Reading Signs
BasicSigns use few words but give clear information.
- Signs are short but strong: Exit, Entrance, No smoking.
- No + V-ing / noun = forbidden: No eating, No parking.
- must not means never; may means allowed.
文體小知識：Public notices.
§Text Passage
1Welcome to City Library. Before you go in, please look at the signs near the entrance. Please read the rules carefully. First, keep your voice low. Do not talk loudly. Second, food and drinks are not allowed. You may not eat or drink inside. Third, books may be borrowed for two weeks. Please return them on time.
2If you need help, ask the librarian at the front desk. She is friendly and ready to help. Please queue up when many people are waiting. Do not run inside the library. Remember, smoking is not allowed here. You can see a 'No smoking' sign outside the door. The toilets are on the first floor, near the stairs.
3The library is open from 9 am to 9 pm on weekdays, and from 10 am to 6 pm on weekends. It is closed on the first day of the year. You can enter through the front entrance next to the bus stop. The exit is on the other side of the building. You do not need a ticket to enter, but you need a library card to borrow books. Enjoy reading!
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Welcome to City Library.
歡迎來到城市圖書館。
Before you go in, please look at the signs near the entrance.
進去之前，請看一下入口附近的告示牌。
Please read the rules carefully.
請細心閱讀規則。
First, keep your voice low.
第一，保持安靜。
Do not talk loudly.
不要大聲說話。
Second, food and drinks are not allowed.
第二，不准飲食。
You may not eat or drink inside.
場內不可以吃東西、喝東西。
Third, books may be borrowed for two weeks.
第三，那些書可以借兩星期。
Please return them on time.
請準時還書。
If you need help, ask the librarian at the front desk.
如果需要幫忙，可以問服務台的圖書館員。
She is friendly and ready to help.
她好友善，好樂意幫忙。
Please queue up when many people are waiting.
多人等候時，請排好隊。
Do not run inside the library.
不要在圖書館裡面奔跑。
Remember, smoking is not allowed here.
記住，這裡不准吸煙。
You can see a 'No smoking' sign outside the door.
門口外面有個「不准吸煙」告示。
The toilets are on the first floor, near the stairs.
洗手間在一樓，在樓梯附近。
The library is open from 9 am to 9 pm on weekdays, and from 10 am to 6 pm on weekends.
圖書館平日朝九晚九開放，週末就朝十晚六。
It is closed on the first day of the year.
每年的第一天休息。
You can enter through the front entrance next to the bus stop.
可以由巴士站旁邊的正門進去。
The exit is on the other side of the building.
出口在大樓的另一邊。
You do not need a ticket to enter, but you need a library card to borrow books.
進去不需要門票，但借書就需要圖書證。
Enjoy reading!
祝你閱讀愉快！
1Summary 重點摘要
Signs use few words but give clear information.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Notice.
Way in.
Way out.
Restroom.
Don't smoke.
Line up.
Pass.
Not closed.
3Step by step Steps
- PlacesCommon place words on signs are entrance, exit, toilet, lift and information. Example: The exit is on the left. Note that exit means the way out and emergency exit marks the escape route. These words appear in shopping centres, airports and libraries, and recognising them helps you find your way quickly. When reading a sign, scan the big words first and then the small print below, in that order, so your understanding stays complete.
- RulesSigns about rules often begin with no: No smoking, No eating and No parking. Example: There is a No smoking sign in the library. Note that no is followed by a noun or an -ing form. A sign that starts with no tells you that the action is not allowed there. Signs usually come with a picture, and comparing the words with the picture confirms the meaning, so you will not misunderstand even when there are new words. This is an important sign-reading skill.
- ActionsInstruction signs use short verbs: queue, wait, buy ticket, push and pull. Example: Please queue up here. Note that verbs on signs appear in the base form or after please, which sounds direct but still polite. Push and pull are the common signs on doors and mean the opposite of each other, so mixing them up leaves the door unopened. A sentence that begins with the verb is usually an instruction or a direction, and you should act on it at once.
- TimeOpening-hour signs use open and closed with times: Open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Example: The library is closed on Sundays. Note that open and closed work as adjectives after is. A.m. means the morning and p.m. means the afternoon and evening; do not confuse the two. When reading such a sign, find is open or is closed first and then check the time range, and you will know whether it is open now.
- No + noun / V-ingThe formula for prohibition signs is no plus a noun or an -ing form: No smoking, No eating and No parking. Example: No swimming in this river. Note that the verb must take the -ing form; never write No smoke or No swim. This style leaves out you are, and the full meaning is You must not smoke here. When you see a sign beginning with no, think of must not; the two expressions can be rewritten as each other, which is also a common transformation exercise.
- must vs maySigns and rules differ in strength: You must not smoke here means it is never allowed, a firm prohibition, while You may borrow books means it is permitted. The negative must not is the strongest, and breaking it brings consequences. May shows permission and can be replaced by can. Should is a suggestion whose strength lies between the two, as in You should keep quiet. Grasping must, may and should tells you how strong each rule is and what follows if it is broken.
5Worked example Example
Question: The library door shows several rules. How do we read them one by one?
- Step 1: Circle the verbs or key words in each rule to see what behaviour it targets — keep your voice low; food and drinks are not allowed.
- Step 2: Sort the rules into forbidden and allowed: not allowed means forbidden, and may borrow means allowed.
- Step 3: Restate each rule in your own words to check your understanding — be quiet inside, and do not eat there.
- Step 4: Find the time facts, such as open and closed with the opening hours, so you know when it is suitable to go.
- Step 5: Act on the rules, for example pack away your snacks and speak softly before going in.
- Answer: Sample answer: The library rules are: keep your voice low, and food and drinks are not allowed. You may borrow books. So pack away your snacks and speak softly before you go in.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Entrance?
Q2Exit?
Q3No smoking?
Q4Toilet?
Q5Queue?
Q6Open?
Q7Can you eat in the library?
Q8What do you use to borrow?
Q9Who can help you?
8Recap Recap
- Signs are short but strong: Exit, Entrance, No smoking.
- No + V-ing / noun = forbidden: No eating, No parking.
- must not means never; may means allowed.
- Read the rules before entering a public place so you do not break them.
- Check Open / Closed before you walk in.