A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
6:58
世界杯小组赛：奥地利三比一击败首秀的约旦，时隔三十六年再赢世界杯
World Cup: Austria Edge Debutants Jordan 3-1 for Their First World Cup Win in 36 Years
母语级中文世界杯战报：施密德破门，约旦奥尔万攻入队史世界杯首球扳平，乌龙球再度领先，阿瑙托维奇补时点球锁定胜局，奥地利三比一时隔三十六年再赢世界杯。含生词、语法和全文英文翻译。
This is an HSK 5-6 Chinese listening episode that runs about 7 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 10 key vocabulary words such as 主动、谨慎、压力 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 the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
Austria beat Jordan three to one, and behind this seemingly ordinary group-stage match lie two moving stories about "many years" and a "first time."
For Austria, this was a victory more than thirty years overdue.
Until now, they had gone far too long without tasting the flavor of a win on the World Cup stage, and this time, they finally did it.
And for Jordan, this was quite simply the first World Cup match in their country's history.
Being able to stand on the highest stage of the World Cup was, for every Jordan player and every Jordan fan, a dream already realized.
For precisely that reason, these two teams, neither regarded by outsiders as elite, each walked onto the pitch carrying special feelings.
One yearned to end years of long waiting; the other yearned to write its own historic first page.
This kind of backdrop added much intrigue and emotion to an otherwise ordinary group-stage match.
For neutral fans, no matter who won or lost in the end, this was a match worth watching with heart.
Because in these two teams, you could see the most simple and most moving side of football.
From the start, Austria looked the more proactive side.
They firmly held the ball, patiently searching for chances in front of Jordan's defense through continuous passing.
Jordan played relatively cautiously, first solidifying their defense, then looking to threaten the opponent on the counter.
This is the most common and most pragmatic choice for the slightly weaker side when facing a strong team.
In the opening twenty minutes, the two sides went back and forth, and the match was full of intrigue.
Although Jordan were World Cup newcomers, they didn't look the least bit overawed, and several counters created real threats.
However, in terms of overall organization and big-tournament experience, Austria still had the edge.
In the 20th minute, Austria broke the on-field deadlock first.
Their player Schmid seized a chance and finished, helping the team take a one-nil lead.
After this goal, Austria's fans were thrilled beyond words, sensing faintly that the long-awaited win seemed to be beckoning to them.
Yet Jordan was not crushed by this conceded goal.
Just as the second half began, they delivered their own response.
Jordan's forward Olwan seized a chance and finished decisively, leveling the score at one-one.
The meaning of this goal was extraordinary — it was precisely Jordan's first ever goal in World Cup history.
For a nation, the first goal at a World Cup is destined to be remembered forever.
The Jordan fans in the stands erupted in an instant, many even moved to tears.
In that moment, exactly what the score was seemed no longer to matter; this goal alone was enough to make them immensely proud.
However, after being pegged back, Austria also felt real, tangible pressure.
They knew very well that if they let their opponent bog them down like this, the win they'd waited over thirty years for would likely slip past them once again.
So they renewed their offensive, launching attack after attack at Jordan's goal, trying to retake the lead.
The chance came in the 70-somethingth minute.
An Austria attack created chaos in Jordan's box, and a Jordan defender, clearing in haste, accidentally knocked the ball into his own goal.
Such a goal is called an "own goal," and for Jordan it was without doubt a deeply unfortunate moment.
Two to one — and just like that, Austria reclaimed the lead.
Trailing once more, Jordan had no way back and could only throw everyone forward to fight for an equalizer.
Unwilling to lose their World Cup debut like this, they committed more and more players to the attack.
However, the law of the football pitch often goes like this: when you attack with everything you have, the defense behind you also leaves more gaps.
In stoppage time at the very end, Austria earned a precious penalty.
The one who stepped up to take it was the team's veteran Arnautović.
Seasoned and still utterly calm under enormous pressure, he made no mistake, sending the ball steadily into the net.
For such a battle-hardened veteran, stepping up at such a crucial moment is exactly the finest expression of his years of value.
Three to one — Austria completely sealed this hard-won victory.
At the moment the final whistle sounded, the whole Austria team erupted.
For them, the meaning of these three points had long surpassed victory itself — it meant that a wait lasting more than thirty years had finally come to a close.
Many older fans had even waited most of their lives for a World Cup win like this.
Up in the stands, Austria's fans sang and danced, long reluctant to leave the ground where their dream had come true.
Of course, the Jordan side that lost the match won everyone's respect all the same.
As newcomers making their World Cup debut, they scored a goal in their very first match and showed not the slightest fear of a strong opponent.
They battled from the opening whistle to the final one, and didn't choose to give up until the very last moment.
For a team stepping onto the World Cup stage for the first time, this performance was already plenty to win everyone's praise.
After the match, people's discussions naturally revolved around these two teams.
Some sighed that Austria's win really came so hard, with years of frustration, persistence, and longing behind it.
Others said Jordan's future is well worth anticipating; they've already bravely taken their own first step.
Actually, this is exactly the most moving thing about the World Cup: every team, strong or weak, has a story of its own.
Some teams are bitterly waiting for a long-overdue victory; others are earnestly writing the first page of their own history.
For Austria, a winning start is an ideal beginning, and it finally lifted a burden that had weighed on their hearts for years.
For Jordan, although they lost the match, the group stage has only just begun, and everything in the future is still possible.
They still possess the chance to fight for that first-ever victory of their own in World Cup history.
A three-one game that, just like that, tightly tied together two utterly different yet equally moving football stories.
Perhaps many years from now, when fans of both teams look back on this day, a knowing smile will rise to their faces.
One finally fulfilled its dream, the other has just set out — and this is exactly football at its most beautiful.
That's the whole story of this Austria versus Jordan match. Until next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
比赛一开始，奥地利就显得更加主动。
约旦则踢得相对谨慎。
被扳平之后的奥地利，也感受到了实实在在的压力。
一支渴望终结多年的漫长等待。
HSK 1-4. nature; natural.
考纲词。约旦却丝毫不显怯场。
考纲词。这是最常见、也最务实的选择。
成语。许多人甚至激动得热泪盈眶。
成语。对于这样一位身经百战的老将而言。
成语。那场胜利恐怕又将与他们擦肩而过。
* beyond level超纲词
对…而言，…
'as far as … is concerned, …' — formal version of 对…来说.
对奥地利而言，这是一场迟到了三十多年的胜利。
正因如此，…
'precisely for this reason, …'.
正因如此，这两支球队都带着一份特别的心情走上了赛场。
无论…，都…
'no matter …, (still) …' — regardless of the condition.
无论最后谁赢谁输，这都是一场值得用心去看的比赛。
Free account
Create a free account to keep saved words and your preferred level together.