Negotiating Price (C0100)
This walkman looks good. Does it come with earphones?
The earphones are included and the price is reasonable. It's only US$200.
That seems a bit expensive to me. Is there any discount?
Okay, but you must give me the batteries for free.

A Disappointment (C0102)
I’m not in a good mood today.
Last week I had a Chinese test and today I found out that I didn’t pass.
I’m very disappointed because I put forth a lot of effort.
I spent a lot of time studying in the library, working on lots of exercises, and practicing with classmates.
 Maybe I was too nervous when I took the exam.
I’m determined to do better in the future and pass the next test.

Future Goals (C0104)
I’m ambitious and I’m willing to work hard in the future.
One of my goals is to go to China to do business.
I want to set up my own company.
I plan to export clothes from China to America.
If I work hard, I think I will be successful.

How was your date? (C0106)
Tell me about your date last night. How did it go?
It was great. I really like this girl. Not only is she beautiful, but she has a great personality.
Yeah. I remember you broke up with your last girlfriend because she was too severe.
That’s right. I’m looking for a girl who is funny and outgoing.

Requesting a Raise (C0107)
You look upset. What's up?
I told my boss that my performance is good. I should be given a raise.
He doesn't agree?
He says that although my performance is good, I haven't been with the company for long.

Chinese Tea (C0114)
Tomorrow I’m going to see my girlfriend’s dad.
Really? Are you well prepared?
Not yet. I’ve no idea what gift I should buy.
Does he like to drink tea? Good tea is a good gift.
Yeah. Tea is a very healthy drink. But which kind of tea should I buy?
Good green tea is the safest choice.
 For example Longjing or Bi Luo Chun.
 Men usually like to drink green tea, and especially older men.
You are right. I’ll just give Longjing to her dad.

Shanghai Fashion (C0116)
Shanghai is often called ‘the Paris of the East’.
Because the Shanghainese people, and especially the Shanghai women, pay close attention to their appearance.
There are many department stores in Shanghai.
Shanghainese women can buy the trendiest clothes.
Many women spend a lot of money buying clothes and accessories.
When department stores have a sale, there are often people lined up outside

Traditional Chinese Medicine (C0120)
I always see you drinking hot water. Do you have any particular reason for this?
Drinking hot water makes me feel warm. Especially in the winter, I drink hot water every day.
Are there any other benefits?
I heard from a doctor of Chinese medicine that drinking hot water can sooth the throat.
Is that so? Do you think it’s useful?
I think it’s very useful. Every time when my throat isn’t comfortable, drinking hot water makes it feel much better.
I’ll also try it, then.

A Promotion (C0123)
I got some great news today. My boss told me that she is going to promote me to marketing manager.
That’s fantastic! Did you expect to get a promotion?
No. I never expected to get a promotion so soon. But my boss said that my working attitude and performance are excellent and that I deserve a promotion.
How much of a raise are you getting?
Ten percent.

Family Life (C0125)
In the traditional Chinese way of seeing things, a father should be responsible for supporting the family. 
He works hard to give his family a good life. 
A mother's responsibility is to take care of the whole family. 
The children should obey and respect their parents and people more senior than themselves. 
They should listen to and obey their parents.
Parents in China pay a lot of attention to their children's education. 
They have very high expectations of them.

Complaining to the Waiter (C0132)
I really hate it when someone smokes in the non-smoking area of a restaurant. Yesterday I was having dinner with my girlfriend when the guy next to our table started to smoke.
Why didn’t you ask him to stop smoking?
I did and he just ignored me. He was smoking and talking loudly on his mobile. I was so pissed off. So I complained to the waiter.
What did the waiter say? How did he handle it?
The waiter was really embarrassed and told me that the guy was the boss of the restaurant. There was nothing he could do.
What happened next?
We didn’t leave a tip.

Stop speeding! (C0137)
You know, you are a really terrible driver. You always drive too fast and are very careless.
That’s not true. I’m a responsible driver. I really pay attention to traffic rules. I’ve never received a fine.
Not true! You got three tickets last year for speeding. You even got a ticket for running a red light.
That time, the light hadn’t really turned red. It had just turned yellow. The policeman made a mistake.

How's business? (C0144)
How is business recently? I've heard it’s not bad.
Although business is good now, the market is very competitive.
 If by chance the economy slows down, it will have a large effect on my business.
I agree about the economy. And competition is indeed tough at the moment.
 How can you compete in this market?
I must continue to produce good quality products at a reasonable price.
 As long as I can do that, I can continue to attract customers.

Studying Chinese (C0157)
Next week I’m going to enroll in a Chinese course.
 I’m frustrated because I’ve been living in China for six months, yet I can’t communicate with the local people.
But your Chinese is good enough for daily living.
My goal is to speak Chinese fluently in the next two years.
 Right now I can understand Chinese and my grammar is okay.
 However, my vocabulary is limited. Meanwhile, I need to improve my pronunciation as well.

Calligraphy (C0158)
Teacher, please take a look at the characters I wrote this time.
Um, I can see you’ve put in a lot of effort. Your writing is continually improving.
Thank you. I’ve bought all the script books you recommended. It’s a joy to appreciate the writing of these great masters of calligraphy.
Exactly. I feel that you now have a general grasp of calligraphy. Your writing is neat and elegant, but lacks a flowing quality. Your handling and composition of characters also need improvement.
This is what I am troubled by. I also intentionally bought the ‘four treasures of the study’ to practice. But my horizontal strokes and right strokes still look awkward.
Don’t worry. As long as you pay more attention to how you hold the brush and copy more script books, you will write better and better.

Street Food (C0162)
There are so many kinds of street food in Shanghai. They’re both cheap and tasty. I buy my breakfast on the street every day.
That’s the truth. I like street food stalls too. What do you usually buy for breakfast?
I often change and try different things. Sometimes I eat steamed buns, sometimes I eat Chinese flat cake with deep fried dough stick. What do you like to eat?
I like buying late night snacks on the street. My favorite is hot and spicy soup. Lamb kebabs are great too.
When I was in Beijing on business, I saw a lot of stalls selling caramelized hawthorn sticks and meat-stuffed pita sandwiches.
That’s right. There is quite a difference between street foods in the North and South. Most sell local specialty snacks.
That’s true. Food from the street is the most authentic and is also incredibly cheap. It only costs 10 yuan to eat until you’re stuffed.
Exactly. But some street booths are not very clean. You have to try to pick the cleaner ones.

Girly Talk (C0169)
Lily, I can’t stand you! I’ve been waiting for you for an hour. Why are you still at work?
I’m sorry, I have to work overtime tonight. You go ahead and eat, ok?
No. I want to wait for you. When will you finish, hmmm?
I am not sure now. Maybe in 2 more hours.
But I’ve been waiting for you for an hour. And now, you’re telling me that you’re not coming? Well, I never…!
Ah, I can’t stand it! Can you stop saying things like ‘I can’t stand you’ and ‘well, I never’?
Why?
It just sounds too girly for a guy to say those things. Only girls talk like that, when they’re whining.

Introducing Hotels (C0174)
I am going to China next week. Are the hotels there expensive?
That depends on where you are going. Big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are more expensive. What is your budget?
I am going to Shanghai and Hainan. I want to spend about 50 dollars per night. The hotel has to be clean and conveniently located. It would be great if they also had an internet connection.
50 dollars can get you into a 3-star hotel in downtown Shanghai. It's very cheap to stay in a hotel in Hainan now because it's the off season. 50 dollars can get you a 4 or even 5-star hotel. But you won't get a room with an ocean view.
Really? I've picked the right time to go to Hainan then. I heard there are many budget hotel chains in Shanghai priced at around 200 rmb per night. Do you know anything about their location and facilities?
I stayed in one of those hotels on my last trip to Shanghai. I will give you the reservation number. The one I stayed at is conveniently located and very clean. It also had a wireless internet connection in the room. Many backpackers, even business travelers like it there.
Terrific! That's my pick then. I will use the money left over to upgrade to an ocean view room in Hainan.
You're quite the accountant!

Standing in Line (C0176)
I used to hate going to the bank to withdraw money, because you had to fill in lots of forms and stand in line for a long time. Some people would even cut in line.
Exactly. But things are a lot better now. You only need to take a number and wait for the clerk to call your number. Moreover, there is more staff now than before, so you don't have to wait in the line for long. Waiting 15 minutes is usually enough.
Right, and the staff's attitude is very good now. They are always very patient processing customers' transactions. The service standard of Chinese banks has improved tremendously from previous years.
I think it is due to intense market competition. Many foreign banks have opened branches in China. Therefore local banks have to raise the quality of their service. In the end, it's the customers that benefit. 

Buying a Drink (C0188)
Waiter!
What do you need, sir?
What draught beer do you have?
We’ve got Tsingdao and Carlsberg.
All right, I’d like a Tsingdao draught and a whiskey on the rocks. I’d also like some popcorn.
Sure, just a moment.
Sir, your drinks and popcorn.
What is this?
Tsingdao draught beer with ice.
I ordered whiskey with ice, not draught beer with ice!
Oh, I thought you wanted both with ice. I’m sorry, sir. I’ll get you another one.
Just a second, is your draught beer cold? I want it cold.
I’m sorry, it’s not very cold….
In that case, never mind. I don’t want it. Please get me another whiskey on the rocks.
Certainly.

Old Friend (C0194)
Wow, what a coincidence! Is it you?
Man, I haven't seen you in ages. How have you been?
I'm all right. You look even better than before! So where are you making your fortune these days?
It's no fortune; It's just an ordinary job. I've heard that you, however, are doing quite well for yourself. You're a general manager now. Your career is going really well.
Oh, it's not all that. It's just a small company that I am working for. How come I couldn't get in touch with you after we graduated from high school?
Oh, that's because I moved, and then I went off to another city for university. I'm still working there. I'm home on holiday right now.
Well, give me your number. We'll arrange a reunion with the other classmates when we get a chance.
Well, sure. How many years has it been since we've all seen each other? They must have changed a lot.
Yeah, many of them have put on some weight.