High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 40 · The Value of Time No One Counted
Audio track 40
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Our neighborhood event looked inexpensive on the final budget sheet. The room was free, the posters were donated, and volunteers served food. When I helped clean up, I realized how many hours were missing from the numbers. One neighbor had prepared ingredients for days; another had arranged transport for people who could not easily travel.
We did not turn every kind act into a bill. Instead, for the next event we listed the tasks and estimated the time they required. We asked volunteers which work they wanted to do and where more people or paid help might be needed. The new plan cost more money on paper, but it depended less on a few exhausted people.
Some neighbors worried that planning would remove the warm spirit of volunteering. The opposite happened: clearer roles let more people take part without guessing what was expected.
The first budget had counted cash accurately. It had not counted all the work. Seeing that difference helped us value generosity without assuming it was endless.
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After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
邻里活动在最终预算表上显得很便宜：场地免费，海报由人捐赠，食物靠志愿者分发。帮忙收拾时，我才发现数字漏掉了多少小时的劳动。一位邻居花了几天准备食材；另一位为出行不便的人安排交通。
我们没有把每一份善意都写成账单。为下次活动，我们列出工作，估计各项所需时间；也问志愿者想做哪些事、哪里需要更多人或付费帮手。新计划纸面上的成本高了，却不那么依赖少数筋疲力尽的人。
有邻居担心，做计划会抹去志愿服务的温暖。结果恰恰相反：职责更清楚，更多人不用猜自己该做什么，也能参与。
第一份预算准确计算了现金，却没有算进全部劳动。看见这种差别，帮助我们珍惜慷慨，同时不以为它取之不尽。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- neighborhood
- 邻里；活动依靠社区成员。
- budget sheet
- 预算表；原先只算现金。
- donated
- 捐赠；海报无需付费。
- ingredients
- 食材；有人提前数日准备。
- transport
- 交通；帮助出行不便者。
- estimated
- 估计；计算任务所需时间。
- exhausted
- 筋疲力尽的；少数人承担过多。
- volunteering
- 志愿服务；也需要清楚分工。
- roles
- 职责；让更多人参与。
- generosity
- 慷慨；不应被当作无限资源。
Background notes (Chinese)
免费场地和志愿帮忙使现金成本低，但筹备、交通与收拾也耗时；新计划列明工作与人手。