Chinese Class Review Notes

Reading Comprehension (Part 1)

Passage 1: 小张's Daily Life

• 小张 is a high school student in his second year.

• He is the busiest person in his family because he has a lot of homework.

• His daily routine:

  • 7:00 AM: Wakes up

  • After waking up: showers, gets dressed, eats breakfast, and takes the bus to school.

  • After school: Plays basketball with friends, sometimes plays computer games or goes on Facebook.

  • After dinner: Does homework while listening to music.

  • Goes to sleep after 12:00 AM.

• 小张's first class is Chinese.

• In Chinese class, he learns pronunciation and grammar and practices writing Chinese characters.

• He finds Chinese interesting.

• He thinks Chinese grammar is easy, but pronunciation is a little difficult.

• His Chinese characters are written beautifully, but he writes slowly.

• 小白, his Chinese friend, helps him learn Chinese, so he is improving quickly.

• Today is Monday, and because he has a Chinese test the day after tomorrow (Wednesday), he and 小白 go to the library to review Chinese.

• Vocabulary:

  • 放学以后 (fàngxué yǐhòu): after school

  • 游戏 (yóuxi): game

  • 进步 (jinbù): progress, to make progress

  • 或者 (huòzhě): or

  • (上) 脸书: (log on) Facebook; 脸 (liǎn): face

• Answers to the questions:

  1. True statements:

     • 小张 has lots of school work.

     • 小张's first class is Chinese.

     • 小张 is the busiest person in his family

  2. Morning routine before school (in order):

     • Gets out of bed, showers, gets dressed, eats breakfast, and takes the bus to school.

  3. Meaning of words:

     • 常常 (chángcháng): often

     • 有时候 (yǒushíhou): sometimes

     • 跟 (gēn): with

  4. Transportation to school: a. bus

  5. After-school activities: Plays basketball with friends.

  6. True that he eats dinner before doing school work?: Yes

  7. True that he likes to watch TV while doing school work?: No

  8. Sleep time: Not until 12 AM

  9. Activities in Chinese class: Studies pronunciation and grammar, practices his Chinese writing.

  10. Opinion of Chinese learning: He thinks it is very interesting.

  11. Progress: 小张's Chinese progresses very fast because he has a Chinese friend who helps him.

  12. Chinese test: Wednesday

  13. Review location: Libraries

Passage 2: Ms. Lan's Schedule

• Schedule Translation:

  • 7:00 AM: Get up from bed (起床) - Dorm (宿舍)

  • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Attend Chinese class (上中文课) - Foreign language classroom (外文教室)

  • 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM: Lunch (午饭) - School cafeteria (学校餐厅)

  • 1:15 PM: Computer class (电脑课) - Computer center (电脑中心)

  • 2:45 PM: Play tennis (打网球) - Tennis court (运动场)

  • 4:00 PM: Dance (跳舞) - Dance room (体育馆)

  • 5:45 PM: Have dinner (吃晚饭) - School cafeteria (学校餐厅)

  • 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM: Do homework (做功课) - Library (图书馆)

  • 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM: Write diary / Go online (写日记/上网) - Dorm (宿舍)

  • 12:00 AM (midnight): Sleep (睡觉) - Dorm (宿舍)

• Vocabulary:

  • 体育馆: gym

  • 运动场: sport field

Passage 3: Shopping for a Shirt

• 小白 went shopping last weekend.

• He wanted to buy a small, white shirt.

• The salesclerk told him that small shirts were not white, and white shirts were only available in large sizes.

• The salesclerk helped 小白 find a small blue shirt and a medium red shirt.

• The blue shirt cost 35.79.

• The red shirt cost 20.68.

• 小白 thought the blue shirt was a little expensive, but it was very pretty. In the end, he bought the blue shirt.

• 小白 also bought a pair of shoes for his girlfriend.

• 小白 spent a total of 209.

• Answers to the questions:

  1. When did Little Bai go shopping?: weekend

  2. What did he want to buy?: I small white shirt

  3. What did the salesclerk tell Xiao Bai about the shirt?: no small shirts, only large

  4. How much was the red shirt?: 20.68

  5. How much was the blue shirt?: 35.79

  6. What did Xiao Bai think of the blue shirt?: a little expensive

  7. What did Xiao Bai buy?: blue shirt, •pair of shoes for his girl

  8. How much did Xiao Bai spend?: $209

Passage 4: Going to the Airport

• 王朋 and 李友 are discussing summer plans.

• 王朋 is going to Shanghai and has already bought a plane ticket.

• 李友 asks 王朋 if he knows how to get to the airport.

• 王朋 plans to take public transportation: first, take the bus for two stops, then take the subway for thirteen stops.

• 李友 finds this troublesome and offers to drive 王朋 to the airport.

• 王朋 declines because he gets nervous when 李友 drives and prefers to take a taxi.

• Answers to the questions:

  1. Where are 王朋 and 李友 going this summer break?: shanghaii

  2. How can I get to the airport by public transportation?: bus then subway

  3. What does think of the option of taking public transportation?: troublesome

  4. Did 王朋 accept 李友's offer? Why?: no scared of her driving

Passage 5: Winter in Beijing and Summer in Florida

• 高文中 and 白英爱 are talking on the phone.

• 高文中 wants to visit 白英爱 in Beijing during winter break.

• 白英爱 advises him not to come to Beijing in the winter because the weather is terrible. It snows every day, it is extremely cold, and the air quality is poor.

• 高文中 suggests that 白英爱 visit him in Florida during the summer.

• 白英爱 says that Florida's summer is even hotter than Beijing's. Florida's summer is not only hot but also humid.

• 高文中 says he wants to see her.

• 白英爱 suggests that 高文中 come to Beijing in the fall because the weather is the best then—not too cold and not too hot.

• 高文中 says he is not available in the fall.

• Answers to the questions:

  1. Where is 高文中 and 白英爱?: beijing

  2. What does 白英爱 think of Beijing's weather in winter?: not good, it is snowing

  3. Will 白英爱 go to Florida this summer? Why?: no hotter than Beijing

  4. Is 高文中 going to Beijing this fall? Why?: no, not available

  5. Does 白英爱 want to see 高文中? Why?: yeah, invites him to Beijing in fall

Passage 6: At a Chinese Restaurant

• 王朋 and 李友 went to a Chinese restaurant yesterday.

• The restaurant was very crowded, and there were no seats available. They waited for an hour to get a table.

• 王朋 ordered two plates of vegetarian dumplings because he is a vegetarian.

• In addition to the dumplings, they also ordered two bowls of tofu soup.

• 李友 told the waiter not to add MSG and to use less salt.

• 王朋 ordered a cola for himself and an iced tea for 李友.

• Their total bill was 45.

• 王朋 gave the waiter 50.

• The waiter gave him 5 in change. 王朋 told the waiter to keep the change as a tip. The waiter thanked him.

• Answers to the questions:

  1. When did they go to the Chinese restaurant?: yesterday

  2. Why did they have to wait for an hour to be seated?: Restaurant was crowded

  3. Who is the vegetarian?: Wang Peng

  4. What did they order?: dumplings, tofu soup, cola, iced tea

  5. What special requests did Li You make for her soup?: No MSG, less salt

  6. How much did they spend altogether?: $45

  7. How much was the tip?: $5

Vocabulary and Grammar (Part 2)

量词 (Measure Words):

1. 李友不喜欢喝可乐,她喝了一 瓶 (bottle) 水.

2. 我昨天喝了五 杯 (cup) 茶.

3. 他点了一 盘 (plate) 饺子, 两 碗 (bowl) 汤.

4. 请问, 两 位 客人想吃点什么?

5. 那 张 桌子好像没有人。

6. 这 本 书很有意思。

7. 请给我一 枝 红色的笔。

8. 那 把 餐刀, 一 双 筷子, 好吗？

9. 你喜欢那 条 黑色的裤子吗？

10. 这 双 红色的凉鞋真漂亮！

11. 我买了一 顶 蓝色的棒球帽。

12. 小白家有几 口 人?

13. 小李昨天写了两 封 信。

14. 这 篇 日记写得真好!

15. 我明天有四 节 课。

16. 这 本 书很有意思。

17. 我买了三 只 猫。

18. 你觉得这 家 饭馆怎么样?

19. 我去过中国两 次。

Grammar

1. Currency:

• 元/块 (yuán/kuài)

• 角/毛 (jiǎo/máo)

• 分 (fēn)

• 89.76 is:

  • 八十九元七角六分 (bāshíjiǔ yuán qī jiǎo liù fēn).

  • 八十九元七毛六分 (bāshíjiǔ yuán qī máo liù fēn).

2. VOV 得 + adj.: Describe how well one performs an action

• Example:

  • 我唱歌唱得 不太好 (wǒ chànggē chàng de bù tài hǎo). - I don't sing very well.

  • Example:

  • 他写字写得真漂亮 (tā xiězì xiě de zhēn piàoliang). - He writes beautifully.

3. 得 (děi) + verb: must …; have to …

• Example:

  • 太晚了, 我得回家了 (tài wǎn le, wǒ děi huí jiā le). - It's too late, I have to go home.

• Example:

  • 我得先做功课,再看电视 (wǒ děi xiān zuò gōngkè, zài kàn diànshì). - I have to do homework first, then watch TV.

4. 给 someone + Noun: give something to/for someone

• 给 someone + Action: do things to /for someone

• Example:

  • 请给我一杯水吧 (qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi shuǐ ba). - Please give me a cup of water.

• Example:

  • 我常常给我的朋友打电话、发短信 (wǒ chángcháng gěi wǒ de péngyǒu dǎ diànhuà, fā duǎnxìn). - I often make phone calls, send texts to my friend.

• Example:

  • 你可以给我唱一个中文歌吗 (nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ chàng yī gè zhōngwén gē ma?). - Can you sing a Chinese song for me?

• Circle the best translation

  • I call and text my mom every day.

    • 我每天给我妈妈打电话和发短信。(wǒ měitiān gěi wǒ māma dǎ diànhuà hé fā duǎnxìn.)

  • Can you read me a story?

    • 你可以给我读一个故事吗? (nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ dú yī gè gùshì ma?)

5. Time/Event + 以前: before the time/event

• Time/Event + 以后: after the time/event

• Example:

  • 我睡觉以前吃饭 (wǒ shuìjiào yǐqián chīfàn). - I eat before sleeping.

  • 我吃饭以后睡觉 (wǒ chīfàn yǐhòu shuìjiào). - I sleep after eating.

• Translations:

  • I get up before 6am.

    • 我早上六点以前起床 (wǒ zǎoshang liù diǎn yǐqián qǐchuáng).

  • I go to 1st period before going to 2nd period

    • 我去第一节课以前去第二节课。(wǒ qù dìyī jié kè yǐqián qù dì èr jié kè)

• Before/After (Time) = Time + 以前/以后

  • 四点以前 - Before 4

  • 吃饭以后 - After eating

6. Time /Event+ 才/就 + Action

• 才 (cái): not until, only then; suggests later than expected

• 就 (jiù): suggests the earliness, briefness or quickness of an action *Reminder: Example:

  • 我昨天下午四点才回家 (wǒ zuótiān xiàwǔ sì diǎn cái huí jiā). - I did not go home until 4pm yesterday.
    Example:

  • 我昨天下午四点就回家了 (wǒ zuótiān xiàwǔ sì diǎn jiù huí jiā le). - I went home as early as 4pm yesterday.
    Translations:

  • You cannot drink until 21.

    • 你21岁才可以喝酒。(nǐ 21 suì cái kěyǐ hējiǔ)

  • I did not go to school until after 10 am.

    • 我上午十点以后才去学校。 (wǒ shàngwǔ shí diǎn yǐhòu cái qù xuéxiào)
      *Time expressions: big to small

7. The many meanings of 怎么 (zěnme)

• 怎么 + Verb: How to do…?

• 怎么…?! How come…?

• Example:

  • 你知道怎么回家吗? (nǐ zhīdào zěnme huí jiā ma?) - Do you know how to get home?

• Example:

  • 你怎么不想吃饭?! (nǐ zěnme bù xiǎng chīfàn?!) - How come you do not want to eat?!

• Example:

  • 你怎么这么忙?! (nǐ zěnme zhème máng?!) - How come you are this busy?!

• Example:

  • 他怎么那么聪明?! (tā zěnme nàme cōngmíng?!) - How come he is that smart?!

• Stronger than why? (怎么这么…?/怎么那么…?Variations of怎么…?)

• Fill in the blanks: (怎么、这么、那么,什么)

  • 什么? 你不是中国人? 可是, 你的中文怎么这么好?! 我不知道怎么说中文。你能帮我吗?

  • (Shénme? Nǐ bùshì zhōngguó rén? Kěshì, nǐ de zhōngwén zěnme zhème hǎo?! Wǒ bù zhīdào zěnme shuō zhōngwén. Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?)

  • (What? You are not Chinese? But, How come your Chinese is so good. I do not know how to speak Chinese. Can you help me?)

8. The many meanings of 会 (huì)

• 1. going to, will

• 2: know how to do things

• 3: meeting/gathering

• Translate the underlined words/phrases into English:

  • 小王, 要是明天你不开会(attend careering), 我想请你去听一场音乐会(concert), 好吗? 天气预报说明天会下雨(will rain)。我不会开车(don't know how drive), 我们坐出租车去吧。

9. 一边 action1 一边 action2… Multi-tasking

• Which one of the following structures is right?

  • 他常常一边吃饭一边听音乐。(tā chángcháng yībiān chīfàn yībiān tīng yīnyuè.)

10. 又… 又… : both and …

• (circle all correct sentences:)

  • 王明写汉字写得又快又漂亮。(Wáng Míng xiě hànzì xiě dé yòu kuài yòu piàoliang.)

  • 这条裤子又便宜又好看。(zhè tiáo kùzi yòu piányí yòu hǎokàn)

  • 他的发音又清楚又好听。(Tā de fāyīn yòu qīngchǔ yòu hǎotīng.)

  • 法文的语法又难又多。(Fǎwén de yǔfǎ yòu nán yòu duō.)

11. 不但…而且… : not only…, but also…

• 上海的夏天不但潮湿,而且很热。(Shànghǎi de xiàtiān bùdàn cháoshī, érqiě hěn rè)

• (Circle the correct translation)
  *Shanghai's summer is not only humid, but also very hot.

12. 虽…,但是可是/不过: although…, but/however…

• 虽然这双鞋很好看, 但是(or不过or可是)太贵了。(Suīrán zhè shuāng xié hěn hǎokàn, dànshì (or bùguò or kěshì) tài guì le.)

  • (Which one is grammatically correct?)

    • 虽然他不喜欢佛州的天气, 但是(or不过or可是)他不喜欢佛州的人。(Suīrán tā bù xǐhuān fózhōu de tiānqì, dànshì (or bùguò or kěshì) tā bù xǐhuān fózhōu de rén.)

13. Subject 1… 的时候, Subject2正在…: involve 2 subjects; while/when s1. s2 is doing…

• 我到家的时候,我的妈妈正在打电话。(Wǒ dàojiā de shíhou, wǒ de māmā zhèngzài dǎ diànhuà.)

  • (Circle the correct translation)

    • When I got home, my mom was making a phone call.

14. 除了A 以外,还/也B: apart from A, also B

• Apart from English, he also studies French and Chinese.

• 除了英文以外,他还学法文和中文。(Chúle Yīngwén yǐwài, tā hái xué Fǎwén hé Zhōngwén.)

15. 还是 … 吧: used to signify making a decision after considering all options, and the decision may be a compromise under the circumstance.

• Translate into English:

  • 坐出租车太贵了, 我还是坐公共汽车吧。(zuò chūzūchē tài guì le, wǒ háishì zuò gōnggòng qìchē ba.) (riding taxi is to expensive, it is better to ride a bus)
    *骑车去学校太慢了,还是我开车送你去学校吧。(qíchē qù xuéxiào tài màn le, háishì wǒ kāichē sòng nǐ qù xuéxiào ba.) (riding, a bike to school is too slow, it is better that I drive you to school)

16. Order of Events: 首先/先…,然后/再…,最后…:at first…, then… at last….

• Which one is NOT grammatically correct?
  *先你坐飞机,然后坐地铁,再你坐出租车,最后坐公共汽车。 (Xiān nǐ zuò fēijī, ránhòu zuò dìtiě, zài nǐ zuò chūzūchē, zuìhòu zuò gōnggòng qìchē.)

17. 还是 or 或者 (还是 used in a question 或者: used in a statement.)

• Example:
  *服务员:您想喝点什么呢? 茶还是咖啡?(Fúwùyuán: Nín xiǎng hē diǎn shénme ne? Chá háishì kāfēi?) (What do you want to drink? Tea or coffee?)
  *客人:茶或者咖啡都行。(Kèrén: Chá huòzhě kāfēi dōu xíng.) (Tea or coffee, both are Ok.)
  你喜欢吃中国饭 还是 美国饭? (Nǐ xǐhuān chī zhōngguó fàn háishì měiguó fàn?) (a. 还是)
  你可以坐火车 或者 坐飞机去台北。(Nǐ kěyǐ zuò huǒchē huòzhě zuò fēijī qù táiběi.) (或者)

18. 每… 都 Verb (emphatically: Every…)

• Translate into English:
  我妈妈每(一)天都开车送我去学校。(Wǒ māmā měi (yī) tiān dōu kāichē sòng wǒ qù xuéxiào.) (My mom dives me to school everyday)
  学校的每个人我都认识。(Xuéxiào de měi gèrén wǒ dōu rènshí.) (I know every person in the school)
  我每个周末都和朋友看电影。(Wǒ měi gè zhōumò dōu hé péngyǒu kàn diànyǐng.) (I catch movies with my friends every weekend)

19. 快要… 了 or 快… 了 or 要… 了: something is about to happen or someone is about to be here

• Translate into English:
  暑假快要到了。(Shǔjià kuàiyào dào le.) (Summer break is about to start)
  考试快开始了。(Kǎoshì kuài kāishǐ le.) (The test is about to start)
  我妈妈要送我去学校了。(Wǒ māmā yào sòng wǒ qù xuéxiào le.) (My mom will send me to school soon)

20. Compare using 一样/不一样 and 比

• A 和/跟 B 一样/不一样: A is/(is not) the same as B
  A 比 B + (更) adj. A is (even) more adj. than B
  Rank the 5 boys from the tallest to the shortest: Adam 和 Ben 不一样高。Ben 跟 Cody 一样高。 Adam 比 Ben 高很多。 Cody 比 Daniel 高一点。Eric 比 Adam 更高。Frank 最高。(Adam hé Ben bù yīyàng gāo. Ben gēn Cody yīyàng gāo. Adam bǐ Ben gāo hěn duō. Cody bǐ Daniel gāo yīdiǎn. Eric bǐ Adam gèng gāo. Frank zuìgāo.)
  Frank Eric Adam Ben Cody Daniel

Culture (Part 3)

1. Land, History, and People:

• China is located in the eastern part of Asia.

• The capital city of China is Beijing.

• The two longest rivers in China are 长江 (Chángjiāng) and 黄河 (Huánghé).

• The river that serves as a border between southern and northern China is the 黄河 (Huánghé).

• The ocean that borders China on the East is the 太平洋 (Tàipíngyáng).

• There are 55 ethnic minority groups in China.

• 90% of the Chinese people are 汉 (Hàn) people.
  The author of "The Art of War" is 孙子 (Sūnzǐ).
  Confucius emphasizes social and political harmony.
  The founder of Daoism is 老子 (Lǎozǐ).
  The Great Wall is built to fend off invaders.
  (Four treasures of a study) refers to Brush, paper, ink stick and inkwell.
  (Four great inventions) refers to compass, printing, paper making, gunpowder.
  (abacus) is an ancient calculator.
  Terracotta soldiers were underground warriors of Emperor Qin.
  Chinese language is the most spoken language in the world.
  Chinese is a tonal language. There are four different tones in Mandarin Chinese.
  Pinyin is not the Chinese alphabet; it is simply a way to help us pronounce Chinese characters.
  The Chinese language we are learning is also called:

• 普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà) (Mainland)
  国语 (Guóyǔ) (Taiwan)
  汉语 (Hànyǔ) (Mainland)
  华语 (Huáyǔ) (Southeast Asia)
  Some Chinese characters are pictographs (ex. 人 person, 山 mountain, 日 sun, 月 moon, 木 tree).
  The radical and its meaning of the following characters:
  女,,, : girl
  口:: mouth
  Remember the following pairs:
  A:对不起。(Duìbùqǐ.) (Sorry.)
  B: 没关系/没问题。(Méiguānxì/Méiwèntí.) (It's okay/No problem.)
  A:谢谢你。(Xièxiè nǐ.) (Thank you.)
  B: 不客气/别客气。(Bù kèqì/Bié kèqì.) (You're welcome.)
  Which one is appropriate:
  校长您好!(Xiàozhǎng nínhǎo!) (Hello, Principal!)
  老师你好!(Lǎoshī nǐ hǎo!) (Hello, Teacher!)
  阿姨你好!(Āyí nǐ hǎo!) (Hello, Auntie!)
  妹妹您好!(Mèimei nínhǎo!) (Hello, younger sister!)

2. Chinese Holidays:

• Chinese New Year is also called Spring Festival. It signifies the start of this season: spring.

• Spring Festival or Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in China. It lasts 15 days. The last day is called 元宵节 (yuán xiāo jié) or 灯笼节 (dēng lóng jié, Lantern Festival).

• Children often receive money in a red envelope called 红包 (hóngbāo) during the festival.

• The zodiac animal that doesn't exists is 猫.

• 端午节 (Duānwǔ jié) (Dragon Boat Festival) is celebrated in summer. It is also called Double Fifth Day. People eat 粽子 (zòngzi) during 端午节.

• 七巧节 (qī qiǎo jié) is celebrated on lunar calendar July 7th. It is called Chinese Valentine's day.

• 中秋节 (zhōngqiū jié) (Mid-autumn Festival) is celebrated in fall. People eat 月饼 (yuèbǐng moon cake) during 中秋节.