Use the story and article lessons to practice your listening skills. The approach we recommend is to first listen to the normal speed version and see how much of it you understand. Then listen to the slowed down version to practice your pronunciation and give you more time to think what each sentence is saying. If there are still parts that you don’t understand, then refer to the translations provided in the complete transcripts. Once you are familiar with the new vocabulary and sentence patterns taught, then try your hand at the different exercises such as the typing test and sentence builders. For an added challenge, try reading the entire transcript yourself in Chinese characters. Following these steps for each lesson should insure constant improvement on your part.