A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
洛杉矶女议员拒绝“性小屋”提议
LA Councilmember Traci Park Rejects “Public Sex Huts” Proposal
About this story
An Angeleno pitches free sex clinics for the homeless; Traci Park rejects it and the council votes 10-3 on park camping. 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 20 key vocabulary words such as 希望、公园、睡觉 and walks through 5 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
In August 2026, at a meeting in Los Angeles, a man put forward a proposal.
Many people sat there and listened to him.
This man was not a councilmember; he was an ordinary person.
He said: Los Angeles should open some clinics for people without homes.
A clinic is a place where doctors work.
These clinics are not big, but they are very private.
People without homes can come here; it costs nothing.
Men and women can do what they want to do in the rooms.
He said: the money for these clinics is taxpayers' money.
Taxpayers are the people who give the city money.
He said: sex can make people a little happier.
He said: people with money can have it, and people without homes can have it too.
He said: this is equality.
Some people laughed; some were very unhappy.
Sex is a matter between men and women.
This proposal is public sex huts.
Los Angeles is a very big city.
In this city there are many people without homes.
They have no money and no home.
They hope to have a home.
At night, they sleep in parks.
In the daytime, they are on the streets.
They want to have a home, a home not far from the park.
They want to have a place to sleep.
A Los Angeles councilmember saw this proposal and was very unhappy.
She is a woman.
Her name is Traci Park.
Her district includes Venice Beach.
She made a video.
In the video, she said: no, we are not doing public sex huts.
She said: the Los Angeles councilmembers are not discussing this proposal.
On August 28, 2026, many people watched this video.
The video is very short, but very quickly many people watched it.
Why did so many people watch this video?
Because many people in Los Angeles are also worried about this problem.
This problem is hard.
Is Los Angeles going to do this?
No.
The person who said this is not a councilmember.
He is an ordinary person, not a councilmember.
In the United States, ordinary people can speak while councilmembers are in a meeting.
What he says is not law.
The Los Angeles councilmembers did not say they would do this.
Los Angeles did not vote on this.
This proposal is one person's proposal.
This distinction is important.
In 2026, Los Angeles councilmembers said: people without homes can sleep in parks.
Five years ago, Los Angeles councilmembers said: people without homes cannot sleep in parks.
Five years have passed.
During those five years, many people hoped to have a home.
Now, in twelve parks, people without homes can sleep.
These parks are in Hollywood and Silver Lake.
There are also some parks in District 13.
A park is not a home.
They want to sleep in parks, and they also want a home.
Ten councilmembers said yes.
Three councilmembers said no.
Among these three councilmembers are Traci Park, Imelda Padilla and Monica Rodriguez.
She said: we have given people without homes a lot of money.
She said: the people of Los Angeles are good.
She said: they also want to see results.
She said: we are not doing public sex huts.
In 2026, Los Angeles has 45,194 people without homes.
These more than 45,000 people all hope to have a home.
More than 45,000 people is a lot of people.
Very, very many people have no home.
They want a home, not a small hut.
People cannot live there.
Many people in Los Angeles watched this video.
Think about it: if someone in your city proposed this, what would you say?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 2. 希望 + verb or clause means hope that something happens. 他们希望有一个家 = they hope to have a home.
HSK 2. A public park. 在公园里睡觉 = sleep in the park.
HSK 2. A verb-object compound. 可以睡觉 = can sleep; 在公园里睡觉 = sleep in the park.
HSK 1. Money. 不要钱 = free; 纳税人的钱 = taxpayers' money.
HSK 2. A place. 一个地方睡觉 = a place to sleep; 医生工作的地方 = a place where doctors work.
HSK 2. A problem or an issue to solve. 担心这个问题 = worry about this problem.
HSK 2. An event or matter. 做他们想做的事情 = do what they want to do.
HSK 1. A doctor. 医生工作的地方 = a place where doctors work.
HSK 2. A room in a building. 在房间里 = in the room.
HSK 2. Connects two clauses that contrast. 不大，但是很私人 = not big, but very private.
Beyond HSK 2. An elected member of a city council. 洛杉矶的议员 = Los Angeles councilmembers.
Beyond HSK 2. A formal idea put forward for others to consider. 一个提议 = a proposal.
Beyond HSK 2. Private, not public. 很私人 = very private.
Beyond HSK 2. A small medical clinic. 开一些诊所 = open some clinics.
Beyond HSK 2. A person who pays tax to the city or state. 纳税人的钱 = taxpayers' money.
Beyond HSK 2. Everyone is treated the same. 这就是平等 = this is equality.
Beyond HSK 2. Shared by everyone, not private. 公共性小屋 = public sex huts.
Beyond HSK 2. To vote, or a vote. 洛杉矶没有为这个投票 = Los Angeles did not vote on this.
Beyond HSK 2. A video. 她做了一个视频 = she made a video.
Beyond HSK 2. A small hut or small room. 性小屋 = sex hut.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法要 + 动词
要 before a verb means should, need to, or is going to do something.
洛杉矶要给没有家的人开一些诊所。
洛杉矶要做这个吗？
不是……，是……
Corrects one description and replaces it with another: not X, but Y.
这个人不是议员，他是一个普通人。
他是一个普通人，不是议员。
因为……
因为 introduces the reason for what was just said or asked.
因为很多洛杉矶人也担心这个问题。
动词 + 的时候
的时候 after a verb phrase means 'when' or 'while' that action happens.
在美国，普通人可以在议员开会的时候说话。
名词 + 里
里 means inside or among. After a group it means 'among them'.
这三个议员里，有 Traci Park、Imelda Padilla 和 Monica Rodriguez。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
来源- L.A. councilwoman shoots down 'sex huts' for the homeless
- 'Public sex hut' program proposed during Los Angeles City Council meeting
- Wild proposal in city council meeting aimed at creating public 'sex huts' for LA homeless
- Public 'S*x Huts' for Homeless? LA Councilmember Traci Park's Blunt Response Goes Viral
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