2:01
美国人吵了几十年的“调表”：众议院第一次投票，要让夏令时永久化
America's Long Clock Fight: The House Votes to End Changing the Clocks Twice a Year
A medium Chinese listening story on daylight saving time: the U.S. House voted to keep summer time year-round, the health case against clock changes, and why the "which time" fight is still unsettled.
This is an HSK 3-4 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 12 key vocabulary words such as 习惯、研究、身体 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.
每年总有那么两次，全世界很多人都要经历同一件“小麻烦”：早上醒来，发现得重新调表。
Twice a year, people all over the world go through the same little hassle: they wake up and realize they have to reset the clocks.
春天往前调一小时，秋天再往回调一小时。
Forward an hour in spring, back an hour in autumn.
这个习惯，一百多年前就有了，最早是为了省电、省能源。
The custom goes back more than a hundred years, first meant to save electricity and energy.
可到了今天，越来越多的人开始讨厌它。
But today, more and more people have come to hate it.
为什么？
Why?
因为很多研究发现，突然少睡一小时，对身体其实不太好。
Because many studies find that suddenly losing an hour of sleep is actually bad for your health.
调表之后那几天，心脏病、车祸，甚至都会稍微变多一点。
In the days after the change, heart attacks and car crashes even tick up slightly.
所以，“能不能别再调表了”，是美国人吵了很多年的一个话题。
So "can we stop changing the clocks" is a topic Americans have argued about for years.
就在前几天，事情有了新进展：美国众议院，第一次为这件事投了票。
Just a few days ago there was a new development: the U.S. House voted on it for the first time.
结果是三百多票同意、一百多票反对，通过了。
The result: over three hundred in favor, over one hundred against — it passed.
White House 也表示支持。
The White House voiced its support too.
要是最后真的通过，美国以后就不用一年调两次表，而是一直用夏天的时间。
If it ultimately passes, America would no longer change the clocks twice a year and would keep summer time instead.
听上去很好，可这里有个关键问题：一直用夏天的时间，到底是好是坏？
It sounds great, but there is a key question here: is keeping summer time all year actually good or bad?
好处很明显：一年到头，傍晚天黑得都比较晚，下班以后还有太阳，可以出去活动。
The upside is clear: all year, it gets dark later in the evening, so there is still sun after work to go out and be active.
但坏处也很实在：冬天的早上，天会亮得特别晚。
But the downside is real too: on winter mornings, it gets light especially late.
到那时候，孩子摸黑去上学，大人摸黑去上班，路上更危险。
By then kids would head to school in the dark and adults would commute in the dark, making the roads more dangerous.
其实很多科学家说，如果真要固定一个时间，用“冬天的时间”，对身体会更好。
In fact, many scientists say that if you must fix one time, "winter time" (standard time) is better for the body.
所以现在的情况是：大家都同意“别再调了”，可到底固定在哪个时间，还没吵出结果。
So the situation now: everyone agrees to "stop changing it," but which time to lock in is still unresolved.
接下来，这件事还要过参议院那一关，才能真正定下来。
Next, this still has to clear the Senate before it is truly decided.
说到底，这是一个所有人都会遇到、又特别难有答案的问题。
In the end, it's a question everyone runs into and that is especially hard to answer.
这个习惯 = this custom (of changing clocks).
很多研究发现 = many studies find.
对身体不太好 = not good for your health.
路上更危险 = the roads are more dangerous.
大家都同意 = everyone agrees.
还没吵出结果 = they still have not argued their way to an outcome.
表示支持 = to express support.
通过了 = it passed.
调表 = adjust the clock. Core action of the whole debate.
一直用夏天的时间 = keeping summer time = permanent 夏令时.
Grounded in-line as something that "ticks up" right after the clock change.
省电、省能源 = to save electricity and energy.
* beyond level超纲词
越来越……
越来越 + adjective means "more and more…".
越来越多的人开始讨厌它。
要是……真的……
要是 introduces a hypothetical; 真的 stresses "if it really does happen".
要是最后真的通过，美国以后就不用一年调两次表。
Free account
You just read the story — hear it next. A free account saves your level, the words you keep from this episode, and the line you stop at, so you can pick the story back up on any device.