Live互動英語[有聲版]：【生活、實用】讓你輕鬆開口說英語 2023年11月號第271期 (電子雜誌)

Making the Grade
各國祈求考運亨通的習俗
Many students get scared when they know a test is approaching. In Asia, tests are known for being especially intense. It’s no wonder, then, that students in Asia turn to some unexpected practices in an attempt to influence their results. Let’s take a look at some of these customs.
On the day of the big exam, you might want to start the day with a shower but be careful not to wash your hair. In South Korea and the Philippines, people believe cleaning your hair will also wash away what you’ve learned. So if you see students heading into the test room with bedhead, now you know why!
Aside from your hygiene routine, your diet matters too. Many students in South Korea and Vietnam are very careful about what they eat since they think some foods affect their memory. In particular, anything slippery such as seaweed is out because it could make your knowledge slip out of your head. Similarly, in several Asian countries, eggs are avoided because they look like zeros and may curse your score.
許多學生知道考試即將到來時會感到害怕。在亞洲，考試是出了名的特別激烈。因此，亞洲學生轉而求助於一些出乎意料的做法來試圖影響他們的成績也就不足為奇了。讓我們來看看其中的一些習俗。
在大考當天，你可能想以淋浴開始新的一天，但要小心不要洗頭。在韓國和菲律賓，人們認為洗頭髮也會洗掉你所學到的東西。因此，如果你看到學生一頭亂髮走進考場，現在你知道為什麼了！
除了日常衛生習慣之外，飲食也很重要。南韓和越南的許多學生非常注意吃的東西，因為他們認為有些食物會影響記憶力。特別是任何滑溜的東西如海藻就會被排除，因為它可能會讓你的知識從大腦中溜走。同樣地，在好幾個亞洲國家，人們會避免吃蛋，因為它們看起來像零，並且可能會詛咒你的分數。



While there are certain foods to avoid, other foods are believed to give students an edge. In many places in Asia, nuts are eaten to increase brain function. In Hong Kong, for example, cashews are a must before an exam because the local word for them sounds like the term for “a wish to pass.”
Meanwhile, the koala has caught the eye of people in Japan as a possible source of luck. The animal is capable of hugging a tree for more than 20 hours straight. Some see this as the level of dedication that a student needs to succeed. Since it’s not possible to give the animal itself as a gift, family and friends may give test takers koala poop instead!
Of course, prayer is one of the most common ways to request aid, but not just any higher power will do. In Singapore, one must pray to the Bell Curve God to not only do well but also perform better than others. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, and to gain an advantage over the competition, these are just some of the great lengths that students will go to!
 雖然有些食物需要避免，但有些食物被認為可以給學生帶來優勢。在亞洲許多地方，人們會吃堅果來增強大腦功能。舉例來說，在香港，考前一定要吃腰果，因為腰果在當地的發音聽起來像「要過」。
同時，無尾熊作為一種可能的幸運來源而引起日本人的關注。這種動物能夠持續抱著一棵樹超過二十小時。有些人認為這是學生取得成功所需要的投入度。由於不可能把動物本身作為禮物，親友可能就會送考生無尾熊便便作為代替！
當然，祈禱是請求援助最常見的方式之一，但並不是任何神都有用。在新加坡，必須向鐘形曲線神祈禱，不僅是要考好，而且要表現得比別人好。這是一個競爭激烈的世界，為了比競爭對手取得更多優勢，這些只是學生們會不遺餘力去做的一些事！

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