
一艘生病的船
The MV Hondius — A Sick Cruise Ship from Antarctica That Can't Find a Port
HSK 1 Chinese listening practice. A simple story about the MV Hondius — a sick cruise ship coming back from Antarctica that can't find a port.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 7 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 18 key vocabulary words such as 船、新闻、爸爸 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.
HSK 3 but very common. 一艘船 = one ship (measure word 艘 specific to boats). The episode's anchor word.
HSK 4. 看新闻 = watch the news. Where the kid first hears about the story.
HSK 1. The dad explains the story to 小明. Pair with 妈妈.
HSK 1. 看新闻 = watch the news. 看不太懂 = can't really understand from looking.
HSK 2. 小明问爸爸 = Xiao Ming asks dad. The episode is built on questions.
HSK 2. 病了 = got sick. 生病 = fall ill. The keyword of the whole episode.
HSK 2. 二十三个国家 = 23 countries. The story crosses many countries.
HSK 1. 一百多人 = over 100 people. A core word.
HSK 1. 回不了家 = cannot return home. The emotional anchor — passengers can't 回家.
HSK 1. 医生看了 = the doctor checked. The hero of this story.
Beyond HSK 2 but glossed inline. 病 (disease) + 毒 (poison). The episode explains: 看不见的小东西.
Beyond. 邮 (postal) + 轮 (wheel/ship). Glossed inline as 很大很大的船。就像一个小城市.
Beyond. Glossed inline as 地球最冷的地方. 南 (south) + 极 (extreme).
HSK 4. 人传人 = human-to-human transmission. Same character as 'transmit', different from 船 (boat).
HSK 5. 口 (mouth) + 罩 (cover). Glossed inline. Everyone on the ship wears one now.
HSK 3. 动 (move) + 物 (thing). The dad warns 不要碰小动物的便便.
Beyond. 靠 (lean on) + 岸 (shore). The whole drama is whether the ship can 靠岸.
HSK 3. 希望那艘船的人都可以回家 = hope all the people on the ship can go home.
* beyond level超纲词
X 就是 Y (definition)
The teacher's pattern. Used to define a new word inline.
邮轮就是很大很大的船。
南极就是地球最冷的地方。
病毒就是看不见的小东西。
因为 + reason
'Because + reason.' Often used alone at HSK 1.
因为船上有人病了。
因为戴了,病不容易传。
因为有一个病毒。
想 + Verb (want to V)
Modal of desire: 想 + verb.
他们要回家。
他们想去看看。
西班牙的政府说:要让他们来。
Verb + 不 + Verb (potential complement)
Negative potential complement. Verb + 不了 = cannot V.
他们回不去。
看不见,但是它会让人生病。
全世界都在看这件事。
X 也 + Verb
也 = also. Comes BEFORE the verb.
后来他的妻子也死了。
也在上面吃饭。
我也希望。
把 + Object + Verb (BA construction)
把 fronts the object. 'Took A and did Y to it.'
三个病人,被飞机送走了。
我们要帮他们。
X 一边 ... 一边 ... / X 在 ... 也 ...
Parallel actions or states.
也在上面吃饭,也在上面睡觉。
医生在等。家人也在等。