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Gold Steadies Amid Oil Shock and Fed Debate — episode cover art
7:48

黄金稳定与石油变贵

Gold Steadies Amid Oil Shock and Fed Debate

About this story

Gold holds steady as a safe asset while oil gets expensive — a Middle East supply shock and what it means for prices. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 2 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 10 key vocabulary words such as 黄金、重要、安全 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.

接下来我们说说黄金和石油。
黄金是一种很贵的东西。
它的颜色是黄色的。
很多人非常喜欢黄金。
我们小的时候就知道它。
有的黄金是戒指。
有的黄金是项链。
因为黄金是很值钱的。
虽然时间过去很久了。
但是黄金还是很有用。
它比很多东西都贵。
做生意的人很喜欢买它。
他们觉得买黄金很安全。
黄金不会坏。
下雨或者下雪都没有关系。
黄金一直都在那里。
这是一种很好的东西。
大家有了钱以后想做什么?
大家想去买一些黄金。
他们把黄金放在安全的地方。
这就是黄金。
另外我们来说说石油。
石油也是非常重要的东西。
它是黑色的水。
它在很深的地下。
人们把它找出来。
为什么石油很重要呢?
因为我们的汽车需要石油。
我们每天都要坐汽车。
如果没有石油会怎么样?
汽车就不能跑了。
汽车跑得非常快。
就是因为有石油。
飞机也需要石油。
飞机在天上飞。
飞机也用了很多石油。
很多大工厂也需要石油。
工厂做衣服需要石油。
工厂做鞋子也需要石油。
所以大家都在买石油。
石油是不能少的东西。
每一个国家都需要石油。
如果没有石油。
大家就不能工作了。
所以石油和黄金一样重要。
现在有一个很大的问题。
有的国家在打仗。
打仗是一件很不好的事情。
因为那里在打仗。
很多人不能回家了。
很多人也不能去工作了。
有几个国家有很多石油。
他们以前每天都卖石油。
但是他们现在在打仗。
因为他们在打仗。
所以他们不能卖石油了。
买石油的人觉得很担心。
他们怕以后没有石油了。
如果买不到石油怎么办?
他们的汽车就不能跑。
他们的工厂也不能做东西。
这是一个很大的问题。
打仗让大家都觉得不安全。
虽然我们不在那里。
但是我们也受到影响。
这就是打仗带来的不好。
接下来我们看一件事情。
这就是打仗以后发生的事情。
因为有国家在打仗。
所以石油变少了。
卖石油的人变少了。
但是想买石油的人很多。
大家都要买石油。
东西少了买的人多。
这个时候东西就会变贵。
所以今天的石油比昨天贵。
明天的石油可能更贵。
做生意的人都在看钱。
他们发现石油真的变贵了。
以前买石油只要一点钱。
现在大家要多花钱买石油。
虽然大家花了很多钱。
买到的石油却变少了。
做生意的人觉得很不高兴。
但是他们没有别的办法。
他们必须去买石油。
还有我们要想一个问题。
石油变贵了会发生什么呢?
我们会发现很多东西变贵了。
因为汽车需要石油来送东西。
比如我们要吃苹果。
种苹果的人在很远的地方。
汽车把苹果送到商店。
汽车用了很贵的石油。
因为现在的石油很贵。
送苹果的钱也变多了。
所以商店里的苹果也变贵了。
以前买苹果只要十块钱。
现在买苹果要十五块钱了。
不仅是买苹果这样。
我们买衣服也变贵了。
我们去外面吃饭也变贵了。
这就是因为石油变贵了。
所有的东西都比以前贵了。
生活变得比以前难了。
现在东西都变贵了。
大家手里的钱怎么办?
大家会发现一个大问题。
手里的钱能买的东西少了。
一百块钱以前能买很多东西。
现在买不到很多东西了。
所以钱变得不值钱了。
这就是通货膨胀。
通货膨胀就是钱不值钱了。
这时候大家想到了黄金。
虽然现在的钱不值钱了。
但是黄金还是值钱的。
黄金比纸币更加安全。
所以很多人开始买黄金。
他们买了很多放在家里。
因为黄金不会变得不值钱。
明天它还是能换很多东西。
他们觉得这样非常安全。
买黄金的人就越来越多了。
现在买黄金的人非常多。
黄金的钱怎么样了?
因为大家都想买黄金。
所以黄金的钱没有变少。
它一直都很高。
做生意的人每天看黄金。
他们发现黄金的钱很稳定。
稳定就是没有变来变去。
它没有变得很便宜。
也没有突然变得非常贵。
它一直都在那里。
这是做生意的人想看到的。
他们觉得买黄金是对的。
因为黄金的价格很稳定。
所以他们晚上能睡得很好。
他们不用担心钱变少了。
虽然外面的国家在打仗。
虽然石油变得非常贵。
但是黄金还是很好。
这就是为什么大家看黄金。
我们刚才说的这些事情。
其实就是今天的新闻。
新闻里说中东地区在打仗。
中东是有很多石油的地方。
因为打仗大家怕石油不够。
石油不够用东西就会变贵。
东西变贵了钱就不值钱了。
这在新闻里叫作通货膨胀。
因为大家都怕通货膨胀。
做生意的人都在买黄金。
所以今天黄金一直很高。
黄金的价格也非常稳定。
这就是新闻里的重要事情。
做生意的人每天看这些新闻。
他们要看打仗什么时候结束。
他们也看石油什么时候便宜。
大家都在等新的消息。
English transcript reference

Next, let's talk about gold and oil.

Gold is a very expensive thing.

Its color is yellow.

Many people like gold very much.

We have known about it since we were little.

Some gold is in the form of rings.

Some gold is in the form of necklaces.

Because gold is very valuable.

Although a long time has passed.

Gold is still very useful.

It is more expensive than many things.

Business people like to buy it very much.

They think buying gold is very safe.

Gold does not go bad.

It doesn't matter if it rains or snows.

Gold is always there.

This is a very good thing.

What do people want to do after they have money?

People want to go buy some gold.

They put the gold in a safe place.

This is gold.

Additionally, let's talk about oil.

Oil is also a very important thing.

It is black water.

It is deep underground.

People find it and take it out.

Why is oil so important?

Because our cars need oil.

We have to take cars every day.

What would happen if there were no oil?

Cars wouldn't be able to run.

Cars run very fast.

It is because of oil.

Airplanes also need oil.

Airplanes fly in the sky.

Airplanes also use a lot of oil.

Many large factories also need oil.

Factories need oil to make clothes.

Factories also need oil to make shoes.

So everyone is buying oil.

Oil is something that cannot be lacking.

Every country needs oil.

If there were no oil.

Everyone wouldn't be able to work.

So oil is as important as gold.

Now there is a big problem.

Some countries are at war.

War is a very bad thing.

Because there is a war there.

Many people cannot go home.

Many people also cannot go to work.

A few countries have a lot of oil.

They used to sell oil every day.

But they are at war now.

Because they are at war.

So they cannot sell oil anymore.

People who buy oil feel very worried.

They are afraid there won't be oil in the future.

What if they can't buy oil?

Their cars won't be able to run.

Their factories won't be able to make things.

This is a big problem.

War makes everyone feel unsafe.

Although we are not there.

But we are also affected.

This is the bad thing brought by war.

Next, let's look at one thing.

This is what happens after a war.

Because some countries are at war.

So oil has become scarce.

The people selling oil have decreased.

But there are many people who want to buy oil.

Everyone wants to buy oil.

When things are few and buyers are many.

At this time, things will become expensive.

So today's oil is more expensive than yesterday's.

Tomorrow's oil might be even more expensive.

Business people are all looking at the money.

They found that oil has really become expensive.

In the past, buying oil only required a little money.

Now everyone has to spend more money to buy oil.

Although everyone spent a lot of money.

The oil they bought has actually decreased.

Business people feel very unhappy.

But they have no other choice.

They must go buy oil.

Also, we need to think about a question.

What will happen if oil becomes expensive?

We will find that many things have become expensive.

Because cars need oil to deliver things.

For example, we want to eat apples.

The people who grow apples are in a very far place.

Cars deliver apples to the store.

Cars used very expensive oil.

Because current oil is very expensive.

The money for delivering apples has also increased.

So the apples in the store have also become expensive.

In the past, buying apples only cost ten yuan.

Now buying apples costs fifteen yuan.

It's not just buying apples like this.

Buying clothes has also become expensive for us.

Going out to eat has also become expensive for us.

This is because oil has become expensive.

Everything is more expensive than before.

Life has become harder than before.

Now everything has become expensive.

What about the money in people's hands?

Everyone will find a big problem.

The things the money in hand can buy have decreased.

One hundred yuan could buy many things before.

Now it can't buy many things anymore.

So money has become worthless.

This is inflation.

Inflation is when money is no longer valuable.

At this time, everyone thought of gold.

Although current money is not valuable.

But gold is still valuable.

Gold is safer than paper money.

So many people started buying gold.

They bought a lot and kept it at home.

Because gold will not become worthless.

Tomorrow it can still be exchanged for many things.

They think this is very safe.

More and more people are buying gold.

Now there are very many people buying gold.

What happened to the price of gold?

Because everyone wants to buy gold.

So the price of gold did not decrease.

It has always been very high.

Business people look at gold every day.

They found that the price of gold is very stable.

Stable means not changing back and forth.

It didn't become very cheap.

Nor did it suddenly become very expensive.

It is always there.

This is what business people want to see.

They think buying gold is right.

Because the price of gold is very stable.

So they can sleep very well at night.

They don't have to worry about their money decreasing.

Although foreign countries are at war.

Although oil has become very expensive.

But gold is still very good.

This is why everyone looks at gold.

These things we just talked about.

Are actually today's news.

The news says there is a war in the Middle East.

The Middle East is a place with a lot of oil.

Because of the war, people are afraid there won't be enough oil.

If there isn't enough oil, things will become expensive.

When things become expensive, money becomes worthless.

This is called inflation in the news.

Because everyone is afraid of inflation.

Business people are all buying gold.

So today gold remains very high.

The price of gold is also very stable.

This is the important matter in the news.

Business people look at this news every day.

They want to see when the war will end.

They also look at when oil will be cheap.

Everyone is waiting for new information.

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
huángjīngold

Noun for the precious metal. Often associated with wealth and stability.

zhòngyàoimportant

Adjective used to describe something of great significance.

ānquánsafe / safety

Can be used as a noun or an adjective.

dānxīnto worry

A common verb for expressing anxiety or concern.

yǐngxiǎnginfluence / affect

Used here as a noun/verb to show how events impact people.

shíyóuoil / petroleum

Specific term for crude oil or fuel.

dǎzhàngto fight a war

A verb-object construction meaning to engage in warfare.

tōnghuò péngzhànginflation

Economic term describing the rise in prices and fall in purchasing value of money.

wěndìngstable

Describes something that is steady and not prone to change.

zhíqiánvaluable

Literally 'worth money'. Used to describe items with high market value.

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法
虽然...但是...↗

Although... but... (Used to show contrast or concession).

虽然时间过去很久了,但是黄金还是很有用。

虽然我们不在那里,但是我们也受到影响。

因为...所以...↗

Because... therefore... (Used to indicate cause and effect).

因为黄金是很值钱的,所以大家想去买一些黄金。

因为他们在打仗,所以他们不能卖石油了。

A 比 B + Adjective↗

The basic comparison structure in Chinese.

它比很多东西都贵。

今天的石油比昨天贵。

如果...就...↗

If... then... (Used for conditional sentences).

如果没有石油,汽车就不能跑了。

如果买不到石油怎么办?

让 + Object + Verb/Adj↗

Causative structure meaning 'to make' or 'to let'.

打仗让大家都觉得不安全。

Proper nouns

专有名词
中东zhōngdōngMiddle East

Sources

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