A Cheap First Curve
A good prototype is not a miniature triumph, but a cheap way to discover what reality objects to. In a small cabinet workshop, a carpenter needed a curved shelf to fit an alcove that narrowed near the ceiling. The drawing gave the curve a confident line, although no ruler could reveal how the plaster bulged. Rather than cut expensive walnut, the carpenter traced the shape onto a sheet of stiff cardboard. She held this rough pattern against the wall, where its edge exposed a gap at the upper corner. A second tracing corrected the angle, and a third showed that the shelf needed a notch for a pipe. Each alteration cost minutes and scraps, not an afternoon of careful carving. Once the cardboard sat flush, the carpenter transferred its outline to the walnut with little uncertainty. The finished shelf appeared effortless precisely because its awkward decisions had been made in cheaper material. That is the quiet advantage of reversibility: thought becomes more ambitious when mistakes are inexpensive.
「A Cheap First Curve」は、仕事をテーマにした無料のC1 上級英語リスニング・ディクテーションです。所要時間は約2分です。
再生ボタンを押して自然な英語音声を一文ずつ聞き、聞こえたとおりに入力すると、つづり・抜けた単語・余分な単語についてすぐにフィードバックが表示されます。最後にすべての間違いが解説されます。