Long Texts
AdvancedParagraph by paragraph + gist.
- Long texts need no word-by-word reading: skim the opening and ending, then read the signposts.
- Connectives are signposts: 'however', 'in contrast', 'as a result' mark turns and results.
- Annotate with a system: circle names, box dates, underline opinions — findable at question time.
文體小知識：Handle long passages.
§Text Passage
1Many people believe that money brings happiness, and the belief is not entirely foolish. Money pays the rent, buys medicine and funds education, so of course the poor become happier as their income rises. The trouble begins later. Studies show that once basic needs are met, extra money adds surprisingly little joy. A banker earning ten times a teacher's salary is not ten times as cheerful. What really matters, the research insists, are relationships with family and friends, together with physical and mental health. People who chase wealth at the cost of their loved ones often end up with a rich but lonely life, which is not a happy one.
2Long passages like this one appear throughout the DSE reading paper, and they intimidate candidates who try to understand every single sentence. The professionals do something different. They skim the introduction and conclusion for the writer's main idea, then study how each paragraph is organised: does it give an argument, an example, a counter-example or a detail? A well-structured article usually announces its own structure. Words such as 'however', 'in contrast' and 'as a result' are signposts; annotate them as you read, and the organisation of the whole text becomes visible at a glance.
3Annotation also helps you organize information for the toughest question types. Circle names, box dates and underline opinions, then match them against the questions afterwards. When a question asks what the writer means by a phrase, return to that paragraph and read two sentences before and after it; the surrounding detail, not the phrase itself, usually holds the answer.
4So the lesson of the passage applies to the exam as well as to life. Chasing every single word, like chasing every single dollar, leaves you exhausted and no happier. Focus on what matters — the main idea, the structure, the evidence — and let the rest support it from the background.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Many people believe that money brings happiness, and the belief is not entirely foolish.
許多人相信金錢帶來快樂，而這個想法並非全然愚蠢。
Money pays the rent, buys medicine and funds education, so of course the poor become happier as their income rises.
金錢能支付租金、購買藥物和資助教育，貧窮的人收入增加時自然更快樂。
The trouble begins later.
問題在其後才出現。
Studies show that once basic needs are met, extra money adds surprisingly little joy.
研究顯示，一旦基本需要得到滿足，額外的金錢所增添的快樂少得出奇。
A banker earning ten times a teacher's salary is not ten times as cheerful.
薪金是教師十倍的銀行家，快樂程度並非十倍。
What really matters, the research insists, are relationships with family and friends, together with physical and mental health.
研究堅持，真正重要的是與家人朋友的關係，以及身心健康。
People who chase wealth at the cost of their loved ones often end up with a rich but lonely life, which is not a happy one.
為追求財富而犧牲摯愛的人，最終往往過着富有卻孤獨的生活——那並不快樂。
Long passages like this one appear throughout the DSE reading paper, and they intimidate candidates who try to understand every single sentence.
像這樣的長篇文章在文憑試閱讀卷中隨處可見，令企圖逐句讀懂的考生望而生畏。
The professionals do something different.
高手卻有不同的做法。
They skim the introduction and conclusion for the writer's main idea, then study how each paragraph is organised: does it give an argument, an example, a counter-example or a detail?
他們先略讀開頭和結尾以掌握作者的主要思想，再研究每段的結構：它提出論點、例子、反例還是細節？
A well-structured article usually announces its own structure.
結構嚴謹的文章通常會自行展示其結構。
Words such as 'however', 'in contrast' and 'as a result' are signposts; annotate them as you read, and the organisation of the whole text becomes visible at a glance.
「however」、「in contrast」和「as a result」等字眼都是路標；閱讀時加以標註，全文的組織便一目了然。
Annotation also helps you organize information for the toughest question types.
標註亦有助你為最難的題型整理資訊。
Circle names, box dates and underline opinions, then match them against the questions afterwards.
圈出人名、框起日期、在意見之下畫線，其後再與題目對照。
When a question asks what the writer means by a phrase, return to that paragraph and read two sentences before and after it; the surrounding detail, not the phrase itself, usually holds the answer.
當題目問及作者某個用語的意思時，回到該段，閱讀前後各兩句；答案通常藏在上下文細節之中，而非那個用語本身。
So the lesson of the passage applies to the exam as well as to life.
因此，這篇文章的寓意既適用於考試，也適用於人生。
Chasing every single word, like chasing every single dollar, leaves you exhausted and no happier.
追逐每個字眼，就如追逐每一塊錢一樣，只會令你筋疲力竭，卻不見得更快樂。
Focus on what matters — the main idea, the structure, the evidence — and let the rest support it from the background.
專注於真正重要的東西——主旨、結構、證據——讓其餘的退居幕後作為輔助。
1Summary 重點摘要
Paragraph by paragraph + gist.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Long.
Section.
Structure.
Gist.
Detail.
Skim.
Mark.
組織。
3Step by step Steps
- ParagraphLong texts never need word-by-word reading: handle them by paragraph - skim the first and last paragraphs for the main idea, then use structure words (however, in contrast, as a result) to classify each middle paragraph: argument, example, counter-example or detail. Once classified, answers become findable: gist from the ends, detail from the labelled middle, saving more than half the time.
- GistWrite one gist sentence per paragraph: here, paragraph one - once basic needs are met, extra money adds little joy (a banker on ten times a teacher's salary is not ten times as cheerful); the last paragraph lands 'Focus on what matters'. Strung together, these sentences form a map of the passage, and main-idea questions can be answered straight from the map without re-reading.
- AnnotateKeep one fixed, simple annotation system: circle names, box dates, underline opinion sentences (The research insists...). The purpose is instant relocation of evidence - answers found by symbols, not by re-reading the whole passage. Do not over-annotate: a page of highlighter equals none; mark only three categories, one symbol each, and practise with the same system so it is automatic in the exam.
- StructureThe skeleton is intro-body-conclusion: the opening raises the topic, the middle develops it, the ending lands it. Turn phrases like 'The trouble begins later' are road signs - they mark the shift from phenomenon to problem, or from benefits to drawbacks. Watch paragraph openings for however, yet, later and in fact: what follows a turn usually carries the writer's real stance, a favourite spot for inference and stance questions.
- Read aroundFor phrase-meaning questions the answer is read out of the context, not out of the phrase: return to the paragraph and read two sentences before and after. Three steps: substitute your guess and check the flow; identify the logical link around it (cause, contrast, example); build a short explanation from the neighbouring keywords. Surrounding detail is where the answer lives - guessing from the words alone is how marks are lost.
- Skip unknown wordsNever let one unknown word trap you: skip it, guess from context - writers usually explain new words through examples, definitions and contrasts. Stop to work one out only if a whole paragraph keeps circling it. DSE passages are designed so that core answers never depend on a single word; time spent on structure and gist pays far more than time spent on individual vocabulary.
- Do not chase wordsRemember the passage's own lesson: 'Chasing every single word, like chasing every single dollar, leaves you exhausted.' Long-text reading holds three things - main idea, structure and evidence sentences - and lets the remaining vocabulary support from the background. With this habit, a three-page passage holds no fear, because you know what you are looking for and where to look.
5Worked example Example
Use the money-and-happiness passage to demonstrate the three-step method for long texts: skim the opening and ending, read the signposts, annotate the information.
- Step 1: Skim the first and last paragraphs for the gist: money helps until basic needs are met; the closing 'Focus on what matters' confirms the theme.
- Step 2: Read the signposts: 'The trouble begins later' marks the turn; 'however', 'in contrast' and 'as a result' reveal each paragraph's job.
- Step 3: Label the paragraphs: argument (extra money adds little joy), method (how professionals read), technique (annotation), appeal (focus).
- Step 4: Annotate with a system: circle names, box dates, underline opinions such as 'The research insists...'.
- Step 5: For phrase-meaning questions, return and read two sentences either side — the context holds the answer.
- Answer: The passage practices what it preaches. Skimming the opening and ending gives the gist immediately: money pays rent and school fees, but once basic needs are met its happiness bonus shrinks, and the closing line — 'Focus on what matters' — confirms the theme of relationships and health over wealth. The signposts map the structure: 'The trouble begins later' turns the argument, and 'however', 'in contrast' and 'as a result' reveal what each paragraph is doing. Annotation systems — circling names, boxing dates, underlining opinions like 'The research insists...' — prepare every question type in advance. For phrase-meaning items, the two sentences before and after usually carry the answer. Chasing every word, like chasing every dollar, exhausts you; main idea, structure and evidence are what matter.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1How?
Q2Catch?
Q3Annotate?
Q4Structure?
Q5Time?
Q6Tip?
Q7What is the main idea?
Q8What matters more?
Q9What should people not do?
8Recap Recap
- Long texts need no word-by-word reading: skim the opening and ending, then read the signposts.
- Connectives are signposts: 'however', 'in contrast', 'as a result' mark turns and results.
- Annotate with a system: circle names, box dates, underline opinions — findable at question time.
- Ask one question per paragraph: argument, example, counter-example or detail?
- For phrase-meaning questions, read two sentences either side; the context holds the answer.