A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
红杉资本撤离伦敦，英国风投追逐AI天才
Sequoia Capital Exits London as UK Venture Capital Chases AI 'Adonises' — Record $26bn Invested but Fewer Deals
About this story
British VC hits a record $26bn in 2026, but nearly three-quarters goes to AI startups and a tiny group of founders, while Sequoia closes its London office. HSK 4 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 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 纪录、意外、几乎 and walks through 6 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
This year, British venture capital may set a record.
But the number of companies that actually get money is surprisingly small, and the money almost all flows to the same small group of people.
On a Monday morning, a co-working space in east London was packed with about a hundred people.
They came to attend an event with a very direct name: 'Is your dream VC into you?'
The organizer, Metal, is a platform that specifically matches entrepreneurs with investors.
The person hosting the event was Metal's manager, Sameer Nusrat.
These people are eager to find money for a reason.
This year, more than $26 billion has been invested in British startups.
This is the most in a year on record.
However, data from research institutions shows that while the total value of deals is rising, the number is decreasing.
What's more obvious is where the money is going.
In the first half of this year, nearly three-quarters of British venture capital funding went to AI companies.
And this money is concentrated on a small group of founders; what the company itself does even matters less.
Investor James Wise says that AI has made analyzing a company much simpler.
He invests at Balderton Capital.
He says that research that used to take a whole day can now be done in minutes.
Among those who got money, the most talked-about is David Silver, who previously did research at DeepMind.
He later co-founded Ineffable Intelligence, which raised $1.1 billion in a single seed round.
This is the largest seed round in European history.
On the other side, the numbers are completely opposite.
In the first half of this year, for the first time, the amount of money that university spinout startups received was 68.3% less than the same period last year.
Revolut's founder, Nick Storonsky, calls venture capitalists 'cheerleaders'.
He himself set up a fund called QuantumLight.
Large VC firm Sequoia Capital also announced it is closing its London office.
It wants to shift its focus back to Silicon Valley.
The internal notice was very direct: 'We simply don't feel we need a local office.'
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 3. 创下纪录 = set a record; 打破纪录 = break a record.
HSK 3. 让人意外 = surprising; 意外地 = unexpectedly.
HSK 3. Used before verbs or quantities: 几乎都 (almost all).
HSK 3. Common job title.
HSK 3. Used with numbers: 超过二百六十亿美元 (over $26 billion).
HSK 3. Contrasts with 质量 (quality).
HSK 3. Opposite: 增加 (increase).
HSK 3. 钱的方向 = where the money goes.
HSK 3. 风险 (risk) + 投资 (investment). Common in business news.
HSK 3. Often used with 纪录: 创下纪录 (set a record).
HSK 3. 主办 = to host (an event); 方 = party. 主办方 = the hosting party.
HSK 3. Often used for online platforms or physical stages.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法可能 + Verb
Expresses possibility: 'may' or 'might' do something.
今年英国的风险投资可能创下纪录。
是……的，是有原因的
Emphasizes a reason: '... is for a reason'.
这些人急着找钱，是有原因的。
在 + Verb + 中
Indicates an ongoing action or state: 'in the process of'.
交易的总金额在涨，数量却在减少。
把 + Object + Verb + 作/叫 + Complement
The 把 construction with 叫作: 'to call something something'.
Revolut 的创始人尼克·斯托龙斯基把风险投资人叫作「啦啦队」。
比 + Noun + 少/多 + 了 + Amount
Comparison indicating difference: 'less/more than ... by ...'.
第一次拿到的钱比去年同期少了百分之六十八点三。
让 + Noun + Verb + 得 + Complement
Causative 让 with a degree complement: 'make someone/something ...'.
人工智能让分析一家公司变得简单多了。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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