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HSK 3 · Article · 253 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-was-ping-pong-diplomacy

小球转动大球

What was ping-pong diplomacy?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

有yǒu一句话yíjùhuà叫jiào“小球xiǎoqiú转动zhuàndòng大球dàqiú”。小球xiǎoqiú是shì乒乓球pīngpāngqiú，大dà球qiú是shì地球dìqiú。这zhè是shì什么shénme意思yìsi呢ne？

一九七一年yījiǔqīyīnián，日本rìběn有yǒu世界shìjiè乒乓球pīngpāngqiú比赛bǐsài。那nà时候shíhou，中国zhōngguó和hé美国měiguó已经yǐjīng二十多èrshíduō年nián没有méiyǒu来往láiwǎng了le。

有yǒu一yì天tiān，一个yígè美国měiguó年轻niánqīng球员qiúyuán上shàng错cuò了le车chē，上shàng了le中国队zhōngguóduì的de车chē。车chē上shàng很hěn安静ānjìng，没有méiyǒu人rén跟gēn他tā说话shuōhuà。这zhè时候shíhou，中国zhōngguó有名yǒumíng的de球员qiúyuán庄则栋zhuāngzédòng走zǒu过去guòqu，送给sònggěi他tā一yí件jiàn礼物lǐwù，是shì一yì张zhāng有yǒu中国zhōngguó山水shānshuǐ的de画huà。很hěn快kuài，很hěn多duō报纸bàozhǐ上shàng都dōu有yǒu了le两liǎng个gè人rén的de照片zhàopiàn。

几jǐ天tiān以后yǐhòu，中国zhōngguó请qǐng美国měiguó的de乒乓球pīngpāngqiú队duì来lái中国zhōngguó看看kànkan。这zhè是shì二十多èrshíduō年nián来lái，第一次dìyīcì有yǒu美国měiguó球队qiúduì来lái中国zhōngguó。

一九七二年yījiǔqī’èrnián，美国měiguó总统zóngtǒng尼克松níkèsōng也yě来到láidào了le北京běijīng。一九七九年yījiǔqījiǔnián，两liǎng个gè国家guójiā有yǒu了le正式zhèngshì的de关系guānxì。

一yí辆liàng车chē，一yí件jiàn礼物lǐwù，让ràng两liǎng个gè国家guójiā走近zǒujìn了le。所以suóyǐ，人们rénmen把bǎ这zhè件jiàn事shì叫jiào“乒乓pīngpāng外交wàijiāo”。

你nǐ喜欢xǐhuan打dǎ乒乓球pīngpāngqiú吗ma？

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
球qiúball
意思yìsimeaning; idea
已经yǐjīngalready
错cuòmistake; fault; wrong; mistaken
跟gēnto follow; heel
走zǒuto go; to leave
过去guòqu(in the) past; former; to go over; to pass by
画huàto draw; to paint; painting; picture
快kuàifast; quick
让ràngto yield; to give way; to let (someone have)
所以suóyǐso; therefore
打dǎto hit; to beat

Questions

  1. 那个美国球员上错了车，他上了谁的车？

    The American player got on the wrong bus. Whose bus was it?

    A. 中国队的车B. 日本队的车C. 美国队的车

  2. 庄则栋送给美国球员什么礼物？

    What gift did Zhuang Zedong give the American player?

    A. 一个乒乓球B. 一件衣服C. 一张画

  3. 几天以后，中国请美国球队做什么？

    A few days later, what did China invite the American team to do?

    A. 去日本比赛B. 在美国打球C. 来中国看看

Lesson plan: 45 minutes (for the teacher)

HSK 3 · What was ping-pong diplomacy?. By the end, students can read it aloud, say what it is about and use 球 and 意思 in sentences of their own.

  1. Warm-up 5 min

    Write 小球转动大球 on the board. Ask what the class thinks it is about, then give the English: “What was ping-pong diplomacy?”.

  2. Key words 10 min

    Teach 球 (qiú, ball), 意思 (yìsi, meaning; idea), 已经 (yǐjīng, already), 错 (cuò, mistake; fault; wrong; mistaken), 跟 (gēn, to follow; heel), 走 (zǒu, to go; to leave). Say each one, the class says it back, then ask for its meaning with the word covered. The rest are in the handout’s table.

  3. Listen 10 min

    Play it read aloud from mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-was-ping-pong-diplomacy: once with the text face down, once reading along. Students tap any word there for its meaning.

  4. Read and check 10 min

    Students read it alone, then answer the 3 questions on the handout. Go through them together; the answers and the line that proves each are on the teacher’s page.

  5. Use it 10 min

    In pairs, each student writes two sentences of their own, one with 球 and one with 意思, and reads one to the class.

Homework. Students read it again at home and Review its words. Put it in a free class (mandarinthewild.com/teachers/class) and you see who read it.

English (for the teacher)

There is a saying: “The small ball turns the big ball.” The small ball is a ping-pong ball, and the big ball is the Earth. What does it mean?

In 1971 Japan hosted the World Table Tennis Championships. At that time China and the United States had had no contact for more than twenty years.

One day a young American player got on the wrong bus: the Chinese team’s bus. It was very quiet on the bus, and nobody spoke to him. Then the famous Chinese player Zhuang Zedong walked over and gave him a gift, a Chinese landscape picture. Soon photos of the two of them were in many newspapers.

A few days later, China invited the American table tennis team to come and see China. It was the first time in over twenty years that an American team had come to China.

In 1972, US President Nixon came to Beijing too. In 1979, the two countries established formal relations.

One bus, one gift, brought two countries closer. So people call it “ping-pong diplomacy”.

Do you like playing ping-pong?

Answers

  1. A. 中国队的车: 一个美国年轻球员上错了车，上了中国队的车。
  2. C. 一张画: 送给他一件礼物，是一张有中国山水的画。
  3. C. 来中国看看: 中国请美国的乒乓球队来中国看看。