High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 15 · Learning to Disagree Well
Audio track 15
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
In class, we debated whether the school should replace printed notices with one digital board. My friend argued that it would save paper. I disagreed because students might miss information when the board was crowded. I began my reply with, “You never think about people without phones.” Her face changed immediately.
Afterward I realized that I had guessed her character from one proposal. She had actually suggested keeping printed copies for students who requested them; I had missed that sentence while preparing my own response.
I apologized and tried again in writing. I named the part I agreed with, quoted the specific claim I questioned, and asked how the board would handle urgent notices. She answered with a revised plan. We still disagreed about cost, but our questions became more precise.
Disagreement did not require us to hide a real concern. It required me to represent her view accurately before criticizing it. A strong argument begins with understanding the sentence on the other side.
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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In class, we debated whether the school should replace printed notices with one digital board.
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My friend argued that it would save paper.
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I disagreed because students might miss information when the board was crowded.
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I began my reply with, “You never think about people without phones.”
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Her face changed immediately.
-
Afterward I realized that I had guessed her character from one proposal.
-
She had actually suggested keeping printed copies for students who requested them; I had missed that sentence while preparing my own response.
-
I apologized and tried again in writing.
-
I named the part I agreed with, quoted the specific claim I questioned, and asked how the board would handle urgent notices.
-
She answered with a revised plan.
-
We still disagreed about cost, but our questions became more precise.
-
Disagreement did not require us to hide a real concern.
-
It required me to represent her view accurately before criticizing it.
-
A strong argument begins with understanding the sentence on the other side.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
课堂上，我们讨论是否用一块电子公告板取代纸质通知。朋友说那能省纸。我不同意，担心板上信息太多时学生会漏看。我开口却说：‘你从不考虑没手机的人。’她的脸色立刻变了。
事后，我才发现自己凭一项提议就给她的人品下了判断。她其实建议给有需要的学生保留纸质副本，只是我忙着准备反驳，漏听了那句话。
我道歉，重新写了一份回应：先说明赞同之处，再引用自己质疑的具体说法，并问电子板怎样处理紧急通知。她拿出修订方案。我们仍在费用问题上意见不同，提问却变得更准确。
有分歧不意味着要掩饰真实顾虑，却要求我在批评前准确呈现对方的看法。强有力的论证，从听懂对面那句话开始。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- debated
- 讨论；纸质通知是否改电子板。
- replace
- 取代；电子板可能替换纸张。
- argued
- 主张；朋友看重节省纸。
- crowded
- 拥挤的；信息过多会漏看。
- character
- 品格；不能凭提案推断。
- specific
- 具体的；引用实际说法。
- urgent
- 紧急的；公告需及时传达。
- revised
- 修订的；朋友提出新方案。
- represent
- 呈现；批评前先准确转述。
- criticizing
- 批评；应针对真正观点。
Background notes (Chinese)
批评方案时应针对具体主张，不要凭一句话推断对方品格。主人公重读提议、道歉后，把讨论拉回纸质副本与紧急信息。