High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 28 · Repair Before Replacing
Audio track 28
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
The zipper on my school bag broke, and a new bag appeared in an online advertisement that evening. Buying it would have been easy. My father suggested visiting a repair shop first, so we asked for an estimate.
The repair cost less than a new bag, but money was not our only concern. The old bag fit my bicycle basket, and its pockets held things exactly where I expected them. The shop could replace the zipper while keeping the rest. I also learned that some materials were too worn to repair safely; the answer depended on the condition of each bag.
A week later I carried the repaired bag to school. It was not perfectly new. The replacement zipper was a different color, which reminded me of the choice I had made.
Repair is not always possible or automatically the best option. Comparing cost, usefulness, materials, and effort gave me a more complete question than “Which one is cheapest today?”
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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The zipper on my school bag broke, and a new bag appeared in an online advertisement that evening.
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Buying it would have been easy.
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My father suggested visiting a repair shop first, so we asked for an estimate.
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The repair cost less than a new bag, but money was not our only concern.
-
The old bag fit my bicycle basket, and its pockets held things exactly where I expected them.
-
The shop could replace the zipper while keeping the rest.
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I also learned that some materials were too worn to repair safely; the answer depended on the condition of each bag.
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A week later I carried the repaired bag to school.
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It was not perfectly new.
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The replacement zipper was a different color, which reminded me of the choice I had made.
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Repair is not always possible or automatically the best option.
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Comparing cost, usefulness, materials, and effort gave me a more complete question than “Which one is cheapest today?”
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
书包拉链坏了，当晚网上就出现一个新包的广告。买新的很容易，父亲却建议先去维修店问价。
修理比买新包便宜，但钱并非唯一考虑。旧包放得进我的自行车筐，各个口袋也正好装我习惯放的东西。店里可以只换拉链，保留其他部分。我也了解到，有些材料磨损太严重，无法安全修补；答案得看每个包的状况。
一周后，我背着修好的书包去学校。它没有焕然一新，新拉链的颜色还不一样，却提醒我作过怎样的选择。
修理并不总可行，也未必自动成为最佳选项。把费用、用途、材料和花费的精力放在一起比较，比只问‘今天哪个最便宜’更周全。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- zipper
- 拉链；书包坏掉的部件。
- advertisement
- 广告；网络当晚推荐新包。
- estimate
- 报价；先到维修店询价。
- concern
- 顾虑；不仅仅是钱。
- replace
- 更换；店里只换坏拉链。
- worn
- 磨损的；材料太旧可能修不了。
- condition
- 状况；决定能否安全修理。
- replacement
- 替换件；新拉链颜色不同。
- automatically
- 自动地；修理未必总是最好。
- effort
- 精力；也要计入比较。
Background notes (Chinese)
修理与更换没有放之四海而皆准的答案。主人公结合维修价格、旧包使用习惯和材料状况作决定，也承认某些磨损无法安全修理。