Level 1 · Reading series
Lesson 32 · A Joke That Hurt
Audio track 32
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Kai makes a joke about Riku’s drawing. Some students laugh, but Riku becomes quiet.
“I was only trying to be funny,” Kai says.
His intention was not bad, but his words had a painful impact. Kai decides to check in.
“Did my joke hurt you?”
Riku nods. “Please stop.”
“I’m sorry,” Kai says. He apologizes without making an excuse. A good joke needs respect for the person who hears it.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
Kai 拿 Riku 的画开了个玩笑。几个同学笑起来，Riku 却沉默了。
“我只是想逗大家笑。”Kai 说。
他并没有恶意，但他的话伤到了人。Kai 决定去问问 Riku。
“我的玩笑让你难受了吗？”
Riku 点头。“请别再这样了。”
“对不起。”Kai 没有找借口，而是真诚道歉。好的玩笑，也要尊重听的人。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- joke
- 玩笑；笑话。
- laugh
- 笑。
- funny
- 有趣的；滑稽的。
- intention
- 意图；本意。
- impact
- 影响；冲击。
- check in
- 问候并确认对方的情况。
- hurt
- 伤害；疼痛。
- stop
- 停止；停下来。
- apologize
- 道歉。
- respect
- 尊重；敬重。
Background notes (Chinese)
说话时，‘本来想表达什么’与‘对方实际听到了什么’都重要。发现对方受伤后，先停止相关行为，再坦诚道歉，不要一味解释。以后不再重复，也是道歉的一部分。