High 1 · Reading series
Lesson 59 · The Smallest Useful Step
Audio track 59
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Our town library wanted a guide for visitors who read English. I offered to translate the entire website. After opening its many pages, I felt overwhelmed. The librarian suggested a smaller beginning: one page explaining how to get a library card.
I drafted the page and asked two visitors to try using it. One understood the opening hours but could not find where to apply. Another knew the word “card” but was unsure which documents to bring. Their questions showed me what my draft had left out.
I revised the page with the librarian, who checked the current rules. We made no promise about when the whole website would be translated. The one page was tested, useful, and ready for another review when rules changed.
At first, a small step felt like admitting defeat. Now it feels like the opposite: a way to learn from real readers before building something larger.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
镇图书馆想为英语读者制作导览。我主动提出翻译整个网站。打开那许多页面后，我感到不知从何下手。图书管理员建议先做一件小事：写一页说明怎样办理借书证。
我写出草稿，请两位访客试着照它操作。一位读懂了开放时间，却找不到申请地点；另一位知道‘卡’是什么意思，却不确定要带哪些证件。他们的问题让我发现了草稿遗漏的内容。
我和图书管理员一起修改页面，由她核对现行规定。我们没有承诺整个网站什么时候译完。这一页经过测试，能派上用场；以后规定变化时，也可以再检查。
起初，迈出一小步让我觉得像承认失败。现在，我反而觉得，这是建造更大的东西之前，先向真实读者学习的方法。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- translate
- 翻译；最初想做整站内容。
- entire
- 整个；任务范围原本太大。
- overwhelmed
- 不知所措；面对众多网页的感受。
- suggest
- 建议；管理员提出先写一页。
- draft
- 草稿；交给访客试用的版本。
- apply
- 申请；读者找不到办证地点。
- document
- 证件、文件；办理借书证可能需要。
- leave out
- 漏掉；访客指出缺失信息。
- current
- 现行的；规定需由管理员核对。
- admit defeat
- 承认失败；小步开始并非如此。
Background notes (Chinese)
翻译大量网页之前，先完成一页与办证直接相关的指南，便于真实访客试用。读者的问题帮助作者补全申请地点和所需证件，并由管理员核对现行规则。