1. L197 第一步 beginners' Chinese
第一步:
TMA 4
This assignment covers Unit 4.
Cut-off date: Thursday 21 April 2011
Make sure you know how to complete and send in your TMA either electronically
or by post. Detailed instructions are given in the Assessment Guide on the L197
module website.
In this TMA, you will read a web page with some tourist information about the
city of Xi’an (Part A) and write an email enquiring about your destination
(Part B).
You should complete both tasks in this assignment. Note that in this TMA your
marks will be based on both Part A (Reading) and Part B (Writing).
Part A: Reading task (summative)
You need to go on a business trip to the famous city of Xi’an (西安) in China.
To prepare for your trip, you have searched on the internet and found some
information on a website.
1 Read the first section of the web page on the next page and answer the
following questions in English, based on the information provided.
(a) Where in China is Xi’an situated?
(b) Xi’an is the capital of which province?
(c) Where is the Wei River in relation to Xi’an?
(d) Where is the Bell Tower in Xi’an?
(e) What is Xi’an famous for?
(10 points, 2 for each correct answer)
2 Decide whether the following information is true or false according to the
information in the second section of the web page. Write the appropriate
letter, from (a) to (e), followed by T or F for each of the statements below.
(a) To the south of Xi’an, there is a mountain called Qinling Mountain.
(b) It is easy to go to places on foot in the city centre.
(c) There are many universities situated in the north side of Xi’an.
(d) Bicycles are not allowed on the city walls.
(e) The train station is in the northeast of the city.
(5 points, 1 for each correct answer)
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2. L197 第一步: beginners' Chinese
Glossary
城 / 城市 chéng / chéngshì city
陕西省 Shănxī shěng Shaanxi Province
首府 shŏufŭ capital (of a province)
秦岭山 Qínlĭng shān Qinling Mountains
渭河 Wèi hé Wei River
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3. L197 第一步: beginners' Chinese
钟楼 Zhōng lóu Bell Tower
兵马俑 Bīngmă yŏng Terracotta Army
可以 kěyǐ can
丝绸之路 Sīchóu zhī lù the Silk Road
商业 shāngyè commercial
市中心 shì zhōngxīn city centre
色 sè colour
城墙 chéng qiáng city walls
售票处 shòupiào chù ticket office
食物 shíwù food
黑 hēi black
煎饼 jiānbĭng pancake
3 Complete the table about the weather in different seasons in Xi’an with the
list of words from the box, based on the information provided in the third
section of the web page. You need to choose five different phrases in total.
cloudy • very cold • very dry • very hot • often rains •
seldom rains • often snows • neither cold nor hot • warm
Seasons in Xi’an
Summer Winter Autumn and Spring
(5 points, 1 for each correct match)
4 Choose from the following list the food and drinks typical of Xi’an, based on
the information in the fourth section of the web page.
beef • beer • black rice • black tea • dumplings • fried rice
• green tea • green vegetables • noodles • pancakes • red
pancakes • rice wine • white wine
(5 points, 1 for each correct choice)
When you have finished Part A, check that you have answered every question
fully, and that each answer is clearly identified with the correct question number
and/or letter.
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4. L197 第一步: beginners' Chinese
Part B: Writing task (summative)
You would like to enquire about a few things before your trip to Xi’an. Write a
short email with your questions to a contact named Li Mingdong (李明冬). Use
the prompts below to write a message of approximately 100 characters (advisory
length) in Chinese characters. You should include the following information:
Greet Mr Li.
Say that you are going to Xi’an Business School in September.
Say that you will go to Xi’an on Thursday 16th September by train.
Say that you would like to go to the Nanfang Hotel first and then to the bank.
Say that you want to get a taxi to the hotel.
Ask if there is a bank near the Nanfang Hotel.
Ask if it is quicker to get to the business school by bike than by bus.
Ask what the weather is like in Xi’an in September.
Say thank you and sign your name either in Chinese characters (if you have a
Chinese name) or in English and date it.
(75 points)
When you have finished Part B, check that you have done the following:
Included all the required items of information
Used an appropriate range of language
Used correct sentence order
Selected appropriate characters if you have typed your answer
Written all the strokes and put each component in the correct place if you
have handwritten your answer
If you are not sure about certain characters, put the pinyin with the correct
tone in brackets
When you have finished TMA 4, make sure that you have named your electronic
documents correctly, then follow the eTMA submission procedure outlined on the
module website. If submitting by post, make sure that your name and personal
identifier is on each sheet of A4 paper, and that the PT3 form has been correctly
completed – further details are given in the Assessment Guide on the module
website.
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