Short Passage 短文閱讀
BasicReading skills for short passages.
- Four reading steps: look at the title → read the questions → find keywords → answer.
- Time words (six thirty, eight o'clock) are the best signposts.
- Do not panic at new words — use the words around them to guess.
文體小知識：Read and answer.
§Text Passage
1My school day starts at eight o'clock. I wake up at six thirty and wash my face. Then I eat breakfast with my family. Usually I have congee and a boiled egg. I put on my school uniform, pack my bag and take the bus to school. The bus ride takes twenty minutes.
2At school, we have six lessons. I like English and Music best. In the English lesson, I read a short story. First I look at the title and the picture, then I find the keywords. I answer the questions in my book. Now I understand the story well.
3During lunch, I eat with my friends and share our food. After school, I play basketball for an hour with my classmates. I go home at five and do my homework before dinner. At the bus stop, I see a sign with the time of my bus. I go to bed at nine and read one more page of my storybook.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
My school day starts at eight o'clock.
我的上學日由八點鐘開始。
I wake up at six thirty and wash my face.
我六點半起床，洗臉。
Then I eat breakfast with my family.
然後和家人一起吃早餐。
Usually I have congee and a boiled egg.
我通常吃粥同一個水煮蛋。
I put on my school uniform, pack my bag and take the bus to school.
我換好校服、收拾好書包，就搭巴士上學。
The bus ride takes twenty minutes.
車程要二十分鐘。
At school, we have six lessons.
在學校，我們一天有六節課。
I like English and Music best.
我最喜歡英文同音樂課。
In the English lesson, I read a short story.
英文堂上，我會看一篇短故事。
First I look at the title and the picture, then I find the keywords.
我會先看標題同圖畫，然後找關鍵詞。
I answer the questions in my book.
之後在書上面回答問題。
Now I understand the story well.
現在我完全明白這個故事。
During lunch, I eat with my friends and share our food.
吃午飯的時候，我會和朋友一起吃，還會分享食物。
After school, I play basketball for an hour with my classmates.
放學後，我會和同學打一個小時籃球。
I go home at five and do my homework before dinner.
我五點回到家，吃晚飯之前會做功課。
At the bus stop, I see a sign with the time of my bus.
在巴士站，我見到一個寫着巴士時間的牌子。
I go to bed at nine and read one more page of my storybook.
我九點上床睡覺，臨睡前看多一頁故事書。
1Summary 重點摘要
Reading skills for short passages.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Read.
Answer.
Question.
Picture.
Sign.
Title.
Key word.
Understand.
3Step by step Steps
- Look at the title firstThe title is School Day and the picture shows a schoolbag and a classroom, so you can guess the topic before reading a line. Titles and pictures are the passage's trailer: they switch on what you already know and make reading faster. Guess first, then read to check — right or wrong, the guess deepens your memory.
- Find the time line in paragraph 1Paragraph 1 gives six thirty — wake up, and eight o'clock — school. Follow the time words and the day falls into order. Stories are usually told in time order, so markers like six thirty, eight o'clock and after school are handles to hold. Underline them as you read and turn them into a tiny timetable.
- Find answers with keywordsThe question asks What do I play? Go back to the passage, scan for play, and the answer — play basketball for an hour — sits right beside it. Steps: circle the keyword in the question, scan for the same word or a synonym, then read that sentence closely. It is much faster than rereading everything, and watch for changed forms like played.
- Circle the factsCircle facts as you read: breakfast (congee and a boiled egg), transport (the bus), lessons (six lessons). Questions love these details, and circling is like taking notes while you read, so you never have to hunt again. Add a tiny label beside each fact — food, bus, lessons — to keep everything sorted.
- Guess new wordsDo not know congee? The word breakfast sits beside it, so it must be a breakfast food. Two clues help you guess: the words around the new word and the words it goes with. Take a rough guess, finish the paragraph, then look back — if the paragraph makes sense, your guess is probably right. No dictionaries in exams, so practise this.
- Retell after readingClose the book and retell the passage in two or three sentences: what time the writer wakes up, what happens at school, what happens after school. If you can say it in your own words, you have understood it; if one part is missing, reread that part. Retelling also trains your speaking and organizing skills at the same time.
5Worked example Example
Question: What time does the writer wake up, and how do we find the answer quickly?
- Step 1: Read the question and circle the keyword: the question asks about wake up, so carry that word back to the passage.
- Step 2: Look for wake up in paragraph 1 — narratives usually state the time at the start.
- Step 3: Read the sentence closely: I wake up at six thirty and wash my face. The answer is inside this line.
- Step 4: The time after at is the answer: six thirty, which you can copy straight from the text.
- Step 5: Check that the question really asks about time, not place or people, so the answer is not off target.
- Answer: Answer: six thirty. Paragraph 1 says: I wake up at six thirty and wash my face. The time after at is exactly what the question asks.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1First?
Q2Don't understand?
Q3Find answer?
Q4When do I go to school?
Q5When do I go home?
Q6What do I play?
8Recap Recap
- Four reading steps: look at the title → read the questions → find keywords → answer.
- Time words (six thirty, eight o'clock) are the best signposts.
- Do not panic at new words — use the words around them to guess.
- Keep answers short: a time question needs only the time.
- Retell the main idea after reading to remember it.