High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 40 · The Library Open for One More Hour
Audio track 40
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
The town library tried staying open one hour later during exam season. Students welcomed the quiet seats, while some staff members worried about the longer journey home. The town office wanted to know whether enough people used the extra hour to justify its cost.
We counted visitors, but numbers alone missed some effects. One parent said the later time allowed her child to study before they traveled home together. A cleaner explained that the new schedule changed when the building could be prepared for the next morning.
At the review meeting, nobody had a simple answer. We proposed a shorter trial on selected days, with clear transport arrangements for staff and another review after a month. The plan was less convenient for some students but more manageable for those who kept the library running.
An extra hour sounded like a single gift. In practice, it was a shared arrangement involving readers, workers, money, and travel. Understanding those connections made our request more serious.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
考试季，镇图书馆试着晚关一小时。学生欢迎安静的座位，一些员工却担心回家的路更晚。镇政府想知道，额外这一小时的使用人数，是否足以支付成本。
我们数了访客，数字却漏掉一些影响。一位家长说，延长时间让孩子能先自习，然后与自己一起回家。一位清洁人员解释，新安排改变了为第二天准备馆舍的时间。
评估会上，谁也没有简单答案。我们提议只在指定日子再试行一段时间，清楚安排员工交通，并在一个月后重新评估。方案对某些学生没有那么方便，却让维持图书馆运转的人更容易执行。
‘多一小时’听起来像一份简单的礼物。实际上，它是涉及读者、员工、资金和出行的共同安排。看清这些联系，让我们的请求更郑重。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- welcomed
- 欢迎；学生喜欢延长开放。
- staff
- 员工；有人担心晚归。
- justify
- 证明值得；镇政府考察使用人数。
- effects
- 影响；数字漏掉个人经历。
- cleaner
- 清洁人员；准备次日开放的时间改变。
- review
- 评估；会议讨论试行效果。
- selected
- 选定的；建议只在某些日子开放。
- arrangements
- 安排；包括员工交通。
- manageable
- 可执行的；方案需顾及工作人员。
- involving
- 涉及；额外一小时牵动多方。
Background notes (Chinese)
服务时间延长会同时影响读者、清洁、安全及员工交通。访客人数重要，却不能单独代表全部成本与收益。