A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels

OpenAI 关掉了 Sora
OpenAI Shut Down Sora
About this story
A simple story about Sora, OpenAI's video app on your phone, and why the company decided to close it down. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 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 手机、电脑、贵 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
There was something on phones.
It was called Sora.
You could use it to make videos.
A video is a moving picture.
You say one sentence.
It makes a video for you.
Very fun.
Many people liked it.
But now it's gone.
The company that made Sora stopped.
This company is called OpenAI.
It is very big.
Very rich.
It made many things.
But Sora is stopped now.
Why?
Because making videos needs many computers.
Computers are expensive.
The company doesn't have enough money.
Not really not enough.
There are other more important things.
The company wants to do other things.
Like writing.
Like thinking about problems.
These make more money.
Making videos makes less money.
So they stopped.
When did Sora start?
In 2024.
At that time many people saw it.
Everyone said how amazing.
The videos it made were very nice.
There were people.
There were animals.
There was wind.
There was water.
They all looked very real.
But some people were not happy.
Who was not happy?
People who make movies.
They were scared.
Scared of what?
Scared that computers make movies.
Then they would have no work.
Later Sora got even better.
The videos were nicer.
There was also sound.
It made a phone app.
Everyone went to download it.
On the first day many people downloaded it.
What did people do?
They made many videos.
Some were very fun.
Some had movie characters.
Some had game characters.
This was a problem.
Because those characters were not theirs.
They belonged to other companies.
Disney also came.
Do you know Disney?
It has Mickey Mouse.
It has many movies.
Disney gave OpenAI a lot of money.
How much money?
One billion dollars.
A lot of money.
They wanted to make things together.
Using Disney characters to make videos.
But now Sora is gone.
So this plan is also gone.
Disney said it's okay.
They will work with other companies.
Now OpenAI wants to do other things.
It wants to make things that earn more money.
It is worth a lot of money now.
730 billion dollars.
This number is very big.
Very very big.
It just got 110 billion.
So it has money.
But money should be used in good places.
Making videos is not the best.
Making text and code is better.
Code is the language of computers.
So Sora is gone.
Have you used Sora before?
If you have.
You should save your videos.
Because later they will be gone.
What does this story tell us?
Sometimes something is very good.
Many people like it.
But the company still stops it.
Because there are more important things.
This is the story of OpenAI closing Sora.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇A mobile phone. 手机上的东西 means something on the phone.
A machine for working and playing. Making videos needs many computers.
Costs a lot of money. 电脑很贵.
To be afraid. Movie people were scared of AI.
HSK 1. it doesn't matter.
HSK 1. we; us.
A moving picture with sound. Sora makes videos.
A business. OpenAI is a big company.
Matters a lot. There are more important things than Sora.
To earn money. Writing makes more money than videos.
Very impressive. 大家说好厉害.
Short for 下载. 大家都去下 means everyone downloaded it.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
来源Free account
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