High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 53 · A Bird Counted by Many People
Audio track 53
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Our class joined a community bird count. Volunteers recorded the birds they saw beside the wetland, along with the time and place. On the first morning, we listed many ducks and almost no small birds. A friend wondered whether the small birds had disappeared.
An experienced observer pointed to our route. We had spent most of our time near open water, where ducks were easy to see, and had hardly entered the wooded path. The list described our observation, not every bird in the area.
On the next visit, we followed a planned route and recorded how long we watched at each point. We still missed birds that were hidden or silent. Adding our notes to the shared project allowed others to interpret the count more carefully.
Many people observing together can reveal patterns across places and seasons. The value of the project depends on more than a long list of names. The details of how we looked are part of the evidence.
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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Our class joined a community bird count.
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Volunteers recorded the birds they saw beside the wetland, along with the time and place.
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On the first morning, we listed many ducks and almost no small birds.
-
A friend wondered whether the small birds had disappeared.
-
An experienced observer pointed to our route.
-
We had spent most of our time near open water, where ducks were easy to see, and had hardly entered the wooded path.
-
The list described our observation, not every bird in the area.
-
On the next visit, we followed a planned route and recorded how long we watched at each point.
-
We still missed birds that were hidden or silent.
-
Adding our notes to the shared project allowed others to interpret the count more carefully.
-
Many people observing together can reveal patterns across places and seasons.
-
The value of the project depends on more than a long list of names.
-
The details of how we looked are part of the evidence.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
我们班参加社区鸟类调查。志愿者记下湿地附近看见的鸟，也记下时间和地点。第一天早晨，我们列出了许多鸭子，却几乎没有小鸟。一位朋友猜想，小鸟是不是都消失了。
有经验的观察者指出了我们的路线：大部分时间我们都在开阔水边，那里容易看见鸭子，却很少进入林荫小路。这份名单写的是我们看到了什么，不是这一带所有鸟的总数。
下次走访，我们按计划好的路线行进，并记录在每个点观察了多久。隐藏着或不出声的鸟，我们仍可能错过。把笔记加进共享项目，能帮助别人更谨慎地理解计数。
许多人一起观察，可以发现跨地点、跨季节的规律。项目的价值不仅靠长长的鸟名清单；我们怎样看，也是证据的一部分。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- community
- 社区；多人参与的鸟类项目。
- volunteers
- 志愿者；记录所见鸟。
- wetland
- 湿地；调查地点。
- observer
- 观察者；指出路线偏向水边。
- route
- 路线；影响看到什么鸟。
- wooded
- 林木茂密的；小路较少走到。
- planned
- 计划好的；第二次按路线调查。
- hidden
- 藏起来的；有些鸟不容易见。
- patterns
- 规律；长期多地观察可发现。
- evidence
- 证据；观察方法也要记下。
Background notes (Chinese)
鸟类记录取决于观察位置、时长与鸟是否易见。学生改进路线和记录方法，避免把自己的名单误认为湿地鸟类的完整数量。