Quick!Take this mini-quiz!
1. Let’s say your swim coach needs a volunteer to help him teach the finer points of2 backstroke3... not your best stroke! What goes through your head?
a. Eek, another chance to look like an idiot in front of everyone!
b. This looks like a job for Sam or Joe—the guys who always volunteer for everything. (They must like extra work.)
c. I’ll do it. This will definitely help me improve, plus I’ll be helping the team!
2. It’s your first day of sleep-away camp4, and you’ve just been assigned to a cabin. You can’t understand why all the other girls are greeting each other like long-lost sisters, until someone explains that this is their fourth summer together. Do you:
a. Run out. (Maybe you can catch your parents and convince them to take you home!)
b. Find a quiet corner to hide in. Eventually someone will notice you... you hope.
c. Smile brightly and start introducing yourself. Might as well get to know these girls if you’re going to spend the month with them!
So, how’d you do? If you scored double c’s, congratulations! Odds5 are you’re a confident, capable, take-charge kind of girl. You don’t let challenges or opportunities intimidate6 you. Instead, you roll up your sleeves and start driving toward success.
Now, for the rest of us...
What if you truly want to grab the steering wheel and take control of your life, but for some reason, you’re stopped on the side of the road? Maybe all you need is a little tune-up7. An honest look at the situation will probably reveal what’s stopping you. Here’s a hint: It’s that little voice in your head, “They are showing off.” Luckily, changing your mind isn’t nearly as hard as changing a tire. So grasp every opportunity. Just be more confident and say to yourself, “You have got nothing to lose. It's worth a try!”
快来做做这个小测试吧！
1. 比如，你的游泳教练需要有个志愿者，帮他讲一下仰泳的要点……当然不是你的强项啦！你会怎么想呢？
a. 哎呀，又一次在众人面前出丑的机会！
b. 这好像是山姆和乔的事儿——他们凡事都爱出头。（他们一定喜欢做些份外事。）
c. 我上。这毫无疑问可以帮我提高，而且我也是在帮助大家！
快来做做这个小测试吧！
1. 比如，你的游泳教练需要有个志愿者，帮他讲一下仰泳的要点……当然不是你的强项啦！你会怎么想呢？
a. 哎呀，又一次在众人面前出丑的机会！
b. 这好像是山姆和乔的事儿——他们凡事都爱出头。（他们一定喜欢做些份外事。）
c. 我上。这毫无疑问可以帮我提高，而且我也是在帮助大家！
2. 这是你参加野外宿营第一天，你被分到某个帐篷。不知为什么其他女孩见面都像失散多年的姐妹似的。后来有人告诉你，这是她们在一起的第四个夏天了。于是你：
a. 开溜。（说不定还能赶上爸妈，求他们带你回家呢！）
b. 找个安静的角落躲起来。总会有人注意你的……你希望。
c. 灿烂微笑，主动介绍自己。如果要和她们一起待上一个月，最好还是多多接触吧！
好了，你做得怎么样？如果你选了两个c，恭喜你！可能你是个自信、有能力、敢于负责的女孩。你不会因为挑战或机遇而胆怯。相反，你会卷起衣袖驶向成功。
那么，剩下的答案呢？
你真想紧握方向盘，把握自己的人生，却不知为什么被拦在路边了，你怎么办？也许你所需要的只是一点调整。正视你的状况也许会找到你的障碍所在。给个提示——就是你脑子里那个细小的声音老在说：“他们都是在出风头。”好在改变主意并不像换个车胎那么麻烦，抓住每个机会，多点自信。对自己说：“反正你不会有损失，何不一试呢！”
1. take-charge 负责的
2. the finer points of sth. 只有行家才能领悟的某些方面或细节
3. backstroke n. 仰泳
4. sleep-away camp 在外宿营
5. odds n. 可能性
6. intimidate v. 使胆怯，使害怕
7. tune-up 调整，调节