Mayor of Arcadia Quits After Working for China

May 12, 2026, 17:50
ChinaPolitics

Introduction

Eileen Wang was the mayor of Arcadia, California. She left her job because she broke the law. She worked for the government of China in secret.

Main Body

From 2020 to 2022, Wang had a news website. She told people it was for local news. But she used it to share stories from China. China officials sent her these stories. She posted them to make China look good. Wang worked with a man named Mike Sun. He also broke the law and went to prison. Wang also talked to a secret agent from China. They planned how to share China's messages in the US. The city of Arcadia says Wang stopped this work before she became mayor. They say she did not use city money for this. But the FBI says this was a very bad act. They say it hurts the trust of the people.

Conclusion

Wang is not the mayor now. She may go to prison for 10 years.

Learning

💡 The "Past Action" Pattern

Look at how the story describes things that already happened. To reach A2, you must master the -ed ending for regular actions.

Examples from the text:

  • broke (irregular) → The law was broken.
  • worked (regular) → She worked for China.
  • posted (regular) → She posted stories.
  • planned (regular) → They planned together.

The Simple Rule: Most of the time, just add -ed to the end of the action word to move it from 'now' to 'before'.

🧩 Building a Sentence

Notice how the article connects people to their actions:

Person →\rightarrow Past Action →\rightarrow Detail

  • Wang →\rightarrow had →\rightarrow a news website.
  • Sun →\rightarrow went →\rightarrow to prison.

Key Vocabulary for A2:

  • Secret (hidden)
  • Official (someone in a high job)
  • Trust (believing someone is honest)

Vocabulary Learning

mayor (n.)
the elected leader of a city or town
Example:The mayor announced a new park.
city (n.)
a large town
Example:Arcadia is a city in California.
law (n.)
a rule made by a government
Example:Breaking the law can lead to punishment.
job (n.)
work that someone does for pay
Example:She lost her job after the scandal.
money (n.)
currency used to buy things
Example:He spent the city money on the project.
prison (n.)
a place where people are kept as punishment
Example:He went to prison for five years.
government (n.)
the group that runs a country
Example:The government made new rules.
secret (adj.)
not known or kept hidden
Example:They had a secret plan.
people (n.)
human beings
Example:The people voted for the mayor.
trust (n.)
belief that someone is reliable
Example:The trust of the people was broken.
work (v.)
to do tasks
Example:She worked for the government.
news (n.)
information about recent events
Example:The website posted local news.
story (n.)
a tale or account
Example:He shared a story from China.
agent (n.)
a person who works for someone
Example:The agent was from China.
plan (v.)
to decide on actions
Example:They planned how to share messages.
share (v.)
to give part of something
Example:She shared the stories online.
message (n.)
a communication
Example:The message was about peace.
US (n.)
the United States of America
Example:They planned to send messages to the US.
FBI (n.)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, a US agency
Example:The FBI investigated the case.
act (n.)
something done
Example:It was a bad act.
hurt (v.)
to cause pain or damage
Example:The act hurt the people's trust.
China (n.)
a country in East Asia
Example:He sent stories from China.