High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 16 · A Search Result with a Price
Audio track 16
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
I searched for a free tool to organize my graduation project. The first result promised “the best choice for students,” and its design looked professional. A small label showed that it was an advertisement. I had almost treated its position on the page as evidence of quality.
I compared the tool with two others, reading what each could do and what information it requested. The advertised service had useful features, but it also required an account and offered a paid upgrade after a short trial. A simpler tool met our group's needs without those conditions.
I wrote our comparison in a shared document, including what we had not tested. We chose the simpler option for now and planned to review it after a month. That decision could change if the work became more complex.
A search engine had found possibilities quickly. It had not decided which one served us best. The label “advertisement” did not mean the tool was bad; it told me to separate why I saw it first from why I might choose it.
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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I searched for a free tool to organize my graduation project.
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The first result promised “the best choice for students,” and its design looked professional.
-
A small label showed that it was an advertisement.
-
I had almost treated its position on the page as evidence of quality.
-
I compared the tool with two others, reading what each could do and what information it requested.
-
The advertised service had useful features, but it also required an account and offered a paid upgrade after a short trial.
-
A simpler tool met our group's needs without those conditions.
-
I wrote our comparison in a shared document, including what we had not tested.
-
We chose the simpler option for now and planned to review it after a month.
-
That decision could change if the work became more complex.
-
A search engine had found possibilities quickly.
-
It had not decided which one served us best.
-
The label “advertisement” did not mean the tool was bad; it told me to separate why I saw it first from why I might choose it.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
我搜索能整理毕业项目的免费工具。第一个结果宣称‘学生的最佳选择’，页面也显得很专业。一枚小标签显示它是广告。我差点把出现在首位当成质量的证据。
我将它与另外两款工具比较，读各自的功能和索取的信息。广告服务确有实用功能，却要求注册账号，短暂试用后还会提供付费升级。另一款简单工具没有这些条件，也能满足小组所需。
我在共享文档里写下比较结果，连尚未测试的部分也说明。我们暂时选简单的那款，计划一个月后复核；如果工作更复杂，选择仍可改变。
搜索引擎能迅速找到可能的选项，却不能替我们决定哪款最合用。‘广告’不表示工具必然差，只提醒我分开考虑：为什么先看见它，与为什么要选择它，是两回事。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- result
- 结果；搜索页第一项。
- promised
- 承诺；广告自称最佳。
- advertisement
- 广告；决定显眼位置的原因。
- position
- 位置；不能当作质量证明。
- evidence
- 证据；需要看实际功能。
- requested
- 要求；服务索取账号与信息。
- upgrade
- 升级；试用后有付费版本。
- trial
- 试用；可能有期限。
- conditions
- 条件；简单工具更符合需要。
- possibilities
- 可能选择；搜索只提供候选。
Background notes (Chinese)
搜索位置可能由广告投放决定，并不直接反映质量。小组按功能、账号要求和费用比较，承认尚未测试的部分并约定复查。