High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 4 · A Letter to My Younger Self
Audio track 04
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
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Dear younger me, you will remember the day you failed the English speech contest. You will replay the sentence you forgot and imagine that everyone else remembers it too. Most people will not. Some will remember that you returned to the stage after a long pause.
I cannot honestly tell you that every difficult moment will become a useful lesson. Some days will simply hurt. But this one will lead you to ask why you wanted to speak in the first place. You cared about the story of your neighbor, whose small shop was changing with the town. That story still matters even when your voice shakes.
Next year you will interview her again, not for a contest, but for the school paper. You will listen more closely and write more carefully. The work will be different because you changed, not because the first attempt was secretly perfect.
Keep the old draft. It is evidence of a beginning, not a final judgment. From the person you are becoming.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
亲爱的过去的我：
你会记得英语演讲比赛失利的那天，反复想起忘词的那句话，以为所有人也都记得。其实大多数人不会。有些人倒会记得，你停顿许久后还是回到了台上。
我不能不诚实地告诉你，每个难熬的时刻都会变成有用的一课。有些日子只是让人痛苦。但这一次会促使你重新问：当初为什么想开口？你在乎邻居的故事——她的小店正随着城镇变化。即使你的声音颤抖，那个故事依然重要。
明年你会再次采访她，这回不是为了比赛，而是为了校报。你会听得更仔细、写得更慎重。作品变了，是因为你变了，不是因为第一次尝试暗中早已完美。
留下旧稿。它是一个起点的证据，不是最终判决。
来自正在成为的你
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- replay
- 反复回想；忘词那刻不断重现。
- pause
- 停顿；仍回到台上完成演讲。
- honestly
- 诚实地；不承诺所有挫折都能变好。
- in the first place
- 最初；想开口的真正缘由。
- neighbor
- 邻居；小店故事的主人。
- interview
- 采访；后来为校报再访。
- attempt
- 尝试；第一次并不完美。
- secretly
- 暗中；失利不是隐藏的成功。
- evidence
- 证据；旧稿记录起点。
- judgment
- 判断；旧稿不是人生最终评价。
Background notes (Chinese)
失利不必被强行解释成‘一切都有好处’。写信者承认痛苦，同时从旧稿中看见开始讲述邻居故事的动机。