Level 3 · Reading series
Lesson 7 · A Plan with Room for Everyone
Audio track 07
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Riku: Shall we go to the new café on Saturday?
Aoi: It looks fun, but I can't afford the lunch set this month.
Maya: Thanks for telling us. We could bring snacks and meet at the riverside park instead.
Riku: Good idea. Is one o'clock okay?
Aoi: I help at home until two. Could we meet later?
Maya: How about three? We can still walk before sunset.
Riku: Three works for me. I'll bring a card game.
Aoi: Thanks. I did not want to stop everyone from going.
Maya: You didn't. We wanted to spend time together. The place was only one possible plan.
In the end, we talked for two hours and forgot to open the game.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
陆： 星期六去新开的咖啡馆怎么样？
葵： 看起来挺有意思，但这个月我负担不起那里的午餐套餐。
真弥： 谢谢你告诉我们。那我们带点零食，改在河边公园见面吧。
陆： 好主意。一点可以吗？
葵： 我要在家帮忙到两点。能晚一点吗？
真弥： 三点怎么样？日落前还来得及散步。
陆： 我三点可以。我带一副卡牌游戏。
葵： 谢谢。我不想因为自己，让大家都去不成。
真弥： 你没有耽误大家。我们想的是在一起玩，咖啡馆只是其中一个选择。
最后，我们聊了两个小时，连游戏都忘了打开。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- shall we ...?
- ‘我们……好吗？’；用来提出一起活动的建议。
- afford
- 负担得起；can't afford the lunch set 指这个月没有余力支付套餐。
- lunch set
- 午餐套餐；咖啡馆提供的一套午餐。
- bring
- 带来；bring snacks 是‘带些零食来’。
- instead
- 改为、代替；大家改到河边公园见面。
- until
- 直到；until two 指家务要做到两点。
- later
- 更晚一些；用于请求推迟见面时间。
- sunset
- 日落；before sunset 指天黑之前。
- possible
- 可能的、可选的；咖啡馆只是众多活动方案之一。
- in the end
- 最后、结果；引出大家聊了两小时的结局。
Background notes (Chinese)
葵说负担不起午餐套餐，又说两点前要帮家里做事。朋友们没有追问细节，而是一起调整地点和时间。can't afford 表示眼下没有支付余力，不等于不想参加；读准这个区别，才能理解对方的心情。