Hello everyone! Welcome to Ken's Study Journey! Today, I am going to tell you and introduce my huge prizes that I got a few weeks ago from my parents for studying hard.
Recently, I got a new MacBook Pro and an AirPods Pro as prizes from my parents. That's such great news. Do you know how do I get prizes regularly? It's secret! This is because I study hard and I usually get wonderful prizes.
During the mid-semester exam, I got many certificates and entered the Oxbridge program as I got excellent scores. So, my parents gave me huge prizes.
My parents usually bring me prizes because of my positive attitude and excellent scores, so I am encouraged to study better and effectively.
Also, my parents usually encourage me to get better scores by studying hard, and I have my own study strategy and some tools to study better and effectively.
Do you know how did I get the huge prizes and how do I study and work hard? Let's go!
Note: This article has been delayed for 2 weeks after I got prizes on December 13, 2020 because I was busy for the second monthly exam. Also, studying is more important than writing articles.
Why I got such a big prize?
Before you see what are inside the box of the prize, I would like to tell you how and why I got the prize and how did I get amazing results.
Obviously, I got stagging prizes and welfares from my school, GCGS, after the mid-semester exam. During the awarding ceremony, not only did I get 4 certificates related to my scores, but also I entered the Oxbridge Plus program which helps me to enter my dream universities in the future.
- The highest score in the whole grade about mathematics and computer.
- Achieved the requirements of outstanding learner award.
- No points are deducted in the credit system.
My school has an Oxbridge Plus program that helps students to enter their dream universities by satisfying the requirements of many universities worldwide.
It also has a credit system that evaluates student's behaviours. The points are deducted if you violate any school rules. As I am an obedient student, I seldom violate the rules but sometimes I may make mistakes.
The great process after the first monthly exam
In fact, I didn't get such excellent scores during the first monthly exam as I could not adapt to the new school life in the first 2 months.
However, I didn't cry and I had my ambition to achieve my goals next time. This encouraged me to study hard and move towards my expectations.
Therefore, I got so many certificates which are more than what I expected, although I still did not achieve my goals for the scores.
Don't be pessimistic if you get bad results (for example, all questions are incorrect in a homework one day, or got low scores during an exam accidentally).
It is normal because people may make mistakes sometimes. Also, we may need much more time to understand a knowledge point, especially economics.
It is always useful to encourage yourself to study better by working harder, setting goals and having ambitions. Your scores will be better as long as you have a positive attitude.
My parent's encouragement
My parents always encourage me to study effectively by awarding me for the hard working. They support me to buy things that are beneficial and related to studying.
One day, when I go back home from GCGS on Friday after school, my mom asked me to upgrade my laptop. I agreed with this idea because there is a new laptop that is better than my previous one, that is MacBook Pro 2020
Meanwhile, my parents agreed that I wanted to buy AirPods Pro because its noise suppression feature is useful very much. The quieter environment I am in, the more efficiency I have.
What are inside my prize?
My prize contains 2 Apple products - a 2020 MacBook Pro and an AirPods Pro.

MacBook Pro 2020
The first one is a new laptop, with which I can study much faster and effectively. This is because it contains many important updates compared with my old one.
It is obvious that there is a touch bar at the top of the keyboard, which shows some buttons of the common operations of the app I am using now. So, I can do my homework faster by clicking on the 'buttons' instead of moving the mouse grab.
The Touch ID (fingerprint) unlocking feature also gives me convenience and sense of safety. I can unlock my laptop without typing the password. Also, it prevents people nearby from looking at the password on the keyboard.
Meanwhile, the Apple logo behind the screen no longer lights up, so it will not disrupt others from studying or working. Its speaker is elaborated and excellent because it produces surround sound, stereo, and even Dolby audio. Hence, I can imagine that the whole base of my new MacBook looks like the guitar/violin case.
It has 4 Type-C ports, any of which can be used for charging and/or connect any devices (e. g. USB drive, projector/screen during the activities). So, I do not need to worry whether the charging socket is on the left side or right side of my laptop. If the nearest socket is on the right-hand side of my laptop, I just need to use a Type-C port on the right to charge without pulling the line to the left (like my old MacBook Air 2017).
There is a new Type-C port which is much better and smaller than the USB, which is used on many new Android phones, iPad Pro, and all new MacBooks.
This port can be used for charging and connect with many devices. Also, you do not need to worry about the direction because both sides are OK.
This product is a luxury, so my prizes are postponed to December 12 when there was a big discount on some major Chinese online shopping services (e. g. JD, Taobao).
AirPods Pro
My another prize is an AirPods Pro, which can reduce the noise nearby and create a quieter studying environment.
Compared with the latest AirPods Max, which was released a week after I got the prize, AirPods Pro is more suitable for me because it is smaller, lighter, and easier to take. So, I do not regret that I cannot enjoy the latest product as it has a lot of disadvantages for me.
Another advantage is that it supports finding lost devices with Apple iCloud, which is similar to many Apple devices, like iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. I just need to use my iPhone or MacBook and open 'Find My' app to find it in case I lost it.

How will I study better with my prize?
All of the prizes are what I want because I can choose what to buy when my parents award me.
After getting the prizes, I am going to use them to study more and more by integrating them with my own study plan and goals.
The prizes involve some benefits that can let me study more effectively. So, I can reduce the time spent on my study tasks.
My study plan
I already have my study plan so that I can study and practice in real life regularly.
- Watch an English movie every Friday evening between 7:45 PM and 9:45 PM, on the train or airplane.
- Read books for at least an hour and a chapter every day, on the evening self-study lessons after I have finished all my study tasks, in the café, on the train or airplane.
- Remember English words for at least 40 every day, when waiting in the queue (for example, in the school mess), on the bus or underground. (use Quizlet and/or my own vocabulary cards)
- Listen to English audio for at least 30 minutes every day (except for school days when we cannot use electronic devices), on the car, train or airplane. For example, TED Talks, Apple Podcasts, and audio articles. Music is excepted.
- [New!] Practice English pronunciation using dubbing (英语趣配音) app for at least 10 minutes and 1 video every day (except for school days).
However, I may have some difficulties to finish all of my study plans based on the environments I am in without these prizes.
For example, when I am listening to TED Talks on the car with a Bluetooth headphone without noise suppression feature before, sometimes it can be noisy nearby (for example, the music inside or outside the car, the sound of engines, and the sound of friction and collision produced by nearby trucks). So, I have to listen again and again without getting any content from the lecture.
There is no need to complete all of my study plans and daily goals because sometimes I cannot do all of them based on the environments and my study tasks. That's why there is no penalty if I fail to achieve my daily goals.
I just need to use my maximum effort to achieve my goals and finish my plan as possible.
So, the AirPods Pro plays an important role when I listen to English audios or watch movies because it can let me focus on the content I am listening without being disrupted by the noise.
How about my new MacBook Pro? I can reduce the time spent on typing the password every time I use my laptop. As I mentioned above, I can use the touch bar to reduce the time spent on using apps.
In addition, it has an extra-large battery, which can be used from 15 to 20 hours after it is fully charged. So, I can do more study tasks in many places without power supply.
Conclusion
This article talked about how I got the huge prizes, the benefits of the prizes, and how will I use the prize to do my study tasks.
You need to study hard, work hard, and get better results on the exams and competitions. If you do so, you will be awarded by your parents and/or your school.
Hope you can study better and get better results with my suggestions. Happy New Year and Have a Better 2021!
Alright! This is the end of the article. Thanks for reading.
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