Professor James Armstrong (B) (Amùsītèlǎng Jiàoshou), the leader of an
American tour group visiting China, is talking in his room at the
Bēijīng Hotel with Chen Guiqiáng (a) of the China Travel Service
(Zhǒngguó L&xíngshè). Later they are Joined by Beth Troiano (C) (Bèisī
Tèluóānnuò). an American linguist.

A:     Āmúsītèlǎng Jiàoshou, nín háo, Hello, Professor Armstrong. How

xiūxide zēnmeyàng? Hái lèi bu lei?

B:     Hái hlo, bú tài lèi le, shuìle

yíge zhSngtóu, hǎoduǒ le. Nī zuá, nī zud. Bú yào kèqi. Duì le, w3 hái
wangle wen nī, Chen Xiǎnsheng, wB zēnme chēnghu nī hǎo ne?

-   A: Nín Jiù Jiào w3 Chin GuÚqiáng

hǎo le. Zài zBuláng gōngzuède Lio Wáng zhīdao wB. Nín y3u shi, Jiù Jiào
tā zhǎo Xilo Chin, tǎ Jiù zhīdao le.

-   B: Haha, Lǎo Wáng, Xiǎo Chin, yBu

yìsi. Duì le, nī lái, y3u shénme shi ma?

-   A: Shi zhèiyangrde. W3 lái zhǎo nī,

shi xiǎng zài hi nī tán yixia nī-mende iSxíng Jìhuà.

-   B: WSmen zài Niú Yuēde shíhou,

zhèige Jìhuà yījīng chàbuduB ǎnpái-hǎo le, shi Luxíngshè ǎnpáide.

-   A: Zuijìn l&dngde rin xiǎngdǎng

duo, wSmen zui hǎo zài tányi-tán.

-   B: Dāngrán, dingrin. Búguò, nī

zhīdao Bèisī ba?

-   A: Bèisī? WS xiǎngyixiǎng. À,

Bèisī. Tèluóānnuò Xiǎojiē?

-   B: Yìdiǎnr bú cuò, zhèng shi tǎ!

Tǎ bījiǎo liǎoji? wSmen zhèi èrshi-ge rin zuì xīwang cǎnguǎnde dìfang
shi shinme. WSmen qīng tǎ lái tintan, hǎo bu hǎo?

was your rest? Are you still tired?

Pretty good. I’m not too tired anymore. I slept for an hour and I feel a
lot better. Sit down, sit down. Make yourself at home. Oh, yes, I keep
forgetting to ask you, Mr. Chen, what shall I call you?

Just call me Chin Guóqiáng. Lio Wáng who works in the corridor knows me.
If you have any problems, Just tell him to get Xilo Chin. He'll know
who.

Haha, Lio Wáng, Xilo Chin, that's interesting. Well: Is there some
particular reason you came?

It's like this. I've come to see you to discuss your travel plans some
more with you.

When we were in Nev York, the plans were already almost all arranged. It
was the (China) Travel Service that arranged them.

There have been quite a few tourists lately. It would be best to discuss
Cthis3 some more.

Of course, of course. But, you know Beth, don't you?

Beth? Let me think. Ah, Beth. Miss Troiano?

Absolutely right, that's her! She understands more about what places our
group of twenty people most want to visit. Let's ask her to come and
discuss this, okay?

-   A: HXoJíle. Yào bu yao w8 qù           Sure. Do you want me to go
    and

qlng ta?                              ask her?

-   B: Bú bì. W8 dX ge diànhuà.            You don’t have to do that;
    I’ll

make a phone call.

(Professor Armstrong telephones Bet continue to talk while waiting for
her.)

-   A: Jiàoshou, nī Juéde Béijīng

Fàndiàn zénmeyàng? Hái kéyi zhù ba?

-   B: Bú cuò, bú cuò. Jiù shi shí-

Jiān chángle, huì Juéde kǒngqì bù hSo.

A:     Haha...

Troiano, then Chen and Armstrong

Professor, how do you like the Béijīng Hotel? Is it livable?

It's nice, very nice. It's just that after a while one feels that the
air isn't good.

Haha...

(There is a knock at the door, then Miss Troiano enters.)

-   C: W8 lái le. Zhèiwèi shi...?

Here I am. This is...?

A:     Chen Guóqiéng. Zhǒnggué LÌlxíng.-

shède.

C:     NX hXo. W3 shì Bèisī TèluSānnuò.

A:     Huānyíng nín líi Zhōnggué cān-

guǎn fàngwèn. Tīngshuǒ nín shi gio yflyánxuéde?

C:      Shì.

A:     Suóyi nínde ZhSngwén name hXo!

C:     A'. Xiànzài hXn du5 rén duì

ZhSngwén y8u xìngqu, Zhōngwén hXode rén yuè líi yuè duo le.

-   A: Shìde, shìde. HXo, xiànzài w8-

men líi tíntan líxíng jìhuàde shì. Zhèige Jìhuà zuì hlo Jíntiān,
míngtiln liàngtiàn quínbù ǎnpíi-hXo.

-   B: HXode, hXode.

-   C: W8men zhèicì líide èrshige rén,

dàbùfèn shi xuézhé, Jiàoshòu. Zài Nitt Yuè, w&nen yījíng hé Zhǒngguó
fSngmiàn liínxìguò le, wSmen duì Zhíngguóde gSngnóngyè qíngkuàng, jiàoyù
qíngkuàng dou hén y5u

Chen Guéqiíng, of the China Travel Service.

How are you? I'm Beth Troiano.

Welcome to China. I've heard that you work in linguistics?

Yes.

That's why your Chinese is so good!

Oh, a lot of people are interested in Chinese now. And there are more
and more people with good Chinese.

Yes, yes. All right, let's talk about your travel plans. It would be
best to arrange the whole thing in the next day or two.

Fine, fine.

The majority of our group of 25 who came this time are scholars and
professors. In New York, we have already been in contact with the
Chinese. We are very much interested in the Chinese industrial

xìngqu.

A:     Nìmen zhèicì zhǔyào shi zài

Shànghāi, Bèijìng zhèixiē dìfangr cānguān, fāngwèn, shi bu shi?

C:     Duì le. Hii yōu, wǒmen yǒu

hén duo rén, duì Zhǒngguóde Dǒng-bāi dìqù féicháng yǒu xìngqu, tèbié shi
Dàqìng zhèige shíyóu chéng. Bù zhīdào wǒmen shi bu shi kéyi qù
cānguān....?

-   A: Qù Dàqìng dàgài méiyou shenme

wèntí.

-   B: Wǒmen hái yào qù nèixiē yǒu

míngde dìfang, xiàng Sǔzhǒu, Hángzhǒu, Huángshān, Guilin, shen-mede.
Zhèixiē dìfang hé Zhōng-guóde lìshī, wénhuà, yǒu hen dàde guānxi. Dào
Zhōngguó lái, zhèixiē dìfang bù néng bú qù.

-   A: Dāngrán, dāngrán. Zhèixiē

dǒu yìjīng chàbuduō ānpálhāo le.

-   B: Nà hāo.

0:     Wǒ kéyi bu kéyi dào Zhǒngguóde

Xībēi qù yíxià?

A:     O'.  Qù Xlb?i...zhèi yǒu yìdiān

wèntí.

-   C: Zēnme ne? Shi bu shi yīnwei

shíjiān bú gǒu a?

-   A: Duì, shíjiān bú gǒu. Wǒ xiāng,

nímen zài Zhōngguó Jiù yǒu sìge xīngqí, Huábāi, Dōngbēi, Huánán, Xīnán,
bā shíjiān chàbuduō quán zhànwán le. Xiàcì lái Zhōngguó zài qù Xlbāi ba.
Nín kàn hāo bù hāo?

C:     Duìbùqī, wǒ gāode shi yǔyínxué!

Nèimēng, Xinjiang yídài wǒ zhěn xiāng qù.

-   B: Tā yánjiǔde zhǔyào Jiù shi

Zhǒngguóde shāoshù mínzú yǔyán.

and agricultural situation and the educational situation.

This time you are mainly visiting and touring in Bèijīng and Shànghāi,
these placqs, ins't that so?

That’s right. But also, we have many people who are especially
interested in China’s Northeast region, in particular the oil city,
Dàqìng. I don’t know whether we can visit it....?

There won’t be any problem with going to Dàqìng.

We also want to go to those famous places, like Sǔzhǒu, Hángzhǒu,
Huángshān, Guilin, etc. Those places are closely related to China's
history and culture. One musn’t miss them on a trip to China.

Of course, of course. Those have almost all been arranged.

That's fine.

Could I go to China's Northwest?

Oh! To the Northwest. That's a bit of a problem.

What's that? Is it because there isn't enough time?

Right, there isn't enough time. I think that since you only have four
weeks in China, your time will be almost entirely taken by North China,
Manchuria, South China and the southwest. Why not visit the Northwest on
your next trip to China. What do you say?

I'm sorry, but my work is linguistics'. I really want to go to Inner
Mongolia and Xīnjiāng.

Her research is mainly on the minority nationality languages.

A:     Hài! Zhen duìbuqī, wǒ hài yīwéi

nín gàode shi pǔtǒnghuà ne!

-   C: Méi guànxi, méi guǎnxi. Bú-

guò yǒu Jīhui vS híishi xiāng qù Xīběi kànkan.

A:     Duì le, Yúnnán, Guizhou, Guàng-

xī yídài yé y3u hěn duo shàoshù mínzú. Nín qù Guìlínde shíhou Jiù kéyi
zuò diānr yánjiū le!

C:     Òu! Nànfāng gēn bēifāngde yùyén

bù yíyàng. Yàoshi y3u bànfà hái-shi bang wS ānpai yixiar ba.

-   A: Tsk...Zhè shir y3u yìdiànr

máfan, ding w3 hi līngdào yínjiǔ yíxià zài shuō ba.

-   B: 0, nī zài xiàngxiàng, rúgu3

kéyi ānpíi, nà duì Bèisī shi hēn dàde bǎngzhù.

-   C: Duì le. Nín shìshi kàn.

-   A: Ng...Zhèiyàng hào bu hào?

Nīmen fàngwènle Bēijīng hé Dàqìng yīhòu, Amúsītèling Jiàoshou nīmen
shíjiúge rén háishi qù Shànghài, Sūzhǒu, Hángzhǒu, Guilin. Tèluóānnuò
Xiàojiē gēn lìngwài yíge lùxíngtuin qù Xībēi. Líkài Xībēi yīhòu, yí Jiù
shi bànge yuè yīhòu, nín zài Jīngguò Shànghài dào Guàngzhǒu.

-   B: Ng, nà wSmen hài shi yìqī cǒng

Shēnzhèn líjìng.

A:     Duì, nīmen kàn zēnmeyàng. Yēxú

zhè shi yíge bànfa. Búguò, xíng bu xíng, h£i díi w&nen yínjiūle yīhòu
cái zhīdao.

-   C: Zài wǒmende iSxíngtuánli, wǒ

hài y3u Jīge péngyou. W3 yē dēi

Oh! Pardon me! I thought your your work was in the standard language!

That’s all right, that’s all right. Nonetheless if there's a chance, I
would still like to go visit the Northwest.

Oh yes—the areas of Yúnnán, Guizhou, and Guingxī also have many minority
nationalities—you can do some research when you go to Guilin!

Oh! The languages of the north and south are-not the same. If it's
possible, I'd still rather you arranged it for me.

tan...This is a bit troublesome. Let me discuss it with the leader, and
then we’ll see about it.

Oh, you give it some more thought. If it can be arranged, that would be
a great help to Beth.

Right. See if you can.

Hmmm...How about this: After you've visited Bēijīng and Dàqìng,
Professor Armstrong and the other 19 people still go on to Shànghiì,
Sūzhǒu, Hángzhǒu and Guilin, but Miss Troiano goes to the Northwest with
another tour group. After leaving the Northwest, that is, after half a
month, then you go to Guàngzhǒu by way of Shàngh&i.

Hum, then we still leave the country together from Shenzhen.

Right. See what you think. Perhaps that might work. However, we won't
know if it's possible until we've looked into it.

I have several other friends in our tour group. I must talk it

hé tlmen tintin, xiingxiing zínmeyàngr hlo.

-   A: W3men d3u yínjiūyanjiu z&i

zuò ānpii. Btigud, w8men déi kuài diSnr.

-   B: HXode. W3men wànf&n yíhòu z&i

tin yícì. Nl xiing zénmeyàng, Bèisī? Liidejí ba?

-   C: W3 xiing kéyi. Name, jiù máfan

nín le.

A:     Méiyou shenme. W8 xīvàng néng

ānpiide héshī. Hui tóu jiàn.

C:     Xièxie nín. Hui tóu ji&n!

over with them too, and see vh&t is best.

Let’s both look into it before making arrangements. But ve should be
quick about it.

Fine. Let's talk it over again after dinner. What do you think, Beth?
Does that give you enough time?

I think so. Well then, ve'll trouble you (to take care of this).

It's nothing. I hope it can be arranged suitably. See you later.

Thank you. See you later!