take nothing for granted中文的八卦，Yahoo名人娛樂都在討論

(打英文還是輕鬆+快多了😉 中文版下面有連結)

Why taking the SAT or ACT when you’re not ready is a terrible mistake.

For several years now, I’ve noticed that many of my students who study at international schools tend to take an SAT test just to “test the waters.”

This is such a bad move it’s not funny!

What’s so bad about it?

American admissions officers dislike students who only focus on tests. So, even if you manage to get a high score after you’ve taken the SAT too many times, you might be rejected anyway.

Your SAT score is so important! Please do not waste any opportunity to get a high score!

I read the following quote on Dartmouth’s website:

“We don't recommend excessive testing. Making the most out of your high school opportunities is more important than repeatedly taking standardized tests."

Is it only Dartmouth?

Actually, this kind of statement isn’t unique to Dartmouth - it’s pretty standard. Most of the top universities say exactly the same thing. This causes many people to believe that colleges don’t really care much about your SAT score.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

All you have to do is to look at the average SAT/ACT scores that enrolling students receive. As an example, successful applicants to Dartmouth average around 1500 (out of 1600). That’s pretty high! What do they mean then?

They mean that students need to focus on non-academic pursuits AS WELL AS getting a very high score on their SATs.

So, you definitely need a high SAT score, but you can’t look like you care that much. If you take a test before you’re ready, there will be a record of your lower-than-ideal score. You’ll naturally need to retake the exam a second, third, and, possibly, fourth, time.

Let’s say that you do achieve your ideal score on the fourth or fifth attempt. How will the admissions officer view you when you have exactly the same score as another applicant who only took the test twice or three times? Who will they select?

Naturally, they will not choose you because you look like a testing machine.

In the US, everybody knows that it’s foolish to take the SAT or ACT more than three times. That means that you should NEVER waste an attempt. You should be ready before you ever take the test.

So, what should you do?

First, “test the waters” in a safe environment: your home.

You can do some practice questions on Khan Academy to get a feel for the test. Then, when you feel ready to tackle the whole test, do one of the Official Tests found on Khan or CollegeBoard:

https://www.khanacademy.org/mission/sat/exams

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests

Make sure you download the test, print it out and do it on paper. If you do it on the computer, you will NOT be simulating the real test.

Presently, there are a total of 9 released tests. CollegeBoard and Khan have released 8, and there is one more floating about on the internet. (As an aside, I actually use this test in my classes. I purposely avoid the other released tests because most schools use them and so do many students. I hate it when students say, “I’ve done that test before!”)

Simply using these tests will give you a good idea of what score you would get if you took the real test. And you can do this without risking being labelled a testing machine.

Also, as there are only 9 official tests out there, don’t waste them. Granted, there are other “official” tests online or in some schools, but these are usually riddled with errors or are incomplete. (I personally hate doing a test and not knowing which questions are faulty before doing it. Most of the time, students spend a lot of time trying to figure out the answers to questions that do not even have answers. It can be very frustrating.)

Another thing: of the nine, only 5 of them are previously administered tests. The first four “official tests” were designed before CollegeBoard switched from the old SAT to the new one in 2016. These four tests are quite easy compared to what is being tested now, so are not a great indicator of your future score. They are great for practicing question types - just understand that if you get a really high score on them it doesn’t mean that you will do just as well on test day.

Only tests 5-9 (also easier than the current tests) are the closest thing we have to the current SAT tests. Still, these are easier than the current test, especially in the reading section, so be aware that the reading will most probably be even tougher than what is in all of the officially released tests.

If you have any other questions related to how to prep for your SATs, feel free to leave a message below or PM me.

Enjoy your SAT studies!

本文的中文版:
https://brettlindsay.blogspot.tw/2018/01/satact.html

#SAT寒密班 (適合11年級 & 3月和5月的考生) https://goo.gl/17Uz1e

#SAT週六衝刺班 (針對3月和5月的考生)
https://goo.gl/3ZEEWj

#SAT暑密班 (適合10年級 & 10月和12月的考生) https://goo.gl/6Ypwsi

感激Selina Kinyee Chau翻譯我的散文作品，讓香港及台灣以外的朋友都能看得明白，從中文走向英語，是我作品的大突破，感謝妳一字一句的用心翻譯：）

《WhatsApp and its USD0.99》
by Roy Kwong Translated by Selina Kinyee Chau

The WhatsApp software developer has informed its users to the app to be payable, triggering a fight between iPhone users and android users because iPhone users only pay USD0.99 once to enjoy life-long service but android users need to pay the same price every year.

Android users complain, “Why iPhone users only need to pay once but we need to pay every year?” iPhone users retort, “You didn’t say anything when we were being charged at the beginning. And now you are complaining.” So the two parties are stuck at whether the charge is unfair to Android users.

After the Two Ticks and Last seen on (Please refer to the previous article of the same writer), the WhatsApp started a fight again because of this USD0.99 issue. From between lovers to friends, now it has even extended to the whole user group of the two giant software developers. It should be named the Most Evil App of the Century.

The inconsistency of charging is of course WhatsApp’s fault. However, for those who can afford a smart phone that cost thousands dollars will be able to afford USD0.99 which is only the price of a can of coke, won’t they?

Some student users may complain, “I don’t have a credit card, I’m not able to pay at the App Store, WhatsApp are not considerate of us.” It is reasonable for users under 18 to complain if they don’t have a credit card. But if the charge is a disaster of WhatsApp, isn’t it just time for people to show their kindness? Friends who have a credit card can rescue others at this time, “I have a credit card. Let me pay it for you.”

Friends without a credit card will appreciate what you have done for them, although it is WhatsApp’s fault of the forbiddance of sending messages before the expiry date, reactivating the function for your friends by buying them a can of coke is meaningful, isn’t it? The USD0.99 of WhatsApp has created a chance to show your care to your friends, how nice as a social networking app!

Recall those days when we were still texting, it was actually not financial friendly at all. For the sake of keeping in touch with our friends, we were compelled to use the same service provider as theirs even its service was the worst in the world and we had to survived three times every day from losing connection just because to keep the text messages free of charge.

Still, the Two Ticks and Last seen on functions have created a lot of problem. But the invention of WhatsApp allows us to send messages for free, save us from paying for every text messages. It deserves to be granted a credit. And the simplified process by just clicking a few buttons to send pictures, videos and audios when we could only do so via email in the past. What’s more, WhatsApp had actually stated in the Terms and Conditions that charge may be applied after the first year.

So there have been so many complaints about WhatsApp being unfairness and has been given the name “a broken app” when it announced to charge? No one ever said something like that before the charging. After the charge applied, negative comments has swept over the Internet. Some suggested to use another communication app, Line, which is free of charge, and WhatsApp has become the public enemy. Despite the inconsistent charge, what’s wrong for WhatsApp to charge for using the app?

Have we become too comfortable enjoying free lunch without notice?

I still remember how hard I tried to save to buy a CD home and listened to it again and again when I was a kid. I had never been tired of it because it wasn’t easy. When there was a movie I liked, I saved hard to go to the cinema for it. If I didn’t have enough money, I bought the VCD when it was released. But VCDs were only available for movies not for TV shows. I had to start sitting in front of the TV before the show I liked started so that I wouldn’t miss any parts. And recorders became my good friend too. I really cherished the only-180-minute memory of every tape.

After I grew up, thanks to the advanced technology becomes able to store everything, the TV, computer, CD player, VCD player, game station and recorders, into ONE smart phone, only without the air conditioner. Want to listen to a song? Go to Youtube; want a movie? PPS, internet TV! A TV show? There are also apps you can watch live TV or play back. Want some games? From Angry Bird to Candy Crush, there are thousands of choices waiting for you.

However, The advance of technology has devalue our attitude towards making efforts. Because everything has become easy to get nowadays.

Have you noticed the songs nowadays are not as good as those in the past? That could be the problem of quality itself but more likely, it is because we have too many options. Now we just need to click a few buttons, thousands of search results will come out and we can listen to them right after. We are spoiled to be greedy unconditionally. We didn’t realize how long we hadn’t paid for a CD until the news of HMV’s bankruptcy spread out.

In the past we had to sit still and paid 100% attention to the movie to enjoy it, now we can just watch it from a few-inch-wide screen on a train. But the price is we keep being interrupted by the surrounding noise and people. When the character is saying something moving, we would just realize we’ve missed the stop and have to rush to get off. It may be free to watch a movie like this but I prefer paying to buy a ticket to go to the cinema.

We don’t need to worry about missing the best part of a TV show because our friends always share them on Facebook. We don’t need to watch every scene but you know what is going on in every story. But why is there still something missing? It turns out that we only keep the concentrated part of everything while the every well panned detail has been wasted. We don’t spend time building a connection with the characters in the story. However, if we don’t even spend time watching the the TV show by ourself, how can we feel the same way as the characters do, like we did in the past?

You don’t feel the pain losing something if you have never made any effort. It is just like we keep those old comics that we spent all our pocket money on even they are old and worn , but we are able to uninstall an app on our phone without a thought. Well, just take a couple seconds to download and we will own it again anytime.

While we are expecting making no effort, we are also destroying creativity. Creators lack of motivation. Creativity is worth nothing nowadays. People will search for replacement when one creativity starts to charge. This is not just about the USD0.99 of WhatsApp, it’s about our value on Give and Take.

Technology has changed our life, but we should never let it change our values.

We avoid Giving. But giving is vital for us to learn to cherish. Sometimes we get back more by giving than not giving, not just about money but also about love. Think about it, if we get what we want easily without paying any effort, comparing with that you devote yourself to a relationship while the other devotes to the relationship as much as you. Then none of you will give up on the relationship easily.

If you think WhatsApp is good, it deserves the USD0.99. Although I am still annoyed by the evil functions such as the Two Ticks and Last Seen on. WeChat is free but you have to pay your liberty of speech for it. One user once tried to send the name of Southern Weekly in Chinese, the system reminded him that “The message has involved sensitive words, please try again after making modification.” What’s wrong with the name of Southern Weekly? The even more ridiculous thing is, while I am writing this article, I get the news that WeChat now has tightened up the regulation that users have to use their real name, phone number when posting on the public forum and are even required to upload the photo of them with their ID card, like you have committed some serious crime.

To avoid paying USD0.99, you need to escape to somewhere that and be monitored. One day if you really encounter some sensitive issue, you will realize not paying actually pays more than paying. I believe most of readers are willing to pay for this USD0.99. We hope WhatsApp will open up more channels for payments.

Don’t let the wheels of Time make us forget the value of giving.


Writer for Yam Taiwan, Roy Kwong
http://goo.gl/aQD8B