bahan mentah = 原料

Kilang arang ayah penulis menggunakan kayu bakau sebagai bahan mentah. Ayah membawa batang bakau dari hutan paya dengan bot, kemudian pekerja mengangkatnya ke darat. Pilih jawapan berdasarkan fakta dalam diari, bukan berdasarkan jenis kayu yang biasa kamu lihat di rumah.

Contoh: hóng shù tóng ialah batang pokok bakau yang dibakar menjadi arang.

Awas: Kayu getah dan tempurung kelapa tidak disebut dalam teks.

mangrove log = 红树桐

The charcoal factory run by the writer’s father uses mangrove wood as its raw material. The father brings the logs by boat from the swamp forest, and workers carry them ashore. Choose your answer from the facts in the diary, not from the kinds of wood you know at home.

Example: hóng shù tóng are mangrove logs that are baked into charcoal.

Watch out: Rubber wood and coconut shells are never mentioned in the text.

urutan proses = 制作顺序

Ikut aliran kerja di kilang arang. Kayu mesti dikupas dahulu sebelum disusun di dalam relau. Selepas api dinyalakan dan dijaga, relau ditutup kira-kira dua puluh hari kemudian. Arang hanya boleh dikeluarkan setelah sejuk, kemudian ditimbang dan dibungkus sebelum dibawa pergi dengan lori.

Contoh: langkah C mengupas kulit kayu, maka ia datang sebaik selepas kayu dibawa ke darat.

Awas: Arang panas tidak boleh dibungkus; tunggu relau sejuk dahulu.

sequence = 顺序

Follow the work flow of the charcoal factory. The logs must be peeled before they are stacked in the kiln. After the fire is lit and watched, the kiln is sealed about twenty days later. The charcoal comes out only when it has cooled, and it is weighed and bagged before the lorry takes it away.

Example: step C peels the bark, so it comes right after the logs are brought ashore.

Watch out: Hot charcoal cannot be packed; the kiln must cool down first.

jawapan ringkas = 简答

Soalan pertama bertanya mengapa relau perlu dijaga siang dan malam. Terangkan bahawa kayu api perlu ditambah setiap satu atau dua jam supaya suhu sesuai, kemudian nyatakan akibat jika suhu terlalu rendah atau terlalu tinggi. Soalan kedua meminta pengajaran daripada teks.

Contoh: Jika api terlalu kecil, kayu tidak menjadi arang; jika terlalu besar, kayu menjadi abu.

Awas: Untuk soalan kedua, tulislah pengajaran dengan perkataan sendiri.

lesson learned = 启示

The first question asks why the kiln must be watched day and night. Explain that firewood has to be added every one or two hours to keep the heat just right, then state what happens if the heat is too low or too high. The second question asks what the text teaches you.

Example: If the fire is too weak the logs never become charcoal; if it is too strong they turn to ash.

Watch out: For the second question, write the lesson in your own words.

gabungan aksara = 构词

Setiap soalan memberi satu aksara baharu pelajaran ini. Pilih aksara yang boleh digabungkan dengannya untuk membentuk perkataan yang betul. Baca kedua-dua aksara bersama-sama dengan kuat dan tanya diri sendiri sama ada perkataan itu pernah kamu dengar atau baca.

Contoh: chuán jiǎng bermaksud dayung perahu, maka aksara jiǎng beradikal kayu.

Awas: Aksara jiǎng yang beradikal besar bermaksud hadiah, bukan dayung.

compound word = 合成词

Each question gives one new character from this lesson. Choose the character that joins with it to make a real word. Read the two characters aloud together and ask yourself whether you have heard or read that word before.

Example: chuán jiǎng means a boat oar, so jiǎng here takes the wood radical.

Watch out: The jiǎng with the big radical means a prize, not an oar.

makna perkataan = 词语意思

Padankan setiap perkataan dengan maksudnya. Pecahkan perkataan kepada bahagian kecil untuk membantu: zé dalam perkataan paya bermaksud kawasan air bertakung, jìn qì bermaksud semua usaha hilang, dan gào chéng bermaksud siap. Ungkapan tentang labu bermaksud meniru orang lain bulat-bulat.

Contoh: qián gōng jìn qì bermaksud semua usaha sebelum ini menjadi sia-sia.

Awas: Dà gōng gào chéng dan qián gōng jìn qì mempunyai maksud yang bertentangan.

word meaning = 词义

Match each word with its meaning. Breaking a word into parts helps: one part of the swamp word means standing water, jìn qì means all effort is lost, and gào chéng means completed. The phrase about drawing a gourd means copying someone exactly.

Example: qián gōng jìn qì means that all earlier work has gone to waste.

Watch out: Dà gōng gào chéng and qián gōng jìn qì have opposite meanings.

aksara salah = 别字

Setiap ayat mengandungi satu aksara yang salah kerana bentuknya hampir sama dengan aksara yang betul. Fikirkan maksud perkataan: dayung perahu memerlukan radikal kayu, gaji memerlukan radikal rumput, dan berhenti sekolah memerlukan radikal kereta. Tulis aksara salah dahulu, kemudian aksara yang betul.

Contoh: xīn shuǐ bermaksud gaji, jadi aksara xīn mesti beradikal rumput.

Awas: Aksara salah biasanya berbunyi sama atau hampir sama dengan aksara yang betul.

wrongly written character = 别字

Each sentence hides one wrong character that looks like the right one. Think about the meaning: an oar needs the wood radical, salary needs the grass radical, and dropping out of school needs the vehicle radical. Write the wrong character first, then the correct one.

Example: xīn shuǐ means salary, so its first character must carry the grass radical.

Watch out: The wrong character usually sounds the same as, or close to, the right one.

aksara berbilang bunyi = 多音字

Aksara gāng atau káng bergantung pada cara barang diangkat: diangkat dengan dua tangan ke atas kepala dibaca gāng, dipikul di atas bahu dibaca káng. Aksara lēi digunakan apabila tali diikat ketat, manakala lè digunakan apabila kuda ditarik supaya berhenti.

Contoh: memikul cangkul di bahu ialah káng chú tou.

Awas: Lihat perbuatan dalam ayat, bukan hanya aksara itu.

polyphonic character = 多音字

The reading gāng or káng depends on how something is lifted: raised above the head with both hands it is gāng, carried on the shoulder it is káng. Lēi is used when a rope is pulled tight, while lè is used when a horse is reined in to stop.

Example: carrying a hoe on the shoulder is káng chú tou.

Watch out: Decide from the action in the sentence, not from the character alone.

diari renungan = 反思日记

Diari bermula dengan tarikh, hari dan cuaca pada baris pertama. Ceritakan dahulu apa yang berlaku di kantin, kemudian tulis perasaan kawan yang menangis dan perasaan kamu sendiri. Akhiri dengan pengajaran dan perkara yang akan kamu lakukan, misalnya meminta maaf.

Contoh: Saya sedar bahawa gurauan saya telah menyakiti hati kawan saya.

Awas: Jangan tulis catatan dari pagi hingga malam; fokus pada satu peristiwa sahaja.

reflective diary = 反思日记

A diary starts with the date, the day and the weather on the first line. First tell what happened in the canteen, then describe how your crying friend felt and how you felt. End with what you learned and what you will do next, such as apologising.

Example: I realised that my joke had hurt my friend’s feelings.

Watch out: Do not list everything from morning to night; focus on one event only.