Level 1 · Reading series
Lesson 53 · The Tiny Hole in a Pen Cap
Audio track 53
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Look at a pen cap. Some caps have a tiny hole. Is it only decoration? No. The hole may allow airflow if the cap is swallowed and gets stuck.
A cap can block a child’s airway and cause choking. A hole does not remove every danger, but it may help air pass. Some pens use this design to meet a safety standard.
Never put a cap in your mouth. Safe design helps, but safe behavior is still important.
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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Look at a pen cap.
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Some caps have a tiny hole.
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Is it only decoration?
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No.
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The hole may allow airflow if the cap is swallowed and gets stuck.
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A cap can block a child’s airway and cause choking.
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A hole does not remove every danger, but it may help air pass.
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Some pens use this design to meet a safety standard.
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Never put a cap in your mouth.
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Safe design helps, but safe behavior is still important.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
看看一支笔的笔帽。有些笔帽上有一个小孔。这只是装饰吗？不是。如果笔帽被吞下并卡住，小孔可能让空气通过。
笔帽可能堵住孩子的气道，造成窒息。小孔不能消除所有危险，但或许有助于空气流通。有些笔采用这种设计，是为了符合安全标准。
绝不要把笔帽放进嘴里。安全设计有帮助，安全行为同样重要。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- pen cap
- 笔帽。
- tiny hole
- 很小的孔。
- airflow
- 空气流动。
- swallow
- 吞下。
- block
- 堵住；阻塞。本文是动词。
- choking
- 窒息；喉咙被堵住。
- design
- 设计。
- safety standard
- 安全标准。
- still
- 即便如此；仍然。本文是‘即便如此’。
- safe behavior
- 安全的做法。
Background notes (Chinese)
国际标准 ISO 11540 对可能被 14 岁及以下儿童使用的书写工具笔帽提出要求，以降低窒息风险。即便笔帽有孔，也不能保证绝对安全；不把它放进嘴里才是基本做法。
资料来源：ISO 11540，关于降低笔帽窒息风险的规范。