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 does Xiao Zao now get up at six?2
How to answer. Two marks means two reasons. The first is about the house, the second answers his question about doing it at night instead. Keep listening after her first line.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the text
For that hour nobody in the house is talking, and she gets more done: at night she wants to sleep as soon as she sits down, so one hour in the morning is worth more than three at night.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
MALE小早，你现在六点就起来，不困吗？
FEMALE困。可是那一个小时家里没有人说话。
MALE晚上不是也一样吗？
FEMALE晚上我坐下来就想睡。早上做一个小时，比晚上做三个小时还多。
Words from this text困kùnsleepy没有人说话méi yǒu rén shuō huànobody is talking坐下来就想睡zuò xià lái jiù xiǎng shuìwant to sleep the moment I sit down比…还多bǐ…hái duōeven more than …
Note and table completion2 marks · phone message
Complete the table below in ENGLISH.2
How to answer. One mark per row. The first row is about the person, the second about the food. For the first row, include the warning that comes with it. Answer in English.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfwhy it matters
What he is like — very quiet; he answers when spoken to but does not say much, and this should not be taken as him being unhappy. One thing to be careful about — he does not eat spicy food, so the mother should keep that in mind when cooking.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
FEMALE小和你好。明天来的那位同学，我先跟你说说。他很安静，你问一句他答一句，你别以为他不高兴。还有，他不吃辣的，你妈妈做菜的时候要注意。
Words from this text安静ān jìngquiet你问一句他答一句nǐ wèn yí jù tā dá yí jùhe answers when spoken to别以为bié yǐ wéidon't assume不吃辣的bù chī là dedoesn't eat spicy food
Multiple choice1 mark · dialogue
What does the female speaker say about Xiao Li?1
- ☐ A. He has changed recently.
- ☐ B. He is not unfriendly, he just finds talking difficult.
- ☐ C. He only helps people he likes.
- ☐ D. He prefers working alone.
How to answer. Tick one box. The male speaker's assumption is stated and then corrected — the answer is in how she corrects it, not in what he assumed.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
Transcript — open only after you have answered
MALE小力昨天怎么忽然帮我们搬那么多东西？他平常都不说话。
FEMALE他一直都这样。
MALE是吗？我以为他不喜欢我们。
FEMALE他不是不喜欢，他是不知道说什么。做事的时候他就不用说话了。
Words from this text忽然hū ránsuddenly平常píng chángusually我以为wǒ yǐ wéiI assumed不知道说什么bù zhī dao shuō shén medoesn't know what to say
Summarise the main points3 marks · announcement
Summarise what students are told to do.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. He marks them with 第一 … 第二 … 第三.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the text
Wear school uniform, not sports clothes; students with long hair should bring a clip so their eyes can be seen; and be at the hall entrance by 8:20, because anyone late will miss the photograph.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
MALE同学们，下星期二照相，有三件事。第一，那天要穿校服，不能穿运动衣。第二，头发长的同学请自己带一个夹子，照相的时候要看得见眼睛。第三，早上八点二十分在礼堂门口，晚了就照不上了。
Words from this text照相zhào xiànghave a photograph taken校服xiào fúschool uniform夹子jiā zia clip照不上zhào bú shàngmiss out on being photographed
Opinion and feelings3 marks · dialogue
How does Xiao Nian feel about the comparison? 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 have changed over time and they are still mixed — an answer that says only 'she doesn't like it' cannot reach full marks.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the textwhy it matters
She used to dislike being told this, and part of her still does. But she has softened: she caught sight of herself tidying the table in exactly her mother's way and laughed at it herself. Her feelings stay mixed — she does not want to be the same in everything, yet even the parts of herself that resist it seem to have been learnt from her.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
MALE小年，昨天你阿姨说你跟你妈妈很像，你好像不高兴。
FEMALE以前听了我会不高兴。
MALE现在呢？
FEMALE现在还是有一点。可是那天我看见我自己收拾桌子的样子，跟我妈妈很像，我自己都笑了。
MALE那你是高兴还是不高兴？
FEMALE我不想什么都跟她一样。可是我不想的那些，好像也是跟她学的。
Words from this text很像hěn xiàngvery alike以前yǐ qiánin the past收拾shōu shito tidy up跟她学的gēn tā xué delearnt from her
Compare two speakers4 marks · dialogue
Compare and contrast the two speakers' views on first impressions.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; both use the same example differently, which is the key to this one.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the textwhy it matters
Both accept that a first meeting shows you something real — he says people have not yet decided what to present. They differ on how much to trust it. He argues first impressions are roughly right and that nervousness is itself part of the person. She argues they can be completely wrong, using their classmate Xiao Li, whom she thought disliked them for a whole year before realising she had misread him. He turns her example back on her — if it takes a year per person, how many can you know? — and she answers that being wrong for a year beats being wrong for a lifetime.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
FEMALE小成，你说第一次见面就能看出一个人怎么样吗？
MALE差不多吧。前面几分钟，人还没想好要给你看什么。
FEMALE可是有的人第一次见面很紧张啊。
MALE紧张也是他的一部分。
FEMALE我们班的小力，我第一年觉得他不喜欢我们，第二年才知道我全看错了。
MALE那你花了一年。要是每个人都要一年，你能认识几个人？
FEMALE可是看错了一年，比看错一辈子好。
Words from this text看出kàn chūto tell / work out紧张jǐn zhāngnervous全看错了quán kàn cuò lehad it completely wrong一辈子yí bèi zia lifetime
Predict and justify5 marks · dialogue
Is Xiao Shui likely to go every morning? 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: the friend's doubt is well founded, so weigh it against what she says is different this time, and pay attention to her very last sentence.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the textwhy it mattersties it together
Yes, most likely — though the doubt is reasonable. Her plan is demanding: up at 5:30 when she currently goes to bed at eleven, and she said last month she would sleep earlier and did not. What makes this different is the reason she gives in her last line: last time nobody would know if she failed, but this time her grandfather eats breakfast alone. She has moved the commitment from something she owes herself to something another person feels, which is much harder to drop.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
MALE小水，你说爷爷早上一个人不行，那怎么办呢？
FEMALE我想早上先去他那儿，再来上学。
MALE那你要几点起来？
FEMALE五点半。
MALE你晚上十一点才睡，五点半起来，你受得了吗？
FEMALE我可以早一点睡。
MALE你上个月说要早睡，后来呢？
FEMALE……那次是我自己的事。这次不一样。
MALE怎么不一样？
FEMALE那次不去也没有人知道。这次我不去，他一个人吃早饭。
Words from this text一个人不行yí gè rén bù xíngcan't manage on his own受得了吗shòu de liǎo macan you cope with that?早一点睡zǎo yì diǎn shuìgo to bed earlier没有人知道méi yǒu rén zhī daonobody would know
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 short sentence she opens with, the repeated pattern that follows it, what happened when she tried it, and how carefully she limits what she is asking for.
Model answer — open after you have written yours
the answer itselfevidence from the textwhy it mattersties it together
She opens with a very short sentence, 不去，可以, framed as something it took two years to dare to say, which makes a three-word claim sound hard-won rather than glib. She builds the problem with repetition — asked to help, 我说好; asked to stay, 我说好; her own work unfinished, 我还是说好 — so the audience hears the habit accumulating rather than being told about it. Her evidence is her own failure: she agreed to three people and did none of them properly, and the lesson is one line — saying yes too easily amounts to the same thing as not doing it. She raises the objection her listeners hold, that refusing upsets people, and answers it with the smallest counter-example: she said she could not do it that week and the reply was simply 那下个星期吧. She closes by narrowing the request until it is hard to refuse — not never help, but say no once this term and see what happens.
Transcript — open only after you have answered
FEMALE同学们，我想说一句我用了两年才敢说的话：不去，可以。我以前每一次都说好。别人叫我帮忙，我说好;叫我留下来，我说好;我自己的事没做完，我还是说好。我以为这样大家会喜欢我。去年有一次，我答应了三个人，最后哪一个都没做好。那个星期我才知道，说好说得太容易，跟不做是一样的。有人会说，你不去，别人会不高兴。可是我后来试过一次，我说这个星期我不行。那个同学说，那下个星期吧。就这样，一句话。所以我今天不是叫你们别帮人。我是想说，你这个学期可以说一次不行，看看会怎么样。
Words from this text说好shuō hǎosay yes答应dā yìngto agree / promise我不行wǒ bù xíngI can't (this time)看看会怎么样kàn kàn huì zěn me yàngsee what happens