A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
阿森纳赢了：22 年来第一次
Arsenal Win the Title — First in 22 Years
About this story
Arsenal Win the Title — First in 22 Years. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 4 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 朋友、等、第一 and walks through 4 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.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Today we're going to talk about a football news story.
It's news from England.
English football,
have you heard of it?
The biggest football competition in England
is called the "Premier League."
The Premier League has 20 teams.
They compete season after season.
The team that wins at the end,
is the "champion."
For many years,
there was a team that kept missing the title.
That team is Arsenal.
Arsenal is a very old English football club.
140 years old.
They used to be champions.
13 times champions.
But the last time they won the title,
was already 22 years ago.
In those 22 years,
Arsenal worked hard every year.
Every year they came close.
Every year they were not first.
Arsenal's fans
waited a long time.
Some watched since they were small.
Some,
watched with their dads for all 22 years.
But this year is different.
This year Arsenal won 25 matches,
and lost very few.
Their head coach is named Arteta.
Arteta used to play for Arsenal too.
He thought:
"I'm going to make Arsenal champions again.
He took many years.
This year finally arrived.
Before the last two matches,
the situation was this:
Arsenal first.
Man City second.
Man City was several points behind Arsenal.
If Man City lost,
Arsenal would be champions.
On May 18,
Arsenal played first.
They won 1–0.
Then everyone waited for Man City's match.
On May 19,
Man City played another team.
That team was Bournemouth.
Man City did not win.
They drew 1–1.
That is to say:
Arsenal's points,
Man City could no longer catch.
Arsenal were champions!
England's newspapers,
all had Arsenal on the front page.
The 22-year wait
ended today.
Fans ran in the streets of London.
They cried.
They laughed.
They hugged each other.
Head coach Arteta said:
"We did it.
"Our players are too good.
"Our fans waited too long.
Arteta's rival,
Man City's Guardiola,
said:
"Arsenal were better than us this year.
"We have to learn from them.
But the story
isn't over.
On May 30,
Arsenal have another huge match.
It's called the "Champions League final."
It's the match between the two teams left
out of all the football clubs in Europe.
Arsenal is one of them.
The other is Paris Saint-Germain of France.
If Arsenal win,
they will be the champions of Europe.
Whether they win or not,
this year is already a wonderful year for Arsenal.
Finally,
I'll ask you one question:
Do you have something you've waited a long time for?
What is it?
Think about it.
Okay.
That's all for today.
Talk tomorrow.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇Friend. The fanbase here, in the narrator's framing, is a community of friends — a generation of Arsenal supporters who waited together.
To wait. Structural verb of the episode: 等了 22 年 — waited 22 years. The closing call-to-think is also about 等.
First, number one. Arsenal 是第一 — Arsenal are first. The whole episode is the journey from 'every year not first' to '第一'.
News. The framing — 'today we're talking about a 足球的新闻.' Front-page headlines, English papers, all about Arsenal.
To think, to feel (subjective). 阿尔特塔觉得 he could turn it around. The episode's softer alternative to 想 when reporting opinions.
To cry. After 22 years, fans 哭 in the streets of London — happy tears earned across two decades.
Football. 足 (foot) + 球 (ball). The sport. Distinguish from 美式足球 (American football).
Champion. 冠 (crown) + 军 (army). The headline of the entire story. After 22 years, Arsenal are 冠军.
Head coach / manager. 主 (chief) + 教练 (coach). Arteta is the 主教练 — the architect of the rebuild.
A sports fan (especially football). 球 (ball) + 迷 (one who is obsessed). The whole emotional weight of the episode is on the 球迷, not the players.
Wait (n. or v., more formal). 22 年的等待，今天结束了 — today the 22-year wait ended. Headline-grade vocabulary.
The final (of a tournament). The Champions League 决赛 vs PSG is still to come on May 30 — Arsenal's last big chance of the season.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法每 X 都 Y
Universal-distributive structure. 每一年都很努力，每一年都差一点 — every year hardworking, every year just short. The repetition stacks the heartbreak.
每一年都很努力。
每一年都差一点。
如果 X，就 Y
Standard conditional. The verdict math: 如果曼城输，阿森纳就是冠军 — if Man City lose, Arsenal are champions. 就 marks the consequence kicking in.
如果曼城输，阿森纳就是冠军。
如果阿森纳赢了，他们就是欧洲第一。
也就是说 + clause
Used to restate a fact in plainer terms. The narrator uses it to translate the math into the emotional headline: 也就是说，阿森纳的分曼城已经追不上了 — i.e., Arsenal's lead is now unreachable.
也就是说，阿森纳的分曼城已经追不上了。
也就是说，阿森纳是冠军了。
不管 X，都 Y
不管...都... = regardless of X, Y holds. The closing line about the upcoming Champions League final: 不管赢不赢，今年都已经是阿森纳很好的一年 — no matter whether they win or not, it's already a great year.
不管赢不赢，今年都已经是阿森纳很好的一年。
不管他怎么说，我都不去。
Proper nouns
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