High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 41 · A Bench That Started an Argument
Audio track 41
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
The town planned to place a bench outside the station. Students welcomed somewhere to wait after club activities. A shop owner worried that the bench might block deliveries, while an older resident said its proposed position was too far from the crossing she used.
At first the disagreement sounded like a simple vote for or against a bench. We drew the pavement and asked people to mark where they walked, rested, or moved carts. The marks revealed that the exact position mattered more than the bench itself. A wider space beside the public noticeboard might work, provided a clear route remained for other users.
The town tested a temporary bench for two weeks and invited comments at different times of day. Some problems remained, but the trial gave people a shared object to discuss instead of an imagined one.
A bench is small enough to overlook in a plan. For someone waiting, working, or crossing, it can change the street. The argument became useful when we asked where and for whom the bench would stand.
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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The town planned to place a bench outside the station.
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Students welcomed somewhere to wait after club activities.
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A shop owner worried that the bench might block deliveries, while an older resident said its proposed position was too far from the crossing she used.
-
At first the disagreement sounded like a simple vote for or against a bench.
-
We drew the pavement and asked people to mark where they walked, rested, or moved carts.
-
The marks revealed that the exact position mattered more than the bench itself.
-
A wider space beside the public noticeboard might work, provided a clear route remained for other users.
-
The town tested a temporary bench for two weeks and invited comments at different times of day.
-
Some problems remained, but the trial gave people a shared object to discuss instead of an imagined one.
-
A bench is small enough to overlook in a plan.
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For someone waiting, working, or crossing, it can change the street.
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The argument became useful when we asked where and for whom the bench would stand.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
镇上计划在车站外放一张长椅。学生欢迎社团活动后有地方等车；店主担心长椅挡住送货；一位年长居民则说，拟定位置离她常用的过街处太远。
起初，这像是一场支持或反对长椅的投票。我们画出人行道，请人们标记走路、休息或推车的位置。标记显示，准确位置比长椅本身更关键。公共告示板旁一处较宽的地方可能可行，前提是给其他使用者留出通路。
镇政府试放临时长椅两周，邀请人们在一天的不同时段提出意见。问题没有全部解决，但试验给了大家一个实际可见的对象，而不只是各自想象的长椅。
长椅在规划图上很小，容易被忽略；对等待、工作或过街的人，它却会改变街道。我们开始问它将放在哪里、供谁使用，争论才变得有用。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- place
- 放置；长椅地点影响通行。
- deliveries
- 送货；店主要保留通路。
- proposed
- 拟议的；位置尚未确定。
- pavement
- 人行道；大家标记使用方式。
- revealed
- 显示；标记揭示了关键。
- position
- 位置；比赞成与否更重要。
- provided
- 只要；须保留畅通路线。
- temporary
- 临时的；先试放两周。
- trial
- 试验；收集不同时段意见。
- overlook
- 忽略；小设施也会影响人。
Background notes (Chinese)
不同使用者对长椅位置的需求不同；地图标注和临时试放使讨论更具体。