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Family gatherings and hometowns: tell your story

How can you explain a gathering and invite a friend to join?

Family connections provide the cultural background. Distinguish Spring Festival practices from the fictional birthday and weekend lunch; hometowns and family arrangements can differ.

These are editorial reading bands, not exam levels.

A birthday lunch on Sunday

Fictional story · local synthesized audio, listening review pending

My family will meet in my hometown on Sunday.

English pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)

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Translation and pinyin

星期天,我的家人会在我的家乡见面。

We will cook together.

English pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)

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Translation and pinyin

我们会一起做饭。

We will celebrate Grandma’s birthday.

English pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)

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Translation and pinyin

我们会为奶奶庆祝生日。

I invited a friend to lunch at twelve.

English pronunciation · Device-generated pronunciation (depends on browser and system voices)

Your current device will speak after you click; voices can differ by device.

Translation and pinyin

我邀请了一位朋友十二点来吃午饭。

Supporting vocabulary

Grandma — an informal word for grandmother

twelve — the number 12

family · hometown · together · celebrate · invite ·

Find evidence in the text

Turn the story into an exchange

These are authored dialogue tasks, not live AI. Respond one turn at a time.

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Main scenario

Describe a family gathering in English

On Sunday at twelve, your family will cook together in your hometown for Grandma’s birthday. You invited a colleague. The family may be fictional.

Explain place, time, and activities, then respond to questions about the gathering.

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A different setting

Variation: a gathering away from the hometown

Open a task to discover the new conditions and adapt your response.

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Cultural notes and sources

UNESCO’s description of Spring Festival includes celebrating family reunions.

Spring festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of traditional new year

Is there a similar or different practice in your life? You may invent an example or skip this question.

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