高中二年级 · 阅读系列
Lesson 36 · The True Cost of a Cheap Shirt
文体：购物反思 · 朗读音轨 36
先听一遍
听听低价为什么既不能证明衣服公平，也不能证明它不公平。
展开英文短文，再悬停查词
A shirt on the sale rack cost less than our lunch. I almost bought it because the color was perfect. My friend asked how a piece of clothing could reach our town for such a low price. Neither of us knew the answer.
At home we looked at the label and the company's public information. We found where the shirt had been made, but not enough detail to describe the conditions of every worker. A cheap price alone could not prove either fairness or unfairness. It did give us a reason to ask what information was available.
I checked whether the shirt would fit clothes I already owned and whether I would wear it often. In the end I did not need it that day. My friend bought a different shirt after comparing its material and care instructions.
We had no perfect shopping rule. We did learn to slow down, ask where a product came from, and separate what we knew from what we only imagined.
逐句跟读
点击任意一句听 Dicvo 的 Jenny 英语语音；开始连续播放前可选择每句播放次数。同一句的每遍之间、切换到下一句之前，都会留出约一遍句子时长供你跟读。原有整篇朗读仍可在上方播放。
请选择一句开始。
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A shirt on the sale rack cost less than our lunch.
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I almost bought it because the color was perfect.
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My friend asked how a piece of clothing could reach our town for such a low price.
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Neither of us knew the answer.
-
At home we looked at the label and the company's public information.
-
We found where the shirt had been made, but not enough detail to describe the conditions of every worker.
-
A cheap price alone could not prove either fairness or unfairness.
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It did give us a reason to ask what information was available.
-
I checked whether the shirt would fit clothes I already owned and whether I would wear it often.
-
In the end I did not need it that day.
-
My friend bought a different shirt after comparing its material and care instructions.
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We had no perfect shopping rule.
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We did learn to slow down, ask where a product came from, and separate what we knew from what we only imagined.
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
促销架上一件衬衫，比我们的午饭还便宜。我差点因为颜色正合心意就买下来。朋友问，这件衣服怎么能以如此低的价格运到镇上。我们俩都不知道答案。
回家后，我们查看标签和公司公开资料。我们找到了生产地点，却没有足够细节说明每位工人的工作条件。低价本身既不能证明公平，也不能证明不公平，但它提醒我们去问：究竟有哪些信息可查。
我还想了想，这件衬衫是否能配现有衣服，自己会不会经常穿。最后，那天我并不需要它。朋友则比较布料和保养说明后，买了另一件。
我们没有找到完美的购物规则，却学会放慢一点，追问产品从哪里来，并把已知的事实与自己想象的事情分开。
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。
- sale rack
- 促销架；衬衫价格很低。
- clothing
- 衣服；追问生产与运输。
- label
- 标签；可以查制造地。
- conditions
- 工作条件；公开信息不足以逐人说明。
- worker
- 工人；不能凭价格推断其经历。
- fairness
- 公平；低价本身无法证明。
- available
- 可获得的；先查有什么资料。
- material
- 布料；朋友比较衣物材质。
- instructions
- 保养说明；购买前查看。
- imagined
- 想象的；需与事实分开。
背景知识
价格、标签和企业公开信息只能提供部分线索，不能单凭低价推断每位工人的处境。主人公同时考虑实际需要与衣物使用频率。