MP3 sound recording (link)
史密斯：您好。
前台：您好，请问有什么需要？
史密斯：我想问一下，从这边去长城的话要怎么走？大概需要多久？
前台：您是直接自己坐车过去吗？还是打算报个团？
史密斯：我也不太清楚，所以先来了解一下。自己坐车过去方便吗？
前台：坐公交车去长城时间长，从这里过去的话至少要一个半小时。您等下，我帮您查查。
史密斯：好的，麻烦您了。
前台：从这边去长城的话有三个方法。您可以在德胜门乘919路车，919车有多种车次，只有快车可以直接到八达岭，您上车前务必确认下。票价是12元，有交通卡的话有优惠，是4块8。这个优点就是车次多，整天有车，不过缺点就是舒适性比较差，坐的人挺多，会很挤。
史密斯：嗯，公车要坐这么久的话，确实有点伤不起。另外两个方法是什么？
前台：您还可以到北京北站，也就是西直门乘6427次火车，8:29北京发车，然后11:07到八达岭。不过您今天肯定去不了了，火车一天只有一班，速度也比较慢。
史密斯：听起来也挺麻烦的，原来到长城这么不方便啊？不知道第三个方法可行不可行。
前台：是的，长城不算在城区的，毕竟以前是用来抵御外敌的，所以离市区有些远。还有一个方法，就是您可以去大前门边上的旅游集散中心坐旅游大巴，买“世界文化遗产游C线”的票，可以直接到八达岭。票价90元，包含往返车费和景区门票。
史密斯：这个不错诶！这样看来，要不就报个团，要不就买这个票过去，其他的方法都不是太可行。
前台：我建议还是买这个旅游大巴的票，您报团的话，一共就一天的行程，还会带您去购物，很不划算。这个旅游大巴票是北京旅游局办的，非常正规，直接送您到景点，然后您可以到了那边再找景区的导游讲解。
史密斯：有道理，这些信息太重要了，不然我还真是一头雾水。谢谢您。
前台：应该的。您到了集散中心一定要到大厅里面正规窗口买票哦！外面的人如果说自己是工作人员或者是低价转让车票您都不要相信。这个是宾馆的卡片，您有拿过吗？有问题可以再电话我们。
史密斯：哦哦，我有的，非常感谢！对了，突然想起来，长城有多长？我一天之内爬的完吗？
前台：古长城总共是两万公里左右，然后现在我们所说的长城，基本是明长城的遗址，大概九千公里左右。其中真正对游客开放的，也就是八达岭长城那段，3公里左右长，城楼19座，算是目前修缮最好的一段啦！您要去的景点，就是八达岭长城。明长城剩余的好多城墙，损毁太严重，走人不安全，也没法一下子全部修理，所以大多还是关闭的。另外，慕田峪长城和居庸关长城也对外开放，不过没有八达岭的风景好，您有多余的时间，也可以去看一下的。
史密斯：我原来以为长城就是景区那块儿，看来不是。中国人叫它“万里长城”，看起来真的有那么长，真是长知识了。
前台：您到了景区，可以买个长城的解说册，应该里面都有说明。长城几乎贯通了中国的整个古代史，还是值得一看的。希望您旅途愉快哈！
史密斯：好的好的，谢啦！

I'd like to visit the Great Wall

Shǐmìsī: Nín hǎo.
Qiántái: Nín hǎo, qǐng wèn yǒu shénme xūyào?
Shǐmìsī: Wǒ xiǎng wèn yíxià, cóng zhèbiān qù Chángchéng de huà yào zěnme zǒu? Dàgài xūyào duō jiǔ?
Qiántái: Nín shì zhíjiē zìjǐ zuòchē guòqu ma? Háishi dǎsuàn bào ge tuán?
Shǐmìsī: Wǒ yě bú tài qīngchu, suǒyǐ xiān lái liǎojiě yíxià. Zìjǐ zuòchē guòqu fāngbiàn ma?
Qiántái: Zuò gōngjiāochē qù Chángchéng shíjiān cháng, cóng zhèlǐ guòqu de huà zhìshǎo yào yí ge bàn xiǎoshí. Nín děng xià, wǒ bāng nín cháchá.
Shǐmìsī: Hǎo de, máfan nín le.
Qiántái: Cóng zhèbiān qù Chángchéng de huà yǒu sān ge fāngfǎ. Nín kěyǐ zài Déshèng Mén chéng jiǔ yāo jiǔ lù chē, jiǔ yāo jiǔ chē yǒu duō zhǒng chēcì, zhǐ yǒu kuàichē kěyǐ zhíjiē dào Bādálǐng, nín shàngchē qián wùbì quèrèn xià. Piàojià shì shíèr yuán, yǒu jiāotōngkǎ de huà yǒu yōuhuì, shìsì kuài ba. Zhège yōudiǎn jiù shi chēcì duō, zhěngtiān yǒu chē, búguò quēdiǎn jiùshì shūshìxìng bǐjiào chà, zuò de rén tǐng duō, huì hěn jǐ.
Shǐmìsī: Èn, gōngchē yào zuò zhème jiǔ de huà, quèshí yǒudiǎn shāngbuqǐ. Lìngwài liǎng ge fāngfǎ shì shénme?
Qiántái: Nín hái kěyǐ dào Běijīng Běizhàn, yě jiù shi Xīzhímén chéng liù sì èr qī cì huǒchē, bā diǎn èrshíjiǔ Běijīng fāchē, ránhòu shíyī diǎn líng qī dào Bādálǐng. Búguò nín jīntiān kěndìng qùbuliǎole, huǒchē yì tiān zhǐ yǒu yì bān, sùdù yě bǐjiào màn.
Shǐmìsī: Tīngqǐlái yě tǐng máfan de, yuánlái dào Chángchéng zhème bù fāngbiàn a? Bù zhīdào dì-sān ge fāngfǎ kě xíng bù kě xíng.
Qiántái: Shì de, Chángchéng bú suàn zài chéngqū de, bìjìng yǐqián shì yòng lái dǐyù wàidí de, suǒyǐ lí shìqū yǒuxiē yuǎn. Hái yǒu yí ge fāngfǎ, jiù shi nín kěyǐ qù Dàmén qiánbiān shàng de lǚyóu jísàn zhōngxīn zuò lǚyóu dàbā, mǎi "shìjiè wénhuà yíchǎnyóu C xiàn" de piào, kěyǐ zhíjiē dào Bādálǐng. Piàojià jiǔshí yuán, bāohán wǎngfǎn chēfèi hé jǐngqū ménpiào.
Shǐmìsī: Zhège búcuò ei! Zhèyàng kànlái, yàobù jiù bào ge tuán, yàobù jiù mǎi zhège piào guòqu, qítā de fāngfǎ dōu bú shi tài kěxíng.
Qiántái: Wǒ jiànyì háishi mǎi zhège lǚyóu dàbā de piào, nín bào tuán de huà, yígòng jiù yì tiān de xíngchéng, hái huì dài nín qù gòuwù, hěn bù huásuàn. Zhège lǚyóu dàbā piào shì Běijīng Lǚyóujú bàn de, fēicháng zhèngguī, zhíjiē sòng nín dào jǐngdiǎn, ránhòu nín kěyǐ dàole nàbiān zài zhǎo jǐngqū de dǎoyóu jiǎngjiě.
Shǐmìsī: Yǒu dàolǐ, zhèxiē xìnxī tài zhòngyàole, bùrán wǒ hái zhēnshì yì tóu wù shuǐ. Xièxie nín.
Qiántái: Yīnggāi de. Nín dàole jísàn zhōngxīn yídìng yào dào dàtīng lǐmiàn zhèngguī chuāngkǒu mǎi piào o! Wàimian de rén rúguǒ shuō zìjǐ shì gōngzuò rényuán huòzhě shì dījià zhuǎnràng chēpiào nín dōu bú yào xiāngxìn. Zhège shì bīnguǎn de kǎpiàn, nín yǒu náguo ma? Yǒu wèntí kěyǐ zài diànhuà wǒmen.
Shǐmìsī: Ò ò, wǒ yǒu de, fēicháng gǎnxiè! Duìle, tūrán xiǎngqǐlái, Chángchéng yǒu duō cháng? Wǒ yì tiān zhīnèi pádewán ma?
Qiántái: Gǔ Chángchéng zǒnggòng shì liǎngwàn gōnglǐ zuǒyòu, ránhòu xiànzài wǒmen suǒ shuō de Chángchéng, jīběn shì Míng Chángchéng de yízhǐ, dàgài jiǔqiān gōnglǐ zuǒyòu. Qízhōng zhēnzhèng duì yóukè kāifàng de, yě jiù shi Bādálǐng Chángchéng nà duàn, sān gōnglǐ zuǒyòu cháng, chénglóu shíjiǔ zuò, suànshì mùqián xiūshàn zuì hǎo de yí duàn la! Nín yào qù de jǐngdiǎn, jiù shi Bādálǐng Chángchéng. Míng Chángchéng shèngyú de hǎo duō chéngqiáng, sǔnhuǐ tài yánzhòng, zǒu rén bù ānquán, yě méifǎ yíxiàzi quánbù xiūlǐ, suǒyǐ dàduō háishi guānbì. Lìngwài, Mùtiányù Chángchéng hé Jūyōngguān Chángchéng yě duìwài kāifàng, búguò méi yǒu Bādálǐng de fēngjǐng hǎo, nín yǒu duōyú de shíjiān, yě kěyǐ qù kàn yíxià de.
Shǐmìsī: Wǒ yuánlái yǐwéi Chángchéng jiù shi jǐngqū nà kuàr, kànlái bú shi. Zhōngguórén jiào tā "Wàn lǐ Chángchéng", kànqǐlái zhēn de yǒu nàme cháng, zhēnshì zhǎng zhīshile.
Qiántái: Nín dàole jǐngqū, kěyǐ mǎi ge Chángchéng de jiěshuōcè, yīnggāi lǐmiàn dōu yǒu shuōmíng. Chángchéng jīhū guàntōngle Zhōngguó de zhěnggè gǔdàishǐ, háishi zhíde yí kān de. Xīwàng nín lǚtú yúkuài ha!
Shǐmìsī: Hǎo de hǎo de, xièla!

Vocab and notes

前台(臺) qiántái ‘reception’
请问 qǐng wèn ‘may I ask, excuse me’
需要 xūyào ‘to need’
我想问一下 wǒ xiǎng wèn yíxià ‘I’d just like to ask’
大概 dàgài ‘about’
多久 duō jiǔ ‘how long’
直接 zhíjiē ‘directly’
自己 zìjǐ ‘on your own’
坐车 zuòchē ‘go by car’
过(過)去 guòqu ‘go there’
打算 dǎsuàn ‘to plan to’
报个团(報個團) bào ge tuán ‘join a group’
清楚 qīngchu ‘clear’
所以 suǒyǐ ‘so’
先 xiān ‘first’
了解(解) liǎojiě ‘get some information’
方便 fāngbiàn ‘convenient’
公交车 gōngjiāochē 'bus'
至少 zhìshǎo ‘at least’
一个(個)半小时(時) yíge bàn xiǎoshí ‘one and a half hours’
等下 děng xià is short for 等一下 děng yíxià ‘wait a little, just wait’
我帮(幫)您查查 wǒ bāng nín cháchá ‘I’ll help you to check it out’
麻烦你了 máfan nǐ le ‘I’m sory for troubling you’; 麻烦 máfan ‘a nuisance’
乘 chéng ‘get on (vehicle)’
车次 chēcì ‘service (i.e. train)’
快车 kuàichē ‘express’
直接 zhíjiē ‘directly’
前务(務)必确(確)认下 qián wùbì quèrèn xià ‘must just confirm before’. 下 Xià is short for 一下 yíxià ‘just’.
票价(票價) piàojià ‘ticket price’
交通卡 jiāotōngkǎ ‘travel card’
优惠(優惠) yōuhuì ‘preferential, favourable’
优点(優點) yōudiǎn ‘benefit, advantage’
整天 zhěngtiān ‘all day’
缺点(點) quēdiǎn ‘disadvantage’
舒适(適)性 shūshìxìng ‘coziness’
比较 bǐjiào ‘relatively, quite’
差 chà ‘bad, poor’
挤(擠) jǐ ‘crowded’
嗯 èn ‘mm, all right, yes’
公车 gōngchē ‘bus’
伤(傷)不起 shāngbuqǐ ‘unbearable’ (young person’s slang for 受不了 shòubuliǎo)’
另外 lìngwài ‘in addition’
方法 fāngfǎ ‘method’
火车 huǒchē ‘train’
发(發)车 fāchē ‘(a train) starts’
肯定去不了 kěndìng qùbuliǎo ‘certainly won’t be able to go’. 了 Liǎo is a potential compliment.
班 bān (measure word for trains)
速度 sùdù ‘speed’
慢 màn ‘slow’
听(聽)起来 tīngqǐlái ‘it sounds’
原来 yuánlái ‘originally; really’
行 xíng ‘be all right, work’
城区(區) chéngqū ‘urban area’
毕(畢)竟 bìjìng ‘after all’
以前 yǐqián ‘previously’
来 lái ‘come; let me; in order to’
抵御 dǐyù ‘resist’
外敌(敵) wàidí ‘foreign enemy’
市区(區) shìqū ‘urban area’
远(遠) yuǎn ‘far’
…前边(邊)上… qiánbiān shàng ‘in front of …’
旅游(遊) lǚyóu ‘tour’
集散中心 jísàn zhōngxīn ‘assembly point’
大巴 dàbā ‘coach’
世界 shìjiè ‘world’
文化 wénhuà culture’
遗产游(產遊) yíchǎnyóu ‘heritage tour’
C线(線) C xiàn ‘route C’
包含 bāohán ‘include’
往返 wǎngfǎn ‘round trip’
车费 chēfèi bus fee’
景区(區)门票 jǐngqū ménpiào ‘scenic area/attraction ticket’
不错 búcuò ‘not bad, good’
诶 ei. Indicates weak recognition; adds a reflective note; not as strong as 啊 a.
看来 kànlái ‘it seems’
要不 ... 要不 yàobù ... yàobù ‘either ... or’
其他 qítā ‘other’
可行 kěxíng ‘feasible’
建议(議) jiànyì ‘suggest’
还是 háishi ‘or; had better/should (used with polite suggestions)’
一共 yígòng ‘altogether’
行程 xíngchéng ‘trip’
带(帶) dài ‘take (someone somewhere)’
购(購)物 gòuwù ‘shopping’
划算 huásuàn ‘reasonable, cost effective’
办(辦) bàn ‘manage, set up’
正规 zhèngguī ‘official, regulated, standard’
送 sòng ‘take (someone somewhere)’
导游(導遊) dǎoyóu ‘tour guide’
讲解(講解) jiǎngjiě ‘explanation’
道理 dàolǐ ‘reasonable’
信息 xìnxī ‘information’
重要 zhòngyào ‘important’
不然 bùrán ‘otherwise’
一头(頭)雾(霧)水 yì tóu wù shuǐ ‘confused’
应(應)该的。 Yīnggāi de. ‘That’s what I’m here for.’ 应该 Yīnggāi on its own means ‘should’.
大厅(廳) dàtīng ‘lobby’
窗口 chuāngkǒu ‘window, booth’
外面的人 wàimian de rén ‘people outside’
自己 zìjǐ ‘one’s self’
工作人员 gōngzuò rényuán ‘member of staff’
低价(價) dījià ‘low price’
转让(轉讓) zhuǎnràng ‘conveyancing, dealing’
相信 xiāngxìn ‘believe’
宾(賓)馆 bīnguǎn ‘hotel’
卡片 kǎpiàn ‘card’
拿 ná ‘take’
再电(電)话我们。 Note that 电话 should normally not be used as a verb. Prefer 联系(聯係)我们 liánxì wǒmen or 打电话给我们 dǎ diànhuà gěi wǒmen.
感谢 gǎnxiè ‘to thank’
对(對)了 duìle ‘well (buying time)’
突然想起来 tūrán xiǎngqǐlái ‘I suddenly thought’
一天之内 yì tiān zhīnèi ‘within one day’
爬的完 pádewán ‘be able to climb’. 完 Wán is a potential compliment.
古 gǔ ‘ancient’
总(縂)共 zǒnggòng ‘in all’
公里 gōnglǐ kilometer’
…左右 … zuǒyòu ‘about …’
基本 jīběn ‘basically’
遗址 yízhǐ ‘ruin’
大概 dàgài ‘about’
其中 qízhōng ‘among/in that’
真正 zhēnzhèng ‘genuinely’
对(對)游客开(開)放 duì yóukè kāifàng ‘open to tourists’
段 duàn ‘section’
城楼 chénglóu ‘tower’
座 zuò (measure word for buildings)
算是 suànshì ‘consider as’
目前 mùqián ‘at present’
修缮 xiūshàn ‘to repair’
景点(點) jǐngdiǎn ‘scenic spot’
剩余 shèngyú ‘remain’
城墙 chéngqiáng ‘wall’
损毁 sǔnhuǐ ‘the damage’
严(嚴)重 yánzhòng ‘serious’
安全 ānquán ‘safe’
没法 méifǎ ‘there is no alternative’
一下子 yíxiàzi ‘suddenly’
全部 quánbù ‘all’
修理 xiūlǐ ‘to repair’
大多 dàduō ‘most’
还()是 háishi ‘still; rather; (emphatic)’
关(關)闭 guānbì ‘to close’
对(對)外 duìwài ‘external, foreign’
多余的时(時)间 duōyú de shíjiān ‘surplus/free time’
我原来以为(為)… wǒ yuánlái yǐwéi … ‘I originally thought …’
那块儿(兒) nà kuàr '(that) piece/section'
看来 kànlái 'apparently'
万(萬)里 wàn lǐ 'ten thousand leagues’
长知识 zhǎng zhīshi ‘increase knowledge, learn something new’
解(解)说册(冊) jiěshuōcè ‘commentary, guide book’
说明 shuōmíng ‘explanation’
几乎 jīhū ‘almost’
贯通 guàntōng ‘link up’
整个(個)古代史 zhěnggè gǔdàishǐ ‘ancient history’
值得 zhíde ‘worth’
希望 xīwàng ‘hope’
旅途愉快 lǚtú yúkuài ‘good trip, bon voyage’
哈 ha (sentence final particle indicating warmth)

I'd like to visit the Great Wall

Mr Smith: Hello.
Receptionist: Hello, how can I help you?
Mr Smith: I’d like to ask you how to get to the Great Wall from here. About how long does it take?
Receptionist: Are you going there directly on your own by car? Or are you intending to join a group?
Mr Smith: I’m not too clear, so I came to get some information. Is it convenient to go there on one’s own by car?
Receptionist: It takes a long time to go to the Great Wall by bus. If you go from here you need at least one and a half hours. Wait a moment and I’ll help you look it up.
Mr Smith: All right, sorry for troubling you.
Receptionist: There are three ways to go from here to the Great Wall. You can take the no. 919 bus from Deshengmen. The no.919 has many sorts of service, but you can only go directly to Badaling on an express bus. You have to confirm that before joining the bus. The price is Y12; if you have a travel card there’s a discount, Y4.80. The advantage of this way is that there are lots of buses and they run all day, but the disadvantage is that they’re not very comfortable, there are quite a lot of people using them and they can be very crowded.
Mr Smith: Mm, if you have to sit on the bus so long, it could certainly get rather unbearable. What are the other two ways?
Receptionist: You can go to Beijing North Station and then at Xizhimen take the 6427 train, which leaves Beijing at 8:29 and then arrives at Badaling at 11:07. But you certainly won’t be able to go today. There’s only one service a day and it’s quite slow.
Mr Smith: It sounds as if it’s also quite a nuisance. Is it really so inconvenient to go to the Great Wall? I wonder whether the third way would work or not.
Receptionist: Yes, the Great Wall is not considered an urban area, after all in the past it was used to resist foreign enemies, so it’s some distance from the city. There is one more method and that is to go to the tour assembly point near the Daqianmen, get a tourist bus and buy a “world cultural heritage tour route C” ticket and you can go directly to Badaling. The price of the ticket is Y90 and it includes a round trip bus fee and a scenic area ticket.
Mr Smith: That’s not bad. So it seems that either I join a tour or I buy this ticket and go. The other ways are all not very feasible.
Receptionist: I suggest it's better to buy that tourist bus ticket. If you join a group, altogether it will be a day trip and they will also take you shopping. It’s not a good deal. This tourist bus ticket is managed by Beijing Tour Office and is very regulated, takes you directly to the scenic spots and then you can go there, and look for tourist guides to and explanations of the scenic areas.
Mr Smith: That makes sense. This information is so important. Otherwise I’d be really confused. Thank you.
Receptionist: That’s only what I’m here to do. Once you’ve got to the assembly point, you really need to buy the ticket at the official booth in the hall! If somebody outside says they’re a member of staff or deal in discount tickets, don’t believe them. This is a hotel card, have you got one? If you have a problem, you can phone us.
Mr Smith: Oh, I have one. Many thanks! Mm, I suddenly thought, how long is the Great Wall? Will I be able to climb it in one day?
Receptionist: The ancient Great Wall was about 20,000 km in all, but what we now call the Great Wall is basically the ruins of the Ming (Dynasty) Great Wall, about 9,000 km. Of that, the bit that is genuinely open to tourists is only the Badaling section, about 3 km long, with 19 towers. It’s currently considered to be the section in best repair. The scenic spots you will visit will be the Great Wall at Badaling. Quite a lot of the wall remaining from the Ming Great Wall is seriously damaged and unsafe for people to go to. They had no alternative except to repair all of it at once and so most of it is still closed. Moreover the Great Wall at Mutianyu and the Great Wall at Juyongguan are open to visitors, but the scenery is not as good as at Badaling. But if you’ve got extra time you could go and have a look.
Mr Smith: I originally thought that the Great Wall was just the scenic area section, but apparently it isn't. Chinese people call it the “Ten Thousand League Wall”, and it seems that it really is that long. I’ve really learnt something new.
Receptionist: Once you get to the scenic area you can buy a commentary which should have an explanation in it. The Great Wall links up almost all of China’s ancient history, and I think it’s worth a look. I hope you have a good trip!
Mr Smith: All right, many thanks!