A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
Photo: Curtis Hilbun · CC BY 3.0
多莉·帕顿去世了。她最看重的不是那几千首歌，是每个月寄到孩子门口的一本书。
Dolly Parton Died at 80. The Thing She Was Proudest Of Was a Free Book in the Mail, Because Her Father Never Learned to Read.
About this story
Dolly Parton Died at 80. The Thing She Was Proudest Of Was a Free Book in the Mail, Because Her Father Never Learned to Read. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
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 6 key vocabulary words such as 书、爸爸、高兴 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.
Read at your level
原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Dolly is American.
Dolly can sing.
When Dolly sings, many people listen.
Everyone in America knows her.
Last week, Dolly died.
She was eighty.
A lot of people miss her.
Dolly had money — a lot and a lot of money.
What did she buy with her money?
She bought books.
She bought a lot and a lot of books.
One book, two books, a lot and a lot of books.
Who were the books for?
The books were for children.
A great many children.
Every month, one book.
Every month, one child gets one new book.
The book arrives. The book is at the door.
The child pays nothing. The parents pay nothing either.
One month one book, two months two books.
From the day you are born, until you are five.
Five years, sixty books.
Sixty books, and all of them new.
Why did Dolly send books?
Because of her father.
Her father never went to school.
Her father did not read books.
He did not read, and he did not write.
He did not read books — not one.
Dolly said: my father is very smart.
Her father was very smart, but her father did not read.
So Dolly sent books, sent them to children.
The children all called her "the book lady".
Her father heard that.
He was happy, so happy, so very happy.
Dolly said this was the thing that made her father happiest.
Not the singing. The books.
And today?
Today, the books are still there.
Every month, there are still books.
Every month, one child still gets one new book.
Dolly is gone; the books are still here.
Dolly is gone; every month, there are still books.
A child stands at the door and sees a new book.
A child reads a book. A child has a book.
Think about it:
When a person is gone, what is still here?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇The word the whole episode is built on: 一本书，两本书.
因为她的爸爸 — because of her father. The reason for everything here.
爸爸很高兴 — her father was very happy.
从出生，到五岁 — from birth to five years old.
多莉送书 — Dolly sends books. 送 covers both giving and delivering.
我爸爸很聪明 — my father is very smart.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法一……，两……
Counting up to show scale, a very common spoken rhythm.
一本书，两本书，很多很多书。 — One book, two books, a great many books.
一个月一本，两个月两本。 — One a month, two in two months.
也不……
"Not ... either." 也 comes before the negative.
爸爸妈妈也不要钱。 — The parents do not pay either.
爸爸不看书，也不写。 — He did not read, and did not write either.
从……到……
From A to B, in time or in space.
从出生，到五岁。 — From birth to five years old.
Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
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