There are generally four tones in Mandarin. Let me use the character ma as an example. Its first tone is pronounced as ma1, the second tone as ma2; the third tone as ma3 and the fourth tone as ma4. When I read the Pinyin in the Conversion table, which can be found at the beginning of S & B’s right before chapter 1, I may use any of these four tones, but there is one most frequently used tone in this recording. What is it? This may be a good practice if you want to learn how to identify different tones in mandarin. Have fun learning by listening!