Level 3 · Reading series
Lesson 9 · When Our Opinions Split
Audio track 09
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
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Our class had to choose a poster for the music festival. Half the group liked a dark background with bright letters. The others preferred a light one that was easier to read from a distance.
At first, we voted. The result was almost equal, and nobody looked happy. Then our teacher asked us to explain our reasons, not repeat our choices.
“The dark poster feels exciting,” said Hana. “The light poster gives the time and place more space,” said Jun.
We tested both posters in the hallway. From far away, the light one was clearer. We kept its layout and borrowed the bright colors from Hana's design. We had not found a winner. We had made a better poster together.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
我们班要为音乐节选一张海报。小组里一半人喜欢深色背景配亮色文字；另一半人更喜欢浅色海报，因为站得远也容易看清。
起初，我们投票表决。票数几乎持平，谁也不太满意。于是老师请大家说明理由，而不是重复自己选了哪一张。
‘深色海报看起来很有活力。’花说。‘浅色海报让时间和地点更醒目。’隼说。
我们把两张海报放到走廊试了试。从远处看，浅色版更清楚。于是我们保留它的版式，又借用了花设计中的亮色。我们没有选出一个‘赢家’，却一起做出了更好的海报。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- choose
- 选择；全班需要在两张音乐节海报中作决定。
- background
- 背景；海报文字背后的深色或浅色区域。
- prefer
- 更喜欢；prefer A 表示相较其他选择更倾向 A。
- from a distance
- 从远处看；衡量海报信息是否容易看清。
- vote
- 投票；起初大家用票数作选择。
- almost equal
- 几乎相等；两边的票数差不多。
- explain a reason
- 说明理由；不仅说选什么，还说为什么。
- test
- 测试、试用；把海报放到走廊实际观看。
- layout
- 版式、布局；指文字和图形在海报上的安排。
- borrow
- 借用、采用；从另一张海报的设计中吸收亮色。
Background notes (Chinese)
意见相左时，只数票数未必能发现每个方案好在哪里。深色版有活力，浅色版便于远距离阅读。小组先听理由，再到走廊实测，才得以保留两边的优点。prefer 讲偏好，clearer 则讲实际可读性。