Tests can be stressful. You worry that you haven’t studied enough. You worry that you won’t know the right answer. You worry that you do know the answer but will still get it wrong on the test. Don’t worry! You’re not alone! Tests have been stressing people out for thousands of years.

Here’s one man’s story about test stress.

During the Tang Dynasty there lived a man named Meng Jiao. He was born to a poor family.

Meng Jiao loved poetry. He loved studying it. He loved writing it as well.

He gave all of his life to the art. His hard work showed. It helped him become a talented poet.

Writing poetry was not a good paying job at that time. Meng Jiao was poor most of his life. When he got older, he realized this had to change.

He needed to earn more money. He decided to take the Ke Ju exams.

The Ke Ju was the official test system of China. The exams were open for anyone to take. Anyone from a farmer to a scholar could take an exam. The Ke Ju gave everyone an opportunity. Whoever passed could get an official job.

Meng Jiao studied hard for the tests. He took them several times. Each time, he failed. But Meng Jiao never gave up. He studied harder and harder. He took the tests over and over and over again.

Finally, when he was 46 years old, Meng Jiao passed the test! He was so happy! Meng Jiao put on new clothes. He tied on red flowers to celebrate. Then he rode on a horse through Chang’an City.

During his ride, Meng Jiao wrote a poem. In English, it reads, “Horseback riding swiftly through the spring breeze, while seeing all the sights and flowers of Chang’an in one day.”

Meng Jiao’s poem tells about his feelings on that exciting day. His words describe the feeling of spending a day riding his horse and enjoying the sights and flowers. It tells of seeing all of Chang’an City in a day. On that day, he was able to let go of the disappointments of the past.

The poem was passed down through the years. It became famous. But people said it would be impossible to really enjoy everything in one day. This led to the phrase “seeing flowers while riding a horse swiftly.” It describes giving something a quick look without noticing the details.

The EndQuestion: How old was Meng Jiao when he finally passed the test?

核心詞匯

stressful adj. 緊張的，壓力重的

talented adj. 才華橫溢的

swiftly adv. 快速地

breeze n. 微風，清風

disappointment n. 失望

pass down 把……往下傳

detail n. 細節(jié)

Anyone from a farmer to a scholar could take an exam. 從農民到學者，任何人都能參加科舉。本句中 from a farmer to a scholar 是補充說明anyone 的同位語。

以下翻譯來自百度翻譯：
考試可能會有壓力。你擔心自己學習不夠。你擔心你不會知道正確的答案。你擔心自己知道答案，但在考試中仍然會出錯。別擔心！你并不孤單！數(shù)千年來，測試一直在給人們施加壓力。下面是一個人關于考試壓力的故事。在唐代，有一個叫孟郊的人。他出生在一個貧窮的家庭。孟郊熱愛詩歌。他喜歡研究它。他也喜歡寫它。他把一生都獻給了藝術。他的努力工作表明了他的決心。這使他成為一位才華橫溢的詩人。當時寫詩不是一份高薪的工作。孟郊一生大部分時間都很窮。當他長大后，他意識到這必須改變。他需要賺更多的錢。他決定參加科舉考試。科舉考試是中國的官方考試制度。考試對任何人都開放。從農民到學者，任何人都可以參加考試。科舉給了每個人一個機會。任何通過考試的人都可以得到一份正式工作。孟郊為了考試而努力學習。他拿了好幾次。每次他都失敗了。但孟郊從未放棄。他學習越來越努力。他一次又一次地參加考試。終于，當他46歲的時候，孟郊通過了考試！他太高興了！孟郊穿上了新衣服。他系上紅花慶祝。然后他騎馬穿過長安城。在旅途中，孟郊寫了一首詩。英文是這樣寫的：“騎馬在春風中疾馳，一天之內就能看到長安所有的風景和鮮花。”孟郊的詩講述了他在那激動人心的一天的感受。他的話描述了一天騎馬、欣賞風景和鮮花的感覺。它講述了在一天內游覽整個長安城的故事。那天，他能夠放下過去的失望。這首詩是多年來流傳下來的。它出名了。但是人們說不可能在一天內真正享受一切。這就引出了“騎馬時看花”這句話。它描述的是在不注意細節(jié)的情況下快速看一眼某樣東西。