A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
Johnny Depp 回归：在新电影里，演一个讨厌 Christmas 的孤独老人
Johnny Depp Returns as Scrooge
About this story
Johnny Depp Returns as Scrooge. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 2 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 8 key vocabulary words such as 电影、演员、回来 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
You may have seen a movie with a very fun pirate in it.
That pirate was played by Johnny Depp.
Johnny Depp is an actor the whole world knows.
But for a few years, he stopped making big movies.
These past years, he had a lot of trouble.
Many people asked: will he ever come back?
This year, he came back.
He made a big new movie, called Ebenezer.
This movie is about an old man's story.
This old man, played by Johnny Depp, is named Scrooge.
Scrooge has a lot of money, but he's not a good man.
He doesn't have a single friend, and likes no one.
He also really dislikes Christmas.
Do you know Christmas?
At Christmas, everyone gathers together, happy and warm.
But Scrooge is different: he's alone, cold, ignoring everyone.
On Christmas night, some "ghosts" come to see Scrooge.
"Ghosts" are people who have died.
You can't see them, but they've come.
These "ghosts" show Scrooge his past, and what will become of him.
Scrooge watches, very afraid and very sad.
He thinks: shouldn't I become a good person?
This new movie has one more special thing.
The person who made it used to make "very scary movies."
So this Christmas story is a little scary too.
For Johnny Depp, this is his first movie this big in six years.
Many people who love him are saying: wonderful, he's back.
The new movie can be seen on November 13.
And you?
Do you like stories that are a little scary?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇他做了新电影 = he made a new movie.
他还会回来吗？ = will he come back?
很多喜欢他的人 = many who love him.
全世界都知道 = the whole world knows.
很高兴，很温暖 = happy and warm.
一个全世界都知道的演员 = an actor the world knows.
一些“鬼”来看他 = some ghosts come see him.
有一点点吓人 = a little scary.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法是……演的
'was played/acted by …' — who performed it.
那个海盗，就是 Johnny Depp 演的。
是不是要……了？
'Isn't it time to …?' — musing about a change.
我是不是，要做一个好人了？
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