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Trump Loses the Midterms: Iran War, Gas Prices and Immigration Cost Republicans Both Chambers — episode cover art
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特朗普输掉中期选举

Trump Loses the Midterms: Iran War, Gas Prices and Immigration Cost Republicans Both Chambers

About this story

Trump's party loses both chambers of Congress after the Iran war, a 40% gas price rise and a deadly shooting — a beginner-level Chinese news story. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 2 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 国家、现在、以后 and walks through 8 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.

美国的总统是特朗普。
这个星期,美国有选举。
美国有一个国会。
国会管国家的事,分两个部分。
这次选举,他的党输了。
两个部分都输了。
二月,有人给他看了一些数。
这些数说,美国现在很好。
几天以后,美国跟一个国家打仗了。
打仗以后,二十多个美国兵死了。
美国政府为打仗花了很多钱。
一共四百七十多亿美元。
开车的油也贵了。
油贵了百分之四十。
后来,有人跟他说:
打仗不好,选举会输。
一个常常帮他说话的人说:
这是二十年里最大的错。
在美国的一个地方,一个人死了。
这个人在医院工作,三十七岁。
打死这个人的,是政府的人。
选举以前,他去了三十个地方。
在四个地方,他让喜欢他的人去选。
这四个地方,他的人都输了。
九月,油又贵了。
一个星期里,油贵了十六美分。
有人跟他说:你要说大家钱不够用。
特朗普说:那些数是假的。
选举的前一天,他讲了一次话。
他说华盛顿的房子,说华盛顿的路。
后来,他跟一家报纸说话了。
他说:最大的问题,是选票上没有我的名字。
一个帮他的人说:这次选举,是钱的事。
现在,另一个党管国会了。
他的党不能管国会了。
English transcript reference

The president of the United States is Trump.

This week, the United States has an election.

The United States has a Congress.

Congress manages the country's affairs and is divided into two parts.

In this election, his party lost.

Both parts were lost.

In February, someone showed him some numbers.

These numbers said that the United States is doing very well now.

A few days later, the United States went to war with a country.

After the war began, more than twenty American soldiers died.

The U.S. government spent a lot of money on the war.

In total, more than 47 billion U.S. dollars.

Gas for driving also became expensive.

Gas became 40 percent more expensive.

Later, someone said to him:

War is bad, and the election will be lost.

A person who often speaks for him said:

This is the biggest mistake in twenty years.

In one place in the United States, a person died.

This person worked in a hospital and was thirty-seven years old.

The person who killed this person was someone from the government.

Before the election, he went to thirty places.

In four places, he told the people who like him to go and vote.

In these four places, his people all lost.

In September, gas became expensive again.

In one week, gas became sixteen cents more expensive.

Someone said to him: You need to say that everyone doesn't have enough money.

Trump said: Those numbers are fake.

The day before the election, he gave a speech.

He talked about the houses in Washington and the roads in Washington.

Later, he spoke with a newspaper.

He said: The biggest problem is that my name is not on the ballot.

A person who helps him said: This election is about money.

Now, another party controls Congress.

His party cannot control Congress anymore.

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
guójiācountry; nation

HSK 1. 国家的事 = the country's affairs.

xiànzàinow

HSK 1. 现在很好 = is doing very well now.

yǐhòuafter; later

HSK 1. 几天以后 = a few days later; 打仗以后 = after the war began.

qiánmoney

HSK 1. 花了很多钱 = spent a lot of money; 钱不够用 = not enough money to spend.

guìexpensive

HSK 1. 油贵了 = gas became expensive; opposite is 便宜.

dìfangplace

HSK 1. 一个地方 = one place; 三十个地方 = thirty places.

yīyuànhospital

HSK 1. 在医院工作 = work in a hospital.

gōngzuòto work; job

HSK 1. 这个人在医院工作 = this person works in a hospital.

zǒngtǒngpresident

HSK 3. 美国总统 = the U.S. president.

xuǎnjǔelection; to elect

HSK 4. 这次选举 = this election; 中期选举 = midterm election.

guóhuìCongress; parliament

HSK 5/6. 管国会 = control Congress; 分两个部分 = divided into two chambers.

dǎzhàngto go to war; to fight a war

Beyond HSK 4. 跟一个国家打仗 = go to war with a country.

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法

Place/Person + 有 + Object

Expresses possession or existence: someone or somewhere has something.

美国有一个国会。

这个星期,美国有选举。

Noun + 分 + Number + 个 + Noun (partitive 分)

分 here means 'to divide into'; 分两个部分 = divided into two parts.

国会管国家的事,分两个部分。

Number + 多 + Measure word + Noun

多 after a number means 'more than / -odd': 二十多个 = more than twenty.

二十多个美国兵死了。

一共四百七十多亿美元。

Noun + 贵了 + Number + 百分之…

Adjective + 了 marks a change of state; 百分之… expresses a percentage.

油贵了百分之四十。

一个星期里,油贵了十六美分。

是…的 (emphatic 是…的 structure)

Highlights the doer or cause of an action; the 的 comes at the end of the clause.

打死这个人的,是政府的人。

这次选举,是钱的事。

让 + Person + Verb phrase

让 means 'to let / to have someone do something'.

他让喜欢他的人去选。

都 + Verb (all / both)

都 sums up a plural subject: both parts, all of them.

两个部分都输了。

这四个地方,他的人都输了。

不能 + Verb

Expresses inability or prohibition: cannot do something.

他的党不能管国会了。

Proper nouns

专有名词
特朗普TèlǎngpǔTrump美国Měiguóthe United States华盛顿HuáshèngdùnWashington

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