Studying Overseas
Study overseas can be the adventure of a lifetime, and the majority of these experiences are healthy and safe. But, unless some simple precautions are taken, a young person living without a parent in a foreign country can encounter cultural disorientation and real, physical dangers. While auto and motorcycle accidents are a primary cause for concern, there are a host of other factors that need to be considered①, preferably, well in advance of a student’s departure②.
There are the familiar risks of unsafe sex and illegal drugs. No different from home, you say? Traveling students and their parents often don’t realize how cultural and legal differences can enhance these “risk factors.” Simply put, what is “safe” or tolerated behavior in the United States can be interpreted quite differently in a foreign country.
In a strange place with new rules, even responsible teenagers may occasionally “lose their heads” and take chances that they wouldn’t normally take, like traveling unaccompanied to a strange country, not telling anyone where they are, or buying or selling on the black market. As a result, young travelers can easily find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Still, college students often reason that “horror stories” about incarcerated Americans overseas “will never happen to me!” In his MP article Legal Rights of Travelers, international law expert Jeffrey R. Miller describes some of the penalties facing the errant traveler. These can be extreme by American standards.
However, safety is indeed everyone’s responsibility. The school program, the parents and the student all need to take part. Avoid potentially troublesome situations because as a foreigner you are more vulnerable. Be more cautious than at home. Here’s an obvious but critically important safety rule: Always let someone know where you are and never travel alone.
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行文点评
文章第一段便指出，出国留学除了考虑健康和人身安全之外，还要考虑到更多其他的因素。第二段指出最常见的安全隐患。第三段指出陌生环境下孩子们可能的反常行为。第四段指出孩子们对安全问题掉以轻心的态度。第五段总结全文，并提出了一些安全建议。
本文语句十分地道，句式多样。段落之间存在的一些具有连接功能的词语，如still, however等，让文章连贯性更强。
好文妙译
留学在外
在一个规矩完全不同的陌生地方，即便是一个很有责任感的孩子也会偶尔迷失自己，会做出一些违反常理的事情。比如说孤身去一个陌生的城市旅行，不告诉其他人自己在哪儿，或者出入于黑市做些买卖。结果，这些年轻的游子们经常会发现自己不合时宜地出现在不该出现的地方。
然而，保障自身安全是每个人的责任。学校里有些课程是要求学生及其家长一起参加的。因为作为一个外国人，你会更加容易受伤害。所以一定要比在国内更小心，尽量不要找麻烦。还有一条简单却极为重要的规律：无论你去哪儿，一定要让别人知道；千万不要单独外出旅行。
词汇斟酌
precaution n.预防，防备，警惕
encounter vt.遇见，遭遇
disorientation n.迷失
interpret vt.解释，诠释
incarcerate v.将某人监禁
penalty n.触发，惩罚
errant a.为冒险而周游的
vulnerable a.易受伤害的
佳句临摹
①【注释】a host of sb/sth 大群，众多，许多(人或事物)
【临摹】I can’t come, for a whole host of reasons.由于种种原因，我来不了。
②【注释】in advance of sth 预先；事前
【临摹】Galileo’s ideas were well in advance of the age in which he lived.伽利略的思想远远超越了他所在的那个时代。
思如泉涌
Look before you leap. 三思而后行。
When at Rome, do as the Romans do. 入乡随俗。
