訳
Nguyen Minh is a Vietnamese student studying economics at a university in Wuhan. This semester the teacher gave them a group assignment: in groups of four, survey a supermarket near the university, then write a report and present it in class. Minh was put in a group with three Chinese classmates. At their first meeting they quickly divided the work: Xiao Li would design the questions, Xiao Zhang would interview shoppers at the supermarket, Minh would sort out the data, and Xiao Wang would give the final presentation in class. But two weeks went by and Xiao Wang hadn't come to a single discussion and rarely answered messages. The other two were angry, and Xiao Zhang even wanted to go straight to the teacher. Minh, however, felt they should first find out what was going on. He phoned Xiao Wang and only then learned that Wang's mother was in hospital; every day after class he went to look after her and had no time at all. Wang said he hadn't told them because he was afraid they'd think he was making excuses. Once they understood, they divided the work again: Wang's task became the part he could do on a computer at the hospital — putting everyone's writing together into one complete report — and Minh took over the class presentation. In the end their report got the highest mark in the class. In his feedback the teacher said: “The hardest part of working together isn't dividing the work; it's being willing, when problems come up, to listen to the other person's situation first.”
第一次分工的时候,阮明负责什么?
解説
Step 1: the question says “第一次分工”, so look at paragraph 2: “第一次见面,大家很快就分好了工”. Step 2: four people, four tasks — match the name to the task: “阮明负责整理数据”. Step 3: “设计问题” was Xiao Li's job, “采访顾客” Xiao Zhang's, and “在课上介绍” originally Xiao Wang's. Trap: in paragraph 4, after the work is redivided, Minh takes over the presentation — but the question asks about the FIRST division. For this kind of question, mark each name and its task as you read.
两个星期以后,小组遇到了什么问题?
解説
Step 1: find the time marker “两个星期过去了” at the start of paragraph 3. Step 2: “小王一次讨论也没有参加,发消息也很少回” — Xiao Wang didn't attend a single discussion. “一次……也没有……” means “not even once”. Step 3: the supermarket refusing and the teacher changing the topic aren't in the text. “阮明和小张吵架了” is wrong: Zhang was angry with Wang, not quarrelling with Minh; Minh just thought differently (“阮明却觉得……”). “却” marks a contrasting view, not an argument.
小王为什么一直没有告诉大家他的情况?
解説
Step 1: the question asks why he never told them — find “一直没说” at the end of paragraph 3. Step 2: the reason comes just before: “他怕大家觉得他在找借口,所以一直没说” — the “……,所以……” pair marks cause and effect; “觉得” is paraphrased as “以为”. Step 3: “他没有大家的电话号码” is wrong: they messaged him and Minh could call him. “作业不重要” and “自己一个人做完” have no support; in fact he took on finishing the report.
老师的话主要是想说明:
解説
Step 1: the teacher uses “不是……而是……”; the main point follows “而是”. Step 2: “而是遇到问题的时候,愿意先听一听别人的情况” — when problems arise, first find out the other person's situation, exactly what Minh did. Step 3: “分工是合作中最难的事” is what “不是” rejects — the classic trap with this pattern. “任务都应该一样” contradicts how the group re-divided the work to fit Wang's situation. “遇到问题要马上去告诉老师” was Xiao Zhang's idea, and the story shows it wasn't the best move.