Most people enjoying reading for leisure, as well as reading to learn. If you like novels or stories you probably have your own particular tastes in what you prefer to read, and it’s rare for someone to like, say, science fiction and also classic literature. Still, that’s just one of the reasons why there are so many books and novels covering all sorts of topics available in modern times!
In this Podcast, you will learn:
1) To discuss some of the books you have recently read
2) How to talk about things which interest you such as reading books
Dialogue:
In the café, two friends are chatting:
（在咖啡厅）
(Zài kā fēi tīng)
(in the café)
B: 最近有一本特别火的小说，叫《三体》，你看了吗？
B: Zuì jìn yǒu yī běn tè bié huǒ de xiǎo shuō, jiào “Sān Tǐ”, nǐ kàn le ma?
Recently, there was an extremely popular novel published called The Three-Body Problem. Have you read it?
A: 没有，是讲什么的？谁写的？
A: Méi yǒu, shì jiǎng shén me de? Shuí xiě de?
No, what is it about? Who wrote it?
B: 哦，这是一部科幻小说，故事背景是文化大革命。作者是刘慈欣。
B: Ou, zhè shì yī bù kē huàn xiǎo shuō, gù shì bèi jǐng shì wén huà dà gé mìng. Zuò zhě shì Liú Cí Xīn.
Oh, it is a science fiction story, which is set against the backdrop of the Cultural Revolution. The author is Liu Cixin.
A: 听起来很有趣，但是我不喜欢科幻小说。我最喜欢的书还是一些经典名著，比如《傲慢与偏见》。
A: Tīng qǐ lái hěn yǒu qù, dàn shì wǒ bù xǐ huān kē huàn xiǎo shuō. Wǒ zuì xǐ huān de shū hái shì yī xiē jīng diǎn míng zhù, bǐ rú “Ào Màn Yǔ Piān Jiàn”.
Sounds interesting, but I do not like science fiction. My favorite books are classics such as Pride and Prejudice.
Chinese words and phrases mentioned in this Podcast:
特别：extremely
火：popular, a hit
小说：novel
《三体》：The Three-Body Problem
讲什么：what is it about?
谁写的：who wrote it?
科幻小说：science fiction
故事：story
背景：background
文化大革命：Cultural Revolution
作者：author
听起来：sounds
有趣：interesting
经典名著：classics
《傲慢与偏见》：Pride and Prejudice
Cultural/Grammar notes:
The Cultural Revolution was a socio-political event which took place in the People’s Republic of China from 1966 to 1976 led by the Chairman Mao Zedong. Even until today it’s one of the sensitive topics in Chinese society although many years have passed. It’s wise to be careful to talk about any Chinese politics topics in general in China.
The Three-Body Problem is a science fiction novel written by the Chinese writer Liu Cixin. The background of the story is the Cultural Revolution in China and tells a story about people on the earth and aliens.