Integrated Chinese Level 1 Part 1 Traditional - Text Only / Edition 3

by Tao-Chung Yao

Overview

Integrated Chinese is the leading introductory Chinese textbook at colleges and universities around the world. The Level 1 Part 1 Textbook meets the needs of today's students with communicative and interactive exercises, a full-color design, up-to-date vocabulary, extensive cultural coverage, a diverse cast of characters, and a realistic storyline linking all the dialogues and readings.

The Integrated Chinese Level 1 Part 1 Textbook covers the first semester of study at the college level. It systematically introduces over 150 essential vocabulary words. Key grammatical structures are presented through clear and jargon-free explanations. Interactive activities for practicing interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive language skills are incorporated throughout. Learners build real-life communicative skills as they discuss everyday topics and learn useful sentence structure. A wealth of realia and authentic materials build proficiency in using the Chinese language in real-life situations. Two review lessons are included for cumulative practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780887276392
Publisher:	Cheng & Tsui Company
Publication date:	08/28/2008
Series:	Cheng & Tsui Chinese Language Series
Edition description:	Bilingual
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.60(d)
Language:	Chinese

Read an Excerpt

In Search of the SECRET SANCTUARY

Across Scotland's River Braan

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By Kim Michele Ingram, Raynald Kudemus

Trafford Publishing

Copyright © 2013 Kim Michele Ingram
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4907-1563-6

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CHAPTER 1

Once upon a time long ago, in the kingdom of Edinshire lived King Alasdair and Queen Iona with their only son, Prince Phillip. The king's family has been the most loved ruler of Scotland for generations. The prince, through his good deeds to all the subjects in his father's kingdom, was greatly respected and loved by all who knew him. The prince was known too for his generosity to the poor—a trait he inherited from his mother. It was not uncommon for the prince to travel alone to a poor family, pretending to need assistance but not announcing himself as a prince. He generously gave many gold coins for their service. The family, knowing it would be an insult to refuse the coins from the prince, accepted in humble gratitude and never acknowledged they knew his identity.

The prince was in love with the most wonderful and kindest young lady in all the land. Her name was Tramara. She too was in love with the prince, but Tramara was not royalty. She was the daughter of a farmer, which meant she was not allowed to marry the prince.

The prince was not aware that Isobel, a beautiful witch, was in love with him too. But the prince had no feelings for her and never looked at her the way he looked at Tramara, which always hurt her so deeply. As young children, Prince Phillip and Isobel were playmates on many special occasions. Isobel's family were the good witches of the kingdom, so she grew up in the castle.

When Isobel was a young girl, the prince was always kind and attentive to her and always thought of her like a sister. By the time Isobel matured into a young woman, she had already developed deep feelings for the prince.

After a long while of courting Tramara, the prince asked her to marry him, and she said yes, but she knew in her heart the king would not accept her into the royal family. Prince Phillip was prepared to leave his father's kingdom and settle in another land if his father would not grant permission for him to marry the only woman he had ever loved.

That night, Tramara's father, Maon, heard her crying and went to comfort her. She told her father of the sadness in the depths of her heart and how much the prince loved her. But she was just a commoner, and she was sure he would not be able to marry her.

Her father gathered her in his arms and said everything would be all right and he would make it so. He began to tell his daughter about the sadness in his heart, which he had never spoken of before. He told his daughter about his life and the tragedy before she was born.

When Maon first met Tramara's mother, there was a shipwreck. He found her on the shoreline, barely breathing, on top of a large black leather bag, which had prevented her from drowning. He lifted the woman and saw she was with child from the roundness of her belly. Her breathing was shallow. Maon looked around and saw a man in the distance. He was conscious but dazed; it was obvious from his clothes he was captain of the small ship.

Maon carefully carried her almost-lifeless body to his mother's cottage near the shore. On the way to the cottage, he saw a neighbor and asked him to attend the captain. Maon sent a servant for the priest and to retrieve the woman's bag. Maon searched the bag in hopes of revealing who this woman was. He found papers, but in a language unknown to him.

After the priest prayed for the woman, he read the papers and told Maon that her name was Helena, and she was a widow from Champagne, France.

Maon felt very protective of her and rarely left her side. He prayed constantly that she and her child would survive. His mother took care of Helena like she was her own daughter. Over the next few days, the woman opened her eyes, which were absolutely the most beautiful eyes Maon had ever seen in his entire life. Every day that passed, his heart was filled with this sweet, beautiful woman. Two months had passed since he found Helena, and he had fallen in love for the first time and wanted nothing else in life but to take care of her and the child. Helena and Maon didn't understand each other's language, but somehow they both spoke and understood each other. In time, he was sure they would learn each other's language.

The large bag that saved Helena's life was filled with baby clothes and many fancy baby dresses with the embroidered name "Tramara." Maon and his mother never heard of such a name, but he thought she was very confident the baby would be a girl. He gave Helena a lingering look and wondered if she was a goddess fallen from heaven. Even being so frail, she was the most beautiful woman he ever saw. Her hair was the sight of a dancing fire, reddish spun gold that landed in thick long braids past her knees. He had never seen such beautiful thick hair on any woman. He was mesmerized by her soft voice and beauty.

Maon could tell by the way Helena followed him with her eyes that she felt safe with him, which made his heart flutter. He had never felt like this before, as his whole life was dedicated to being a royal knight, champion to the king.

One evening, while sitting next to her bed, Maon felt the delicate touch of her hand on his, and their eyes met with a smile. Tears filled her eyes, and his heart melted. He feared to embrace the beautiful widow, so he embraced her hands instead. He held her hands until she fell asleep.

The time came for the baby to be born. Maon sent for the midwife and the priest to bless the baby. The priest asked Maon if he loved Helena and told him that the baby should come into the world with a father. Helena agreed to be united, as she felt a strong bond and could see the love in Maon's eyes. She knew her love would come in time.

Before daybreak, the baby entered into the world with two parents who were overjoyed with a healthy girl. The priest blessed the baby, and of course, she was named Tramara. Helena fell into a long sleep, and Maon feared for her recovery since she was so weak. A few hours later, she awakened and was strong enough to take care of her baby. She looked into Maon's eyes and shared the joy of love within her heart. It did not take a spoken language to understand her eyes nor the tears in Maon's eyes exposing his heart.

When Tramara was eighteen months old, her mother fell ill with fever, and she never recovered; nor did Maon, as his heart was shattered into a thousand tears overflowing into the ocean. Every night, when Tramara was asleep, he rode his horse to the shoreline and cried until his heart was broken again. He knew this would be the last time he would ever marry. He would never stop loving Helena because she would remain in his heart forever. He knew he would see her again upon his death, but for the baby's sake, he prayed God would wait until she was grown and no longer needed him. His life with Helena was blessed with love and happiness. Now he must give Tramara the love and happiness that she would be missing from her mother. His only strength was the sight of this beautiful angelic baby who was the likeness of her mother with gold-red hair and hazel eyes.

After Helena departed this life, Maon left the king's castle to start a new life with his baby girl, Tramara. For his valor and defense of the kingdom, the king rewarded Maon with any wish he desired. Maon asked for nothing as it was his honor to serve the king and his kingdom. He knew he could not be at his best in the state he was in, and the safety of the king was a knight's first obligation, so he asked to be relieved of his duties. The king was moved by his humbleness, but in the king's heart, he was saddened with his own loss.

In a ceremony, he was knighted Sir Maon and would be a member of the royal court for life. King Alasdair remembered how Maon once spoke of working the land and how rewarding it would be to him. So the king generously granted Maon fifty acres of land and forty bags of gold for a new beginning in life. As a knight, Maon was considered a fierce defender and hero. As a father, he was loving and kind. As a man, he was humble and wise, and he now owned the largest and most prosperous farm in the land.

Maon's heart was so broken reliving the story of his wife for the first time. Tramara cried uncontrollably, not just for herself but for her father. She wrapped her arms around her father's large chest, and they cried together. She told him there could never be a father greater than him on earth. Tramara looked into his eyes and said, "You are and will always be my only father whom I love and honor until I leave this world and return to heaven, where I will meet my mother and await you." Maon's spirit was lifted with the goodness of his daughter's heart.

He left the room and returned with a dark wooden box, which he unlocked. Tramara's eyes widened as he carefully unfolded the crest of his nobility with the seal of the king. He told Tramara, "This is a command from King Alasdair that cannot be changed by anyone, not even future kings." Tramara was now the daughter of a noble knight, and maybe there was a chance for her and the prince, but it would still be in the hands of the king for his approval.

When Tramara told the prince that her father was once champion to the king, he was filled with excitement and rushed back to the castle to tell his father. In his heart, he knew that his fate with Tramara would be sealed and couldn't wait to present Tramara to his father. The king remembered Sir Maon with such admiration and honor. The king and queen honored the prince and Tramara with a royal ball to announce their engagement.

Sir Maon, wearing his crest of nobility, escorted Tramara to the ball and presented his beautiful daughter to King Alasdair and Queen Iona. Tramara was absolutely breathtaking in her elegant green gown. The king and queen reached out their arms to embrace their daughter-to-be. He was indeed very pleased with his son's choice as all in the land knew of Tramara and of her gentle spirit and heart. The king was very pleased to finally see his noble knight once again. The king's mind raced back to the days of battle and admired this fine, noble, fearless knight, wishing he was still at his side.

Prince Phillip and Tramara were a beautiful couple together. The prince was tall and strong with straight black hair touching his broad shoulders. Tramara had always said she could see into his kindhearted soul through his light-brown eyes.

Tramara had the thickest and most glorious hair of all women, and anyone that met her could not help but reach out to touch her hair. The radiance of the sun shining on her wavy gold-red hair made her stand out among all the people in a crowd. Her face was adorned with big hazel eyes that seemed to dance with the light. She could mesmerize anyone with her kindness or her beauty in just one glance. Just like her mother, Tramara was soft-spoken, and not a cruel word did she ever use against another person. Her father always said that he did not know how this angel came to be on earth as, surely, she belonged to the heavens. And he thanked the heavens every day for allowing her to stay as his angel on earth.

At the royal ball, Isobel became very sad as she watched Prince Phillip. She could see the love he had for Tramara on his face as he doted over her every word. The prince never left Tramara's side—not a single time. Isobel watched their every move, and it brought her to tears when she saw them secretly kiss.

Isobel was jealous and desperate to have the prince, even though she knew she would never be allowed to marry him. She needed a plan for the prince to fall in love with her before it was too late. Isobel knew love potions only worked for a short time, and she wanted him for a lifetime. She thought that if only she was more beautiful, maybe the prince would notice her and she would have a chance. Isobel's beauty was only on the surface. She was a selfish person with one passion: to have the prince for herself.

Isobel left the ball early to visit an older witch who was extremely more powerful than herself. The good witches would never perform magic that would cause harm to another person. This witch was never with the kingdom so she granted Isobel's wish and a spell was cast for her to become more beautiful. With her new spell, she got to be near the prince many times, but her new beauty failed to attract the prince or make him feel any differently for her.

Isobel's feelings were so hurt; she went back to the witch for a second spell. The witch told her she could give her the beauty of her desires, and the prince would not be able to resist her. Isobel desired only one thing, and that was to look exactly like Tramara. The powerful witch cast a second spell on Isobel, and in a flash of powder-blue light, she was transformed into the mirror image of Tramara. Isobel did not want to see her new image just yet; she was too anxious. She pulled her scarf down over her new face and went home to think of a new plan for tomorrow. When she looked at her reflection the next morning, she found joy in her heart and peace within herself that hadn't been felt for years.

Three days later, Isobel had Tramara captured while her father was not at home. She was picking flowers in her garden when two men took her unawares. They placed a hood over Tramara's head and shoved her into a covered carriage. She was so terrified and could not understand why anyone would do this to her.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from In Search of the SECRET SANCTUARY by Kim Michele Ingram, Raynald Kudemus. Copyright © 2013 Kim Michele Ingram. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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