A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
八十岁的卢拉，第四次当上巴西总统
Lula Wins Brazil's Presidency at 80 — A Comeback Over Flávio Bolsonaro by 52% to 48%
About this story
An 80-year-old man named Lula wins Brazil's presidential election — he learns to use a phone, makes videos, and beats the son of a former president. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 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 人、大、看见 and walks through 8 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
An eighty-year-old man has a big hat on his head.
The hat is very big.
Many people see him and think: he is eighty years old.
His name is Lula.
Lula is the president of Brazil.
Brazil is very big, and there are many people too.
Many people know Lula.
Many people like him.
Many people do not like him.
Lula has been president for many years.
Brazilians vote, wanting a president.
Voting is many people saying: I want this person.
One person says one name.
The person with many names becomes president.
On October 4th, Brazilians vote.
Two million fewer people want Lula.
More people want that person.
That person's father was also Brazil's president.
Many Brazilians know that person's father.
Many people say: that person will win.
Many people say: Lula is eighty years old.
Many people say: Lula cannot be president anymore.
Many people say: Lula is going home.
Lula did not go home.
Lula did not leave.
His head is sick.
Doctors did surgery on his head.
The hat is on his head.
The hat is very big.
Many people see the hat and cannot see his head.
He does not have a phone.
Now, he has a new thing.
This thing is a phone.
A phone is a small thing.
He makes videos on the phone.
A video is a small movie on a phone.
In the video it is him.
Many people watch his videos at home.
Many people like his videos.
His videos are on Brazilians' phones.
Many people say: Lula is back.
A forty-two-year-old person came.
This person likes Lula.
This person calls many people to come on the phone.
In two weeks, many people came.
Their friends came too.
Many people saw Lula.
In three weeks, Lula did many things.
His head got better.
He does not want the hat anymore.
Many people saw him.
On October 25th, Brazilians vote.
Out of one hundred people, fifty-two people want Lula.
Forty-eight people want that person.
Lula won.
Many people did not expect it.
Many Brazilians watched on television.
Many people are very happy.
Many people are not happy.
That person is not happy.
He says: this result is not right.
An eighty-year-old man, many people say he cannot be president.
He did not leave.
He learned new things.
He won.
Now, he is Brazil's president.
Think about it: when you are eighty years old, do you still want to learn new things?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. A basic noun; 很多人 means 'many people'.
HSK 1. Used in 很大 'very big' and 大帽子 'big hat'.
HSK 1. Resultative compound of 看 'look' + 见 'perceive'.
HSK 1. Here it means 'think'; it can also mean 'want to'.
HSK 1. 很多人喜欢他 'many people like him'.
HSK 1. Used for knowing people, not facts.
HSK 1. 说一个名字 'say a name'.
HSK 1. 一个新东西 'a new thing'.
HSK 1. The hat is a key image in this story.
HSK 1. Central to Lula's comeback in this story.
Beyond HSK 1. 巴西的总统 'Brazil's president'.
Beyond HSK 1. 巴西人投票 'Brazilians vote'.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法Subject + 有 + Object
有 expresses possession or existence: someone has something.
一个八十岁的人，头上有一个大帽子。
他没有手机。
现在，他有一个新东西。
很 before an adjective simply marks the adjective as a predicate; it does not always mean 'very'.
帽子很大。
巴西很大，人也很多。
很多人很高兴。
Subject + 没有 + Verb
没有 negates a past action or a completed event: 'did not do'.
卢拉没有回家。
卢拉没有走。
他没有走。
Number + 个 + Measure Word + Noun
个 is the general measure word; 一百个人里 means 'out of one hundred people'.
一个八十岁的人，头上有一个大帽子。
一个四十二岁的人来了。
一百个人里，五十二个人要卢拉。
Subject + 要 + Noun
要 here means 'want'; in voting, 要卢拉 means 'want Lula'.
巴西人投票，要一个总统。
要卢拉的人少两百万。
他不要帽子了。
Subject + 不能 + Verb + 了
不能 + verb means 'cannot do'; 了 signals a change of state — 'can no longer'.
很多人说：卢拉不能做总统了。
很多人说：卢拉要回家了。
在 + Place + 上 + Verb
在…上 means 'on' a surface or platform; here it is used for phones.
他在手机上做视频。
他的视频在巴西人的手机上。
很多人在家里看他的视频。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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