A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
多动症，也许根本不是“注意力”的问题
ADHD May Not Be a Problem of 'Attention' at All
About this story
Psychiatrist Awais Aftab argues ADHD is less a deficit of attention than of sustained engagement. A study in Cell found stimulants act on the brain's reward and salience networks, not its attention networks, making homework and laundry feel worth doing. From a 1992 waiting experiment to 'time blindness', and why the name misleads. Chinese listening practice at four levels. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 2 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 12 key vocabulary words such as 学习、坐、名字 and walks through 3 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
Read at your level
原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
When you study, can you keep sitting there the whole time?
Some children can't sit still when they study.
Some adults can't keep going when they work, either.
They often forget things.
Lots of people say: this is an illness, called ADHD.
The name of ADHD contains the word "attention."
Lots of people think: people with ADHD can't "pay attention."
Lots of people go to see a doctor, and take medicine.
After taking medicine, lots of children can sit down and study.
But a doctor named Aftab says: ADHD might not be a problem of "attention."
Last year, some scientists looked at what children's brains were like while they took the medicine.
They saw that with the medicine, the brain's "attention" was no different.
This doctor says: with the medicine, the brain feels that studying, working and cooking are all very interesting.
If studying is interesting, people can keep on studying.
If work is interesting, people can keep on working.
With things that aren't interesting, lots of people can't keep going.
This doctor says: the name ADHD isn't quite right.
Because the name is wrong, lots of people don't know: I have ADHD.
But this doctor also says: ADHD is an illness, and lots of people get much better after taking medicine.
When you do something that isn't interesting, can you keep on doing it?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. 你学习的时候，能不能一直坐在那里？
HSK 1. 坐不住 = cannot sit still.
HSK 1. 多动症的名字，不太对.
HSK 1. 很多人去看医生.
HSK 1. 工作有意思，人能一直做下去.
HSK 1. 很多人不知道：我有多动症.
HSK 2. 有的孩子，学习的时候，坐不住.
HSK 2. 吃了药.
HSK 2. 名字里有“注意”两个字.
大 (big) + 脑 (brain).
能一直做下去 = can keep going.
HSK 2. 他们常常忘了东西.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法verb + 不住 / 不下去
Can't keep (sitting / going).
有的孩子，学习的时候，坐不住。
能不能……？
Can you or can't you…?
你学习的时候，能不能一直坐在那里？
可能不是……
Might not be…
可是，一个叫阿夫塔布的医生说：多动症，可能不是“注意”的问题。
Proper nouns
专有名词Free account
Keep learning from this story
Create a free account to keep saved words and your preferred level together.
- Keep words with their story context
- Remember your preferred level
- Build your vocabulary over time