1.1 Meet the Interns
Storyline
After assigning the cybersecurity vocabulary task, Ms. Lily Zhao, the internship program director, creates a WeChat group chat for all the interns. She wants them to start engaging with one another before their arrival in Hong Kong.
One by one, the interns start posting their self-introductions.
自我介绍
Exercise A Reading Comprehension
Answer the questions about the students based on what you learned in the text.
Exercise B Reading Comprehension
Read the following groups of sentences carefully and select the one that is factually correct. You will need to pay close attention to details.
Grammar Notes
We saw a range of new structures in the texts above. Here are some explanations that might clarify their usage.
- 姓 (xìng) – to be surnamedUse when you specifically want to focus on the surname, not the full name.
- 我姓王。(Wǒ xìng Wáng.)
- My surname is Wang.
- 您贵姓？ (Nín guì xìng?)
- What is your honorable surname?
- 叫 (jiào) – to be called or to callUse when giving your full name or first name during introductions or when calling someone or something by a name.
- 我叫李华。(Wǒ jiào Lǐ Huá.)
- I am called Li Hua.
- 这只狗叫小黑。(Zhè zhī gǒu jiào Xiǎohēi.)
- This dog is called Little Black.
- 是 (shì) – to beUse to describe what someone is or to state facts, such as professions, nationalities, or relationships. Do not use it with adjectives (e.g., “I am good” in Chinese is 我很好).
- 他是老师。(Tā shì lǎoshī.)
- He is a teacher.
- 我是中国人。(Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.
- I am Chinese.
- 不 (bù) – not / noUse before a verb to form a negative statement. Do not use it for past actions (use 没 méi instead).
- 我不是学生。(Wǒ bù shì xuéshēng.)
- I am not a student.
- 他不喜欢打球。(Tā bù xǐ huān dǎ qiú.)
- He does not like playing ball.
- 也 (yě) – also / tooUse before the verb to indicate similarity. Make sure it comes after the subject but before the verb.
- 他是老师，我也是老师。(Tā shì lǎoshī, wǒ yě shì lǎoshī.)
- He is a teacher; I am also a teacher.
- 她喜欢看书，我也喜欢看书。(Tā xǐhuān kàn shū, wǒ yě xǐhuān kàn shū.)
- She likes reading; I also like reading.
- 和 (hé) – andUse to link two or more nouns in a list. Do not use it to connect verbs or phrases.
- 我和你是朋友。(Wǒ hé nǐ shì péngyǒu.)
- You and I are friends.
- 我喜欢做饭和游泳。(Wǒ xǐ huān zuò fàn hé yóu yǒng.)
- I like cooking and swimming.(In this sentence, 做饭 and 游泳 functions as nouns.)
Quick Summary
| Word | Meaning | When to Use | Example |
| 姓 (xìng) | surname | when introducing or asking for a surname | 我姓李 (Wǒ xìng Lǐ.) |
| 叫 (jiào) | to be called | when introducing a name | 我叫小明 (Wǒ jiào Xiǎomíng.) |
| 是 (shì) | to be | to state identity or fact | 他是老师 (Tā shì lǎoshī.) |
| 不 (bù) | not / no | to negate a verb or statement | 我不是学生 (Wǒ bù shì xuéshēng.) |
| 也 (yě) | also / too | to show similarity in actions/situations | 我也喜欢 (Wǒ yě xǐhuān.) |
| 和 (hé) | and | to connect two nouns | 我和你 (Wǒ hé nǐ.) |
Exercise C: Grammar and Sentence Structure Practice
- Multiple choice. Choose one word to fill in the blank. Click on the blue icon to see the hint.
2. Choose the correct words from the pull-down menus.
Exercise D: Translation
Drag the English sentence to match the Chinese sentences.
zì wǒ jiè shào, self-introduction
Hello. Nǐ hǎo
wǒ , I, me
xìng ， family name
zhōu， week
jiào， to be called; to shout
Zhōu Méng， Chinese name of Melissa
shì, is/ am/ are
dà yī ， first-year university student
xuéshēng， student
zhuānyè ，major of academic degrees
yàzhōu， Asia
yánjiū, to study, Studies
jiāzhōu, California
rén， person
xǐhuān， to like
wán ， to play
diànnǎo， computer
yóuxì， game
Female. Italian American. Freshman from Los Angela California; Asian Studies major, extroverted; likes computer games; Desired work related to Asian Studies.
Wáng， King， a family name
Wáng Jiédān, Jaden Wang
dàsān de xuéshēng， junior
zhōngwén， Chinese language
niǔyuē, New York
dǎ lánqiú， playing backetball
yě， also
chànggē， to sing a song
Male, African American, junior student from New York. Chinese major. Enjoys playing basketball and singing. Hopes to work in China in the future.
lǐ, a family name, plum
Lǐ Méi, Mei Li
sophomore
ruǎnjiàn gōngchéng， software engineering
dānfó, Denver
shèjiāo méitǐ， social media
zuò fàn，cooking
Female, sophomore, from Denver, majoring in Software Engineering, third-generation Chinese immigrant, has some knowledge of Chinese culture, enjoys social media. Hope to work as a software engineer in the future.
zhāng， a family name, a measure word for thin and flat objects
Zhāng Dí, Diego Zhang
network security
Xiūsīdùn， Huston
travel
Male, Mexican American. Junior student, from Houston. Cybersecurity major, enjoys cooking and traveling. Hope to work in cybersecurity in the future.