A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
从街头卖唱到奥斯卡：爱尔兰音乐人 Glen Hansard 车祸去世，享年56
From Busking on the Street to the Oscars: Irish Musician Glen Hansard Dies at 56
About this story
A medium Chinese listening story: Glen Hansard, from Dublin busker to Oscar winner for "Falling Slowly" in Once, has died in a motorcycle crash at 56, mourned by Springsteen and the music world. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 1 minute. 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 10 key vocabulary words such as 世界、普通、简单 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
Glen Hansard was one of Ireland's most famous musicians.
When he was young, he often sang on the streets of Dublin, a true "street singer."
Later, he formed a band called The Frames and sang for many years.
But what made the whole world remember him was a little film called Once.
The film was small, telling of two ordinary people slowly drawn together through music.
Its song "Falling Slowly" was simple yet moving, bringing countless people to tears.
It was this song that won him film's highest honor, the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
To many, Glen was a wonderful singer, and also an especially warm, generous person.
But on July 29th, sad news came: in Dublin, he was killed in a motorcycle crash, only fifty-six.
As the news broke, many musicians were stricken with grief.
Even Bruce Springsteen said his "heart was breaking," that he had lost a good friend.
A man who sang all the way from the streets to the Oscar stage was, just like that, suddenly gone.
But as long as someone is still listening to "Falling Slowly," Glen Hansard is still here.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇让全世界都记住他 = made the whole world remember him.
两个普通人 = two ordinary people.
简单又动人 = simple yet moving.
突然离开了 = suddenly left / passed.
一部叫《Once》的小电影 = a little film called Once.
爱尔兰最有名的音乐人 = one of Ireland's most famous musicians.
在都柏林的街头唱歌 = sang on the streets of Dublin.
组了一支乐队 = formed a band.
奥斯卡最佳原创歌曲奖 = the Oscar for Best Original Song.
出了车祸 = was in a crash.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法让……记住的，是……
让 X 记住的，是 Y = "what makes X remember (someone) is Y".
让全世界都记住他的，是一部叫《Once》的小电影。
就是……，为他赢得了……
就是 X = "it was precisely X".
就是这首歌，为他赢得了奥斯卡最佳原创歌曲奖。
只要……，就……
只要 X，就 Y = "as long as X, then Y".
只要那首《Falling Slowly》还有人在听，Glen Hansard，就一直都在。
Proper Nouns
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