High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 57 · Who Benefits from the New Plan?
Audio track 57
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
The town proposed turning an empty lot into a bicycle parking area. Students liked the idea because the station racks were full. A nearby resident worried that a new entrance would bring noise past her window early each morning. A shop owner hoped more visitors would walk down the street.
Our class drew a map of who might benefit and who might carry a cost. We did not assume that each group spoke with one voice. Some students preferred a small garden, while some residents already cycled to the station. We asked the town to test different entrance positions and to share the results before building.
At the meeting, no proposal satisfied everyone. The discussion became more useful when we stopped asking whether the plan was simply good or bad. We asked which effects could be measured, which concerns needed conversation, and who would be invited back after a trial.
A plan affects a place and the people who use it. Fairness begins by making those connections visible.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
镇上提议把一块空地改成自行车停车场。车站车架已满，学生喜欢这个想法；附近一位居民担心新入口会让清晨的噪声经过她窗前；店主则希望更多访客走进这条街。
我们班画了一张图，标出谁可能受益、谁可能承担代价。我们没有假定每一群人的想法都一样。有些学生更喜欢小花园，也有居民本来就骑车去车站。我们请镇上试验不同的入口位置，并在开建前公开结果。
会上，没有提案能令所有人满意。当我们不再只问方案是好还是坏，讨论反而更有用：哪些效果可以测量？哪些担忧需要交谈？试行后还会邀请谁回来评估？
计划改变一个地方，也影响使用它的人。公平的第一步，是让这些联系变得可见。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- proposed
- 提议；镇上提出停车场方案。
- empty lot
- 空地；计划改造的场所。
- resident
- 居民；有人担心噪声。
- benefit
- 受益；学生和店主的期待不同。
- cost
- 代价；附近住户可能承担。
- assume
- 假定；不能把群体当作单一声音。
- positions
- 位置；建议试不同入口。
- satisfied
- 满意；没有方案人人喜欢。
- effects
- 影响；可测量也需讨论。
- fairness
- 公平；先呈现谁受影响。
Background notes (Chinese)
公共规划对不同群体有不同收益和成本，同一群体内部也未必意见一致。学生建议先试入口位置、公开结果，再继续协商。