Updated on October 10, 2020
Welcome to Lesson 2 (Level 5) of Ming Mandarin’s free online Mandarin Chinese lessons. In this lesson, we will learn reading Chinese news. Specifically, we will do Chinese newspaper reading practice.
I have selected a news about US politics (published on 10th October 2020 in Chinese media). The news is about the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (Nancy Pelosi) suggesting formation of a committee to investigate if Trump can be removed from the office (due to Covid-19 infection).
- Lesson 1 (Level 1): Common Mandarin Chinese Verbs with Examples
- Lesson 1 (Level 2): How To Say “To Think” With 以为 In Chinese?
- Lesson 1 (Level 3): Learn Must Know Famous Chinese Idioms
- Lesson 1 (Level 4): 2 Must Know Famous Ancient Chinese Poems
- Lesson 1 (Level 5): Chinese Reading Practice with Pinyin & English
Let’s go through the news article. I am adding Chinese, pinyin, and English for your reference (a level 5 reader should be able to read this news without any pinyin). 🙂
Chinese Newspaper Reading Practice
Disclaimer
免责声明：本文来自腾讯新闻客户端自媒体，不代表腾讯网的观点和立场。
Miǎnzé shēngmíng: Běnwén láizì téngxùn xīnwén kèhù duān zì méitǐ, bù dàibiǎo téngxùn wǎng de guāndiǎn hé lìchǎng.
Disclaimer: This article is from the Tencent News client self-media, and does not represent the views and positions of Tencent.com.
Headline
佩洛西想成立个委员会，评估特朗普还能否当总统，川普：她疯了
Pèi luò xī xiǎng chénglì gè wěiyuánhuì, pínggū tè lǎng pǔ hái néng fǒu dāng zǒngtǒng, chuān pǔ: Tā fēngle
Pelosi wants to set up a committee to assess whether Trump can still be president. Trump: She is crazy
News Section 1
美国众议院议长佩洛西周四宣布，她希望成立一个委员会，评估特朗普的心理健康状况及其担任总统的能力。
Měiguó zhòngyìyuàn yìzhǎng pèi luò xī zhōu sì xuānbù, tā xīwàng chénglì yīgè wěiyuánhuì, pínggū tè lǎng pǔ de xīnlǐ jiànkāng zhuàngkuàng jí qí dānrèn zǒngtǒng de nénglì.
The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Pelosi, announced on Thursday that she hopes to set up a committee to evaluate Trump’s mental health and his ability to serve as president.
该委员会将启动第25条修正案，目前人们担心特朗普为治疗新冠病毒而服用的药物影响到他的精神健康。
Gāi wěiyuánhuì jiāng qǐdòng dì 25 tiáo xiūzhèng àn, mùqián rénmen dānxīn tè lǎng pǔ wèi zhìliáo xīnguān bìngdú ér fúyòng di yàowù yǐngxiǎng dào tā de jīngshén jiànkāng.
The committee will initiate the 25th amendment. At present, people are worried that the drugs Trump is taking to treat the new crown virus will affect his mental health.
与此同时，特朗普称佩洛西疯了，应该接受观察，并指责她策划了政府政变。
Yǔ cǐ tóngshí, tè lǎng pǔ chēng pèi luò xī fēngle, yīnggāi jiēshòu guānchá, bìng zhǐzé tā cèhuàle zhèngfǔ zhèngbiàn.
At the same time, Trump said that Pelosi was crazy and should be under observation, and accused her of planning a government coup.
News Section 2
曾对总统精神状态表示担忧的佩洛西和民主党国会议员、宪法学教授杰米·拉斯金将于星期五举行新闻发布会，宣布通过一项立法，成立一个关于总统行使职权能力的委员会。
Céng duì zǒngtǒng jīngshén zhuàngtài biǎoshì dānyōu de pèi luò xī hé mínzhǔdǎng guóhuì yìyuán, xiànfǎ xué jiàoshòu jié mǐ·lā sī jīn jiāng yú xīngqíwǔ jǔxíng xīnwén fābù huì, xuānbù tōngguò yī xiàng lìfǎ, chénglì yīgè guānyú zǒngtǒng xíngshǐ zhíquán nénglì de wěiyuánhuì.
Pelosi, who has expressed concerns about the president’s mental state, and Democratic Congressman and constitutional professor Jamie Ruskin, will hold a press conference on Friday to announce the passage of legislation and establish a committee on the president’s ability to exercise power.
这些议员在一份新闻稿中说，该法案将成立总统能力委员会，以评估总统行使权力和职责的能力。这是美国宪法第25条修正案所要求的机构和程序，使国会能够帮助确保在政府行政部门的最高职位上保持有效和不间断的领导。
Zhèxiē yìyuán zài yī fèn xīnwén gǎo zhōng shuō, gāi fǎ’àn jiāng chénglì zǒngtǒng nénglì wěiyuánhuì, yǐ pínggū zǒngtǒng xíngshǐ quánlì hé zhízé de nénglì. Zhè shì měiguó xiànfǎ dì 25 tiáo xiūzhèng àn suǒ yāoqiú de jīgòu hé chéngxù, shǐ guóhuì nénggòu bāngzhù quèbǎo zài zhèngfǔ xíngzhèng bùmén de zuìgāo zhíwèi shàng bǎochí yǒuxiào hé bù jiànduàn de lǐngdǎo.
The lawmakers said in a press release that the bill would establish a presidential competence committee to assess the president’s ability to exercise power and responsibilities. This is the institution and procedure required by the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that enables Congress to help ensure effective and uninterrupted leadership in the highest positions in the executive branch of government.
该委员会的成立必须得到众议院的批准，但鉴于民主党对众议院的控制，应该会通过。它还将迫使在摇摆不定的连任竞选中的14名共和党人公开对总统的心理健康进行投票。
Gāi wěiyuánhuì de chénglì bìxū dédào zhòngyìyuàn de pīzhǔn, dàn jiànyú mínzhǔdǎng duì zhòngyìyuàn de kòngzhì, yīnggāi huì tōngguò. Tā hái jiāng pòshǐ zài yáobǎi bùdìng de liánrèn jìngxuǎn zhōng de 14 míng gònghédǎng rén gōngkāi duì zǒngtǒng de xīnlǐ jiànkāng jìnxíng tóupiào.
The establishment of the committee must be approved by the House of Representatives, but given the Democratic Party’s control of the House of Representatives, it should be passed. It will also force 14 Republicans in the wavering reelection campaign to vote publicly on the president’s mental health.
然而，参议院共和党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔不太可能将该法案提交参议院，因为该法案需要参议院通过才能成立该委员会。
Rán’ér, cānyìyuàn gònghédǎng lǐngxiù mǐqí·mài kāng nài ěr bù tài kěnéng jiāng gāi fǎ’àn tíjiāo cānyìyuàn, yīnwèi gāi fǎ’àn xūyào cānyìyuàn tōngguò cáinéng chénglì gāi wěiyuánhuì.
However, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is unlikely to submit the bill to the Senate because the bill needs to be passed by the Senate to establish the committee.
News Section 3
佩洛西周四警告记者，她计划调查川普下台一事。去年12月，她启动了针对特朗普的弹劾程序。众议院批准了针对他的两项条款，但参议院澄清了对他的指控。
Pèi luò xī zhōu sì jǐnggào jìzhě, tā jìhuà tiáo chá chuān pǔ xiàtái yīshì. Qùnián 12 yuè, tā qǐdòngle zhēnduì tè lǎng pǔ de tánhé chéngxù. Zhòngyìyuàn pīzhǔnle zhēnduì tā de liǎng xiàng tiáokuǎn, dàn cānyìyuàn chéngqīngle duì tā de zhǐkòng.
Pelosi warned reporters on Thursday that she plans to investigate Trump’s resignation. Last December, she initiated the impeachment proceedings against Trump. The House of Representatives approved two clauses against him, but the Senate clarified the charges against him.
她周四在国会山对记者说，“明天来吧，我们将讨论第25修正案。”
Tā zhōu sì zài guóhuì shān duì jìzhě shuō,“míngtiān lái ba, wǒmen jiāng tǎolùn dì 25 xiūzhèng àn.”
She told reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday, “Come tomorrow, we will discuss the 25th Amendment.”
特朗普也在推特上发表了自己的看法，用他最喜欢的一句“疯了”来嘲笑这位议长：“疯了的南希应该接受观察。他们不是无缘无故地说她疯了，”他写道。
Tè lǎng pǔ yě zài tuī tè shàng fābiǎole zìjǐ de kànfǎ, yòng tā zuì xǐhuān de yījù “fēngle” lái cháoxiào zhè wèi yìzhǎng:“Fēngle de nán xī yīnggāi jiēshòu guānchá. Tāmen bùshì wúyuán wúgù dì shuō tā fēngle,” tā xiě dào.
Trump also expressed his views on Twitter, using his favorite phrase “crazy” to mock the speaker: “Crazy Nancy should be under observation. They didn’t say she was crazy for no reason.” he wrote.
他还转发了共和党议员马克·格林的推特，后者暗示议长正在策划一场政变。“佩洛西发动了一场政变。她已将弹劾武器化了，还有什么能阻止她将第25修正案武器化呢？”
Tā hái zhuǎnfāle gònghédǎng yìyuán mǎkè·gélín de tuī tè, hòu zhě ànshì yìzhǎng zhèngzài cèhuà yī chǎng zhèngbiàn.“Pèi luò xī fādòngle yī chǎng zhèngbiàn. Tā yǐ jiāng tánhé wǔqì huàle, hái yǒu shé me néng zǔzhǐ tā jiāng dì 25 xiūzhèng àn wǔqì huà ne?”
He also reposted a tweet from Republican Congressman Mark Green, who hinted that the speaker was planning a coup. “Pelosi launched a coup. She has weaponized impeachment, what else can stop her from weaponizing the 25th Amendment?”
News Section 4
宪法第25修正案的末日条款第四部分允许总统因身体或精神上的无能力而被迫免职。但它只能在副总统迈克·彭斯和他内阁成员的协助下才可罢免总统，目前看来不太可能。
Xiànfǎ dì 25 xiūzhèng àn de mòrì tiáokuǎn dì sì bùfèn yǔnxǔ zǒngtǒng yīn shēntǐ huò jīngshén shàng de wú nénglì ér bèi pò miǎnzhí. Dàn tā zhǐ néng zài fù zǒngtǒng màikè·péng sī hé tā nèigé chéngyuán de xiézhù xià cái kě bàmiǎn zǒngtǒng, mùqián kàn lái bu tài kěnéng.
The fourth part of the Doomsday Clause of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution allows the president to be removed from office due to physical or mental disability. But it can only remove the president with the assistance of Vice President Mike Pence and his cabinet members. It seems unlikely at this time.
不过，法案确实允许国会任命一个机构来评估总统的健康状况，这给佩洛西一个机会，而且在竞选活动的背景下，她有机会嘲弄她的长期政敌特朗普。
Bùguò, fǎ’àn quèshí yǔnxǔ guóhuì rènmìng yīgè jīgòu lái pínggū zǒngtǒng de jiànkāng zhuàngkuàng, zhè gěi pèi luò xī yīgè jīhuì, érqiě zài jìngxuǎn huódòng de bèijǐng xià, tā yǒu jīhuì cháonòng tā de cháng qī zhèngdí tè lǎng pǔ.
However, the bill does allow Congress to appoint an agency to evaluate the president’s health. This gives Pelosi a chance, and in the context of the campaign, she has the opportunity to mock her long-time political opponent Trump.
*******
I hope you enjoyed Chinese newspaper reading practice. How do you feel a reading a real Chinese news?
Let me know in the comments. 🙂