Chinese · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 5 of 12
Society and the environment
社会和环境Shèhuì hé huánjìng
Discuss problems and solutions in Chinese: imagine with 假如 and 万一, regret with 要是当初, voice concern with 难免 and 再这样下去, and build up with 甚至.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Talk about hypothetical situations with 假如, 万一 and 要是当初
- Express concern: 恐怕, 难免, 再这样下去
- Add and build up points with 不仅…而且… and 甚至
- Discuss rubbish, pollution and what people can do
Listen
In Shanghai, neighbours Fu Hong and Wei Jun meet at the rubbish-sorting point of their compound in the morning. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Wei Jun
傅红，早啊。又来扔垃圾？你手里那袋是什么垃圾？
Fù Hóng, zǎo a. Yòu lái rēng lājī? Nǐ shǒu li nà dài shì shénme lājī?
Morning, Fu Hong. Taking out the rubbish again? What kind of rubbish is that bag?
Fu Hong
湿垃圾，都是剩菜。说实话，刚开始垃圾分类的时候，我觉得太麻烦了，现在已经习惯了。
Shī lājī, dōu shì shèngcài. Shuō shíhuà, gāng kāishǐ lājī fēnlèi de shíhou, wǒ juéde tài máfan le, xiànzài yǐjīng xíguàn le.
Food waste, all leftovers. To be honest, when rubbish sorting first started I thought it was a real hassle, but now I'm used to it.
Wei Jun
是啊。不仅我们小区干净了，而且听说回收的东西也多了很多。不过塑料还是太多了，买个菜都有好几个塑料袋。
Shì a. Bùjǐn wǒmen xiǎoqū gānjìng le, érqiě tīngshuō huíshōu de dōngxi yě duōle hěn duō. Búguò sùliào háishi tài duō le, mǎi ge cài dōu yǒu hǎo jǐ ge sùliàodài.
True. Not only is our compound cleaner, I've heard that much more is being recycled too. But there's still far too much plastic: you get several plastic bags just buying vegetables.
Fu Hong
还有外卖！我们楼里的年轻人几乎天天点外卖，一顿饭下来就是一堆塑料盒。再这样下去，垃圾只会越来越多。
Hái yǒu wàimài! Wǒmen lóu li de niánqīngrén jīhū tiāntiān diǎn wàimài, yí dùn fàn xiàlai jiù shì yì duī sùliàohé. Zài zhèyàng xiàqu, lājī zhǐ huì yuèláiyuè duō.
And takeaways! The young people in our building order takeaway almost every day, and every meal leaves a pile of plastic boxes. If this goes on, there'll only be more and more rubbish.
Wei Jun
我也点外卖啊，工作一忙，这也难免。不过假如每份外卖都要多付两块钱打包费，我可能就会少点几次。
Wǒ yě diǎn wàimài a, gōngzuò yì máng, zhè yě nánmiǎn. Búguò jiǎrú měi fèn wàimài dōu yào duō fù liǎng kuài qián dǎbāofèi, wǒ kěnéng jiù huì shǎo diǎn jǐ cì.
I order takeaway too. When work gets busy, it's hard to avoid. But if every takeaway cost an extra two yuan for packaging, I'd probably order a few times less.
Fu Hong
这是个办法。可是光靠多收钱不行，大家的环保意识也得提高。否则，即使有再好的措施，也没什么用。
Zhè shì ge bànfǎ. Kěshì guāng kào duō shōu qián bù xíng, dàjiā de huánbǎo yìshí yě děi tígāo. Fǒuzé, jíshǐ yǒu zài hǎo de cuòshī, yě méi shénme yòng.
That's one way. But charging more money on its own isn't enough; people need to become more environmentally aware too. Otherwise even the best measures won't do much good.
Wei Jun
说到这个，你还记得十几年前吗？那时候上海的空气质量很差，冬天有时候连对面的楼都看不清。
Shuōdào zhège, nǐ hái jìde shí jǐ nián qián ma? Nà shíhou Shànghǎi de kōngqì zhìliàng hěn chà, dōngtiān yǒushíhou lián duìmiàn de lóu dōu kàn bu qīng.
Speaking of which, do you remember ten-odd years ago? The air quality in Shanghai was so bad that in winter you sometimes couldn't even see the building opposite clearly.
Fu Hong
记得。那几年空气污染很严重，甚至有的学校停了户外活动。现在好多了，这说明只要大家都重视，问题是能解决的。
Jìde. Nà jǐ nián kōngqì wūrǎn hěn yánzhòng, shènzhì yǒude xuéxiào tíngle hùwài huódòng. Xiànzài hǎo duō le, zhè shuōmíng zhǐyào dàjiā dōu zhòngshì, wèntí shì néng jiějué de.
I do. Air pollution was very bad in those years; some schools even stopped outdoor activities. It's much better now, which shows that as long as everyone takes it seriously, problems can be solved.
Wei Jun
话是这么说，可我还是担心。万一以后垃圾多到没地方放，怎么办？恐怕到时候后果会很严重。
Huà shì zhème shuō, kě wǒ háishi dānxīn. Wànyī yǐhòu lājī duō dào méi dìfang fàng, zěnme bàn? Kǒngpà dào shíhou hòuguǒ huì hěn yánzhòng.
That's true, but I still worry. What if one day there's so much rubbish there's nowhere to put it? I'm afraid the consequences would be serious.
Fu Hong
所以啊，保护环境得从现在做起，少浪费一点儿。要是当初大家就注意少用塑料，现在也不会有这么多麻烦了。
Suǒyǐ a, bǎohù huánjìng děi cóng xiànzài zuòqǐ, shǎo làngfèi yìdiǎnr. Yàoshi dāngchū dàjiā jiù zhùyì shǎo yòng sùliào, xiànzài yě bú huì yǒu zhème duō máfan le.
Exactly, so protecting the environment has to start now, by wasting less. If everyone had been careful to use less plastic in the first place, we wouldn't have so much trouble now.
Wei Jun
说得对。那从明天开始，我买菜带自己的袋子，外卖一个星期最多点两次。
Shuō de duì. Nà cóng míngtiān kāishǐ, wǒ mǎi cài dài zìjǐ de dàizi, wàimài yí ge xīngqī zuìduō diǎn liǎng cì.
You're right. Starting tomorrow, then, I'll take my own bag when I buy food, and order takeaway twice a week at most.
Fu Hong
那我可记住了啊，到时候我要检查的。
Nà wǒ kě jìzhù le a, dào shíhou wǒ yào jiǎnchá de.
I'll hold you to that. I'll be checking up on you.
Understand
What if: 假如, 万一 and 要是当初
(jiǎrú) means “if, supposing”. It is a little more formal than (rúguǒ) and (yàoshi) and is often used for imagined situations: (jiǎrú měi fèn wàimài dōu yào duō fù liǎng kuài qián, wǒ kěnéng jiù huì shǎo diǎn jǐ cì), if every takeaway cost two yuan more, I'd probably order less. Chinese doesn't change the verb for “would”; (huì), (jiù) and (kěnéng) do the work.
(wànyī), literally “one in ten thousand”, means “what if, in case” for something unlikely and unwelcome: (wànyī xià yǔ ne?), what if it rains? For a past that didn't happen, use (yàoshi dāngchū … jiù … le), if only … back then: (yàoshi dāngchū dàjiā jiù zhùyì shǎo yòng sùliào, xiànzài yě bú huì yǒu zhème duō máfan le), if people had been careful back then, we wouldn't have so much trouble now.
| Chinese | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|
| (rúguǒ) / (yàoshi …) | if … | everyday, all conditions |
| (jiǎrú …) | if, supposing … | imagined situations, slightly formal |
| (wànyī …) | what if, in case … | unlikely and unwelcome |
| (yàoshi dāngchū … jiù … le) | if only … had … back then | the past that didn't happen |
Expressing concern
(zài zhèyàng xiàqu …), if this goes on …, warns about the future. (kǒngpà), from chapter 2, introduces a fear: (kǒngpà hòuguǒ huì hěn yánzhòng), I'm afraid the consequences will be serious.
(nánmiǎn) means “hard to avoid, bound to happen”: (gōngzuò yì máng, zhè yě nánmiǎn), when work is busy, that's hard to avoid. It also goes before a verb: (xīnshǒu nánmiǎn huì fàn cuò), beginners are bound to make mistakes. (huà shì zhème shuō, kě …), that's true, but …, accepts a point and still voices a worry.
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (zài zhèyàng xiàqu …) | if this goes on … |
| (kǒngpà …) | I'm afraid (that) … |
| (Zhè yě nánmiǎn.) | That's hard to avoid, it's only natural. |
| (wǒ dānxīn …) | I'm worried that … |
| (huà shì zhème shuō, kě …) | that's true, but … |
Not only …, but also …, even …
(bùjǐn … érqiě …) is the slightly more formal partner of (búdàn … érqiě …) from B1. If the two halves have different subjects, (bùjǐn) goes before the first subject: (bùjǐn wǒmen xiǎoqū gānjìng le, érqiě huíshōu de dōngxi yě duō le). With the same subject it goes after it: (tā bùjǐn huì shuō Zhōngwén, érqiě shuō de hěn hǎo).
(shènzhì), even, adds the most extreme point: (kōngqì wūrǎn hěn yánzhòng, shènzhì yǒude xuéxiào tíngle hùwài huódòng), air pollution was so bad that some schools even stopped outdoor activities.
- 他不仅会说中文，而且说得很好。Tā bùjǐn huì shuō Zhōngwén, érqiě shuō de hěn hǎo.He not only speaks Chinese, he speaks it very well.
- 外卖越来越多，甚至早饭也有人点外卖。Wàimài yuèláiyuè duō, shènzhì zǎofàn yě yǒu rén diǎn wàimài.There are more and more takeaways; some people even order breakfast.
New words
- 垃圾分类lājī fēnlèirubbish sorting · (lājī), rubbish; (rēng lājī), to throw away rubbish; (shī lājī), food waste, the Shanghai term
- 回收huíshōuto recycle · (kě huíshōu wù), recyclables
- 塑料sùliàoplastic · (sùliàodài), plastic bag
- 难免nánmiǎnhard to avoid, bound to happen
- 假如jiǎrúif, supposing · slightly more formal than (rúguǒ)
- 意识yìshíawareness · (huánbǎo yìshí), environmental awareness; (zhòngshì), to take seriously
- 措施cuòshīmeasure, step (taken to solve a problem)
- 空气质量kōngqì zhìliàngair quality · (zhìliàng), quality
- 污染wūrǎnpollution; to pollute · (kōngqì wūrǎn), air pollution
- 甚至shènzhìeven
- 万一wànyīwhat if, in case (something bad happens) · (yī) keeps its first tone here
- 后果hòuguǒconsequence (usually bad) · (hòuguǒ hěn yánzhòng), the consequences are serious
- 环境huánjìngenvironment · (bǎohù huánjìng), to protect the environment
- 浪费làngfèito waste; waste
Practise
1.You want to say “What if the train is late?” (something unlikely and unwelcome). Which word do you use?
2.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
3.Warn about the future. Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.If this goes on, there'll only be more and more rubbish.
4.Which sentence means “If we had sorted our rubbish back then, it wouldn't be so bad now”?
5.Wei Jun says (gōngzuò yì máng, zhè yě nánmiǎn). What does he mean?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
再这样下去，后果会很严重。
Zài zhèyàng xiàqu, hòuguǒ huì hěn yánzhòng.
If this goes on, the consequences will be serious.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.