High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 1 · The Timetable Nobody Questioned
Audio track 01
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Our school timetable looked perfectly efficient: classes ended, clubs began, and the last bus left twenty minutes later. I had never considered the gap until a classmate who used a wheelchair explained that the lift was often crowded after school. By the time she reached the gate, the bus was already gone.
At the student council meeting, I described the problem as a delay. She corrected me gently. The issue was not that she moved too slowly; the schedule had been designed around students who could use the stairs. That difference changed our discussion.
We counted travel times on several days and spoke with the bus company. A later departure was impossible that term, but the school agreed to let students who needed the lift leave club activities a few minutes early. We also requested a review of the timetable for next year.
A schedule can appear neutral while quietly favoring one kind of journey. Asking whose journey is missing was our first useful step.
Check your understanding
时间表原先没有考虑到谁的通学路线？
需要使用拥挤电梯、不能按走楼梯速度到达校门的学生。
为什么说问题不只是这位同学“耽误了时间”？
时间表以能走楼梯的学生为前提，没有为使用电梯的学生留出足够时间。
学校先作了什么调整？
让需要乘电梯的学生提前几分钟结束社团活动，并准备来年重审时间表。
Chinese translation
学校的时间表看起来非常高效：课程结束后社团活动开始，末班公交车在二十分钟后离站。我从未想过这段间隔是否够用，直到一位使用轮椅的同学说，放学后电梯常常很拥挤。等她到达校门，车已经开走了。
在学生会会议上，我把问题说成她‘耽误了时间’。她温和地纠正我：问题不在于她走得慢，而在于时间表是按能够走楼梯的学生设计的。这个区别改变了我们的讨论。
我们连续几天记录从教室到校门的时间，并与公交公司商量。当学期无法推迟发车，但学校同意让需要乘电梯的学生提前几分钟结束社团活动。我们还请求在制定下一年时间表时重新审视这个问题。
时间安排看似中立，却可能悄悄方便了某一种出行方式。追问谁的行程没有被算进去，是我们踏出的第一步。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- efficient
- 高效的；时间表表面上衔接紧凑。
- gap
- 间隔；社团结束到末班车发车只有二十分钟。
- considered
- 考虑过；主人公此前没想过间隔是否够用。
- crowded
- 拥挤的；放学后电梯常排队。
- delay
- 耽误；主人公起初不恰当地描述问题。
- issue
- 问题核心；不是个人速度，而是设计前提。
- designed around
- 以……为依据设计；时间表默认学生可走楼梯。
- departure
- 发车；当学期无法推迟末班车。
- neutral
- 中立的；安排表面上一视同仁。
- favoring
- 使……更有利；现有安排偏向某种行程。
Background notes (Chinese)
统一时间表未必让所有人都能同样方便地使用。文中学生通过实测通行时间与听取轮椅使用者的经历，找到眼前可实行的调整，也提出长期修订建议。