A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
伊朗和以色列打仗，东西为什么变贵？
Iran and Israel at War: Why Are Prices Rising?
About this story
A simple story about the war in the Middle East and Iran, where oil costs more and things in America are no longer cheap. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 6 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 贵、油、便宜 and walks through 4 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
Today we tell a story about money.
Recently things got more expensive.
What things got more expensive?
Oil got more expensive.
What is oil?
Oil is gasoline.
Cars need oil.
Planes also need oil.
Ships also need oil.
Oil is very important.
Without oil.
Cars can't drive.
Planes can't fly.
Why did oil get more expensive?
Because a place had a problem.
This place is in the Middle East.
Where is the Middle East?
The Middle East is a very far place.
There is a lot of oil there.
The world's oil.
A lot comes from there.
What happened there?
Two countries started fighting.
America and Iran started fighting.
Fighting means war.
War is very scary.
People get hurt.
People die.
Iran was very angry.
What did it do?
It closed a waterway.
This waterway is called a strait.
A strait is a path in the middle of the sea.
Ships pass through here.
Ships carrying oil also pass through here.
This strait is very important.
How important?
One-fifth of the world's oil passes through here.
One-fifth is twenty percent.
A lot.
Now the strait is closed.
Ships can't get through.
Oil can't be shipped out.
Oil can't be shipped out.
So there is less oil.
Less oil.
So oil is more expensive.
How much more expensive?
Before, one barrel of oil was eighty dollars.
Dollars means American money.
Now one barrel of oil is over one hundred dollars.
More than twenty dollars more.
It went up thirty percent.
What does thirty percent mean?
If you used to spend one hundred dollars on gas.
Now you spend one hundred thirty dollars.
Thirty dollars more.
After oil got expensive.
Other things also got expensive.
Why?
Because shipping things needs oil.
Trucks shipping fruit need oil.
Planes shipping packages need oil.
Ships shipping goods need oil.
Oil is expensive.
So shipping costs more money.
Shipping costs more money.
So things are more expensive.
You go to the supermarket.
Fruit is more expensive.
Meat is more expensive.
Vegetables are also more expensive.
Everything is more expensive.
There is another thing.
Stocks went down.
What are stocks?
Simply put.
You buy a small piece of a company.
The company makes money.
You also make money.
The company does badly.
You also lose money.
Losing money means money got less.
Recently companies are not doing well.
Why not well?
Because oil is expensive.
Making things costs more.
Shipping things costs more.
People buy less things.
Because things are too expensive.
So companies make less money.
Stocks went down.
How much did they go down?
In one month they went down seven percent.
If you had one hundred dollars in stocks.
Now you only have ninety-three dollars.
Seven dollars less.
Many people's money got less.
When will it get better?
Don't know.
It depends on when the war stops.
It depends on when the strait opens.
When the strait opens.
Oil won't be expensive.
When oil is not expensive.
Things won't be expensive.
People won't be scared.
Stocks might go up.
But right now nobody knows.
Everyone is waiting.
Waiting for news from the Middle East.
This is what happened recently.
Oil is expensive.
Things are expensive.
Stocks went down.
All because of war.
War is not good.
War makes people scared.
War makes things expensive.
War makes people lose money.
You might ask.
What can I do?
You can't do anything.
You can only wait.
Wait for the war to stop.
Wait for the strait to open.
Wait for oil to be cheap.
Wait for things to not be expensive.
Hope it's soon.
Then everyone will be okay.
This is today's story.
A story about war and oil prices.
Although the war is in a far away place.
It affected the whole world.
Including you and me.
In the future when you watch news.
When you see Middle East.
When you see Iran.
When you see strait.
You will know.
These things are about oil.
About your money.
About buying things.
Although very far away.
But very important.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇Costs a lot of money.
Fuel for cars, planes and ships.
Does not cost much money.
HSK 1. what.
HSK 1. today.
HSK 1. time / moment.
When countries fight each other.
A water path in the middle of the sea.
To move things from here to there.
Small pieces of a company you can buy.
Feeling fear about something.
When your money gets less.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
来源Free account
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