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10 short stories written with the words of HSK 5 and below. Read with the Pinyin and the meaning, then hide them and read again; hear each sentence, or the whole story. Free, no account needed.
Each story prints on its own, with or without the Pinyin and the meaning as you have them on screen: a reading sheet, or a test.
新城市的第一个朋友My First Friend in a New City
小林因为工作，从北京搬到了成都。xiǎolín yīnwèi gōngzuò cóng běijīng bān dào le chéngdūBecause of work, Xiao Lin moved from Beijing to Chengdu.
刚到的时候，她谁也不认识，心里有点儿孤单。gāng dào de shíhou tā shuí yě bú rènshi xīnli yǒudiǎnr gūdānWhen she first arrived, she didn't know anyone and felt a little lonely.
每天下班后，她都一个人在楼下的小饭馆吃面。měi tiānxià bān hòu tā dōu yí gèrén zài lóuxià de xiǎofànguǎn chī miànEvery day after work, she ate noodles alone at the little restaurant downstairs.
老板是个热情的阿姨，总是问她：“要不要辣？”lǎobǎn shì gè rèqíng de āyí zǒngshì wèn tā yàobu yào làThe owner was a warm-hearted auntie who always asked her, "Do you want it spicy?"
小林怕辣，每次都说：“一点点就好。”xiǎolín pà là měi cì dōu shuō yìdiǎndiǎn jiù hǎoXiao Lin couldn't handle spice, so every time she said, "Just a tiny bit."
一个月后，阿姨笑着说：“你的‘一点点’越来越多了。”yí gè yuè hòu āyí xiào zhe shuō nǐ de yìdiǎndiǎn yuèláiyuè duō leA month later, the auntie laughed and said, "Your 'tiny bit' keeps getting bigger."
小林这才发现，自己已经习惯了这里的味道。xiǎolín zhè cái fāxiàn zìjǐ yǐjīng xíguàn le zhèlǐ de wèidaoOnly then did Xiao Lin realize she had already gotten used to the local flavors.
周末，阿姨还邀请她去家里包饺子。zhōumò āyí hái yāoqǐng tā qù jiālǐ bāojiǎoziOn the weekend, the auntie even invited her home to make dumplings.
那天晚上，小林给妈妈打电话：“别担心，我在这儿有朋友了。”nà tiān wǎnshang xiǎolín gěi māma dǎdiànhuà bié dānxīn wǒ zài zhèr yǒu péngyou leThat night, Xiao Lin called her mom: "Don't worry, I have a friend here now."
周末，我们小区举办了一场厨艺比赛。zhōumò wǒmen xiǎoqū jǔbàn le yì chǎng chúyì bǐsàiAt the weekend, our neighbourhood held a cooking contest.
退休的王阿姨报了名，打算做她最拿手的红烧鱼。tuìxiū de wáng āyí bào le míng dǎsuàn zuò tā zuì náshǒu de hóng shāo yúRetired Auntie Wang signed up, planning to make her best dish, braised fish.
她认真准备了一上午，连调料都是自己配的。tā rènzhēn zhǔnbèi le yí shàngwǔ lián tiáoliào dōu shì zìjǐ pèi deShe prepared carefully all morning, even mixing her own seasonings.
没想到，邻居家的小狗突然冲进了厨房。méixiǎngdào línjū jiā de xiǎo gǒu tūrán chōng jìn le chúfángUnexpectedly, the neighbour's little dog suddenly rushed into the kitchen.
它叼起一条鱼就跑，王阿姨在后面拼命地追。tā diāo qǐ yì tiáo yú jiù pǎo wáng āyí zài hòumiàn pīnmìng de zhuīIt grabbed a fish in its mouth and ran, with Auntie Wang chasing hard behind.
大家看到这个场面，都忍不住笑了起来。dàjiā kàndào zhè gè chǎngmiàn dōu rěnbúzhù xiào le qilaiSeeing this scene, everyone couldn't help laughing.
王阿姨只好用剩下的鱼，重新做了一盘。wáng āyí zhǐhǎo yòng shèngxià de yú chóngxīn zuò le yì pánAuntie Wang had no choice but to make a new plate with the remaining fish.
评委尝了一口，说味道好极了，给了她第一名。píngwěi cháng le yì kǒu shuō wèidao hǎo jíle gěi le tā dì yī míngThe judges took a bite, said it tasted wonderful, and gave her first place.
王阿姨笑着说：“这个奖，小狗也有一半功劳！”wáng āyí xiào zhe shuō zhè gè jiǎng xiǎo gǒu yě yǒu yíbàn gōngláoAuntie Wang laughed: "Half the credit for this prize goes to the dog!"
李明的航班推迟了三个小时，他只好在机场里闲逛。lǐ míng de hángbān tuīchí le sān gè xiǎoshí tā zhǐhǎo zài jīchǎng lǐ xián guàngLi Ming's flight was delayed by three hours, so he had no choice but to wander around the airport.
他走进一家咖啡店，排队的时候，前面的人忽然回过头来。tā zǒujìn yì jiā kāfēidiàn páiduì de shíhou qiánmiàn de rén hūrán huí guòtóu láiHe walked into a coffee shop, and while he was in line, the person in front suddenly turned around.
两个人愣了一下，同时喊道：“怎么是你？”liǎng gèrén lèng le yí xià tóngshí hǎn dào zěnme shì nǐThe two of them froze for a moment, then shouted at the same time: "Is that you?"
原来她是李明的大学同学王芳，已经十年没见了。yuánlái tā shì lǐ míng de dàxué tóngxué wáng fāng yǐjīng shí nián méi jiàn leIt turned out she was Wang Fang, Li Ming's university classmate, whom he hadn't seen in ten years.
他们找了个座位，从毕业聊到工作，越聊越开心。tāmen zhǎo le gè zuòwèi cóng bìyè liáo dào gōngzuò yuè liáo yuè kāixīnThey found a seat and chatted about everything from graduation to work, getting happier the more they talked.
王芳笑着说：“你还是那么爱喝很甜的咖啡。”wáng fāng xiào zhe shuō nǐ háishi nàme ài hē hěn tián de kāfēiWang Fang said with a smile, "You still love really sweet coffee."
李明不好意思地承认：“有些习惯，十年也改不了。”lǐ míng bùhǎoyìsi de chéngrèn yǒuxiē xíguàn shí nián yě gǎi bù liǎoLi Ming admitted, a little embarrassed, "Some habits don't change even in ten years."
后来他们发现，两个人竟然要坐同一个航班。hòulái tāmen fāxiàn liǎng gèrén jìngrán yào zuò tóngyī gè hángbānLater they discovered that, amazingly, they were taking the same flight.
李明感叹道：“看来这次推迟，是专门为了让我们见面。”lǐ míng gǎntàn dào kànlai zhè cì tuīchí shì zhuānmén wèile ràng wǒmen jiànmiànLi Ming sighed, "It seems this delay happened just so we could meet."
What surprising thing did they discover at the end?
爷爷的毛笔Grandpa's Writing Brush
暑假时，小雨决定跟爷爷学习书法。shǔjià shí xiǎo yǔ juédìng gēn yéye xuéxí shūfǎDuring the summer holiday, Xiaoyu decided to learn calligraphy from her grandfather.
爷爷拿出一支旧毛笔，说这是他年轻时用的。yéye náchū yì zhī jiù máobǐ shuō zhè shì tā niánqīng shí yòng deGrandpa took out an old writing brush and said he had used it when he was young.
第一天，小雨写的“永”字像一条歪歪的小虫。dì yī tiān xiǎo yǔ xiě de yǒng zì xiàng yì tiáo wāi wāi de xiǎo chóngOn the first day, the character "yong" that Xiaoyu wrote looked like a crooked little bug.
她有点儿失望，想把纸扔掉。tā yǒudiǎnr shīwàng xiǎng bǎ zhǐ rēng diàoShe was a little disappointed and wanted to throw the paper away.
爷爷笑着说：“别急，写字和做人一样，要慢慢来。”yéye xiào zhe shuō bié jí xiě zì hé zuò rén yíyàng yào mànmànláiGrandpa smiled and said, "Don't rush. Writing is like life—take it slowly."
从那以后，小雨每天早上都认真练习一个小时。cóng nà yǐhòu xiǎo yǔ měi tiān zǎoshang dōu rènzhēn liànxí yí gè xiǎoshíFrom then on, Xiaoyu practiced carefully for an hour every morning.
暑假结束时，她的字终于变得整齐又漂亮。shǔjià jiéshù shí tā de zì zhōngyú biàn de zhěngqí yòu piàoliangBy the end of the holiday, her handwriting had finally become neat and beautiful.
她送给爷爷一幅字，上面写着“爷爷最好”。tā sònggěi yéye yì fú zì shàngmiàn xiě zhe yéye zuìhǎoShe gave Grandpa a piece of calligraphy that said "Grandpa is the best."
爷爷高兴得马上把它挂在客厅里，还拍照发给了所有朋友。yéye gāoxìng de mǎshàng bǎ tā guà zài kètīng lǐ hái pāizhào fā gěi le suǒyǒu péngyouGrandpa was so happy that he hung it in the living room right away and sent photos to all his friends.
周五晚上，大楼突然停电了，电梯也停了。zhōuwǔ wǎnshang dàlóu tūrán tíngdiàn le diàntī yě tíng leOn Friday evening, the building suddenly lost power, and the lifts stopped too.
住在二十八层的李阳刚下班，只好爬楼梯回家。zhù zài èr shí bā céng de lǐ yánggāng xiàbān zhǐhǎo pá lóutī huíjiāLi Yang, who lives on the 28th floor, had just finished work and had no choice but to climb the stairs home.
爬到第十层时，他已经累得说不出话了。pá dào dì shí céng shí tā yǐjīng lèi de shuō bù chū huà leBy the tenth floor, he was so tired he couldn't speak.
楼梯上很黑，他听见上面有人在唱歌。lóutī shàng hěn hēi tā tīngjiàn shàngmiàn yǒurén zài chànggēThe stairwell was dark, and he heard someone singing above him.
原来是一位老奶奶，她拿着手电筒慢慢地走。yuánlái shì yí wèi lǎo nǎinai tā ná zhuóshǒu diàn tǒng mànmàn de zǒuIt turned out to be an old woman, walking slowly with a torch.
奶奶笑着说：“年轻人，我们一起走，唱歌就不累了。”nǎinai xiào zhe shuō niánqīng rén wǒmen yìqǐ zǒu chànggē jiù bú lèi leThe old woman smiled and said, "Young man, let's go together. If we sing, we won't feel tired."
于是两个人一边唱，一边爬，邻居们也陆续加入了。yúshì liǎng gèrén yìbiān chàng yìbiān pá línjū men yě lùxù jiārù leSo the two of them sang as they climbed, and neighbours gradually joined in.
到了二十八层，楼梯里已经有一个小合唱团了。dào le èr shí bā céng lóutī lǐ yǐjīng yǒu yí gè xiǎo héchàng tuán leBy the 28th floor, there was already a small choir in the stairwell.
这时灯突然亮了，大家看着彼此，都哈哈大笑起来。zhèshí dēng tūrán liàng le dàjiā kàn zhe bǐcǐ dōu hāhādàxiào qilaiJust then the lights suddenly came back on, and everyone looked at each other and burst out laughing.
周六早上，小林打开门，发现门口放着一个大包裹。zhōuliù zǎoshang xiǎolín dǎkāi mén fāxiàn ménkǒu fàng zhe yí gè dà bāoguǒOn Saturday morning, Xiao Lin opened the door and found a big parcel outside.
她仔细一看，收件人是住在楼上的王奶奶。tā zǐxì yí kàn shōu jiàn rén shì zhù zài lóushàng de wáng nǎinaiShe looked carefully: it was addressed to Granny Wang, who lived upstairs.
原来快递员把“502”看成了“302”。yuánlái kuàidì yuán bǎ kànchéng leIt turned out the courier had misread "502" as "302".
包裹很重，小林抱着它慢慢爬上了五楼。bāoguǒ hěn zhòng xiǎolín bào zhe tā mànmàn pá shàng le wǔ lóuThe parcel was heavy, and Xiao Lin slowly carried it up to the fifth floor.
王奶奶开门后，高兴得不得了，连声说谢谢。wáng nǎinai kāi mén hòu gāoxìng de budéliǎo lián shēng shuō xièxieWhen Granny Wang opened the door, she was overjoyed and thanked her again and again.
她当场拆开包裹，里面竟然是一大箱新鲜的橙子。tā dāngchǎng chāi kāi bāoguǒ lǐmiàn jìngrán shì yí dà xiāng xīnxiān de chéngziShe opened it right there, and inside was a whole box of fresh oranges.
“我一个人哪吃得完？你拿一半回去吧！”wǒ yí gèrén nǎ chī de wán nǐ ná yíbàn huíqu ba"How could I eat all these by myself? Take half home with you!"
小林推辞不了，只好抱着橙子下楼。xiǎolín tuīcí bù liǎo zhǐhǎo bào zhe chéngzi xiàlóuXiao Lin couldn't refuse, so she carried the oranges back downstairs.
从那以后，她每次看到快递员，都忍不住想笑。cóng nà yǐhòu tā měi cì kàndào kuàidì yuán dōu rěnbúzhù xiǎng xiàoFrom then on, every time she saw the courier, she couldn't help smiling.
退休以后，王阿姨决定在楼顶种一个菜园。tuìxiū yǐhòu wáng āyí juédìng zài lóu dǐng zhǒng yí gè cài yuánAfter retiring, Auntie Wang decided to plant a vegetable garden on the roof of her building.
邻居们都笑她：“楼顶风大，太阳又晒，能种出什么？”línjū men dōu xiào tā lóu dǐng fēng dà tàiyang yòu shài néng zhǒng chū shénmeThe neighbours all laughed at her: "The roof is windy and the sun is harsh. What could grow up there?"
她没有放弃，每天早上搬土、浇水，还认真记录。tā méiyǒu fàngqì měi tiān zǎoshang bān tǔ jiāo shuǐ hái rènzhēn jìlùShe didn't give up. Every morning she carried soil, watered the plants, and kept careful notes.
一个月后，西红柿和黄瓜居然都长出来了。yí gè yuè hòu xīhóngshì hé huángguā jūrán dōu cháng chulai leA month later, tomatoes and cucumbers had actually started to grow.
有一天，她发现几个西红柿不见了。yǒu yì tiān tā fāxiàn jǐ gè xīhóngshì bújiàn leOne day, she found that a few tomatoes were missing.
她偷偷躲在门后，想看看小偷到底是谁。tā tōutōu duǒ zài mén hòu xiǎng kàn kàn xiǎo tōu dàodǐ shì shuíShe secretly hid behind the door, wanting to see who the thief really was.
结果来的是楼下的李叔叔，手里还拿着一个盘子。jiéguǒ lái de shì lóuxià de lǐ shūshu shǒulǐ hái ná zhe yí gè pánziIt turned out to be Uncle Li from downstairs, holding a plate in his hand.
他不好意思地说：“我只是想尝尝，顺便给你送饺子。”tā bùhǎoyìsi de shuō wǒ zhǐshì xiǎng cháng cháng shùnbiàn gěi nǐ sòng jiǎoziHe said, embarrassed, "I just wanted a taste, and I was also bringing you dumplings."
王阿姨笑了：“好吧，以后你帮我浇水，西红柿随便吃！”wáng āyí xiào le hǎo ba yǐhòu nǐ bāng wǒ jiāo shuǐ xīhóngshì suíbiàn chīAuntie Wang laughed: "Fine, from now on you help me water, and you can eat all the tomatoes you like!"
How did the neighbours react to Auntie Wang's plan at first?
What problem did Auntie Wang discover in her garden?
What did Uncle Li bring with him?
最后一道题The Last Question
小林第一次参加电视上的知识比赛，紧张得手心出汗。xiǎolín dì yī cì cānjiā diànshì shàng de zhīshi bǐsài jǐnzhāng déshǒu xīn chūhànIt was Xiao Lin's first time on a TV quiz show, and she was so nervous her palms were sweating.
主持人笑着说：“别担心，就当是跟朋友聊天。”zhǔchírén xiào zhe shuō bié dānxīn jiù dāng shì gēn péngyou liáo tiānThe host smiled and said, "Don't worry, just treat it like chatting with friends."
前面几道题，她都回答得又快又准确。qiánmiàn jǐ dào tí tā dōu huídá de yòu kuài yòu zhǔnquèShe answered the first few questions quickly and correctly.
观众们热烈地鼓掌，她慢慢放松了下来。guānzhòng men rèliè de gǔzhǎng tā mànmàn fàngsōng le xiàlaiThe audience applauded warmly, and she gradually relaxed.
最后一道题是：“熊猫每天大约睡多少个小时？”zuìhòu yídào tí shì xióng māo měi tiān dàyuē shuì duōshao gè xiǎoshíThe last question was: "About how many hours a day does a panda sleep?"
小林的脑子突然一片空白，什么也想不起来。xiǎolín de nǎozi tūrán yí piàn kòngbái shénme yě xiǎng bù qilaiXiao Lin's mind suddenly went blank, and she couldn't remember anything.
她只好老实地说：“比我睡得多，因为我昨晚没睡着。”tā zhǐhǎo lǎoshi de shuō bǐ wǒ shuì de duō yīnwèi wǒ zuówǎn méi shuìzháoShe had no choice but to say honestly, "More than me, because I couldn't sleep last night."
全场都笑了，连主持人也笑得说不出话。quánchǎng dōu xiào le lián zhǔchírén yě xiào de shuō bù chū huàThe whole audience laughed, and even the host was laughing too hard to speak.
虽然答错了，她却得到了“最受欢迎选手”的奖。suīrán dá cuò le tā què dédào le zuì shòuhuānyíng xuǎnshǒu de jiǎngAlthough she got it wrong, she won the "Most Popular Contestant" award.
小林工作了一个月，终于拿到了第一份工资。xiǎolín gōngzuò le yí gè yuè zhōngyú nádào le dì yī fèn gōngzīXiao Lin had worked for a month and finally received his first paycheck.
他激动地在本子上列了一个长长的计划。tā jīdòng de zài běnzi shàng liè le yí gè cháng cháng de jìhuàExcitedly, he wrote a long plan in his notebook.
新手机、名牌运动鞋、和朋友去海边旅行……xīn shǒujī míng pái yùndòng xié hé péngyou qù hǎibiān lǚxíngA new phone, brand-name sneakers, a trip to the seaside with friends...
可是算了算，钱只够买清单上的一样东西。kěshì suànle suàn qián zhǐ gòu mǎi qīngdān shàng de yíyàng dōngxiBut after doing the math, the money was only enough for one thing on the list.
他犹豫了半天，最后决定先回家看看父母。tā yóuyù le bàntiān zuìhòu juédìng xiān huíjiā kàn kàn fùmǔHe hesitated for a long time and finally decided to go home and see his parents first.
他给妈妈买了一条围巾，给爸爸买了一瓶好酒。tā gěi māma mǎi le yì tiáo wéijīn gěi bàba mǎi le yì píng hǎo jiǔHe bought his mom a scarf and his dad a bottle of good wine.
妈妈嘴上说他浪费，却马上把围巾戴上了。māma zuǐ shàng shuō tā làngfèi què mǎshàng bǎ wéijīn dài shàng leHis mom said he was wasting money, but she put the scarf on right away.
吃完饭，爸爸偷偷往他口袋里塞了一个红包。chī wán fàn bàba tōutōu wǎng tā kǒudài lǐ sāi le yí gè hóngbāoAfter dinner, his dad secretly slipped a red envelope into his pocket.
小林打开一看，里面的钱比他花的还多。xiǎolín dǎkāi yí kàn lǐmiàn de qián bǐ tā huā de hái duōXiao Lin opened it and found more money inside than he had spent.
What did Xiao Lin first do after getting his salary?
How did his mother react to the gift?
What surprised Xiao Lin at the end?
开往云南的慢火车The Slow Train to Yunnan
小林买了一张去云南的慢火车票，要坐整整两天。xiǎolín mǎi le yì zhāng qù yúnnán de màn huǒchē piào yào zuò zhěngzhěng liǎng tiānXiao Lin bought a ticket for the slow train to Yunnan; the trip would take two full days.
朋友们都笑他：“坐飞机三个小时就到了，你何必呢？”péngyou men dōu xiào tā zuò fēijī sān gè xiǎoshí jiù dào le nǐ hébì neHis friends all laughed at him: "A plane gets you there in three hours. Why bother?"
车厢里很热闹，有人打牌，有人聊天，还有人卖水果。chēxiāng lǐ hěn rènao yǒurén dǎpái yǒurén liáo tiān háiyǒu rén mài shuǐguǒThe carriage was lively: some people played cards, some chatted, and someone was selling fruit.
对面坐着一位老奶奶，她非要请小林吃她自己做的米糕。duìmiàn zuò zhe yí wèi lǎo nǎinai tā fēi yào qǐng xiǎolín chī tā zìjǐ zuò de mǐ gāoAn old woman sat across from him, and she insisted on treating Xiao Lin to rice cakes she had made herself.
窗外的风景慢慢变了，从平原变成了绿色的山和梯田。chuāng wài de fēngjǐng mànmàn biàn le cóng píngyuán biànchéng le lǜsè de shān hé tītiánThe scenery outside the window slowly changed, from plains to green mountains and terraced fields.
第二天早上，老奶奶已经教会他用当地话说“谢谢”。dì èr tiān zǎoshang lǎo nǎinai yǐjīng jiào huì tā yòng dāngdì huà shuō xièxieBy the next morning, the old woman had already taught him to say "thank you" in the local dialect.
火车到站时，她的孙子来接她，顺便也邀请小林去家里吃饭。huǒchē dào zhàn shí tā de sūnzi lái jiē tā shùnbiàn yě yāoqǐng xiǎolín qù jiālǐ chīfànWhen the train arrived, her grandson came to pick her up and invited Xiao Lin home for a meal too.
那天晚上，小林给朋友们发消息：“飞机可没有米糕。”nà tiān wǎnshang xiǎolín gěi péngyou men fā xiāoxi fēijī kě méiyǒu mǐ gāoThat evening, Xiao Lin sent his friends a message: "Planes don't come with rice cakes."
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