A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
美国佛州李尔喷气机坠毁 九人全部遇难
Learjet 60 Crashes in Palm Beach County, Florida, Killing All Nine On Board
About this story
A Learjet 60 flying from Austin to the Bahamas crashed near Cresthaven in Palm Beach County, Florida, killing all nine on board; icing was reported before impact. HSK 5+ Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 5+ 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 12 key vocabulary words such as 居民、机场、起飞 and walks through 6 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
Just after noon on Sunday, a Learjet 60 business jet slammed into a residential area in Palm Beach County, Florida.
It never landed at its destination airport in the Bahamas; all nine people on board died.
The crash happened at around 12:50 p.m.; the plane had taken off from Austin at 9:37 a.m.
The flight's destination was North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, with registration number N722BD.
Florida Governor DeSantis said this was obviously a catastrophic crash.
His exact words were that it looked like a missile coming straight down.
According to him, debris was scattered over a considerable area, but apart from those on board, no other casualties had been reported for the time being.
Footage circulating on social media, verified by a third party, showed the plane plunging nose-first into the ground.
It was immediately followed by a fireball, leaving a large crater in the road.
Next to the crash site is a mobile home community; as the investigation got underway, residents were being moved to shelters.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of those on board.
US Transportation Secretary Duffy said on social media, please pray for the families and loved ones of the victims.
Manufacturer Bombardier said the company is deeply saddened and will cooperate with the relevant authorities' investigation.
As for the cause of the accident, Bombardier declined to speculate, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation, with the FAA assisting.
One detail worth noting in aviation trade press reports: before the crash, the pilot reported encountering light clear ice and moderate turbulence over the radio.
Clear ice forms when supercooled water droplets freeze on contact; it is transparent and hard, and buildup on the wings is enough to separate the airflow.
However, the pilot reporting icing does not mean icing was the cause of the crash.
For business jets, the climb phase after takeoff is precisely when they are most likely to pass through cold, moist air layers — the stretch pilots must watch most closely.
The cause of the accident has not yet been determined, and such investigations often last for months or even longer.
Investigators will next look for answers in the wreckage, radar data and cockpit voice recordings, and the names of the nine victims may not be released until their families have been notified.
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Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 4. 居民区 means residential area; 居民 appears twice in the script.
HSK 3. Used for both the destination airport and the departure airport.
HSK 4. 从奥斯汀起飞 — departed from Austin.
HSK 5. 航班的终点是… — the flight's destination was…
HSK 5. 灾难性的坠机 — a catastrophic crash.
HSK 4. 散落范围相当大 — the debris field was quite large.
HSK 4. Appears five times: 调查展开, 配合调查, 牵头调查, etc.
HSK 5. 机上人员的身份 — the identities of those on board.
HSK 5. 像一枚导弹直直砸了下来 — like a missile coming straight down.
HSK 5. 其他人伤亡的消息 — reports of other casualties.
HSK 5. 为遇难者的家人祈祷 — pray for the victims' families.
HSK 5. 航空管理局从旁协助 — the FAA is assisting.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法在 + time, Subject + Verb
Time expressions with 在 come before the subject or verb to place the event in time.
飞机是上午九点三十七分从奥斯汀起飞的。
是…的 (emphasis on time, place or manner)
The 是…的 construction highlights the circumstances of a past event — here, when and from where the plane departed.
飞机是上午九点三十七分从奥斯汀起飞的。
除…之外，…
Means 'apart from / besides…'; often followed by 没有 or 都 to state an exception.
但除机上人员之外，暂时没有收到其他人伤亡的消息。
以…为由
Formal pattern meaning 'citing … as the reason'; 为由 is followed by the action taken.
庞巴迪以调查仍在进行为由，没有作出任何猜测。
并不等于 (does not mean that)
Used to deny that one fact implies another; stronger than 不等于 alone.
不过，飞行员报告了结冰，并不等于结冰就是坠机的原因。
要等到…才…
要等到…才… means 'will only … after …'; stresses that something is delayed until a condition is met.
或许要等到通知家属之后才会公布。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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