Dear Mike, 

My school is going to hold a basketball competition (比赛). Many of my classmates cheer for our players and watch them practice every day. I don't always have time to cheer with them, since I'm so busy with my schoolwork. But I feel like I will be left out if I don't join them. What should I do?

Adam

Dear Adam, 

This does sound like a difficult situation. On the one hand, it can be fun to cheer for your team, and of course it's nice to hang out (闲逛) with your friends and cheer along with them. They probably wish that. You could be there to have fun with them. But your studies are also important. You need to get good grades in school.

In fact, that makes me wonder—why do your classmates have time to cheer for the team, but you don't? Shouldn't they also be busy with their schoolwork? Maybe you can ask them how they manage to have so much free time. Or maybe you just need to use some more time in the evenings to catch up on your work. If you can finish more schoolwork at home, you should have more time to cheer with your friends later. Hopefully you can cheer for your team soon.

Mike