Signs & Labels 標誌閱讀
BasicRead signs and labels around you.
- Common signs: PUSH, PULL, EXIT, NO SMOKING, SALE.
- Signs use short phrases, not long sentences — a few words carry one message.
- Titles and covers tell you the topic: My Little Garden is about a garden.
文體小知識：Read signs.
§Text Passage
1Helping at home is important. Every Saturday, I clean my room and make my bed. I put away my books and tidy my desk. My mother puts a sign on the fridge that says Everyone Helps. I read it and smile because I am ready to help.
2I also help wash the dishes after dinner. I dry them with a clean cloth and put them back on the shelf. My mother says I am a helpful child. Last week, I helped my father wash the car in the car park. It was fun, but my clothes got wet. We laughed and took a picture together.
3On Sunday, I water the plants on the balcony. The flowers look beautiful now. Dad bought me a book about flowers. The title on the cover is My Little Garden. I read it in the evening and write down new keywords in my notebook. I can answer Dad's questions and understand the plants better now. Everyone should help at home. It makes the whole family happy.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Helping at home is important.
幫忙做家務很重要。
Every Saturday, I clean my room and make my bed.
每逢星期六，我會打掃自己的房間，整理床鋪。
I put away my books and tidy my desk.
我會收拾好書，抹乾淨書桌。
My mother puts a sign on the fridge that says Everyone Helps.
媽媽在雪櫃上面貼了一個牌子，寫着「人人幫忙」。
I read it and smile because I am ready to help.
我看到之後笑了，因為我已經準備好幫忙。
I also help wash the dishes after dinner.
吃完晚飯，我還會幫忙洗碗。
I dry them with a clean cloth and put them back on the shelf.
我用乾淨的布把那些碗抹乾，然後放回架子上。
My mother says I am a helpful child.
媽媽說我是一個樂於幫忙的小朋友。
Last week, I helped my father wash the car in the car park.
上個星期，我幫爸爸在停車場洗車。
It was fun, but my clothes got wet.
很好玩，不過我的衣服都濕透了。
We laughed and took a picture together.
我們一起笑，還拍了一張照片。
On Sunday, I water the plants on the balcony.
星期日，我會幫露台的花澆水。
The flowers look beautiful now.
那些花現在很漂亮。
Dad bought me a book about flowers.
爸爸買了一本關於花的書給我。
The title on the cover is My Little Garden.
封面上面的標題是 My Little Garden。
I read it in the evening and write down new keywords in my notebook.
晚上我會看這本書，在筆記簿上記下新的關鍵詞。
I can answer Dad's questions and understand the plants better now.
現在我能回答爸爸的問題，還更加了解那些植物。
Everyone should help at home.
大家都應該幫忙做家務。
It makes the whole family happy.
這樣會令全家人都好開心。
1Summary 重點摘要
Read signs and labels around you.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Read.
Answer.
Question.
Picture.
Sign.
Title.
Key word.
Understand.
3Step by step Steps
- Learn common sign wordsPUSH, PULL, EXIT, NO SMOKING, Everyone Helps. These sign words appear everywhere in shopping centres, cinemas and schools, so each one you learn is one you will use. Signs starting with NO always forbid something, and the verb takes the -ing form: NO SMOKING, NO PARKING. One rule unlocks a whole family of signs.
- Signs usually use short phrasesThe sign on the fridge says Everyone Helps — three words carry the whole message, with no subject and no full sentence, and it still makes sense. Signs drop details so people understand at a glance; readers put the missing parts back: Everyone (should) help(s). Find the verb first and most of the message appears.
- Find the topic from the titleA book cover says My Little Garden, so you know at once it is about plants in a garden. A title is the passage in miniature: predict the topic, the people and the setting before you read. The prediction does not have to be right — it gives your brain a frame, so your eyes catch matching details and understanding speeds up.
- Match each sign to its messageThe fridge sign is about sharing chores; the book cover is about a garden. The two messages come from different places, so never mix them. Read the question first to see which message it asks about, then return to that exact source. Pair each sign with its place in your memory: fridge with Everyone Helps, cover with My Little Garden.
- Use colour and picturesRed usually means stop, danger or forbidden; green usually means allowed or safe; pictures hint too — a cigarette with a line through it means no smoking. Colour and pictures are a language beyond words, so even with new vocabulary you can guess the message. Look at colour and picture first, then read: twice as fast.
- Design your own signDesign a sign for your home: We Tidy Together. — three words, one message. First decide what you want everyone to do, then choose the shortest words that say it, then add a picture and a colour, and stick it where it belongs, such as on the fridge. Writing a sign yourself teaches you why signs are written the way they are.
5Worked example Example
Question: The sign on the fridge says Everyone Helps. What message does it carry?
- Step 1: Read word by word: Everyone (each person) + Helps (gives a hand).
- Step 2: Put the meanings together: every person helps — the whole family shares the work.
- Step 3: Check with the context: cleaning the room, washing the dishes and watering the plants are all chores, so the guess fits.
- Step 4: Confirm the main idea: the sign invites the whole family to share the chores.
- Step 5: Respond yourself: think which chore you can take on, for example I can water the plants.
- Answer: Answer: Everyone Helps means every person in the family shares the chores (cleaning, washing up, watering the plants), and that makes the whole family happier.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1First?
Q2Don't understand?
Q3Find answer?
Q4What do I clean?
Q5What do I wash?
Q6What does mother say?
8Recap Recap
- Common signs: PUSH, PULL, EXIT, NO SMOKING, SALE.
- Signs use short phrases, not long sentences — a few words carry one message.
- Titles and covers tell you the topic: My Little Garden is about a garden.
- Red often means forbidden, green often means allowed; read pictures and words together.
- Do something with what you read: make a We Tidy Together sign at home.