HSK 5 · Story · 549 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/grandpas-radio

爷爷的收音机

Grandpa's radio

Name: ________________ Date: ________

爷爷yéye有yǒu一yì台tái旧jiù收音机shōuyīnjī，年纪niánjì比bǐ我wǒ还hái大dà，是shì他tā年轻niánqīng时shí用yòng第一dìyī个gè月yuè的de工资gōngzī买mǎi的de。每天měitiān晚上wǎnshang九jiǔ点diǎn，他tā都dōu会huì准时zhǔnshí打开dǎkāi它tā，听tīng一个yígè讲jiǎng老lǎo故事gùshi的de节目jiémù。主持人zhǔchírén的de声音shēngyīn低沉dīchén、缓慢huǎnmàn。爷爷yéye说shuō，听tīng着zhe听tīng着zhe就jiù能néng睡着shuìzháo。

奶奶nǎinai去世qùshì以后yǐhòu，这zhè个gè节目jiémù成chéng了le爷爷yéye最好zuìhǎo的de朋友péngyǒu。他tā不用búyòng智能手机zhìnéng-shǒujī，也yě几乎jīhū不bú看kàn电视diànshì，只zhǐ信任xìnrèn这zhè台tái收音机shōuyīnjī。

去年qùnián秋天qiūtiān的de一个yígè晚上wǎnshang，爷爷yéye给gěi我wǒ打电话dǎdiànhuà，语气yǔqì很hěn着急zháojí：“收音机shōuyīnjī坏huài了le！九jiǔ点diǎn到dào了le，里面lǐmiàn只有zhíyǒu沙沙shāshā的de声音shēngyīn。”

第二天dì’èrtiān一大早yídàzǎo，我wǒ就jiù赶gǎn了le过去guòqu。收音机shōuyīnjī没有méiyǒu坏huài。我wǒ上网shàngwǎng一yì查，才cái知道zhīdào那个nàge节目jiémù停播tíngbō了le。我wǒ又yòu给gěi电台diàntái打dǎ了le电话diànhuà，工作人员gōngzuò-rényuán很hěn客气kèqi地de解释jiěshì说shuō，主持人zhǔchírén已经yǐjīng退休tuìxiū，这zhè个gè节目jiémù正式zhèngshì结束jiéshù了le。

我wǒ犹豫yóuyù了le好几háojǐ天tiān，不bù知道zhīdào该gāi怎么zěnme告诉gàosù爷爷yéye。他tā每天měitiān晚上wǎnshang还是háishi九jiǔ点diǎn打开dǎkāi收音机shōuyīnjī，听tīng一会儿yíhuìr沙沙声shāshāshēng，再zài默默mòmò地de关上guānshàng。

后来hòulái，我wǒ在zài网上wǎngshàng找到zhǎodào了le这zhè个gè节目jiémù以前yǐqián的de录音lùyīn，一共yígòng好hǎo几百jíbǎi集jí。我wǒ有yǒu了le一个yígè主意zhǔyi：把bǎ录音lùyīn存cún进jìn一个yígè小小xiáoxiǎo的de播放器bōfàngqì，设置shèzhì好hǎo每天měitiān晚上wǎnshang九jiǔ点diǎn自动zìdòng播放bōfàng，然后ránhòu偷偷tōutōu把bǎ它tā藏cáng在zài收音机shōuyīnjī后面hòumiàn。

那天nàtiān晚上wǎnshang，爷爷yéye打电话dǎdiànhuà给gěi我wǒ，兴奋xīngfèn得de像xiàng个gè孩子háizi：“修好xiūhǎo了le！又yòu能néng听tīng了le！”

从cóng那nà以后yǐhòu，我wǒ每měi个gè星期xīngqī都dōu去qù爷爷yéye家jiā一次yícì，借口jièkǒu是shì去qù“检查jiǎnchá收音机shōuyīnjī”，其实qíshí是shì偷偷tōutōu给gěi播放器bōfàngqì充电chōngdiàn。爷爷yéye每次měicì都dōu特意tèyì给gěi我wǒ做zuò红烧肉hóngshāoròu，看kàn我wǒ在zài收音机shōuyīnjī后面hòumiàn忙来忙去mánglái-mángqù，什么shénme也yě没méi问wèn。

有yǒu一天yìtiān，我wǒ又yòu在zài“检查jiǎnchá”，爷爷yéye忽然hūrán说shuō：“这zhè个gè节目jiémù真zhēn好hǎo，跟gēn以前yǐqián一模一样yìmú-yíyàng。连lián天气预报tiānqì-yùbào都dōu一模一样yìmú-yíyàng。”

我wǒ手shǒu上shàng的de动作dòngzuò一下子yíxiàzi停住tíngzhù了le。

“昨天zuótiān它tā说shuō，明天míngtiān有yǒu大雪dàxuě。”爷爷yéye慢慢mànmàn地de说shuō，“可kě外面wàimiàn三十多sānshíduō度dù。”

我wǒ的de脸红liǎnhóng了le，尴尬gāngà得de不bù知道zhīdào说shuō什么shénme好hǎo。爷爷yéye却què笑xiào了le，把bǎ一yì碗wǎn红烧肉hóngshāoròu放fàng在zài我wǒ面前miànqián：“别bié停tíng。你nǐ要是yàoshì不bù来lái修xiū，我wǒ一yí个gè人rén吃饭chīfàn，太tài没意思méiyìsi了le。”

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
台	tái	station (radio, TV)
工资	gōngzī	wages; salary; pay
准时	zhǔnshí	on time; punctual
赶	gǎn	to hurry; to rush (as in 赶紧)
客气	kèqi	polite; courteous; to be polite; to stand on ceremony
解释	jiěshì	to explain; to interpret; explanation
正式	zhèngshì	formal; official; officially
主意	zhǔyi	idea; plan
播放	bōfàng	to play (audio or video); to broadcast; to air
兴奋	xīngfèn	excited; excitement
忽然	hūrán	suddenly; all of a sudden
动作	dòngzuò	movement; action; move; motion

English (for the teacher)

Grandpa has an old radio that's older than I am; he bought it with his first month's wages when he was young. Every night at nine on the dot he switches it on to listen to a programme of old stories. The presenter's voice is low and slow. Grandpa says that if he listens for a while, he drifts off to sleep.

After Grandma died, that programme became Grandpa's best friend. He doesn't use a smartphone and hardly watches TV; the only thing he trusts is this radio.

One evening last autumn, Grandpa phoned me, sounding anxious: “The radio's broken! It's nine o'clock and all that's coming out is hiss.”

First thing the next morning I hurried over. The radio wasn't broken. I looked online and found out the programme had been taken off the air. Then I phoned the station, and a member of staff politely explained that the presenter had retired and the programme had officially ended.

For days I hesitated, not knowing how to tell Grandpa. Every night he still switched the radio on at nine, listened to the hiss for a while, and quietly turned it off again.

Later I found the programme's old recordings online, several hundred episodes in all. I came up with a plan: I put the recordings on a tiny player, set it to play automatically at nine every night, and secretly hid it in the back of the radio.

That night Grandpa phoned me, as excited as a child: “It's fixed! I can listen again!”

After that I went to Grandpa's once a week, on the excuse of “checking the radio”, when really I was secretly charging the player. Every time, Grandpa made braised pork specially for me, and watched me busy myself behind the radio without asking a thing.

One day, when I was “checking” again, Grandpa suddenly said: “This programme's wonderful, exactly the same as before. Even the weather forecast's exactly the same.”

My hands stopped.

“Yesterday it said heavy snow tomorrow,” Grandpa said slowly. “But it's over thirty degrees outside.”

My face went red, and I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to say. But Grandpa laughed and put a bowl of braised pork in front of me: “Don't stop. If you don't come to fix it, eating on my own is just no fun.”