How to use this set. Each recording already plays the text twice, as in the exam, with a pause between the readings. Answer the question first, and only then open the transcript to check what you missed. These 8 items are drawn from the bank for this topic — they are practice, not a whole paper, but each one matches the marks and text type of its kind of HSC question.
Reason: why did it happen?2 marks · dialogue
Why did Xiao Ning choose this person for her project?2
How to answer. Two marks means two reasons. The first is about what everyone else is doing; the second comes at the very end and is personal. Keep listening after her first line.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the text
She chose him because he is not famous, so nobody else will write about him, and because her grandmother told her about him: he was the doctor who cured her when she was ill as a child.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
MALE小宁，做历史作业你为什么选这个人？他不是很有名。
FEMALE就是因为不有名。有名的人大家都写，我想找一个别人不知道的。
MALE那你怎么找到他的？
FEMALE我奶奶告诉我的。她小时候生病，就是这位大夫治好的。
Words from this text有名yǒu míngfamous别人不知道的bié rén bù zhī dao deone that others don't know about大夫dà fūdoctor治好zhì hǎoto cure
Note and table completion2 marks · phone message
Complete the table below in ENGLISH.2
How to answer. One mark per row. He says there are two changes and then gives them in order, so the structure of the table follows the structure of the message. Answer in English.
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the answer itself
Getting there — no school bus; students make their own way by train and meet at the museum entrance at ten. Inside the museum — no photographs allowed, so bring a pen and notebook.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
MALE十二年级的同学请注意。星期三去博物馆的事有两个改变。我们不坐学校的车了，大家自己坐火车去，十点在博物馆门口见。还有，那天里面不能照相，请大家带笔和本子。
Words from this text改变gǎi biànchange自己坐火车去zì jǐ zuò huǒ chē qùmake your own way by train照相zhào xiàngtake photographs本子běn zinotebook
Multiple choice1 mark · dialogue
Why did the grandfather take several days to choose the name?1
- ☐ A. He wanted a name that sounded modern.
- ☐ B. He wanted one character to match the older brother's name.
- ☐ C. He could not agree with the parents.
- ☐ D. He was waiting for the baby to be born.
How to answer. Tick one box. The reason only comes in the last line — the earlier lines tell you who chose it and how long it took, not why.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
Transcript — open only after you have answered
FEMALE小博，你弟弟的名字是谁取的？
MALE我爷爷取的。他找了好几天。
FEMALE为什么要找那么久？
MALE他说名字里的字要跟哥哥的一样，这样别人一听就知道是一家人。
Words from this text名字是谁取的míng zi shì shéi qǔ dewho chose the name好几天hǎo jǐ tiānseveral days一样yí yàngthe same一听就知道yì tīng jiù zhī daoyou can tell as soon as you hear it
Summarise the main points3 marks · announcement
Summarise the rules of the competition.3
• …………………………………………………………………………………………
• …………………………………………………………………………………………
How to answer. One of the three marks is for the summarising itself — putting it in your own words rather than writing down every word. The bullets tell you how many points to make: two bullets, two points. She marks them with 第一 … 第二 … 第三.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itself
The story must be told in Chinese and last three to five minutes; it has to be an old story, not one the student has written; and pictures are allowed but reading from notes is not.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
FEMALE同学们，下个月的讲故事比赛，有三件事要说明。第一，故事要用中文讲，长短三分钟到五分钟。第二，要讲一个老故事，不能讲自己写的。第三，可以用图，可是不能看着本子念。
Words from this text讲故事jiǎng gù shito tell a story老故事lǎo gù shian old story自己写的zì jǐ xiě deone you wrote yourself看着本子念kàn zhe běn zi niànread aloud from your notes
Opinion and feelings3 marks · dialogue
How does Xiao Xin feel about the visit? Support your answer with reference to the text.3
How to answer. Three marks and 'support your answer', so give her feelings AND the detail that shows them. Her feelings change during the conversation — an answer with only the first one cannot reach full marks.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the textwhy it matters
At first she was disappointed, because the buildings were old and there were few people about. That changed once her grandmother told her she had lived there as a child and that the noodle shop used to be a school. After that she saw it differently — she felt there was a story behind every door — and they stayed for three hours.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
MALE小欣，上个星期你跟奶奶去的那条老街，好玩吗？
FEMALE刚去的时候有点儿失望。房子很旧，人也不多。
MALE那后来呢？
FEMALE奶奶跟我说，她小时候就住在那儿，那家卖面的以前是学校。
MALE真的吗？
FEMALE对。她说完以后我再看，觉得每个门后面都有故事。我们走了三个小时。
Words from this text老街lǎo jiēold street失望shī wàngdisappointed旧jiùold (of things)每个门后面都有故事měi gè mén hòu mian dōu yǒu gù shithere's a story behind every door
Compare two speakers4 marks · dialogue
Compare and contrast the two speakers' views on learning old stories.4
How to answer. 'Compare and contrast' asks for both what they share and where they differ — an answer with only the difference cannot reach full marks. Note each speaker in a separate column; each gives a reason, and those reasons are your evidence.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the textwhy it matters
Neither of them thinks the old stories are bad, and both are really arguing about what is worth their limited time. She questions the point of learning them because they are not examined, and says she can look one up online; her position is that useful things should come first. He argues that people use these stories in conversation, so without them you cannot follow what is being said, and that looking one up gives you the meaning but not why everyone likes saying it. He ends with his own experience: at dinner with his father's friend, everyone laughed at an old story and he was the only one who did not know why.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
FEMALE小天，你说学这些老故事有什么用？考试又不考。
MALE可是别人说话的时候用到，你不知道就听不懂。
FEMALE那我上网查一下就行了。
MALE上网查得到意思，查不到为什么大家都爱说这句话。
FEMALE我也不是说这些故事不好。我是说时间不多，先学有用的。
MALE话是这么说，可是我上次跟我爸的朋友吃饭，他说了一个老故事，全桌的人都笑了，只有我不知道为什么。
Words from this text有什么用yǒu shén me yòngwhat's the point of …?上网查shàng wǎng chálook it up online话是这么说，可是…huà shì zhè me shuō，kě shì…that may be so, but …全桌的人quán zhuō de réneveryone at the table
Predict and justify5 marks · dialogue
Is Xiao Ning likely to change her project? Support your answer with reference to the text.5
How to answer. You must decide yes or no — listing what each speaker said is not an answer to 'is she likely to'. Five marks, so justify it: weigh what she would lose against what the problem is, and notice what her last two lines do to her friend's advice.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the textwhy it mattersties it together
No — she is unlikely to change it. The problem is real: the book gives 1932 while her grandmother remembers 1935, and the teacher wants things that can be checked in a source. But her friend's advice to switch is answered twice over: she has already written half of it, and the grandmother's account is precisely the part she wants to write about. She does not accept his suggestion; she takes a different one, agreeing to ask the teacher tomorrow. That is a step towards keeping the project while solving the problem.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
MALE小宁，你的作业写完了吗？
FEMALE还没有。我昨天发现一个问题。
MALE什么问题？
FEMALE书上写他是一九三二年来的，可是我奶奶说她见到他的时候是一九三五年。
MALE那你听谁的？
FEMALE我也不知道。老师说要写有书可查的东西。
MALE那你换一个人吧，还有两个星期。
FEMALE可是我已经写了一半了。而且，我奶奶那句话正是我想写的东西。
MALE那你去问问老师，看她怎么说。
FEMALE嗯……我明天去问。
Words from this text发现fā xiànto discover书上写shū shàng xiěthe book says有书可查yǒu shū kě chásomething that can be checked in a source写了一半xiě le yí bànhalf written
Language and persuasion5 marks · speech
What makes this speech effective? Refer to both its content and its use of language.5
How to answer. 'Both content and language' means two things are marked: what she says, and how she says it. For language, name the technique, quote the Chinese, and say what it does to the listener — naming it alone earns little. Listen for the question she opens with, the number she puts on it, her own story, the objection she raises before you can, and how small the thing is that she asks for at the end.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the textwhy it mattersties it together
She opens by asking the audience a question about their own families rather than telling them anything, so each listener starts by finding an example in their own life. She then shows they are not alone with a number she gathered herself: 21 of the 24 people in the class said yes. Her own story makes the point concrete: her mother cooks the same dish every year, she had never asked why, and it was her late grandmother's favourite. She adds what she gained from asking — only then did she understand how her family had lived through twenty years. She raises the obvious objection herself, why ask when it happens every year, and answers it with the one argument that cannot wait: older people will not always be there, and if you do not ask now nobody will be able to tell you. She closes by making the request as small as possible — one thing, one week — which is hard to refuse.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
FEMALE同学们，我先问一个问题：你们家过节的时候，有没有一件事是每年都做，可是你说不出为什么的？我们班二十四个人，上个星期我问了大家，二十一个人说有。我家也一样。我妈妈每年都做一样菜，我从来没问过为什么。上个月我问了，她说那是我奶奶最爱吃的，奶奶走了以后就一直做。我妈妈说的时候，我才知道我们家这二十年是怎么过来的。有人说，问这些做什么，反正每年都这样。可是老人不会一直在。你今天不问，以后就没有人能告诉你了。这个星期请你们回家问一件事，一件就好，下个星期我们说给大家听。
Words from this text说不出为什么shuō bù chū wèi shén mecan't say why从来没问过cóng lái méi wèn guohave never asked反正fǎn zhèngin any case / anyway一件就好yí jiàn jiù hǎojust one would do