Short stories for English learners

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This news is about three students. They study in Istanbul. They go for a hike. The weather was windy. They plan it for one day.

They are in the mountains. The weather gets bad. They get lost. There are wild animals on the mountain. They are in the mountains for eight days. The mountain is very cold. They do not have enough food. They must eat insects.

One student has a phone. Its battery is almost dead, but he makes a phone call. He calls for help. The Turkish army comes. It saves the students.

Source: newsinlevels.com

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Dictionary

1) Study-verb /ˈstʌd.i/- to learn about a subjectespecially in an educational course or by reading books:

to study biology/chemistry

Next term we will study plants and how they grow.

She’s been studying for her doctorate for three years already.

2) Go-verb /ɡoʊ/- to travel or move to another place:

We went into the house.

I went to Paris last summer. Have you ever been there?

We don’t go to the cinema very often these days.

Wouldn’t it be quicker to go by train?

Does this train go to Newcastle?

Where do you think you’re going? Shouldn’t you be at school?

2)Hike-noun/haɪk/- a long walk, especially in the countryside

3) Plan-noun /plæn/- a set of decisions about how to do something in the future:

a company’s business plan

negotiated peace plan

holiday plans

a five-year plan

What are your plans for this weekend?

My plan is to sell the house and buy an apartment.

4) Mountains-noun /ˈmaʊn.tənz/-

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5) Weather-noun /ˈweð.ɚ/- the conditions in the air above the earth such as windrain, or temperatureespecially at a particular time over a particular area:

bad/good/cold/dry/hot/stormy/warm/wet/etc. weather

The weather in the mountains can change very quickly, so take appropriate clothing.

We’re going to have a picnic, weather permitting (= if the weather is good enough).

 The weather is expected to remain clear for the next few days.

The match has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

Fair weather was forecast for the following day.

The rescue operation has been complicated by bad weather.

The weather was good at the start of the week.

6) Get-verb /ɡet/ – to obtainbuy, or earn something:

He went to the shop to get some milk.

UK I think she gets about £40,000 a year.

We stopped on the way to get some breakfast.

managed to get all three suitcases for under $200.

How much did he get for his car? (= How much money did he sell it for?)

Where did you get your shoes from?

7) Lost-adjective /lɑːst/- not knowing where you are and how to get to a place:

I got lost in the New York subway system.

You look lost – can I help you?

Things tend to get lost when you move.

Lost: black cat with white paws.

Mikey turned up with the lost book.

Stick to the main roads and you won’t get lost.

When you got lost in the forest you must have been very frightened.

He gazed pensively at the glass in front of him, lost in thought.

My letter must have got lost in the post.

After three days lost in the mountains, all the climbers arrived home safe and sound.

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8) Enough-determiner, pronoun, adverb  /əˈnʌf/ – as much as is necessary; in the amount or to the degree needed:

Is there enough dessert/Are there enough desserts for everyone?

There are 25 textbooks per class. That should be enough.

Have you had enough (to eat)?

know enough about art to recognize a masterpiece when I see one.

He’s tall enough to change the bulb without getting on a chair.

9) Must-modal verb /mʌst/ – used to show that it is necessary or very important that something happens in the present or future:

Meat must be cooked thoroughly.

I must get some sleep.

You mustn’t show this letter to anyone else.

Luggage must not be left unattended (= it is against the rules).

 Must you leave so soon?

“Must I sign this?” “Yes, you must.”

10) Eat-verb /iːt/ – to put or take food into the mouthchew it (= crush it with the teeth), and swallow it:

Do you eat meat?

When I’ve got a cold, I don’t feel like eating.

We usually eat (= have a meal) at about seven o’clock.

11) Insect-noun /ˈɪn.sekt/- a type of very small animal with six legs, a body divided into three parts and usually two pairs of wings, or, more generally, any similar very small animal:

Ants, beetlesbutterflies, and flies are all insects.

I’ve got some sort of insect bite on my leg.

Some trees exude from their bark a sap that repels insect parasites.

An insect bit me on the arm.

Why did you stamp on that insect?

Outside the tent I could hear the constant drone of insects.

The spider preys on small flies and other insects.

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12) have-auxiliary verb /həv/- used with the past participle of other verbs to form the present perfect and past perfect:

I’ve heard that story before.

Diane’s already gone.

John hasn’t phoned.

I haven’t visited London before.

Have you seen Roz?

Has she been invited?

They still hadn’t had any news when I spoke to them yesterday.

formal Had I known (= if I had known) you were coming, I’d have booked a larger room

Talks between management and unions have collapsed.

House prices have come down recently.

Lots of people have complained about the noise.

Many miners have suffered from the effects of coal dust in their lungs.

I could never have achieved this without the encouragement of my husband and family.

13) Almost-adverb/ˈɑːl.moʊst/- nearly:

She’s almost 30.

It was almost six o’clock when he left.

I almost wish I hadn’t invited him.

It’ll cost almost as much to repair it as it would to buy a new one.

Almost all the passengers on the ferry were French.

They’ll almost certainly forget to do it.

The town was almost entirely destroyed during the war.

We were bitten by mosquitoes almost every night.

The boat sank almost immediately after it had struck the rock.

Most artists find it almost impossible to make a living from art alone.

14) Dead-adjective /ded/- not now living:

She’s been dead for 20 years now.

The motorcyclist was dead on arrival at the hospital.

He was shot dead (= killed by shootingoutside his home

I’ve been sitting with my legs crossed for so long, my right leg has gone dead.

The president has sent a message of sympathy to the relatives of the dead soldiers.

In the autumn I rake up the dead leaves.

Forensic examination revealed a large quantity of poison in the dead man’s stomach.

An ambulance crew was called to his home, but he was dead by the time they arrived.

The horse lay motionless on the ground, as if dead.

15) Make-verb  /meɪk/- to produce something, often using a particular substance or material:

Do you want me to make some coffee?

He made a chocolate cake.

She makes all her own clothes.

 He made us some coffee./He made some coffee for us.

The pot is made to withstand high temperatures.

He works for a company that makes furniture.

The label on the box said “made in China”.

Butter is made out of/from milk.

earrings made of gold

Her new trainer has promised to make an Olympic athlete of her.

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16) Call-verb /kɑːl/ –  to use a phone to talk to someone:

He called (you) last night when you were out.

She called (me) this morning at the office and we had a brief chat.

I’ve been calling all morning but I can’t get through.

Do you think we should call the police?

17) Come-verb /kʌm/- to move or travel towards the speaker or with the speaker:

Are you coming with me?

There’s a car coming!

Can you come to my party?

Here comes Adam.

She’s come 500 km (= has travelled 500 km) to be here with us tonight.

If you’re ever in Dublin, come and visit us.

We came by car.

Your father will come for (= to collect) you at four o’clock.

Come forward a bit and stand on the line.

I’ve come straight from the airport.

The door opened and a nurse came into the room.

A man’s coming to mend the boiler this afternoon.

As he came towards me, I could see he’d been crying.

He thought we’d been picking his apples and came after (= chased) us with a stick.

He came rushing over when I fell.

18) Save-verb /seɪv/- to stop someone or something from being killedinjured, or destroyed:

He fell in the river but his friend saved him from drowning.

Wearing seat belts has saved many lives.

He had to borrow money to save his business.

He was desperately trying to save their failing marriage.

We all need to do our part to save the planet.

Students are missing in the mountains of Turkey– level 2

Level 1 — Level 3

Three exchange students in Istanbul went for a hike. They planned the trip for only a day, but they got lost in bad weather and became stranded.

For eight days, the students survived by eating insects and sleeping in a cave. Luckily, one of the students managed to use his phone. It had only two per cent battery left, but he called the emergency services. The Turkish army came to rescue them.

Authorities sent the students back home to their countries to recover.

Source: newsinlevels.com

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Dictionary

1) Exchange-noun /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/- the act of giving something to someone and them giving you something else:

an exchange of ideas/information

They were given food and shelter in exchange for work.

She proposes an exchange of contracts at two o’clock.

Several people were killed during the exchange of gunfire.

In exchange for the hostages, the terrorists demanded safe-conduct out of the country.

The virus is contracted through exchange of bodily fluids.

I might offer them my old camera in part exchange for a new one.

2)Hike-noun /haɪk/- a long walk, especially in the countryside

3) Lost-adjective /lɑːst/- not knowing where you are and how to get to a place:

I got lost in the New York subway system.

You look lost – can I help you?

4) Become-verb /bɪˈkʌm/- to start to be:

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I was becoming increasingly suspicious of his motives.

It was becoming cold, so we lit the fire.

After giving up smoking, he became fat and irritable.

Margaret Thatcher became the UK’s first woman prime minister in 1979.

He has just become a father.

5) Stranded-adjective /ˈstræn.dɪd/- unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as not having any transport or money:

He left me stranded in town with no car and no money for a bus.

If the tide comes in, we’ll be stranded on these rocks.

6) Survive-verb /sɚˈvaɪv/- to continue to live or existespecially after coming close to dying or being destroyed or after being in a difficult or threatening situation:

The baby was born with a heart problem and only survived for a few hours.

These plants cannot survive in very cold conditions.

The family are struggling to survive on very little money.

None of Shakespeare’s plays survives in its original manuscript form.

The front passengers were lucky to survive the accident.

“How are you?” “Oh, (I’m) surviving (= life is satisfactory, but not very good).”

The chairman of the board succeeded in surviving the challenge to his authority.

There’s only a fifty-fifty chance that she’ll survive the operation.

Friendless and jobless, he wondered how he would survive the year ahead.

Fugitive families who have fled the fighting in the cities are now trying to survive in the mountains.

large amount of money will have to be injected into the company if it is to survive.

small dog had somehow managed to survive the fire.

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7) Cave-noun /keɪv/-

8) Rescue-verb /ˈres.kjuː/- to help someone or something out of a dangerousharmful, or unpleasant situation:

The lifeboat rescued the sailors from the sinking boat.

The government has refused to rescue the company from bankruptcy.The management are putting together a plan to rescue the company.

They shouted for help, but nobody came to rescue them.

Six people were rescued by helicopter from a fishing boat in distress off the Cornish coast.

She showed enormous courage when she rescued him from the fire.

goal just before half-time rescued the match from mediocrity.9) Recover-verb /rɪˈkʌv.ɚ/- to becomecompletely well again after an illness or injury:

It took her a long time to recover from/after her heart operation.

He never really recovered from the shock of his wife dying

Students are missing in the mountains of Turkey– level 3

Level 1 — Level 2

Level 3

This is the moment a British student was rescued from a Turkish mountain where he and two friends were stranded for eight days.

David Mackie and his two Dutch friends had gone for a hike that was only supposed to last one day, but they got lost in bad weather and became stranded.

For eight days, the trio survived by eating insects, drinking spring water and sleeping in a cave.

“We only had food for the first day and it was eight days.”

“Even our first day, we didn’t have full food. We only had snacks for lunch, really.”

But luckily, David managed to use his phone, which only had two per cent battery, left to call the emergency services and the Turkish army was drafted in to save them.

All three tourists who are exchange students in Istanbul were airlifted from the mountainside to safety and will be sent back to their home countries to recover.

Source: newsinlevels.com

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Dictionary

1) Rescue-verb  /ˈres.kjuː/- to help someone or something out of a dangerousharmful, or unpleasant situation:

The lifeboat rescued the sailors from the sinking boat.

The government has refused to rescue the company from bankruptcy

They shouted for help, but nobody came to rescue them.

The management are putting together a plan to rescue the company.

Six people were rescued by helicopter from a fishing boat in distress off the Cornish coast.

She showed enormous courage when she rescued him from the fire.

goal just before half-time rescued the match from mediocrity.

Learn English through English short stories in three different levels. 

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2) Trio-noun triː.əʊ/- a group of three people or things:

There was disappointment for the trio of 200 metre runners, all of whom failed to reach the final.

3) Survive-verb /sɚˈvaɪv/- to continue to live or existespecially after coming close to dying or being destroyed or after being in a difficult or threatening situation:

The baby was born with a heart problem and only survived for a few hours.

These plants cannot survive in very cold conditions.

The family are struggling to survive on very little money.

None of Shakespeare’s plays survives in its original manuscript form.

The front passengers were lucky to survive the accident.

“How are you?” “Oh, (I’m) surviving (= life is satisfactory, but not very good).” 

The chairman of the board succeeded in surviving the challenge to his authority.

There’s only a fifty-fifty chance that she’ll survive the operation.

Friendless and jobless, he wondered how he would survive the year ahead.

Fugitive families who have fled the fighting in the cities are now trying to survive in the mountains.

large amount of money will have to be injected into the company if it is to survive.

small dog had somehow managed to survive the fire.

4) Draft-noun /drɑːft/ – a piece of text, a formal suggestion, or a drawing in its original state, often containing the main ideas and intentions but not the developed form:

This is only a rough draft – the finished article will have pictures too.

She asked me to check the (first) draft of her proposal

I’ve knocked out a first draft of the report which we can amend at a later date.

We decided to abandon the first draft of the report and start over.

The first draft of his novel needed a substantial amount of rewriting.

We submitted a rough draft of the changes we proposed to make and waited for the council’s approval.

He pointed out that the latest chapter was only a draft and not the final version.

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