High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 44 · The Accent I Stopped Correcting
Audio track 44
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
I used to correct every unusual English sound I heard in our conversation club. I thought I was helping. One day a guest speaker told a vivid story about her research, and I interrupted her three times to adjust a vowel. She finished politely, but the room became quiet.
Afterward, our teacher asked whether anyone had misunderstood her main point. Nobody had. I realized that I had focused on a sound while missing her idea. Pronunciation can matter when a word becomes unclear. But not every difference needs an immediate correction, especially when someone is sharing a story.
At the next meeting I listened first. When I did not understand a phrase, I asked her to repeat it. Later, with her permission, we compared how a few words sounded in different places. The conversation became more interesting than my old list of errors.
An accent can tell part of a person's journey. Clear communication requires attention from both speaker and listener.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
过去，在会话社听到不寻常的英语发音，我总会纠正，以为那是在帮人。有一天，一位嘉宾正生动讲述她的研究，我却三次打断她，想调整一个元音的发音。她礼貌地讲完，房间却安静下来。
事后，老师问有没有人没听懂嘉宾的主要观点。没有。我发现自己只盯着一个声音，却漏听了她的想法。词语因发音而变得不清楚时，确实需要处理；但并非每一种差异都要立刻纠正，尤其当别人正在分享故事。
下次活动，我先倾听。不懂某个短语时，再请她重复。后来，在她同意后，我们比较了不同地方对几个词的读法。那场交谈比我从前列出的错误清单有意思得多。
口音也能透露一个人的经历。清楚的沟通需要说话人与倾听者共同留心。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- unusual
- 不寻常的；听起来与自己习惯不同。
- conversation club
- 会话社；嘉宾分享研究的地方。
- vivid
- 生动的；嘉宾故事吸引人。
- interrupted
- 打断；主人公多次插话。
- vowel
- 元音；他执着纠正的声音。
- misunderstood
- 误解；老师问是否有人没听懂。
- Pronunciation
- 发音；清楚与否视交流需要。
- immediate
- 即时的；不必立刻纠正一切。
- accent
- 口音；可反映个人经历。
- communication
- 沟通；需要双方努力。
Background notes (Chinese)
发音差异与理解障碍不是一回事。打断别人纠音可能妨碍交流；有需要时可请对方重复，并经同意再讨论口音。