A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels

佛罗里达:车顶上有一条鳄鱼
Florida: An Alligator on a Car Roof
About this story
In Florida, two men put a big alligator on top of their car. They drove on the road. Many people saw it. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 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 12 key vocabulary words such as 打电话、我们、你们 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.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Speaking of animals, today let me tell you a very funny story.
In America there's a place called Florida.
Florida is very hot.
Many people go there for vacation.
Florida has many animals.
There are birds.
There are fish.
There are also alligators.
What is an alligator?
An alligator is a very big animal.
It lives in water.
It can also walk on land.
It has a very big mouth.
Many many teeth.
Very scary.
Florida has many many alligators.
In the rivers.
In the lakes.
Sometimes at your front door.
Sometimes in the parking lot.
Florida people are used to it.
But today's story is not about a living alligator.
It's about a dead alligator.
There were two men.
They are not from Florida.
One is from New York.
One is from Tennessee.
They are tourists.
They went to Florida to have fun.
One day they were driving.
They saw a dead alligator on the road.
A dead alligator lying on the road.
It was probably hit by a car.
They saw it.
They had an idea.
"Let's take this alligator home."
"Make it into a specimen."
What is a specimen?
A specimen is when you make a dead animal look like it's alive.
Then put it in your home to look at.
Some people like collecting specimens.
But this idea had a problem.
In Florida.
You cannot take an alligator.
Whether it's alive or dead.
It's against the law.
Alligators are protected animals.
But these two men didn't know.
Or they knew but didn't care.
They put the alligator on the car.
Put it where?
Not inside the car.
On top of the car.
Yes.
On the roof.
Tied to the roof.
A big alligator on top of the car.
Can you imagine?
Then they started driving.
On the highway in Florida.
One car.
With an alligator on the roof.
Other people all saw it.
Other people thought this was too strange.
Someone called the police.
"Hello, I saw a car."
"There's an alligator on top of it."
The police probably also thought it was strange.
But they went to find them.
Someone told these two men.
"You can't take an alligator."
"It's against the law."
What did they do?
They didn't put the alligator back.
They covered the alligator with a white sheet.
Like putting a blanket on the alligator.
They thought if they covered it nobody would see.
But the shape of an alligator.
Even covered with a sheet.
Everyone can still tell it's an alligator.
Way too obvious.
Later the police found them in another city.
In Melbourne.
Not Melbourne in Australia.
Melbourne in Florida.
The police asked them.
"Did you know this is illegal?"
They said: "Yes."
They said someone had already told them.
But they still didn't put it back.
Both men were arrested.
They had to pay five thousand dollars to get out.
They have to go to court on April 28th.
This story is very funny.
Why is it funny?
Because think about that image.
A car.
Driving on the highway.
With a big alligator tied to the roof.
Then they cover it with a white sheet.
As if that means nobody will see it.
In Florida.
Anything can happen.
People call this kind of news "Florida Man news."
Because only Florida would have this kind of thing.
But this time.
These two men are not from Florida.
They are tourists.
Maybe next time they go to Florida.
They'll remember.
Don't take an alligator home.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. to make a phone call.
HSK 1. we; us.
HSK 1. you (plural).
HSK 1. they; them.
HSK 1. what.
HSK 1. today.
A large reptile with big jaws living in water.
A US state known for heat, tourism, and bizarre news.
The top surface of a car.
A preserved dead animal made to look alive.
To do something illegal.
Legally guarded from harm.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
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