Beginner Level初级 chūjí
What does the phrase "春天(chūntiān)" refer to?
     A. Spring
     B. Summer
     C. Autumn
     D. Winter

Intermediate Level 中级 zhōngjí
What does the phrase "损坏(sǔnhuài)" refer to?
     A. Cherish
     B. Damage
     C. Repair
     D. Waste

Advanced Level 高级gāojí
What does the phrase "卖关子(mài guānzi)" refer to?
     A. Put up with
     B. Play a joke
     C. Keep others guessing
     D. Play petty tricks

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靠谱(kàopǔ) Reliable; To be trusted    

Origin and Meaning
靠谱(kàopǔ) originated from a northern dialect in China, and became quite popular in recent years. The meaning is reliable and to be trusted. When you pronounce it, it's best to add a retroflex sound 儿(ér) at the end of 谱(pǔ), just like 靠谱儿(kàopǔr). If you say that somebody who deals with something is 靠谱儿(kàopǔr), that means you can rely on him and he will handle it well. If you say that something is 靠谱儿(kàopǔr), that means it is feasible and reasonable. The opposite is 不靠谱儿(bú kàopǔr) which means that something is digressing from the subject, straying from the point or is unpractical. 靠(kào) means to rely on 谱(pǔ) means a chart or music score literally, but here it refers to feasibility and rationality.

Usage of the Phrase
你这人真不靠谱儿！    
Nǐ zhè rén zhēn bú kàopǔr!
You're so unreliable!
这件事一点都不靠谱儿，估计不好办。    
zhè jiàn shì yì diǎn dōu bú kàopǔr, gūjì bù hǎo bàn.
This isn't feasible at all. I'm afraid that it won't be finished easily.

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选修课(xuǎnxiūkè) Elective Courses    

Beginner Level/初级 chūjí     

A: 嗨，贝蒂，好久不见！    
    Hai, Bèidì, háo jiǔ bú jiàn!
    Hi, Betty, long time no see!
B: 嗨，露西！时间过得真快，暑假还没玩够呢，又开学了！    
    Hai, Lùxī! Shíjiān guò de zhēn kuài, shǔjià hái méi wán gòu ne, yòu kāixué le!
    Hi, Lucy! How time flies! We have to go back to school now, but I'm not ready. I don't feel like I played enough.
A: 是啊，这学期增加了选修课，要开始忙咯！    
    Shì a, zhè xuéqī zēngjiā le xuǎnxiūkè, yào kāishǐ máng lo!
    Right, we have to take elective courses this semester and will get very busy.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:     
开学(kāixué): n beginning of a semester      
学期(xuéqī): n semester; term    
选修课(xuǎnxiūkè): n elective course    

Intermediate Level/中级 zhōngjí     

A: 你看过我们这学期的课表吗？    
    Nǐ kàn guò wǒmen zhè xuéqī de kèbiǎo ma?
    Have you seen our class schedule for the semester? 
B: 看过，课很少。    
    Kàn guò, kè hěn shǎo.
    Yeah, I saw it. We don't have that many classes.
A: 嗯，是的，所以我想学一门选修课，你知道哪里有学中文的选修课吗？    
    Èn, shì de, suǒyǐ wǒ xiǎng xué yì mén xuǎnxiūkè. Nǐ zhīdào nǎlǐ yǒu xué zhōngwén de xuǎnxiūkè ma?
    Well, right. So I want to take an elective course. Do you know where I can take one?
B: 你还真是问对人了，eChineseLearning 最近刚刚推出返校选修课促销，现在报名，很实惠呢！    
    Nǐ hái zhēn shì wèn duì rén le, eChineseLearning zuìjìn gānggāng tuīchū fǎnxiào xuǎnxiūkè cùxiāo, xiànzài     bàomíng, hěn shíhuì ne!
    You're talking to the right person. eChineseLearning has just launched a back-to-school promotion for Chinese     elective courses recently. It's quite beneficial if you sign up now.
A: 是吗？那快告诉我报名方式，我有点迫不及待了！    
    Shì ma? Nà kuài gàosu wǒ bàomíng fāngshì, wǒ yǒu diǎn pòbùjídài le!
    Really? Please tell me how to sign up right away. I can't wait.
B: 你登录他们的官方网站 www.eChineseLearning.com 就知道了！    
    Nǐ dēnglù tāmen de guānfāng wǎngzhàn www.eChineseLearning.com jiù zhīdào le!
    Log on their official website: www.eChineseLearning.com, you'll know what to do.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:     
课表(kèbiǎo): n school timetable; class schedule       
促销(cùxiāo): n sales promotion      
报名(bàomíng): n/v sign up    
实惠(shíhuì): adj beneficial    

Advanced level/高级 gāojí    

A: 一转眼就开学了，假期时间过得总是很快！    
    Yìzhuǎnyǎn jiù kāixué le, jiàqī shíjiān guò de zǒng shì hěn kuài!
    Vacation time always goes so quickly; a new semester begins in an instant.
B: 是啊，新学期又开始了。你知道吗？这学期我们有中文选修课了。    
    Shì a, xīn xuéqī yòu kāishǐ le. Nǐ zhīdào ma? Zhè xuéqī wǒmen yǒu zhōngwén
    xuǎnxiūkè le.
    Yes, you are right. Did you know that we have a Chinese elective course this semester?
A: 是吗？都有些什么内容？    
    Shì ma? Dōu yǒu xiē shénme nèiróng?
    Really? What topics will that include?
B: 有很多种课程，例如听歌学中文，看电影学中文，中国流行词语，中国功夫，太极等等。我们可以根据自己不同的兴
     趣去选择。    
    Yǒu hěnduō zhǒng kèchéng, lìrú tīnggē xué zhōngwén, kàn diànyǐng xué zhōngwén, zhōngguó liúxíng cíyǔ,
    zhōngguó gōngfu, tàijí děngděng. Wǒmen kěyǐ gēnjù zìjǐ bùtóng de xìngqù qù xuǎnzé.
    There are many different courses to choose from, such as Chinese songs, learning Chinese through movies,     popular Chinese words, Chinese Kung Fu, Tai Chi etc., which we can select based on our different interests.
A: 听起来蛮有意思的，我要好好考虑一下，再决定参加哪一门选修课。    
    Tīngqǐlái mán yǒuyìsi de, wǒ yào hǎohao kǎolǜ yíxià, zài juédìng cānjiā nǎ yì mén xuǎnxiūkè.
    It sounds really interesting. I'll think it over and decide which one to choose.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:     
一转眼(yìzhuányǎn): adv in an instant    
蛮(mán): adv very, quite    
根据(gēnjù): n basis, evidence; prep according to (here it is a preposition)    

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If you learn mandarin Chinese now, idioms are an important part of it. The mandarin language has developed over a very long period of time in which the idioms are formed, so idioms show fully the extensive and profound Chinese language. Actually all the Chinese idioms have their own origins which are derived form many interesting and philosophical stories. Learning them can be done by just reading stories from Chinese language. For example the idiom 狐假虎威(hújiǎhǔwēi), it originates from a story of a cunning fox using a tiger's power to bully others. Now people usually use it to describe someone who bullies others by flaunting his powerful connections. That means you should try to know their origins and understand their meanings, then you can learn them easily and effectively. If you can't go to a Chinese school, Chinese online learning is a good choice, where you can also learn these interesting idioms stories. With the long history, mandarin Chinese contains a variety of language units. These language units play their own important parts in the now mandarin language, and idioms are one of them.

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