2:52
古巴没有电了：一个国家，晚上一片黑
Cuba Has No Power: A Country Goes Dark at Night
This is an HSK 1 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 10 key vocabulary words such as 医院、天气、热 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.
古巴是一个国家。
Cuba is a country.
古巴不太大。
Cuba is not very big.
古巴很远很远。
Cuba is far, far away.
古巴现在，很不好。
Cuba is in a bad way right now.
晚上，古巴很黑。
At night, Cuba is very dark.
家里没有电。
There's no electricity at home.
很多地方，都没有电。
Many places have no electricity.
古巴人，晚上看不见东西。
At night, Cubans can't see anything.
古巴，怎么没有电了？
Cuba — how did it lose its electricity?
因为古巴，没有石油了。
Because Cuba has run out of oil.
有石油，就有电。
With oil, there's electricity.
没有石油，就没有电。
Without oil, there's no electricity.
古巴的石油，很少。
Cuba has very little oil.
古巴要买石油。
Cuba has to buy oil.
古巴想买很多石油。
Cuba wants to buy a lot of oil.
可是现在，古巴买不了石油。
But right now, Cuba can't buy oil.
这里，有美国的事。
This has to do with the United States.
美国有一个人，叫特朗普。
In the US there's a man named Trump.
特朗普不喜欢古巴。
Trump doesn't like Cuba.
他不让很多国家，卖石油给古巴。
He won't let many countries sell oil to Cuba.
谁卖给古巴，美国就不高兴。
Whoever sells to Cuba, the US is unhappy with.
所以，很多国家，不卖了。
So many countries stopped selling.
古巴的石油，很少很少。
Cuba's oil got less and less.
现在，一点也没有了。
Now there's none left at all.
没有石油，古巴就很黑。
With no oil, Cuba goes dark.
晚上，古巴人在家里。
At night, Cubans are at home.
家里很黑，也很热。
Home is very dark, and very hot.
他们想开电视，可是电视不能开。
They want to turn on the TV, but the TV won't turn on.
他们想看电脑，电脑也不能看。
They want to use the computer, but the computer won't work either.
小朋友想看电影，也不可以。
The children want to watch a movie, but they can't.
没有电，很多东西都不能用。
Without electricity, many things can't be used.
古巴的电，有的时候来，有的时候没有。
Cuba's power sometimes comes, sometimes doesn't.
今天有电，明天没有电。
Today there's power, tomorrow there isn't.
古巴人，天天都想有电。
Cubans wish for power every single day.
古巴人，很不好。
Cubans are having a hard time.
天气很热，可是没有电。
It's very hot, but there's no electricity.
医院里，也没有电。
The hospitals have no electricity either.
没有电，医院很难。
Without electricity, the hospitals struggle.
有的人，也不好了。
Some people have fallen ill.
大家都很难。
Everyone is struggling.
古巴人，想要电，也想要石油。
Cubans want electricity, and they want oil.
现在，都没有。
Right now, they have neither.
古巴说：我们也想有电。
Cuba says: we want electricity too.
古巴想，太阳也可以给电。
Cuba thinks the sun can give power too.
可是这个，要很多时候。
But that takes a lot of time.
现在的古巴，很黑。
Cuba, right now, is very dark.
很多人，都很难。
Many people are struggling.
好，今天我们说了古巴。
Okay, today we talked about Cuba.
一个很远的国家，没有了电。
A faraway country that has lost its electricity.
很多古巴人，都很难。
Many Cubans are having a hard time.
我们也想，古巴人快一点好。
We hope, too, that Cubans get better soon.
HSK 1. hospital. 医院里，也没有电 = the hospitals have no power either.
HSK 1. weather. 天气很热，可是没有电 = it is very hot, but there is no power.
HSK 1. hot. 家里很黑，也很热 = home is dark and hot.
HSK 1. to buy. 古巴要买石油 = Cuba has to buy oil.
HSK 1. TV. 他们想开电视 = they want to turn on the TV.
HSK 1. things. 很多东西都不能用 = many things can’t be used.
The core word. 没有电，古巴就很黑 = with no power, Cuba goes dark.
Oil. 古巴没有石油了 = Cuba has run out of oil.
A country. 他不让很多国家卖石油给古巴 = he bars many countries from selling oil to Cuba.
The sun. 太阳也可以给电 = the sun can give power too.
* beyond level超纲词
有...就有... / 没有...就没有...
"If there is... then...; if not... then not..." — a simple conditional.
有石油，就有电。没有石油，就没有电。
也
"Also / too / either" — adds another case.
医院里，也没有电。
外面也没有电。
想 + 动词
"Want to" do something.
他们想开电视。
古巴人，天天都想有电。
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