Level 3 · Reading series
Lesson 52 · The Sign We Almost Misread
Audio track 52
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
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On a class visit to a museum, I saw a sign that said, “Please keep to the left.” I knew every word, but I first thought it meant “keep something on the left.” I looked down at my bag, unsure what to do.
Then I noticed arrows on the floor and people walking in two directions. Our guide explained that the sign was asking visitors to walk on the left side of the passage. It was about our movement, not our bags.
Later, I saw “Keep off the grass” outside. This time, I looked at the grass and the fence before asking for a translation. The two signs both used keep, but the words after it and the places around it gave different instructions.
Sentence practice
Play any sentence in Dicvo’s Jenny English voice. Before playing all, choose how many times each sentence plays. A practice pause about as long as the sentence follows each play, including before the next sentence. The complete reading remains above.
Choose a sentence to begin.
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On a class visit to a museum, I saw a sign that said, “Please keep to the left.”
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I knew every word, but I first thought it meant “keep something on the left.”
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I looked down at my bag, unsure what to do.
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Then I noticed arrows on the floor and people walking in two directions.
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Our guide explained that the sign was asking visitors to walk on the left side of the passage.
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It was about our movement, not our bags.
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Later, I saw “Keep off the grass” outside.
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This time, I looked at the grass and the fence before asking for a translation.
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The two signs both used `keep`, but the words after it and the places around it gave different instructions.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
班级参观博物馆时，我看见一块写着‘Please keep to the left’的牌子。每个词我都认识，却一开始以为它是说‘把某样东西放在左边’。我低头看看自己的包，不知道该怎么办。
后来，我注意到地上的箭头和朝两个方向行走的人。导览员解释，牌子是在请游客沿通道左侧行走，说的是我们的行进方向，不是背包。
接着，我在户外看见‘Keep off the grass’。这次，我先看草地和围栏，再问它是什么意思。两块牌子都用了 keep，但后面的词和周围环境，指向了两种不同的要求。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- sign
- 指示牌；博物馆里提示行走规则。
- keep to the left
- 靠左行走；不是把包放在左边。
- unsure
- 不确定；主人公不知道该做什么。
- notice
- 注意到；后来看到地面箭头。
- arrow
- 箭头；帮助判断通行方向。
- direction
- 方向；游客朝两个方向走。
- passage
- 通道；指示游客走左侧。
- movement
- 移动、行进；牌子说明行走方式。
- keep off the grass
- 不要踩草坪；户外另一块告示。
- instruction
- 指示；环境帮助理解具体要求。
Background notes (Chinese)
keep to the left 是‘靠左走’，keep off the grass 是‘不要踩草坪’。理解公共指示牌时，除了看词，还可以观察箭头、围栏和人们的走向。