Level 2 — Level 3
Level 1
Do you like cats? If so, this news is for you! There is a small island in Japan. Many cats live there. There are more cats than people there!
People call the island “Cats Island.” Around 120 cats live there. Many tourists visit the island. They feed the cats.
The cats have no natural predators on the island. That is why there are so many of them!
Source: newsinlevels.com
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Dictionary
1) Island-noun /ˈaɪ.lənd/-
2) More-determiner, pronoun, adverb /mɔːr/- larger or extra number or amount:
-Would you like some more food?
-The doctors can’t cope with any more patients.
-Add some more cream to the sauce.
-You need to listen more and talk less!
-More people live in the capital than in the whole of the rest of the country.
-We spent more time on the last job than usual.
-The noise was more than I could bear.
-It was a hundred times more fun than I’d expected.
-She’s more of a poet than a novelist.
-Bring as much food as you can – the more, the better.
3) Than-preposition, conjunction-/ðən/- used to join two parts of a comparison:
-My son is a lot taller than my daughter.
-You always walk faster than I do!
-Ben knows much more about movies than I do.
-I’ve always believed that happiness counts more than money.
-Do you think Australia is a more democratic country than Britain?
-It was farther to the shops than I expected.
-The fast train to London takes less than an hour.
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Little stories in English for beginners
4) People – noun /ˈpiː.pəl/ – men, women, and children:
-Many people never do any exercise.
-We’ve invited 30 people to our party.
-There was a queue of people waiting patiently for the bus to arrive.
-Many more people travel overseas these days.
-It is outrageous that these buildings remain empty while thousands of people have no homes.
-The old people in the village still observe the local traditions.
-On average, people who don’t smoke are healthier than people who do.
5) There-adverb /ðer/ – (to, at, or in) that place:
-Put the chair there.
-The museum is closed today. We’ll go there tomorrow.
-There’s that book you were looking for.
-I’ll have to stop you there – we’ve run out of time.
-I left the boxes over/out/under there.
-Don’t stand out there in the cold, come in here and get warm.
-I’m not quite sure how to get there – I’d better consult a map.
-The countryside around there is lovely.
-I like the house but I don’t imagine I’ll live there forever.
-I peeked out the window to see who was there.
6) Call-verb /kɑːl/ – to give someone or something a name, or to know or address someone by a particular name:
-They’ve called the twins Edward and Thomas.
-What’s that actor called that we saw in the film last night?
-His real name is Jonathan, but they’ve always called him Johnny.
-What’s her new novel called?
-I wish he wouldn’t keep calling me “dear” – it’s so patronizing!
-Mars is sometimes called the Red Planet because of its distinctive colour.
-I think he was called Blake, if I remember correctly.
-He was most uncivil to your father – called him an old fool.
-What have they decided to call their new baby?
-The meat produced from a pig is called pork, bacon, or ham.
7) Around-preposition, adverb- /əˈraʊnd/-in a position or direction surrounding, or in a direction going along the edge of or from one part to another (of):
-We sat around the table.
-He put his arm around her.
-A crowd had gathered around the scene of the accident.
-She had a scarf around her neck.
-The moon goes around the earth.
-I walked around the side of the building.
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Little stories in English for beginners FREE
-As the bus left, she turned around (= so that she was facing in the opposite direction) and waved goodbye to us.
-He put the wheel on the right/wrong way around (= facing the right/wrong way).
-The children were dancing around the room.
-I spent a year travelling around Africa and Asia.
-The museum’s collection includes works of art from all around the world.
-She passed a plate of biscuits around (= from one person to another).
-This virus has been going around (= from one person to another).
-The snake coiled itself tightly around the deer.
-People clustered around the noticeboard to read the exam results.
-She drew her coat tightly around her shoulders.
-She flung her arms around his neck.
-The cathedral dominates the landscape for miles around.
8) Many-determiner, pronoun /ˈmen.i/ -used mainly in negative sentences and questions and with “too”, “so”, and “as” to mean “a large number of”:
-I don’t have many clothes.
-Not many people have heard of him.
-There aren’t very many weekends between now and Christmas.
-Were there many cars on the road?
-How many students are there in each class?
-Many people would disagree with your ideas.
-Rachel was at the party with her many admirers.
-I’ve met him so many times and I still can’t remember his name!
-There are too many people chasing too few jobs.
-If there are only five of us going to the concert, then I’ve booked one too many seats.
-If there were as many women as there are men in parliament, the situation would be very different.
-As many as (= the surprisingly large number of) 6,000 people may have been infected with the disease.
-There are already twelve bottles of wine, so if I buy as many again (= another twelve bottles) we’ll have enough.
-A good/great many people who voted for her in the last election will not be doing so this time.
-She had five children in as many (= in the same number of) years and decided it was enough.
-Mr Black has been a client of this firm for many years.
-High prices are deterring many young people from buying houses.
-How many people does your company employ?
-There are too many silly quiz shows on television these days.
-The school has pupils from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
9) Tourist-noun /ˈtʊr.ɪst/ – someone who visits a place for pleasure and interest, usually while on holiday:
-Millions of tourists visit Rome every year.
-Hordes (= very large groups) of tourists flock to the Mediterranean each year.
-Florida has a number of major tourist attractions.
-The island is very busy during the tourist season.
-I must look like the typical tourist with my shorts and my camera.
-My dad has a cottage which he rents out to tourists.
-The Caribbean is a popular tourist destination.
-Bus-loads of tourists pour into this place in the summer.
-A year after the hurricane, tourists are gradually beginning to come back to the region.
10) Visit-verb /ˈvɪz.ɪt/ – to go to a place in order to look at it, or to a person in order to spend time with them:
-We visited a few galleries while we were in Prague.
-Will you visit me when I’m in hospital?
-When did you last visit the dentist/doctor?
-I want to buy a little something to give to Val when I visit her in hospital.
-There are several places of interest to visit in the area.
-I’ve never been to Kenya, but I hope to visit it next year.
-I have clear memories of visiting my grandfather’s farm as a child.
-He picked up malaria when he was visiting the country on business.
11) Feed-verb /fiːd/ – to give food to a person, group, or animal:
-I usually feed the neighbour’s cat while she’s away.
-Let’s feed the kids first and have our dinner after.
-Do you feed your chickens corn?
-If you feed your dog on biscuits, it’s not surprising he’s so fat.
-The kids love feeding bread to the ducks.
-Don’t forget to feed the plants while I’m away.
-The horse rasped my hand with his tongue as I fed him the apple.
-It costs a lot to feed and clothe five children.
-This quantity of lasagne will feed six people.
-It’s a good idea to visit the zoo when they’re feeding the animals.
12) Natural-adjective /ˈnætʃ.ɚ.əl/ – as found in nature and not involving anything made or done by people:
-a natural substance
-People say that breast-feeding is better than bottle-feeding because it’s more natural.
-He died from natural causes (= because he was old or ill).
-Floods and earthquakes are natural disasters.
-A good diet helps build the body’s natural defences.
-If we continue to deplete the earth’s natural resources, we will cause serious damage to the environment.
-It was her natural elegance that struck me.
-The garden has been designed to harmonize with the natural landscape.
-She had died of natural causes.
13) Predator-noun /ˈpred.ə.t̬ɚ/ – an animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals:
lions, wolves, and other predators
14) Why-adverb /waɪ/- for what reason:
-“I’m going home.” “Why?”
-Why did you choose to live in London?
-Why wait? Let’s leave now.
-Why should I help him – he never helps me?
-Why is it that I find chocolate so addictive?
-The police asked me to explain why I hadn’t reported the accident sooner.
-I don’t know why she isn’t here.
-Quite why he isn’t here today is a mystery.
-There is no reason why we shouldn’t succeed.
-She cited three reasons why people get into debt.
-I’ll never comprehend why she did what she did.
-It’s easy to see why he’s so popular.
-She marched into my office demanding to know why I hadn’t written my report.
-My usual train was cancelled. That’s why I’m so late.
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Cats Island Level-2
Cat lovers, this news is for you! There is a tiny island in southern Japan where there are more cats than humans.
Around 120 cats live and run over the island which people nicknamed “Cats Island.” Tourists from around Japan come to the island, even though there are no shops or hotels.
People brought the cats to the island originally to deal with mice, but the cats multiplied because they had no natural predators on the island.
Tourists and some locals feed the cats, but a lot of them have to look for their own food.
Source: newsinlevels.com
Learn English Through Story Subtitles in youtube.com
Little stories in English for beginners
Dictionary
1) Tiny-adjective /ˈtaɪ.ni/- extremely small:
-a tiny flower
-a tiny helping of food
2) Even-adverb /ˈiː.vən /- used to show that something is surprising, unusual, unexpected, or extreme:
-I don’t even know where it is.
-Everyone I know likes the smell of bacon – even Mike does and he’s a vegetarian.
-We were all on time – even Chris and he’s usually late for everything.
-It’s a very difficult job – it might even take a year to finish it.
-“I never cry.” “Not even when you hurt yourself really badly?”
-Even with a load of electronic gadgetry, you still need some musical ability to write a successful song.
3) Though-conjunction /ðoʊ/-despite the fact that:
-She hasn’t called, even though she said she would.
-He blurted everything out about the baby, though we’d agreed to keep it a secret for a while.
-I play the piano tolerably well, though I have no particular talent for it.
-Even though she hasn’t really got the time, she still offered to help.
-I enjoyed her new book though it’s not quite as good as her last one.
-Initial reports say that seven people have died, though this has not yet been confirmed.
4) Bring-verb /brɪŋ/ – to take or carry someone or something to a place or a person, or in the direction of the person speaking:
-“Shall I bring anything to the party?” “Oh, just a bottle.”
-Bring me that knife/Bring that knife to me.
-Can you help me bring in the shopping (= take it into the house)?
-The police brought several men in for questioning (= took them to the police station because they might have been involved in a crime).
-When they visit us they always bring their dog with them.
5) Originally-adverb /əˈrɪdʒ.ən.əl.i/- first of all:
-Originally it was a bedroom, but we turned it into a study.The building was originally Victorian in design.
-The city grew up originally as a crossing point on the river.
-The novel was originally published in hardcover.
-It was Bob who originally put up the idea of the exhibition.
-New York was originally a Dutch trading post.6) Deal-noun /diːl/ – an agreement or an arrangement, especially in business:
-a business deal
-The unions and management have made a two-year pay and productivity deal.
-I’ll make/do a deal with you – you wash the car and I’ll let you use it tonight.
-She got a good deal (= paid a low price) on her new house.
-Is industry getting a raw/rough deal from (= being unfairly/badly treated by) the EU?
7) Multiply-verb/ˈmʌl.tə.plaɪ/ – to add a number to itself a particular number of times:
-If you multiply seven by 15 you get 105.
-When you multiply two odd numbers, is the answer always odd?
-I remember learning how to multiply and divide.
8) Local-adjective /ˈloʊ.kəl/- from, existing in, serving, or responsible for a small area, especially of a country:
-a local accent
-local issues
-a local newspaper/radio station
-Most of the local population depend on fishing for their income.
-Our children all go to the local school.
-Many local shops will be forced to close if the new supermarket is built.
-She works on the checkout at the local supermarket.
-I’ve just joined the local tennis club.
-We advertised our car in the local newspaper.
-He’s well-known in the local community.
-Although long-distance phone calls are going up, the charge for local calls will not alter.
Little stories in English for beginners
Cats Island Level-3
More than 120 cats are living and running wild over a tiny Japanese island giving it the nickname “Cats Island.” Tourists from around the country have been flocking to Aoshima even though there are no shops or any hotels.
There are only ferries twice a day which link Aoshima to the rest of Japan, but that hasn’t deterred cat lovers.
The cats were originally brought over to the island to deal with mice plaguing fishing boats, but they’ve since multiplied, as there are no natural predators.
In its heyday, nearly 900 people lived on the island, but over the last 70 years, the population has declined.
The cats are fed occasionally by tourists and some people who live on the island, but generally a lot of them have to look for their own food, eating crops at residents’ plants or anything edible left lying around.
In a bid to control the cat population, ten have been neutered so far. But humans are still a minority on the island, even with the tourists.
Source: newsinlevels.com
Learn English Through Story Subtitles in youtube.com
Little stories in English for beginners
Dictionary
1)Flock-noun /flɑːk/ – a group of sheep, goats, or birds:
2) Ferry-noun /ˈfer.i/ – a boat or ship for taking passengers and often vehicles across an area of water, especially as a regular service:
-a car ferry
-We’re going to the Channel Islands by/on the ferry.
-We took the ferry to Calais.
3) Heyday-noun /ˈheɪ.deɪ/ – the most successful or popular period of someone or something:
4) Decline-verb /dɪˈklaɪn/ – to gradually become less, worse, or lower:
-His interest in the project declined after his wife died.
-The party’s popularity has declined in the opinion polls.
-The land declines sharply away from the house.
5) Occasionally-adverb /əˈkeɪ.ʒən.əl.i/ /əˈkeɪʒ.nəl.i/- sometimes but not often:
-I see him occasionally in town.
-Occasionally I’ll have a piece of chocolate, but it’s very rare.The pathfollows the riverclosely, occasionally deviating round a clump of trees.
-You’re bound to forget people’s names occasionally.
-She only sees her niece occasionally, so she showers her with presents when she does.
-Does it never occur to you that I might like to be on my own occasionally?
-I don’t mind helping her out occasionally, but this is getting beyond a joke.
6) Neuter-adjective /ˈnuː.t̬ɚ/- relating to a particulargender (= class of nouns) in some languages:
-The German word for book is neuter.