A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
NFL球员不打球了，去解数学难题
Former NFL Player Proves a Maths Conjecture
About this story
HSK 1 Chinese listening. Former NFL player John Urschel becomes a mathematician and proves a longstanding conjecture about random matrices.
This is an HSK 1 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 学习、学校、老师 and walks through 4 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
He played American football for three years, and later went back to school to study maths.
American football is a game Americans like to watch.
People who play American football are called players.
This player is in America; his name is John Urschel.
He can play American football, and he also likes maths very much.
Maths is the study of learning about numbers.
At school, students study maths, and there are also maths teachers.
But he became a player, and he had to work.
Before he became a player, he studied maths at school.
After he became a player, he also wanted to study maths.
He went to a school called MIT.
MIT is a school in America.
In the school there are teachers, and there are also students.
He went to this school, became a student, and studied maths.
But he was also a player, and he had to go and play American football.
He had to play American football, and he also had to study maths.
There is not much time in a day, and he had many things to do.
Time is when you can work and study.
When you work, you use time; when you study, you also use time.
He went to play American football, and used a lot of time.
He went to study maths, and also used a lot of time.
But what about his girlfriend?
He did not have much time to see his girlfriend.
There was not much time; he had to study, and he also had to work.
Later, he stopped being a player.
He went back to school and became a student studying maths.
Before, he played American football and also studied maths.
Later, he had more time and could study maths well.
Later, he went back to this school and became a maths teacher.
Now, he is a maths teacher at MIT.
He wants to know the answer to some maths problems.
A question is something you want to know.
The teacher asks you, "What is your name?" You say your name, and that is your answer.
Maths also has many problems, and some problems are very hard.
Many people thought about one maths problem for many years.
When he was at school, he wanted to know the answer to this problem.
Later, he also wanted to know the answer to this problem.
Now, he has written an article and given the answer to this maths problem.
He was a player before, and now he is a maths teacher.
He had time to do the work he liked well.
Think about it: you really like studying, but after you start working you have no time to study — when will you study?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. Used as a verb: 学习数学 (study maths).
HSK 1. A place noun; 回学校 means go back to school.
HSK 1. Used for both male and female teachers.
HSK 1. Can be a verb or a noun: 要工作 (have to work).
HSK 1. 做学生 means to be a student.
HSK 1. 想知道 means want to know.
HSK 1. Often in 的时候 (when...).
HSK 1. 很喜欢 means like very much.
Beyond HSK 1. 打橄榄球 means to play American football.
Beyond HSK 1. 球 (ball) + 员 (person); 做球员 means to be a player.
Beyond HSK 1. 数 (numbers) + 学 (study); 数学问题 means a maths problem.
Beyond HSK 1. 数学问题 means a maths problem; 答案 means answer.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法了 (completed action)
了 after a verb shows an action is completed or a change of state.
他打了三年橄榄球，后来回学校学习数学。
他做了球员，也想学习数学。
现在，他写了一篇文章，给出了这个数学问题的答案。
以前 / 后来 (time sequence)
以前 means before, 后来 means later; they order events in a story.
他做球员以前，在学校学习数学。
后来，他不做球员了。
以前，他打橄榄球，也学习数学。
也 (also)
也 links two similar facts: A is true, and B is also true.
他会打橄榄球，也很喜欢数学。
学校里有老师，也有学生。
他要打橄榄球，也要学习数学。
的时候 (when...)
Verb/adjective + 的时候 means at the time when something happens.
你工作的时候，用了时间，学习的时候，也用了时间。
他在学校的时候，就想知道这个问题的答案。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
来源Free account
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