A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
《穿 Prada 的女魔头》二十年后推出续集，纸媒杂志的衰落成了故事的新主线。
Two decades later, The Devil Wears Prada gets a sequel — and the decline of print magazines becomes the story's new throughline.
About this story
Two decades later, The Devil Wears Prada gets a sequel — and the decline of print magazines becomes the story's new throughline. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.
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 10 key vocabulary words such as 问题、办法、电影 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
These days, everyone's talking about the same film: The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Twenty years ago, the first one caught fire around the world.
It's a story set in the world of fashion magazines.
The most formidable figure in it is a magazine's female boss, named Miranda Priestly.
She doesn't speak loudly, but everyone in the company fears her; a single look from her can decide a person's future.
Many say this character was written after a real, powerful figure in the fashion world.
Andy is the young assistant who just joined; at first she understands nothing and gets scolded by Miranda every day.
What's most interesting about the new film is that in these twenty years, the world has completely changed.
Twenty years ago, paper magazines were the most powerful thing; everyone scrambled to buy them and to make the cover.
But now, almost no one buys paper magazines; everyone reads things on their phone.
So in the new film, even someone as formidable as Miranda starts to get a headache: how much longer can her magazine survive?
She even has to go ask her former assistant for help, because that person now controls a lot of advertising money.
The most interesting part: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway — all these original big stars — are back.
The film opened first in theaters; now you can watch it on your phone too.
Many people watch it and remember who they were twenty years ago.
In the end, this film isn't only about fashion; there's a bigger question: an era has passed — what do we do?
What do you think?
Would the you of today still buy a paper magazine?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇还有一个更大的问题 — there's a bigger question.
也要想很多办法 — has to think of many ways.
很多人都在聊同一部电影.
几乎没有人买纸杂志了 — almost no one buys paper magazines.
很多人一边看，一边想起二十年前的自己.
手里有很多广告的钱 — controls a lot of advertising money.
时尚杂志圈里的故事 — set in the world of fashion magazines.
一个杂志的女老板 — a magazine's female boss.
刚来公司的年轻助手 — the young assistant who just joined.
大家都抢着上封面 — everyone scrambled to make the cover.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法连……也/都……
"even ... also ...", pushing to an extreme case.
连 Miranda 这样厉害的人，也开始头疼。
甚至……
"even / to the point of ...".
她甚至要去求以前的助手帮忙。
说到底，……
"when it comes down to it, ...".
说到底，这部电影说的不只是时尚。
Proper Nouns
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