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This post kicks ass, if I do say so myself. This kid was asked to imagine the perfect desk-chair of the future - what it would look like, and what it would do - and boy, does he ever. The chair turns into all kinds of utopian machinery. It flies, it helps you sleep, and it carries your books to school. Sentence structure is pretty easy and the language is solidly intermediate, with very little advanced vocab (one idiom, a couple of advanced words but not much). At six paragraphs, the text is a bit long, though. <!--more-->

<img src="http://chinesereadingpractice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140528-INLINE.jpg" alt="Learn to Read Mandarin - Simplified Chinese Character Reading" width="100" height="100" class="imgborder a" /> In this text, you'll notice several uses of the character "型". 型 [pinyin]xing2[/pinyin] means "type", "kind", "sort". The character can be combined with other descriptive words, and in this text you'll see 新型 - "New Type of..." and 大型, meaning "big type" or "large-scale". 

Here's the <a href="http://www.tom61.com/youxiuzuowen/xiaoxueyinianjizuowen/2014-04-02/1396399386256109.html" target="_blank">original</a>. 
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<div class="postintro">
<h4>Click to Listen</h4>
未来 - [pinyin]wei4 lai2[/pinyin] - The Future
发明人 - [pinyin]fa1 ming2 ren2[/pinyin] - Inventor
高科技 - [pinyin]gao1 ke1 ji4[/pinyin] - High-tech
变化 - [pinyin]bian4 hua4[/pinyin] - To change
按钮 - [pinyin]an4 niu3[/pinyin] - A button
朝气蓬勃 - [pinyin]zhao1 qi4 peng2 bo2[/pinyin] - Youthful vigor
能源 - [pinyin]neng2 yuan2[/pinyin] - Power source
文具盒 - [pinyin]wen2 ju4 he2[/pinyin] - Box of stationery, pencil case
游戏机 - [pinyin]you2 xi4 ji1[/pinyin] - Video game machine
叠床 - [pinyin]die2 chuang2[/pinyin] - Fold-out bed
安然 - [pinyin]an1 ran2[/pinyin] - Peacefully
</div>
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<div id="chinesetext">
你想知道<strong>未来</strong>的桌椅是什么样子吗? 还是让我这个<strong>发明人</strong>来介绍一下吧!

未来的桌椅是<strong>高科技</strong>材料制成的，大小、颜色、形状能随意<strong>变化</strong>。早晨去上学，就按第一个<strong>按钮</strong>，颜色可以变成绿色，象征新的一天<strong>朝气蓬勃</strong>，这个桌椅变成了新型自行车，那时候人们讲究环保，每个学生都骑这样的车去上学，不用别的<strong>能源</strong>，有太阳能和风就够了。如果遇见堵车的现象，自行车就会飞跃过去，保证准时到达学校。

到了学校，请按第二个按钮，绿色自行车变成了蓝色电脑桌椅，开始上课学习，根本不用带书包呀、<strong>文具盒</strong>、教材什么的。一切学习任务都在电脑上完成。

到了放学的时候，又变回自行车回到家。当然这时候的车速可以放慢，好好欣赏一下大自然的风光。回到家没有作业，这时请按第三个橘色按钮，自行车再变成大型<strong>游戏机</strong>，你就可以玩各种游戏了。当然，对眼睛没有害处。

到了晚上，请按第四个按钮，游戏机变成了你喜欢颜色的折<strong>叠床</strong>，发出美妙的音乐，催你甜蜜地入眠。假如你感觉哪儿不舒服了，就从床头伸出几个按摩头给你按摩，让你<strong>安然</strong>入睡。

怎么样，我发明的未来的桌椅你一定喜欢吧?欢迎你现在就来预订一套。
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Do you want to know what chairs and tables will be like in the future? Well then let this inventor [author is referring to self] introduce you!

Chairs and tables in the future are manufactured from high-tech materials, and the size, color and shape can change according to your wishes. In the morning when you go to school, you just push the first button, and the color will change to green, symbolizing a new day full of youthful energy, and its shape will change into a new type of bicycle, since at that time [the future] people will all pay attention to the environment, and every student will ride this kind of bike to go to school, and no other power source will be needed, just solar and wind will be enough. If you run into traffic, this bike can leap over it, ensuring you'll arrive at school on time. 　

Once you get to school, please push the second button, and the green bike will turn into a blue computer desk and chair, and when you start to study, you don't even need to have your book bag, stationery box or other study materials. Everything you need [to accomplish studying] is all in the computer. 　

When school gets out, it will again turn into a bike so you can return home. Of course at this time, the bike is also freed to go slowly, so that you can take a moment to appreciate the natural scenery. When you get home and you have no homework, press the third orange-colored button, and the bike will change into a large video game machine, and you can play all kinds of games. Of course, it will do no damage to your eyes. 

At night, press the fourth button, and the video game machine will turn into a fold-out bed in any color you want, playing splendid music, that will encourage you to drift into sweet sleep. If you feel at all uncomfortable, a few massagers will extend from the head of the bed and give you a massage, to let you rest peacefully. 

What do you think? Surely you'll like my future desk chair. I welcome you to place an order for one now. 

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