Preface For students who study Chinese as a foreign language, it s crucial for them to enlarge the scope of their reading to improve their comprehension skills. The Rainbow Bridge Graded Chinese Reader series is designed to provide a collection of interesting and useful Chinese reading materials. This series grades each volume by its vocabulary level and brings the learners into every scene through vivid storytelling. The series has the following features: a I. A gradual approach by grading the volumes based on vocabulary levels. We have consulted the New HSK Vocabulary (2012 Revised Edition), the Graded Chinese Syllables, Characters and Words for the Application of Teaching Chinese to the Speakers of Other Languages (National Standard) and the 1500 Commonly Used High Frequency Chinese Vocabulary, along with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages () to design the Rainbow Bridge vocabulary grading standard. The series is divided into seven levels (Starter *, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 5 and Level 6) for students at different stages in their Chinese education to choose from. For each level, new words are no more than 20% of the vocabulary amount as specified in the corresponding HSK and levels. V * Represented by S on the back cover.
As the levels progress, the passage length will in turn increase. The following table indicates the corresponding Rainbow Bridge level, HSK and levels, the vocabulary amount, and number of characters. Level Starter 1 2 3 4 5 6 HSK/ Level HSK1 A1 HSK1-2 A1-A2 HSK2-3 A2-B1 HSK3 A2-B1 HSK3-4 B1 HSK4 B1-B2 HSK5 B2-C1 Vocabulary 150 300 500 750 1000 1500 2500 Characters 1000 2500 5000 7500 10,000 15,000 25,000 VI II. Intriguing stories on various themes. The series features engaging stories known for their twists and turns as well as deeply touching plots. The readers will find it a joyful experience to read the stories. The topics are selected from Chinese mythology, legends, folklore, literary classics, biographies of renowned people and historical tales. Such widely ranged topics would exert an invisible, yet formative, influence on readers understanding of Chinese culture and history. III. Reasonably structured and easy to use. For each volume of the Rainbow Bridge series, apart from a Chinese story, we also provide an introduction to the main characters in Chinese and English, new words with English explanations and sample sentences, and an English translation of the story, followed by comprehension exercises and a vocabulary list to help users read and understand the story and improve their Chinese reading skills. The exercises are mainly presented as objective questions that take on various forms with moderate difficulty. Moreover, keys to the exercises are also provided. The series can be used
by teachers in class or by students for self-study. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about the series, please email us at liuxiaolin@sinolingua.com.cn. You can also exchange ideas with us via our WeChat account: CHQRainbowBridge. This account will provide updates on the series along with Chinese reading materials and cultural tips. Han Ying and Liu Xiaolin VII
主 要 人 物 Main Characters of the Story 刘 兰 芝 (Liú Lánzhī): 焦 仲 卿 的 妻 子, 漂 亮 可 爱 又 有 才 能 Liu Lanzhi: The pretty and talented wife of Jiao Zhongqing. 焦 仲 卿 (Jiāo Zhòngqīng): 刘 兰 芝 的 丈 夫, 年 轻 上 进 的 小 官 员 Jiao Zhongqing: A young and ambitious petty official, husband of Liu Lanzhi. 焦 母 (Jiāo mǔ): 性 格 暴 躁, 非 常 讨 厌 刘 兰 芝 Mother of Jiao Zhongqing: She is hot-tempered and dislikes Liu Lanzhi very much. 刘 兄 (Liú xiōng): 趋 炎 附 势, 冷 酷 无 情 Brother of Liu Lanzhi: A snobbish and cold-hearted person. 刘 母 (Liú mǔ): 跟 刘 兰 芝 的 哥 哥 住 在 一 起, 很 爱 女 儿 刘 兰 芝 Mother of Liu Lanzhi: She lives with her son and loves her daughter dearly.
中 文 故 事 焦 仲 卿 与 刘 兰 芝 一 千 多 年 前, 中 国 有 一 个 漂 亮 可 爱 的 小 女 孩 儿, 她 的 名 字 叫 刘 兰 芝 远 近 的 人 们 都 认 为 她 像 花 儿 一 样 美 人 们 都 很 喜 欢 刘 兰 芝 他 们 常 常 说 : 我 要 是 有 个 像 刘 兰 芝 这 么 漂 亮 的 女 儿 就 好 了! 1
English Version Zhongqing and Lanzhi, a Chinese Tragedy Around a thousand years ago, there was a cute little girl named Liu Lanzhi in China. People from far and near agreed that she was as beautiful as a flower. They adored her and would often say, If only I had a daughter as beautiful as her. 38 Time went by quickly. Lanzhi grew into a teenager. Besides beauty and charm, she was also blessed with many talents. At around 13 or 14, she learned to make clothes by herself. At 15, she began to study music with a teacher her parents picked out. At 16, she could read better than her elder brother. She became more and more adorable. People often said, If only I had a daughter as versatile as her. Another year passed quickly. Lanzhi turned 17. Every young man who had heard about Lanzhi wanted to marry her. They asked their parents to send matchmakers to Lanzhi s home with their marriage proposals. Jiao Zhongqing was one of them. Lanzhi s parents were delighted to see the coming of matchmakers every day. They thought, Now that so many men are fond of our daughter, she could get married soon. We shall pick a good family for her. Whenever the matchmakers came, they would earnestly ask, Is the man tall? What does he look like? Is he kind-hearted? What is his family like? After the matchmakers had answered these questions, Lanzhi s parents would ask some more.
练 习 题 Reading exercises 一 选 择 题 Choose the correct answer. 1. 焦 仲 卿 是 一 个 什 么 人?( ) A. 媒 人 B. 小 官 员 C. 太 守 D. 老 师 2. 刘 兰 芝 在 她 多 大 的 时 候 嫁 给 了 焦 仲 卿?( ) A. 十 五 岁 B. 十 六 岁 C. 十 七 岁 D. 十 八 岁 3. 刘 兰 芝 和 焦 仲 卿 结 婚 几 年 了?( ) A 半 年 B. 一 年 C. 两 三 年 D. 四 五 年 48 4. 谁 不 喜 欢 刘 兰 芝?( ) A. 刘 兰 芝 的 哥 哥 B. 刘 兰 芝 的 母 亲 C. 焦 仲 卿 的 妹 妹 D. 焦 仲 卿 的 母 亲 5. 刘 兰 芝 离 开 焦 仲 卿 家 后, 去 了 哪 里?( ) A. 焦 仲 卿 的 妹 妹 家 B. 刘 兰 芝 的 哥 哥 家 C. 刘 兰 芝 的 妹 妹 家 D. 焦 仲 卿 的 姐 姐 家 6. 刘 兰 芝 的 母 亲 看 见 刘 兰 芝 被 送 回 刘 家, 她 的 心 情 是 什 么 样 的?( ) A. 很 不 高 兴 B. 很 开 心 C. 很 害 怕 D. 很 感 动 7. 太 守 想 让 刘 兰 芝 嫁 给 自 己 的 第 几 个 儿 子?( ) A. 一 B. 三 C. 五 D. 七
8. 刘 兰 芝 的 哥 哥 听 说 刘 兰 芝 不 想 嫁 给 太 守 的 儿 子, 他 的 心 情 是 什 么 样 的?( ) A. 很 不 高 兴 B. 很 开 心 C. 很 害 怕 D. 很 感 动 9. 焦 仲 卿 后 来 怎 么 样 了?( ) A. 跟 刘 兰 芝 跑 了 B. 跟 刘 兰 芝 一 起 回 家 了 C. 跳 水 塘 死 了 D. 上 吊 了 10. 刘 兰 芝 后 来 怎 么 样 了?( ) A. 跟 焦 仲 卿 跑 了 B. 跟 焦 仲 卿 一 起 回 家 了 C. 跳 水 塘 死 了 D. 上 吊 了 二 判 断 题 : 请 根 据 故 事 内 容 判 断 下 列 说 法 是 否 正 确, 如 果 正 确 请 标 T, 不 正 确 请 标 F Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). 49 1. 刘 兰 芝 不 只 漂 亮 可 爱, 还 很 有 才 能 ( ) 2. 刘 兰 芝 十 几 岁 就 学 会 了 音 乐 ( ) 3. 焦 仲 卿 的 母 亲 很 喜 欢 刘 兰 芝 ( ) 4. 刘 兰 芝 的 哥 哥 想 让 刘 兰 芝 等 着 焦 仲 卿 来 接 她 ( ) 5. 太 守 送 了 刘 兰 芝 的 家 人 很 多 礼 物 ( ) 6. 刘 兰 芝 爱 焦 仲 卿, 也 爱 太 守 的 儿 子 ( ) 7. 刘 兰 芝 要 嫁 给 太 守 的 儿 子 了, 她 非 常 开 心 ( )
练 习 题 答 案 Keys to the exercises 一 选 择 题 1. B 2. C 3. C 4. D 5. B 6. A 7. C 8. A 9. D 10. C 二 判 断 题 : 请 根 据 故 事 内 容 判 断 下 列 说 法 是 否 正 确, 如 果 正 确 请 标 T, 不 正 确 请 标 F 1. T 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. T 6. F 7. F 8. F 9. T 10. F 54 三 选 择 填 空 1. E C B A F D 2. B C D E F A 3. E B A C F D 四 连 线 题 1. A-c, B-d, C-b, D-e, E-a 2. A-c, B-b, C-d, D-e, E-a 五 请 根 据 故 事 内 容 给 下 列 句 子 排 列 顺 序 D-B-A-E-F-G-C
词 汇 表 Vocabulary List 笨 adj. bèn stupid 不 孝 v. búxiào be unfilial 曾 经 adv. céngjīng once 打 扮 v. dǎban dress up 到 底 adv. dàodǐ on earth 短 暂 adj. duǎnzàn brief, transient 夫 妻 n. fūqī husband and wife, couple 赶 v. gǎn drive away 怪 v. guài blame 官 员 n. guānyuán official 规 矩 n. gu~ju (good) manners 害 怕 v. hàipà fear 合 葬 v. hézàng bury in one grave 嫁 v. jià (of women) marry 健 康 adj. jiànkāng healthy 接 v. jiē pick up 礼 物 n. lǐwù gift 邻 居 n. línjū neighbor 媒 人 n. méiren matchmaker 墓 地 n. mùd# grave 脾 气 n. píqi temper 骑 v. qí ride 强 迫 v. qiǎngpò force, compel 娶 v. qǔ (of men) marry 劝 v. quàn persuade 山 珍 海 味 idiom delicacies of every kind shānzhēnhǎiwèi 上 吊 v. shàngdiào hang oneself 深 adj. shēn deep 失 去 v. shīqù lose 水 塘 n. shu@t1ng pool 死 亡 n. sǐwáng death 太 守 n. tàishǒu prefect, a position in ancient China equivalent to current provincial governor. 小 鸟 n. xiǎo niǎo little bird 心 愿 n. xīnyuàn wish 休 v. xiū divorce (one s wife) 意 义 n. yìyì meaning 永 恒 adj. yǒnghéng eternal 有 钱 有 势 yǒu qián yǒu shì rich and powerful 院 子 n. yuànzi courtyard 祝 贺 v. zhùhè congratulate 55