LESSON 7 Di qT ke Studying Chinese Xue Zhongwen LEARNING OBJECTIVES In this lesson, you will learn to use Chinese to • Comment on one's performance in an exam; • Comment on one's character writing; • Talk about one's experience in learning Chinese vocabulary and grammar; • Talk about one's study habits; • Remark on typical scenes from one's language class. RELATE AND GET READY In your own culture/community, 1. How do people convey that they have done well in a course of study? 2. How do people convey that they have done poorly in a course of study? 3. What are considered good study habits for a foreign language student? 176 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook Dialogue I: How Did You Do on the Exam? ? LANGUAGE NOTES "©Like H ^ (xfng ma) and if -*3 (hao ma), the expression (hao bu hao, is it OK?) can also be used to seek someone's approval of a proposal. Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese a 1 & :»] Q ' # o -© p^ JL (nali), which literally means "where," is a polite reply to a compliment. In recent times, however, (nali) has become somewhat old-fashioned. Many people will respond to a compliment by saying 7Z. -M? (shi ma, is that so). Some young people in urban areas will also acknowledge a compliment by saying (xiexie, thanks) instead. (Wang Peng gen LT You shuo hua.) © LT You, nT shang ge xTngqT kao shi kao de® zenmeyang? YTnwei nT bang wo fuxf, suoyT kao de bucuo. Danshi wo xie Zhongguo zi xie de tai® man le! Shi ma? Yfhou wo gen nT yiqT lianxf xie zi, hao bu hao®? ■ fi>) Na tai hao le! Women xianzai jiii® xie, zenmeyang? gm S3 Hao, gei wo yi zhT bT®, yi zhang zhT. Xie shenme zi? >^jj| NT jiao wo zenme xie "dong" zi ba. Hao ba. NT xie zi xie de zhen® hao, zhen kuai. m Näli, näli. NT mfngtian you Zhongwen ke ma? Wo bang nT yüxf. Mfngtiän women xue di qT®ke. Di qT ke de yüfä hen rongyi, wo döu döng, keshi shengcf täi duö, Hänzi ye yöuyidiänr®nän. Mei wentf, wo bang nT. 1 78 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook VOCABULARY 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 'If 9. -^i 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. Pi *3 18. -f" 19. shuo hua hua shang ge de fiixf zhT bT zhang zhT jiao zenme dong zhen nali yiixf xue di adj qpr adv pr prefix to talk word; speech the previous one (a structural particle) [See Grammar 1.] to review to write character slow (measure word for long, thin, inflexible objects such as pens, rifles, etc.) pen (measure word for flat objects, paper, pictures, etc.) paper to teach how; how come to understand really [See Grammar 2.] where to preview to study; to learn (prefix for ordinal numbers) [See Grammar 5. Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 1 79 VOCABULARY | 20. yufa n grammar 21. %h rongyi adj easy 22. shengcf n new words; vocabulary 23. # duo adj many; much 24. Hanzi n Chinese characters 25. i* nan adj difficult Grammar 1. Descriptive Complements (I) The particle T*J" (de) can be used after a verb or an adjective. This lesson mainly deals with (de) as it appears after a verb. What follows T*J" (de) in the construction introduced in this lesson is called a descriptive complement, which can be an adjective, an adverb, or a verb phrase. In this lesson, the words that function as descriptive complements are all adjectives. These complements serve as comments on the actions expressed by the verbs that precede T*J" (de). Ta xie zi xie de hen hao. (He writes characters well.) en hao, very well) is a comment on the action (xie, to write).] Ta zuotian shui jiao shui de hen wan. (He went to bed late last night.) (h en wan, very late) is a comment on the action SL (shui jiao, to sleep).] 1 80 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook Meimei ge chang de hen hao. (My younger sister sings beautifully.) v\W (h en hao, very well) is a comment on the action EJ (chang, to sing).] If the complement is an adjective, it is usually preceded by (hen, very), as is the case when an adjective is used as a predicate. If the verb is followed by an object, the verb has to be repeated before it can be followed by the "T*J" (de) + Complement" structure, e.g., -=J ~T~ -=7 'HT (xie zi xie de) in (1). By repeating the verb, the "verb + object" combination preceding it becomes a "topic" and the complement that follows serves as a comment on it. (See Grammar 1 in Lesson 10.) The first verb can be omitted if the meaning is clear from the context, as in (3). 2. The Adverbs (tai, too) and -Mr (zhen, really) When adverbs (tai, too) and -Mr (zhen, really) are used in exclamatory sentences, they convey in most cases not new factual information but the speaker's approval, disapproval, etc. If the speaker wants to make a more "objective" statement or description, other intensifiers such as IJ*- (hen, very), or (tebie, especially) are often used in place of (tai, too) or ■Mr (zhen, really). O A: ? Ta xie zi xie de zenmeyang? (How well does he write characters?) One would normally answer: B: i^^^^mf ° Ta xie zi xie de hen hao. (He writes characters very well.) rather than: Ta xie zi xie de zhen hao. Compare Bl with C below: Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 181 -ft ? Xiao LT, nT xie zi xie de zhen hao! NT keyT jiao wo ma? (Little Li, you write characters really well! Could you teach me?) When (tai, too) is used in an exclamatory sentence, J (le) usually appears at the end of the sentence: Zhege dianymg tai you yisi le! (This movie is really interesting!) Wo de yufa tai bii hao le! Wo del duo lianxf. (My grammar really is awful! I have to practice more.) NT tiao wu tiao de tai hao le! (You really dance beautifully!) The Adverb tfi (jiu) (I) The adverb 'T/L (jiu) is used before a verb to suggest the earliness, briefness, or quickness of the action. Ta mfngtian qT dian jiu dei shang ke. (He has to go to class [as early as] at 7:00am tomorrow.) Women ba dian kan dianymg, ta qT dian ban jiu lai le. (We [were supposed to] see the movie at 8:00, but he came [as early as] 7:30.) 1 82 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook ffJij (jiu) and (cai) compared [See also Grammar 6 in Lesson 5.] The adverb (jiu) suggests the earliness or promptness of an action in the speaker's judgment. The adverb (cai) is the opposite. It suggests the tardiness or lateness of an action as perceived by the speaker. O A: /V,&Jl^ 9 &-b ,& Jgfc 7 ° Ba dian shang ke, Xiao Bai qT dian jiii lai le. (Class started at 8:00, but Little Bai came [as early as] 7:00.) Ba dian shang ke, Xiao Zhang ba dian ban cai lai. (Class started at 8:00, but Little Zhang didn't come until 8:30.) ©A: ^^^MM&^Ll ° W6 zuotian wu dian jiii huf jia le. (Yesterday I went home when it was only 5:00.) (The speaker thought 5:00 was early.) W6 zuotian wu dian cai huf jia. (Yesterday I didn't go home until 5:00.) (The speaker thought 5:00 was late.) When commenting on a past action, fik* (jiu) is always used with *T (le) to indicate promptness, but (cai) is never used with *T . 4. Double Objects Some verbs can take two objects. The object representing a person, persons, or an animate entity precedes the one representing an inanimate thing. LaoshT jiao women shengcf he yufa. (The teacher teaches us vocabulary and grammar.) Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 183 Da ge gei le wo yi pfng shin. (My big brother gave me a bottle of water.) NT jiao wo Hanzi, keyT ma? (Will you teach me Chinese characters, please?) W6 xiang wen nT yf ge wentf. (I'd like to ask you a question.) 5. Ordinal Numbers Ordinal numbers in Chinese are formed by placing ifi (di) before cardinal numbers, e.g., (di yT, the first), ^ -—(di er bei cha, the second cup of tea), - J^l (di san ge yue, the third month). However, if? (di) is not used in names of months: ' -—- J] (yTyue, eryue, sanyue, January, February, March). Neither is it used to indicate the birth order of siblings: 7v~^J » -—~°T » -—(dage, erge, sange, oldest brother, second oldest brother, third oldest brother); (dajie, erjie, sanjie, oldest sister second oldest sister, third oldest sister). (yöu{yi}diänr, somewhat, rather; a little bit) The phrase (youyidianr) precedes adjectives or verbs. It often carries a negative tone. The " (yT) in the phrase is optional. Wo juede Zhongwen you(yi)dianr nan. (I think Chinese is a little bit difficult.) * W6 juede Zhongwen you(yi)dianr rongyi. *(I think Chinese is a little bit easy.) 1 84 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook W6 juede zhe yf ke shengcf youdianr duo. (I think there are a few too many new words in this lesson.) [The speaker is complaining about it.] However, when the sentence suggests a change of the situation, the phrase (youyidianr) can carry a positive tone, e.g.: l&T ° Wo yTqian bii xThuan ta, xianzai you(yi)dianr xThuan ta le. (I used to dislike him, but now I somewhat like him.) [MM yTqian = previously or before. See Lesson 8.] Take care not to confuse (youyidianr, a little), which is an adverbial used to modify adjectives, with " (yi dianr, a little), which usually modifies nouns. In the above sentences, (youyidianr) cannot be replaced by " (yi dianr). Compare: Gei wo yi dianr kafei. (Give me a little coffee.) © &&—&Jl*m ° Gei wo yi dianr shfjian. (Give me a little time.) © At—,&;L'f£ ° W6 youyidianr mang. (I am kind of busy.) W6 yi dianr mang. Ta youyidianr bii gaoxing. (She is a little bit unhappy.) *Ta yi dianr bii gaoxing. Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 1 85 Language Practice A. Verb + t^" (de) + Complement Describe how Little Wang does things based on the key words given. Pay attention to the structure of the verbs involved. ^7" (VO) käo shi (VO) häo Xiäo Wang chängchäng käo shi käo de hen häo. 1. 3^"^, (VO) H7L. 1. shui jiäo (VO) wän 2. VJ]V (VO) ^ 2. he käfei (VO) duö 3. -~J (VO) 3. xie zi (VO) kuäi 4. (V) 4a" 4. yüxi (V) bücuö 5. X>ft (V) # 5. gongzuö (V) häo (tai...ie,too) and (zhen, really) There are things around you that amaze you. Practice how to mark your comments using exclamatory sentences. example: ^ Hanzi O you yisi * "J^ ^ T ! or Hanzi tai you yisi le! or -J|- -^f ^ ^ ! Hanzi zhen you yisi! 1. 1. laoshTjiaOpiaoliang ^ tf) 2. kao shi O rongyi 3. ^"P /^T 0 ^ 3. yfjfa O nan 4. 1^] ^ 4. tongxue de Zhongwen O hao 5. -^7 ^ 5. wo xie zi man 1 86 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook C. /& (youyidianr, a little bit) + adjective Instead of making a big fuss over your Chinese class, how about toning down your complaints a little and rephrasing with (youyidianr, a little bit) + adjective? example: "^p" /^T ^ (zao, early) yufa O nan -> Yufa youyidianr nan. 1. di qT ke de shengcf O duo 2. women de kao shi O nan 3. Zhongwen ke O zao (early) 4. Hanzi O nan 5. laoshT shuo hua O kuai D. Compare your relative strengths with a partner. & & # ? Ifc* ? A: NT chang ge chang de zenmeyang? B: Wo chang ge chang de . nT ne? A: A: Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 1 87 E. Q&A Suppose you want to talk to your Chinese conversation partner about your Chinese study. To get ready for the conversation, you anticipate some of your partner's questions and give your answers. example: ,% 'Aft? 2. 5)>X^ xue Zhongwen Q: NT xue Zhongwen xue de zenmeyang? A: Wo xue Zhongwen xue de_._ 1. shuo Zhongwen 2. xie Hanzi 3. yiixf shengcf 4. fuxfyufa 1 88 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook Dialogue II: Preparing for a Chinese Class < (-t + £*)_ LANGUAGE NOTES Both (zaoshang) and Jl* (shangwu) are usually translated as "morning," but the two Chinese words are not interchangeable, (zaoshang) refers to early morning;and (shangwu) to the latter part of the morning or to the first half of the day (until noon). (zao,Good morning!) is heard quite often in Chinese cities.Other morning greetings, such as (zaoshang hao) and "^f-Sr (zao'an), still sound rather formal to many Chinese people. Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 1 89 m m >j t ° ¥} m & at KtfL±- f * * g T ° <9 ° (shuai) is used to describe a handsome—usually young— man.To describe an attractive woman one uses the word 5C (piaoliang, pretty). The term (haokan, good-looking) is gender-neutral, and can be used for people of either sex and in any age group. (LT You gen Bai YTng'ai shuo hua.) jfll Bai YTng'ai, nT pfngchang lai de hen zao, jTntian zenme®zheme wan? ^q^, Wo zuotian yiixf Zhongwen, zaoshang® si dian cai®shui jiao, nT ye shui de hen wan ma? Wo zuotian shf dian jiu®shui le. YTnwei Wang Peng bang wo lianxf Zhongwen, suoyT wo gongke zuo de hen kuai. You ge Zhongguo pengyou zhen hao. (Shang Zhongwen ke) ^ Dajia zao , xianzai women kaishT shang ke. Di qT ke nTmen dou yiixf le ma? Yiixf le. LT You, qTng nT nian kewen. ... Nian de hen hao. NT zuotian wanshang ting luyTn le ba? Wo mei tmg. Danshi ta de pengyou zuotian wanshang bang ta xuexf le. 190 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook NT de pengyou shi Zhongguo ren ma? Ta shi yf ge nan de®, hen shuai®, hen kii, jiao Wang Peng. VOCABULARY 1. pfngchang adv usually 2. -f zao adj early 3. zheme pr so; this (late, etc.) 4. wan adj late 5. zaoshang t morning 6. gongke n homework; schoolwork 7. dajia pr everybody 8. shang ke vo to go to a class; to start a class; to be in class 9. kaishT v/n to begin, to start; beginning 10. nian V to read aloud 11. kewen n text of a lesson 12. luyTn n/vo sound recording; to record 13. xuexf V to study; to learn 14. shuai adj handsome 15. SI kii adj cool Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 191 Grammar /-■ 7. 'vi£ £*\ (zenme, how; how come) in Questions (zenme, how; how come) is an interrogative pronoun. It is often used to ask about the manner of an action as in (1), and sometimes the reason or the cause of an action, as in (2) and (3) below. O 3? ° QTng nT jiao wo zenme xie "dong" zhe ge zi. (Please teach me how to write the character "dong.") e ^ 4 £ t * ? NT zenme cai lai? (How come you've just arrived?) NT zenme mei qii kan dianymg? (Why didn't you go to the movie?) Both (zenme, how come) and (weishenme, why) are used to ask about the cause of or reason for something. However, ^> (zenme, how come) conveys the speaker's bewilderment or surprise whereas (weishenme, why) does not. 8. The ß\J (de) Structure (I) [See also Grammar 3 in Lesson 9.] We have a (de) structure when an adjective is followed by the structural particle (de). Grammatically, a (de) structure is equivalent to a noun. When Bai Ying'ai says, (Ta shi yf ge nan de)," it is clear from the context that she means a male (one). Another example: W6 xie le shf ge zi, wu ge nan de, wu ge rongyi de. (I wrote ten characters, five difficult ones and five easy ones.) 192 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook 9. The Use of Nouns and Pronouns in Continuous Discourse If a noun serves as the unchanged subject in a continuous discourse, its later appearances in the ensuing clauses or sentences generally should be substituted by an appropriate pronoun or simply omitted. The pronoun, in turn, can also be omitted after its first appearance. af t, ° Xiao Bai hen xThuan xue Zhongwen. (Ta) wanshang yiixf kewen, fuxfyufa, lianxf xie Hanzi, changchang hen wan cai shui jiao. (Little Bai likes to study Chinese very much. At night, she previews the text, reviews the grammar, and practices writing the characters. Often she doesn't go to bed until very late.) If we keep repeating the subject as seen in (2) or the pronoun as in (3), we will end up with a bunch of choppy, seemingly unrelated sentences: 'h 6 %. 3 #i& - 'h 6 3 ° 'h & Xiáo Bái hěn xThuan xué Zhóngwén. Xiáo Bái wánshang yúxí kěwén, Xiáo Bái fúxí yufá, Xiáo Bái liánxí xiě Hanzl. Xiáo Bái chángcháng hěn wán cái shui jiáo. ait; ° Xiáo Bái hěn xThuan xué Zhóngwén. Tá wánshang yúxí kěwén, tá fúxí yufá, tá liánxí xiě Hánzi. Tá chángcháng hěn wán cái shui jiáo. Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 193 Language Practice :. £s (zenme, how come) Use the words given, and practice how to ask your partner why he/she is not behaving as expected. It is quite unlike him/her. example: &&&& ±^oif V, r-n l4*to'ft vs. ft 1^T># vs. 4. -=7 -T" ° ^ vs. läi xuexiäoOzäo vs. wän ^ NT pfngchäng läi xuexiäo läi de hen zäo, jmtiän zenme zheme wän? 1. yüxf shengcf O häo vs. bü häo 2. niän kewen O kuäi vs. man 3. käo shi O bücuö vs. bü häo änkän, ugly) 4. xie zi O piäoliang vs. nänkän (ugly) F. ^"vs.^fc (cäi VS. jiü) Choose ^~(cai) or $L (jiu) to indicate whether something takes place later or sooner than expected. i. 6:00pm ^% vs. Q^^B^Jl 6:30pm 7s ^" Th7 % ° a. mama 6:00pm hufjia vs. zuotiän wänshang 6:30pm Mama pfngchäng wänshang liüdiän huf jiä, zuotiän wänshang liüdiän bän cäi huf jiä. 194 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook b. V 7:45am Ct 7:30am b. 7:45am chi zaofan vs. jTntian zaoshang 7:30am . -s- xb J£- £ r^J -^w T "1 'r Gao Wenzhong pingchang qi dian san ke chi zaofan, jintian zaoshang qi dian ban jiu chT zaofan le. 1. 8:00am vs. 8:15am 9:00am 5. vs. 8:50am ■ 0^ 9:00pm 8:00pm 4. 1. 8:00am qu shang ke vs. zuotian 8:15am 2. 9:00am qii xuexiao gongzuo vs. zuotian 8:50am 3. 9:00pm kaishT zuo gongke vs. shang ge xTngqTwu 8:00pm 4. xTngqTsan gei xuesheng kao shi vs. shang ge xmgqT xTngqTsi 5. xTngqTer fuxf shengcf yufa vs. shang ge xmgqT xTngqTyT Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 1 95 G. J!r (zhen, really) Practice how to praise or disapprove of something or someone using the words given. example: Zhe ge xuexiao O hao -^ Zhe ge xuexiao zhen hao. 1. ^ 'J^^H-O //f; ^ 1. LTxiaojieOpiaoliang 2. ^ ° -^f "J^ 'CjT 2. tiao wu O you yisi 3. Wang Peng O shuai 4. ° ^ 4. Hanzi O nan 5. 2^ " ^ ^"P /^T O ^ 5. Zhe yi ke de yufa O duo H. Pair Activity You find your friend's behavior rather inexplicable, so you ask: ^fLTklfamfytfj^LB ' jmtian shim mama de shengri, ifc ^ ^ / &nT zenme bii/mei...... Mfngtian nTyou kaoshi, % '/ y£...... <'JN ^\ y\N m zenme bii...... I. Pair Activity Here is Gao Wenzhong's usual schedule and a list of what actually happened yesterday: The usual schedule What happened yesterday 9:00 study Chinese 8:45 studied Chinese 10:00 listen to the audio 9:30 listened to recordings 10:30 go to school 10:15 went to school 12:00 go home 12:30 returned home 13:00 have lunch 13:15 had lunch Student A asks Student B a question about each of Gao Wenzhong's daily routines: 196 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook example: A: P^J GaoWenzhong pfngchang jTdian kaishT xuexf Zhongwen? Student B answers each question according to the usual schedule,and then explains yesterday's deviation from that schedule: Ta pfngchang shangwu jiudian kaishT xuexf Zhongwen. "^1" 7^.T^ _^._t- "^f"^"^ —- Keshi ta zuotian shangwu ba dian san kejiii kaishT xuexf Zhongwen le. 1. listen to the audio 2. go to school 3. go home 4. have lunch HOW ABOUT YOU? What's in your study? Traditionally, paper, ink sticks, writing brushes, and ink stones are known as the four "treasures" of the scholar's study. What treasures lie in your study? 1 1. qianbT n pencil 2. gangbT n fountain pen 3. maobT n writing brush 4. yuanzhubT n ballpoint pen 5. benzi n notebook 6. if >} £ lianxfben n exercise book 7. keben n textbook 8. zidian n dictionary If there are items in your study that are not listed above, please ask your and make a note h e re:_. J Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 1 97 Culture Highlights In the 1950s, as part of the campaign to raise the nation's literacy rate, the government of the People's Republic of China set out to simplify some of the more complex characters, or (Hanzi). That accounts for the bifurcation of )s] -J" (jiantTzi, simplified characters) and (fantTzi, traditional characters, or, literally, complex characters.) Currently, simplified characters are used in mainland China and Singapore. However, people in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and many Chinese diasporas still write traditional characters. Many of the simplified characters were actually not new inventions. They had been used at different times in China's long history, and a few of them even have a longer history than their fantizi counterparts. The additional burden on Chinese learners caused by this bifurcation is actually not as onerous as it may appear. After all, many of the characters were not affected. Traditionally, the Chinese wrote vertically from top to bottom, and from right to left. Store signs and placards, however, were often inscribed horizontally, typically from right to left. Now almost everyone in China writes horizontally from left to right. But the traditional way of writing is still kept alive in calligraphy. This is a store sign which was commissioned more than one hundred years ago. It is read from right to left, and it's the name of the person who established the store. Can you recognize his family name? Should this sign be read from the left to the right or from the right to the left? 198 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook For many centuries the Chinese wrote with a (maobT), or "writing brush," as it is called in English. But nowadays people have switched to more p -^cj (qianbT, pencils), (gangbT, fountain pens), and 13 -^tj (yuanzhubT, ballpoint pens), which are also known in Taiwan as (yuanzTbT). The traditional -^fct (maobT) is now used almost exclusively in calligraphy. The term 3- (wenfang sibao, "Four Treasures of the Studio") is often used to refer to traditional Chinese stationery, which usually includes (bT, writing brushes), (mo, ink sticks), 5p\i (zhT, paper), and (yan, ink stones). The traditional paper for writing and painting is known as S- (xuanzhT), named after its most famous place of production, S- (Xuancheng) in Anhui Province. Ink is made by grinding an ink stick on an ink stone with water. Two of the most famous kinds of ink stones are called ^Sj (duanyan) and mK (sheyan) from Guangdong and Anhui respectively. Many are carved. Ink sticks are typically made from burnt pinewood with a binding agent and an aromatic substance. Antique ink sticks and ink stones are highly prized collectibles. This is a window display of a store specializing in ink stones. Lesson 7 • Studying Chinese 199 English Text Dialogue I (Wang Peng is talking with Li You.) Wang Peng: How did you do on last week's exam? Li You: Because you helped me review, I did pretty well, but I am too slow at writing the Chinese characters. Really? I'll practice writing characters with you from now on. How's that? That would be great! Let's do it right now, OK? OK. Give me a pen and a piece of paper. What character should we write? Why don't you teach me how to write the character "dong" (to understand)? Fine. You write characters really well, and very fast, too. You flatter me. Do you have Chinese class tomorrow? I'll help you prepare for Wang Peng: Li You: Wang Peng: Li You: Wang Peng: Li You: Wang Peng: it. Li You: Tomorrow we'll study Lesson Seven. The grammar for Lesson Seven is easy; I can understand all of it. But there are too many new words, and the Chinese characters are a bit difficult. Wang Peng: No problem. I'll help you. Dialogue II (Li You is talking with Bai Ying'ai.) Li You: Bai Ying'ai, you usually come very early. How come you got here so late today? Bai Ying'ai: Yesterday I was preparing for Chinese. I didn't go to bed till four o'clock in the morning. Did you go to bed very late, too? Li You: No, yesterday I went to bed at ten. Because Wang Peng helped me practice Chinese, I finished my homework very quickly. Bai Ying'ai: It's so great to have a Chinese friend. (In Chinese class) Teacher Chang: Good morning, everyone. Let's begin. Have you all prepared for Lesson Seven? Students: Yes, we have. Teacher Chang: Li You, would you please read the text aloud? ...You read very well. Did you listen to the tape recording last night? Li You: No, I didn't. Bai Ying'ai: But her friend helped her study yesterday evening. Teacher Chang: Is your friend Chinese? Li You: Yes. Bai Ying'ai: It's a he. He's handsome and cool. His name is Wang Peng. 200 Integrated Chinese • Level 1 Part 1 • Textbook PROGRESS CHECKLIST Before proceeding to Lesson 8, be sure you can complete the following tasks in Chinese: I am able to— f^j Describe how well or badly I did on a test; \^/\ Describe the way one reads, writes, and speaks Chinese; \^/\ Ask someone to help me with my Chinese; v | Explain how I prepare for my Chinese class; Describe my experiences in learning Chinese. Please review the lesson if any of these tasks seem difficult.