watak utama = zhu jiao (主角)

Soalan ini menguji siapa yang memulakan rancangan melarikan diri. Ingat semula perenggan awal cerita: kasut kiri milik ayah mengadu bahawa ia letih mengikut tuannya ke mana-mana, lalu mengajak pasangannya keluar pada waktu malam. Kasut lain hanya ikut serta kemudian.

Contoh: Kasut kiri ayah berkata ia mahu berjalan mengikut kehendaknya sendiri.

Awas: Kasut kanan cuma bersetuju untuk ikut; ia bukan yang mencadangkan.

main character = zhu jiao (主角)

This question checks who first suggested running away. Think back to the opening of the story: the left shoe belonging to the father complains that it is tired of following its owner everywhere, so it decides to slip out at night. The other shoes only join in later.

Example: The father’s left shoe says it wants to walk its own road from now on.

Watch out: The right shoe only agrees to go along; it did not start the plan.

rondaan = xun luo dui (巡逻队)

Isikan dua tempat kosong dengan perkataan daripada cerita. Tempat pertama: semua kasut berkumpul di jalan seperti satu pasukan yang meronda kawasan kejiranan pada waktu malam. Tempat kedua: kasut kiri dan kanan yang sudah berjumpa diikat bersama menggunakan benda panjang dan nipis yang memang ada pada kasut.

Contoh: Kasut sukan saya ada dua utas tali yang berwarna putih.

Awas: Jawapan pertama ialah perkataan tiga suku kata; tulis dengan lengkap.

patrol team = xun luo dui (巡逻队)

Fill both gaps with words from the story. In the first gap, all the shoes gather in the street and look like a large team that walks around guarding the neighbourhood at night. In the second gap, pairs of shoes tie themselves together with the long thin strings that every lace-up shoe has.

Example: My trainers have two white laces that I tie every morning.

Watch out: The first answer has three characters, so write the whole word.

huru-hara = hun luan (混乱)

Bahagian ini tentang keadaan kelam-kabut selepas matahari terbit. Kasut-kasut panik kerana mahu pulang sebelum manusia bangun. Ada yang tersadung tali sendiri, ada tali yang berbelit, banyak yang memanjat masuk tingkap pertama yang dilihat, dan kasut kiri ayah pula tersangkut di atas pokok selama tiga hari.

Contoh: Kasut bola tersadung kerana talinya terpijak.

Awas: Pasangkan setiap kasut dengan satu peristiwa sahaja.

chaos = hun luan (混乱)

These pairs come from the panic after sunrise, when the shoes rush to get home before people wake up. Some trip over their own laces, some laces get tangled, many climb through the first window they see, and the father’s naughty left shoe ends up stuck in a tree for three days.

Example: A sports shoe trips because it steps on its own lace.

Watch out: Each shoe matches exactly one event, so use every answer once.

perasaan = gan shou (感受)

Bayangkan pagi itu: penduduk bangun dan mendapati kasut mereka tidak muat, kadang-kadang kedua-duanya kasut kiri. Mereka menggaru kepala dan bertanya sesama sendiri di mana kasut mereka. Perasaan yang paling sesuai ialah keliru dan hairan kerana mereka langsung tidak tahu apa yang berlaku semalam.

Contoh: Dia menggaru kepala kerana tidak faham mengapa kasutnya hilang.

Awas: Bangga dan bersyukur tidak sesuai kerana tiada perkara baik berlaku.

feeling = gan shou (感受)

Picture that morning: everyone wakes up to find shoes that do not fit, sometimes two left shoes. People scratch their heads and ask one another where their own shoes are. The fitting feeling is confusion, because nobody has any idea what happened during the night.

Example: He scratched his head because he could not understand where his shoes had gone.

Watch out: Proud or grateful cannot fit, since nothing good happened to them.

tanggungjawab = ze ren (责任)

Ini soalan pendapat, jadi tiada satu jawapan tetap. Nyatakan pilihan anda dengan jelas, kemudian beri sekurang-kurangnya satu sebab. Fikirkan tugas sebenar kasut, iaitu melindungi kaki tuannya, dan masalah yang timbul apabila semua kasut keluar bermain sepanjang malam.

Contoh: Saya tidak akan lari kerana tuan saya perlu ke tempat kerja esok.

Awas: Jangan menulis satu perkataan sahaja; sertakan alasan.

responsibility = ze ren (责任)

This asks for your own opinion, so there is no single fixed answer. State your choice clearly first, then support it with at least one reason. Think about the real job of a shoe, which is to protect its owner’s feet, and the trouble caused when every shoe went out to play all night.

Example: I would not run away, because my owner needs me to walk to work tomorrow.

Watch out: A bare yes or no without a reason will not earn full marks.

aksara serupa = jin si zi (近似字)

Tiga pasangan pertama: aksara untuk rondaan menggunakan radikal berjalan, manakala senarai panjang menggunakan aksara tanpa radikal itu. Untuk mak cik, pilih aksara yang mempunyai radikal perempuan; untuk menyoal siasat, pilih aksara dengan bumbung di atas. Untuk bebas berseronok, pilih aksara berradikal sutera; untuk mengikut, pilih aksara dua orang.

Contoh: xun luo (rondaan) dan luo lie (menyenaraikan) bunyinya hampir sama tetapi aksaranya berbeza.

Awas: Baca seluruh perkataan dahulu, barulah pilih.

look-alike characters = jin si zi (近似字)

The first three pairs: the word for patrol takes the walking radical, while the word for listing items uses the plain form. An aunt takes the female radical; questioning takes the roof on top. Doing as you please takes the silk radical; following someone uses the character made of two people.

Example: xun luo (patrol) and luo lie (to list) sound alike but are written differently.

Watch out: Read the whole word before you choose.

radikal = bu shou (部首)

Tiga pasangan terakhir: perkataan mengikat atau mengekang menggunakan radikal sutera, manakala guru mahir menggunakan radikal orang. Mengikat sesuatu dengan tangan memerlukan radikal tangan, tetapi pili bomba diperbuat daripada kayu atau logam, jadi gunakan radikal kayu. Bertenaga menggunakan radikal air; paru-paru ialah organ badan, jadi radikal daging.

Contoh: fei bu bermaksud paru-paru, satu organ di dalam dada.

Awas: Aksara bertenaga dan paru-paru berbunyi lain walaupun rupanya serupa.

radical = bu shou (部首)

The last three pairs: binding or restraining uses the silk radical, while a master craftsman uses the person radical. Tying with your hand needs the hand radical, but a fire hydrant is a fixed post, so it takes the wood radical. Full of energy uses the water radical; the lungs are a body organ, so they take the flesh radical.

Example: fei bu means the lungs, an organ inside the chest.

Watch out: The characters for energetic and lungs look alike but sound different.

isi tempat kosong = tian kong (填空)

Setiap aksara dalam kotak digunakan sekali sahaja. Fikirkan perkataan dua aksara yang lengkap: berkumpul rapat, berbelit, mak cik, tersadung, terikat dan almari. Baca ayat sebelum dan selepas tempat kosong untuk meneka perkataan itu, kemudian pilih aksara yang melengkapkannya.

Contoh: Wayar di lantai menyebabkan adik tersadung dan jatuh.

Awas: Selepas semua diisi, baca semula setiap ayat sekali lagi.

fill in the blank = tian kong (填空)

Each character in the box is used once. Think of the complete two-character words: gather close, tangle, aunt, trip over, bind and cupboard. Read the words before and after each gap to guess the whole word, then choose the character that completes it.

Example: A wire on the floor made my little brother trip and fall.

Watch out: When every gap is filled, read each sentence once more.

penjodoh bilangan = liang ci (量词)

Tiga penjodoh bilangan ini mempunyai kegunaan tetap. Satu digunakan untuk benda panjang berbentuk batang seperti berus tulis, juga untuk lagu dan pasukan. Satu lagi untuk benda nipis dan rata seperti daun, serta bunyi atau kawasan luas. Yang ketiga khas untuk pintu dan tingkap.

Contoh: yi shan men (sebuah pintu), yi zhi qian bi (sebatang pensel).

Awas: Bunyi gelak ketawa ramai orang menggunakan penjodoh untuk benda luas.

measure word = liang ci (量词)

These three measure words each have a fixed use. One is for long stick-shaped things such as a writing brush, and also for songs and teams. Another is for thin flat things such as leaves, and for wide areas or sounds. The third is only for doors and windows.

Example: yi shan men (a door), yi zhi qian bi (a pencil).

Watch out: Laughter from a crowd is treated like a wide area, not like a stick.

nada ringan = qing sheng (轻声)

Nada ringan dibaca pendek dan lembut tanpa nada asal. Akhiran seperti zi dan men, serta suku kata kedua dalam panggilan keluarga yang berulang, biasanya dibaca ringan. Perkataan seperti tali kasut dan jalan raya pula mengekalkan nada penuh pada kedua-dua suku kata.

Contoh: yi zi (kerusi): suku kata zi dibaca ringan.

Awas: Jangan keliru antara nada ringan dengan nada pertama.

neutral tone = qing sheng (轻声)

A neutral tone is read short and soft, losing its original tone. Endings such as zi and men, and the second syllable of repeated family words, are usually neutral. Words like shoelace and street keep a full tone on both syllables.

Example: yi zi (chair): the zi is read softly.

Watch out: Do not confuse a neutral tone with the first tone.

suku kata kedua = di er ge zi (第二个字)

Empat perkataan terakhir: pakaian ialah perkataan biasa yang suku kata keduanya mesti dibaca ringan walaupun tiada peraturan khas, jadi ia perlu dihafal. Ambang tingkap, berkumpul rapat dan bertenaga pula dibaca dengan nada penuh. Sebut setiap perkataan dengan kuat sebelum memilih jawapan.

Contoh: yi fu (pakaian): fu dibaca pendek dan ringan.

Awas: Sesetengah perkataan nada ringan tiada peraturan, jadi perlu dihafal.

second syllable = di er ge zi (第二个字)

The last four words: clothes is an everyday word whose second syllable must be read in a neutral tone even though no rule explains it, so you simply memorise it. Window ledge, gather close and energetic all keep full tones. Say each word aloud before you choose.

Example: yi fu (clothes): the fu is short and light.

Watch out: Some neutral-tone words follow no rule, so learn them one by one.