High 1 · Reading series
Lesson 26 · The Tree We Almost Removed
Audio track 26
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
The old tree beside our school gate gave us shade in summer. Its roots had also lifted part of the path, making the ground uneven. After a student tripped, someone proposed removing the tree immediately.
Our class was asked to gather ideas. At first, the discussion split into two sides: keep the tree or cut it down. Then a student using a cane described the difficult part of the path. Another student showed photographs of people waiting in the tree's shade after school. Both observations mattered.
The school invited a tree specialist and a path designer to inspect the area. They suggested several possibilities, including changing the shape of the path, but said each option needed a safety check and a cost estimate. The decision would take time.
I had wanted a quick answer. Instead, I learned to ask a better question: how can the entrance become safe and accessible while we also consider the value of the tree?
Sentence practice
Play any sentence in Dicvo’s Jenny English voice. Before playing all, choose how many times each sentence plays. A practice pause about as long as the sentence follows each play, including before the next sentence. The complete reading remains above.
Choose a sentence to begin.
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The old tree beside our school gate gave us shade in summer.
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Its roots had also lifted part of the path, making the ground uneven.
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After a student tripped, someone proposed removing the tree immediately.
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Our class was asked to gather ideas.
-
At first, the discussion split into two sides: keep the tree or cut it down.
-
Then a student using a cane described the difficult part of the path.
-
Another student showed photographs of people waiting in the tree's shade after school.
-
Both observations mattered.
-
The school invited a tree specialist and a path designer to inspect the area.
-
They suggested several possibilities, including changing the shape of the path, but said each option needed a safety check and a cost estimate.
-
The decision would take time.
-
I had wanted a quick answer.
-
Instead, I learned to ask a better question: how can the entrance become safe and accessible while we also consider the value of the tree?
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
校门旁的老树在夏天为我们遮阴，但它的树根也顶起了一段小路，使路面凹凸不平。一名学生绊倒后，有人提议立刻砍掉这棵树。
我们班受托收集意见。起初，讨论分成两派：留树，或砍树。后来，一位拄手杖的同学说明哪段路特别难走；另一位同学拿出照片，展示放学后人们在树荫下等候的情景。两种观察都很重要。
学校请来树木专家和道路设计人员实地查看。他们提出几种可能的方案，包括改变道路形状，但表示每种方案都需要安全检查和费用估算。作决定还得花些时间。
我原本想尽快得到答案，后来学会了问一个更好的问题：怎样让校门入口安全、方便所有人通行，同时也考虑到这棵树的价值？
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- uneven
- 不平整的；树根顶起路面。
- trip
- 绊倒；学生在小路上失足。
- propose
- 提议；有人提出砍树。
- remove
- 移除；讨论是否移走老树。
- split into
- 分成；最初意见分为两派。
- observation
- 观察；通行困难和树荫用途都重要。
- inspect
- 实地检查；专家查看树和路。
- possibility
- 可能的办法；改变路径也是一种选项。
- cost estimate
- 费用估算；实施方案前需评估。
- accessible
- 方便通行的；入口要让不同人安全使用。
Background notes (Chinese)
老树提供遮阴，但被树根顶起的小路影响通行。学校没有仅凭一方意见立即决定，而是听取实际使用者的体验，并请专业人员评估安全与成本。