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你看，好大的鸟！ Nǐ kàn, hǎo dà de niǎo! Look, a big bird! 不是，是飞机。 Bù shì, shì fēijī. No, it's a plane. 不对，是超人！ Bù duì, shì chāorén! Wrong, it's Superman! 真的是啊。超人实在是太酷了！他飞得真快！ Zhēnde shì a. Chāorén shízài shì tài kù le! Tā fēi de zhēn kuài! It really is. Superman is just too cool! He flies so fast! 没错。他真是个英雄。 Méicuò. Tā zhēn shì ge yīngxióng. That's right. He really is a hero. 而且超级帅！你看，他对我笑了！ érqiě chāojí shuài! Nǐ kàn, tā duì wǒ xiào le! Plus he's super handsome! Look, he smiled at me!

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小徐，我跟你说说公司的报销政策。 Xiǎo Xú, wǒ gēn nǐ shuōshuo gōngsī de bàoxiāo zhèngcè. Xiao Xu, let me tell you a bit about the company reimbursement policy. 好的，王经理。 Hǎo de, Wáng jīnglǐ. OK, Mr. Wang. 基本上工作的花费都可以报销。比如差旅费、招待客户的费用等等。 Jīběnshang gōngzuò de huāfèi dōu kěyǐ bàoxiāo. Bǐrú chāilǚfèi, zhāodài kèhù de fèiyong děngděng. Basically all work expenses can be reimbursed. For example, business trip expenses, client expenses, etc. 我知道了。那么，怎么报销呢？ Wǒ zhīdào le. Nàme, zěnme bàoxiāo ne? I see. So, what is the reimbursement process like? 提供发票。特别要注意拿标准发票。小票不可以报。 Tígōng fāpiào. Tèbié yào zhùyì ná biāozhǔn fāpiào. Xiǎopiào bù kěyǐ bào. Provide a receipt. You really have to be sure to get an official receipt. You can't get reimbursed for a regular receipt. 可是有些地方只有小票，怎么办？ Kěshì yǒuxiē dìfang zhǐyǒu xiǎopiào, zěnme bàn? But some places only have regular receipts. What then? 特殊情况要写清楚原因。报销之前要填写报销单。 Tèshū qíngkuàng yào xiě qīngchu yuányīn. Bàoxiāo zhīqián yào tiánxiě bàoxiāo dān. For special circumstances you have to write out the reason. Before getting reimbursed you have to fill out a reimbursement form. 报销单分不同的种类吗？ Bàoxiāo dān fēn bùtóng de zhǒnglèi ma? Are there different kinds of reimbursement forms? 对。这个一定要搞清楚。发票和报销单交给部门经理批准。 Duì. Zhège yīdìng yào gǎo qīngchu. Fāpiào hé bàoxiāo dān jiāogěi bùmén jīnglǐ pīzhǔn. Yes. This you really have to keep straight. You give the receipt and the reimbursement form to the department manager for approval. 好的。大概要多久能拿到钱？ Hǎo de. Dàgài yào duōjiǔ néng nádào qián? OK. How long does it usually take to receive the money? 一个月左右吧。特殊情况可以加快。还有，超过一个月的发票不可以报。好了，就这些。 Yī ge yuè zuǒyòu ba. Tèshū qíngkuàng kěyǐ jiākuài. Háiyǒu, chāoguò yī ge yuè de fāpiào bù kěyǐ bào. Hǎo le, jiù zhèxiē. About a month. For special circumstances it can be sped up. Also, receipts that are over a month old can't be reimbursed. OK, that's it. 知道了。谢谢王经理。 Zhīdào le. Xièxie Wáng jīnglǐ. Got it. Thanks, Mr. Wang.

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今天天气很好，不过我的心情更好。 Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo, bùguò wǒ de xīnqíng gèng hǎo. The weather is really good today, but my mood is even better. 因为今天王伟请我吃了意大利菜。 Yīnwèi jīntiān Wáng Wěi qǐng wǒ chī le Yìdàlì cài. It's because today I had Italian food with Wang Wei. 他真会享受，不像班里的其他男生，他们都很土。 Tā zhēn huì xiǎngshòu, bù xiàng bān lǐ de qítā nánshēng, tāmen dōu hěn tǔ. He really knows how to enjoy things, unlike some other boys in the class. They are all so dorky. 我想我开始喜欢他了，但是他好像喜欢杨洁。 Wǒ xiǎng wǒ kāishǐ xǐhuan tā le, dànshì tā hǎoxiàng xǐhuan Yáng Jié. I think I've started to like him, but he seems to like Yang Jie. 上课的时候，他总是看她。 Shàngkè de shíhou, tā zǒngshì kàn tā. During class he always looks at her.

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你知道奥运会自行车比赛有哪几种吗？ Nǐ zhīdào Àoyùnhuì zìxíngchē bǐsài yǒu nǎ jǐ zhǒng ma? Do you know which types of cycling competitions are in the Olympics? 不知道。有哪些？ Bù zhīdào. Yǒu nǎxiē? No. Which ones? 有场地赛、公路赛和山地赛。 Yǒu chǎngdì sài, gōnglù sài hé shāndì sài. There's track cycling, road cycling, and mountain biking. 啊，还有一个新的我知道。 ā, hái yǒu yī ge xīn de wǒ zhīdào. Ah, and there's a new one I know. 是什么？ Shì shénme? What is it? 小轮车。 Xiǎolúnchē. BMX.

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各位观众，现在是突发事件报道。 Gèwèi guānzhòng, xiànzài shì tūfā shìjiàn bàodào. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a breaking news report. 本台刚刚收到消息，哥斯拉刚从日本东京来到上海。 Běn tái gānggāng shōudào xiāoxi, Gēsīlā gāng cóng Rìběn Dōngjīng láidào Shànghǎi. Our station just received news that Godzilla has just arrived in Shanghai from Japan. 他现在正在市中心，摧毁楼房、见人就吃。 Tā xiànzài zhèngzài shì zhōngxīn, cuīhuǐ lóufáng, jiàn rén jiù chī. He is now downtown, destroying buildings, and eating anyone he sees. 据本台记者了解，哥斯拉非常庞大，力量惊人。 Jù běn tái jìzhě liǎojiě, Gēsīlā fēicháng pángdà, lìliang jīngrén. Our reporter tells us that Godzilla is huge, with terrifying strength. 他经过的地方都被破坏了。 Tā jīngguò de dìfang dōu bèi pòhuài le. The places he has passed through have been destroyed. 现在全市非常混乱。 Xiànzài quánshì fēicháng hùnluàn. The whole city is in chaos. 政府已经派出军队。 Zhèngfǔ yǐjīng pàichū jūnduì. The government has already dispatched the military. 如果你看到哥斯拉，请马上逃跑。 Rúguǒ nǐ kàndào Gēsīlā, qǐng mǎshàng táopǎo. If you see Godzilla, please run away as fast as you can. 啊，哥斯拉！ ā, Gēsīlā! Ah, Godzilla!

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大学里每个人都在谈恋爱。 Dàxué lǐ měi ge rén dōu zài tán liàn ài. Every person in the university is dating. 但是我们班的男生太丑了，都是书呆子。 Dànshì wǒmen bān de nánshēng tài chǒu le, dōu shì shūdāizi. But the boys in our class are too ugly, and are all bookworms. 特别是王伟。 Tèbié shì Wáng Wěi. Especially Wang Wei. 除了读书，什么都不知道。 Chúle dúshū, shénme dōu bù zhīdào. He doesn't know anything but studying. 不过李燕好像很喜欢他，每天都和他一起吃饭、看书。 Bùguò Lǐ Yàn hǎoxiàng hěn xǐhuan tā, měitiān dōu hé tā yīqǐ chīfàn, kànshū. But Li Yan seems to really like him. Every day she eats with him, studies with him. 我觉得这样太无聊了，一点都不浪漫！ Wǒ juéde zhèyàng tài wúliáo le, yīdiǎn dōu bù làngmàn! I feel that's so boring, not romantic at all.

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请问博客小姐在这里报名吗？ Qǐng wèn bókè xiǎojie zài zhèlǐ bàomíng ma? Excuse me, is this the Miss Blogger sign up? 对。在那里排队。 Duì. Zài nàlǐ páiduì. Yes. Line up over there. 哎，你看，那个女孩儿挺漂亮的。 āi, nǐ kàn, nàge nǚháir5 tǐng piàoliang de. Hey, look. That girl is quite pretty. 是啊，挺有气质的，身材也不错。我们跟她聊聊怎么样？ Shì a, tǐng yǒu qìzhì de, shēncái yě bùcuò. Wǒmen gēn tā liáoliao zěnmeyàng? Yeah, rather refined, and with a decent figure. How about chatting with her? 好啊！...... 报名的人真多，我们都等了一个多小时了。 Hǎo a!...... Bàomíng de rén zhēn duō, wǒmen dōu děng le yī ge duō xiǎoshí le. All right! ... There are a lot of people signing up. We've been waiting for over an hour already. 是吗？那我上课要迟到了。 Shì ma? Nà wǒ shàngkè yào chídào le. Really? Then I'm going to be late for class. 你还是学生？ Nǐ hái shì xuésheng? You're still a student? 嗯，研究生。我叫刘佳。 Ng4, yánjiūshēng. Wǒ jiào Liú Jiā. Yeah, a graduate student. My name is Liu Jia. 我叫Monica。这是我朋友，Jessica. Wǒ jiào Monica. Zhè shì wǒ péngyou, Jessica. I'm Monica. This is my friend, Jessica. 你们也是学生吗？ Nǐmen yě shì xuésheng ma? Are you students too? 对，我们两个都是学表演的。你是什么专业的？ Duì, wǒmen liǎng ge dōu shì xué biǎoyǎn de. Nǐ shì shénme zhuānyè de? Yeah, we both study theater. What major are you? 中文的。 Zhōngwén. Chinese. 那你怎么会来参加选美？ Nà nǐ zénme huì lái cānjiā xuǎnměi? So why would you participate in a beauty pageant? 是啊。我们学表演的，学校会教我们怎么打扮。而且表演、唱歌、跳舞、样样都要学。正好可以在选美的时候用。学中文好像就没什么用了。 Shì a. Wǒmen xué biǎoyǎn de, xuéxiào huì jiāo wǒmen zěnme dǎban. érqiě biǎoyǎn, chànggē, tiàowǔ, yàngyàng dōu yào xué. Zhènghǎo kěyǐ zài xuǎnměi de shíhou yòng. Xué Zhōngwén hǎoxiàng jiù méi shénme yòng le. Yeah. We study acting, and the school even teaches us how to put on make-up. Plus we have to study performing, singing, dancing, and all that. It comes in handy for a beauty pageant. It seems that learning Chinese just isn't of any use. 我以前也这么觉得。可没想到博客小姐最重要的是博客的内容。我写的都是二十多岁女生的感想，连男生都喜欢看。 Wǒ yǐqián yě zhème juéde. Kě méixiǎngdào bókè xiǎojie zuì zhòngyào de shì bókè de nèiróng. Wǒ xiě de dōu shì èrshí duō suì nǚshēng de gǎnxiǎng, lián nánshēng dōu xǐhuan kàn. I used to think that way. But I never imagined that for Miss Blogger the most important thing is the blog content. Everything I write is about the thoughts of a twenty-something girl. Even boys like to read it. 我的博客也很受欢迎。我教大家怎么化妆、怎么穿衣服！ Wǒ de bókè yě hěn shòu huānyíng. Wǒ jiāo dàjiā zěnme huàzhuāng, zěnme chuān yīfu! Same with my blog. I teach how to apply make-up, and how to dress! 我的也是。我们上个月都得了博客新人奖呢。那个比赛你参加了吗？ Wǒ de yě shì. Wǒmen shàng ge yuè dōu dé le bókè xīnrén jiǎng ne. Nàge bǐsài nǐ cānjiā le ma? Me too, the same goes for my blog. Last month we both won new blogger awards. Were you in that competition? 没有。我的博客已经写了两年多了，所以不算新人。不过这次是选美加博客，我应该算是新人吧。你们两位一定很有经验了，我要多向你们学习啊。 Méiyǒu. Wǒ de bókè yǐjīng xiě le liǎng nián duō le, suǒyǐ bù suàn xīnrén. Bùguò zhècì shì xuǎnměi jiā bókè, wǒ yīnggāi suàn shì xīnrén ba. Nǐmen liǎng wèi yīdìng hěn yǒu jīngyàn le, wǒ yào duō xiàng nǐmen xuéxí a. No. I've had my blog for over two years, so I'm not a newcomer. But this time it's a beauty pageant plus blogging, so maybe I am a newcomer there. You two must have a lot of experience. I have to learn a lot from you.

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宝贝，球是什么形状的？ Bǎobèi, qiú shì shénme xíngzhuàng de? Baby, what shape are balls? 不知道。 Bù zhīdào. I don't know. 球是圆的，太阳也是圆的。 Qiú shì yuán de, tàiyáng yě shì yuán de. Balls are round. The sun is round too. 爸爸，那，书是什么形状的呢？ Bàba, nà, shū shì shénme xíngzhuàng de ne? So, Daddy, what shape is a book? 书是方的，门也是方的。 Shū shì fāng de, mén yě shì fāng de. Books are rectangular. Doors are rectangular too. 我知道了。 Wǒ zhīdào le. I see. 那，你的三明治是什么形状的？ Nà, nǐ de sānmíngzhì shì shénme xíngzhuàng de? So, what shape is your sandwich? 不知道。 Bù zhīdào. I don't know. 是三角形的。 Shì sānjiǎoxíng de. It's triangular.

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这个Peter, 我一定要好好教训他！喂，要你帮个忙。有个加拿大人，我不想再看到他了。明白吗？ Zhège Peter, wǒ yīdìng yào hǎohāo jiàoxun tā! Wèi, yào nǐ bāng ge máng. Yǒu ge Jiānádà rén, wǒ bù xiǎng zài kàndào tā le. Míngbai ma? That Peter... I really have to teach him a lesson. Hello? I need your help. There's a Canadian I don't ever want to see again. You get my drift? 明白了。我们忍者办事，你放心。 Míngbai le. Wǒmen rěnzhě bànshì, nǐ fàngxīn. I get it. We ninjas will take care of it. Relax. 那我等你的好消息。 Nà wǒ děng nǐ de hǎo xiāoxi. Then I'll wait for the good news. (Time passes) 喂，Peter。 Wèi, Peter. Hello, Peter. 哎，李经理，货发出来了吗？ āi, Lǐ jīnglǐ, huò fā chūlai le ma? Ah, Mr. Li. Have you shipped yet? 下星期就发。 Xiàxīngqī jiù fā. We'll ship next week. 哦，请你快一点。 ō, qǐng nǐ kuài yīdiǎn. Oh, please be a little faster. 我可以快。只可惜你看不到了。 Wǒ kěyǐ kuài. Zhǐ kěxī nǐ kànbudào le. I can be fast. Too bad you won't be around to see it. 为什么？你什么意思？ Wèishénme? Nǐ shénme yìsi? Why not? What's that supposed to mean? Peter, 你不懂规矩。你自己觉得呢？ Peter, nǐ bù dǒng guīju. Nǐ zìjǐ juéde ne? Peter, you don't understand the rules. Don't you think so? 我不明白你的意思。我没有做错什么啊。 Wǒ bù míngbai nǐ de yìsi. Wǒ méiyǒu zuòcuò shénme a. I don't know what you mean. I didn't do anything wrong. 哎，你怎么还是不懂呢？你会后悔的。 āi, nǐ zěnme háishi bù dǒng ne? Nǐ huì hòuhuǐ de. Ah, you still don't get it, do you? You're going to regret that. 我才不怕你。喂？啊！忍者！ Wǒ cái bù pà nǐ. Wèi? à! Rěnzhě! I'm not afraid of you. Hello? Augh! Ninjas! 哈、哈、哈……。 Hā, hā, hā....... Ha ha ha...

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为奥运会做准备真不容易。 Wèi Àoyùnhuì zuò zhǔnbèi zhēn bù róngyì. It's really not easy to prepare for the Olympics. 当然咯！运动员的生活里只有训练。 Dāngrán lo! Yùndòngyuán de shēnghuó lǐ zhǐyǒu xùnliàn. Of course! An athlete's life is all training. 他们真是太辛苦了。 Tāmen zhēnshì tài xīnkǔ le. They're just so sacrificing. 是啊，我们看比赛轻松多了。 Shì a, wǒmen kàn bǐsài qīngsōng duō le. Yeah, it's a lot easier for us, watching the competitions.

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佳佳，我们有个好消息要告诉你！ Jiājia, wǒmen yǒu ge hǎo xiāoxi yào gàosu nǐ! Jiajia, we have some good news for you! 什么消息？不用考试了？ Shénme xiāoxi? Bùyòng kǎoshì le? What news? We don't have to take the exam? 比这个还好。有个选美比赛快要开始了。你一定要去参加！ Bǐ zhège hái hǎo. Yǒu ge xuǎnměi bǐsài kuài yào kāishǐ le. Nǐ yīdìng yào qù cānjiā! Even better. There's a beauty pageant that's going to start soon. You totally have to be in it! 哎哟，别开玩笑了！我怎么够格？ āiyō, bié kāi wánxiào le! Wǒ zěnme gòugé? Oh, stop joking around! How would I qualify? 你不够格，谁够格？ Nǐ bù gòugé, shéi gòugé? If you don't qualify, who qualifies? 佳佳，你这么漂亮，而且博客也写得这么好，不去太可惜了。 Jiājia, nǐ zhème piàoliang, érqiě bókè yě xiě de zhème hǎo, bù qù tài kěxī le. Jiajia, you're so pretty, plus you're such a good blogger. It would be such a shame not to do it. 是啊。我如果有你一半漂亮，肯定马上就去。 Shì a. Wǒ rúguǒ yǒu nǐ yībàn piàoliang, kěndìng mǎshàng jiù qù. Yeah. If I were half as pretty as you, I'd do it right away. 那你们先说说是什么比赛？ Nà nǐmen xiān shuōshuo shì shénme bǐsài? OK, first tell me something about the competition. 博客小姐。参加的人一定要有自己的博客。 Bókè xiǎojie. Cānjiā de rén yīdìng yào yǒu zìjǐ de bókè. Miss Blogger. Participants must have their own blogs. 选美和博客有什么关系？ Xuǎnměi hé bókè yǒu shénme guānxi? What does beauty have to do with blogs? 这个比赛不只是比谁漂亮，最重要的是比头脑。你既有外表，又有内涵。博客小姐肯定是你！ Zhège bǐsài bù zhǐshì bǐ shéi piàoliang, zuì zhòngyào de shì bǐ tóunǎo. Nǐ jì yǒu wàibiǎo, yòu yǒu nèihán. Bókè xiǎojie kěndìng shì nǐ! The competition is not just about who's the prettiest. The important thing is who's got brains. You've got both the looks and the smarts. Miss Blogger is so you! 是啊、是啊。报名已经开始了，你赶快去吧！ Shì a, shì a. Bàomíng yǐjīng kāishǐ le, nǐ gǎnkuài qù ba! Yeah, yeah. Registration has already started. Hurry over there! 需要穿比基尼吗？那样的话，打死我也不去。 Xūyào chuān bǐjīní ma? Nàyàng dehuà, dǎsǐ wǒ yě bù qù. Do I need to wear a bikini? If it's like that, even torture won't get me to do it. 不需要。这个比赛比的是头脑。 Bù xūyào. Zhège bǐsài bǐ de shì tóunǎo. You don't need to. The contest is about brains. 最重要的是，可以让大家都知道你，读你的博客。 Zuì zhòngyào de shì, kěyǐ ràng dàjiā dōu zhīdào nǐ, dú nǐ de bókè. The most important thing is getting everyone to know you, and to read your blog. 好了、好了。那我试试吧。 Hǎo le, hǎo le. Nà wǒ shìshi ba. Ok, OK. I'll give it a try. 耶！佳佳要出名了！ Yē! Jiājia yào chūmíng le! Yay! Jiajia is going to be famous!

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那个人是男的还是女的？ Nèige rén shì nánde háishi nǚde? Is that person male or female? 肯定是男的。头发那么短。 Kěndìng shì nánde. Tóufa nàme duǎn. Got to be male. His hair is so short. 但是走路的样子像女的。 Dànshì zǒulù de yàngzi xiàng nǚde. But the way she walks looks female. 是有点像。不过长得像男的。 Shì yǒudiǎn xiàng. Bùguò zhǎng de xiàng nánde. Yes, it does. But she looks male. 到底是男的还是女的？ Dàodǐ shì nánde háishi nǚde? Is he male or female?? 我也糊涂了。 Wǒ yě hútu le. I'm confused too.

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老板早！哟，您今天气色真好！ Lǎobǎn zǎo! Yō, nín jīntiān qìsè zhēn hǎo! Good morning, boss! Wow, you're looking energetic today! 是吗？我觉得和平时差不多嘛。 Shì ma? Wǒ juéde hé píngshí chàbuduō ma. Really? I feel the same as always... 平时就不错，最近是越来越好了。我们公司的业绩也跟您的气色一样，一天比一天好了。 Píngshí jiù bùcuò, zuìjìn shì yuèláiyuè hǎo le. Wǒmen gōngsī de yèjì yě gēn nín de qìsè yīyàng, yī tiān bǐ yī tiān hǎo le. Well, you're always pretty good, but you've been looking better and better lately. Our company's results are also looking good, and getting better every day. 这要多谢大家的努力啊。 Zhè yào duōxiè dàjiā de nǔlì a. Well, we have everyone's hard work to thank for that. 老板，您来得真早。现在哪有像您这样认真的老板！ Lǎobǎn, nín lái de zhēn zǎo. Xiànzài nǎyǒu xiàng nín zhèyàng rènzhēn de lǎobǎn! Boss, you're here early. These days a boss as dedicated as you is hard to come by! 事情多嘛，肯定要早点来。 Shìqing duō ma, kěndìng yào zǎo diǎn lái. There's a lot to do. I've got to come early. 现在好多老板都把工作推给员工。而您都是自己做，还教我们怎么做。这几年我们从您那儿学了不少东西。 Xiànzài hǎo duō lǎobǎn dōu bǎ gōngzuò tuīgěi yuángōng. ér nín dōu shì zìjǐ zuò, hái jiāo wǒmen zěnme zuò. Zhè jǐ nián wǒmen cóng nín nàr5 xué le bùshǎo dōngxi. Nowadays a lot of bosses push their work onto their employees. But you do it yourself, and teach us how to do it. We've learned a lot from you these past few years. 应该的。你们有进步，公司才会进步啊。 Yīnggāi de. Nǐmen yǒu jìnbù, gōngsī cái huì jìnbù a. That's my job. Only when you all make progress does the company make progress. 老板早！您穿西装真好看。您身材保持得这么好，肯定有什么窍门吧？ Lǎobǎn zǎo! Nín chuān xīzhuāng zhēn hǎokàn. Nín shēncái bǎochí de zhème hǎo, kěndìng yǒu shénme qiàomén ba? Good morning boss! You look good in a suit. You've really stayed in shape. You must have some secret technique? 我肚子这么大，怎么能叫好呢？ Wǒ dùzi zhème dà, zěnme néng jiào hǎo ne? How can you call a belly this big "staying in shape?" 您这是福相。别人想要都没有呢。 Nín zhè shì fúxiàng. Biérén xiǎng yào dōu méiyǒu ne. That's just showing your success. Some people who want that can't get it. 呵呵，今天是什么日子？大家都夸我。噢，对了！今天我要决定谁升职。 Hēhē, jīntiān shì shénme rìzi? Dàjiā dōu kuā wǒ. ō, duì le! Jīntiān wǒ yào juédìng shéi shēngzhí. Heh heh. What day is today? Everyone is complimenting me. Oh, that's right! Today I have to decide who gets promoted...

Dialogue:

我们回去吧。 Wǒmen huíqu ba. Let's go back. 还早呢。 Hái zǎo ne. It's still early. 可是我想回去上厕所。 Kěshì wǒ xiǎng huíqu shàng cèsuǒ. But I want to go back to use the restroom. 这里不是有厕所吗？ Zhèlǐ bù shì yǒu cèsuǒ ma? Isn't there a restroom here? 我不想上公厕。 Wǒ bù xiǎng shàng gōngcè. I don't want to use the public toilet. 为什么？挺干净的。 Wèishénme? Tǐng gānjìng de. Why? It's quite clean. 我想上大号。快走吧！我很急。 Wǒ xiǎng shàng dàhào. Kuài zǒu ba! Wǒ hěn jí. I have to go number two. C'mon, let's go! It's urgent.

Dialogue:

观众朋友们，女排比赛开始了。 Guānzhòng péngyou men, nǚpái bǐsài kāishǐ le. Spectator friends, the women's volleyball competition has begun. 现在是古巴女排发球。 Xiànzài shì Gǔbā nǚpái fāqiú. The Cuban women's volleyball team is serving now. 中国队接球不错。 Zhōngguó duì jiēqiú bùcuò. Team China returned it pretty well. 古巴队的防守也很强。 Gǔbā duì de fángshǒu yě hěn qiáng. Team Cuba's defense is also very strong. 双人拦网。 Shuāngrén lánwǎng. Two-person block at the net. 扣球！ Nǐ huì kāichē ma? Spike! 啊呀，出界了。 āyā, chūjiè le. Oh, it's out of bounds.

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你老家在哪儿？ Nǐ lǎojiā zài nǎr5? Where are you originally from? 河南南阳。你呢？ Hénán Nányáng. Nǐ ne? Nanyang, Henan. How about you? 浙江衢州。南阳在河南的南面吗？ Zhèjiāng Qúzhōu. Nányáng zài Hénán de nánmiàn ma? Quzhou, Zhejiang. Is Nanyang in southern Henan? 在西南。衢州呢？ Zài xīnán. Qúzhōu ne? It's in the southwest. How about Quzhou? 在浙江的西面。它是浙江、安徽、江西和福建四个省的交界。 Zài Zhèjiāng de xīmiàn. Tā shì Zhèjiāng, Ānhuī, Jiāngxī hé Fújiàn sì ge shěng de jiāojiè. It's in western Zhejiang. It's where the four provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Fujian come together. 这么厉害！你们那儿有多少人口？ Zhème lìhai! Nǐmen nàr5 yǒu duōshao rénkǒu? Wow. What's the population there? 好像两百多万人吧。你们南阳呢？ Hǎoxiàng liǎngbǎi duō wàn rén ba. Nǐmen Nányáng ne? I think it's over 2 million people. How about Nanyang? 南阳是个大城市，有一千多万。 Nányáng shì ge dàchéngshì, yǒu yīqiān duō wàn. Nanyang is a big city. It has over 10 million. 啊，这么多？南阳的经济怎么样？发达吗？人均GDP是多少？ ǎ, zhème duō? Nányáng de jīngjì zěnmeyàng? Fādá ma? Rénjūn GDP shì duōshao? Wow, really? How is Nanyang's economy? Is it developed? What's the average GDP? 你怎么问这么专业的问题？具体的数字我记不清了，大概一万块左右吧。衢州是不是高多了？听说浙江很富的。 Nǐ zěnme wèn zhème zhuānyè de wèntí? Jùtǐ de shùzì wǒ jìbuqīng le, dàgài yīwàn kuài zuǒyòu ba. Qúzhōu shì bu shì gāo duō le? Tīngshuō Zhèjiāng hěn fù de. What's with all the specialized questions? I don't remember the specific numbers, but it's at about 10,000 RMB. Is Quzhou's a lot higher? I hear Zhejiang is quite well-off. 浙江那么大，富的有，穷的也有嘛。衢州算比较穷的。南阳有什么特产？ Zhèjiāng nàme dà, fù de yǒu, qióng de yě yǒu ma. Qúzhōu suàn bǐjiào qióng de. Nányáng yǒu shénme tèchǎn? Zhejiang is so big. There are rich and poor cities. Quzhou is one of the poorer ones. 我们的特产是玉。 Wǒmen de tèchǎn shì yù. What are the main trades? 玉？真幸福啊。买玉肯定又便宜又好。哎，我们的就普通多了。 Yù? Zhēn xìngfú a. Mǎi yù kěndìng yòu piányi yòu hǎo. āi, wǒmen de jiù pǔtōng duō le. Manufacturing, and also chemical engineering. What about Nanyang? 是什么？ Shì shénme? We do mainly mineral production and construction materials. By the way, our local specialty is jade. 茶叶和桔子。南阳是古城吧？ Cháyè hé júzi. Nányáng shì gǔchéng ba? Jade? That's really lucky. You must be able to get good jade for cheap. (Sigh) Ours is a lot more ordinary. 没错。你们那儿是水乡吗？ Méicuò. Nǐmen nàr5 shì shuǐxiāng ma? What is it? 是啊。真的是好山好水。有空你一定要来玩。 Shì a. Zhēnde shì hǎoshān hǎoshuǐ. Yǒukòng nǐ yīdìng yào lái wán. Tea and tangerines. Is Nanyang an ancient city? 好的，一言为定。 Hǎo de, yīyánwéidìng. That's right. Is yours a water town?

Dialogue:

我死定了。 Wǒ sǐ dìng le. I'm so dead. 怎么了？ Zěnme le? What is it? 我这次考得很差。 Wǒ zhècì kǎo de hěn chà. I did terribly on the last test. 我也很差。 Wǒ yě hěn chà. Me too. 我爸妈会打死我的。 Wǒ bàmā huì dǎ sǐ wǒ de. My parents are going to beat me to death. 应该不会吧。 Yīnggāi bù huì ba. They won't really, right?

Dialogue:

李经理，我是Peter。 Lǐ jīnglǐ, wǒ shì Peter. Mr. Li, this is Peter. 哦！怎么了？ ō! Zěnme le? Oh! What is it? 榔头的价格不对，比你当时的报价高。 Lángtou de jiàgé bù duì, bǐ nǐ dāngshí de bàojià gāo. The hammer price isn't right. It's higher than the quote you gave me. Peter，你也知道最近美金贬值了，所以我们公司调整了价格。 Peter, nǐ yě zhīdào zuìjìn měijīn biǎnzhí le. Suǒyǐ wǒmen gōngsī tiáozhěng le jiàgé. Peter, you know that recently the American dollar has depreciated. We've had to revise our prices. 可是价格我们已经说好了。你不能不讲信用。 Kěshì jiàgé wǒmen yǐjīng shuōhǎo le. Nǐ bùnéng bù jiǎng xìnyòng. But we already agreed on the price. You can't be untrustworthy. 我也没办法啊。 Wǒ yě méi bànfǎ a. There's nothing I can do either. 那我们没法合作了。 Nà wǒmen méifǎ hézuò le. Then I'm afraid we can't work together. Peter, 和气生财。我们可以商量。 Peter, héqìshēngcái. Wǒmen kěyǐ shāngliang. Peter, amiability will get you rich. We can discuss it. 好，现金预付款我不付。所有的货款运输前付。 Hǎo, xiànjīn yùfùkuǎn wǒ bù fù. Suǒyǒu de huòkuǎn yùnshū qián fù. Well, I'm not paying the cash advance. The entire payment will be made prior to shipping. 什么？没有钱，我们怎么生产？ Shénme? Méiyǒu qián, wǒmen zěnme shēngchǎn? What? Without money, how can we manufacture? 看来我们没法谈下去了。 Kànlai wǒmen méifǎ tán xiàqu le. Looks like there's no more room for negotiation. 这样吧，没有预付款可以，但你要开信用证。 Zhèyàng ba, méiyǒu yùfùkuǎn kěyǐ, dàn nǐ yào kāi xìnyòngzhèng. How about this: No cash advance is all right. But you have to provide a letter of credit. 可以。李经理，我希望你们能包括标签。 Kěyǐ. Lǐ jīnglǐ, wǒ xīwàng nǐmen néng bāokuò biāoqiān. OK. Mr. Li, I hope you can include labels for each box. 行！就算交个朋友吧。 Xíng! Jiù suàn jiāo ge péngyou ba. Can do! Consider it a new friendship. 是啊，有钱大家赚。 Shì a, yǒu qián dàjiā zhuàn. Yes, there's money for us all to make. 哎，你的钱难赚啊！ āi, nǐ de qián nán zhuàn a! Oh, your money is not easy to earn!

Dialogue:

在中国，见面的时候需要鞠躬吗？ Zài Zhōngguó, jiànmiàn de shíhou xūyào jūgōng ma? In China, do you need to bow when you meet people? 不需要。 Bù xūyào. No. 但是在日本和韩国要鞠躬。 Dànshì zài Rìběn hé Hánguó yào jūgōng. But in Japan and Korea you need to bow. 在中国，握手就可以了。 Zài Zhōngguó, wòshǒu jiù kěyǐ le. In China, you can just shake hands. 太好了。 Tài hǎo le. That's great. 是啊，不需要一直鞠躬。 Shì a, bù xūyào yīzhí jūgōng. Yeah, you don't have to bend over all the time.

Dialogue:

叔叔，你来啦！ Shūshu, nǐ lái la! Uncle, you came! 是啊！一转眼你都大学毕业了。真有出息！ Shì a! Yīzhuǎnyǎn nǐ dōu dàxué bìyè le. Zhēn yǒu chūxi! Yep! You graduated before I knew it. Your future is bright! 哎，好不容易才毕业。上学的时候想工作。现在毕业了，又不想了。 āi, hǎobùróngyì cái bìyè. Shàngxué de shíhou xiǎng gōngzuò. Xiànzài bìyè le, yòu bù xiǎng le. Oh, it wasn't easy to graduate. When I was studying I wanted to work. Now that I've graduated, I don't want to. 那是，做学生是最开心的。不过工作也很好啊！你学了那么多本事，是时候用了。 Nàshi, zuò xuésheng shì zuì kāixīn de. Bùguò gōngzuò yě hěn hǎo a! Nǐ xué le nàme duō běnshi, shì shíhou yòng le. Yeah, a student's life is the happiest. But working is good too! You learned so many things, so it's time to use them. 现在有本事的人太多了。名牌大学毕业的都找不到好工作，我这种普通大学毕业的就更没戏了。 Xiànzài yǒu běnshi de rén tài duō le. Míngpái dàxué bìyè de dōu zhǎobudào hǎo gōngzuò, wǒ zhèzhǒng pǔtōng dàxué bìyè de jiù gèng méixì le. Nowadays there are too many people with an education. Graduates from top universities can't even find jobs. Someone like me, a graduate of an average university, has even less hope. 年轻人要有自信。叔叔告诉你，现在讲的是工作能力，不是文凭。你实习的那家公司怎么样？想继续做吗？ Niánqīngrén yào yǒu zìxìn. Shūshu gàosu nǐ, xiànzài jiǎng de shì gōngzuò nénglì, bùshì wénpíng. Nǐ shíxí de nà jiā gōngsī zěnmeyàng? Xiǎng jìxù zuò ma? Young people should have confidence. I'm telling you, what we're talking about here is work ability, not a diploma. How was the company you interned at? Do you want to keep doing it? 我不想干了。工资太低，而且我也不太喜欢。 Wǒ bù xiǎng gàn le. Gōngzī tài dī, érqiě wǒ yě bùtài xǐhuan. I'm through with that. The pay was too low, and besides, I didn't like it much. 这样不行，眼光不能太高了。 Zhèyàng bùxíng, yǎnguāng bùnéng tài gāo le. That's no good. Your expectations can't be too high. 我的要求已经很低了。现在好多公司都欺负大学生，钱少，而且学不到东西。 Wǒ de yāoqiú yǐjīng hěn dī le. Xiànzài hǎo duō gōngsī dōu qīfu dàxuésheng, qián shǎo, érqiě xuébudào dōngxi. My demands are already really small. Nowadays so many companies bully university students. The pay is low, and you can't learn anything. 那种公司不能去。你别急，叔叔帮你找找。你把简历发给我。 Nàzhǒng gōngsī bùnéng qù. Nǐ bié jí, shūshu bāng nǐ zhǎo zhao. Nǐ bǎ jiǎnlì fāgěi wǒ. You can't go with one of those companies. Don't worry, I'll help you look. Send me your resume. 谢谢叔叔！我马上就发。哎，毕业等于失业，真烦！ Xièxie shūshu! Wǒ mǎshàng jiù fā. āi, bìyè děngyú shīyè, zhēn fán! Thank you, uncle! I'll send it to you right away. Oh, graduation just means unemployment. How stressful!

Dialogue:

田径比赛太好看了！ Tiánjìng bǐsài tài hǎokàn le! The track and field competitions are so fun to watch! 对啊。特别是赛跑，我最喜欢看了。 Duì a. Tèbiéshì sàipǎo, wǒ zuì xǐhuan kàn le. Yeah. Especially the running races. I like watching them the most. 我也是。每次有接力赛，我都要看。 Wǒ yě shì. Měicì yǒu jiēlìsài, wǒ dōu yào kàn. Me too. I always want to watch every relay race. 还有跳高也不错。 Háiyǒu tiàogāo yě bùcuò. The high jump is also pretty good as well.

Dialogue:

祝贺你，拿到奥运铜牌。 Zhùhè nǐ, nádào Àoyùn tóngpái. Congratulations on winning an Olympic bronze medal. 谢谢。 Xièxie. Thank you. 现在有什么感觉？ Xiànzài yǒu shénme gǎnjué? What are you feeling right now? 太激动了！ Tài jīdòng le! I'm just so excited! 没拿到金牌，失望吗？ Méi nádào jīnpái, shīwàng ma? Are you disappointed that you didn't get the gold medal? 不，我已经很满意了。 Bù, wǒ yǐjīng hěn mǎnyì le. No, I'm very satisfied.

Dialogue:

今天我来考考你的自由联想。 Jīntiān wǒ lái kǎokao nǐ de zìyóu liánxiǎng. Today I'm going to test your free associations. 什么？ Shénme? What? 我会说一些词语，你只要告诉我联想到什么就行了。要完全放松。想到什么就说什么。 Wǒ huì shuō yīxiē cíyǔ, nǐ zhǐyào gàosu wǒ liánxiǎng dào shénme jiù xíng le. Yào wánquán fàngsōng. Xiǎngdào shénme jiù shuō shénme. I'll say a word, and you just tell me what you associate it with. Relax completely. Just say whatever comes to mind. 好的。 Hǎo de. OK. 准备好了吗？ Zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma? Are you ready? 好了。我们开始吧。 Hǎo le. Wǒmen kāishǐ ba. Yes. Let's start. 包子。 Bāozi. Bun. 食堂。我爸爸单位食堂的肉包子最好吃了。小时候，我只要考试成绩好，爸爸就会买肉包子奖励我。 Shítáng. Wǒ bàba dānwèi shítáng de ròu bāozi zuì hǎochī le. Xiǎoshíhòu, wǒ zhǐyào kǎoshì chéngjì hǎo, bàba jiù huì mǎi ròu bāozi jiǎnglì wǒ. Cafeteria. The meat buns at my dad's work unit cafeteria were the best. When I was little, if I got a good test score, Dad would buy a meat bun to reward me. 你经常吃吗？ Nǐ jīngcháng chī ma? Did you eat them often? 不是，我成绩不好。 Bù shì, wǒ chéngjì bù hǎo. No, my grades weren't good. 我们再试一个。庙。 Wǒmen zài shì yī ge. Miào. Let's try another one. Temple. 难闻。我最怕烧香的味道了。真搞不懂为什么有那么多人要去求神拜佛。 Nánwén. Wǒ zuì pà shāoxiāng de wèidao le. Zhēn gǎobudǒng wèishénme yǒu nàme duō rén yào qù qiúshén bàifó. Bad-smelling. The smell of burning incense is the worst. I just don't get why so many people pray to Buddha for help. 你不相信宗教？ Nǐ bù xiāngxìn zōngjiào? You don't believe in religion? 我只相信看得到摸得到的东西，比如包子、钱。 Wǒ zhǐ xiāngxìn kàndedào mōdedào de dōngxi, bǐrú bāozi, qián. I only believe in what I can see and touch, like buns and money. 钱会让你想到什么？ Qián huì ràng nǐ xiǎngdào shénme? What does money make you think of? 快乐、悲伤。虽说钱不是万能的，但没有钱是万万不能的。 Kuàilè, bēishāng. Suīshuō qián bù shì wànnéng de, dàn méiyǒu qián shì wànwàn bùnéng de. Happiness and sorrow. Although money can't do everything, without it you can't do anything. 红色呢？会让你想到什么？ Hóngsè ne? Huì ràng nǐ xiǎngdào shénme? How about red? What does that make you think of? 鞭炮。 Biānpào. Firecrackers. 蓝色呢？ Lánsè ne? And blue? 蓝色？海。不过我不喜欢海。 Lánsè? Hǎi. Bùguò wǒ bù xǐhuan hǎi. Blue? The ocean. But I don't like the ocean. 好了，我们今天就到这儿。 Hǎo le, wǒmen jīntiān jiù dào zhèr5. OK, let's just stop here today. 完了？我刚进入状态呢。这样吧，下次轮到我来考你。 Wán le? Wǒ gāng jìnrù zhuàngtài ne. Zhèyàng ba, xiàcì lún dào wǒ lái kǎo nǐ. It's over? Just when I was getting into it. How about this: next time it's my turn to test you.