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—Nikolai Galkin, United Nations

Stepping Stones Lesson Nine

1. Audio Immersion

Listen to the audio recording of the story at least three times, just to familiarize yourself with its sounds. Each character represents one syllable, so you can try following along as you listen. Don't worry for now about the meanings of the characters or of the story as a whole.

以牙还牙

             孔融小时候
             便聪明过人，
             好些有才学的大官
             都难不倒他。

             有一次，
             很多人都当着
             孔融的面夸他，
             但有一个大官却说:
             “小时候聪明的人，
             长大以后
             不一定怎么样。”

             孔融以牙还牙地说:
             “大人小的时候，
             想必也是很聪明的。”

Once you've got a good feel for the sounds in this story and can follow along as you listen, you are ready to go on to the next step.