A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels

盖洛普:Z世代喝得少了,但并非滴酒不沾
Gallup: Gen Z Drinks Less Alcohol, but Not a Teetotal Generation
About this story
Gallup data shows US 18- to 29-year-olds drinking dropped from 71% to 55%, but Columbia's Katherine Keyes says the decline is gradual, not a rejection of alcohol. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 3 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 12 key vocabulary words such as 应该、大家、最近 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
There is a very famous professor in the United States, and he said something on a program.
He said that young people should drink a little more alcohol.
Many people said this remark was irresponsible.
But this remark pointed out something that everyone is talking about.
Everyone is saying that this generation of young people no longer drinks alcohol.
A research company looked at the data from recent years.
Ten years ago, among people aged eighteen to twenty-nine, seventy-one percent had drunk alcohol in the previous week.
Now, this number is fifty-five percent.
In the past three years, people of this age have drunk less than people of other ages.
Katherine Keyes, a professor at Columbia University, studies this issue.
Keyes said: I don't think it dropped all at once.
She said that alcohol consumption is slowly decreasing, and people of many ages are drinking less.
People at the research company also said that the data is very clear: young people have changed.
But what has changed is the amount, not that they have completely given up alcohol.
Another way of drinking has also decreased, which is drinking five or more cups in a row at one time.
In a recent survey, twenty-four percent of people aged nineteen to thirty had done this.
Ten years ago, thirty-one percent of people did this.
However, other countries are different.
A company asked people in fifteen countries.
In these countries, young people who drink have instead increased a little in recent years.
So, saying that this generation doesn't drink alcohol is said too early.
Young people drink less for several reasons, and many people mention money first.
Twenty-six-year-old Susie lives in Washington, and she helps people organize events.
A cocktail is made by mixing several kinds of alcohol and drinks, and in Washington one cup costs sixteen to twenty dollars.
Susie said: I can use this money to do more useful things.
There is also a twenty-four-year-old young person living in Saratoga.
She said that after drinking, you can't drive, and taking a car home costs a lot of money.
Some people online say that this generation is too strict, just like the older generation.
She said that these words exaggerate the matter.
Twenty-three-year-old Tyler lives in Raleigh, and he cleans cars.
He said that now mobile phones are everywhere.
If a person gets drunk and does something silly, it will be filmed.
These videos stay online forever, and many people can see them.
He said: People don't want to drink outside until they don't know anything.
Another reason is health.
In 2025, health officials said that a certain thing should be clearly written on alcohol bottles.
Drinking alcohol may cause people to get a very serious disease called cancer.
Keyes said that young people have been drinking less for forty years already.
The difference is that after they grow up, they also don't drink more.
Drinking less does not mean there is no problem; Keyes said young people still drink quite a lot.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 2. Used to give advice or state what is proper: 应该多喝一点酒.
HSK 2. Refers to all people in a group: 大家都在说.
HSK 2. Used for recent time: 最近几年、最近的一次调查.
HSK 2. Used for a person's age: 这个年纪的人、别的年纪的人.
HSK 2. Here means an issue to study: 研究这个问题.
HSK 2. Used as an adjective or adverb: 数据很清楚、写清楚.
HSK 2. Used for full degree: 不是他们完全不要酒了.
HSK 2. Used with 有: 原因有好几个.
HSK 2. A person who teaches at a university; appears as 很有名的教授.
HSK 2. Common in news and research contexts: 看数据、数据很清楚.
HSK 3. Used to judge behavior: 这话不负责任.
HSK 3. Used as a verb here: 研究这个问题.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法比 + Noun + Adjective + 都 + Adjective
Compares one group with others and emphasizes the result with 都.
这个年纪的人比别的年纪的人喝得都少。
是……的 (emphasis on a fact)
The 是……的 structure highlights or confirms a fact, often with a time or manner.
可是变的是多少,不是他们完全不要酒了。
还有一个原因,是健康。
越来越 / 慢慢 + Verb
Expresses a gradual change over time.
她说,酒是慢慢变少的,很多年纪的人都在变少。
如果 / 一……就…… (conditional and immediate result)
Shows that when one thing happens, another follows right away.
一个人喝醉了做点傻事,就会被拍下来。
应该 + Verb (advice or obligation)
Used to say what should be done.
他说,年轻人应该多喝一点酒。
酒瓶上应该写清楚一件事。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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