Mandarin Companion - The Secret Garden (Sample)

Mandarin Companion Graded Readers Level 1: 300 characters

秘密花园 M ìmì Huāyuán Huāyuán

The Secret Garden (Sample) Original Original Story by Frances Hodgson Burnett Bu rnett Mind Spark Press LLC SHANGHAI

Mandarin Companion Graded Readers Level 1: 300 characters

秘密花园 M ìmì Huāyuán Huāyuán

The Secret Garden (Sample) Original Original Story by Frances Hodgson Burnett Bu rnett Mind Spark Press LLC SHANGHAI

Mandarin Companion Graded Readers

Mandarin Companion creates books you can read! This This series offers Chinese Chi nese learners enjoyable and interesting interestin g reading materials materials to accelerate accelerate language language learning. Each book uses characters, words, and grammar that a learner is most likely to know at each level based on in-depth analysis of textbooks, education  program  programs, s, and natural natural Chinese languag language. e. Every Every story is written written in a style style that is easy for a learner to understand and enjoyable to read.

Mandarin Companion Level 1 Lev Level 1 is intended i ntended for Chinese C hinese learners who have have already obtained a solid soli d elementary level of Chinese. Most students will be able to approach this book  after one to two years of traditional formal study, depending on the learner and  program  program.. In In creating creating each each story we have have caref carefully ully balance balancedd the need need for levellevelappropriate simplicity against the needs of the story's plot. When writing a story in Chinese, we must pay close attention to both Chinese characters and vocabulary words used. The level is designed around Mandarin Companion's Companion's core set of 300 basic characters ensuring that most vocabulary will  be simple, simple, every everyday day words, com composed of charac characters ters that the learner learner is most most likely to know. This book contains approximately 400 unique uni que words words, a figure fi gure similar similar to to low-level graded readers for English learners. New words and characters may be added as the plot requires, but are strictly limited to fall within the science of  extensive reading, and corresponding pinyin readings and English definitions are

 provided at each occurrence.

What level is right for me? If you are able to read this book without stopping every sentence to pull out a dictionary to look up a character, then this book is probably at your level. If you are able to ready fluidly and quickly without interruption, then you may be ready for a higher level. Even if you can read all of the characters and words but are not able to read fluidly, it is recommended that you build your reading speed before moving to a higher level. Learners should read at a level where they can understand most of the words in the  book. It is ideal to have only one unknown word or character for every 40-50 words or characters. New characters and words that fall outside the level of this story are introduced throughout the book with numbered footnotes referenced in the glossary with pinyin and an English definition.

How will this help my Chinese? Reading extensively in a language you are learning is one of the most effective ways to build fluency. However, the key is to read at a level of high comprehension. Reading at the appropriate level in Chinese will increase the speed of your character recognition, help you acquire vocabulary faster, allow you to naturally learn grammar, and train your brain to think in Chinese. It also makes learning Chinese fun and enjoyable. You'll finally be able to experience the sense of accomplishment and new confidence that only comes from reading entire books in Chinese. Please visit the chapter Extensive Reading and Graded Readers for more

information.

Table of Contents (Sample)

Story Adaptation Notes Cast of Characters

1. 没有人喜欢的女孩 2. 去南京 3. 这个阿姨不一样 4. 有人在哭 5. 秘密花园 6. 两个人的秘密 7. 是他在哭！ 8. 三个人的秘密 9. 一起去花园 10. "你可以做到!" 11. "在花园里!" 12. 没有秘密了  Key Words  Discussion Questions  Extensive Reading and Graded Readers Credits and Acknowledgements  About Mandarin Companion

Other Stories from Mandarin Companion

Story Adaptation Notes This story is an adaptation of British author Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 classic novel, The Secret Garden. This Mandarin Companion graded reader has  been adapted into a fully localized Chinese version of the original story. The characters have been given authentic Chinese names as opposed to awkward transliterations of English names, and the locations have been adapted to wellknown places in China.

Character Adaptations The following is a list of the characters from The Secret Garden in Chinese followed by their corresponding English names from the original novel. These aren't translations; they're new Chinese names used for the Chinese versions of the original characters. Think of them as all-new characters in a Chinese story. 李叶 (Lǐ Yè) - Mary Lennox 马阿姨 (Mǎ Āyí) - Mrs. Medlock  文先生 (Wén Xiānsheng) - Archibald Craven 文太太 (Wén Tàitai) - Mistress Craven 王乐心 (Wáng Lèxīn) - Martha Sowerby 林爷爷 (Lín Yéye) - Ben Weatherstaff  王乐天 (Wáng Lètiān) - Dickon Sowerby

文思远 (Wén Sīyuǎn) - Colin Craven

Cast of Characters

1

没有人喜欢的女孩 她叫李叶，是一个不太好看的女孩。 李叶出生在海南，海南在中国的最南边，是一个很 远很远的地方。李叶的爸爸经常在外面，很少在家。李 叶的妈妈是个很好看的女人，她有很多朋友，每天都和 朋 友 一 起 玩 [1]。 李 叶 的 爸 爸 妈 妈 都 很 忙 ， 他 们 没 有 时 间 理 [2]他 们 的 女 儿 。 还 有 ， 李 叶 的 妈 妈 好 像 [3]一 点 也 不 喜 欢李叶，她觉得李叶一点也不像她。李叶出生以后，她 就 告 诉 家 里 的 阿 姨 [4]： “ 如 果 你 们 想 让 我 开 心 [5]， 就 不 要 让 我 看 到 这 个 孩 子 。 ” 所 以 ， 李 叶 很 少 能 看 见 她 的 爸 爸 妈妈。

李 叶 真 的 跟 她 的 妈 妈 不 一 样 ， 她 看 起 来 [6]又 瘦 [7]又 小 ， 还 经 常 生 病 [8]。 她 总 是 [9]喜 欢 生 气 [10]， 生 气 [10]的 时 候 总 是 [9]哭 [11]。 如 果 李 叶 的 妈 妈 听 到 她 哭 [11]， 就 会 很 生 气 [10]。 所 有 的 人 都 不 喜 欢 这 个 孩 子 ， 他 们 从 来 没 有 见 过 这 样 的 孩 子 。 所 以 为 了 [12]不 让 李 叶 哭 [11]， 她 的 阿 姨 [4]总 是 [9]很 听 李 叶 的 话 [13]。 李 叶 喜 欢 什 么 ， 她 的 阿 姨 [4]就 给 她 什 么 。 李 叶 觉 得 在 这 个 家 里 只 有 她 的 阿 姨 [4]关 心 [14]她 。 李叶还不到十岁的时候，有一天，她早上起来的时 候 看 到 一 个 新 的 阿 姨 [4]， 她 又 生 气 [10]了 ， 因 为 她 想 要 以 前 的 阿 姨 [4]。 阿 姨 [4]告 诉 李 叶 ： “ 她 不 会 来 了 。 ” 李 叶 更 生 气 [10]了 ， 她 让 这 个 新 阿 姨 [4]马 上 出 去 ， 让 以 前 的 阿 姨 [4]马 上 来 。 可 是 很 长 时 间 ， 她 的 新 阿 姨 [4]没 有 回 来 ， 她 以 前 的 阿 姨 [4]也 没 来 。

那 一 天 和 平 时 [15]不 一 样 ， 没 有 人 跟 她 说 话 ， 也 没 有 人 跟 她 玩 [1]。 她 很 不 开 心 [5]， 不 知 道 为 什 么 今 天 只 有 她 一 个 人 。 一 定 [16]出 事 [17]了 ！ 后 来 [18]， 她 听 到 妈 妈 和 别 人 说 话 ， 才 知 道 真 的 出 事 [17]了 。 她 家 里 很 多 人 都 生 病 [8]了 ， 不 到 两 天 就 死 了 很 多 人 。 李 叶 很 难 过 [19]， 因 为 所 有 人 都 不 理 [2]她 。 她 一 个 人 回 到 房 间 哭 [11]了 一 会 儿 ， 然 后 睡 了 很 久 。 她 起 来 的 时 候，还是没有人来看她。

 “ 这 儿 有 个 孩 子 ！ ” 后 来 [18]， 几 个 人 发 现 [20]了 又 瘦 [7]又 小的李叶，她一个人在房间里。  “ 孩 子 ， 你 是 谁 ？ 为 什 么 在 这 里 ？ ” 有 个 人 问 她 。  “ 我 叫 李 叶 ， 我 睡 了 很 久 。 为 什 么 我 的 阿 姨 [4]不 来 ？ ” 李 叶 问 。  “ 孩 子 ， 他 们 都 死 了 。 ”  后 来 [18]李 叶 才 知 道 ， 她 的 爸 爸 妈 妈 和 以 前 的 阿 姨 [4]都 死 了 ， 别 人 都 走 了 。 没 有 人 想 到 这 个 孩 子 ， 因 为 他 们 不 喜 欢 她 ， 所 以 没 有 人 关 心 [14]她 。

2

去南京 李叶的爸爸妈妈死了以后，她在海南没有别的家 人 [21]了 ， 但 是 她 有 一 个 叔 叔 [22]在 南 京 。 他 的 叔 叔 [22]是 一 个 很 有 钱 的 人 。 知 道 李 叶 的 事 以 后 ， 叔 叔 [22]让 家 里 的 阿 姨 [4]带 [23]李 叶 来 南 京 。 叔 叔 [22]家 的 阿 姨 [4]姓 马 ， 是 一 个 又 高 又 瘦 [7]的 女 人 。 李 叶 很 不 喜 欢 她 ， 也 不 理 [2]她 。 马 阿 姨 好 像 [3]也 不 喜 欢 李 叶 。 她 觉 得 孩 子 应 该 [24]可 爱 听 话 [13]， 但 是 李 叶 又 瘦 [7]又 黄 ， 总 是 [9]不 理 [2]别 人 ， 她 从来没有见过这么不可爱的孩子。 但 是 马 阿 姨 很 喜 欢 说 话 ， 看 到 李 叶 不 理 [2]她 ， 她 就 问 ： “ 你 认 识 你 的 叔 叔 [22]吗 ？ ” 

 “ 不 认 识 。 ” 李 叶 说 。  “ 你 的 爸 爸 妈 妈 没 有 跟 你 说 过 他 吗 ？ ” 马 阿 姨 又 问 。  “ 没 有 。 ” 想 到 爸 爸 妈 妈 很 少 跟 她 说 话 ， 李 叶 更 不 开 心 [5]了 。

 “ 你 知 不 知 道 你 要 去 一 个 很 奇 怪 [25]的 地 方 ？ ” 马 阿 姨 问 。 李 叶 不 说 话 。 马 阿 姨 觉 得 这 个 孩 子 真 奇 怪 [25]， 一 点 也 不 关 心 [14]她 要 去 哪 儿 。

看 见 李 叶 不 说 话 ， 马 阿 姨 又 说 ： “ 文 先 生 的 房 子 很 老，已经六百年了。房子里有一百个房间，房间里 面 [26]的 东 西 都 很 贵 。 但 是 很 多 房 间 都 关 着 ， 我 们 都 不 可 以 进 去 。 房 子 外 面 有 几 个 很 大 的 花 园 ， 很 多 树 。 ”  李 叶 觉 得 叔 叔 [22]的 家 很 有 意 思 [27]， 跟 海 南 很 不 一 样 。 但 是 她 不 想 让 马 阿 姨 知 道 她 的 想 法 [28]， 所 以 还 是 不 说话。

 “ 你 觉 得 怎 么 样 ？ ” 马 阿 姨 问 。  “ 我 没 有 想 法 [28]。 ” 李 叶 说 。

 “ 你 跟 文 先 生 一 样 奇 怪 [25]。 我 不 知 道 你 为 什 么 要 去 南 京 ， 但 是 我 知 道 文 先 生 一 定 [16]不 会 跟 你 说 话 ， 因 为 他 从 来 不 关 心 [14]别 人 。 文 先 生 的 身 体 有 病 ， 认 识 他 的 太 太 以 前 ， 他 从 来 没 有 开 心 [5]过 。 ” 马 阿 姨 说 。 李 叶 没 想 到 这 个 奇 怪 [25]的 叔 叔 [22]有 太 太 ， 马 阿 姨 觉 得 李 叶 很 想 听 ， 又 说 ： “ 他 的 太 太 是 一 个 很 好 看 的 女 人 ， 文 先 生 很 爱 他 的 太 太 ， 她 死 的 时 候 … …” 

 “ 什 么 ？ 她 死 了 ？ ” 李 叶 觉 得 很 奇 怪 [25]， 马 上 问 。  “ 对 。 太 太 死 了 以 后 ， 文 先 生 又 像 以 前 一 样 奇 怪 [25]了 。 他 在 家 的 时 候 ， 总 是 [9]在 房 间 里 ， 不 想 见 人 ， 只有很少的人可以看到他。你也别想看到他，你只能自 己 玩 [1]。 ” 马 阿 姨 说 。 李 叶 坐 在 车 上 ， 想 了 很 久 ， 叔 叔 [22]家 有 很 大 的 花 园，花园里有很多树，很多花。还有一百个房间，但是 不 可 以 进 去 。 叔 叔 [22]是 一 个 奇 怪 [25]的 人 … … 她 在 南 京 会 怎么样，她也不知道。

We hope you enjoyed this sample! Please visit www.MandarinCompanion.com for  a full copy of this book and to browse other titles in this series.

Key Words 关 键词 (Guānjiàncí)

1.

玩

(wán)

2.

理

(lǐ) v. to pay attention to

3.

好像

(hǎoxiàng)

4.

阿姨

(āyí)

5.

开心

(kāixīn)

6.

看起来

7.

瘦

8.

生病

(shēngbìng)

9.

总是

(zǒngshì)

(shòu)

v. to play

n. maid, housekeeper  adj.  happy

(kànqǐlai)

vc. to look (a certain way)

adj.  thin

10.

生气

11.

哭

12.

为了

(wèile)

13.

听话

(tīnghuà)

(shēngqì)

(kū)

v. it seems

v. to get sick  adv.  always vo. to get angry

v. to cry conj. for the purpose of, in order to vo. to obey, lit. "to listen to (someone's) words”

14.

关心

(guānxīn) v. to be concerned about

15.

平时

(píngshí)

16.

一定

(yīdìng)

adv.  definitely

17.

出事

(chūshì)

vo. to have an accident

18.

后来

(hòulái)

tn.   afterwards

19.

难过

(nánguò)

20.

发现

(fāxiàn)

v. to discover 

21.

家人

(jiārén)

n.   family

22.

叔叔

(shūshu)

23.

带

24.

应该

(yīnggāi)

25.

奇怪

(qíguài)

adj. weird, strange

26.

里面

(lǐmiàn)

n.   inside

27.

有意思

28.

想法

(dài)

tn. usual; usually

adj. to feel upset

n. uncle, father's younger brother 

v. to bring aux. should, ought to

(yǒuyìsi)

(xiǎngfǎ)

adj.  interesting

n. thinking, idea

Part of Speech Key

adj.  Adjective adv.  Adverb aux. Auxiliary Verb conj.  Conjunction mw. Measure word n.   Noun on.   Onomatopoeia  part.  Particle  pn. Proper noun tn. Time Noun v.  Verb vc. Verb plus complement vo. Verb plus object

Extensive Reading After years of studying Chinese, many people ask, "why can't I speak Chinese?" Fluent speaking only happens when the language enters our "comfort zone." This comfort only comes after significant exposure to and experience with the language. The more times you meet a word, phrase, or grammar point, the sooner it will enter your comfort zone. In the world of language research, the experts agree that learners can acquire new vocabulary through reading if the overall text can be understood. Decades of  research indicate that if we know approximately 98% of the words in a book, we can comfortably "pick up" the 2% that is unfamiliar. Reading at this 98% comprehension level is called "Extensive Reading." Research in extensive reading has shown that it accelerates vocabulary learning and helps the learner to naturally understand grammar. Perhaps most importantly, it trains the brain to automatically process the language thereby leaving space in the memory for other things. As they build reading speed and fluency, learners will move from reading "word by word" to starting to process "chunks of  language" at a time. A defining feature is that it's less  painful  than the "intensive reading" commonly used in textbooks. In fact, extensive reading can be downright fun.

Graded Readers Graded readers are the best books for learners to "extensively" read. Research

has taught us that learners need to "encounter" a word 10-30 times before truly

learning it, often many more times for especially complicated or abstract words. Learners can read a graded reader because the language is controlled and simplified to their level, as opposed to reading native texts, which are inevitably slow, difficult, and demotivating. Reading extensively with graded readers allows learners to bring together all of the language they have studied and absorb how the words naturally work together. To become fluent, learners must not only understand the meaning of a word, but also understand its nuances, how to use it in conversation, how to pair it with other words, where it fits into natural word order, and how it is used in grammar  structures. No textbook could ever be written to teach all of this explicitly. When used properly, a textbook introduces the language and provides the basic meanings, while graded readers consolidate, strengthen, and deepen understanding . Without graded readers, learners would have to study dictionaries, textbooks, sample dialogs, and simple conversations until they have randomly encountered enough Chinese for it to enter their comfort zones. With proper use of graded readers, learners can tackle this issue and develop greater fluency now, at their  current  levels, instead of waiting until some period in the distant future. With a stronger foundation and greater confidence at their current levels, learners are encouraged and motivated to continue their Chinese studies to ever greater  heights. Plus they'll quickly learn that reading Chinese is fun!

Credits Original Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett Series Editor: John Pasden Lead Writer: Yang Renjun Associate Editor: Yu Cui Illustrator: Hu Shen Producer: Jared Turner 

 Acknowledgments We are grateful to Yang Renjun, Yu Cui, Song Shen and the entire team at AllSet Learning for working on this project and contributing the perfect mix of talent to  produce this series. Thank you to Mark Neville who tested it with students in his Chinese class and offered valuable insights and edits. We're grateful to Dong Hua for her academic feedback, and to our enthusiastic testers Erick Garcia, Ben Slye, Brandon Sanchez, and Mary Ann Abejuro. A special thanks to Rob Waring to whom we refer to as the "godfather of 

extensive reading" for his encouragement, expert advice, and support with this  project. Thank you to Heather Turner for being the inspiration behind the entire series and never wavering in her belief. Thank you to Song Shen for supporting us, handling all the small thankless tasks, and spurring us forward if we dared to fall behind. Moreover, we will be forever grateful for Yuehua Liu and Chengzhi Chu for   pioneering the first graded readers in Chinese and to whom we owe a debt of  gratitude for their years of tireless work to bring these type of materials to the Chinese learning community.

 About Mandarin Companion Mandarin Companion was started by Jared Turner and John Pasden who met one fateful day on a bus in Shanghai when the only remaining seat left them sitting next to each other. A year later, Jared had greatly improved his Chinese using extensive reading but was frustrated at the lack of suitable reading materials. He approached John with the prospect of creating their own series. Having worked in Chinese education for nearly a decade, John was intrigued with the idea and thus  began the Mandarin Companion series. John majored in Japanese in college, but started learning Mandarin and later  moved to China where his learning accelerated. After developing language  proficiency, he was admitted into an all-Chinese masters program in applied linguistics at East China Normal University in Shanghai. Throughout his learning  process, John developed an open mind to different learning styles and a tendency to challenge conventional wisdom in the field of teaching Chinese. He has since worked at ChinesePod as academic director and host, and opened his own consultancy, AllSet Learning, in Shanghai to help individuals acquire Chinese language proficiency. He lives in Shanghai with his wife and daughter. After graduate school and with no Chinese language skills, Jared decided to move to China with his young family in search of career opportunities. Later while working on a investment project, Jared learned about extensive reading and decided that if it was as effective as it claimed to be, it could help him learn Chinese. In three months, he read 10 Chinese graded readers and his ability quickly improved from speaking words and phrases to a conversational level. Jared has an MBA from Purdue University and a bachelor in Economics from the University of Utah. He lives in Shanghai with his wife and three kids.

Other Stories from Mandarin Companion

Level 1 Readers: 300 Characters The Monkey's Paw 《猴爪》 by W.W. Jacobs

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang live with their grown son, Xide, who works at a factory. One day Mr. Qian, an old friend of Mr. Zhang, comes to visit the family after  having spent years traveling in the mysterious hills of Yunnan. Mr. Qian tells the Zhang family of a monkey's paw he was given that has magical powers to grant three wishes to the holder. Against his better judgment, Mr. Qian gives the monkey paw to the Zhang family with a warning that the wishes come with a great price for trying to change one's fate…

The Sixty-Year Dream 《六十年的梦》 ased on "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving 

Zhou Xuefa is well loved by everyone in his town, but always given a hard time by his nagging wife. With his faithful dog Blackie, Zhou Xuefa spends his time playing with kids, helping neighbors, and discussing politics in the teahouse. One day after a bad scolding from his wife, he goes for a walk into the mountains and meets a mysterious old man who appears to be from an ancient time. The man invites Zhou Xuefa into his mountain home for a meal,

and after drinking some wine, Zhou Xuefa falls into a deep sleep. He awakes to a time very different than what he once knew.

The Country of the Blind 《盲人国》  y H.G. Wells

"In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king" repeats in Chen Fangyuan's mind after he finds himself trapped in a valley holding a community of people for whom a disease has long since eliminated the sense of sight. Chen Fangyuan quickly finds that these people have developed their  other senses to compensate for their lack of sight, and indeed no longer even understand what it means "to see." His insistence that he can see only causes the entire community to believe he is crazy. With no way out, Chen Fangyuan  begins to accept his fate until one day the village doctors believe they now understand the cause of his insanity: those useless round objects in his eye sockets.

The Case of the Curly-Haired League 《卷发会的案子》 ased on "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Red-Headed League" by Sir  rthur Conan Doyle

Mr. Xie was recently offered admission into the Curly-Haired League. For a handsome weekly allowance, he was required to sit in an office and copy articles from a book, while his assistant looked after his shop. Mr. Xie had answered an advertisement in the paper, and although thousands of people applied, he was the only one selected because of his very curly hair. When the

league unexpectedly dissolved, Mr. Xie sought out Gao Ming (Sherlock  Holmes) and shared his strange story. Gao Ming is certain something is not right, but will he solve the mystery in time? Mandarin companion is producing a growing library of graded readers for Chinese language learners. Visit our website for the newest books available: www.MandarinCompanion.com