Read the Instructions!

The summer we planted trees and got eaten alive · 被虫咬出来的教训

My older brother and I once decided to work during the summer planting trees. It was good pay and the work seemed interesting. We were both young. And we thought, "How hard could it be to plant little saplings all day? It would be great to be in the sun and get some fresh air."

Little did we know...

When we arrived for our first day of work, the man in charge took a long look at us and said, "Did you boys read the instructions you got about how to dress?" We had not really taken the time to read the instructions carefully.

"Well boys, you're wearing T-shirts. Do you know who loves T-shirts?" he asked.

"Not really," we answered.

"Mosquitoes!" he replied with a smile. "But you won't even feel the mosquitoes. Do you know why?"

"Why?" we asked.

"You'll be so busy getting bitten by blackflies that you won't even notice the mosquitoes!" He laughed as he walked away. We looked around and saw that the other workers were wearing long shirts and hats.

A couple of the other workers came over to us and said, "Here, take these extra shirts." A couple of others gave us hats with mesh covers, but we still didn't have long pants to protect our legs from the biting insects.

We rode in a truck to the side of a mountain. And within ten seconds of opening the door of the truck, I heard a buzzing sound. It was the sound of blackflies. They had a really nasty bite! Soon, we were swatting flies every few seconds.

It was the worst day of my entire life. When we got home that night, my legs were covered in big red bites. My brother's legs were too.

We went back fully covered the next day and did not get bitten once. Now, when I hear the buzz of a blackfly, I think of that terrible day. It reminds me of the great lesson I learned that day — always read the instructions!

Read the Instructions! — The summer we planted trees and got eaten alive

My older brother and I once d(1)__________ to work during the summer planting trees. It was good pay and the work seemed i(2)__________. We were both young. And we thought, "How hard could it be to plant little saplings all day? It would be great to be in the sun and get some fresh air."

Little did we know...

When we arrived for our first day of work, the man in c(3)__________ took a long look at us and said, "Did you boys read the instructions you got about how to dress?" We had not really taken the time to read the instructions c(4)__________.

"Well boys, you're wearing T-shirts. Do you know who loves T-shirts?" he asked.

"Not really," we answered.

"Mosquitoes!" he r(5)__________ with a smile. "But you won't even feel the mosquitoes. Do you know why?"

"Why?" we asked.

"You'll be so busy getting bitten by blackflies that you won't even n(6)__________ the mosquitoes!" He laughed as he walked away. We looked around and saw that the other workers were wearing long shirts and hats.

A couple of the other workers came over to us and said, "Here, take these e(7)__________ shirts." A couple of others gave us hats with mesh covers, but we still didn't have long pants to p(8)__________ our legs from the biting insects.

We rode in a truck to the side of a mountain. And within ten seconds of opening the door of the truck, I heard a b(9)__________ sound. It was the sound of blackflies. They had a really nasty bite! Soon, we were swatting flies every few seconds.

It was the worst day of my entire life. When we got home that night, my legs were c(10)__________ in big red bites. My brother's legs were too.

We went back fully covered the next day and did not get bitten once. Now, when I hear the buzz of a blackfly, I think of that terrible day. It reminds me of the great lesson I learned that day — always read the instructions!

📌 重点单词 · Key Vocabulary

🔗 重点词组 · Key Phrases

💡 语法小贴士 · Grammar Tips

🦟 文化拓展 · The Bug That Became a Folk Song

加拿大青少年暑期三大经典打工：种树（tree planting）、摘浆果、冰淇淋店。种树工尤其硬核——住在林场帐篷里，一天种上千株树苗按株计酬，所以「good pay」是真的，但黑蝇（blackfly）也是真的。黑蝇季在 5—6 月的加国北部林区，叮人比蚊子狠得多：它咬人时注入的抗凝血物质会让包又红又肿又痒，文中 nasty bite 一点没夸张。

文章里那顶「带网罩的帽子」是加拿大北部的标志性装备 bug hat（虫帽）——纱网从帽檐垂到肩膀，专门对付黑蝇。加拿大民谣歌手 Wade Hemsworth 还专门写过一首《The Blackfly Song》抱怨它，被加拿大国家电影局做成动画，成了几代人的共同记忆。

结尾 always read the instructions 和中文的「磨刀不误砍柴工」如出一辙：五分钟读说明，省一整天腿上的包。更妙的是叙事结构——「Little did we know...」一行独立成段，像说书人一拍醒木；对话推动情节；结尾用「现在听到嗡嗡声就想起那天」收束。写记叙文想要先抑后扬 + 首尾呼应，这就是标准模板。