High 1 · Reading series
Lesson 43 · A Festival Seen by a Visitor
Audio track 43
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Our town's autumn festival brings people to the shopping street. I volunteered to write a short English guide for visitors. My first draft explained when the music began and where food stalls stood. I thought it was complete.
Then a visitor asked why people waited at the edge of the street during the opening procession. I had lived in the town for years but could not explain it confidently. I asked a festival organizer. She described how the narrow street was kept clear so performers and visitors could move safely. She also told me which parts of the event visitors were welcome to join.
I revised the guide. It still listed times and places, but it now explained what a first-time visitor might need to know before joining a crowd. The organizer checked my description before we printed it.
I had written from the viewpoint of someone who already knew the festival. One honest question showed me what my guide had left unsaid.
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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Our town's autumn festival brings people to the shopping street.
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I volunteered to write a short English guide for visitors.
-
My first draft explained when the music began and where food stalls stood.
-
I thought it was complete.
-
Then a visitor asked why people waited at the edge of the street during the opening procession.
-
I had lived in the town for years but could not explain it confidently.
-
I asked a festival organizer.
-
She described how the narrow street was kept clear so performers and visitors could move safely.
-
She also told me which parts of the event visitors were welcome to join.
-
I revised the guide.
-
It still listed times and places, but it now explained what a first-time visitor might need to know before joining a crowd.
-
The organizer checked my description before we printed it.
-
I had written from the viewpoint of someone who already knew the festival.
-
One honest question showed me what my guide had left unsaid.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
小镇的秋季节庆吸引人们来到商店街。我自愿为游客写一份简短的英文导览。初稿说明了音乐何时开始、食品摊位在哪里，我觉得已经够完整了。
后来，一位游客问我，开场队伍经过时，为什么人们要在街边等。我在镇上住了多年，却没有把握解释清楚。于是，我请教节庆组织者。她说，狭窄的街道要保持畅通，表演者和游客才能安全行走；她也告诉我，哪些环节欢迎游客参加。
我修改了导览。它仍列出时间和地点，但也解释了初次到访者加入人群前可能需要知道的事。印刷前，组织者还核对了我的说明。
我原本是站在一个熟悉节庆的人的角度写的。游客一个真诚的问题，让我发现自己还有什么没说。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- shopping street
- 商店街；秋季节庆举办的地点。
- volunteer to do
- 自愿做；主人公愿意写导览。
- draft
- 初稿；最先写出的版本。
- procession
- 游行队伍；开场时经过街道。
- confidently
- 有把握地；他原先难以解释。
- organizer
- 组织者；提供可靠活动信息。
- keep clear
- 保持畅通；狭窄街道需留路。
- be welcome to
- 欢迎参加；部分环节对游客开放。
- viewpoint
- 视角；作者起初从熟人角度写。
- leave unsaid
- 没有说出；导览遗漏的背景。
Background notes (Chinese)
熟悉当地活动的人，容易忽略初次来访者不知道的规则。游客提问后，作者向组织者核实队伍通行与可参与区域，让导览更实用。