Have you ever zoned out during a lecture? After listening to your teacher or guest speaker several minutes, do you sometimes realize that absolutely nothing is sinking in?

　　你是否在课堂上走神过?你是否曾在听老师或嘉宾讲了几分钟以后意识到自己啥也没听进去?

　　If this sounds familiar, you might need to sharpen your listening skills a little. After all, if you plan to go to college or get a job in the future, you’re going to have a lot of speeches to listen to. You can improve your retention by practicing active listening.

　　如果以上的情况你很熟悉，你可能需要锻炼一下自己的听力技巧了。毕竟，如果你将来计划读大学或工作，你会有很多要听的讲座。你可以试着用积极聆听的方式来提升你的听力记忆能力。

　　What is active listening? Imagine that you’re just sitting down in class to take notes, when the teacher announces that “there will be a quiz on this lecture.” Suddenly, you’re more alert. You watch attentively as your teacher speaks and you underline each and every word that is emphasized or repeated.

　　何为积极聆听?想象一下，你正做在教室里记笔记，老师说“我们对这堂课的内容做个小测”。突然之间你就警觉了起来，认真听讲，在老师强调重复的词句下划线。

　　Each time you sit down to listen to a speaker or a class lecture, you should listen as if you’re going to be tested on the material. After all, you might be!

　　每次听讲座或者上课你都应该抱着过会儿要小测的心态来听。毕竟，这还是有可能的嘛!

　　Here are some tips:

　　下面是一些小技巧：

　　Listen for verbal clues. Your teacher will emphasize any important terms and concepts.

　　抓住言语上的线索。老师会强调重要的术语和概念。

　　Watch for nonverbal clues. Eyebrows, hands, pauses, eyes: these features all show expression when your teacher makes an important point.

　　注意非言语线索。眉毛、手势、停顿、眼神：这些都可以是老师讲到重点时的表达方式。

　　Be mindful of your own reactions. When your teacher says something that sound interesting, curious, or surprising, go ahead and nod or smile. If the teacher says something boring or unpleasant, try not to have an ugly response. Why? To keep yourself on track. As long as you’re managing your reactions, you’re still listening.

　　注意你的反应。当老师讲到有趣奇异或让你惊讶的事情，继续听下去，点头或微笑示意。如果老师讲的内容很枯燥乏味，别把不满表露出来。为什么呢?这样能让你继续听课。只要你注意管理自己的反应，你就仍然专注于听讲。

　　Avoid making predictions. If we think we know what someone is about to say, we stop listening and start drifting.

　　不要预测。如果我们知道对方要说什么，我们就无法集中注意力，开始游神。

　　Focus on the words, not the person. Don’t get distracted by an ugly dress or weird hairstyle.

　　关注内容而非说话人。不要因为丑陋的着装、怪异的发型而分神。

　　Don’t get caught up on one detail. Stay on pace.

　　别停在一个细节上。继续听下去。

　　Don’t let your mind wander. Put that food, person, music, or daydream out of your head and save it for later.

　　别走神。把脑中的食物、人物、音乐、白日梦都放一边，过会儿再想。

　　As you're listening, you'll hear a few words that you don't understand. Don't stumble over this; just write the word down and underline it. (Don't worry about spelling.) Be sure not to let unfamiliar vocabulary block your thought process.

　　在听的过程中会遇到不理解的词。别纠结于此，只管写下来再划线提醒。(不要在意拼写)别让生词阻碍了你的思维过程。

　　As you take notes, you will notice that you'll hear things that are related to past lectures, or you'll hear things that give you new ideas. Be sure to write those little thoughts and impulses in the margins of your notes. They'll help you later!

　　记笔记的时候你可能会听到与之前的课程相关的知识，或是能带给你新想法的知识。在笔记本空白处记下这些即兴的小想法。这些想法之后可能会很有用!

　　If another student asks a question, record the question and the answer in your margins. These can show up on exams!

　　如果有其他学生提问，在笔记本空白处记下问题和答案。这些可能都会出现在考试中!

　　If your teacher allows it, try to record the lecture. You can review the lecture later as you're resting.

　　如果老师允许的话，把这堂课录下来。休息的时候就可以复习了。

（编辑：何莹莹）