高中一年级 · 阅读系列
Lesson 5 · Lunch with a New Classmate
文体：短篇故事 · 朗读音轨 05
先听一遍
听听新同学停顿时，主人公最初怎样误解了她。
展开英文短文，再悬停查词
A new student joined our class in May. At lunch, I invited her to sit with us. She spoke slowly and paused before answering simple questions. I assumed she was uncomfortable, so I filled every silence with another question.
After a few minutes, she said, “Could I ask you something?” She wanted to know why our class ate in the room instead of the cafeteria. I explained our school's schedule, then she told us about the lunch system at her previous school. Soon everyone at the table was comparing small differences between schools.
Later, she told me she had been choosing her words carefully because she did not want to sound rude. I had mistaken her pauses for a wish to be left alone. My quick questions probably made it harder for her to speak.
The next day, I invited her again. This time, after I asked one question, I waited. She answered with a story about a cooking club, and I learned more than I had the day before.
读懂了什么？
读完后，试着用一句话说出本文的主要意思，并从原文找出支持它的一句话。
查看中文译文
五月，一位新同学来到我们班。午饭时，我请她和我们坐在一起。她说话缓慢，连回答简单问题前也会停一停。我以为她不自在，便不断抛出新问题，填满每一段沉默。
几分钟后，她说：‘我能问你一件事吗？’她想知道我们班为什么在教室吃饭，而不是去食堂。我解释了学校的安排；接着，她讲起原来学校的午餐制度。很快，一桌人都开始比较两所学校的小差别。
后来她告诉我，自己是在仔细斟酌措辞，免得显得无礼。我却把她的停顿当成了想独处的信号。我连珠炮似的问题，恐怕反而让她更难开口。
第二天，我又邀请她。这次，问完一个问题，我便等她回答。她讲了一个关于烹饪社的故事，我对她的了解也比前一天多了。
本课重点词语
以下是本课重点词语的中文讲解；英文正文中有虚线的单词可悬停查看词义和发音。
- join a class
- 加入班级；新同学五月来到班上。
- pause
- 停顿；她回答前会想一想。
- assume
- 以为、假定；主人公误判她不自在。
- fill the silence
- 填满沉默；接连提问，不留回答空间。
- instead of
- 而不是；这里对比教室和食堂。
- previous
- 以前的；她介绍旧学校的午餐制度。
- compare
- 比较；同学们交流学校差别。
- carefully
- 仔细地；她斟酌措辞以免失礼。
- mistake A for B
- 把 A 误认成 B；把停顿误当成想独处。
- probably
- 可能、大概；主人公反思自己的提问方式。
背景知识
对方回答前停顿，可能是在想词、整理想法，不一定是不愿说话。主人公发现自己误解后，改变了交谈节奏，让新同学有空间讲出自己的故事。