A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
3:23
一千七百人聚在大连：今年的夏季达沃斯，世界在担心什么、期待什么？
1,700 People Gather in Dalian: At This Year's Summer Davos, What Does the World Fear and Hope For?
HSK 3 Chinese listening practice. Summer Davos 2026 in Dalian explained: what the Annual Meeting of the New Champions is, this year's theme 'Innovating at Scale', and the big debates — AI assistants, humanoid robots, the 'one-person company', AI's risks, and China's economy.
This is an HSK 3-4 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 14 key vocabulary words such as 城市、国家、世界 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.
Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
Today we'll talk about a topic that's been all over the news lately — Summer Davos.
In these past few days, a large international conference is under way in Dalian, China.
More than 1,700 people attended, from over ninety countries.
There are heads of multinational corporations, officials from many countries, and top scholars and experts.
So what kind of meeting is this exactly?
Let's first talk about the word 'Davos' itself.
Actually, it was originally the name of a small town in Europe.
For decades, every winter, the world's most influential people have gathered there to discuss the world economy and great affairs.
Over time, 'Davos' became a byword for a high-level economic forum.
And what we're talking about today is its summer edition.
It has a formal name: the Annual Meeting of the New Champions.
If that's confusing, no matter — you just need to know it's the Davos forum's summer gathering, held specially for China and emerging markets.
So everyone is used to calling it Summer Davos.
It's held in China every year; this year it's the turn of the seaside city of Dalian.
Having covered what it is, let's look at what everyone is actually discussing this year.
This year's theme is four words: 'Innovating at Scale'.
Put plainly, it's about figuring out one thing: how new technology can truly become real, tangible benefits and opportunities.
And among these, what's discussed most, without a doubt, is artificial intelligence.
For example, they'll discuss how, in the future, everyone may have their own AI assistant.
They'll also discuss the ever-more-capable humanoid robots in factories.
There's even a fascinating idea called the 'one-person company' — meaning that one day a single person, relying on AI, could hold up an entire company.
Of course, there's hope, and there's worry too.
People are also seriously discussing the new problems AI brings.
For example, not everyone can afford the best AI — won't this widen the gap between people?
And how should our privacy and security be protected?
Beyond AI, the meeting has another unavoidable topic: China's economy.
Where China's economy will go, the whole world is watching.
Speaking of this, I want to say one more thing to you.
A meeting like Davos sounds like all big words — economy, technology, globalization — as if far from our lives.
But in fact, every question these big figures argue over on stage today will become a new feature in our phones, a new change at work, even a new profession our children will one day hold.
Finally, I want to leave you two questions.
First, facing ever-stronger AI, what do you think an ordinary person should most do?
Second, if one day 'one person plus AI is a company' truly comes true, what would you most want to use it for?
These two questions have no standard answer, but they're worth thinking about slowly.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
HSK 1-3. city.
HSK 1-3. country.
HSK 1-3. world.
HSK 1-3. summer.
HSK 1-3. habit; to be used to.
HSK 1-3. chance.
HSK 1-3. relationship; connection.
正在开，一个很大的国际会议 = a big international conference is under way.
跨国大公司的老板 = heads of multinational corporations.
顶尖的，学者和专家 = top scholars and experts.
全世界，最有影响力的人 = the world's most influential people.
高端经济论坛的，代名词 = a byword for a high-level economic forum.
成了，高端经济论坛的，代名词 = became a byword for the forum.
它有一个正式的名字，叫新领军者年会 = its formal name is the Annual Meeting of the New Champions.
* beyond level超纲词
其实，它本来是 ... (actually, it was originally...)
Corrects or clarifies an assumption.
其实，它本来，是欧洲的，一个小镇的名字。
时间一长，就 ... (over time, ...)
Marks a gradual result.
时间一长，达沃斯，就成了，高端经济论坛的，代名词。
你只要知道 ... (you just need to know...)
Simplifies for the listener.
你只要知道，它，是达沃斯论坛，专门为中国和新兴市场办的，夏季聚会。
说白了，就是 ... (put plainly, it's...)
Introduces a plain-language restatement.
说白了，就是想搞清楚一件事。
毫无疑问，就是 ... (without a doubt, it's...)
States something with full certainty.
被讨论得最多的，毫无疑问，就是AI。
绕不开的话题 (an unavoidable topic)
Verb + 不开 = cannot get around.
还有一个，绕不开的话题，那就是，中国经济。
这两个问题，没有标准答案。但是值得 ... 慢慢去想
The channel's reflective close.
这两个问题，没有标准答案。但是值得我们，慢慢去想。
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