Although the Chinese national team is not participating, World Cup advertisements, food delivery promotions, and viewing events naturally draw people into the excitement.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

赵强: Lao Huang, are you watching the match tonight? I just saw that the restaurant downstairs has launched a World Cup late-night snack combo.
黄刚: Of course. Even though China's team didn't qualify for the World Cup, I still feel the atmosphere around us is pretty lively.
赵强: Exactly. There are World Cup ads everywhere—in shopping malls, elevators, and mobile apps. Our marketing department has been studying these campaigns lately.
黄刚: Yesterday when I bought milk, the packaging also had the World Cup logo on it. It feels like many Chinese brands want people to remember them through this opportunity.
赵强: That's the business opportunity. Even without China's team playing, people may not get overly excited, but when watching matches they still order food delivery, buy drinks, and might even replace their TV with a bigger one.
黄刚: I think this way of participating is quite genuine. Not everyone is a hardcore fan, but when the World Cup comes around, everyone has something to say about it.
赵强: That's right. For brands, as long as people are willing to talk about it and spend money, the campaign has already achieved its goal.
黄刚: Then let's go to that restaurant tonight. We can eat while watching the match and see whether those advertisements are actually persuasive.
赵强: Sounds good. I'll make a reservation now. Otherwise, the seats might be gone before the match even starts.

Xiaobao and Xiaomei play a pirate game inside a cardboard box and set off together to search for Treasure Island.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

小宝: Xiaomei, get on the ship quickly! I'm the captain!
小美: Okay! Captain, where are we going?
小宝: We're going to Treasure Island to find gold!
小美: Great! Let's set sail!
小宝: Look, there's a big fish on the left!
小美: Wow, you're right! There's also a sea turtle on the right.
小宝: Oh no! There's a big monster ahead!
小美: Don't be afraid, I'll protect you!
小宝: Look, that's Treasure Island up ahead!
小美: We've arrived! Let's go get the treasure!

Junxi and Liu Na imagine in a lighthearted and humorous way: if Li Bai were a fashion/lifestyle blogger, how would he shoot videos and write captions, while learning simple cultural expressions.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

俊熙: Teacher Liu, if Li Bai became a blogger, how would he post videos?
刘娜: He might drink wine while saying to the camera: Dear friends, the moonlight tonight is truly beautiful!
俊熙: Haha! Then would the title be “Slightly tipsy under the moon, absolutely amazing”?
刘娜: That works! He would also film night scenes by the river and add a line of poetry as the caption.
俊熙: What if someone comments: Where did you shoot this?
刘娜: He would reply: By the river, the wind is strong, and my heart feels free.
俊熙: What if someone says, “Did you drink too much?”
刘娜: He might smile and say: Not too much, just right—my inspiration has arrived.
俊熙: That’s so vivid! This is what they call “artistic mood.”
刘娜: Exactly. Li Bai’s blogger style would be: romantic, free, and very good at praising beauty.

On the Dragon Boat Festival, Yuko hesitates between sweet and savory zongzi while shopping. Liu Na suggests trying both.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

优子: Teacher Liu, it's the Dragon Boat Festival today. The supermarket is full of zongzi, and I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the choices.
刘娜: Do you usually prefer sweet or savory food?
优子: I like sweet food, but this savory pork zongzi smells really good too.
刘娜: Then buy a little of both. In northern China, many people like red bean paste zongzi and red date zongzi, while savory pork zongzi is very common here in Shanghai.
优子: I see. I thought there was only one flavor of zongzi.
刘娜: Not at all. China is very large, and there are many ways to prepare and eat it. People sometimes jokingly debate whether sweet or savory zongzi tastes better.
优子: Then I won't take sides today. I'll buy two red bean paste zongzi and two savory pork zongzi.
刘娜: Smart choice. Steam them when you get home and enjoy them slowly. Next time, you can buy more of whichever you like best.

Xiao Pan is unfamiliar with the workplace cafeteria process, so Huang Gang helps him learn how meals work and what the environment is like.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

黄刚: Xiao Pan, it's noon. Let's go eat at the cafeteria. It's your first day here, so you're not very familiar with it yet.
小潘: Okay, thank you. I just saw a lot of people going downstairs, but I didn't know how meals work here.
黄刚: It's very simple. First, swipe your card at the entrance, then take a tray and choose your dishes.
小潘: Oh, I need to swipe a card. I don't have one yet. Can I pay with cash?
黄刚: Yes, you can use cash today. Later, you can get a card, which will be more convenient.
小潘: There are a lot of people here, but everyone is very quiet.
黄刚: That's right. Our colleagues are generally quite serious. Mealtime isn't long; people usually go back to work after eating.
小潘: I understand. I'll pay attention to the customs here in the future.

Ghana plans to officially introduce Chinese classes in primary and secondary schools nationwide in 2026.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

小宝: Brother, where is Ghana? Is it far away?
小刚: It’s in Africa. It’s a country. The news says they plan to offer Chinese classes in primary and secondary schools nationwide in 2026.
小宝: Wow! Primary school students will learn Chinese too?
小刚: Yes. Because China is an important partner, they think learning Chinese will help with trade and jobs.
小宝: Then can they say “hello”?
小刚: Of course. Confucius Institutes are also helping teachers design the courses, and they’ve already taught many students.
小宝: That sounds amazing! Will children in Ghana be able to chat with us in the future?
小刚: Yes. Learning a language is for making friends. Maybe one day, you’ll have a friend from Ghana.

The Shanghai college entrance exam places greater emphasis on textbook fundamentals and real-world applications while reducing mechanical calculations.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

陈花: Did you read the analysis of this year's Shanghai college entrance exam? I heard colleagues discussing it in the office today. They said math questions are no longer just about calculation skills.
黄刚: Yes, I did. Experts said it's about 'more thinking, less calculating.' For example, trigonometric functions were tested through the speed patterns of CNC machine tools, and probability and statistics were tested using the density of waste-gas components. It's quite connected to real life.
陈花: That sounds good. Students used to ask me what the knowledge in textbooks was actually useful for. If questions relate to topics like technology and environmental protection, they may find them more meaningful.
黄刚: The Chinese exam is similar. The essay asked students to discuss the relationship between technological progress and imagination. It's not something you can write well just by memorizing a few universal examples.
陈花: But this also challenges teachers. In class, we can't just have students do endless practice questions. We also need to help them truly understand the textbooks and express their own ideas through connections to real life.
黄刚: Exactly. The article mentioned 'alignment between teaching and testing,' meaning that what is taught in textbooks is what exams assess. Classical Chinese vocabulary and literary commentaries, for example, are all related to the curriculum.
陈花: I like this direction. We can't neglect the basics, but we also shouldn't train children to be people who only know how to apply formulas and templates.
黄刚: That's right. The number of questions and the structure remain stable, and the difficulty is reasonable. The key is who can apply what they have learned flexibly.
陈花: Tomorrow I'll discuss this with my students in class and remind them not to keep asking, 'Will this be on the exam?' Instead, they should first ask themselves, 'Do I really understand it?'

David is using Chinese Short Dialogue for the first time, and Teacher Liu introduces several useful features for learning Chinese.

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Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

刘娜: David, do you know what features this app has?
大卫: I’m not very sure yet. Teacher Liu, could you introduce them to me?
刘娜: Of course. When you’re reading a dialogue, you can tap on words you don’t know.
大卫: What happens after I tap them?
刘娜: You can see the meaning of the word. If you want to know more, you can also ask the AI.
大卫: That’s very convenient. If I come across something I don’t understand, I can check it right away.
刘娜: There’s an eye icon in the lower-right corner. Tap it, and you can hide the text.
大卫: So then I can just listen to the audio?
刘娜: Exactly. This feature is great for practicing listening and shadowing.
大卫: I also saw section playback and repeat playback.
刘娜: That’s right. If there’s something you can’t hear clearly, you can listen to it repeatedly.
大卫: That makes practicing much more convenient.
刘娜: Finally, you can do the reading comprehension exercises below the dialogue.
大卫: Okay. If I can’t answer them, I can also ask the AI.
刘娜: Very good. Then let’s start practicing.