High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 60 · The Word That Opened the Page
Audio track 60
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
On my desk lay an English article about a community deciding how to use an empty building. A year ago, I might have translated each word and still missed the argument. This time I noticed “access.” It did not mean only a door or a website. It asked who could reach the building, when it would open, and whether people could actually use what was inside.
I followed the word into the next paragraph. A student wanted evening study space; a worker described staffing costs; an older resident asked about the stairs. None offered a complete answer. Together, their voices made the word larger and more precise.
I still looked up unfamiliar expressions. I also asked what each speaker knew, what remained uncertain, and which condition changed a proposal. The article did not become easy. It became readable because its pieces began to connect.
The page was not the end of my English study. It was an opening into another person's question. I closed the dictionary for a moment, read the first sentence again, and knew where to begin.
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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On my desk lay an English article about a community deciding how to use an empty building.
-
A year ago, I might have translated each word and still missed the argument.
-
This time I noticed “access.”
-
It did not mean only a door or a website.
-
It asked who could reach the building, when it would open, and whether people could actually use what was inside.
-
I followed the word into the next paragraph.
-
A student wanted evening study space; a worker described staffing costs; an older resident asked about the stairs.
-
None offered a complete answer.
-
Together, their voices made the word larger and more precise.
-
I still looked up unfamiliar expressions.
-
I also asked what each speaker knew, what remained uncertain, and which condition changed a proposal.
-
The article did not become easy.
-
It became readable because its pieces began to connect.
-
The page was not the end of my English study.
-
It was an opening into another person's question.
-
I closed the dictionary for a moment, read the first sentence again, and knew where to begin.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
桌上放着一篇英语文章，讲社区怎样决定使用一栋空楼。一年前，我也许会逐词翻译，却仍错过文章的争论。这次，我注意到 access 一词。它不只指一扇门或一个网站，还问谁能到达大楼、何时开放，以及里面的设施是否真能使用。
我顺着这个词读到下一段。一位学生想要晚间自习空间；一位员工说起人力成本；一位年长居民问楼梯怎么走。没有人给出完整答案，但声音汇在一起，使那个词的含义更广，也更准确。
我仍会查不认识的短语，也会问每个说话者知道什么、还有什么不确定，以及哪个条件会改变一项提议。文章没有突然变简单，却因各部分开始连接而变得可读。
这一页不是英语学习的终点，而是走进别人的问题的入口。我暂时合上词典，重新读第一句，知道该从哪里开始。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- community
- 社区；讨论空楼用途。
- translated
- 翻译；逐词处理仍可能漏主旨。
- argument
- 论点；文章争论如何使用。
- access
- 使用机会；不仅是入口。
- actually
- 实际上；设施须真正可用。
- staffing costs
- 人力成本；影响夜间开放。
- precise
- 准确的；多方声音使概念清楚。
- expressions
- 短语；遇到陌生表达仍需查。
- uncertain
- 不确定的；阅读时主动辨识。
- opening
- 开端；文章开启新问题。
Background notes (Chinese)
access 在文中涵盖到达、开放时间及实际使用机会；学生借关键词联系不同人物与条件。