Chinese L7: Example 3
Example 3: An article about migration
Glossary
移民 — yímín — migration, migrant, to migrate
压力 — yālì — pressure, stress
辛苦 — xīnkǔ — hard /difficult
维持家计 — wéichíjiājì — to maintain the family income
留 — liú — to stay
方法 — fāngfǎ — method, way
困难 — kùnnán — difficult
政府 — zhèngfǔ — government
一九九一年四月 ，李太太带了她的孩子从香港移民来新西兰。因为她希望她的孩子能学好英文。现在 ，越来越多人会说英文。如果孩子不会说英文 ，那么他就不能找到好的工作。第二，她觉得在香港 ，工作压力太大了。不但她每天辛苦工作 ，而且没有时间和孩子在一起。为了维持家计 ，李先生留在香港工作挣钱 ，李太太一个人带着孩子来新西兰。
刚开始上学的时候 ，李太太的儿子觉得压力很大。因为在香港 ，他学习得非常好。每次考试都考得很好。可是在新西兰 ，他不但要学英文 ，而且一定要学新的学习方法。那个时候 ，他每天学习到早上两点 ，而且常常生病。
李太太认为 ，中国移民有很多困难 ，新西兰政府一定要好好想想应该怎么帮助新移民。
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Context and text type
A human interest story in a local Chinese newspaper about a Hong Kong family’s experience of migrating to New Zealand in the 1990s.
Text type
Newspaper article. Receptive.
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Observations a student might make concerning:
Information, ideas and opinions communicated in the text
The writer uses temporal expressions 一九九一年四月, 现在, 刚开始上学的时候, 那个时候 to switch between time frames and to sequence events from the past.
The writer uses 希望 to express wishes and aspiration:
The writer uses 为了… to express the reason for a course of action:
The text illustrates the use of connectives with auxiliary verbs to suggest the will and determination to pursue a course of action:
The connective 不但 followed by 而且 is used to elaborate on information:
The writer uses a conditional clause to suggest consequences:
How the writer explores the views of others
The writer provides information that reveals perspectives and attitudes:
How the writer develops and shares personal perspectives
The writer gives clear direction on a course of action:
How the writer justifies their own ideas and opinions
The use of 因为 with 所以 enables the writer to explain the reason and identify the result or outcome.
How the writer supports or challenges the ideas and opinions of others
Emotive adjectives and nouns 压力, 辛苦 and 困难 convey empathy for the opinions and situations of others:
- 她觉得在香港，工作压力太大了。 不但她每天辛苦工作。
How the language in the text is organised for the writer’s purpose
The writer uses 好好 with a verb to urge someone to do something carefully.
The use of duplication 想想 suggests time duration.
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Opportunities for developing intercultural communicative competence
Explore the views and experiences of Chinese immigrants (and other immigrant groups) in New Zealand. Discuss the kinds of challenges and difficulties faced and how these are or could be resolved.
Compare and contrast differences in education, family values, and aspirations in the Chinese and New Zealand cultures.
Last updated March 4, 2013
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