A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
Lidl 开酒馆：北爱尔兰的卖酒法律
Lidl Opens Its First Pub in Northern Ireland After Six-Year Licensing Battle Over Alcohol Laws
About this story
Lidl's first pub, The Middle Ale, in Dundonald near Belfast — how Northern Ireland's licence surrender rule and inadequacy test made a supermarket wait six years and spend £500,00. HSK 4 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 4 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 规定、申请、办法 and walks through 7 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
Selling alcohol in Northern Ireland has a strange rule.
If you want to open a new pub, you cannot apply for a new licence.
You have to find a pub that is going to close.
You need that pub's licence.
This way, there won't be too many places selling alcohol in Northern Ireland.
This rule is called 'surrender the licence'.
There is also a second rule.
You have to make it clear: there are too few pubs in this area.
If there are already many pubs here,
you cannot open a new one.
These two rules make opening a new pub very difficult.
Northern Ireland is in the UK.
But Northern Ireland's alcohol rules are different from the rest of the UK.
So, opening a pub in Northern Ireland
is harder than in the rest of the UK.
This is also the reason Lidl had to wait 6 years.
Lidl is a big supermarket company.
Lidl has supermarkets in many places in the UK.
In June 2026, Lidl opened a pub in Dundonald, next to Belfast.
The name Lidl gave the pub is The Middle Ale.
This is Lidl's first pub.
Some people say: this is an advertisement.
Lidl says: this is not an advertisement.
Lidl wants this supermarket to sell alcohol too.
In Northern Ireland, supermarkets selling alcohol also need a licence.
Lidl applied for a licence to sell alcohol in the supermarket.
But Lidl did not pass the second rule.
Because next to the supermarket, there was already a small shop selling alcohol.
The owner of this small shop said no.
Lidl thought of another way.
Lidl went to apply for a pub licence.
This time, Lidl said: 2 pubs next to the supermarket have already closed.
So, there are too few pubs in this area.
This time, Lidl got this licence.
But the owner of that small shop went to court.
He said: Lidl found a legal loophole.
The court heard the case, and in the end, Lidl won.
For this matter, Lidl waited many years.
Lidl spent 500,000 pounds on this pub.
Lidl also hired 8 people to work here.
The pub has food and drinks from the supermarket.
People can drink beer in the pub.
They can also look at the supermarket's products.
Some people living here are very happy.
One person said: there have been no pubs here for 3 or 4 years, we want one.
Another person said: there is nowhere to go here, having a new one is great.
But some people are not happy.
A university studied Northern Ireland's licensing law.
The university said: the current rules are good for big companies.
They are bad for small shops.
Because big companies have a lot of money and can wait 6 years.
Small shops don't have much money and can't wait 6 years.
So, this rule makes it hard for small shops.
The university also suggested: don't look at closed shops.
Look at the population here.
Places selling alcohol should have a suitable ratio to the population.
This way, opening a new shop doesn't require waiting for a shop to close.
In Northern Ireland, many people want to change this rule.
But the Northern Ireland government has not changed this rule yet.
There is another thing: pubs that are already open cannot object to new applications.
So, when a small pub owner sees a new one opening next door,
he has no way to stop it.
Lidl's manager said: the population here has grown, and there are fewer pubs.
Lidl's manager said: we only have one pub.
Lidl has no plans to open more pubs.
In other parts of the UK, some people also want to change the alcohol rules.
For the 2026 World Cup, pubs can stay open later.
The government also wants to change noise rules, so pubs can have more music.
There is also a new policy that might make opening a pub a bit easier.
But these changes have not reached Northern Ireland yet.
In Northern Ireland, opening a new pub is still very difficult.
In the place where you live, if opening a new shop always requires waiting for a shop to close, do you think that is fair?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 3. A rule or regulation. In the script: 奇怪的规定 (a strange rule).
HSK 3. To apply for something. In the script: 申请一个可以在超市卖酒的执照.
HSK 3. A way to do something. In the script: 想了别的办法 (thought of another way).
HSK 3. To win. In the script: Lidl 赢了 (Lidl won).
HSK 3. To change something. In the script: 很多人想改变这个规定 (many people want to change this rule).
HSK 3. To oppose. In the script: 不能反对新的申请 (cannot object to new applications).
Beyond HSK 3. Supermarket. In the script: Lidl 是一家大超市公司 (Lidl is a big supermarket company).
HSK 3. Official licence. In the script: 申请一张新的执照 (apply for a new licence).
HSK 3. Literally 'close the door'; used for shops closing. In the script: 要关门的酒馆 (a pub that is going to close).
HSK 3. To pass a test or rule. In the script: 没有通过第二个规定 (did not pass the second rule).
HSK 3. Court of law. In the script: 去了法院 (went to court).
HSK 3. To suggest or a suggestion. In the script: 这所大学还建议 (the university also suggested).
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法要 + Verb Phrase
Expresses 'need to' or 'must' do something. Used for requirements.
你要找到一家要关门的酒馆。
你要说清楚：这个地方的酒馆，太少了。
让 + Noun + Adjective/Verb
Causative construction meaning 'make someone/something do or become'.
这两个规定，让开一家新酒馆很难。
所以，这个规定，让小商店很难。
对 + Noun + 好/不好
Expresses whether something is good or bad for someone/something.
现在的规定，对大公司好。
对小商店不好。
比 + Noun + Adjective
Comparison structure meaning 'more [adjective] than'.
这比在英国的其他地方难。
Indicates that an action has not yet happened (up to now).
但是，北爱尔兰政府还没有改变这个规定。
但是，这些改变，还没有到北爱尔兰。
为了 + Noun/Verb Phrase
Expresses purpose or reason: 'for the sake of' or 'in order to'.
为了这件事，Lidl 等了很多年。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
来源Free account
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