A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
梅西两次助攻，阿根廷逆转英格兰进决赛
Argentina Beats England to Reach World Cup Final
About this story
An easy Chinese listening lesson on the World Cup semi-final: England 1-2 Argentina. Gordon put England ahead, but Enzo equalized and Messi set up Lautaro late to win it. Argentina reach the final. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 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 7 key vocabulary words such as 精彩、紧张、可惜 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
Today we're talking about a thrilling World Cup semi-final: Argentina beat England two to one.
Winning this game means reaching the final, to fight for the World Cup title.
This game was especially exciting, because Argentina only turned defeat into victory in the final few minutes.
First, a word on the two teams.
England are strong, one of the title favorites at this World Cup.
Argentina are the champions of the last World Cup, with a legendary star named Messi.
Many say this may be Messi's last World Cup.
Alright, let's look at the game.
In the first half, both teams were tense, neither scored, the score was zero to zero.
In the second half, the game really came alive.
In the fifty-fifth minute, England launched a fast counter-attack.
A teammate crossed the ball into the box, and Gordon got there first and kicked it into the goal.
One to zero, England scored first and took the lead.
For nearly the next half hour, England defended desperately.
They were just a tiny bit away from reaching the final.
But Argentina never gave up.
In the eighty-fifth minute, Argentina's Enzo struck hard from far out and fired the ball into the goal.
One to one, Argentina leveled the score, and the fans went wild with joy.
The best was still to come.
Just four minutes later, Messi delivered a beautiful pass.
His teammate Lautaro got to the ball and scored another.
One to two, Argentina took the lead at the last moment and won the game.
The most impressive thing is, both of Argentina's goals came from Messi's passes.
It was he alone who carried the team into the final.
For Argentina, this is a remarkable win.
Next, they will face Spain in the final.
For England, losing this game is truly such a shame.
They led for so long, yet conceded two goals in the last five minutes.
Next, England will play France for third place.
That's England one to two Argentina, an unforgettable game.
See you next match.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇考纲词。非常好看、让人兴奋。这是一场精彩的比赛。
考纲词。心里不放松。上半场两队都很紧张。
考纲词。让人觉得遗憾。英格兰输了，真可惜。
抢到球后快速进攻。英格兰打出一次快速反击。
把落后的比分扳成一样。阿根廷把比分追平了。
从落后变成领先。阿根廷在最后时刻反超了。
传出好球，帮队友进球。梅西两次助攻。
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法因为…才…
'Because …, only then …' — cause and a delayed result.
因为阿根廷是在最后几分钟才反败为胜的。
只差一点点，就…
'Just a tiny bit short of …' — almost achieving something.
他们只差一点点，就能进决赛了。
是他一个人，帮…
'It was he alone who helped …' — crediting one person.
是他一个人，帮球队打进了决赛。
Proper nouns
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