Checkpoint B Chinese Practice: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing (New York)

By the end you can

• Know the four parts of the Checkpoint B Chinese exam. Speaking, listening, reading and writing on one page, the habit that helps in every part, and polite lines for when you miss a question.
  我不太明白这个问题。 · Wǒ bú tài míngbai zhège wèntí. · I don't quite understand the question.
• Hold four short conversations with your teacher. School and friends, family and home, food and health, travel and community, each with model answers and questions to answer in your own words.
  我在纽约的一个高中上学，今年上十年级。 · Wǒ zài Niǔyuē de yí ge gāozhōng shàngxué, jīnnián shàng shí niánjí. · I go to a high school in New York. I'm in tenth grade this year.
• Add a reason, a time or a place to every answer. Use 因为, 为了, 但是 and 更, and add a sentence about last weekend or next year to a present-tense answer.
  上个周末，我们一家人去饭馆吃了饭。 · Shàng ge zhōumò, wǒmen yì jiā rén qù fànguǎn chī le fàn. · Last weekend my whole family went out to a restaurant.
• Talk about where you live and where you have been. Describe your neighbourhood, say where you have travelled with 去过 and where you want to go with 想去, and put the words of a sentence in order.
  我还没去过中国，明年想去上海看看。 · Wǒ hái méi qù guo Zhōngguó, míngnián xiǎng qù Shànghǎi kànkan. · I haven't been to China yet; next year I want to visit Shanghai.
• Listen to messages, announcements and short talks. Four recordings on the free audio: a change of plan, a class trip to the zoo, a supermarket announcement and a weekend story, with multiple-choice, true-or-false and time questions.
• Read a notice and a text message. A notice about making dumplings in Chinese class and a text from Lin Hao, who has a cold, with questions and a hunt for words such as 医生 and 参加.
• Write a note and a short letter. Join sentences with 因为…所以… and 以后, then write a note of about 30 characters to your host mother and a letter of about 80 to a pen pal in Shanghai, with models.

What’s inside

• The exam: The four parts on one page, the answer-plus-one-detail habit and lines for asking again. Checkpoint B Chinese in One Page
• Speaking 1: Your school, your favourite class and what you do with friends. School and Friends
• Speaking 2: Your family, your home and how you help, with a second time frame. Family and Home
• Speaking 3: Breakfast, school lunch and staying healthy, with 为了, 但是 and 更. Food and Health
• Speaking 4: Your neighbourhood, a trip you took and where you want to go, with 去过 and 想去. Travel and Community
• Listening: Four recordings on the audio, with multiple-choice, time and true-or-false questions. Listening Practice 1 · Listening Practice 2
• Reading: A Chinese class notice and a text message, with questions and a word hunt. Reading Practice
• Writing: Joining sentences, a note to a host mother and a letter to a pen pal, with models. Writing Practice
• Plan: Four weeks of short daily practice, and what to do the day before. Your Four-Week Checkpoint B Plan

How to use this book

Four weeks of short daily practice, as on page 12. Say every model line with the free audio, then cover it and answer your own way. Fifteen minutes of speaking a day helps more than two hours the night before.

1. Week 1: Speaking 1 and 2. Say every model line with the audio, then answer each question your own way. Learn ten words a day for school, family and home.
2. Week 2: Speaking 3 and 4, Listening 1. Record yourself answering and add one reason to every answer. Play each recording once, answer, then play it again to check.
3. Week 3: Listening 2, reading and writing. Underline times, places and numbers as you read. Write the note and the letter again with your own details.
4. Week 4: Timed answers. Use a phone timer and answer five questions in a row without stopping. Ask your teacher how the 100 points are split.
5. The day before: Keep it light. Read your letter aloud, pack two pens and go to bed early.

Who it’s for

New York students preparing for a Checkpoint B Chinese exam, whether their school uses FLACS or the NYC exam, and teachers who want four-skill practice in the Checkpoint B format, with audio.

Before you start: The book is at about HSK 2-3 and uses simplified characters. If your exam comes in Traditional characters, the words are the same. Speaking and listening lines have pinyin and English.

Frequently asked questions

Is the book in simplified or Traditional characters?

Simplified. Your exam may also come in Traditional characters; the words and grammar are the same, so the practice carries over.

Who wrote the tasks?

SayMei wrote every task, as practice in the Checkpoint B Chinese format: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Your school or district sets the exam, so ask your teacher how its 100 points are split.

How do the listening tasks work?

They are on the free audio only, on this book's page on saymei.app. Play each recording, answer, then play it again to check. Every other Chinese line in the book is recorded too, with a pause to say it back.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 16-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Can I print copies for my class?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy.

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