3StoryEveryday life1 min
The Missing Key
Locked out on a rainy night, a young man knocks on a door he has never knocked on before.
A story about neighbours. 过 after a verb talks about experience: 没有……过 means “never (yet)”. Look for the sentence that says what had never happened in two years.
上个星期五晚上，陈明下班回家，走到门口才发现钥匙不见了。他找了书包，也找了口袋，都没有。
外面下着雨，天也黑了。他给房东打了电话，可是房东在外地，第二天才能回来。
这时候，对门的邻居开了门。她是一位七十多岁的老奶奶。陈明在这儿住了两年了，可是从来没有跟她聊过天。
老奶奶听他说完，马上说：“进来坐吧，外面冷。”她给他做了一碗面条，还让他在沙发上睡了一个晚上。
第二天，房东送来了新钥匙。从那以后，陈明每个周末都去看老奶奶，帮她买菜、修东西。现在，他们是好朋友了。
星期五晚上，陈明下班回家。到了门口，他的钥匙不见了。
外面下雨，天也黑了。他给房东打电话，可是他不在这儿，第二天才能回来。
这时候，对门的老奶奶开了门。陈明在这儿住了两年，可是没有跟她聊过天。
老奶奶说：“进来吧，外面冷。”她给他做了面条，他在沙发上睡了一个晚上。
第二天，陈明有了新钥匙。现在，他每个周末都去看老奶奶，帮她买菜。他们是好朋友了。
Click a word to look it up in this site’s vocabulary.
- Words
- 149
- Sentences
- 12
- Words per sentence
- 12.4
- in the vocabulary
- 100 %
- measured level
- 3
- Reading time
- 1 min
Grammar in this text
These forms appear in the text in real use. Switch on “Show grammar” above the text to highlight them.
聊过天
过 after a verb speaks of experience; with 没有 it means “never”: 从来没有跟她聊过天. Guo: having done something before →
聊过天
聊天 is a verb with its own object built in, and 过 goes in between: 聊过天. Verbs that split: jiàn le miàn, bāng tā de máng →
进来 · 送来
来 after a verb shows movement towards the speaker: 进来 (come in), 送来 (bring over). Direction: lái and qù after verbs →
The words from 3 up in this text
Not the hard words in general, but those at your level: all 7 of the 98 words in this text are at 3 or above. You will know everything else by the time you get here.
从来
always (so far); with a negative: never
3发现
to discover; to notice; to find out
3口袋
pocket; bag
3外地
elsewhere (another part of the country)
3房东
landlord; landlady
3聊
to chat → to finish chatting
3邻居
neighbour
3
The word lists for this text
The words in this text appear in 24 lists on this site; the number after each says how many come from that list. Having read the text, you have just needed these very words — and can practise exactly them.
Comprehension questions
4 questions on the text. With each answer the sentence it comes from appears — a question whose answer you cannot find in the text tests nothing.
1. Where did Chen Ming notice that his key was missing?
Look at the first paragraph.
Look for 门口.
走到门口才发现钥匙不见了
2. Why could the landlord not help that night?
Read the second paragraph.
Look for 第二天.
房东在外地，第二天才能回来
3. What is true about Chen Ming and the old woman before that night?
Look at the third paragraph.
Look for 聊过天.
从来没有跟她聊过天
4. What does Chen Ming do every weekend now?
The answer is in the last paragraph.
Look for 周末.
每个周末都去看老奶奶