High 1 · Reading series
Lesson 56 · A Day at the Workshop
Audio track 56
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
I spent a day observing a small bicycle workshop for a school project. I expected to watch people use complicated tools. The mechanic did use tools, but his first task with each customer was to listen.
One person said the brakes felt strange. Another said the bicycle made a sound only on hills. The mechanic asked when each problem happened, checked the bicycle, and explained what he could examine safely. He did not promise a repair before understanding the cause.
In the afternoon, I helped organize parts and wrote down the names of tools I did not know. The mechanic showed me how a simple description from a customer could save time, while a vague one might lead him to check the wrong place first.
I left with a different picture of the job. Skill was not only in the hands holding a tool. It was also in the questions asked before the tool was chosen.
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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I spent a day observing a small bicycle workshop for a school project.
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I expected to watch people use complicated tools.
-
The mechanic did use tools, but his first task with each customer was to listen.
-
One person said the brakes felt strange.
-
Another said the bicycle made a sound only on hills.
-
The mechanic asked when each problem happened, checked the bicycle, and explained what he could examine safely.
-
He did not promise a repair before understanding the cause.
-
In the afternoon, I helped organize parts and wrote down the names of tools I did not know.
-
The mechanic showed me how a simple description from a customer could save time, while a vague one might lead him to check the wrong place first.
-
I left with a different picture of the job.
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Skill was not only in the hands holding a tool.
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It was also in the questions asked before the tool was chosen.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
为了完成学校项目，我在一家小型自行车维修店观察了一天。我原以为会看到人们操作复杂工具。维修师傅确实会用工具，但面对每位顾客，他的第一件事是倾听。
有人说刹车感觉不对劲，有人说车子只有上坡时才发出声音。师傅询问问题在什么时候出现，检查自行车，并说明自己能安全查看哪些地方。在了解原因前，他不会承诺修好。
下午，我帮忙整理零件，记下那些不认识的工具名称。师傅告诉我，顾客若能把情况说具体，就能节省检查时间；描述含糊，则可能让他先检查错地方。
离开时，我对这份工作有了不同认识。技能不仅在握着工具的双手上，也在挑选工具之前提出的问题里。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- observe
- 观察；学生在维修店看一天。
- mechanic
- 维修师傅；负责检查自行车。
- complicated
- 复杂的；主人公原本期待看到的工具。
- brake
- 刹车；顾客说感觉有异。
- examine
- 检查；需要安全地查看部件。
- promise
- 承诺；原因未明前不保证修好。
- organize
- 整理；学生帮忙归置零件。
- vague
- 含糊的；描述不具体可能误导检查。
- lead A to B
- 使甲走向乙；模糊说法可能引向错误部位。
- skill
- 技能；也体现在提问之中。
Background notes (Chinese)
维修需要结合顾客对症状的描述和实际检查。师傅没有在弄清原因前许诺修好，先问‘何时发生’等问题，缩小可能的故障范围。