如何在大型英語考試中拿到高分？

Nobody likes exams, let alone studying for them, but with these tips you'll conquer those tricky language exams with no trouble at all.
沒有人喜歡考試，更別說爲了考試而學習了，不過通過下面的小竅門，你就可以毫不費勁地通過那些複雜的語言考試了。

We all know the score: exams are quickly approaching, your stress levels are rising, and you feel like the days are getting shorter and shorter as you run out of time to study. Heck, even the nights feel shorter, as the idea of cramming for your English, French, German, or Spanish exams is giving you nightmares. Panicking is rarely a good way to cope with stress, so if you’re studying for those upcoming exams, follow these simple tricks to boost your confidence for the big day.
我們都知道考試的分數：就要考試了，你的壓力越來越大。同時你會感覺時間越來越少，你就快沒有時間爲考試做準備了。媽蛋，你覺得每天晚上都很短暫！爲準備英語、法語、德語或者西班牙語考試而死記硬背，這簡直是噩夢。恐慌不是應對壓力的好辦法，所以你如果正在爲了這些即將到來的考試而學習，不妨通過下面一些簡單的小竅門，來增加你在考試當天的自信吧！

1)Don’t be afraid to try out some unconventional techniques
不要害怕嘗試一些非常規的方法

Geography, history, math… they might be interesting subjects, but let’s be honest, they’re a little hard to connect to your everyday life. Languages, on the other hand, are alive. They can be used to communicate with anyone, anywhere, and at any time.
地理，歷史，數學......它們也許是有趣的科目，不過老實說，它們與你日常的生活的聯繫是很少的。然而，語言是活的。我們可以用語言去跟任何人、在任何地點、時間進行交流。

If you can afford a little linguistic holiday away, go for it! One week abroad can teach you more than an entire year sitting in class. If a quick trip to Sicily is a little beyond your budget just now, don’t despair — there are still plenty of possibilities to practice a foreign language. For instance, try finding a partner you can practice with over Skype.
如果你有錢去國外旅遊，那就趕緊的！在國外待一個禮拜將給你帶來比在課堂裏學習一年更多的知識。如果目前階段去西西里島的短期旅行會讓你超支，不要灰心——你仍然有許多練習外語的可選方法。比如，找一個可以用Skype進行外語練習的夥伴。

2)Prioritize your revision
優先考慮你的複習計劃

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to studying for exams. Every exam is unique, with a certain set of specific skills being tested. For example, being fluent in Italian might make you a pro at the spoken exam, but you’ll probably crash and burn in the written exam if your grammar knowledge is lacking.
可惜地是，並沒有什麼適用於所有考試的通用方法。每個考試都是獨一無二的，都有自己固定的一套測試技巧。比如說，一口流利的意大利語也許能讓你在口語考試中成爲一個佼佼者，不過如果你缺乏語法知識，那麼你可能會在筆試中一敗塗地。

If you grew up bilingual, or have loads of friends who speak the language you’re learning, then you most likely learned the language in an intuitive way. You should therefore focus your study time on mastering the grammar rules.
如果你是從小就是一個雙語者，或者你有一些朋友、他們的母語正是你在學的語言，那麼你很有可能用偏直覺化的方式學習語言。那麼，你就應該把你的學習時間集中在掌握語法規則上。

Plan ahead, make sure you know exactly what aspects of the language are being tested in the exam itself, and prioritize your revision on improving the weakest parts of your linguistic repertoire. After all, no one likes a surprise on exam day, do they?
你應該提前計劃，確保你知道在這場考試中會考這個語言的什麼方面，然後優先考慮能改善你最薄弱部分的複習計劃。不管如何，沒有人會喜歡在考試當天的“驚喜”，對不對？

3) Make a war plan
制定一個作戰（衝刺）計劃

Start as soon as possible! Look at your schedule and build yourself a tailor-made plan that gives you ample time to focus on all areas of the language. Dedicate between 30-90 minutes a day to your language learning, and be honest about your specific needs: you might need to adjust the amount of time you spend learning grammar/vocabulary versus the amount of time you spend practicing speaking, reading or writing.
儘快開始吧！看一下你的時間表，然後爲自己制定一個專門的計劃、給自己充足的時間去突破語言考試的每一專項。每天花30到90分鐘去進行語言學習，並且根據你的特定需要進行調整：也許相對於練習說、讀、寫的時間，你需要調整你學習語法/詞彙的時間。

Just remember — you are the master of your own study plan, so if you hate the inanity of the same daily routine, you can always switch things up by dedicating an entire day to just one area. And if you thrive on structure and routine, build yourself a clear daily agenda and stick to it!
記住——你是自己學習計劃的掌控者，所以你如果討厭一成不變的計劃，可以花一天的時間只學習一個部分來轉換一下。如果你喜歡結構化和常規化，那就爲自己制定一個清晰的每日學習日程表並且堅持下去！

Whichever approach you choose, the most important thing is to plan long in advance to give you a clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses right from the start. Plus, to give yourself a little motivational boost during your review time, set yourself daily or weekly goals that you can aim for.
不論你選擇什麼方法，最重要的是你應該提前做好計劃，在一開始就清楚地知道自己的優勢和薄弱點。除此之外，爲了在你複習的時候給自己一點提高的動力，給你自己設立可實現的每日或者每週階段性目標。

4) Teamwork makes dreamwork
團隊協作創造神奇效果

Don’t be a hermit — foreign language is the perfect subject to learn in pairs or groups!
不要做“隱士”——外語絕對適合結對學習或者小組學習！

Maybe you think of yourself as a bit of rock star at listening and comprehension, but when it comes to writing you’d like nothing more than to crawl under a rock and hide? If so, try setting up a weekly study session with a classmate who excels in your weakest area (and vice versa). Teaching someone else is also one of the best ways to learn, so studying in small groups is great when preparing for an exam.
也許你覺得你在聽力和理解上是一個小能手，不過在面對寫作時，你只想躲起來？如果是這樣的話，嘗試着設立爲期一週的計劃、找一個擅長你薄弱部分的同學一起學習吧（反之亦然）。教別人也是最好的學習方式之一，所以在你準備考試時，小組學習是一個好方法。

Keep the setting informal (pro tip: coffee shops are perfect study haunts), and prepare a small agenda in advance so that everyone knows what to expect. The informality of the setting will put everyone’s nerves at ease, and before you know it, your confidence will grow in leaps and bounds.
保持學習環境的非正式性（小貼士：咖啡店是學習的好去處），提前準備一個小的議程，這樣其他人都能心中有數。非正式的環境能讓大家的神經放鬆，並且在你不知道的情況下、你的自信心將會突飛猛進。

5)Turn your hobbies into fun study aids
將你的興趣轉化爲興趣學習的幫手

It can’t be repeated enough — languages surround us every day, so make sure you get your nose out of the books to practice your learning in a variety of settings. Are you a sports fan with a penchant for Spanish football? Then check out the latest La Liga results on a Spanish website. Maybe music is more your thing? Subscribe to Spotify playlists of bands who sing in the language you’re learning. Once you’ve found a song you like, try translating their lyrics into English.
語言每天都伴隨着我們，所以不要僅僅侷限於書本、用各種有趣的方法去學習——這是重複多少遍都不爲多的真理。你是一個對西班牙足球有着愛好的體育迷嗎？如果是，那麼在西班牙網站上看看最新西班牙甲級足球聯賽的結果吧。也許音樂是你更感興趣的東西？在Spotify（國外音樂播放器）上訂閱你所學語言的樂隊歌曲播放列表吧。一旦你找到了你喜歡的歌，嘗試着把歌詞翻譯成英語（母語）。

Not only will this expand your vocabulary, you’ll also end up learning idioms and expressions along the way and improve on your pronunciation skills. Plus you’ll have a pretty crazy smorgasbord of international bands with which to impress your friends at your next house party…
這個方法不但會擴大你的詞彙量，你最終也將通過這個方式學習到習語和表達方式，並且提高你的發音技巧。除此之外，你還會對各種各樣的國際樂隊相當狂熱，並且能在下一次聚會唱歌時給你的朋友留下深刻印象......

Follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to acing those language exams! So good luck！
通過學習這些小技巧，你將會在語言考試中嶄露頭角！祝你好運！