High 1 · Reading series
Lesson 30 · The Jacket We Repaired
Audio track 30
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
My favorite jacket tore at the elbow. The hole was small, but I stopped wearing it because I thought a patch would look strange. At a community repair day, a volunteer asked me to bring it anyway.
She showed me several pieces of fabric. I chose a dark blue patch that did not hide the repair completely. Under her guidance, I learned to make small, even stitches. My first line was crooked, so I removed it and tried again.
The jacket did not look new when we finished. It looked like a jacket that had been used and cared for. When I wore it to school, a classmate asked about the patch. I told her how much longer I hoped to use it, and she asked where the repair day was held.
I had treated a visible repair as a sign of failure. Now it reminded me of a skill I had learned and a choice to keep something useful.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
我最喜欢的外套在手肘处破了一个小洞。我不再穿它，因为觉得补上一块布会显得奇怪。社区维修日，一位志愿者还是请我把外套带去。
她给我看了几块布料。我选了一块深蓝色补丁，没有打算把修补处完全藏起来。在她的指导下，我学着缝细小而均匀的针脚。第一行缝歪了，我拆掉后又试了一次。
修好后，外套看起来并不像新的一样，却像一件被穿过、也被好好爱惜的衣服。我穿它去学校时，同学问起补丁。我告诉她还想穿这件外套多久；她则问社区维修日在哪里举办。
过去，我把看得见的修补痕迹当成失败。现在，它提醒我学会了一项本领，也提醒我选择继续使用一件仍有用的东西。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- tear
- 撕裂；外套手肘处破洞。
- patch
- 补丁；用于修补的小块布。
- fabric
- 布料；志愿者提供多种选择。
- completely
- 完全地；补丁没有彻底藏起修补处。
- under guidance
- 在指导下；志愿者教主人公缝针。
- stitch
- 针脚；需要小而均匀。
- crooked
- 歪斜的；第一行针脚不直。
- remove
- 拆掉；缝歪后重新来。
- care for
- 爱惜、照料；外套继续被使用。
- visible
- 看得见的；修补痕迹成为新记忆。
Background notes (Chinese)
修补痕迹可以保留下来，显示物品经过维护。故事中主人公从嫌补丁难看，转而欣赏自己学到的针线技能和延长衣物使用时间的选择。