High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 3 · The Choice Hidden in a Form
Audio track 03
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
A volunteer program form offered two boxes: “available every weekend” and “not available.” Neither described my situation. I could help on most Saturdays, but I cared for my grandfather on Sundays. I nearly chose the first box because I feared the second would close the door.
Before submitting, I contacted the organizer and explained the gap between the form and my schedule. She said the boxes had been designed for last year's event, when activities happened only on Saturdays. This year the program included Sundays, but nobody had updated the form. She added a space for specific availability and invited other applicants to revise their answers.
The change did not guarantee me a place. It did make the information more accurate for everyone. At the first meeting, another volunteer said she had almost promised hours she could not work.
A form can look like a neutral way to collect facts. Its choices also shape which facts people feel able to tell. Reading a question carefully sometimes means asking who wrote the available answers.
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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A volunteer program form offered two boxes: “available every weekend” and “not available.”
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Neither described my situation.
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I could help on most Saturdays, but I cared for my grandfather on Sundays.
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I nearly chose the first box because I feared the second would close the door.
-
Before submitting, I contacted the organizer and explained the gap between the form and my schedule.
-
She said the boxes had been designed for last year's event, when activities happened only on Saturdays.
-
This year the program included Sundays, but nobody had updated the form.
-
She added a space for specific availability and invited other applicants to revise their answers.
-
The change did not guarantee me a place.
-
It did make the information more accurate for everyone.
-
At the first meeting, another volunteer said she had almost promised hours she could not work.
-
A form can look like a neutral way to collect facts.
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Its choices also shape which facts people feel able to tell.
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Reading a question carefully sometimes means asking who wrote the available answers.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
志愿项目报名表只有两个选框：‘每个周末都有空’和‘没有空’。两者都不符合我的情况。我大多数星期六能帮忙，星期天却要照顾祖父。我差点选第一项，怕选第二项就没机会了。
提交前，我联系组织者，解释表格与个人日程的落差。她说这些选框是为去年的活动设计的，当时只在星期六举办。今年加入了星期天，却没人更新表格。她增加了填写具体时段的地方，也请其他申请者修改答案。
改动不能保证我入选，却让所有人的信息更准确。第一次开会时，另一名志愿者说，自己也差点承诺了做不到的时数。
表格看似中立地收集事实，其中的选项却也决定人们觉得哪些事实说得出来。认真读问题，有时还要问：供选择的答案是谁写的？
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- volunteer
- 志愿服务；报名表所对应的项目。
- available
- 有空的；并非每个周末都如此。
- described
- 描述；两个选项都不符合实际。
- submitting
- 提交；发出表格前先询问。
- organizer
- 组织者；解释表格沿用旧版。
- updated
- 更新；今年活动改变但表格没改。
- availability
- 可参与时段；新字段供具体填写。
- guarantee
- 保证；改表不等于一定入选。
- neutral
- 中立的；表格看似客观。
- shape
- 塑造；选项影响能表达的事实。
Background notes (Chinese)
设计选项时若不更新活动条件，报名者可能被迫在两个不准确的答案间选择。主人公向组织者反馈，使表格更能反映实际时间。