Fluentide

A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels

Democrats Win Congress: Can They Lower the Cost of Living? — episode cover art
1:52

民主党赢回国会:物价能降吗?

Democrats Win Congress: Can They Lower the Cost of Living?

About this story

HSK 1: A 29-year-old unemployed engineer votes for the Democrats. They won Congress, but can they make things cheaper and fix healthcare?

This is an HSK 2 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 工作、公司、住 and walks through 7 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 at your level

原文

Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.

他二十九岁,七个月没有工作了。
他住在美国。
每天,他都在找工作。
七个月里,他找了五百家公司。
他告诉每一家公司:我想来这里工作。
有十二家公司找他说话。
但是没有一家公司要他。
以前,他在一家公司做电脑的工作。
这个工作,一年给他八万九千美元。
七个月前,公司不要他了。
他说:「现在我看到的,不太好。」
今年秋天,美国人选了新的人。
他也去了,他选的是民主党。
民主党赢了很多地方。
美国有一个国会。
现在,国会里民主党的人多。
有一个地方,民主党的人赢了。
他要去国会。
那个地方还选了新的人,来管那个地方。
这个人也是民主党。
民主党说:我们要让东西便宜一点。
可是,他们能做的事不多。
国会要做一件事,要有六十个人说同意。
民主党的人不到六十个。
总统也可以说不。
所以,东西可能还是这么贵。
民主党还说,要让大家看病少花钱。
新年刚过,民主党就要管国会了。
他还是没有工作。
English transcript reference

He is twenty-nine years old and has been out of work for seven months.

He lives in the United States.

Every day, he looks for a job.

In seven months, he applied to five hundred companies.

He told every company: I want to work here.

Twelve companies talked to him.

But not a single company wanted him.

Before, he did computer work at a company.

That job paid him eighty-nine thousand dollars a year.

Seven months ago, the company let him go.

He said: "What I see now is not very good."

This autumn, Americans elected new people.

He went too; he voted for the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party won many places.

The United States has a Congress.

Now, there are more Democrats in Congress.

In one place, the Democratic candidate won.

He is going to Congress.

That place also elected a new person to run that place.

This person is also a Democrat.

The Democratic Party says: We want to make things a little cheaper.

But there is not much they can do.

For Congress to do something, sixty people must agree.

The Democrats have fewer than sixty people.

The president can also say no.

So, things may still be this expensive.

The Democratic Party also says it wants to make it cheaper for everyone to see a doctor.

The New Year has just passed, and the Democrats are about to control Congress.

He still does not have a job.

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
gōngzuòjob; to work

HSK 1. Common noun/verb: 找工作 (look for a job), 做工作 (do work).

gōngsīcompany

HSK 1. Measure word: 一家公司 (a company).

zhùto live; to reside

HSK 1. 住在 + place: 他住在美国 (He lives in the US).

zhǎoto look for; to find

HSK 1. 找工作 = look for a job; 找人 = look for someone.

shuōto say; to speak

HSK 1. 说话 = talk; 他说 = he said.

yǐqiánbefore; previously

HSK 1. Used alone or after a time: 七个月以前 (seven months ago).

jīnniánthis year

HSK 1. Contrast with 去年 (last year) and 明年 (next year).

dìfangplace

HSK 1. 有一个地方 = there is a place.

MěiguóUnited States

HSK 1. 美国人 = American person.

yíngto win

HSK 2. 赢了很多地方 = won many places. Opposite: 输 (lose).

guóhuìCongress; parliament

Beyond HSK 1. 美国国会 = US Congress; 国会里 = in Congress.

MínzhǔdǎngDemocratic Party

Beyond HSK 1. 民主 = democracy; 党 = party. 民主党的人 = Democrats.

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法

Subject + 没有 + Verb + 了

Indicates that an action has not happened for a period of time, often with a duration phrase.

他二十九岁,七个月没有工作了。

他还是没有工作。

每 + Measure Word + Noun + 都 + Verb

Means 'every ... all ...', emphasizing that the action applies to each item without exception.

每天,他都在找工作。

他告诉每一家公司:我想来这里工作。

有 + Number + Measure Word + Noun

Expresses existence or quantity: 'there are ...' or '... has ...'.

有十二家公司找他说话。

美国有一个国会。

有一个地方,民主党的人赢了。

但是 + 没有 + 一 + Measure Word + Noun

Emphasizes 'not a single ...' using 没有 with 一 + measure word.

但是没有一家公司要他。

要 + 有 + Number + Measure Word + Noun + 说同意

Expresses a requirement: 'need to have X (people) agree'.

国会要做一件事,要有六十个人说同意。

让 + Person + Verb Phrase

Causative construction meaning 'to let/make someone do something'.

民主党说:我们要让东西便宜一点。

民主党还说,要让大家看病少花钱。

还是 + Verb Phrase

Means 'still' or 'nevertheless', indicating a situation continues unchanged.

所以,东西可能还是这么贵。

他还是没有工作。

Proper nouns

专有名词
美国MěiguóUnited States民主党MínzhǔdǎngDemocratic Party国会GuóhuìCongress

Sources

来源

Free account

Keep learning from this story

Create a free account to keep saved words and your preferred level together.

  • Keep words with their story context
  • Remember your preferred level
  • Build your vocabulary over time

Keep learning