User Comments - chris

Posted on: The North Has Central Heating

A lot of respect to the Chinese for understanding that wearing more clothes around the home is just as effective as whacking up the central heating, yet far cheaper and efficient from an energy wastage perspective.  A lesson I think many of us in the West could do with learning given all the fuss over finite fuels at the moment....  I cringe when I think back to winters at home (UK) hanging around the house in just light trousers and t-shirt!

Posted on: Winter Wonderland

John, a1pi2, thanks for the responses.  I must confess that I'm well behind the technological times these days and only have a very vague idea of what an "App" is, be it for iPhone, Android, or whatever.  I tend not to use my mobile device for web access since the roaming data charges are exhorbitant.  It sounds from the above that an "App" might be a cheaper way (in terms of roaming network provider charges) of accessing Cpod content.  I guess I just need to take the plunge and treat myself to an iPhone or similar device!

thanks, Chris

Posted on: Winter Wonderland

Am I missing something - it's been possible to listen to lessons on your mobile device for ages.  I've got an HP iPAQ and simply open the web browser, go to chinesepod.com and then click on the lesson link - in fact exactly the same process I go through when using my laptop.

Could someone clarify how what John was referring to is different to this?

Thanks

Chris

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 8: Trimming the Fat at the Office

I've noticed on a number of the new-style exercises on these older lessons that there are 2 recurring flaws:-

1)  The audio tests do not show the fields in which I should type what I hear

2)  When I submit my answers, I just get a blank screen.

I don't get these flaws on the more recent lessons.  Is this just a bug on the system that is being worked through by CPod back-office?

Thanks, Chris

Posted on: Lao Wang's Office 8: Trimming the Fat at the Office

Hi,

In Expansion sentence 1c, the translation is given as "He didn't wait for his boss to fire him.  He fired his boss first".  I'm not sure I understand this, since an employee doesn't ordinarily have the power to fire his/her boss.  Is the meaning actually that the employee quit first, before the boss had a chance to fire him?

Thanks, Chris

Posted on: A Phone Call to the Moving Company

@azzote,

Don't say that! This was the first Intermediate lesson I understood entirely the first listen through ;-)

Having said that, it makes an excellent bridge lesson between the Ele and Inter levels.

Chris

Posted on: Two Tough Ladies

Deleted by author (realised that the "insults" and "two tough ladies" lesson links are the same)

thanks, Chris

Posted on: Terrorized at the Airport

I agree with Baba and usr260809 above - the "nǐ gǎo cuò le" is definitely omitted from the spoken dialogue, which is a pity given John and Jenny specifically discussed this structure in the lesson banter!

Chris

Posted on: Where is the Supermarket?

Go_manly, I think your links may be blocked for those of us in PRC.  I'd love to see what you've done - do you know if there is any way of hosting your documents on a site accessible from within China?

Many thanks, Chris

Posted on: Table for Three

Hi all, I just wanted to back-up the comments made by Calkins and Jiarenlun above regarding the Claudia Ross/Jing-heng Sheng Ma Chinese Grammar practical guide.  This really is the best grammar guide I've come across and if like me you are only learning Chinese via CPod premium package and a couple of grammar text books, I can heartily recommend this one.

Chris