Level 2 · Reading series
Lesson 52 · A Map That Changed My Idea
Audio track 52
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
I used to think our town was small and far from everything. Then my teacher showed us an old map and a train map.
On the old map, our town was near a river road. People used the river to carry rice and wood. On the train map, our station connected us to the city in thirty minutes.
The town did not move, but my idea moved.
A map is not only about places. It can show how people, goods, and stories travel.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
以前我总觉得我们的小镇很小，离什么地方都远。后来，老师给我们看了一张旧地图和一张铁路图。
旧地图上，小镇靠近一条河道。人们曾沿着河运送大米和木材。铁路图上，从我们站坐火车到城市只要三十分钟。
小镇没有移动，改变的却是我的看法。
地图不只是告诉我们地点在哪儿，也能显示人、货物和故事如何往来。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- map
- 地图；课文比较旧地图和铁路图。
- used to think
- 过去以为；后来认识发生改变。
- far from
- 远离；主人公原觉得小镇与外界隔绝。
- old map
- 旧地图；显示过去的河道联系。
- train map
- 铁路图；显示通往城市的线路。
- carry
- 运送；河道曾用来运米和木材。
- wood
- 木材；旧时沿河运输的货物。
- connect A to B
- 把 A 与 B 连接；火车站连接小镇和城市。
- goods
- 货物；可以沿河或铁路运送。
- travel
- 往来；最后指人和故事的流动。
Background notes (Chinese)
同一个小镇，在不同时代的地图上会显出不同的联系：过去靠河运，现在有铁路。地图帮助主人公重新理解家乡与外界的关系，而不是让小镇在地理上发生移动。