HSK 4 · Chapter 12 · 259 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-policemans-hat

警察的帽子

The policeman’s hat

Name: ________________ Date: ________

爷爷yéye慢慢mànmàn地de走zǒu过去guòqu。阳阳yángyáng拿ná着zhe手电shǒudiàn，大家dàjiā一起yìqǐ往wǎng箱子xiāngzi里看kàn。

豆腐dòufu躺tǎng在zài爷爷yéye的de旧jiù警服jǐngfú上shàng，看kàn着zhe大家dàjiā。它tā的de肚子dùzi旁边pángbiān，有yǒu五wǔ只zhī小小xiáoxiǎo的de猫māo，正在zhèngzài睡觉shuìjiào。

最zuì小xiǎo的de一yì只zhī小猫xiǎomāo，睡shuì在zài爷爷yéye的de警察jǐngchá帽子màozi里。

赵zhào老师lǎoshī哭kū了le：“豆腐dòufu！以后yǐhòu你nǐ想xiǎng吃chī几jǐ顿dùn，就jiù吃chī几jǐ顿dùn！”

钱阿姨又yòu打喷嚏dǎpēntì了le，可是kěshì她tā一直yìzhí在zài笑xiào。阿亮āliàng说shuō，他tā明天míngtiān就jiù去qù修xiū摄像头shèxiàngtóu。阳阳yángyáng拿出náchū笔bǐ，开始kāishǐ画画huàhuà。他tā说shuō，画huà完wán了le，他tā要yào给gěi妈妈māma打电话dǎdiànhuà。

“爷爷yéye，”乐乐lèlè小声xiǎoshēng说shuō，“你nǐ的de帽子màozi找到zhǎodào了le。”

爷爷yéye看kàn着zhe帽子màozi里的de小猫xiǎomāo，看kàn了le很hěn久jiǔ。“帽子màozi，就jiù给gěi它tā吧ba。”然后ránhòu他tā说shuō：“我wǒ当dāng了le三十sānshí年nián警察jǐngchá。今天jīntiān，是shì我wǒ孙女sūnnǚ找到zhǎodào的de。”

乐乐lèlè笑xiào了le：“这zhè句jù话huà，你nǐ没méi说shuō过guò。”

她tā打开dǎkāi本子běnzi，在zài第一dìyī个gè问题wèntí下面xiàmiàn，写xiě了le答案dá’àn：

一yī，大家dàjiā都dōu爱ài它tā。二èr，它tā的de肚子dùzi里，有yǒu五wǔ只zhī小猫xiǎomāo。

外面wàimiàn，雪xuě还hái在zài下xià。车棚chēpéng里，六liù个gè人rén，六liù只zhī猫māo，谁shéi也yě不想bùxiǎng走zǒu。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
箱子	xiāngzi	box; chest; suitcase
旧	jiù	old; used; worn
哭	kū	to cry; to weep
以后	yǐhòu	later; afterwards; in the future
一直	yìzhí	always; all along; continuously
久	jiǔ	long (time)
句	jù	classifier for phrases and lines of speech or verse
躺	tǎng	to lie (down); to recline
肚子	dùzi	belly; abdomen; stomach
警察	jǐngchá	police officer; police
顿	dùn	suddenly; immediately (as in 顿时)
帽子	màozi	hat; cap

English (for the teacher)

Slowly, Grandpa walked over. Yangyang held up the torch, and everyone looked into the box.

Tofu was lying on Grandpa’s old police uniform, looking up at them. Curled against its tummy were five tiny kittens, fast asleep.

The smallest kitten was asleep in Grandpa’s police hat.

Teacher Zhao burst into tears. “Tofu! From now on, you can eat as many meals as you like!”

Auntie Qian sneezed again, but she couldn’t stop smiling. A-Liang said he’d get the camera fixed tomorrow. Yangyang took out a pen and started to draw. He said that when he’d finished, he would call his mum.

“Grandpa,” Lele whispered, “you’ve found your hat.”

Grandpa looked at the kitten in the hat for a long time. “Let it have the hat.” Then he said, “I was a policeman for thirty years. Today, it was my granddaughter who found it.”

Lele smiled. “You’ve never said that one before.”

She opened her notebook and, under the first question, wrote the answer:

One, everyone loves it. Two, it had five kittens in its tummy.

Outside, the snow was still falling. In the bike shed, six people and six cats, and nobody wanted to leave.