and how long it takes to get there. This will help you avoid confusion the first day.
Ask friends to introduce you to a student who goes to the school. You'll feel better knowing someone there.
Keep it in balance
Decide how many activities you'll participate in, and don't do too much. Keeping schoolwork, home life and extra activities in balance will keep your stress level low.
铃！钟声响起，告诉你新的学年已经展开。
你要如何迎接新学年？感到快乐又兴奋，还是感到恐惧呢？面对新老师、新班级、新同学，说不定还是一所新学校，这些都会让学生忐忑不安，不过，你可以做几件事来避免返校忧郁感。
熟悉环境
今年你会上新学校吗？那麽趁着暑假去你的新学校走一走吧。弄清楚学校在哪里，还有到校要花多久时间，这样有助你在开学第一天不至於搞不清楚状况。
请朋友介绍你认识一个就读该校的学生。在校有认识的人会让你比较安心。
保持均衡
预先想好你要参加多少活动，不要过度。保持学校课业、家庭生活与课外活动之间的平衡，你就不会有太大的压力。
Word Bank
blues (pl n)低落情绪；忧郁感
I've got the rainy-day blues and don't feel like leaving the house.
approach (v)接近；面对
How will you approach your parents with the news about your test scores?
dread (n)恐惧
Missy became filled with dread at the sight of the needle in the nurse's hand.
confusion (n)迷惑；不解
After the teacher explained the project, there was still some confusion about how to begin.
balance (n)平衡
Mark tries to keep his work hours and his home life in balance.
More Information
session (n)学期
Chat Room
Teaching Topic: Different kinds of classes 教學主題： 不同的 class
class指一个班级或者一节课，如What class do you have next?你下节课上什么？
class在美国的高中或大学也可指同一个年级的学生，所以he’s in my class.可以表示他在我班上，也可表示他跟我同年级
graduating class就是你毕业的那一届，如I was class of '96.我是1996年毕业的那一届。
年级也可以用year来表示，如What year are you in?你现在几年级？We’re in the same year.我们是同一年级的。
---Hello, friends. Welcome to the chat room, I’m Beth.
---And I’m Ken. It’s September, so we’re learning some back to school tips. We just read that new teachers, classes and classmates can all give students the back to school blues.
---That’s right. You know, Ken. Speaking of classes, I think this is a good chance to talk about two different meanings of the word class. I recently used class of 2008, when I’m talking to some high school students, but they have no idea what I was talking about.
---Well, that’s not surprising because students sometimes know just one of the definitions and that is all the students were taught a specific subject by the same teacher at the same time that’s called a class.
---Right. But in the other definition a class refers to the students in the same grade who will graduate at the same time.
---So, students can be in the same class, but not actually be taught together at the same time?
---That’s right. In most junior high and high schools in the U.S., students change classes that means they change class rooms and change teachers through out the day. So they won’t be with the same students all day.
---I see. class这个字我们都知道是一个班级或者一节课，比如：What class do you have next?你下节课上什么？class在美国的高中或大学也可指同一个年级的学生，所以he’s in my class.可以表示他在我班上，也可表示他跟我同年级。
---But you know, Ken. There were students in my graduating class whom I never even had a class with. But there’re still a feeling of unity among students who are in the same graduating class.
---Graduating class?
---Yes. Often the students in the same grade are called a graduating class because they will graduate together in the same year. For example, all of the students who graduated from the same school this year make up the class of 2008.
---So, Beth, if I ask you what year did you graduate you might say…
---I was class of 96.
---I see. graduating class就是你毕业的那一届，例如：I was class of '96.我是1996年毕业的那一届。而年级也可以用year来表示，例如：What year are you in?你现在几年级？We’re in the same year.我们是同一年级的。
---It’s time to take a break. Studio classroom will be right back.
session (n)学期
学校的授课时间；某种活动进行的时间；in session：正在上课期间的
1 No visitors are allowed to enter the campus when the school is in session.
学校上课的时间访客不能够进入校园。
2 She hurt her knee in a training session last week.
她上周受训的时候伤到了膝盖。
approach (v)接近；面对
处理，考虑；打交道，交涉
1 We need to discuss the situation as a team and find a best way to approach this problem.
我们必须用团队的方式讨论出解决这个问题的最佳方式。
2 We approached several banks for our house loan.
我们和好几家银行交涉有关贷款的事情。
dread (n)恐惧
1 The thought of leaving home fills Cathy with dread.
一想到要离开家Cathy的心中就充满了恐惧。
2 Sandra lives in dread of losing her husband’s love.
Sandra活在害怕失去丈夫的爱的恐惧当中。
3 David is dreading his final exam. He’s sure he’s going to fail it.
David很担心他的期末考，他很确定他一定会不及格。
September 2
Make a smart start
Get plenty of rest. It sounds simple, but the average teenager gets far less sleep than she needs. Studies show that a teen needs over nine hours of sleep a night. When tired, we all become more easily stressed. And stress makes everything seem worse than it really is.
Here's another tip to help you prepare for the first day of school. Start going to bed and getting up at your normal school time two weeks before school begins. Then your body and mind will become rested and prepared for the first day.
Get involved
The best way to make new friends is to join school clubs. Choose something you enjoy and you'll meet people who share your interests.
A+ for attitude
During those first scary days, having a positive attitude will help you survive. Concentrate on the exciting things you'll learn and the fun you'll have with your classmates. With rest, preparation and the right attitude, you'll be off to a great school year!
跨出明智的第一步
要有充分的休息。听起来简单，可是一般青少年的睡眠时间远低於实际所需。研究显示青少年每晚需要九小时以上的睡眠。我们在疲倦时都会容易紧张，紧张会让每件事显得比实际情况要糟。
有个小秘诀可以帮你为开学日做好准备。开学前两周，就开始依照正常上学的作息就寝与起床吧，你的身心都能获得充分休息并准备好迎接开学日。
投入学校活动
参加学校的社团是结交新朋友的最好方法。选你喜欢的社团，你会认识和你志趣相投的人喔。
态度最重要
在那令人害怕的头几天，抱持积极正面态度能帮你安然度过，让心思专注於你将学到的有趣事物和跟同学相处的欢乐。有了足够的休息、准备和正确的态度，你将会度过一个很精采的学年！
Word Bank
plenty (n)大量
Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables to stay healthy.
normal (adj)平常的
Claire's normal day is filled with meetings, phone calls and lots of e-mails to answer.
scary (adj)吓人的；令人害怕的
Larry's favorite rides are the scary ones, like roller coasters!
concentrate (v)专注
Concentrate on your homework tonight and you'll probably do well on your test tomorrow.
Chat Room
Teaching Topic: Off to a Great Start 教學主題： 好的開始
off to a great start：一个好的开始，如We are off to a great game.一场精彩的比赛、精彩的球赛要开打了，或They're off to a great race. 他们开始了一个刺激的比赛。
take off：飞机起飞
off：出发、上路，如要出发前，你可以说I'm off我走了。
---Hi, friends. I'm Ken. Joining me in the Chat Room today is Beth. Hi,Beth.
---Hi, Ken. Hi, everyone. So Ken, what should we chat about today?
---Well, I have a question about the last sentence in today's article. It says:With rest, preparation and the right attitude, you'll be off to a great school year. Why do we want to be off when going back to school? I know that if something is off, it's not quite right.
---Uh, great question and you're right. If something is off, it means it's not normal or it doesn't meet standards. For example, I could say: The quire's performance was a little off last night. But here off is part of the phrase "off to a great school year". So here the word off refers to a start or a beginning as in "off to a great start".
---Oh, OK. So if someone was doing a great job at the beginning of learning a language, I could say that the person is off to a great start?
---That's right.
---注意这句话，并不是说you be off，off在这里是用作片语off to a great start，也就是一个好的开始，任何一个活动都可以有一个好的开始，比如说We are off to a great game.一场精彩的比赛、精彩的球赛要开打了。或者是They're off to a great race. 他们开始了一个刺激的比赛。
---A similar way we use the word off is when going somewhere, when starting on one's way. We know that a plane takes off when it leaves a place. So if I'm leaving a place, I could say: I'm off. Or I could say: Joey is off to Hong Kong tomorrow. He's leaving for Hong Kong. So it's the start of his trip.
---飞机起飞叫做take off，所以off也可以表示“出发、上路”的意思。要出发前，你可以说I'm off我走了。
---Thanks for joining us in the Chat Room. Now let's go to Michelle for today's Language Tips.
plenty (n)大量
plenty of something：有着很多，很丰富的某项事物
1 The fiesta is helped to celebrate a year of plenty.
这个节日是为了庆祝今年的丰收。
2 Stay for supper, we've got plenty of food.
留下来吃晚餐吧，吃的东西多得很。
3 I'm sure you have plenty of time to get ready for the party.
我确定你有充分的时间可以准备参加派对的。
scary (adj)吓人的；令人害怕的
1 Sam loves to tell scary stories to frighten the girls.
Sam喜欢说恐怖的故事来吓女生。
2 These low-budget scary movies are the main sorts of income of this production company.
这些低成本的恐怖片是这家制作公司的主要收入来源。
3 She covered her eyes during the scary parts of the movie.
当电影有恐怖的画面出现时她就把眼睛遮起来。
concentrate (v)专注
不及物动词；后面加on+受词
1 She decided to stop working and concentrate on her studies right now.
她决定停止工作目前要把精神放在课业上。
2 The company is concentrating on developing this new software.
这家公司目前全力发展这套新的软体。
