A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
5:58
世界杯：罕见大雨中断两小时，姆巴佩梅开二度，法国三比零完胜伊拉克
Rare Storm Delay and Mbappe Magic: France Cruise Past Iraq 3–0
中级中文听力：回顾世界杯法国三比零完胜伊拉克。比赛因暴雨罕见中断两个多小时，姆巴佩凭速度梅开二度，登贝莱再下一城，法国强势取胜。含生词、语法与全文翻译。
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 6 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 威胁、调整、世界 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 the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
France beat Iraq 3-0, a match that was both thrilling and somewhat special.
It was special because the match had two striking features: one was the star performance of France's Mbappe, the other was a sudden heavy rain in the middle of the game.
Let's first get to know the two teams.
France comes from Europe and is a universally acknowledged superpower in world soccer, having won the World Cup several times in their history.
And the most dazzling star in this team is, without question, the forward Mbappe.
Mbappe's speed is astonishing and his technique is excellent too — one of the most threatening forwards in world soccer today.
Give him just a little bit of space, and he can change a match in an instant.
Their opponent Iraq, meanwhile, comes from Asia, and in both fame and overall strength, has a sizable gap from France.
However, Iraq's players are tenacious and never give up easily.
Precisely because the two were so unevenly matched, before the match almost everyone thought France would win fairly comfortably.
As the match began, France firmly seized the initiative, constantly pressuring Iraq's goal.
However, at this very moment, the match took a turn no one had anticipated.
About halfway through, heavy rain suddenly poured down from the sky.
The rain was so heavy it had already affected normal play, so the referee had no choice but to halt the match temporarily.
The players returned one after another to the dressing rooms, and the whole crowd could only wait patiently together.
They say this stoppage lasted, astonishingly, over two hours.
In the history of the World Cup, halting a match for weather reasons is very rare; they say this was the first weather stoppage of this World Cup.
So this match quickly became a hotly discussed topic because of the rain.
Only once the rain gradually eased was the match able to restart.
Such a long stoppage was bound to affect the players' form somewhat, but after the restart, France quickly found their rhythm again.
A truly strong team is often able to adjust more quickly from this kind of unexpected disruption.
Not long after the restart, Mbappe was the first to seize a chance and score.
This goal showed his speed advantage to the fullest: he first sped away from the defender, then calmly put the ball into the goal.
One to zero — France took the lead, and the France fans in the stands erupted.
Although the rain had stopped for a while, this goal reignited the atmosphere across the ground.
And after another stretch of time, Mbappe found another chance and scored his second goal of the day.
Two to zero — France stretched their lead further and basically took control of the match.
A player scoring two goals in a single match has a vivid name in Chinese: "méi kāi èr dù" (a brace).
Mbappe's brace showed his excellent speed and efficiency to the fullest.
And besides Mbappe, another France player, Dembele, also scored a goal.
Three to zero — France had completely sealed the win.
It also showed once again that France's attack never relies on just one person.
So why did Iraq not score a single goal today?
For one, France's overall strength was simply too great today, holding a clear edge in both speed and skill.
For another, facing a top-tier side like this, the chances Iraq could create were very limited to begin with.
What's more, that sudden heavy rain also disrupted both sides' original rhythm, and for Iraq, who rely more on collective coordination, the effect was perhaps even greater.
In the end, the match finished three to zero, with France winning both easily and beautifully.
For France, the meaning of this victory goes without saying.
With a big win, they proved once again that they remain one of the strong title contenders at this World Cup, and boosted the whole team's confidence.
More importantly, that the team could keep their composure and play at a high level even after such a long rain stoppage itself shows their maturity.
And for Iraq, though this was a defeat, they needn't be too downcast.
What they faced is one of the strongest teams in the world.
To compete on the same pitch against such an opponent is itself a precious experience.
What's more, they never gave up from start to finish, and that fight still deserves respect.
After the match, the discussion mostly centered on Mbappe and that rare rainstorm.
Some sighed that Mbappe's speed is simply too fast, leaving almost no way to defend him.
Others said that a match with both heavy rain and brilliant goals is destined to be remembered for a long time.
Still others reflected that soccer is sometimes just like this: beyond the players' performances, accidents like the weather can also become part of the story.
In fact, this is exactly one of the charms of soccer: even when wind and rain hit mid-match, a truly strong team can still play its own brilliance.
Alright, that's the whole story of the France versus Iraq match; see you next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
考纲词. 姆巴佩是最具威胁的前锋之一。
考纲词. 强队能更快地从意外中调整过来。
HSK 1-3. world.
HSK 1-3. Asia.
非常强的球队，就是超级强队。
中间临时发生的小事件，就是插曲。比赛出现了一个插曲。
雨下得非常大。天空突然下起了倾盆大雨。
* beyond level超纲词
就在这个时候，…
'Just at this moment, …' marks a sudden turn.
就在这个时候，比赛出现了一个谁也没料到的插曲。
哪怕…，依然…
'Even if …, still …' concedes a setback yet keeps the result.
哪怕中途遇到风雨，真正的强队依然能踢出精彩。
从来都不只依靠…
'Never relies only on …' stresses breadth beyond one factor.
法国的进攻，从来都不只依靠一个人。
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