完美九招，“假”有所值

漫漫長假，可以做些什么呢？想當年，Grace總是在暑假開始時懷著雄心壯志，列出上學時沒空做的事情。可暑假剛開始不久，意志力不堅的我馬上就敗下陣來—心想先睡個覺、看看電視、玩玩游戲吧，時間還多著呢。于是到了開學前幾天才猛然發現沒幾件是完成的，后悔啊……

不想把暑假浪費在無聊的事情上？來看看本文傳授的九大絕招吧！雖然文章針對的是美國學生，國情有別，但相信對我們還是很有啟發作用的哦！我們還可以看看美國學生是怎樣過暑假的。

When you’re a kid， there’s nothing quite like the high-flying[抱有雄心大志的] feeling you get on the last day of school. No more pencils， no more books – you know the rest. It’s summer vacation， and all you have ahead of you are warm， sunny days filled with…filled with…

And there’s the problem.

Sometimes a break from school doesn’t turn out quite as great as you thought it would be. I can remember

getting into the habit of watching “just a little” TV after

swim team practice. A little TV often turned into a day in The Twilight Zone注1 (which was mostly what I watched). This is a guaranteed way to feel queasy[令人想吐的]

and disoriented[分不清方向的] all day long.

It doesn’t have to be that way. If you are a kid， you can have a great time without having to resort to[求助于] the boob tube[電視機].

Here are several ideas for making the most out of summer vacation. They’re organized by age group， but don’t feel like you have to pay too much attention to that.

Fun Summer Stuff for Kids Under 14

What do you want to do today? Burn rubber? Start a collection? Or make some money? You can do all of these， but probably not all at the same time.

Ready to have some fun? Then let’s get right to it.

1. See Something Yucky[令人討厭的] Right Now

Here’s a picture of a dragonfly popping[蹦出] out of its skin， a slimy alligator[短吻鱷] coming out of its egg， and a super-gross[非常討厭的] termite[白蟻]. You might get to see a real dragonfly this summer if you go outside. Aren’t you glad you don’t pop out of your skin every time you get a size bigger?

Even though you don’t shed[脫皮] like a dragonfly， your body is pretty weird， too. Find out the secrets of sweat， snot[鼻涕]， and other yucky things. You can go to the library several times a day and still not learn every odd thing there is to know about the human body.

2. Start a Collection and Work on It All Summer

OK， you’ve spent enough time in front of the

computer. Why not start a collection? Think about something you really like. I used to collect the fortunes from fortune cookies注2. But they ended up going through the wash. Now， I try to collect things that have a little more staying power.

Here are some other things you can collect: coins， stamps and leaves (you will learn a lot about trees while you do the collection. And if you want to be a true expert， find out what leaves are for and how they work.).

3. Do an Experiment

How would you like to burn a little rubber without matches or make a volcano out of a film canister[金屬小罐]?

Bill Nye’s website has 40 experiments you can do at home without getting into too much trouble. But just to be on the safe side， be sure to ask permission first. If you do one experiment a day， you’ll find summer vacation is too short.

4. Make Some Money

Are there dogs in your

neighborhood? If so， you can start your own dog-walking business and make a little money. First， you need to make a flier[廣告傳單]. You have to decide how much to charge (ask your parents). Then， figure out why people should hire you. This is your slogan[口號].

For example， “Your dog will smile

after he’s walked awhile!” You can post the flier in your neighborhood.

If you walk five dogs a day， at $1 each dog， you can make $25 a week!

5. Put on a Magic Show

Everyone loves magic. When I was a kid， we used to float in the air and make oranges disappear. None of it was real， of course. But it sure looked cool.

Mysterynet.com has a bunch of tricks that are easy to learn. Once you know five or so， you’re ready to put on a show for your family and friends.

For High-schoolers

By now， some of you may probably realize you don’t

have all that many summers left before you leave high school. So， what are you going to do?

Make this time count[有價值] by doing something you love， something you’ll learn from.

If whiling away[消磨] your summer days playing your favorite CDs sounds like fun， how about building your own radio station? Of course you may have to start a business or get a job so you can buy the equipment you need， and there’s always community relations to think about…

1. Build Your Own Radio Station

If you love music， you can build your own Internet

radio station. This is a great way to share your favorite music with the world – and also to get some experience for a job as a DJ at your college radio station.

2. Start a Business

My brothers made what seemed to me an unfair amount of money running their own landscaping[景觀美化]

business. They bought a truck， made business cards， and kept busy and rolling in the gardens by convin-

cing[說服] our

parents’ friends that they needed to have their yards made over.

Do you have this kind of skill? If so， you can start your own company， then put it down on your college application[申請表]， proving to the world that you owned a business before you turned 18. You don’t even need to make a lot of money. The

important thing is that you did it.

And your business doesn’t have to be doing yard work. Think about what you’re good at and like to do. Do you build websites? Make T-shirts or sandwiches? All you need to do is find customers who want what you do， and you’re in the money.

Even better， if you have friends who are good at the same thing， form a company together. This way， someone is always available[有空的] for customers， and you have more hands to bear the workload. Plus， it’s really fun.

3. Get a Great Summer Job

If you don’t feel ready yet to start your own business， but would like a little work experience and the money that comes with it， that’s great too. Some of the same

principles apply[適用].

You have more options than just the local fast-food

joint[（貶）公眾娛樂場所]， although if that’s what sounds the most fun to you， by all means[盡一切辦法] pursue it.

Finding a job that involves something you already like to do is key. Then it won’t feel like work.

4. Do Something Good for Your Community

One of the most satisfying things you can do is volunteer in your community. If you don’t want to take on a summer job， think about spending a few hours a week helping out other people.

Have fun with these ideas， or come up with your own. Either way， have a great summer!

小時候，沒有什么能和學期最后一天那種雄心勃勃的感覺相比了。沒有筆，也不再有書——接下來的事情你都知道了。暑假來了，擺在你面前是溫暖的晴日，充滿……充滿……

問題來了。

有時候，放假并不如你想的那樣有趣。我還記得自己放假時養成了在游泳隊訓練后看“一點兒”電視的習慣。這一點兒電視通常變成一整天泡在《陰陽魔界》（我那時經常看的就是這個節目）中。這樣下來，保準讓你整天頭暈目眩，迷迷糊糊。

但放假并一定非得這樣過。如果你還是孩子，離開電視機照樣可以過得很開心。

這兒有幾個讓暑假過得“假”有所值的方法。雖然是按年齡分組，但你并不需要太在意這一點哦。