“Be sure to study hard for that test!”

　　“要为考试努力学习!”

　　How many times have you heard that? But what does it even mean to study hard? Do you have to study until your head hurts? It sounds like it!

　　听过这句话无数次了?但是到底什么才是努力学习?要学到头疼?听起来是的!

　　The whole idea of studying harder suggests that you really don’t try very hard as a normal practice, and that is probably not true. So instead of studying harder for better results, you can study smarter, and there is good news: it won’t give you a headache.

　　努力学习意味着你平常并不把努力当做一回事儿，但事实可能并非如此。因此，除了为得到高分而努力学习，你可以聪明地学，好消息是：聪明地学可不会头疼。

　　How to Study Smarter

　　怎样聪明地学

　　There are a few adjustments you can make to your normal study routine to make the most of your time and effort. These adjustments are based on a few scientific discoveries about learning.

　　在你日常的学习规划中做出适当调整可以充分利用时间和努力。这些调整基于有关学习的科学调查。

　　We learn over time with repetition.

　　我们学习时要复习。

　　We learn from active experience.

　　我们要在积极体验中学。

　　We learn through comparison.

　　我们要通过对比来学习。

　　We learn by testing ourselves.

　　我们要通过测试来学习。

　　Time and Repetition

　　学习时间和复习

　　Some studies on brain science have shown that the practice of revisiting information enhances learning. In other words, it is a good idea to study material more than one time, over a period of days.

　　有关脑部的研究表明复习有助于强化所学内容。换言之，学习最好不止一遍，要隔几天复习一次。

　　To study smarter, then, you should start your study session a few days ahead of time and study a few hours, walk away from the material, and study the same material again a few days later.

　　要聪明地学，就要在计划前几天开始学习，学几个小时，放下学习材料，几天后再看一次。

　　Learn Through Experience

　　通过体验学习

　　There are indications that our brains love to make associations or “connections” when we read or observe something new. It seems that the more we enhance the experience as we read, the more we may retain.

　　研究表明大脑在我们阅读或观察新事物时喜欢建立联系。这表明，阅读时我们强化的体验越多，我们能记下的就越多。

　　As you study, you should incorporate active study strategies like drawing images, writing outlines, and repeating what you’ve learned from memory.

　　学习时，你应该运用积极的学习策略，如画画、写大纲、回忆所学的内容。

　　(FYI: highlighting is not an active study strategy!)

　　(仅供参考：用记号笔可不是积极的学习策略!)

　　It is also a good idea to study in a variety of places and environments to stimulate more associations. For example, you could study once in a quiet library and again in a very different environment, like a park or your own room.

　　在不同的环境中学习也是一个创造更多联系的好建议。例如，你可以在安静的图书馆中学一次，然后在一个完全不同的环境中复习，比如在公园或者是自己的卧室。