高中毕业，不留遗憾

We have all heard it： these are 1）supposedly the best years of our lives.

But are these years really the best years we will ever live？ Or will we look back on these years with a sense of regret？

The best way to 2）ensure we graduate high school regretfree is to step outside the bubble we live in and to step outside of the classrooms we are trapped in. Gaining a sense of the greater picture—of how these years 3）affect our future—will ground us in the decisions we make during these years. When we graduate， what will we wish we had done differently？

When we base our thinking on this idea， suddenly our understanding will be a little bit better. But more than that， we will ensure that we can look back with a 4）positive feeling.

Of course， it is always difficult to be completely regretfree just by thinking about what we will regret in the future. Fortunately， here is a list of how to prevent some of the most 5）common regrets：

Listen to the6） cliche advice of joining clubs …but do not join too many.

High school is all about 7）absorbing every 8）opportunity you have. Join clubs. Be 9）involved. Be proud of the school you attend. Take a stand against 10）injustice， learn new things， and meet new people.

But do not 11）go overboard. If you are in every single club your school offers—or close to that—you will never find what you are really 12）passionate about.

Get to know every single person in your class. Do not set limits on Who You can be friends with， and do not13） judge people.

I 14）guarantee one of your biggest regrets could be going to a class reunion， speaking with someone， and thinking to yourself， “Who are they？” （even after they have 15）introduced themselves）. Sure， there are a ton of people in high school. But each person has a 16）unique story and 17）personality that is worth getting to know. It is impossible to know who you could end up being friends with， so do not take the risk of missing out on a great friendship. Get to know everyone.

Get to know your teachers.

Teachers would not come to school unless they wanted to teach you and help you. So no matter how crazy they may seem， get to know them. They will teach you more than you could ever expect. And if you think you will never regret not getting to know your teachers， wait until you are a 18）senior and can’t find a teacher to write you a good letter of 19）recommendation for college.

Have fun， but not too much fun. stay true toyourself.

You will probably regret spending every Friday night at home alone （unless that’s just your personality）， so go out there and have some fun. But don’t have too much fun， and you don’t have to 20）engage in 21）illegal activities to have fun either. And do not think about how you will regret your decision to not drink or 22）partake in other illegal activities—because you will not. Stay true to who you are and the 23）ideals you live by. Do not change who you are just for the 24）approval of others.

Sleep.

If you want to be the high school superstar that has a perfect 25）academic record， is the star of the sport’s team， has the greatest social life， and is 26）president of 27）student council—you are not going to get any sleep. And in return， you will probably not have much fun either. It is impossible to do everything and be perfect at everything and get sleep at the same time. Choose what is most important to you， and do not stress out about everything else. Make sure your academics are most important， but do not go overboard. Maintain a proper balance. If you are getting less than six hours of sleep， you need to realize that you are going to regret being tired every day of your life more than you will regret getting a 95 instead of a 100 on a test.

Go to school events.

Do not miss out on Friday night football games. Don’t forget to 28）hang out with your friends. And don’t get too caught up in the stress of high school to forget that this is your chance to get involved—and the chance to make these the greatest years of your life.

我们都听过这样的话，说这几年应该是我们人生中最美好的年华。

但这几年真的是我们人生中最美好的阶段吗？或者当我们回首这几年的时候，会不会感到一丝遗憾？

要保证高中毕业的时候不留遗憾，最好的办法就是勇于跨出包裹着我们的气泡，大胆走出困住我们的教室。如果我们能放眼全局，看到这几年将如何影响我们的未来，这将为我们这几年内所做的决定奠定基础。到了毕业那天，有哪些事情是我们希望当初不要那样做的呢？

基于这一点来思考，我们的视野就会稍微清晰起来。但更重要的是，我们可以保证，日后回首往事时，我们会有一种正面的感觉。

当然，仅仅通过思考将来会有何遗憾以求完全无憾，是很难的。还好，这里有一份清单，列出了避免一些最常见遗憾的方法：

听取加入俱乐部的那些老生常谈的意见……但不要参加太多。

高中就是要抓住你所能得到的每一个机会。要积极去参加各种俱乐部。要为自己就读的学校感到自豪，要敢于反对不公，学习新事物，结识新朋友。

但是不要过火。如果你加入了学校所有或者几乎所有的俱乐部，你就永远不知道自己真正喜欢的是什么。

去了解你班上的每个人，不要对谁可能成为朋友设限，也不要随便评论别人。

我保证，你最有可能感到遗憾的事之一是去參加同学聚会时与人聊天，心里却在犯嘀咕：“他们到底是谁呀？”（即便他们已经作了自我介绍）。当然，高中本来就有一大堆人，但是每个人都有值得你去了解的独特故事和个性。你不可能知道你最终会和谁成为朋友，所以，不要冒错过一段美好友谊这个险哦。去认识每一个人吧。

去认识你的老师。

老师们到学校来是为了向你传授知识，并给你提供帮助。所以，不管他们看起来有多疯狂，你都应该去认识他们，他们教给你的东西绝对是你意想不到的。如果你觉得不去认识你的老师也永远不会后悔，那么等你到了高中最后一年，找不到老师为你写申请大学的推荐信时，你就知道后悔了。

要玩，但是不要玩的太放肆，要保持真我本色。

你可能会后悔每周五晚上都一个人在家里过（除非这本来就是你的个性），所以，不如出去玩一玩。但不要玩得太放肆，也不要因为好玩而卷入非法活动。不必顾虑你会不会因为不喝酒或者不参加其他非法活动的决定而后悔，因为你绝对不会后悔。要忠于自我，忠于你的生活准则，不要只是为了得到别人的认同而改变自己。

重视睡眠。

如果你想在高中成为超级巨星，既是成绩优秀的学霸，又是运动队的明星;拥有多姿多彩的社交生活，同时还担任学生会主席——你根本没有时间睡觉。结果是，你可能也不会过得很快乐。你不可能什么都做、什么都做到完美，同时还能兼顾睡觉。选择对你最重要的东西，其他就不要给自己太大压力了。确保学业是最重要的，但也不要过分强调，要保持适当的平衡。如果你的睡眠時间少于六个小时，你就需要认识到，比起考试拿到95分而不是100分，你会更后悔你每天都过得那么累。

积极参加学校活动。

不要错过周五晚上的足球比赛，不要忘了和朋友们出去玩，也不要太受制于高中的压力，以至于忘了这是你积极参与的机会——同时也是使这几年成为你人生中最美好的岁月的机会。

1） supposedly  ad. 据推测，大概

2） ensure  v. 确保

3） affect  v. 影响

4） positive  a. 积极的

5） common  a. 常见的

6） cliché  a. 陈词滥调的

7） absorb  v. 吸收

8） opportunity  n. 机会

9） involve  v. 使参与

10） injustice  n. 不公正

11） go overboard 过分追求，爱走极端

12） passionate  a. 热情的

13） judge  v. 下判断，作评价

14） guarantee  v. 保证，担保

15） introduce  v. 介绍

16） unique  a. 独特的

17） personality  n. 个性

18） senior  n.（美国高中）四年级

19） recommendation  n. 推荐信

20） engage in 使从事，参加

21） illegal  a. 违法的

22） partake  v. 共享，参与

23） ideal  n. 理想

24） approval  n. 赞成，承认

25） academic  a. 教学的，学术的

26） president  n. 主席

27） student council 学生会

28） hang out 闲逛