Life after ‘gaokao’

After taking the national college entrance exam, many will finally get to enjoy a relaxing summer vacation. But for some, the end of the exam is the beginning of shouldering more responsibilities.
高考结束后，许多人终于能够享受一个放松的暑假。但对一些人而言，高考结束意味着开始要承担更多责任。

Zhou Liangyu, who graduated from No 15 Middle School of Wuhan this summer, is one such student who felt this new pressure. He volunteered to fight on the frontlines of flood control.
今年夏天刚从武汉市第十五中学毕业的周亮宇便感受到了这种新的压力。他成为了一名抗洪一线的志愿者。

Without any experience, he encountered many difficulties. The 18-year-old took charge of patrolling a 300-meter embankment along the Yangtze River in mid-July.
没有任何经验的他遇到了不少困难。18岁的他负责在7月中旬巡逻一段长江边上300米长的堤岸。

“There was a time when the rain drenched his clothes when he was on the first night shift from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am. He patrolled the embankments every half an hour,” Yang Zhifa, the team leader of the flood-control group, told Changjiang Daily. But “he never made any complaints, even though he was the youngest member of our team.”
“周亮宇第一次值夜班，从晚上11点一直到次日早上7点，每隔半小时就要巡一次堤，当时大雨把他的衣服都淋得湿透了，”防汛突击队负责人杨志发在接受《长江日报》采访时如此说道。“尽管小周是队里年纪最小的，但他从不叫苦喊累。”

“I won’t leave the dike until the floods recede,” Zhou said.
“我要一直守到水退。”周亮宇说道。

Unlike Zhou contributing to his city, Zhao Guining, 18, opted to devote his time to his family. After graduating from No 1 High School of Muling in Heilongjiang province, Zhao will study at Tsinghua University.
周亮宇选择为自己的城市做贡献，而18岁的赵桂宁则选择了为家庭付出。从黑龙江穆棱市第一中学毕业后，赵桂宁将前往清华大学就读。

To lighten his family’s burden, he worked on a construction site with 150 yuan paid per day, later increased to 200 yuan. “I come from a rural family. My parents are getting older, so I want to do something for my family,” Zhao said.
为减轻家庭负担，他在一处工地打工，日薪150元，后来涨到了200元。“我家在农村，父母年纪也大了，所以想要为家人做点事，”赵桂宁说道。

In the eyes of Zhao’s father, doing such physically demanding work is exhausting, but it does provide real-world working experience.
在赵桂宁父亲看来，干这样的体力活很累人，但确实能够获得真正的工作经历。

Making money during this special summer may be one aim, but for Liu Yu, 17, from Yantai Development Zone Senior High School, Shandong province, it can also be a way to prepare for her future career. She spent three hours every day tutoring a would-be senior 1 student. To teach grammar, Liu had to absorb much more knowledge and make it comprehensible.
在这个特别的夏天，赚钱算是一个目标，但对于来自山东烟台经济技术开发区高级中学的17岁学生刘瑜而言，这也是为自己未来职业生涯做准备的一种方式。她每天都会花三小时辅导一位准高一学生。为了教好语法，刘瑜需要掌握更多知识，并令其通俗易懂。

“I dreamed of being a teacher. I realize how important it is to be responsible, patient and compassionate to students,” Liu said.
“我的梦想是成为一名老师。我体会到了对学生的责任心、耐心与爱心有多重要，”刘瑜说道。

Finishing gaokao is not a destination, but rather the start of adulthood. Students will now begin their life journey taking responsibility for society, family and themselves – and create the future they wish to see.
高考结束并非是终点，而是成年的开始。同学们如今将展开各自的人生旅程，承担起对社会、家庭以及自身的责任 —— 并创造自己期望的未来。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高三719期