Chapter 10: "Master of the Universe"

HOW TO TALK ABOUT LIVING LARGE
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​终于    (zhōng yú) at last​
  • 终于 means the materialization of a certain, usually positive, result after long waiting and numerous changes.

Examples:
1. 表哥就用这个故事说服了姑妈，姑妈终于同意买房子了。= Tianming’s cousin used this story to persuade Tianming’s aunt. Aunt finally agreed to buy a place.
2. 林先生林太太辛辛苦苦工作了二十多年，现在两个人退休了，终于可以轻松轻松，享受退休生活。= Mr. and Mrs. Lin worked hard for over twenty years. Now they are retired, and they can finally relax and enjoy their lives.
3. 期末考终于考完了，我可以好好玩几天了。= The final exams were finally over. I could have some fun for a few days.

消费    (xiāo fèi) to consume​
  • 消费者 = consumer
  • 消费享受 = “to consume and enjoy pleasure”
  • 你一个星期消费多少钱？= How much money do you consume each week?
  • 连自己每月的消费他都不知道。他从来不关心钱的问题。= He doesn’t even know his own monthly consumption. He has never been concerned about money.
  • 生活水平提高了，应该提倡适度的消费。
    [TEXTBOOK] 当然也有人认为有钱就应该消费享受。= Of course there are people who believe that if you have money you should consume and enjoy please

享受    (xiǎng shòu) to enjoy; pleasure​
  • "享受生活" = to enjoy life
  • [TEXTBOOK] 他们劝姑妈买房子，说姑妈辛苦了几十年，应该住一套大一些的房子，舒舒服服地享受退休生活。​= They urged my aunt to buy an apartment. They said that my aunt had worked hard for years. She should live in a bigger apartment and enjoy her retired life in comfort.
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TRAIN: write 3 sentences using the following grammar structure:
  • ​终于

SPEAK: imagine you are now the richest person in the world. What would you spend all your money on? Why? 

SKIT: in a group, write a dialogue on the following prompt. Memorize your skit and perform in front of the class!
  • You and your partner are about to quit your jobs and create a tech startup together.
  • Discuss how you're finally achieving your dreams.
  • Discuss how this startup will allow you to better enjoy your lives.

WRITE: respond to the following question: 他总是过于享受人生，有很多不正确的消费， 终于把家里的财产都用完了。在你们现在的生活中，什么样的消费是必须的， 什么样的消费可以减少？

WRITE: suppose you are the intended recipient of the email below. Read the message and then write a response:

天明，

你离开南京已经一个月了， 学习很顺利吧？有一件事想告诉你。你知道， 我妈妈有一笔钱，我以只劝他 买一套大一些得房子， 舒舒服服得享受退休生活。但是，上个星期股市一直在跌，在她得老姐妹得劝说下， 她想买股票。我认为股市风险太大， 可是我说服不了我妈妈。我一个怎么办呢？ 请你说说你得看法，好吗？

你的朋友，
​
​柯林
Mastery
DICTATION: write the Chinese characters, English definition, and pinyin (including tones):
  • 终于，消费，享受
  • TARGET: no more than 1 mistake, including tones.

GRAMMAR: complete the following exercises:
  • Translate: My cousin used this story to persuade my aunt, [so] my aunt finally agreed to buy an apartment.
  • TARGET: no grammar mistakes.

READING: read aloud the following sentences:
  • 期末考终于考完了，我可以好好玩几天了。
  • 表哥就用这个故事说服了姑妈，姑妈终于同意买房子了。
  • 连自己每月的消费他都不知道。他从来不关心钱的问题。
  • 当然也有人认为有钱就应该消费享受。
  • 他们劝姑妈买房子，说姑妈辛苦了几十年，应该住一套大一些的房子，舒舒服服地享受退休生活。
  • TARGET: no more than 2 mistakes, including tones.
​
​SPEAKING: perform the following conversation tasks:
  • Talk about enjoying life ("at last!").
  • Talk about your personal consumption habits.
  • TARGET: at least a 3 on ALL tasks.

Chapter 11: "Risk Is Our Business"

HOW TO TALK ABOUT INVESTING RISK
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风险    (fēng xiǎn) risk​
  • 有风险 = “to have risk”
  • 可是姑妈不知道炒股有风险吗？= But doesn’t your aunt know that flipping stocks is risky?
  • 买房子是不是就没有风险呢？= Tianming: Is buying an apartment risk-free?
  • [TEXTBOOK］房价太高的时候买房子，当然有风险。= Buying an apartment when housing prices are too high naturally is risky.

风险投资    (fēng xiǎn tóu zī) venture capitalism​
  • 风险 = risk, 投资 = to invest 
  • 风向投资 = literally, “risk investment”
  • 哥哥刚跟一些风险投资公司面试。现在等待结果。= My older brother recently interviewed with some venture capitalism companies. Now we just wait for the results.

风险投资家    (fēng xiǎn tóu zī jiā) venture capitalist​
  • 成为风险投资家很难，可是我知道你会成功。= Becoming a venture capitalist is very difficult, but I know you will be successful.

​跌    (diē) to fall​
  • 中国最新房价: 二手房价下跌新房房价上涨。 = China’s new housing prices: secondhand housing prices are falling, new housing prices are rising.

赔    (péi) to lose [money]​
  • 赔钱 = to lose money; to pay for damages
    没想到股市一直跌，不到三个月，赔了一半。= But who would have imagined that the stock market would keep falling. Within three months he lost half [of the money].​
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​WRITE: write a short essay responding to the following statement: 尽管好的风险投资家通常都知道如何减少投资风险，但一般来说，风险和投资就象一对好姐妹，缺少不了联系。有投资就会有风险, 有时，风险越大的投资， 赚钱越多， 但如果失败，会失去更多钱。你们会选择风险大， 赚钱多的投资， 还是风险小， 赚钱少的投资?？

SKIT: in a group, write a dialogue on the following prompt. Memorize your skit and perform in front of the class!
  • You need to convince a venture capitalist (played by your partner) to invest in your tech startup.
  • Your partner, the venture capitalist, must explore the risks and benefits of investing in your product.

DEEP DISCUSSION: thoroughly explore the following topics in pairs:
  • 你认为什么时候是买房的好时候？
  • 你认为怎么理财没有风险？
  • 什么样的投资钱增加得比较快／慢？
  • 你认为父母需要为子女将来得教育费担心吗？为什么？
  • 炒股票和炒面以及炒作得“炒”分别有什么不同？

WRITE: write a story about a stock market crash (historical or fictional).

​WRITE: Write a letter to your elderly grandparents, updating them with news of your business. Explain to them what venture capitalism is, and how you successfully attracted investors to your company. 

​READ: read the Chairman's Bao article, "Overview of China's 2015 Stock Market Crash". Then answer the following questions:
  1. Why did the stock market crash?
  2. What happened, exactly? How was the market stabilized? ​
Mastery
DICTATION: write the Chinese characters, English definition, and pinyin (including tones):
  • 风险，风险投资，风险投资家，跌，赔钱
  • TARGET: no more than 1 mistake, including tones.

READING: read aloud the following sentences:
  • 买房子是不是就没有风险呢？
  • 房价太高的时候买房子，当然有风险。
  • 成为风险投资家很难，可是我知道你会成功。
  • 没想到股市一直跌，不到三个月，赔了一半。
  • TARGET: no more than 1 mistake, including tones.
​
​SPEAKING: perform the following conversation tasks:
  • Discuss the risk (low or high) of different investment methods.
  • Describe the role of venture capital in a capitalist economy.
  • Discuss the impact of a fall in stock or housing prices on the economy.
  • TARGET: at least a 3 on ALL tasks.

​Chapter 12: "Penniless At Last"

HOW TO TALK ABOUT LIVING CHEAPLY
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​辛苦    (xīn kǔ) laborious; toilsome​
  • 科学功课太辛苦了！= Science homework is too laborious!
  • [TEXTBOOK］他们劝姑妈买房子，说姑妈辛苦了几十年，应该住一套大一些的房子，舒舒服服地享受退休生活。

合    (hé) to combine​
  • “subjects (two or more) + 合 + verb + object”
  • 合 is used to describe sharing or doing something together (for two or more people).

Examples:
1. 他们俩上班的地方很近，合用一辆车就行了。= Their workplaces are close to one another. They can share a car.
2. 丽莎打算跟雪梅合租一套房子。= Lisa plans to rent a house with Xuemei.
3. 我跟指导教授合写了一本书。= I co-wrote a book with my advisor.
4. 合唱一个歌 = to sing a song in chorus / 合开一家饭店 = to open a restaurant with a partner

​​义工 (yì gōng) "voluntary work"; volunteer [person]
  • 做义工 = to volunteer
  • 当义工 = to work as a volunteer
  • 学生义工 = student volunteers
  • [TEXTBOOK］姑妈退休以后常跟以前在一起做义工的朋友们打打麻将，聊聊天儿。Since she retired, my aunt often gets together with her volunteer friends to play mahjong and chat.
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TRAIN: write 3 sentences using the following grammar structure:
  • ​合+adj

SPEAK: Talk about your dream career, considering the following statement: 她合她老板在一起工作，很辛苦，一个任务还没有足够的时间完成，另一个任务接着来了。你们会选择辛苦但感兴趣的工作， 还是不辛苦但不感兴趣的工作？

SPEAK 6: the costs of living in the San Francisco Bay Area are very high. How do people get by? Is it worth it to live in such an expensive place? Discuss with your partner and then write a paragraph in response.

​WRITE: Imagine you have lost all your money recently, and you have no family to rely on. You only have your friends. How will you survive? Discuss with your partner
Mastery
DICTATION: write the Chinese characters, English definition, and pinyin (including tones):
  • 辛苦，合用，合租，做义工
  • TARGET: no more than 1 mistake, including tones.

GRAMMAR: complete the following exercises:
  • Translate: Their workplaces [where they work] are so close to each other, sharing the use of one car is fine. [合]
  • TARGET: no grammar mistakes.

READING: read aloud the following sentences:
  • 科学功课太辛苦了。
  • 姑妈辛苦了几十年，应该住一套大一些的房子，舒舒服服地享受退休生活。
  • 他们俩上班的地方很近，合用一辆车就行了。
  • 丽莎打算跟雪梅合租一套房子。
  • 姑妈退休以后常跟以前在一起做义工的朋友们打打麻将，聊聊天儿。
  • TARGET: no more than 1 mistake, including tones.
​
​SPEAKING: perform the following conversation tasks:
  • Talk about volunteering.
  • Talk about hard or difficult situations in your life.
  • Brainstorm ways to reduce living expenses by sharing things together [using 合].
  • TARGET: at least a 3 on ALL tasks.

Chapter 13: “Revelation”

HOW TO TALK ABOUT CONFLICTS
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矛盾    (máo dùn) conflicting​, conflict
  • 矛 = spear, 盾 = shield
    • This word comes from a traditional idiomatic story about how a mighty spear and a mighty shield come into conflict
  • 互相矛盾 = mutual conflicting or contradictory (成语)
  • [TEXTBOOK］最近姑妈跟表哥有点儿矛盾，表哥好像有点儿郁闷。Recently, my aunt and cousin started to clash with each other. My cousin seemed a little depressed.

郁闷    (yù mèn) gloomy; depressed​
  • [TEXTBOOK］最近姑妈跟表哥有点儿矛盾，表哥好像有点儿郁闷。Recently, my aunt and cousin started to clash with each other. My cousin seemed a little depressed.

引起    (yǐn qǐ) to give rise to​
  • The verb 引起 usually takes as objects two-syllable abstract nouns such as 注意，思考，重视，反对，讨论，or 兴趣.

Examples:
1. 孩子的教育问题还没有引起这两个父母的注意。= The issue of their children’s education has not attracted these two parents’ attention.
2. 环保问题已经引起各个国家的重视。= The issue of environmental protection has drawn much attention in different countries.
3. 小王的建议引起同学们的反对。= Little Wang’s proposal met with objections from other students.
4. [TEXTBOOK] 张天明平常不大考虑投资理财的事，今天他表哥跟他在网上聊了半天这个问题，才引起他的思考。= Zhang Tianming ordinarily doesn’t give much thought to investment and wealth management. Today his cousin chatted with him on the Internet about this question for a long time, and only then did he start to think about it. 

思考    (sī kǎo) to think deeply
  • 引起思考 = caused to reflect ["gave rise to reflections"]​
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SPEAK: discuss an event or experience in your life that caused you to reflect deeply.

WRITE: respond to the following question: 如果你心中的矛盾无法解决，通常就会郁闷。如果你身边有一个朋友开心（乐观），就会影响你，使你心情愉快, 也容易乐观。如果你们碰到难解决的矛盾， 是郁闷还是乐观解决？

WRITE: respond to the following question: 中太多的问题会引起人类的思考， 因为思考，会帮助找到解决问题的答案。人类的思考也（亦）会推动社会进步。喜欢思考的人通常都有一个安静的性格。你们觉得思考会让人变聪明吗？

​​SKIT: in a group, write a dialogue on the following prompt. Memorize your skit and perform in front of the class!
  • You and your partner had a big fight recently. Your experiences gave rise to important reflections.
  • Now you are meeting to try to resolve the conflict.
  • Talk about why the conflict arose, how you both felt, and your ideas for how to avoid future conflicts. 
Mastery
DICTATION: write the Chinese characters, English definition, and pinyin (including tones):
  • 矛盾，郁闷，引起，思考
  • TARGET: no more than 1 mistake, including tones.

GRAMMAR: complete the following exercises:
  • Translate: This caused him to reflect ["gave rise to his reflections"].
  • TARGET: no grammar mistakes.

READING: read aloud the following sentences:
  • 最近姑妈跟表哥有点儿矛盾，表哥好像有点儿郁闷。
  • 孩子的教育问题还没有引起这两个父母的注意。
  • 环保问题已经引起各个国家的重视。
  • 今天他表哥跟他在网上聊了半天投资理财的问题，才引起他的思考。
  • TARGET: no more than 1 mistake, including tones.
​
​SPEAKING: perform the following conversation tasks:
  • Talk about conflicts.
  • Talk about being gloomy or depressed.
  • Talk about the things that give rise to your interest, attention, reflection, opposition, etc. [using 引起].
  • TARGET: at least a 3 on ALL tasks.

 MINIBOSS #3: ACT 3 REVIEW

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Pika, Pika! Can you beat me?
Mastery Challenge 1 (Vocabulary and Grammar): ​
​Mastery Challenge 2 (Speaking):
  • ​​Perform the following conversation tasks:
    • Discuss your property and personal assets.
    • Discuss methods of wealth management.
      • Brainstorm methods to reduce consumption (being thrifty, sharing things together, etc).
      • Brainstorm methods to save and invest (bank deposits, stocks, real estate, venture capital, etc.)
        • Talk about the risks and rewards of these different options.​
    • Debate the balance between "saving for the future" and "enjoying life right now".​
    • Talk about the things that give rise to your interest, attention, reflection, opposition, etc. [using 引起].
  • TARGET: at least a 3 on ALL tasks.
​
BONUS CHALLENGES:
  • ​GODLIKE: Achieve a 100% score on all mastery challenges—zero mistakes!