美國名校的錄取通知書，眾多家長和孩子夢寐以求。激情是所有名校所強調的特質。也許你有愛好，也許你有喜愛的活動，然而能為之執着，一如既往地堅持的學生又有多少呢？美國名校申請專家Evan Brown老師用親身經歷講訴他對“激情”的理解。希望眾多學子能從中有所感悟，在備考和申請中，運籌帷幄，拿到夢想大學的錄取。
      At Stanford University's 2005 commencement ceremony, Steve Jobs exhorted graduates to “follow your heart and intuition.” I was a junior that year, and I remember Jobs' memorable words frequently recited throughout the dorms, classrooms, and dining halls. Students and staff alike drew inspiration from this example of an enthusiastic computer nerd who followed his dreams and succeeded. Even before the days of the iPhone, Jobs' quickly burgeoning tech company seemed to breathe new life into college campuses around the world – Apple changed the way we listen to and share music, write term papers, and browse the web. How was Jobs able to accomplish so much in such a short time? Well, his speech addresses this point in unequivocal terms: “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.”
      在2005年斯坦福大學的畢業典禮上，蘋果公司的CEO史蒂夫‧喬布斯先生給了畢業生一條忠告“忠於內心和直覺”。那一年，我上大三，我清楚地記得喬布斯的這句話無數次在寢室、教室以及食堂被提及。喬布斯，一個充滿激情的電腦奇才，鍥而不捨，金石可鏤的經歷激勵着眾多師生。即使是在Iphone誕生之前，喬布斯蓬勃發展的科技公司為全世界的大學校園注入了新的血液。蘋果改變了我們享受以及分享音樂、撰寫論文以及瀏覽網頁的方式。喬布斯如何達成這些成就？他言簡意賅地回答：“時間轉瞬即逝，切勿隨波逐流。”
      How you choose to spend your time says a lot about who you are. Do you enjoy penning free-verse poetry? or writing math proofs for fun? or scuba diving and befriending creatures of the sea? or mastering Latin noun declensions? or throwing pots at a wheel? or investing in the stock market? Everyone has a passion, but many fail to identify it early on. Jobs knew what he wanted to do, and he didn't waste precious seconds on doing anything extraneous.
      你的日程表體現了你的個性。是否享受筆耕不輟？是否熱衷於求解數學謎題？是否喜歡常潛海底世界與海底生物為伴？是否熱愛拉丁文？是否喜愛雜耍？是否致力於投資股市？激情人人有，但並非每個人都能發現內心的激情所在。喬布斯深知他想做的事情，因此他分秒必爭，專注激情。
      Many high school students spend free time doing things (perhaps even good things) for the wrong reasons. Here are some things to consider when you are spending your free time:
      很多高中生對於閒暇時間的利用是勞而無功的。下面是一些對於課外時間利用的建議：
      享受生活––
      •Enjoy yourself – many times, our passions lie in the activities that we enjoy most. Whether this involves the challenge of baking the perfect macarons or that of becoming a scratch golfer, only you will be able to know for sure (i.e., not your parents, friends, or teachers).
      激情源於愛好，無論你是喜歡嘗試烘烤美味的法式糕點還是成為高爾夫的初級玩家，你的愛好是你而不是你的父母、朋友或是老師所決定的。
      •Stick to something – making a commitment to a passion is the best way to ensure you spend your time wisely. If you know what you love, go do it every chance you take.
      專注激情––專注激情就是有效的時間管理，如果你知道你的激情所在，那麼就全力以赴地堅持。
      •Make an impact -- yes, you may love to play video games, or go shopping, or watch movies with your friends. Relaxing is essential but should occupy less free time than the meaningful pursuit of a passion that has an outcome. You should be able to measure your impact in numbers, results, testimonials, or other data.
      創造影響––沒錯，你喜歡電腦遊戲，或是購物，或是和朋友看電影。放鬆很重要，但請節約時間去追尋激情，創造影響。你的影響應該是可以量化的––用數位、結果或是其他的資料。
      Finding your passion is not always easy. If you like many things, ask yourself what they all have in common. Sometimes we may be afraid that our passion is not worthy of serious pursuit. Perhaps we fear that our true passion might raise some doubtful eyebrows among family, friends, or teachers. We might question whether or not we deserve to be so self-indulgent to follow our dreams, especially if they don't seem to lead to prosperity. It takes honesty, self-knowledge, and a certain amount of selfishness to acknowledge true passion. And that, of course, is just the first step. As Jobs says, once we know our passion, we must have to courage to do something about it.
      尋找激情並非易事。如果你興趣廣泛，請尋找他們的共同點。有時我們患得患失，有時我們人云亦云。有時當前景不明時，我們卻步不前。我們需要一些誠實，自我認知，甚至一點點的自私來確認真正的激情。君子藏器于身，待時而動。像喬布斯所說，一旦激情迸發，需勇往直前。

      Evan Brown
      溫哥華新東方英文學院/電話：604-889-4290