High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 20 · One Day without a Score
Audio track 20
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
My language app gave me a daily score, a streak, and a place on a class leaderboard. At first these numbers encouraged me. Later, I found myself opening the app simply to protect the streak, even when I was too tired to understand the lesson.
On a Sunday I turned off the display and read an English comic borrowed from a friend. I looked up a few expressions and laughed at a scene I would have missed before. There was no score for that hour. Yet I remembered the story better than many exercises I had completed quickly.
The next week I returned to the app. I still used its reminders, but I checked the score less often. I wrote a note beside it: “What did I understand today?” Sometimes the answer was a grammar pattern; sometimes it was why a character had changed her mind.
A number can help track practice. It cannot contain every kind of learning. I wanted the score to serve my reading, rather than my reading to serve the score.
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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My language app gave me a daily score, a streak, and a place on a class leaderboard.
-
At first these numbers encouraged me.
-
Later, I found myself opening the app simply to protect the streak, even when I was too tired to understand the lesson.
-
On a Sunday I turned off the display and read an English comic borrowed from a friend.
-
I looked up a few expressions and laughed at a scene I would have missed before.
-
There was no score for that hour.
-
Yet I remembered the story better than many exercises I had completed quickly.
-
The next week I returned to the app.
-
I still used its reminders, but I checked the score less often.
-
I wrote a note beside it: “What did I understand today?”
-
Sometimes the answer was a grammar pattern; sometimes it was why a character had changed her mind.
-
A number can help track practice.
-
It cannot contain every kind of learning.
-
I wanted the score to serve my reading, rather than my reading to serve the score.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
语言学习应用每天给我分数、连续打卡天数和班级排行榜名次。起初，这些数字鼓励了我。后来，即使疲惫得看不懂课程，我也只为保住连续打卡而打开应用。
一个星期天，我关掉这些数据显示，读起朋友借我的英文漫画。查了几个表达后，我被一幕情节逗笑了；以前我也许根本看不懂。那一小时没有分数，我却比匆匆做完许多练习时更记得故事。
下周，我又回到应用，仍使用它的提醒功能，却不那么频繁地看分数。我在分数旁写下：‘今天我理解了什么？’有时答案是一个语法规律，有时是某个人物为什么改变主意。
数字能帮助记录练习，却装不下所有学习收获。我想让分数为阅读服务，而不是让阅读为分数服务。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- daily score
- 每日得分；应用量化练习。
- streak
- 连续打卡；主人公想保住纪录。
- leaderboard
- 排行榜；显示班级名次。
- encouraged
- 鼓励；数字起初有激励作用。
- protect
- 保住；后来只为维持打卡。
- expressions
- 表达；读漫画时查了几个。
- exercises
- 练习；匆匆做完不一定记得牢。
- pattern
- 规律；可以是当天的收获。
- track
- 记录；分数可追踪练习量。
- contain
- 包含；数字装不下所有学习。
Background notes (Chinese)
打卡、积分可以帮助维持练习，却可能让目标变成保住数字。主人公重新把理解故事和语言表达放在中心，保留有用提醒而降低对排名的依赖。