every society has its special words, expressions and ways of saying things. one of the popular expressions in the united states is“hitting the books”. it means studying a subject with great effort.

　　one of the great challenges① for students is taking tests. the students must do well on the test to advance. ②.a student who hits the books spends long hours preparing for a test.

　　they read all their books carefully, and a then read them a second time, and a third time. they make sure they know all the material the teacher has offered and prepared for every possible question. they study every night. they are“hitting the books”.in the united states, most children begin attending school when they are five years old. public education is free and most children go to schools near their homes. school in these early years is fun. the children learn to read and write. but they also play games and go on trips. there is no reason at such an early age for them to hit the books.

　　this situation changes as children become older. the subjects become more and more difficult. students must learn about world history, algebra③, and the life sciences. tests become more common. pressure④ is growing to hit the books, study hard, and advance.however, most serious students only really begin hitting the books for long hours when they reach high school.high school students who hope to continue their education at a college or university must take a special test called the s----a----t. the test has two parts. the first part tests the student's ability with numbers and mathematical skills. the second part tests the student's ability in the english language.

　　the s----a----t test is very important. a high school student who gets a high score on the two parts of the test has a good chance to enter a top american college. for this reason, many students hit the books for months to prepare for the s----a----t.

　　all this adds up to a lot of work----“hitting the books”. knowledge is a prize that is not easy to gain.