HSK 2 · Story · 188 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/my-pet-in-chinese-short-story

比爸爸还大

My pet is older than my dad

Name: ________________ Date: ________

今天jīntiān上课shàngkè，老师lǎoshī说shuō：“请qǐng你们nǐmen说shuō一yì说shuō，家里jiālǐ有yǒu什么shénme小xiǎo动物dòngwù？”

一yí个gè同学tóngxué家里jiālǐ有yǒu猫māo，一个yígè同学tóngxué家里jiālǐ有yǒu小狗xiáogǒu，还有háiyǒu一yí个gè同学tóngxué家里jiālǐ有yǒu鱼yú。

到dào我wǒ了le。我wǒ说shuō：“我wǒ先xiān不bù说shuō是shì什么shénme，你们nǐmen猜cāi！”

“不bú大dà，也yě不bù小xiǎo。”

“吃chī得de很hěn少shǎo，走路zǒulù很hěn慢màn。”

“不会búhuì说话shuōhuà，也yě不会búhuì唱歌chànggē。”

“很hěn喜欢xǐhuān睡觉shuìjiào。冬天dōngtiān，能néng睡shuì三sān个gè月yuè。”

一yí个gè同学tóngxué问wèn：“是shì猫māo吗ma？”我wǒ说shuō：“不是búshì。”

老师lǎoshī问wèn：“是shì鱼yú吗ma？”我wǒ说shuō：“也yě不是búshì。”

“还有háiyǒu，它tā今年jīnnián六十liùshí岁suì了le，比bǐ我wǒ爸爸bàba还hái大dà！”

一yí个gè同学tóngxué大声dàshēng问wèn：“是shì你nǐ爷爷yéye吗ma？”大家dàjiā都dōu笑xiào了le。

我wǒ说shuō：“不是búshì！是shì我家wǒjiā的de乌龟wūguī！爷爷yéye八bā岁suì的de时候shíhou，家里jiālǐ就jiù有yǒu它tā了le。”

老师lǎoshī也yě笑xiào了le：“六十liùshí岁suì？比bǐ我wǒ还hái大dà呢ne！”

Key words

In class today, the teacher said, “Tell us what pets you have at home.”

One classmate has a cat, one has a puppy, and one has fish.

Then it was my turn. I said, “I won't tell you what it is yet. You guess!”

“It isn't big, and it isn't small.”

“It eats very little and walks very slowly.”

“It can't talk, and it can't sing.”

“It loves sleeping. In winter it can sleep for three months.”

A classmate asked, “Is it a cat?” I said, “No.”

The teacher asked, “Is it a fish?” I said, “No, not that either.”

“And it's sixty years old this year, older than my dad!”

One boy shouted, “Is it your grandpa?” Everyone laughed.

I said, “No! It's our tortoise! It's been in our family since Grandpa was eight.”

The teacher laughed too. “Sixty? It's older than me!”