Listening material i made----- hope it will help

[chenpv]

I have beening noticing that lots of western friends are complaining about the difficulties in listening as well as pronunciation. i want to help but cannot find the right method until this idea came up to me some day that i can record something myself. i was born in Xian and raised in a environment where Putonghua prevails. So i am confident in my pronunciation. As for the materials i choose, i think some translations from the latest 'Time' 'Businessweek' 'The economist' 'Newsweek' etc are more appropriate, which you guys may be more familiar with. You can ask any questions about the record and if you have any other good ideas, please feel free to share with me. Then some time later, i will put the transcription on the forum for further discussion and start a new record.

so today's passage is from 'Time' Aug. 8th.

and i think the words appeared in the passage below might be a little hard for you:

荧屏（ying2ping2）: TV screen 圆滑(yuan2hua2)：slick and sly

呆板（dai1ban3）: numb,stiff,pedestrian 宝座（bao3zuo4）: throne

潮流 （chao2liu2）: tide,fad,vogue 雄心勃勃（xiong2xin1bo2bo2）: ambitious

频道 （pin2dao4）: channel 邀请(yao1qing3): invite

NOTE: The Third record has been posted on the second page of this thread. ------NEW

[nipponman]

Thanks a lot for the listening material Chenpv! I think this is the beginning of a very helpful resource.

nipponman

[geraldc]

Maybe you could go over some of the articles on the News in Chinese site, and do the same for any vocab you think is difficult there.

Thanks

[百變星君]

A million times thank you! I'm sure a lot of language learners, me included, will definitely find this useful.

[fenlan]

The BBC World Service in Chinese can be listened to at the following address. Can it be received in China?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/chinese/radio/simplified/aod/rpms/chinese_s_worldmorning.rpm

[in_lab]

Thanks! I'm sure there are a lot of Chinese radio stations on the net, but I doubt that any of them talk this slowly, which is helpful.

[atitarev]

I am glad, that my request to allow audio attachment has been satisfied (thanks Roddy!) and is used - I am the one to listen, so I am not attaching anything.

It's great, keep at it!

To Chenpv,

Could you please post the text next to audio (a link or text into the post) as well?

[chenpv]

Thank you for giving me the courage to go on. I will try my best to help.

Maybe you could go over some of the articles on the News in Chinese site, and do the same for any vocab you think is difficult there.

geraldc, i will take it as a material resource, thank you!

Can it be received in China?

Fenlan, thank you, thats a excellent link. I can get it and the voice is as clear as talking face to face.

Could you please post the text next to audio (a link or text into the post) as well?

atitarev, sure i will do it. i think it might be better for you guys to listen without text for some time first. but its up to your guys' decisions, if u like to have the record and the text the same time, i will post them at the same time. Tell me which do you prefer.

and Here are some questions i would like to know the replies:

1. How is my reading speed? is it fast or slow or just fine?

2. How is the length of the passage? too long or too short or just fine?

3. Is the passage too hard or too easy or just fine for you?

4. What else subject or magazines or something do you want to be in the material resources?

5. How often should i post new records? Should I post the text together with the record or later?

6.Do you have other suggestions?

Please help me with that and I will try my best to contribute to this thread.

[lau]

2. a bit of too short

and, if you wouldn't mind, a bit of more vocabulary items

[nipponman]

First let me say, thank you for doing this for us, I think it is a great idea.

Now, to your questions:

1. How is my reading speed? is it fast or slow or just fine?

2. How is the length of the passage? too long or too short or just fine?

3. Is the passage too hard or too easy or just fine for you?

4. What else subject or magazines or something do you want to be in the material resources?

5. How often should i post new records? Should I post the text together with the record or later?

6.Do you have other suggestions?

1.Good, you could slow it down a little or speed it up (just a bit though)! This is a good speed.

2.Good length, as we go, you may want to increase the length everso much.

3.I think this is a learnable passage.

4.Anything you choose is fine.

5.Maybe twice/once a week if that is convienent.

6.Have fun!

nipponman

[chenpv]

Thank you for your advice.

Here is the transcription for the first record:

美国前副总统戈尔，当年在哈佛的毕业论文题目是“电视对总统制的影响，1947-1969”。他在99页的文章中指出，小荧屏为政治创造了一个标准：圆滑者得益，呆板者吃亏。这似乎是对他30年后通向总统宝座失败的一次预言。尽管戈尔的政治生涯几乎终结，他对电视媒体的研究仍在继续。8月1日，戈尔创办的针对青年人的24小时有线频道“潮流电视”开播。它已成为一名积极的企业家，雄心勃勃得希望改变媒体本身。频道宣称将电视“民主化”，邀请拥有数码相机和电脑的公民记者参与报道。

The second record will be on tomorrow. and its about art, hope you will like it.

[in_lab]

Am I the only who misinterpreted it as 圆滑者得意? And I didn't realize that 潮流电视 was the name of the TV station.

[atitarev]

Thanks very much, Chenpv! Me and I am sure - the others will appreciate it. The text next to the sound is important even if you just want to test yourself. Keep up the good work!

[chenpv]

i am so glad you like it. ok, here is the second record about 脸谱---facial make-up in chinese opera. Its from 《读者欣赏》2005 Mar.

I think the following words might be a little hard for you:

典型（dian3xing2）：model，typical，representative

浓缩(nong2suo1): concentration, condensed

国粹（guo2cui4）:the quintessence of Chinese culture

会徽（hui4hui1）: emblem badge (of a meeting,organisation etc)

黑格尔（hei1ge2er3）: Hegel

暗示：（an4shi4）：imply

[chenpv]

脸谱是什么?这是一个严肃的问题。有人说，脸谱是中国戏曲的典型和浓缩。有人说，脸谱是艺术，他有与中国画相似的艺术和美学思想。有人说，脸谱是国粹，他的美丑善恶观，象征着儒家思想和中国文化的精神。有人说，脸谱是时尚，他的强烈对比的色彩常被设计家采用，做成海报、商标、会徽，甚至服装。也有人说，脸谱是符号，可以代表中国人的面孔和中国精神。我们比较倾向于符号这类看法。黑格尔说过：“象征符号是一种外表形状上就已可暗示要表达的那种思想内容的符号。”中国脸谱正是如此。

[devi9]

Just found this thread. Thank you so much chenpv!

[atitarev]

I am another grateful subscriber to this service.

[chenpv]

So sorry for my late late late my update.

Today's record is from 法布尔's <昆虫记>, hope you will like it.

I think the words listed below might be a little hard for you.

做巢(zuo4chao2) making a nest or habitat 长叉(chang2cha1) long handle fork

疲惫不堪(pi2bei4bu4kan1) debilitated 贪吃(tan1chi1) gluttony

放肆(fang4si4) presumptuous

喧宾夺主(xuan1bin1duo2zhu3):A presumptuous guest usurps the host's role.

合同 (he2tong2) contract

任凭 (ren4ping2) no matter what happens

[atitarev]

Shall we get the character text as well for this one?

[chenpv]

sure sure. here it goes:

在我那个园子里，种着几棵松树。每年毛毛虫都会到这松树上来做巢，松叶都快被它们吃光了。为了保护我们的松树，每年冬天我不得不用长叉把它们的巢毁掉，搞得我疲惫不堪。你这贪吃的小毛虫，不是我不客气，是你太放肆了。如果我不赶走你，你就要喧宾夺主了。我将再也听不到满载着松针的松树在风中低声谈话了。不过我突然对你产生了兴趣，所以，我要和你订一个合同，我要你把你一生的传奇故事告诉我，一年、两年，或者更多年，直到我知道你全部的故事为止。而我呢，在这期间不来打扰你，任凭你来占据我的松树。