HSK 3-6 Text Audios

HSK 3 Lesson 6 Passage 1

清明节，又称踏青节、行清节、三月节、祭祖节等。清明节源自上古时代的祖先信仰与春祭礼俗，兼具自然与人文两大内涵，既是自然节气点，也是传统节日。扫墓祭祖与踏青郊游是清明节的两大礼俗主题，这两大传统礼俗主题在中国自古传承，至今不辍。 

清明节在公历4月5日前后。

清明节是传统的重大春祭节日，扫墓祭祀、缅怀祖先，是中华民族自古以来的优良传统。清明节融汇自然节气与人文风俗为一体，是天时地利人和的合一，充分体现了中华民族先祖们追求“天、地、人”的和谐合一，讲究顺应天时地宜、遵循自然规律的思想。

清明节与春节、端午节、中秋节并称为中国四大传统节日。除了中国，世界上还有一些国家和地区也过清明节，比如越南、韩国、马来西亚、新加坡等。


Qingming Festival, also known as outing Festival, Qingming festival, March festival, ancestor worship festival. Tomb-sweeping Day comes from the ancient beliefs of our ancestors and the customs of Spring Festival. It is both natural and cultural. It is not only a natural solar term point but also a traditional festival.  Tomb sweeping and ancestor worship and outing are the two themes of the Qingming Festival. These two traditional themes have been passed down in China since ancient times.  

Tomb-sweeping Day falls around April 5 in the Gregorian calendar.  

Qingming Festival is a major traditional Spring Festival. It is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation since ancient times to sweep tombs and offer sacrifices to ancestors.  Qingming Festival combines natural solar terms and cultural customs as a whole, is the unity of heaven, earth and man, fully embodies the Chinese ancestors to pursue the harmony of "heaven, earth and man", pay attention to conform to the idea of heaven and earth, follow the laws of nature.  

Qingming Festival, The Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are called the four traditional Festivals in China.  Besides China, qingming Festival is also celebrated in some countries and regions in the world, such as Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.  


Maple's fun Chinese  (Mandarin)

清明节  Qingming Festival   Qīngmíng jié

The Missing Element in All Types of Interviews

In a job interview, make your case fast and be sure your suit is pressed, too. But it's not what the recording is about :) 

You might laugh, but it takes a few seconds for an experienced HR manager to decide on the outcome of the interview.

One of my students from China working as a general manager for a luxury firm said, "Oh, Anatoly, I watch for the words they use; if they have a victim mentality, the chances of them succeeding with us are low.". 

What are you going to do now after reading this?

I mean, I hear these remarks by my students who are top managers—they don't want to hear any kind of whining or complaining about the past. All they care about is how successfully you are going to assist and support the company's evolution and growth!

The winner's attitude is what they are looking for, and to be honest, it's a rare-case scenario.

If you check with yourself, what do you like? A complainer? A thrilled and excited individual? Are you happy about the changes, or does the future seem dark and gloomy?

Top managers got themselves trained to pick those nuanses, and so do I, as I've had top performers as my students for 8 years, and I did close to 21 thousand meetings with them—it's evident!

Let me know if this text was an eye-opener for you. I would be for me!!! 

If you want  me to listen to your speech and share some recommentations of how to improve your English performance - be my guest, book my classes now!



Job Interview Preparation | Build Strong Communication Under Pressure

The Missing Element In All Types of Interviews

Two is sometimes better than one, especially if you are your own worst enemy when it comes to learning English. Find out why and how a study buddy can help you learn English better.

Transcript here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-0MSwvOpyrBo2IJm6RDADq3xkxhKdyan/view?usp=sharing

Schedule a class with me here: https://teach.italki.com/teacher/12103910

Lisa's Podcast

Study Buddy and Accountability

British writer Bill Bryson once wrote that "London is a city of endless possibility" — and perhaps, endless traffic?

The UK capital is the most congested city in Europe, according to transport analytics company Inrix.

The company looked at data from different cities around the world, and found that drivers in London spent an average of 101 hours sitting in traffic in 2024. That's up from 99 hours in 2023, and 97 hours in 2022.

According to Inrix, these delays cost the city more than $4.8 billion a year — or about $1,200 for each of London's 4 million drivers.

Inrix says London's bad traffic congestion is caused by the "concentration of population, employment and economic activity."

But although it's Europe's most congested city for the fourth year in a row, London has improved in the global rankings. It was third in the world in 2023, but is now in fifth place globally. It is still, however, the only European city in the top five.

Istanbul has jumped to first place, up from sixth, with drivers in the Turkish city spending an average of 105 hours in traffic per year.

New York and Chicago are next on the list, followed by Mexico City in fourth place.

Inrix also calculated each city's "downtown speed" — that is, the speed at which a driver can expect to travel 1.6 kilometers in the center of the city during morning rush hour.

For each of the top five cities, the downtown speed was under 25 kilometers an hour.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

London Drivers Spend 101 Hours in Traffic a Year

This episode covers a sample  greeting conversation with analysis. 

News and conversations in colloquial Yoruba

Yoruba greetings

In this episode, I will share how to express gratitude in formal and informal way. Using this expression is very useful when we have conversation with people. Make sure you use it with your Indonesian friends! 

Bahasa Sehari-Hari (Daily Phrases)

Gratitude - Formal vs Informal  

Situation: Employee Experiencing Micromanagement

Statements: "I feel like I'm constantly being watched," "I don't have autonomy in my role," "My manager doesn't trust me to make decisions," "I'm overwhelmed with constant check-ins."

Questions: "How can I communicate my need for more autonomy?" "What strategies can I use to build trust with my manager?" "How can I handle excessive workload due to micromanagement?" "Is it appropriate to set boundaries with my manager?"

Situation: Manager Accused of Micromanagement
Statements: "I'm just trying to ensure the work is done correctly," "I want to be supportive of my team," "I'm afraid of making mistakes," "I have high expectations."

Questions: "How can I delegate effectively without losing control?" "How can I build trust with my team?" "What are the signs of micromanagement?" "How can I empower my employees to take ownership of their work?"

Situation: Team Discussion About Micromanagement
Statements: "Micromanagement is killing our morale," "We need more trust from management," "I feel like I'm not learning or growing," "This is affecting our productivity."

Questions: "How can we address micromanagement as a team?" "What can we do to improve communication with our manager?" "How can we create a more empowered work environment?" "Are there specific examples of micromanagement we can share?"

Situation: Organizational Level Discussion
Statements: "Micromanagement is a systemic issue," "We need to develop leadership training," "We need to redefine our management philosophy," "This is impacting our company culture."

Questions: "How can we create a culture of trust and autonomy?" "What are the long-term consequences of micromanagement?" "How can we measure the impact of micromanagement on performance?" "What role does organizational structure play in micromanagement?"

The Global Professional Podcast

How to Talk About Micromanagement - Episode 107

One of the most charming features of the Italian language is its apparent clarity. Unlike English, Italian is often described as a phonetic language: words are usually pronounced exactly as they are written.
Yet even in this musical and “transparent” tongue, there are exceptions—letters that fade, soften, or vanish depending on dialect, speed, or etymology. These are Italy’s hidden sounds, traces of the language’s long evolution from Latin to modern speech.

Let’s uncover some of the most interesting cases.