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SpaceX Goes Public at $750 Billion Valuation — episode cover art
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马斯克的 SpaceX 上市,他成了世界首富

SpaceX Goes Public at $750 Billion Valuation

About this story

SpaceX's record IPO explained simply: what 'going public' means, why a rocket-and-satellite company drew frantic buyers, the first-day surge, and how Musk became the richest person on Earth. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 2 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 14 key vocabulary words such as 上网、特别、为什么 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.

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原文

Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.

今天我们说一件最近的大事。
这件事,跟一个美国公司有关系。
我们先说这个公司。
这个公司,在美国,很有名。
它做一个很特别的东西。
这个东西,可以飞上天。
飞得非常非常高。
比飞机还要高很多。
它能飞到天的外面。
这个东西,叫"火箭"。
火箭很大,也很贵。
做一个火箭,要花很多钱。
那火箭是用来做什么的呢?
火箭可以带着人,飞上天。
也可以带着东西,飞上天。
比如说,带一些机器上去。
这些机器,放在很高很高的天上。
它们有什么用呢?
它们可以让你上网。
就算你在很远的地方,
旁边一个人都没有,
你也可以上网。
这个公司,就是做这些的。
它做火箭。
也做天上的机器。
在美国,几乎所有人都知道这个公司。
在中国,知道它的人也很多。
那今天,发生了什么事呢?
今天,这个公司做了一件大事。
它"上市"了。
什么是上市呢?
我们慢慢说。
以前,这个公司,是几个人的。
别人想买它的一块,也买不到。
但是今天,不一样了。
今天开始,这个公司,把自己分成很多小块。
每一小块,叫一"股"。
谁想买,都可以买。
你买了一股,你就有了公司的一小块。
这个公司以后赚了钱,
你也可以分到一点。
这就叫上市。
今天,想买这个公司的人,特别特别多。
为什么这么多人想买呢?
因为大家都觉得:
这个公司,以后会越来越好。
火箭会越来越多。
天上的机器,也会越来越多。
所以现在买一点,以后可能会更值钱。
就这样,买的人挤破了头。
这个公司,一天就卖了很多很多钱。
具体卖了多少呢?
这么说吧。
这是世界上,到现在为止,最大的一次上市。
以前没有任何一个公司,
上市的时候,卖到过这么多钱。
而且,这个公司的股票,
第一天就涨了差不多两成。
也就是说,
早上买的人,到了晚上,钱就变多了。
说到这里,还有一个人,不能不提。
他就是这个公司的老板。
他的名字,很多人都听过。
他叫马斯克。
公司上市以后,
马斯克自己的钱,一下子变得特别多。
多到什么程度呢?
他成了全世界,钱最多的人。
而且是历史上第一个,
钱多到这个程度的人。
以前从来没有人,到过这个数。
最后,我们一起想一想。
一个造火箭的公司,
今天把自己分成小块,卖给了全世界。
无数人抢着买。
这说明什么呢?
说明很多人都相信:
以后,人去天上的事,会越来越多。
天上,会变成一门很大的生意。
他们赌的,是未来。
这个未来,会不会来呢?
我们都不知道。
但是今天,很多人,已经下注了。
最后我想问你一下。
如果有一天,普通人也能坐火箭,上天看一看。
你想去吗?
你最想,在天上看到什么?
English transcript reference

Today we'll talk about a recent big event.

This event is connected to an American company.

First, let's talk about this company.

This company is in America, and it's very famous.

It makes a very special thing.

This thing can fly up into the sky.

It flies extremely, extremely high.

Much higher than an airplane.

It can fly beyond the sky.

This thing is called a 'rocket'.

A rocket is very big, and very expensive.

Making one rocket costs a lot of money.

So what is a rocket used for?

A rocket can carry people up into the sky.

It can also carry things up into the sky.

For example, carrying some machines up.

These machines are placed very, very high in the sky.

What are they for?

They can let you get online.

Even if you're in a faraway place,

with no one beside you,

you can still get online.

This company does exactly these things.

It makes rockets.

It also makes the machines in the sky.

In America, almost everyone knows this company.

In China, a lot of people know it too.

So today, what happened?

Today, this company did a big thing.

It went public ('listed').

What does 'going public' mean?

We'll go slowly.

Before, this company belonged to a few people.

Others couldn't buy a piece of it even if they wanted to.

But today, it's different.

Starting today, this company divided itself into many small pieces.

Each small piece is called a 'share'.

Whoever wants to buy, can buy.

If you buy one share, you own a small piece of the company.

If this company earns money later,

you can get a little share of it too.

This is what 'going public' means.

Today, the number of people wanting to buy this company was enormous.

Why did so many people want to buy?

Because everyone thinks:

this company will get better and better.

There will be more and more rockets.

More and more machines in the sky too.

So buying a little now might be worth more later.

And so, buyers crowded in, fighting to get in.

This company, in one day, sold an enormous amount.

Exactly how much did it sell?

Let's put it this way.

This is the biggest 'going public' in the world so far.

No company before,

when going public, had ever sold this much money's worth.

What's more, this company's stock,

on the very first day, rose about twenty percent.

In other words,

people who bought in the morning had more money by the evening.

Speaking of which, there's one person we can't leave out.

He is this company's boss.

Many people have heard his name.

He's called Musk.

After the company went public,

Musk's own money suddenly became enormous.

How enormous?

He became the person with the most money in the entire world.

And he's the first one in history

to have money on this scale.

No one before had ever reached this number.

Finally, let's think together.

A rocket-making company,

today divided itself into small pieces and sold them to the whole world.

Countless people scrambled to buy.

What does this show?

It shows that many people believe:

in the future, people going to the sky will happen more and more.

The sky will become a huge business.

What they're betting on is the future.

Will this future come?

None of us knows.

But today, many people have already placed their bets.

Finally, I want to ask you.

If one day, ordinary people could also ride a rocket up to take a look,

would you want to go?

What would you most want to see in the sky?

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
shàngwǎngto get online

它们可以让你上网 = they let you get online. The Starlink function.

tèbiéespecially; very

HSK 3. 想买的人特别特别多 = an especially large number of people wanted to buy.

wèishénmewhy

HSK 1-2. why.

gōngsīcompany

HSK 1-2. company.

pángbiānside / beside

HSK 1-2. side / beside.

lìshǐhistory

HSK 1-2. history.

zǎoshangmorning

HSK 1-2. morning.

huǒjiànrocket

Glossed inline: 可以飞上天,比飞机还要高 = can fly up into the sky, higher than an airplane.

shàngshìto go public; list on a stock exchange

Glossed inline: 把自己分成很多小块,谁想买都可以买 = divide itself into small pieces anyone can buy. The core concept.

gǔshare (of stock)

Glossed inline: 每一小块,叫一'股' = each small piece is called a 'share'.

jīqìmachine

HSK 4. 带一些机器上去 = carry some machines up — the episode's plain word for satellites.

zhíqiánvaluable; worth money

以后可能会更值钱 = might be worth more later. 值 (worth) + 钱 (money).

zhuànto earn (money)

HSK 4. 公司以后赚了钱 = if the company earns money later.

jǐ pò le tóu(idiom) to crowd in frantically; fight to get in

买的人挤破了头 = buyers crowded in frantically. Vivid spoken expression.

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法

什么是 X 呢? + full answer

Rhetorical definition question, fully answered. Glosses 火箭, 上市.

什么是上市呢?

那火箭是用来做什么的呢?

就算 ... 也 ... (even if)

Concessive: 'even if X, still Y'.

就算你在很远的地方,旁边一个人都没有,你也可以上网。

A 比 B + 还要 + Adj

Comparison with intensifier: 'even more Adj than B'.

比飞机还要高很多。

Verb + 着 + Object (carrying / holding)

着 marks an accompanying manner.

火箭可以带着人,飞上天。

也可以带着东西,飞上天。

越来越 + Adjective

'more and more X'. Marks escalation.

这个公司,以后会越来越好。

火箭会越来越多。

也就是说 + Clause (in other words)

Discourse marker that rephrases / clarifies.

也就是说,早上买的人,到了晚上,钱就变多了。

会不会 + Verb? (will it or won't it?)

Yes-no question about the future, often rhetorical.

这个未来,会不会来呢?

Proper nouns

专有名词
马斯克MǎsīkèMusk — Elon Musk, SpaceX's boss, who became the world's richest person美国Měiguóthe United States; America中国ZhōngguóChina

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