Level 3 · Reading series
Lesson 6 · A Seat Saved for Someone Else
Audio track 06
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On the bus for our school trip, I put my bag on the seat beside me. Emi smiled and said, “You saved a seat for me!” I had actually promised it to Nao, who sometimes felt sick at the back of a bus.
I did not want Emi to feel rejected, so I almost said nothing. Then Nao got on. The three of us stood in the narrow aisle, and the moment became awkward.
“I'm sorry,” I told Emi. “I should have explained. Nao needs a seat near the front.” Emi looked surprised but moved to the row behind us. At the next stop, I turned around to talk with her.
Saving a seat was easy. Saying why had been the difficult part.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
去修学旅行的校车上，我把书包放在身旁的座位。惠美笑着说：‘你给我留了座位呀！’其实，我已经答应把它留给直，因为直坐在车后面有时会晕车。
我不想让惠美觉得自己被拒绝，差点什么也没说。这时直上了车，我们三个站在狭窄的过道里，场面一下变得尴尬。
‘对不起，’我对惠美说，‘我早该解释清楚。直需要坐在前面。’惠美有些惊讶，还是坐到了我们后面一排。下一站停车时，我回过头和她聊了起来。
留一个座位很容易；难的是把原因说清楚。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- save a seat
- 留座位；save 在这里是‘预留’，不是‘拯救’。
- actually
- 实际上；用来引出与惠美所想不同的事实。
- promise
- 答应、许诺；叙述者事先答应把座位留给直。
- feel sick
- 感到不适；这里指坐在车后面有时会晕车。
- reject
- 拒绝；feel rejected 指‘觉得自己被排斥了’。
- almost
- 差一点、几乎；almost said nothing 是‘差点什么也没说’。
- narrow aisle
- 狭窄的过道；三人上车后站在这里，气氛尴尬。
- awkward
- 尴尬的；形容误会尚未解释时的场面。
- explain
- 解释；把留座位的原因告诉惠美。
- turn around
- 回过头；叙述者转身与后排的惠美交谈。
Background notes (Chinese)
同一个空座位，在惠美眼中像是留给她的，在叙述者心里却关系到与直的约定。及时说出对方不知道的缘由，能减少误会。I should have explained 是承认自己本可以解释得更清楚，并非责怪对方。