A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
爱泼斯坦案：模特经纪人和巴西女孩
BBC Exposes Epstein's Brazil Modeling Pipeline
About this story
A simple news story with Xiaoming and Xiaohong about a fake job trick — inspired by the Epstein modelling-agent case. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 8 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 15 key vocabulary words such as 商店、漂亮、医院 and walks through 5 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
Watch today's news.
We look at a person.
Xiaohong is a student.
She is sixteen years old this year.
She lives in China.
Her home is very small.
In the home there is a dad.
In the home there is a mom.
In the home there is a cat.
The cat is white.
The cat is very small.
Xiaohong really loves her home.
Xiaohong is not happy.
She has no money.
She wants to buy many things.
She wants to buy a book.
She wants to buy a cup.
She wants to buy new clothes.
Clothes cost a lot of money.
She also wants to buy a computer.
A computer costs a lot of money.
Xiaohong does not have a job.
She wants to go work.
She wants to work in a store.
The store has apples.
The store has water.
The store has tea.
Xiaohong wants money.
Xiaohong has a friend.
The friend is called Xiaoming.
Xiaoming knows a person.
This person is called Mr. Wang.
Mr. Wang is very rich.
He has a big store.
He has many cars.
Today the weather is very good.
At ten in the morning.
Mr. Wang comes to Xiaohong's home.
Mr. Wang is very happy.
He sees Xiaohong.
Mr. Wang looks at Xiaohong.
He says Xiaohong is very pretty.
He says Xiaohong is very tall.
He says Xiaohong is very good.
Mr. Wang thinks for a bit.
He drinks a cup of tea.
He eats an apple.
He speaks to Xiaohong.
He says he has a job.
He says the job is very good.
The job is in Beijing.
Beijing is very big.
Beijing is very pretty.
Beijing has large stores.
Beijing has large hospitals.
Beijing has large restaurants.
Mr. Wang says Beijing is good.
The restaurant's food is delicious.
The store has pretty clothes.
Beijing has many cars.
There are taxis.
Mr. Wang says to go to Beijing.
He says Xiaohong can go.
Xiaohong can take an airplane.
Take an airplane to go to Beijing.
Airplanes are very fast.
Airplanes are very big.
He says Xiaohong will be very good.
He says Xiaohong will have money.
Xiaohong asks how much money?
Mr. Wang says a lot of money.
One hundred yuan?
The mister says no.
One thousand yuan?
The mister says no.
It is ten thousand yuan.
Xiaohong is very happy hearing this.
Ten thousand yuan is a lot.
She wants to go to Beijing.
She wants to go to the big store.
She wants to do this job.
She wants to buy pretty clothes.
She wants to buy a new computer.
She wants to buy many books.
She wants to buy a lot of fruit.
Xiaohong goes to ask mom.
Mom is cooking a meal right now.
Mom is making rice.
Mom is cooking dishes.
Xiaohong speaks to mom.
Xiaohong says she wants to go to Beijing.
Xiaohong says there is a job.
Xiaohong says the mister is very good.
Mom is not happy hearing this.
Mom looks at Mr. Wang.
Mom does not like him.
Mom thinks he is not good.
Mom says no way.
Xiaohong cannot go.
Beijing is too far.
Mr. Wang is a bad person.
He is not a good friend.
He does not have a good job.
Xiaohong does not know him.
Xiaohong cannot go to Beijing.
Mom says Xiaohong is small.
Xiaohong is a student.
Xiaohong needs to study.
Xiaohong needs to write characters.
Xiaohong needs to read Chinese.
Xiaohong cannot go to work.
Xiaohong listens to mom's words.
Xiaohong did not go to Beijing.
Xiaohong stays at home.
Mr. Wang left.
Mr. Wang is very unhappy.
He took a taxi and left.
He went to Beijing.
He took other people to go.
Those people went to Beijing.
They went to the big store.
They do not have good jobs.
Mr. Wang does not have a job.
Mr. Wang does not give money.
He does not give them money.
He does not buy new clothes.
He does bad things in Beijing.
He is a bad person.
Those people are very unhappy.
They have no money.
They want to go home.
They cannot return.
Mr. Wang does not let them leave.
They are in a house.
They miss their moms.
They miss their dads.
They make phone calls.
Make phone calls to mom.
The moms are not happy.
The moms go to find people.
Xiaohong watches TV.
Xiaohong sees the news.
In the news there is Mr. Wang.
Mr. Wang is on TV.
Everyone says he is not good.
He did many bad things.
Xiaohong watched the TV.
Xiaohong is very happy.
Xiaohong thanks mom.
Mom is right.
Mom loves Xiaohong.
Mom does not let Xiaohong go.
Xiaohong is very good now.
Xiaohong is at home.
Home is very good.
Xiaohong is at home today.
Xiaohong cooks at home.
Xiaohong eats rice.
Xiaohong eats an apple.
Xiaohong drinks water.
Xiaohong drinks tea.
Xiaohong reads a book.
Xiaohong watches a movie.
Xiaohong makes a phone call.
Xiaohong sleeps.
Xiaohong wakes up.
Xiaohong did not go to Beijing.
Xiaohong did not meet bad people.
Xiaohong is a good student.
She is at school now.
She studies at school.
She studies Chinese.
She studies writing characters.
She has many good friends.
They read books together.
They drink tea together.
They do not go to far places.
They do not know bad people.
What is this talking about?
It is talking about a piece of news.
In the news there is a bad person.
The bad person is called Epstein.
He has a friend.
The friend goes to find people.
The friend looks for pretty girls.
He says there are good jobs.
He says they can be models.
He says they can go to America.
The girls went to America.
They do not have good jobs.
They do many bad things.
They are not good people.
The girls are very unhappy.
The girls cannot go home.
We watch this news.
We do not listen to bad people.
We must listen to mom.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇A common noun for a place of business. Measure word is 家 (jiā) or 个 (gè).
An adjective used to describe people, clothes, or places.
A common place noun. Measure word is 家 (jiā).
A common transportation noun. Measure word is 辆 (liàng).
Used with the verb 坐 (zuò) meaning 'to take an airplane'. Measure word is 架 (jià).
A general term for clothing. Measure word is 件 (jiàn).
A core verb for students, often followed by subjects like 中文 (Chinese).
Used with the verb 看 (kàn) 'to watch'. Measure word is 台 (tái).
An adjective used to describe something or someone that is not good. Used here in '坏人' (bad person).
Used with the verb 看 (kàn) 'to watch'. Measure word is 部 (bù).
Refers to news broadcasts or articles. Exceeds absolute beginner lists but is very common.
Refers to a fashion model. This is an advanced vocabulary word.
A pronoun referring to people other than oneself.
A verb indicating staying in a place, e.g., '留在家里' (stay at home).
A compound noun made of 'bad' and 'thing/matter'.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法Used to express existence, meaning 'there is/are' in a specific place.
家里有爸爸。
商店有苹果。
北京有大商店。
An auxiliary verb indicating a desire or intention to do something ('want to').
她想买很多东西。
她想去工作。
The particle '了' follows a verb to indicate that an action has been completed.
他看见了小红。
他喝了一杯茶。
王先生走了。
The preposition '对' introduces the target of an action, meaning 'to' or 'towards'.
他对小红说话。
小红对妈妈说话。
A common structure used to express 'too [adjective]' or to show an extreme degree.
北京太远了。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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