A Chinese podcast · Same story, 3 levels
伊朗和美国发生了什么
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender
About this story
Trump demands Iran's unconditional surrender as Putin phones Tehran — oil, military, and a rising war risk explained. 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 15 key vocabulary words such as 投降、无条件、石油 and walks through 8 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 3 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
The United States and Iran have been fighting recently.
Many people saw this news on TV.
The two of them are in faraway places.
But many people are discussing this matter.
Today we're going to talk about this situation.
The United States has a president called Trump.
Iran has a great leader.
This leader died recently.
Many people don't know who the next leader will be.
Trump said Iran must "surrender".
Surrender means to stop fighting.
Trump said this is "unconditional surrender".
This means Iran must listen to the United States.
Trump said this on TV.
He also said Iran will have a "good future".
He also said he would make Iran richer.
But many people think this is strange.
Because war makes many people get injured.
Because war makes many people lose their homes.
Iran is not a very big country.
But Iran has a lot of oil.
Oil can be sold for a lot of money.
The United States wants Iran's oil.
Russia is Iran's friend.
Russia has helped Iran a lot.
Russia gave Iran some information.
This information is about the US military.
The US military has many planes and ships.
Russia told Iran these locations.
Trump knows about this.
He said Russia doing this is not good.
But he's not very worried.
Israel is also involved in this.
Israel is the United States' friend.
Israel attacked Iranian cities.
Iran also attacked Israeli cities.
Many people died in the war.
Many families lost their homes.
Children cannot go to school anymore.
Old people have nothing to eat.
This is the bad side of war.
War makes many people sad.
War makes many people afraid.
Trump said the war would last four to six weeks.
One week has already passed.
Many people are still fighting.
Many people are still worried.
Who is Iran's next leader?
Many people are asking this question.
Trump said he wants to handle this matter.
He said he wants to choose an "acceptable" leader.
But Iranians choose their own leaders.
Americans cannot help them choose.
This is a problem.
Iranians are not happy that Americans are meddling in their affairs.
Every country has its own affairs.
Other countries should not interfere too much.
But Trump wants Iran to stop fighting.
He wants Iran to listen to the United States.
This is the current situation.
The United States and Iran are quarrelling.
Russia is helping Iran.
Israel is also involved.
Many people are worried.
Many people are watching the news.
They want to know what will happen next.
War makes many people lose their jobs.
War makes things more expensive.
Many people have no money to buy food.
This is another problem with war.
What we just talked about is actually the "war" issue between the United States and Iran.
Trump is the president of the United States.
Iran is a country.
Trump wants Iran to surrender.
Iran does not listen to the United States.
So the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
Russia is helping Iran.
Now many people are worried.
Many people are watching the news.
This is the current situation in the Middle East.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇A verb meaning to give up resistance and submit to the enemy. Often used in military/political contexts.
A natural resource, important vocabulary for discussing energy and economics.
A noun referring to organized armed forces.
A noun meaning armed conflict between countries or groups.
An adjective/emotion describing feeling sorrowful or upset.
A verb meaning to feel anxious or concerned about something.
A noun referring to a person in charge or authority position.
A noun meaning a companion or ally.
A verb/noun meaning to aid or support someone.
A noun referring to a large town or urban area.
A verb meaning to talk about something with others.
An adjective meaning without any conditions or requirements.
A noun meaning data, news, or details about something.
A geographical region; important proper noun for world geography.
A verb meaning to agree to take or receive something.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法在 + Verb (progressive aspect)
The particle 在 is used before a verb to indicate an ongoing action. It shows that an action is happening right now.
很多人都在电视上看到这个消息。
很多人都在讨论这件事。
很多人还在打。
A 有 (的) B
The structure 有 + noun is used to indicate possession or existence. The 的 can be omitted in spoken Chinese.
美国有一个总统叫特朗普。
伊朗有一个很大的领导。
伊朗有很多石油。
因为...所以...
Because...therefore... This is a cause-effect structure. The first clause gives the reason, the second gives the result.
因为打仗会让很多人受伤。
因为打仗会让很多人没有家。
Verb + 得 + Adjective
The 得 particle connects a verb with an adjective to describe the degree or manner of the action.
他不是很担心。
很多人觉得这个话很奇怪。
A 让 B + Verb
The verb 让 means 'to let' or 'to make'. It is used to express that A causes B to do something or feel something.
战争会让很多人难过。
战争会让很多人害怕。
打仗会让很多人没有工作。
Noun + 是 + Noun
The verb 是 is used for identification, describing what something or someone is.
特朗普是美国的总统。
伊朗是一个国家。
已经 + Verb/Time word
已经 means 'already' and is used to indicate that something has been completed or has happened.
现在已经过了一个星期。
这/那 + 是 + Noun/Pronoun
Demonstratives 这 (this) and 那 (that) are used to point to specific things.
这就是战争的坏处。
这就是现在的情况。
这就是现在中东的情况。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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