A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
世界杯:下半场连进四球,瑞士四比一大胜波黑
World Cup: Four Second-Half Goals as Switzerland Beat Bosnia 4-1
用简单的中文听一场真实的世界杯比赛:上半场闷平,瑞士替补登场后下半场连进四球,曼赞比梅开二度,队长扎卡点球收尾,四比一大胜波黑。含拼音生词、语法和全文英文翻译。
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 5 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 10 key vocabulary words such as 结果、过程、决定 and walks through 3 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 let's talk about a World Cup match.
This match was Switzerland against Bosnia.
Bosnia is a country with a rather long full name, so we'll just call it Bosnia.
Let's start with the result: Switzerland won, four to one.
Switzerland and Bosnia both come from Europe and are similar in quality.
So before the match, no one could say for sure who would win.
But the way this match unfolded was very interesting.
The first half was dull, but the second half had a lot of goals.
At the start of the match, both teams were very careful.
They both got their defending right first and didn't dare take risks easily.
Neither wanted to make the first mistake, so they played cautiously.
The two teams went back and forth, but there weren't many chances.
There were a few shots now and then, but none hit the target.
Through the entire first half, neither team scored.
At the end of the first half, the score was still nil-nil.
The people watching wondered: will the second half be better?
Surprisingly, the second half was completely different.
At half-time, Switzerland's coach made an important decision.
He brought on a few new players, wanting to bring some change to the match.
Surprisingly, this substitution became the key to today's match.
These substitutes changed the match the moment they came on.
They were fast and dynamic, giving Bosnia's defense a real headache.
With them on, Switzerland's attack suddenly sprang to life.
Not long after the second half began, Switzerland scored first.
One to nil — Switzerland finally broke the deadlock.
After this goal, Switzerland played more and more smoothly.
Their attacks came in wave after wave, and Bosnia found it hard to hold them off.
Before long, Switzerland scored again, two to nil.
Later, Switzerland scored one more, three to nil.
In a short span of time, Switzerland scored three goals.
No goals at all in the first half, but suddenly so many in the second.
The people watching were stunned; they hadn't expected the match to turn out like this.
Bosnia was far behind, but they didn't give up.
They attacked hard too, and finally scored a goal as well.
Three to one — Bosnia pulled one back, and the game looked a bit better.
Still, Switzerland's form today was simply too good.
Near the end of the match, Switzerland won a penalty.
The one who stepped up to take it was Switzerland's captain Xhaka.
Very calm, he stepped up and slotted it home, four to one.
As captain, scoring at a moment like this isn't easy either.
In the end, Switzerland beat Bosnia four to one.
In this match, Switzerland's substitutes made a big contribution.
One of them, named Manzambi, scored two goals all by himself.
For a substitute to score two goals really isn't easy.
After the match, Switzerland's players were all thrilled.
Because this was their first win at this World Cup.
And they won handsomely, scoring four goals all at once.
For a team, a win like this is especially good for morale.
For Switzerland, this was a very good start.
Of course, although Bosnia lost, they needn't be too sad.
They defended well in the first half, keeping the score at nil-nil throughout.
And even after falling well behind later, they still scored a goal.
It's just that in the second half, they couldn't hold off Switzerland's attack.
Against a red-hot Switzerland, losing is no surprise.
After the match, many people were talking about it.
Some said Switzerland's substitutes were so crucial.
Others said a match's first half and second half can be completely different.
Actually, this is the interesting thing about football.
Some matches get more exciting the further they go.
A single substitution can sometimes change a whole match.
So a coach's decisions are sometimes just as important as the players.
For Switzerland, winning the first match will give them more confidence.
For Bosnia, the group stage isn't over, and they still have a chance.
Alright, that was the Switzerland versus Bosnia match.
Switzerland won big four to one, taking their first win of this World Cup.
Those few second-half goals really were thrilling.
With matches like this, the World Cup is all the more enjoyable.
This was a match with an especially thrilling second half.
Thank you for listening — see you next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
先说结果:瑞士赢了,四比一。
可是,这场比赛的过程,很有意思。
瑞士的教练做出了一个重要的决定。
这个换人成了今天比赛的关键。
他们不敢轻易冒险。
考纲词。这几个替补球员,一上场就改变了比赛。
考纲词。一比零,瑞士终于打破了僵局。
考纲词。瑞士的教练换了几个球员。
考纲词。瑞士又得到了一个点球。
考纲词。这样的胜利特别能提振士气。
* beyond level超纲词
没想到,…
'unexpectedly / who would have thought …'.
没想到,下半场完全不一样了。
一…就…
'as soon as …, …'.
这几个替补球员,一上场就改变了比赛。
有时候,…就能…
'sometimes, … can …' — a general possibility.
一个换人,有时候就能改变整场比赛。
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