Level 2 · Reading series
Lesson 12 · My Brother's Charging Cable
Audio track 12
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My brother often borrows my charging cable and forgets to return it. Last night, my tablet had only five percent battery, and the cable was gone again.
I almost shouted, but then I remembered our rule: explain before you blame.
I went to his room and said, "I need the cable for homework. When you borrow it, please put it back on my desk."
He looked under his pillow and found it. "Sorry. I was watching a fishing video and forgot."
We put a small label on my cable. It did not solve everything, but it helped.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
弟弟常借我的充电线，却忘记还。昨晚，平板电脑只剩百分之五的电，线又不见了。
我差点喊起来，但想起了我们家的规矩：先说明情况，再谈责任。
我走进他的房间说：‘我做作业要用这根线。你借用以后，请把它放回我的书桌上。’
他在枕头下面找到了线：‘对不起。我看钓鱼视频，看着看着就忘了。’
我们在我的充电线上贴了个小标签。它没解决所有问题，但多少有些帮助。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- charging cable
- 充电线；用来给平板电脑充电。
- borrow
- 借入；borrow my cable 是‘借我的线’。
- return
- 归还；与 borrow 相对应。
- battery
- 电量；five percent battery 指剩余百分之五。
- gone
- 不见了；文中指线找不到了。
- almost shouted
- 差点喊出来；almost 表示事情差点发生。
- explain
- 解释；先把自己的需要讲清楚。
- blame
- 责怪；把过错归到对方身上。
- put it back
- 把它放回去；here 指放回书桌。
- label
- 标签；贴在充电线上用于辨认。
Background notes (Chinese)
‘你总是拿走我的东西’容易让谈话变成争吵；说明自己何时需要充电线、希望对方放回哪里，更容易得到具体回应。标签也帮助家人辨认物品，但仍需养成归还习惯。