High 2 · Reading series
Lesson 58 · A Promise We Could Measure
Audio track 58
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Our environmental club wrote, “We will make the town cleaner.” Everyone applauded, but the promise gave us no way to know whether we had done it. We could count the bags of litter we collected, yet that would measure our activity rather than the condition of the whole town.
We chose a narrower goal. For one month, we would work with the park office to record litter at three paths before and after weekend events. We would also ask visitors which bins they could easily find. The office agreed to try clearer signs at one entrance, and we planned to compare the observations afterward.
The results might show little change. That possibility did not make the project worthless; it would tell us that our first idea needed revision. We wrote the measurement method beside the promise so others could question it too.
A measurable promise is not a guarantee of success. It is an invitation to check whether our actions match our words and to change course if they do not.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
环保社写下：‘我们要让小镇更干净。’大家鼓掌，可这句话没有办法让我们知道是否做到了。我们可以数捡回几袋垃圾，但那衡量的是自己的活动量，不是整个镇的环境状况。
我们改选一个较窄的目标：连续一个月，和公园管理部门合作，在周末活动前后记录三条小路的垃圾情况；还要询问访客哪些垃圾桶容易找到。管理部门同意先在一个入口试用更清楚的指示牌，我们计划事后比较观察结果。
结果也许几乎没有变化，但那不代表项目毫无价值，而是说明第一个想法需要修订。我们把测量方法写在承诺旁，也方便别人提出质疑。
可测量的承诺并不保证成功，而是邀请大家检查行动是否符合说过的话；若不符合，就调整方向。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- environmental
- 环保的；社团提出清洁目标。
- applauded
- 鼓掌；口号受到欢迎。
- measure
- 衡量；垃圾袋数只代表活动。
- condition
- 状况；全镇环境不能凭一次清理判断。
- narrower
- 更窄的；目标缩到三条小路。
- record
- 记录；活动前后垃圾情况。
- compare
- 比较；试用指示牌后复查。
- revision
- 修订；效果不足时改方案。
- guarantee
- 保证；可测量并不等于成功。
- invitation
- 邀请；让别人也能检查承诺。
Background notes (Chinese)
宏大的承诺若没有明确对象和测量方式，就很难检验。社团将范围缩到特定地点、时间和指标，并预留根据结果修订的可能。