High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 55 · The Water in a Product's Story
Audio track 55
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
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For our project, we chose a cotton bag and asked how water might be involved before it reached a shop. We listed growing the cotton, making cloth, dyeing it, and transporting the finished bag. The bag itself felt dry, but its history included many processes.
We found different estimates of water use online. At first we wanted to print the largest number. Then we noticed that the estimates measured different things and came from different conditions. Some included rainfall; others focused on water taken from rivers or underground. Without explaining the method, one large number could mislead readers.
Our display used a diagram of the stages instead. Beside it, we wrote that the amount varies by place and method, and we cited the sources for any number we used. Visitors asked more questions about the route than about a single dramatic figure.
A product connects us to distant resources. Tracing that connection begins with careful definitions, not just a shocking total.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
项目中，我们选了一只棉布袋，追问它到达商店前哪些环节会用水。我们列出种棉花、织布、染色和运输成品。袋子摸起来干燥，生产经历却包含许多过程。
网上能找到不同的用水估算。起初，我们想印出最大的数字，后来注意到，各项估算所测的东西不同，依据的条件也不同。有些把雨水算进去，另一些主要计算从河流或地下抽取的水。若不说明方法，一个大数字可能误导读者。
我们改用流程图展示各阶段，并在旁边注明：用水量随地点和方法而变；凡使用数字都标明来源。访客对生产路径提出的问题，比对一个惊人的总量更多。
一件产品把我们与远方的资源联系起来。追踪这种联系，首先要把概念界定清楚，而不是只展示震撼的总数。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- cotton
- 棉花；布袋的原料。
- dyeing
- 染色；可能用水的加工环节。
- processes
- 过程；产品经历多个阶段。
- estimates
- 估计；网上数字口径不一。
- measured
- 测量；需先看各自计算范围。
- rainfall
- 降雨；有些估算包含。
- mislead
- 误导；不说明方法的大数易如此。
- diagram
- 流程图；展示生产阶段。
- varies
- 变化；用水量随地点不同。
- definitions
- 定义；追踪联系前要说清。
Background notes (Chinese)
棉布袋的用水估计取决于生产阶段、地点和统计口径。把降雨与抽取的地表或地下水混为一谈，会让单个数字难以比较。