A new way to say ‘opportunity’ in China
One of the difficulties in studying Mandarin is the variety of words for different things. Surely, many a student has thought: “I’ve already learned this! I don’t want to learn a new word for it!”
Of course, this happens in other languages too. Try asking about a bus in any Spanish-speaking country. The most commonly understood term is “autobus”. But it helps to know the local lingo. There are at least 23 different terms for “bus”, according to alwaysspanish.com. In southern South America, you’ll hear “colectivo”. In Mexico, it’s “camion”, which also means truck. For clarity, make it “camion de carga”, or cargo truck, to mean, specifically, truck.
In the Caribbean, you’ ll hear “guagua”, pronounced
This Day, That Year
ItemfromDec9,1998,in ChinaDaily:TheYun7-200A aircraftsuccessfullycompletedatestflightinBeijing yesterday.
DevelopedbyXi’anAircraft Industry(Group)Corp,the Yun7-200Aisthefirstpassengeraircraftinthecountryto havepassedthestrictstandardsofChina’scivilaviation regulators.Itwillbeusedfor domesticflights.
In November last year, China made aviation history wawa. Vans often used for public transport can be “micros”, “combis”, “chivas” or other words.
Because of the variety found in a language spoken by millions over a wide area, however, how do you evaluate a person’s ability in that language? One way is to test them on the “standard” version, often what’s spoken in the tongue’s mother country.
A different way is a test that does recognize and incorporate the variety of Spanish spoken around the world, and that test has now come to China. The SIELE, which stands for the International Assessment Service for the Spanish Language, was developed last year. It is the first global, unified Spanish language testing system to evaluate and certify the proficiency level by digital means. The test stands alongside the older DELE, or Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language, based on European Spanish.
The SIELE was launched in China last month as part when the country’s first domestically developed large passenger aircraft was unveiled in Shanghai.
The twin-engine, singleaisle C919 is developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China. It will have up to 168 seats and a range of 4,075 kilometers.
Comac has won 570 orders for the aircraft from Chinese and international operators. Test flights are expected to start soon, with deliveries beginning in 2018. of an agreement between Tsinghua University in Beijing, the digital education division of the Madrid-based telecommunications giant Grupo Telefonica and Xuetangx, the biggest Chinese Massive Open Online Course platform in the world, launched by Tsinghua three years ago.
This is an important development for students in China who want to offer employers something different from English. Spanish, with over 400 million native speakers, is the second most spoken native language in the world, after Chinese.
With booming links between China and Latin America, it can be a valuable skill. One need look only at President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Ecuador, Peru and Chile, and the raft of business and cultural agreements signed there.
Also, the SIELE, launched in some 30 countries, is administered digitally at testing centers, and can be taken as a global exam, or its
The airliner is expected to provide a major boost to the Chinese aviation industry.
Comac is also planning to develop several versions of the aircraft, including cargo and business models.
The C919 is the result of seven years of work.
Once the aircraft enters service, analysts say it will four main parts — reading, listening, writing and oral expression — can be taken separately. It was created by the Instituto Cervantes, the 25-year-old nonprofit started by the Spanish government, which also is behind the DELE. The SIELE was created in cooperation with the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the University of Salamanca of Spain and the University of Buenos Aires of Argentina.
The test is being given now at the Instituto Cervantes in Beijing. Additional centers will be available next year, mainly in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Get more information and sign up at siele.org.cn … and, buenasuerte (good luck)!
shift and show the archaeologists fighting thieves stealing relics, and gradually reveal the rise and fall of the emperor. Liu He (92-59 BC) was the shortest-reigning emperor during the Western Han Dynasty.
Contact the writer at matthewprichard@ chinadaily.com.cn
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drive the growth of related manufacturing industries across China.
Comac also makes the ARJ21, a short-to-medium range regional aircraft with up to 78 seats and a range of 2,225 km.