Level 3 · Reading series
Lesson 56 · The Skill I Did Not Expect to Need
Audio track 56
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
I joined a weekend project to make a guide for visitors to our town. I expected to take photographs and write short descriptions. Instead, my first job was to ask people questions.
At the market, I said, “What do you like about this place?” Most people gave short answers. My partner suggested a more specific question: “What do visitors often miss here?” A shop owner then showed us a small path behind the market that led to a quiet garden.
I had thought the important skill was writing good sentences. Writing mattered, but asking a clear question came first. Without that question, our guide would have shown only the places we already knew.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
我参加了一个周末项目，要为来镇上的游客制作指南。我原以为会负责拍照片、写简短介绍，没想到第一项工作却是向人提问。
在集市上，我问：‘你喜欢这里的什么？’大多数人答得很简短。我的搭档建议问得更具体些：‘游客来这里，常常会错过什么？’一位店主便带我们看了集市后面的一条小路，它通往一座安静的花园。
我原以为重要的是把句子写好。写作当然重要，但先得问出清楚的问题。若没有那个问题，我们的指南就只会介绍自己原本就知道的地方。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- project
- 项目；制作小镇游客指南。
- guide
- 指南；介绍值得走访的地方。
- visitor
- 游客；指南的读者。
- description
- 介绍文字；主人公原想写的内容。
- instead
- 反而；第一项工作是提问。
- specific
- 具体的；新问题更容易引出细节。
- often miss
- 常常错过；游客未注意的小路。
- lead to
- 通向；小路连着花园。
- matter
- 重要；写作与提问都重要。
- come first
- 先做；清楚提问先于撰写。
Background notes (Chinese)
采访问题过于宽泛时，回答也可能笼统。搭档把问题改成‘游客常错过什么’，才发现一处不为小组所知的花园，也让指南更有发现价值。