A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
每天一定要走一万步吗？研究发现七千步也有好处
Must You Walk 10,000 Steps? Research Finds Benefits Around 7,000
About this story
A report on walking and step counters — why 10,000 steps came from advertising, and what studies say about 7,000 steps. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 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 走、看、好 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
How many steps should we walk every day?
Some people say you should walk 10,000 steps.
10,000 steps — who said that?
Many years ago, someone in Japan sold pedometers.
The number the pedometer seller said was 10,000 steps.
10,000 steps — that was said by a seller.
A pedometer can count how many steps we walk.
Now many people also study walking and the body.
They look at how many steps many people walk each day, and at their bodies.
There is a study that looked at many people's bodies.
In the study, some people walked 7,000 steps a day, and some walked 2,000 steps a day.
Looking at these people's bodies, the people who walked 7,000 steps were a little healthier.
But this does not mean that if you walk 7,000 steps, your body will definitely be healthy.
In the study, some people walked 4,000 steps and were also healthy.
You want to know how your body will be.
But the study looked at many people, not just you alone.
Many people in the study being healthy does not mean your body will definitely be healthy.
When you look at a pedometer, you can know how many steps you walked, but you cannot know for sure whether your body is healthy.
A pedometer is a small thing: when you walk one step, it counts one.
When you walk one more step, it counts two.
When you have walked many steps, it has a number, and you can look at it.
When you see 10,000, you will think: how did this number come about?
Sellers want you to buy pedometers; researchers want to look at people's bodies.
What they do is not the same.
So when you see 10,000 steps, you should also think about who said this number.
For example, you want to go to a store to buy things.
The store is not far; you can walk there, or you can take a taxi.
If you take a taxi, the number on the pedometer will not be much.
If you walk there, you can look ahead and behind, and you can also talk with friends.
Looking at the number on the pedometer, you can know how many steps you walked today.
But that is only a number; it is not the answer to whether your body is healthy.
Where do you want to go for a walk today?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. A very common verb; here it appears in 走多少步 and 走过去.
HSK 1. Used in 看计步器 and 看这些人的身体.
HSK 1. In this script it often means healthy, as in 身体好一些.
HSK 1. Appears in 有人说 and 是谁说的.
HSK 1. Used for possibility or permission, as in 可以知道走了多少步.
HSK 1. Common pattern: 可以知道 / 不能知道.
A taxi. 坐出租车 means to take a taxi.
A device that counts steps. 计 means count, 步 means step, 器 means device.
A step; also used in 步数 (number of steps).
Used as both noun and verb: 有一个研究, 研究走路和身体.
Refers to the body or physical condition, as in 身体好一些.
Verb meaning to count, as in 计步器能数我们走了多少步.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法多少 + Noun
多少 means how many/how much and comes before a noun to ask about quantity.
我们每天走多少步好呢？
计步器能数我们走了多少步。
The 是……的 pattern highlights or asks about the source or doer of an action, often in the past.
一万步，是谁说的？
卖计步器的人说的数，是一万步。
有的人……，有的人……
This pattern contrasts different groups of people: some do one thing, some do another.
研究里，有的人每天走七千步，有的人每天走两千步。
可以……，也可以……
This pattern presents two possible options: you can do one thing, and you can also do another.
商店不远，你可以走过去，也可以坐出租车。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
来源Free account
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