Level 2 · Reading series
Lesson 14 · The Chore We Shared
Audio track 14
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Cleaning the living room used to be my sister's job. I only helped when someone told me to. Last month, we changed the rule.
Now we share the chore every Sunday. She puts away books and cushions. I vacuum the floor and water the plants.
It takes about twenty minutes if we do it together. It took almost an hour when one person did everything.
Sharing a chore is not just about fairness. It also teaches you how much work was invisible before.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
打扫客厅以前是姐姐一个人的任务。只有别人叫我帮忙，我才会动手。上个月，我们改了规矩。
现在，每个星期天我们一起分担这项家务。她收好书和靠垫，我用吸尘器清理地板，再给植物浇水。
两个人一起做，大约二十分钟就能完成。以前只有一个人做全部的事时，几乎要花一个小时。
分担家务不只是为了公平，也让你看见以前没有留意到的劳动。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- chore
- 家务；这里指清理客厅。
- used to be
- 过去是；表示以前的状态现在变了。
- tell A to do
- 叫某人做某事；以前要别人提醒才帮忙。
- share
- 分担；两个人一起承担同一项家务。
- put away
- 收起来；put away books 是‘把书收好’。
- cushion
- 靠垫；放在沙发上的软垫。
- vacuum
- 用吸尘器打扫；文中指清理地板。
- water the plants
- 给植物浇水；water 在这里作动词。
- fairness
- 公平；家务由两人共同承担。
- invisible
- 看不见的；比喻以前没被注意到的劳动。
Background notes (Chinese)
一项家务看似很小，做起来却包含整理、清洁、照料物品等多个步骤。分工后所花的时间变短，叙述者也开始注意到姐姐以前默默完成的工作。