High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 2 · One More Year on the Team
Audio track 02
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Our captain asked whether I would stay on the basketball team through the winter tournament. I wanted to say yes immediately. The team had given me friends and a place to recover after difficult school days. At the same time, university applications and family responsibilities were becoming harder to balance.
I wrote two lists, but the longer list did not decide anything. Some reasons mattered more than others. I talked with the coach about a smaller role and with my family about the hours I could realistically give. The captain admitted that the team needed reliable attendance more than a dramatic promise.
I chose to practice twice a week and help younger players review games, while another student took my place in some matches. It was neither complete retirement nor the season I had imagined. A month later, we checked whether the arrangement still worked for everyone.
I had treated the decision as a test of loyalty. The conversation showed me a different question: what commitment could I keep without asking others to carry the part I could not?
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 captain asked whether I would stay on the basketball team through the winter tournament.
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I wanted to say yes immediately.
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The team had given me friends and a place to recover after difficult school days.
-
At the same time, university applications and family responsibilities were becoming harder to balance.
-
I wrote two lists, but the longer list did not decide anything.
-
Some reasons mattered more than others.
-
I talked with the coach about a smaller role and with my family about the hours I could realistically give.
-
The captain admitted that the team needed reliable attendance more than a dramatic promise.
-
I chose to practice twice a week and help younger players review games, while another student took my place in some matches.
-
It was neither complete retirement nor the season I had imagined.
-
A month later, we checked whether the arrangement still worked for everyone.
-
I had treated the decision as a test of loyalty.
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The conversation showed me a different question: what commitment could I keep without asking others to carry the part I could not?
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
队长问我能否留在篮球队直到冬季比赛。我很想立刻答应。球队给了我朋友，也让我在不顺心的上学日后有地方调整心情。与此同时，大学申请和家庭责任越来越难兼顾。
我列了两张清单，但较长的那张不能替我作决定。有些理由比其他理由更重要。我与教练谈缩小自己在队中的职责，也与家人商量实际能投入的时间。队长承认，球队更需要稳定出席，而不是一番激昂却做不到的保证。
最后，我每周练两次，帮助低年级队员复盘比赛；部分比赛则由另一名同学代替我上场。这既非完全退出，也不是我原先想象的赛季。一个月后，我们再检查安排是否仍对大家合适。
过去我把这个决定当作忠诚度测试。谈过之后，我开始问：自己能兑现怎样的承诺，而不把做不到的部分留给别人承担？
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- captain
- 队长；提出是否留队。
- recover
- 恢复状态；球队帮他度过难熬的日子。
- responsibilities
- 责任；升学与家庭事务增加。
- balance
- 兼顾；时间变得难安排。
- realistically
- 现实地；先确认可投入时间。
- reliable
- 可靠的；球队重视稳定出席。
- attendance
- 出勤；比夸张承诺重要。
- arrangement
- 安排；一个月后复核。
- loyalty
- 忠诚；不等于答应做不到的事。
- commitment
- 承诺；应能真正兑现。
Background notes (Chinese)
参与团队的方式可以调整。文中主人公与教练、队长和家人商量，让承诺符合可用时间，也定期回顾安排。