Study and Exams

Attitude and Study Methods

In the listening section, speakers often talk about changing study methods (改变学习方法, gǎibiàn xuéxí fāngfǎ: change one's study method) or about study attitude (学习态度, xuéxí tàidu: study attitude). A common structure is a before-and-after comparison: 以前…，现在… (yǐqián…, xiànzài…: before…, now…). The answer usually appears in the 现在 clause, while the 以前 clause describes the old method or situation. For example: 以前他只看书，现在他常跟朋友练习说话。 (Yǐqián tā zhǐ kànshū, xiànzài tā cháng gēn péngyou liànxí shuōhuà: Before, he only read books; now he often practices speaking with friends.)

Vocabulary and structures to know:

• 背单词 (bèi dāncí: memorize vocabulary) — memorizing words by rote. It often implies "only memorizing without practicing use," so when compared with 练口语 (liàn kǒuyǔ: practice spoken language), this method is judged to be less effective.
• 造句 (zào jù: make sentences) — using new words to create one's own sentences, which helps remember and use the words. 老师让我们用新词造句。 (Lǎoshī ràng wǒmen yòng xīn cí zàojù: The teacher asked us to make sentences with new words.)
• 跟着录音朗读 (gēnzhe lùyīn lǎngdú: read aloud along with a recording) — reading along with an audio recording to practice pronunciation and intonation. 他每天跟着录音读课文。 (Tā měitiān gēnzhe lùyīn dú kèwén: Every day he reads the textbook text along with the recording.)
• 进步 (jìnbù: make progress) and 进步很快 (jìnbù hěn kuài: make rapid progress) — used to describe the result of changing one's method.
• 多…比多…更有用 (duō… bǐ duō… gèng yǒuyòng: doing a lot of A is more useful than doing a lot of B) — used to compare two study methods. 多练习比多背更有用。 (Duō liànxí bǐ duō bèi gèng yǒuyòng: Practicing a lot is more useful than memorizing a lot.)
• 动词+得+比以前+形容词+多了 (dòngcí + de + bǐ yǐqián + tính từ + duō le: much more [adjective] than before) — expresses a change in degree. 他写汉字写得比以前快多了。 (Tā xiě Hànzì xiě de bǐ yǐqián kuài duō le: He writes Chinese characters much faster than before.)
• 只好 (zhǐhǎo: have no choice but to) — describes doing something because there is no other option, often in an unfavorable situation such as rain. 天下雨了，我们只好待在家里。 (Tiān xiàyǔ le, wǒmen zhǐhǎo dāi zài jiālǐ: It started raining, so we had no choice but to stay at home.)
• 还行 (hái xíng: fairly okay) and 差一点 (chà yìdiǎn: a little worse) — used for self-assessment of ability. When someone says 听力还行，就是…… (Listening is fairly okay, but…), listening is not the weak point; the weakness is in the clause that follows.
• 得多练练 (děi duō liànlian: need to practice more) — expresses what must be done to improve.

It is important to distinguish between 效果不好 (xiàoguǒ bù hǎo: the effect is not good), which describes an old method that did not produce results, and 不愿意 (bú yuànyì: unwilling), which describes a lack of self-motivation. When a question asks about attitude or method, look for the clause that describes a change, and do not stop at the clause that describes the old situation.

Review and Exam Preparation

Listening comprehension questions about review usually revolve around what has been done to prepare, when to review, what is still weak, and the reason for worry. The speaker often names a weak area (听力, tīnglì: listening; 阅读, yuèdú: reading comprehension; 口语, kǒuyǔ: spoken Chinese) and states the review plan for each part. Pay attention to which part the speaker says is fine and which part needs more work, because these two statements are often in contrast.

Common words and structures: