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二十年来第一次：Google 花的钱比赚的还多
A First in Twenty Years: Google Spent More Than It Earned
An easy Chinese listening story: for the first time in twenty years, Google spent more money than it earned, pouring huge sums into computers and chips for AI, and its stock fell.
This is an HSK 2 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 11 key vocabulary words such as 钱、重要、问题 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.
Google 是一个很有名的美国公司。
Google is a very famous American company.
每一年，Google 都能赚很多很多钱，比很多公司都多。
Every year, Google earns a huge amount of money — more than most companies.
可是这一次，出了一件大事。
But this time, something big happened.
这一次，Google 花的钱，比赚的钱还多。
This time, the money Google spent was more than the money it earned.
这样的事，二十年来，还是第一次。
Something like this hadn't happened in twenty years — it was the first time.
为什么会这样？
Why did this happen?
因为 Google 正在花很多很多钱，买电脑和芯片，做 AI。
Because Google is spending enormous amounts of money buying computers and chips to build AI.
Google 想做最好的 AI，所以一直在买，一直在花钱。
Google wants to build the best AI, so it keeps buying and keeps spending.
它还说：以后，它会花很多很多钱，比现在还多。
It even said: in the future, it will spend even more than it does now.
听到这个，很多人有一点怕。
Hearing this, a lot of people got a little scared.
Google 的股票，也很快就跌了。
Google's stock also fell quickly.
可是 Google 说：AI 很重要，这个钱，一定要花。
But Google says: AI is important, and this money has to be spent.
现在，很多人都在看一个问题：
Now, a lot of people are watching one question:
Google 花这么多钱，以后能不能都赚回来？
Google is spending this much — will it be able to earn it all back later?
赚很多钱 = earns a lot of money.
AI 很重要 = AI is important.
在看一个问题 = watching one question.
这个钱一定要花 = this money definitely has to be spent.
买电脑和芯片 = buying computers and chips.
它会花很多钱 = it will spend a lot of money.
赚很多钱 = earns a lot of money; 赚回来 = earn back.
花的钱比赚的钱还多 = spent more than it earned.
Google 的股票跌了 = Google's stock fell.
股票也很快就跌了 = the stock fell quickly too.
买电脑和芯片 = buying computers and chips.
* beyond level超纲词
为什么……？
为什么 asks "why?".
为什么会这样？
因为……
因为 introduces a reason: "because …".
因为 Google 正在花很多很多钱，买电脑和芯片。
能不能……？
能不能 = "can or can't …?", a yes/no question about ability.
以后能不能都赚回来？
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