Afterschool① Activities②
In America, the development of social skills③ is considered④ as important as the development of intellectual skills. To help⑤ students develop⑥ these social skills, schools offer a large number of⑦ afterschool activities, in other words⑧， activities that take place outside classroom lessons⑨. When deciding⑩ which students to accept?， employers and colleges look for students who have skills in several areas?. Exam grades are very important, but so are the afterschool activities?. ?By taking part in?these activities, students show their special talents?， their ability? to lead, and their ability to get on with? others.
①afterschool/'ɑ?ft??sku?l/adj.校外的，课外的
②activity/æk'tIv?ti/n.活动
③social skills社交能力 ④consider/k?n'sId?/v.认为
⑤动词不定式短语to help ... 作目的状语。
⑥develop/dI'vel?p/v.发展；培养
⑦a number of大量的 ⑧in other words换句话说
⑨that引导的定语从句修饰activities。
⑩When deciding是“连词＋现在分词”结构。
?which＋n.＋to do作deciding的宾语。
?who 引导定语从句，修饰students。
?此处为倒装句，其构成是“so＋be/do/have＋主语”。
?by doing ...表示方式。 ?take part in参加
?talent n．才能 ?ability/?'bIl?ti/n.能力；本领；技能
?get on/along with与……相处；某事进展
课外活动
[第1段译文]
在美国，社交能力的培养被看作和智力技能的培养同等重要。为了帮助学生发展这些社交技能，学校安排大量的课外活动，换句话说就是在教室里上完课后进行的活动。当决定接纳哪些学生时，老板和大学都寻找那些在多个领域有技能的学生。分数固然重要，课外活动也不容忽视。通过参加这些活动，学生们展示自己的特殊才能、领导能力和与他人的相处的能力。
Competitive sports?， for example, baseball, are probably the most popular of all the afterschool activities. This is because?， for many American parents, it is important that their children , particularly boys, learn how to compete successfully. Young people are encouraged to take part in team sports such as football and basketball, since these games teach you to have the “winning spirit”. For some students and their parents, high school sport is considered more important than academic achievements.
During the long summer holidays, it is a custom for American children to spend several weeks at summer camps. There are thousands of camps, and they can be found all over the country. What these camps offer is an opportunity to take part in many different kinds of outdoor activities, for example, horse riding and water skiing. Older teenagers are more likely to get summer jobs or go camping with a group of friends. Many go backpacking in the mountains of the west.
?competitive sports 竞技体育运动
?This is because ...这是因为……，because引导表语从句。
it is important that ... ……是重要的，that引导主语从句。
particularly adv.尤其(＝in particular)
learn how to do学会怎样做
compete v．竞争；对抗
encourage v．鼓励
encourage sb. to do sth.鼓励某人做某事
teach sb. to do教某人做
since these games ...是原因状语从句。
academic adj.学术的
it is a custom for sb. to do ...对某人来说，做……是一种习惯。
all over the country整个国家 offer v．提供
an opportunity to do做……的机会
outdoor/?a?t'd??/adj.户外的；用于户外的
water skiing滑水运动，水橇运动
be likely to do ...有可能做……
[第2～3段译文]
竞技体育运动，比如棒球，可能是所有课外活动中最受欢迎的。这是因为，对许多美国父母来说，他们的孩子，尤其是男孩，学习如何成功地竞争是很重要的。年轻人被鼓励参与团队性的体育运动，比如足球和篮球，因为这些运动教你拥有“胜利精神”。对一些学生和他们的父母来说，高中体育运动比学业成绩更重要。
在漫长的暑假期间，在夏令营度过几个星期已成为美国孩子的习惯。有数千个营地，在全国的各个地方都能找到。这些野营提供的是参加各种不同的户外活动的机会，例如骑马和滑水运动。年龄稍大的青少年更有可能找到暑期工作或者和一帮朋友去野营。许多人到西部山区背包旅行。
