Level 3 · Reading series
Lesson 60 · The Words That Took Me Somewhere
Audio track 60
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
On the last day of school, I found a small notice about a river walk. It said, “Follow the path and look for signs of life.” I knew the words, but I first imagined road signs. Then I remembered the tracks we had seen beside the river.
I joined the walk. We found a feather, tiny holes in a leaf, and marks in the soft ground. We did not name every animal. Our guide asked what we could see and what we still wanted to know.
That evening, I read the notice again. “Signs of life” had become more than a phrase in a book. It was the feather in my hand and the question I had brought home. The words had taken me somewhere, and I was ready to keep reading.
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 the last day of school, I found a small notice about a river walk.
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It said, “Follow the path and look for signs of life.”
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I knew the words, but I first imagined road signs.
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Then I remembered the tracks we had seen beside the river.
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I joined the walk.
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We found a feather, tiny holes in a leaf, and marks in the soft ground.
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We did not name every animal.
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Our guide asked what we could see and what we still wanted to know.
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That evening, I read the notice again.
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“Signs of life” had become more than a phrase in a book.
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It was the feather in my hand and the question I had brought home.
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The words had taken me somewhere, and I was ready to keep reading.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
学期最后一天，我看到一张河边步行活动的小告示，上面写着：‘沿小路走，寻找生命留下的迹象。’这些词我都认识，一开始却想到了交通标志。随后，我记起我们曾在河边发现的动物脚印。
我参加了步行活动。大家找到一根羽毛、叶子上的小孔，还有松软地面上的痕迹。我们没有说出每一种动物的名字。向导问我们看到了什么，还想知道什么。
那天晚上，我重新读了告示。‘生命的迹象’不再只是书里的一组词：它是我手中的羽毛，也是我带回家的问题。这些词带我走到了一个新地方，而我已经准备好继续读下去。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- notice
- 告示；介绍河边步行活动。
- follow the path
- 沿小路走；告示上的指示。
- sign of life
- 生命的迹象；羽毛和足迹等线索。
- imagine
- 想象；起初想到交通标志。
- track
- 足迹；让主人公重新理解 sign。
- join
- 参加；他加入步行活动。
- feather
- 羽毛；活动中发现的线索。
- mark
- 痕迹；松软地面上的印迹。
- guide
- 向导；引导大家观察和提问。
- be ready to keep reading
- 准备继续阅读；经历让主人公愿意再读。
Background notes (Chinese)
sign 既可以指路牌，也可以指迹象。读者跟随主人公从字面联想到交通标志，再结合河边脚印、羽毛和叶孔理解 signs of life 的含义。