A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
他打类固醇、一天喝二十多杯、一次都没练。健美比赛首秀，他拿了最后一名。
He Took Steroids, Drank 24 a Day and Never Trained Once. At His First Bodybuilding Contest, He Came Last.
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He Took Steroids, Drank 24 a Day and Never Trained Once. At His First Bodybuilding Contest, He Came Last. HSK 5-6 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 5-6 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 20 key vocabulary words such as 训练、实验、结果 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.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
How far can a man get in a bodybuilding contest without training, drinking heavily every day, and relying only on drugs?
Peter Mossfield of the United States ran that experiment on his own body. The answer: eighth place — last.
Mossfield’s account online is called BoozeBagFitness.
He said openly that he was using steroids, drinking heavily at the same time, and not training at all.
His original idea was: without lifting a single weight, on drugs alone, how far can muscle actually grow?
At his wildest, he says, he was drinking more than twenty glasses a day.
In the weeks before the contest he switched from beer to vodka and diet soda, reasoning that fewer calories would make him look leaner.
Even so, he averaged close to twelve drinks a day over those weeks.
The whole thing was contested from start to finish, with doctors and people online pointing out how dangerous alcohol and steroids are together.
He went through with it anyway.
On the eighth of August he competed in a bodybuilding contest in New York, entered in Men’s Classic Physique Open Class B.
Eight men in the class, counting him.
By the schedule, prejudging ran in the morning and the finals in the evening.
After prejudging there were several hours to spare.
Mossfield spent those hours drinking.
He later explained that he had been drinking less during prep, so his tolerance had dropped, and once he started he lost track of time.
By the time he came to, the finals and the individual posing round were both over. He never went on stage.
On the official results, out of eight men, he was eighth.
He himself is not convinced.
In his post-show video he said that as he saw it, the best physique up there was either his or one other man’s.
He also said he had not shaved properly that day, and reckoned it may have cost him a good number of points.
Whether or not those reasons hold, the placing did not change.
He now says he stopped the steroids after the contest and intends to start lifting properly.
He calls himself, with a straight face, a "born-again natural".
Think about it: how far is a person willing to go for a result — and which step are they willing to skip?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇一个人不训练 = a man who does not train.
用自己的身体做了这个实验 = ran that experiment on his own body.
结果一喝就忘了时间 = as a result, once he started he lost track of time.
他后来解释说 = he later explained.
但他还是坚持到了上台那天 = he went through with it anyway.
酒精和类固醇一起用有多危险 = how dangerous alcohol and steroids are together.
不管这些理由成不成立 = whether or not those reasons hold.
一天平均还是要喝将近十二杯 = he still averaged close to twelve drinks a day.
理由是想减少热量 = reasoning that it would cut calories.
接下来打算认认真真开始举铁 = he intends to start lifting properly.
他公开说，自己在用类固醇 = he said openly that he was using steroids.
光靠药物，肌肉能长到什么程度 = on drugs alone, how far can muscle grow.
在健美比赛上走多远 = how far in a bodybuilding contest.
上午先打初赛 = prejudging ran in the morning.
晚上再打决赛 = the finals in the evening.
名次，没有变 = the placing did not change.
他自嘲说自己是「重新做人的自然选手」 = he calls himself, with a straight face, a born-again natural.
这件事从头到尾都有争议 = the whole thing was contested from start to finish.
酒精和类固醇一起用 = using alcohol and steroids together.
他在网上的账号叫 BoozeBagFitness = his account online is called BoozeBagFitness.
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法光靠……
"relying only on X". Marks the one input the person is willing to supply.
不举铁，光靠药物，肌肉，到底能长到什么程度。
不管……，……
"regardless of whether X, Y". Dismisses the excuses and states the fact.
不管这些理由成不成立，名次，没有变。
Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
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