A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
8:18
火星哥新歌夺得全球音乐榜单第一名
Bruno Mars 'Risk It All' Tops Billboard Global 200 — A Win for 'The Romanticist'
HSK 3 Chinese listening practice. Bruno Mars's new song 'Risk It All' from 'The Romanticist' debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 8 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 15 key vocabulary words such as 合作、证明、吸引 and walks through 5 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.
Let's talk about the most popular music in the world recently.
Bruno Mars has a very famous new song.
His Chinese name is Bruno Mars.
This new song of his translates into Chinese as Adventure for Love.
Right now, this song is number one globally.
There is a very famous music chart.
This chart is called the Billboard Global 200.
This chart is very important.
Because it calculates data from all over the world.
The performance of Bruno Mars' new song is very good.
In the first week, over 50 million people listened to this song.
This number is truly very surprising.
This song is in his new album.
The name of this album is The Romanticist.
This is also a very popular album.
Actually, this is not his first time getting first place.
He previously also had two songs that reached global number one.
For example, the song he collaborated on with another female singer last year.
That song stayed at number one for a long time.
There is also a song he collaborated on with a South Korean singer.
That song also ranked first consecutively for twelve weeks.
But the situation this time is a little different.
This time is his first time getting global number one all by himself.
In the past, he always collaborated with other singers.
But this time, he succeeded relying solely on himself.
This proves that his musical ability is truly very strong.
He doesn't need other people's help to attract many listeners.
Why does everyone like Bruno Mars' songs so much?
Because his music is always full of emotion.
His voice is also very special and sounds very good.
So every time he releases a new song, everyone goes to listen.
Let's look again at Bruno Mars' new album The Romanticist.
Romance is a very beautiful word.
It represents people's yearning for love and happiness.
Bruno Mars' lyrics are always written very romantically.
He is very good at expressing complex emotions between people.
Sometimes his songs sound very passionate and exciting.
Sometimes his songs sound very quiet and warm.
This rich variation gives his music a lot of charm.
When listeners listen to his songs, they feel very relaxed.
Whether you are working or resting.
His music is very good company.
This new song is also a very excellent love song.
Many people have the experience of being brave once for love.
So everyone will feel a lot when listening to this song.
Next, let's look at another famous singer.
His name is Bad Bunny, also a very impressive singer.
He has a song that is also currently ranked number one.
But this one is number one on another global chart.
This chart is a global chart that does not count US data.
That is to say, this is worldwide data excluding the United States.
Why is this song so popular in other countries?
Because he recently had a very special performance.
He performed this song at the biggest sports competition in the US.
That competition is called the Super Bowl, and a lot of people watch it.
After he performed there, more people went to listen to his song.
So a good performance has a great impact on a song.
In addition, there is another song that has also become very interesting.
The name of this song translated is Native America.
It is sung in collaboration by two young female singers.
This song suddenly became very popular and ranked second.
Why did this song suddenly become so popular?
Because this has a lot to do with the recent Winter Olympics.
There was an American female athlete who participated in a skating competition.
She won a gold medal in this competition.
This is America's first women's skating gold medal in 24 years.
This in itself is a very remarkable achievement.
When she was performing her skating routine at the Olympics.
She used this song by these two female singers.
Many people watched her skating performance on TV.
Not only did they think this young girl's performance was too beautiful.
But they also deeply fell in love with this background music.
So after the competition ended, everyone went online to find this song.
Let's chat in detail again about that song that became popular because of the skating competition.
Skating is a very beautiful and also very difficult sport.
Athletes need to complete many complex movements on the ice.
So the music they choose must be very suitable.
If the rhythm of the music and the athlete's movements can perfectly match.
The audience will feel that this performance is very artistic.
That young American girl achieved exactly this.
The rhythm of the music she chose is very lively and very attractive.
When she was jumping freely on the ice.
The melody of this song moved all the audience very much.
This also provided a good experience for many music makers.
If they want a new song to be known by more people.
They not only need to do a lot of advertising on the internet.
They can also combine the music with some major competitions.
For example, international events like the Olympics or the World Cup.
This way, audiences all over the world can hear this song.
Let's discuss again the rules of these music charts.
You might ask, how are these first places calculated?
Today's music charts are already completely different from the past.
In the past, everyone might go to the store to buy music CDs.
But now everyone listens to songs on their phones or computers.
So the calculation methods of the charts have also become more complex.
If you listen to a song online, this is an important piece of data.
If you spend money to buy this song, this is yet another piece of data.
As long as you listen online, it counts whether you watched ads or not.
If you bought a membership to listen to songs, of course it will also be calculated in it.
This puts together data from more than two hundred countries around the world.
This way, it can be clearly seen what songs the whole world likes.
This method is not only very scientific, but also very fair.
Because it's not just American singers who can get first place.
Excellent singers from other countries also have the opportunity to get first place.
Let's go back to that singer called Bad Bunny.
Most of the songs he sings are in Spanish.
In the past, English songs were the most popular in the world.
But now, the situation has undergone a major change.
More and more Spanish-speaking singers are becoming very famous.
This also reflects the richness and diversity of world culture.
Regardless of whether you can understand the specific meaning of the lyrics.
As long as the rhythm of the music sounds good, you can dance along.
This is the most magical effect of art.
It can break the distance between different countries.
Allowing young people all over the world to communicate and share together.
From these music charts, we can discover many interesting phenomena.
First, the current popular music market changes really fast.
Almost every week, new good-sounding songs appear.
Everyone's choices are much more than before.
Second, collaborated songs are now becoming easier and easier to get popular.
Many singers like to find singers from other countries to sing together.
This can attract listeners from different countries and regions.
For example, transnational collaborations between American singers and South Korean singers.
This can make music richer and more interesting.
However, if you have a truly good-sounding song.
Even if you only rely on yourself to sing, it can be just as popular.
Just like Bruno Mars' new song Adventure for Love this time.
He used his own strength to prove this point to everyone.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
Verb meaning to work together. Commonly used in business, arts, or projects.
Verb meaning to prove or testify. Can also be used as a noun for 'certificate' or 'proof'.
Verb used to describe drawing attention, interest, or people towards something.
Noun referring to emotions, feelings, or affection between people.
Adjective describing something that is not simple, often involving many interconnected parts.
Adjective describing a state of high emotional arousal, excitement, or agitation.
Adjective used to praise high quality, talent, or exceptional performance.
Can be a verb (to influence) or a noun (an impact or effect).
Noun referring to a published list of items ranked by popularity or performance.
Noun used exclusively for music albums or special collections. Measure word is 张 (zhāng).
Verb indicating a strong desire or longing for something beautiful or ideal.
Noun referring to the tune or melodic line of a piece of music.
Adjective used to describe activities, companies, or collaborations that span multiple countries.
Noun referring to real power, competence, or ability in a specific field.
Verb or noun meaning to keep someone company or the act of accompanying.
* beyond level超纲词
Used to express 'not only... but also...'. It connects two clauses where the second presents a further point or deeper level of meaning.
他们不仅觉得这个年轻女孩的表演太美了。而且他们也深深地爱上了这首背景音乐。
这种方法不但很科学，而且非常公平。
Expresses 'no matter...' or 'regardless of...'. It introduces a condition or situation that does not affect the final outcome.
无论你是在工作还是在休息。他的音乐都是非常好的陪伴。
不管有没有看广告都算。
不管你能不能听懂歌词里的具体意思。只要音乐的节奏好听，你就可以跟着跳舞。
Expresses 'as long as... then...'. It indicates a sufficient condition for a specific result to occur.
只要你在网上听，不管有没有看广告都算。
只要音乐的节奏好听，你就可以跟着跳舞。
Means 'more and more...'. It indicates a gradual change or progression over time.
其次，合作的歌曲现在变得越来越容易火。
越来越多说西班牙语的歌手变得非常有名。
Means 'even if... still...'. It introduces a hypothetical or extreme concession, emphasizing that the result remains unchanged.
即使你只靠自己一个人唱，也一样能火。
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