High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 11 · The Friend I Misread
Audio track 11
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Listen once before opening the English passage.
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My friend Nao stopped joining us for lunch in the final term. I assumed she was avoiding me because I had disagreed with her during a class debate. The more I tried to act cheerful around her, the more distant she seemed.
One afternoon I asked whether she wanted to walk to the station. She said she had begun eating in the library's quiet room because her younger sister was ill and home had become noisy. Lunch was the only calm part of her day. She had not connected her choice to our debate at all.
I apologized for my assumption without asking her to explain more than she wanted. We agreed that she could join us when she felt like it, and that I could sometimes meet her for a short walk afterward. Neither of us had to make lunch a test of friendship.
Her answer did not mean I should ignore disagreement in the future. It reminded me that another person's action may have a history I cannot see. Asking gently was better than building a whole story from my fear.
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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My friend Nao stopped joining us for lunch in the final term.
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I assumed she was avoiding me because I had disagreed with her during a class debate.
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The more I tried to act cheerful around her, the more distant she seemed.
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One afternoon I asked whether she wanted to walk to the station.
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She said she had begun eating in the library's quiet room because her younger sister was ill and home had become noisy.
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Lunch was the only calm part of her day.
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She had not connected her choice to our debate at all.
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I apologized for my assumption without asking her to explain more than she wanted.
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We agreed that she could join us when she felt like it, and that I could sometimes meet her for a short walk afterward.
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Neither of us had to make lunch a test of friendship.
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Her answer did not mean I should ignore disagreement in the future.
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It reminded me that another person's action may have a history I cannot see.
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Asking gently was better than building a whole story from my fear.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
最后一学期，朋友直几不再和我们一起吃午饭。我以为她在躲我，因为我们曾在课堂辩论中意见不同。我越想在她面前表现得开心，她似乎越疏远。
一天下午，我问她要不要一起走去车站。她说妹妹生病后家里变得嘈杂，自己才开始到图书馆安静的房间吃饭。午饭是她一天中唯一平静的时段。她根本没把这个选择与我们的辩论联系起来。
我为自己的想当然道歉，没有要求她解释超过自己愿意说的事。我们约定，她想来时再一起吃，我有时则在午饭后陪她走一小段。谁也不用把午餐当作友谊考试。
她的回答不意味着我以后该忽视分歧，却提醒我：别人的行动可能有我看不见的来由。温和地询问，比按自己的恐惧编出整套故事更好。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- assumed
- 想当然地认为；误把缺席当成躲避。
- avoiding
- 躲避；主人公的猜测。
- disagreed
- 意见不合；两人曾在辩论中分歧。
- distant
- 疏远的；越表现轻松越这样觉得。
- connected
- 联系；对方并未关联午饭与辩论。
- assumption
- 假设；主人公为此道歉。
- afterward
- 之后；可在午饭后一起走。
- ignore
- 忽视；不必因此不谈分歧。
- history
- 来历；行动可能有未知背景。
- gently
- 温和地；先问而非推断。
Background notes (Chinese)
朋友改变习惯未必是对某人的回应。主人公询问后才知道对方需要安静空间，并让之后的相处保有弹性。