A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
世界杯淘汰赛：哈兰德梅开二度，挪威二比一爆冷淘汰巴西
Norway Upsets Brazil 2–1 on Haaland Brace
About this story
An easy Chinese listening lesson on the World Cup last 16: Haaland's two late goals stun five-time champions Brazil, and Norway reach their first-ever quarter-final. A Neymar penalty isn't enough, and it may be his World Cup farewell. HSK 2 vocabulary on an upset.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 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 7 key vocabulary words such as 冷门、前锋、领先 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
Today we're talking about a very surprising World Cup knockout game: Norway beat Brazil two to one.
This is one of the biggest upsets of this World Cup so far.
First, a word on Brazil.
Brazil are the most famous team in the world, and have won the World Cup five times in their history.
Before the game, almost everyone thought Brazil would win easily.
Now a word on Norway.
Norway have a superb forward named Haaland, one of the best goal-scorers in the world.
Alright, let's look at the game.
In the first half, both teams played cautiously, and neither scored.
For a long stretch of the second half, the score was still zero to zero.
Brazil kept attacking, but Norway defended very well and didn't concede a single goal.
Just as the game was nearly over, Haaland stepped up.
In the seventy-ninth minute, he headed one in — zero to one.
Norway led!
The whole stadium was stunned.
Even more unexpectedly, in the ninetieth minute, Haaland scored again.
Zero to two, and Norway looked set to win.
Only now did Brazil grow anxious.
Neymar converted a penalty for Brazil — one to two.
But there was little time left, and Brazil couldn't pull it back.
In the end, Norway won the game two to one.
For Norway, this is a historic win.
It's the first time they've reached a World Cup quarter-final, making national soccer history.
And the biggest hero of it all was Haaland, who scored both goals himself.
For Brazil, losing is truly a huge shock and a great shame.
They were title favorites, yet went out early right here.
There's also some sad news: this may be Neymar's last World Cup.
Reportedly, after the game, he announced he would no longer play for the national team.
A superstar, just like that, said goodbye to the World Cup.
That's Norway two to one Brazil, a game belonging to Haaland, and to the upset.
See you next match.
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Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇弱队意外赢了强队。这是最大的冷门之一。
站在最前面、专门负责进球的球员。哈兰德是很厉害的前锋。
分数更多、走在前面。挪威领先了。
在关键时候挺身而出。哈兰德站了出来。
一个人对着守门员踢，很容易进。内马尔罚进了一个点球。
第一次做到、能写进历史的。这是一场历史性的胜利。
比赛剩下最后八支队伍。他们第一次进入世界杯八强。
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法更让人没想到的是…
'Even more unexpectedly…' — escalates the surprise.
更让人没想到的是，哈兰德又进了一个球。
眼看就要…
'On the verge of…' — about to happen.
零比二，挪威眼看就要赢了。
可能是最后一次…
'May be the last time…' — a poignant possibility.
这可能是内马尔最后一次踢世界杯了。
Proper nouns
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