A slow English story about Driving past a school full of parents holding flowers — and remembering my own gaokao 20 years ago. 15 simple sentences. Word by word.

📝 Today's sentences

This morning, the streets felt unusually quiet.

No one was honking. No one rushing.

It hit me. Today is the day.

I drove past a school on my way to work.

Parents were everywhere, holding flowers.

And just like that, I was eighteen again.

And just like that, I was back in that exam room.

My pencil was shaking.

My heart was pounding.

Part of me just wanted it over.

And part of me wished I had more time.

Honestly, that was almost twenty years ago.

But it still feels so close.

Time really does fly.

I hope they ace it. Every single one of them.

🔑 Vocabulary

• honking /ˈhɒŋkɪŋ/

• on my way to work /ɒn maɪ weɪ tə wɜːrk/

• heart pounding /hɑːrt ˈpaʊndɪŋ/

• wished I had more time /wɪʃt aɪ hæd mɔːr taɪm/

• time flies /taɪm flaɪz/

• unusually quiet /ʌnˈjuːʒuəli ˈkwaɪət/

• it hit me /ɪt hɪt miː/

• holding flowers /ˈhoʊldɪŋ ˈflaʊərz/

• eighteen again /eɪˈtiːn əˈɡen/

• exam room /ɪɡˈzæm ruːm/

• pencil shaking /ˈpensəl ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/

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Day 36 · The Gaokao Year

TingMate · English Learning

Day 36 · The Gaokao Year