Hi there, welcome the the 2nd issue of my newsletter, let’s jump straight into it:

3 Body Problem - The Netflix Series

Last week, I recommended that you check out the Three-Body Problem novels and the Chinese TV series adaptation. You can find the first issue of my newsletter on the website!

在上周的邮件中我推荐了中文小说《三体》以及它的同名电视剧。你如果对上期内容有兴趣，可以点击网站链接查看。

However, this week, the new Netflix adaptation is already out, and all 8 episodes are available for streaming. Among its creators are David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, the minds behind the Game of Thrones TV series. This might be a plus or a minus for you, depending on how you regarded the last few seasons of Game of Thrones.

现在网飞版《三体》的全部内容也都可以在线观看了。它的创作者和《权力的游戏》一样，都有大卫·贝尼奥夫和D. B.威斯。

My take: At the time of writing this, I've only finished watching the first two episodes. So far, it is certainly entertaining. Even if it won’t live up to the best seasons of Game of Thrones, it is still something you shouldn’t miss if you liked the books or just enjoy science fiction in general. 8/10

我的影评：在写这封邮件时我只看完了网飞版《三体》的前两集。目前感觉还不错，当然还是没办法和《权力的游戏》相比。如果你对科幻主题感兴趣的话，它还是值得一看。

For Chinese learners: It’s one of the rare American TV shows that partly has a Chinese setting, even if these scenes weren’t shot in China. There is actually quite a bit of Mandarin spoken in the first two episodes, more than what I expected from a Netflix TV series. In the first two episodes, the Mandarin-speaking scenes take up about 20 minutes of each episode’s close to one-hour running time, so it seems like approximately 1/3 of the TV series is spoken in Mandarin. Let’s hope they keep this ratio up until the end of the series. The Mandarin accents spoken by the actors are clear and easy to understand, so if you already know some Chinese, it’s another chance for you to practice your listening skills!

写给你们：这是少见的有着中国文化背景的美国电视剧之一。虽然电视剧不是在中国拍摄的，但是前两集里的普通话比我想象得多很多。一个小时里大概有二十分钟都在讲普通话，而且几乎和中国人的口音一样。我很希望整部剧的普通话可以一直保持这个比例，这对中文的学习者来说是个练习听力的好机会。

PLECO - How to use the app to get the most out of it

In the second half of today’s newsletter, let’s discuss one of the must-have apps on every Chinese learner’s phone: Pleco. For most of you, it probably needs no introduction, but for those who haven’t heard of it before, Pleco is perhaps the most widely used Chinese-English Dictionary for smartphones, and the best thing about it is that it's free to download. But how can you get the most out of it?

在今天邮件的后半部分，我想聊一聊汉语学习者手机必备软件之一：Pleco。你可能已经在用Pleco了，如果还没有的话，我真的很推荐它。因为它是非常方便的英汉字典，最重要的是可以免费使用。那我们怎么把它用到极致呢？

One of the underutilized features of Pleco is its flashcard test sessions.

Pleco最强大的功能之一就是通过卡片背单词。

• Go to the Import/Export tab and select Premade Cards. You will be prompted to choose between HSK 2.0 or HSK 3.0 flashcards. If you’re unsure which HSK system your test center uses, I suggest downloading the HSK 2.0 version first, as most centers I know still use this system for testing (though it's best to inquire at your test center, as practices may vary from country to country). If you’re not planning to take an HSK exam and just want to practice, then use the HSK 3.0 system.

• 打开软件找到 Import/Export， 然后点击 Premade Cards 。接下来选择你将会参加考试的 HSK 版本。如果你还不确定你参加考试的考点将会用哪个版本，我建议选择 HSK 2.0 。因为据我了解目前大多数考点都还在用 HSK 2.0 。（当然我还是建议联系你要参加考试的考点确认一下，因为每个国家的要求可能会不一样。）

• Once you’ve installed the flashcards, navigate to the New Test tab. Here, select the Card Categories and choose the Level or Levels you’d like to test yourself on. Then, choose the Max # of cards (for better progress, testing 200 cards or more daily is recommended). Now, you can begin your test session.]

• 成功导入卡片后，点击 New Test ，接下来在 Card Categories 选择你要练习的级别。在 Max # of cards 设置你每次练习的单词数量（为了更好的学习效果，建议每次练习的数量最少200个。）

• Once you’ve established a daily routine of testing yourself with these flashcards, there are a few other tweaks you can make to your Test Sessions. For instance, instead of testing your character recognition, you can try testing yourself based on the English definition of the characters. Additionally, you can create your own flashcard list in the Organize Cards tab. Create a new Category of Flashcards where you can add any new characters or words that you still don’t recognize. Later, you can test yourself with this category in the New Test tab.

• 你也可以随时改变卡片测试的设置。比如除了通过看字，看拼音也可以设置为根据英语释义来答题。而且在 Organize Cards 也可以创建自己的单词卡片，之后同样在 New Test 检查字词的掌握情况。

Thank you again for taking the time to read my newsletter. Next week, I’ll be back with more tips and recommendations. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the new adaptation of The Three-Body Problem? Is there another way Pleco helps you learn Chinese?

再次感谢你抽出时间来读我的邮件。你看网飞版的《三体》了吗？你觉得怎么样呢？关于 Pleco 的使用方法，除了我分享的，你有解锁其他用法吗？

Until next time,

Sandy

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