全文 The whole set, with pinyin and English
热身 Warm-up
新年到，挂灯笼，家家户户喜洋洋。
xīn nián dào guà dēng long jiā jiā hù hù xǐ yáng yáng
New Year is here, hang up the lanterns; every home is full of joy.
一、朗读 Read aloud
离农历新年只有两个星期，奶奶和我一起到牛车水买年货。
lí nóng lì xīn nián zhǐ yǒu liǎng gè xīng qī nǎi nai hé wǒ yì qǐ dào niú chē shuǐ mǎi nián huò
With only two weeks to Chinese New Year, Grandma and I went to Chinatown together to buy New Year goods.
街上的店屋前都挂着一排排红灯笼，到处都是买年货的人，热闹极了。
jiē shàng de diàn wū qián dōu guà zhe yì pái pái hóng dēng long dào chù dōu shì mǎi nián huò de rén rè nao jí le
Rows of red lanterns hung in front of the shophouses and there were New Year shoppers everywhere; it was very lively.
我们在一个摊位前排队买年糕和桔子。
wǒ men zài yí gè tān wèi qián pái duì mǎi nián gāo hé jú zi
We queued at a stall to buy New Year cake and mandarin oranges.
奶奶说，很久以前，这里没有自来水，人们要用牛车把水运到家家户户。
nǎi nai shuō hěn jiǔ yǐ qián zhè lǐ méi yǒu zì lái shuǐ rén men yào yòng niú chē bǎ shuǐ yùn dào jiā jiā hù hù
Grandma said that long ago there was no tap water here, and people had to carry water to every home on bullock carts.
所以，大家就把这个地方叫作牛车水。
suǒ yǐ dà jiā jiù bǎ zhè ge dì fang jiào zuò niú chē shuǐ
So people called this place Niu Che Shui, 'bullock-cart water'.
奶奶又说，她还是小女孩的时候，家里很穷，过年只能买一点点东西。
nǎi nai yòu shuō tā hái shì xiǎo nǚ hái de shí hou jiā lǐ hěn qióng guò nián zhǐ néng mǎi yì diǎn diǎn dōng xi
Grandma also said that when she was still a little girl her family was very poor, and at New Year they could only buy a tiny bit.
现在生活好了，可是她最喜欢的，还是和家人一起过年的感觉。
xiàn zài shēng huó hǎo le kě shì tā zuì xǐ huan de hái shì hé jiā rén yì qǐ guò nián de gǎn jué
Life is better now, but what she loves most is still the feeling of spending New Year with family.
听了奶奶的话，我发现牛车水不仅是一条街，更是一段珍贵的历史。
tīng le nǎi nai de huà wǒ fā xiàn niú chē shuǐ bù jǐn shì yì tiáo jiē gèng shì yí duàn zhēn guì de lì shǐ
After hearing Grandma, I realised Chinatown isn't just a street; it is a precious piece of history.
二、看图说话 Talk about the picture
老师：请你说一说图里的情景。
qǐng nǐ shuō yi shuō tú lǐ de qíng jǐng
Please describe what is happening in the picture.
范例：这是热闹的牛车水。街上挂着一个写着牛车水的牌子，还有很多红灯笼。中间有一个摊位，卖桔子、年糕和红色的礼盒，很多人在排队。一位穿紫色衣服的奶奶两只手提着红色的袋子，她正在想着从前靠牛车送水的样子。奶奶旁边站着一个穿粉红色裙子的女孩，右边还有一间庙，门口的香炉冒着烟。
zhè shì rè nao de niú chē shuǐ jiē shàng guà zhe yí gè xiě zhe niú chē shuǐ de pái zi hái yǒu hěn duō hóng dēng long zhōng jiān yǒu yí gè tān wèi mài jú zi nián gāo hé hóng sè de lǐ hé hěn duō rén zài pái duì yí wèi chuān zǐ sè yī fu de nǎi nai liǎng zhī shǒu tí zhe hóng sè de dài zi tā zhèng zài xiǎng zhe cóng qián kào niú chē sòng shuǐ de yàng zi nǎi nai páng biān zhàn zhe yí gè chuān fěn hóng sè qún zi de nǚ hái yòu biān hái yǒu yì jiān miào mén kǒu de xiāng lú mào zhe yān
This is busy Chinatown. Over the street hangs a sign saying Chinatown, and there are many red lanterns. In the middle is a stall selling mandarin oranges, New Year cake and red gift boxes, and many people are queuing. A grandma in purple is carrying red bags in both hands; she is thinking about how water used to be carried by bullock cart. Beside her stands a girl in a pink dress, and on the right there is a temple with smoke rising from the urn at the door.
老师：奶奶在想什么？你怎么知道？
nǎi nai zài xiǎng shén me nǐ zěn me zhī dào
What is Grandma thinking about? How do you know?
范例：奶奶在想以前的牛车水。因为她头上有一个想法的泡泡，里面有一间老房子和一辆牛车，牛车上载着一个大水桶。我想她在回忆从前大家靠牛车送水的日子。
nǎi nai zài xiǎng yǐ qián de niú chē shuǐ yīn wèi tā tóu shàng yǒu yí gè xiǎng fǎ de pào pào lǐ miàn yǒu yì jiān lǎo fáng zi hé yí liàng niú chē niú chē shàng zài zhe yí gè dà shuǐ tǒng wǒ xiǎng tā zài huí yì cóng qián dà jiā kào niú chē sòng shuǐ de rì zi
Grandma is thinking about Chinatown in the old days. Above her head is a thought bubble with an old house and a bullock cart carrying a big water barrel. I think she is remembering the days when people carried water by bullock cart.
老师：你觉得图中的人为什么在排队？
nǐ jué de tú zhōng de rén wèi shén me zài pái duì
Why do you think the people in the picture are queuing?
范例：我觉得他们在排队买年货，因为摊位上有很多桔子和年糕，街上也挂满了红灯笼，看起来农历新年快到了。
wǒ jué de tā men zài pái duì mǎi nián huò yīn wèi tān wèi shàng yǒu hěn duō jú zi hé nián gāo jiē shàng yě guà mǎn le hóng dēng long kàn qǐ lai nóng lì xīn nián kuài dào le
I think they are queuing to buy New Year goods, because the stall has lots of mandarin oranges and New Year cake, and the street is full of red lanterns. It looks like Chinese New Year is coming.
老师：图的右边是什么地方？你看到了什么？
tú de yòu biān shì shén me dì fang nǐ kàn dào le shén me
What place is on the right of the picture? What do you see there?
范例：图的右边是一间庙。庙的屋顶是绿色的，墙是红色的，门口有一个香炉，香炉里插着香，正在冒烟。
tú de yòu biān shì yì jiān miào miào de wū dǐng shì lǜ sè de qiáng shì hóng sè de mén kǒu yǒu yí gè xiāng lú xiāng lú lǐ chā zhe xiāng zhèng zài mào yān
On the right of the picture is a temple. Its roof is green and its walls are red. At the door there is an urn with incense sticks in it, giving off smoke.
老师：你觉得奶奶和女孩买完东西以后会去哪里？
nǐ jué de nǎi nai hé nǚ hái mǎi wán dōng xi yǐ hòu huì qù nǎ lǐ
Where do you think Grandma and the girl will go after shopping?
范例：我想她们可能会走进旁边的庙里参观，或者去吃一碗热热的汤圆。回家以后，她们会把桔子和年糕摆好，准备迎接新年。
wǒ xiǎng tā men kě néng huì zǒu jìn páng biān de miào lǐ cān guān huò zhě qù chī yì wǎn rè rè de tāng yuán huí jiā yǐ hòu tā men huì bǎ jú zi hé nián gāo bǎi hǎo zhǔn bèi yíng jiē xīn nián
I think they may go into the temple next door for a look, or go and have a bowl of hot glutinous rice balls. When they get home, they will set out the oranges and New Year cake, ready to welcome the New Year.
老师：如果你是图中的女孩，你会怎样帮助奶奶？
rú guǒ nǐ shì tú zhōng de nǚ hái nǐ huì zěn yàng bāng zhù nǎi nai
If you were the girl in the picture, how would you help Grandma?
范例：如果我是图中的女孩，我会帮奶奶提一个袋子，因为两个袋子太重了，奶奶年纪大了，提着会很累。过马路的时候，我也会扶着奶奶，小心地走。
rú guǒ wǒ shì tú zhōng de nǚ hái wǒ huì bāng nǎi nai tí yí gè dài zi yīn wèi liǎng gè dài zi tài zhòng le nǎi nai nián jì dà le tí zhe huì hěn lèi guò mǎ lù de shí hou wǒ yě huì fú zhe nǎi nai xiǎo xīn de zǒu
If I were the girl in the picture, I would carry one bag for Grandma, because two bags are too heavy and Grandma is old; carrying them would tire her. When crossing the road, I would also hold her arm and walk carefully.
三、会话 Conversation
情景：在一段视频里，一群小学生跟着导游参观牛车水的文物馆，认真地听老人讲以前的故事。
zài yí duàn shì pín lǐ yì qún xiǎo xué shēng gēn zhe dǎo yóu cān guān niú chē shuǐ de wén wù guǎn rèn zhēn de tīng lǎo rén jiǎng yǐ qián de gù shì
In a video, a group of primary pupils follow a guide around a heritage centre in Chinatown, listening carefully to an old man telling stories of the past.
老师：你对视频里这些学生的做法有什么看法？
nǐ duì shì pín lǐ zhè xiē xué shēng de zuò fǎ yǒu shén me kàn fǎ
What do you think of what these pupils in the video did?
范例：我认为他们做得很好。老人讲的故事，是书本里学不到的历史。认真地听，不但是尊重老人，还可以让我们知道以前的人生活有多辛苦，学会珍惜今天的好日子。
wǒ rèn wéi tā men zuò de hěn hǎo lǎo rén jiǎng de gù shì shì shū běn lǐ xué bú dào de lì shǐ rèn zhēn de tīng bú dàn shì zūn zhòng lǎo rén hái kě yǐ ràng wǒ men zhī dào yǐ qián de rén shēng huó yǒu duō xīn kǔ xué huì zhēn xī jīn tiān de hǎo rì zi
I think they did very well. The stories the old man tells are history you can't learn from books. Listening carefully not only shows respect to him, but also lets us know how hard life was for people in the past, so we learn to treasure the good days we have now.
💡 Give your view first, then explain why with one or two reasons.
老师：说一说你听长辈讲故事的一次经历。
shuō yi shuō nǐ tīng zhǎng bèi jiǎng gù shì de yí cì jīng lì
Tell us about a time an older family member told you a story.
范例：上个月的一个晚上，外公来我家吃饭。饭后，他给我讲了他小时候在甘榜生活的故事。他说那时候没有电视，孩子们常常在河边抓鱼、爬树。我听得很入迷，觉得以前的生活虽然简单，可是很快乐。
shàng gè yuè de yí gè wǎn shang wài gōng lái wǒ jiā chī fàn fàn hòu tā gěi wǒ jiǎng le tā xiǎo shí hòu zài gān bǎng shēng huó de gù shì tā shuō nà shí hòu méi yǒu diàn shì hái zi men cháng cháng zài hé biān zhuā yú pá shù wǒ tīng de hěn rù mí jué de yǐ qián de shēng huó suī rán jiǎn dān kě shì hěn kuài lè
One evening last month, my grandpa came to our home for dinner. After the meal, he told me stories about growing up in a kampong. He said there was no TV then, and children often caught fish by the river and climbed trees. I was fascinated, and felt that life back then was simple but very happy.
💡 Tell it in order: when, where, what happened, and how you felt.
老师：你认为年轻人应该怎样保留传统文化？
nǐ rèn wéi nián qīng rén yīng gāi zěn yàng bǎo liú chuán tǒng wén huà
How do you think young people should keep traditional culture alive?
范例：我认为年轻人可以多参加传统节日的活动，比如新年拜年、中秋提灯笼。另外，我们也可以多听长辈讲以前的故事，把它们记录下来。最重要的是，要学好华文，因为语言是文化的根。
wǒ rèn wéi nián qīng rén kě yǐ duō cān jiā chuán tǒng jié rì de huó dòng bǐ rú xīn nián bài nián zhōng qiū tí dēng long lìng wài wǒ men yě kě yǐ duō tīng zhǎng bèi jiǎng yǐ qián de gù shì bǎ tā men jì lù xià lai zuì zhòng yào de shì yào xué hǎo huá wén yīn wèi yǔ yán shì wén huà de gēn
I think young people can take part in more traditional festival activities, like New Year visits and carrying lanterns at Mid-Autumn. Also, we can listen more to elders' stories of the past and write them down. Most importantly, we should learn Chinese well, because language is the root of culture.
💡 Give two or three ideas and say how each one helps.
老师：你觉得逛牛车水和逛购物中心有什么不同？
nǐ jué de guàng niú chē shuǐ hé guàng gòu wù zhōng xīn yǒu shén me bù tóng
How do you think going to Chinatown is different from going to a shopping centre?
范例：我觉得逛牛车水比较有特色。那里有老店屋、庙宇和传统小吃，可以感受到以前的味道。购物中心虽然有冷气，比较舒服，可是每一间都差不多。我比较喜欢牛车水，因为在那里可以学到很多历史。
wǒ jué de guàng niú chē shuǐ bǐ jiào yǒu tè sè nà lǐ yǒu lǎo diàn wū miào yǔ hé chuán tǒng xiǎo chī kě yǐ gǎn shòu dào yǐ qián de wèi dào gòu wù zhōng xīn suī rán yǒu lěng qì bǐ jiào shū fu kě shì měi yì jiān dōu chà bù duō wǒ bǐ jiào xǐ huan niú chē shuǐ yīn wèi zài nà lǐ kě yǐ xué dào hěn duō lì shǐ
I think Chinatown has more character. There are old shophouses, temples and traditional snacks, so you can feel what the old days were like. A shopping centre has air-con and is more comfortable, but they're all much the same. I prefer Chinatown, because there I can learn lots of history.
💡 Compare the two places, then say which you prefer and why.