A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
6:40
世界杯小组赛：暴雨中断两小时仍难挡强队，姆巴佩梅开二度登贝莱建功，法国三比零大胜伊拉克
Two-Hour Storm Can't Stop France: Mbappe's Brace Seals a 3–0 Win Over Iraq
中高级中文听力：世界杯法国三比零大胜伊拉克全程回顾。比赛因暴雨与闪电罕见中断两个多小时，重赛后姆巴佩凭借速度梅开二度，登贝莱锦上添花，强队风范尽显。含进阶生词、语法与全文翻译。
This is an HSK 5-6 Chinese listening episode that runs about 7 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 干扰、节奏、成熟 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 richly entertaining and somewhat special.
It was special because the match had two particularly striking features: first, the outstanding play of France's star Mbappe; second, that sudden downpour midway through the game.
Before reviewing this match, let's first get to know the two teams.
France comes from Europe and is a universally acknowledged superpower in world soccer, having lifted the World Cup trophy several times in their history.
And in this star-studded team, the most dazzling star is, without question, their forward Mbappe.
Mbappe's speed is astonishing and his technique is excellent too — one of the most threatening forwards in world soccer today.
Often, give him just a little bit of space, and he can, in a flash, completely change the course of a match.
Their opponent for this match, Iraq, comes from Asia, and in both fame and the team's overall strength, has a fairly sizable gap from France.
However, Iraq's players are tenacious in style and never readily give up.
And precisely because the two were so unevenly matched, before the match almost everyone thought France could win fairly comfortably.
As the match began, France firmly took hold of the initiative on the pitch, applying pressure on Iraq's goal without pause.
However, at this very moment, the match took an episode no one had anticipated.
About halfway through the match, a downpour suddenly came pouring down from the sky.
The rain was really so heavy that it had seriously affected the normal running of the match, so the referee had no choice but to halt the match temporarily.
The players returned one after another to the warm dressing rooms, while the whole crowd could only wait patiently together for the rain to ease.
They say this stoppage lasted, astonishingly, a full two-plus hours.
In the long history of the World Cup, halting a match for weather reasons is actually very rare; they say this was the first time this World Cup that a match was forced to pause because of rain.
So this match quickly became a hotly discussed topic among the broad mass of fans because of this rare rainstorm.
Only after the rain gradually eased was this match finally able to restart.
Such a long stoppage was bound to bring some effect on the players' competitive form, but after the restart, France quickly found their own rhythm again.
A truly world-class strong team is often precisely the one that can 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 outstanding speed advantage to the fullest: he first used his speed to shake off the defender beside him, then, unhurried and calm, put the ball into the goal.
One to zero — France took the lead, and the France fans in the stands instantly erupted.
Although that rainstorm had stopped the match for a while, Mbappe's 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 whole match.
A player scoring two goals in a row in the same match has a very 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 thus completely sealed the win in this match.
It also showed once again that France's attacking firepower never relies on any single person.
So why, today, did Iraq not manage to score a single goal?
For one, France's overall strength today was simply too great, holding a very clear edge in both speed and skill.
For another, facing a top-tier strong 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 to a certain extent, and for Iraq, who rely more on collective coordination, this 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 could be said to go without saying.
With a thoroughly convincing big win, they proved once again that they remain one of the strong title contenders at this World Cup, and at the same time, made the whole team's confidence all the fuller.
More importantly, that the team could keep their composure and put in a high-level display even after such a long rain stoppage itself fully shows their maturity and depth.
And for Iraq, who lost the match, they really needn't be too downcast either.
What they had to face is one of the strongest teams on the planet.
To be able to compete on the same pitch against such an opponent is, in itself, a rather precious experience.
What's more, they never gave up their effort from start to finish, and that tenacious fight still deserves people's respect.
After the match, the discussion mostly centered on Mbappe's brilliant performance, and that rare rainstorm.
Some sincerely sighed that Mbappe's speed is simply too fast, leaving opponents almost no way to defend him.
Others said that a match with both a sudden heavy rain and superb goals is destined to be remembered for a long time.
Still others reflected that soccer is sometimes just like this: beyond the players' brilliant performances, accidents like the weather often also become part of the whole story.
Years from now, people may forget the exact score, yet still remember the rain that forced the match to a halt for over two hours.
In fact, this is exactly one of the most captivating things about the game of soccer: even when struck by wind and rain mid-match, a truly strong team can still play out its own share of 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. 强队能更快地从这样的干扰中调整过来。
考纲词. 重新开赛后，法国很快找回了节奏。
考纲词. 中断后还能踢出高水平，说明球队很成熟。
HSK 1-4. to prove.
形容极短的时间。他能在电光火石之间改变比赛。
突然发生、没有预兆。一场突如其来的大雨。
雨的大小、猛烈程度。雨势实在太大了。
* beyond level超纲词
往往就是…，能够…
'Often it is precisely … that can …' states a defining trait.
真正的强队，往往就是能更快地从意外中调整过来。
在一定程度上…
'To a certain extent …' qualifies the degree of an effect.
那场大雨，也在一定程度上打乱了双方的节奏。
哪怕…，也依然…
'Even if …, still …' keeps the result despite a setback.
哪怕途中遭遇风雨，真正的强队也依然能踢出精彩。
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