A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
美国参议员欠甜品店六年，帖子传开后才付钱
A Senator Pays a Bakery Bill After Six Years and a Viral Post
About this story
US Senator Roger Marshall's team owed a Kansas bakery $678.75 for six years, then paid $1,300 after a viral post. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 2 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 说、钱、六 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 is a US senator named Roger Marshall.
He is in Kansas, a state in the middle of the United States.
This year he is running for re-election; if he loses, he cannot stay in office.
Six years ago, when he was running, his team ordered things from a dessert shop.
They ordered 150 frosted cookies, 100 mini strawberry muffins, and 100 chocolate brownies.
The buttercream frosting on the cookies had his name, in blue and yellow.
The dessert shop owner is named Holly Thomas, and the shop is in a small town in Kansas.
These things totaled $678.75.
But Marshall's team did not pay.
Over six years, Holly called and emailed many times to ask, but never got a reply.
She was very unhappy.
Last Thursday, she wrote an online post about it.
Many people saw it, and many people shared it.
By Friday, Marshall's side had paid Holly the money.
On Saturday, he posted on social media and attached an invoice showing he paid $1,300.
He said they paid double the money.
$1,300 is not double; it is almost double.
Marshall said they had no idea how this happened.
He also said that as soon as they found out, they immediately contacted the shop to apologize.
Holly said paying was the right thing to do.
But she also said she still will not vote for Marshall.
She said he has disappointed many people in Kansas.
If your customer owed you money for six years, how would you ask them for it?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. Common verb; used throughout the script as 他说 (he said), 她说 (she said).
HSK 1. Appears in 没有给钱 (did not pay money) and 付钱 (pay money).
HSK 1. Used in 六年前 (six years ago) and 六年里 (over six years).
HSK 1. Appears in 六年前 (six years ago) and 六年里 (over six years).
HSK 1. Refers to Marshall's team; appears in 他们没有给钱 and 他们付了双倍的钱.
HSK 1. Used in 上个星期四 (last Thursday) and 到星期五 (by Friday).
Beyond HSK 3. Political term; 美国参议员 means US senator.
Beyond HSK 3. 甜品 means dessert; 店 means shop.
Beyond HSK 3. 糖霜 means icing/frosting; 饼干 means cookie/biscuit.
Beyond HSK 3. Loanword from English 'muffin'; appears in 迷你草莓玛芬 (mini strawberry muffin).
Beyond HSK 3. Loanword from English 'brownie'; appears in 巧克力布朗尼 (chocolate brownie).
Beyond HSK 3. Business document; appears in 附上发票 (attach an invoice).
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法Expresses a conditional: 'if..., then...'. Used to show a consequence.
今年他要再选一次，如果输了，就不能做了。
如果你的顾客欠了六年的钱，你会怎么向他要钱？
一……就……
Means 'as soon as... then...'. Shows immediate sequence.
他还说，他们一知道就马上联系了店家，想要道歉。
到 + Time + 已经……了
Indicates that by a certain time, an action has already been completed.
到星期五，马歇尔方面已经把钱付给了霍莉。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
来源Free account
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