Tips forlmproving Learning Ability 提高学习能力的小窍门

苗淑华

Do you have a hard time learning or studying？ Do you want to become a better learner？ Well if you follow this guide， you will have no problem mastering the art of learning.

你有学习遇到困难的时候吗？你想成为一个更好的学习者吗？那么如果你按照这个方法指导，掌握好学习的艺术就没有问题。

1. First， you must prepare yourself for the learning ahead by getting the disturbances1 out of your way.

1. 首先，你必须事先为学习做好准备，避免生活琐事的干扰。

Take a piece of paper and quickly write down everything that is bothering you or any-thing that might be a disturbance for you when you are about to learn. If this is in preparation for a school day， try to do this BEFORE you go to school.

拿出一张纸，快速写下所有困扰你的事情，或者在你即将学习时会对你产生干扰的事情。如果这是为了上学做准备，那么在你去学校之前尝试一下。

Once you have your list written up， start at the most important problems and fix them， working your way from your biggest problems to your smallest. This should include ANYTHING that might be bothering you be-cause anything， even the smallest of disturbances will affect2 how well your brain processes3 information. Your disturbances should fully be taken care of （if you have to go to the bathroom， DO IT！）.

一寫好清单，就从最重要的问题开始解决，按你的方式从最大的问题到最小的问题。这应该包括任何可能会困扰你的事情，因为任何事情，即使是最小的干扰都会影响到大脑处理信息的效率。所有干扰都应该完全解决掉（如果你得去一下洗手间，就快去吧！）。

2. To begin focusing4 in on learning， you must remove all disturbances from your area of study. Find a quiet area and remove all distur-

bances from it.

2. 要开始专心学习，你必须从学习领域中排除所有干扰。找一个安静的地方，并消除所有的干扰。

If you have a computer on， and its not the source of learning， turn it off. Make the room as quiet as possible.

如果你的电脑开着，而且它不是用来学习的，请将其关闭。尽可能保持房间安静。

Close the shades and windows so as little light as possible enters the room and then turn on lights to a level that allows you to see your material clearly but while still being dimmer than normal. This step is very important to keeping your brain from focusing on your en-vironment. When choosing a room， try a place with a comfortable armchair or bed/coach to lie down on. A good place is your own bedroom， as long as it is empty of any people and totally quiet.

关上百叶窗和窗户，这样可以尽可能减少光线进入房间。然后开灯，光线亮度足够让你看清学习资料，但仍比正常情况下昏暗一些。这一步对防止你的大脑关注周围环境而言至关重要。选择房间时，请试着找一间有可以舒适躺着的扶手椅或床/沙发的。最佳地点是你自己的卧室，只要那儿没有别人并且完全安静。

3. Now onto the learning. After your 10 minutes in the shower or some other similar activity， you need to relax. Now， gather your learning materials in front of you， and begin. Take deep breathing and pay no attention to anything around you BUT what you are learn-ing. Read EVERY line， and every important piece of information. You will remember it if you follow these instructions！

3. 现在开始学习。在沐浴10分钟或其他类似活动后，你需要彻底放松一下。现在，收集整理好你面前的学习资料，开始学习吧。深呼吸，不要被身边任何事物影响，只关注你在学习的内容。读每一行字和每一个重要信息。如果你按照以下方法做，就能牢牢记住它们！

4. Every 15 minutes， stop and practice what youve just learned （or if this is impossi-ble， go back and re-read only the most impor-tant parts of the article/topic）.

4. 每隔15分钟暂停，并练习刚才学到的东西（或者如果做不到，请返回并重新阅读文章/科目中最重要的部分）。

5. Remember， your brain is more likely to remember something big and loud than some-thing dull and boring.

5. 请记住，比起沉闷和无聊的事物，大脑更容易记住那些体积大而声音大的事物。

For instance， a tiger escapes from the zoo and chooses to chase you. You will most likely remember that event more than the cereal you ate for breakfast less than a week ago. This tiger attack5 will cause your brain to snap6 pictures twice as fast and all at once focusing in on the one event. This， by accident， takes all other information in your brain， and saves it along with the memory of the tiger. Without even meaning to， you will probably find， had you really been attacked by a tiger and survived7， that you will probably have noticed EVERY detail.

例如，一只老虎從动物园逃跑并选择追你。比起不到一周前早餐吃的麦片，你更有可能记得这个事情。老虎攻击这种事会让你的大脑以两倍的速度拍摄照片，并立即聚焦于这次事件。大脑中的所有其他信息与老虎的记忆一起偶然间被保存下来。你很可能会发现，如果你真的遭到一只老虎的袭击并幸存下来，那么你可能会不自觉地注意到每一个细节。

The point now is to make your brain think learning your dull and boring topic is as im-portant as remembering how you escaped from that tiger！Dont worry. Its easier done than said in this case！

现在的重点是，让你的大脑认为学习那些沉闷而无聊的课程与记住你如何逃离虎口一样重要！不用担心，这种情况下说起来比做起来容易！

Allow yourself to think of important events， or listen to music. Both will allow you to associate8 yourself with the topic when you hear or think of those things.

让自己想起重要的事件，或听音乐。当你听到或想到这些事情时，两者都可以让你将自己与这个题目联系起来。

6. Once you have finished the last step， relax yourself and repeat the processes of learning. Do this for about 1 to 2 hours per session， breaking every 15 minutes. After your desired session length is over， dont start the process again for at least 4 hours！Your brain needs this time to sort， organize， process， and store this new information！

6. 一完成前一个步骤，就可以放松自己并重复学习过程。每个课程大约1至2小时，每15分钟休息一次。如果完成了所需的课程时长，请不要在至少4小时内再次进行该过程！大脑需要这个时间对这些新信息进行排序、整理、处理和存储！

7. If you follow these steps to the line， and use your best judgement9， you will suc-ceed in learning your topic. You will notice at once that this will become an easy and efficient10 task for you and you should also find that your brain remembers far better than you had ever thought it could. So away with you， and happy learning！

7. 如果你按照这些步骤行事，并用理智控制，你就会顺利学好功课。你会立即注意到，学习对你来说变得简单而有效，你也会发现自己的大脑记忆比你想象的要好得多。所以快去吧，学习快乐！

Notes：

1. disturbance n. 干扰

2. affect vt. 影响

3. process n. 过程，进行；方法，步骤；作用；程序

4. focus vt. 使集中；使聚焦

5. attack n. & v. 攻击；抨击

6. snap v. 快照

7. survive vi. 幸存；活下来

8. associate vt. 联想；使联合；使发生联系

9. judgement n. 意见；判断力；[法]审判；评价

10. efficient adj. 有效率的；（直接）生效的；能干的