Learning English can be a daunting task. There are many ways to help overcome various problems related to grammar, spelling, pronunciation and even. One of them is the method of active reading. The more you read texts in English, the more your understanding of the English language develops. And as a result, the faster you will learn to read and speak English. Independent reading is quite effective, besides it strongly motivates to study. When you read on your own, and not with a teacher, you yourself choose texts that will certainly be of interest to you, in contrast to the texts proposed by the teacher. As a result, you will read more willingly and, accordingly, memorize more new words.

English are useful teaching tools, but newspapers, magazines and books in English can be equally useful. From them you will learn popular English expressions, phrases, grammatical constructions and words that will greatly expand your vocabulary.

What is reading for?

Reading in English is one of the best ways to improve your vocabulary. The context of articles, stories and dialogues helps you identify and understand the meanings of English words that you encounter for the first time. Also, with the help of reading, you repeat already familiar words, thereby better remembering them.

Reading helps to concentrate thinking in English. When you read books in English, hundreds of English words, set phrases, and grammatical structures are deposited in your memory. Subsequently, they will be useful to you in writing and in doing exercises. Over time, you will stop thinking every time which tense form of the verb to use, how to punctuate, how to write this or that word - your brain will learn to process all this information automatically. By the way, there is a strong connection between reading and writing. Reading allows you to see grammatically correct sentences in a living context, and this can serve as a model for your own writing. Regular reading stimulates the imagination and creativity, helps to learn to write more meaningfully and original.

If you want to become an experienced, "skillful" reader, it is advisable to read and translate at least a few pages a day. If you do not have enough free time for this, take books, magazines and newspapers with you on the road, read on public transport or in a long queue. Starting to read every day, after a while you will learn to look into the dictionary less and less, and then completely abandon it.

Free lesson on the topic:

Irregular verbs of the English language: table, rules and examples

Discuss this topic with a personal tutor in a free online lesson at Skyeng School

Leave your contact details and we will contact you to register for the lesson

Reading is an activity that can be interesting for all age groups and students with any level of English proficiency.

Texts for children

English texts for children are usually limited to a small list of topics understandable to any student and child. As a rule, these are simple, sometimes funny and funny stories about animals, family members, nature, surrounding objects. English texts for children use the simplest vocabulary and short sentences. Such stories are easy to understand and usually consist of 1-2 small paragraphs.

Texts for beginners

These texts are designed for students of the Beginner (beginner) and Elementary (elementary) levels. Here you can find a wider variety of topics: holidays, appearance, cities and countries, everyday affairs. In terms of vocabulary, texts for beginners are almost as easy as children's texts; all the same basic words and expressions are used here. As for grammar, tense forms of verbs, compound and compound words, subordinate clauses begin to appear here.

Texts of medium complexity

English texts of medium complexity already include a large list of topics: professions, work, study, relationships with family and friends, music, art, history, social problems, invented stories. It uses complex vocabulary, there are professional terms, but in general, the topics of the texts are not narrowly focused; they should be interesting and understandable to a wide range of readers. There are many grammatical constructions in texts of medium complexity - almost all of them can be found here, with the exception of the most complex and obsolete ones.

Hello my beloved readers!

Have you ever wondered how to force yourself to listen and read more at the very beginning of learning a language? After all, it seems as if it is so difficult, and difficult, and uninteresting ... and you can come up with a couple of hundred more excuses!

Today I will share a method that helps my students a lot. I will give you stories in English for beginners (by the way, I have begun to form - please)!

I have prepared for you short and very interesting stories with parallel translation. This practice at the beginning of language learning helps to quickly and also absorb the structure of the language as a whole.

Story 1

Sudden rain.

Sudden rain.

It was definitely going to rain. The sky turned into gray and there was no sun at all. It was already a noon.

It was definitely going to rain. The sky turned gray and there was no sun at all. It was already noon.

Mary was standing at the corner of the street talking to Jane. Both of them were holding shopping bags in their hands.

Mary was standing on the corner of the street talking to Jane. They were holding shopping bags.

Mary and Jane started to discuss the weather.

-Do you like rain? - Mary asked.

-Yes, actually I do. - Answered Jane. - When it rains, I sit on the porch and drink tea. Rain is quite refreshing and allows you to think about everything. And you?

Mary and Jane began to discuss the weather.

Do you like rain? Mary asked.

Yes, I actually like it,” Jane replied. - When it rains, I sit on the porch and drink tea. The rain is very refreshing and allows you to think about everything. And you?

-Well, I love when it rains during the summer. But I can't stand rainy weather in winter.

I love when it rains in summer. But I can't stand rainy weather in winter.

They were talking when a sudden stroke of thunder interrupted them. The heavy rain was about to start. Jane noticed that Mary didn't have an umbrella. She decided to invite her for a cup of tea and continue their conversation sitting on her porch.

-I have no objections. At least, we can spend more time talking about your journey to the USA.

They were talking when a sudden clap of thunder interrupted them. It was about to start raining heavily. Jane noticed that Mary didn't have an umbrella. She decided to invite her for a cup of tea and continue their conversation while sitting on the porch.

I do not mind. At least we can spend more time chatting about your trip to the USA.

At the initial stage of learning, it is very important that the stories are adapted exactly to your level. These stories are just that. So try another exciting story with translation and audio.

Story 2

A Book Shop Robbery.

Bookstore robbery.

Sandy was on her way to work. Being the owner of a book shop was her dream. She loved books and the smell of recently published ones.

Sandy was on her way to work. Being the owner of a bookstore was her dream. She loved books and the smell of newly published books.

When she got to the shop she noticed that there was something wrong with the door. It was open. She remembered closing it last night. So there was only one explanation - she was robbed.

When she reached the store, she noticed that something was wrong with the door. She was open. She remembered closing it last night. So there was only one explanation - she was robbed.

Entering the shop she realized that the place was turned upside down. All the books were on the floor. She checked the till and thanked herself for taking all the money to the bank last night so there was nothing to steal.

Upon entering the store, she realized that everything had been turned upside down. All books were on the floor. She checked the cash register and thanked herself for taking all the money to the bank last night, so there was nothing to steal.

She was upset but the relief of the thought that nothing was stolen calmed her down.

-I need to set an alarm system, -thought Sandy and started placing books on the bookshelves.

She was upset, but the relief that nothing had been stolen calmed her down.

We need to install an alarm, Sandy thought, and began to arrange books on the bookshelves.

If you want to not only learn to read, but also perceive texts by ear, then I suggest listening to these stories. I recommend that you first read the story several times, then read and listen at the same time, and not the last stage just listen.

2. A Book Shop Robbery

Now you can find hundreds of stories online that will help you quickly master the initial steps of the English language. They can be read, listened to, downloaded on the road and all this is completely free. Don't be lazy and spend 20 minutes a day.

And if you do not know what to learn, then subscribe to my newsletter, where I will constantly give you new materials and ideas for learning, as well as replenish your piggy bank with new stories for different levels.

Remember that the most important thing on the way to good English is practice.

See you again, my dears.

One way to learn English is to read. Regular reading in English not only allows you to expand your vocabulary in the most natural, enjoyable and accessible way, but also observe the practical application of grammatical structures in finished texts.

If you regularly read the fiction of English-speaking writers, you will master "correct" English, which is different from spoken English.

In addition, you become familiar with the culture of the countries of the language being studied, have the opportunity to "observe" the natural behavior of the characters in the books in various life situations.

Easy texts in English for beginners can be divided into two types:

• simple literary texts;
• topics - short stories on specific topics.

At first, both children and adults can recommend topics on the simplest topics - about yourself, about family, about the daily routine, about the weather, about holidays. Children are likely to be interested in stories about toys, about animals.

Topics

Here are examples of some of these light topic texts in English:

my family

Meet my family. There are five of us - my parents, my elder brother, my baby sister and me. First, meet my mum and dad, Jane and Michael. My mum enjoys reading and my dad enjoys playing chess with my brother Ken. My mum is slim and rather tall. She has long red hair and big brown eyes. She has a very pleasant smile and a soft voice. My mother is very kind and understanding. We are real friends. She is a housewife. As she has three children, she is always busy around the house. She takes care of my baby sister Meg, who is only three months old. My sister is very small and funny. She sleeps, eats and sometimes cries. We all help our mother and let her have a rest in the evening. Then she usually reads a book or just watches TV. My father is a doctor. He is tall and handsome. He has short dark hair and gray eyes. He is a very hardworking man. He is rather strict with us, but always fair. My elder brother Ken is thirteen, and he is very clever. He is good at Maths and always helps me with it, because I can hardly understand all these sums and problems. Ken has red hair and brown eyes. My name is Jessica. I am eleven. I have long dark hair and brown eyes. I am not as clever as my brother, though I try to do my best at school too. I am fond of dancing. Our dancing studio won The Best Dancing Studio 2015 competition last month. I am very proud of it. I also like to help my mother with my little sister very much. Our family is very united. We love each other and always try to spend more time together.

My family

Meet my family. There are five of us - my parents, my older brother, my little sister and myself. First, meet my mom and dad, Jane and Michael. My mom loves to read and my dad loves to play chess with my brother Ken. My mother is slim and quite tall. She has long red hair and big brown eyes. She has a very pleasant smile and a gentle voice. My mother is very kind and understanding. We are real friends. She is a housewife. Since she has three children, she is always busy around the house. She takes care of my baby sister Meg, who is only three months old. My sister is very small and funny. She sleeps, eats and sometimes cries. We all help our mother and give her a rest in the evening. Then she usually reads a book or just watches TV. My dad is a doctor. He is tall and handsome. He has short dark hair and gray eyes. He is a very hardworking person. He is quite strict with us, but always fair. My older brother Ken is thirteen and very smart. He is good at math and always helps me with it because I barely understand all these examples and problems. Ken has red hair and brown eyes. My name is Jessica. I am eleven. I have long dark hair and brown eyes. I'm not as smart as my brother, although I try hard at school too. Dancing is my hobby. Our dance studio won the Best Dance Studio 2015 competition last month. I am very proud of this. I also really love helping my mom with my little sister. Our family is very friendly. We love each other and always try to spend more time together.

Lunches for school

Every day in elementary school in America begins at 9.20 a.m. Children have classes till 3.15 p.m. At 12 o'clock children have lunch. Many boys and girls bring their lunch from home. But some of them go for lunch to a school cafeteria.
Mrs. Bradley prepares school lunches almost every weekday for her two children. Sometimes she gives the children money and they eat in the school cafeteria. But usually the children prefer to take a lunch from home.
This morning Bradley is making peanut butter and cheese sandwiches, the children's favorite. She puts two bottles of apple juice for the children to drink. She is going to put the sandwiches, some cherry tomatoes and two bananas in their lunchboxes. The lunchbox is easy for the children to carry to school.

school lunches

Every day in elementary school in America starts at 9:30 am. Lessons for children last until 3.15 days. At 12 o'clock the children have lunch. Many boys and girls bring their lunch with them. But some go to lunch in the school cafeteria.
Mrs. Bradley cooks school lunches for her two children almost every working day. Sometimes she gives the children money and they eat in the school cafeteria. But usually children prefer to take lunch from home.
This morning, Mrs. Bradley makes peanut butter and cheese sandwiches, the favorite (sandwiches) of the children. She puts down two bottles of apple juice for the children to drink. She is going to put sandwiches, some cherry tomatoes and two bananas in their lunch boxes. It's easy for kids to carry a lunchbox to school.

Giraffes

There are different kinds of animals on our planet, and all of them are very important for it. For example, everybody knows that the sharks are dangerous for people, but they are useful for cleaning seawater. There are two types of animals: domestic (or pets) and wild. People keep pets in their homes. And some wild animals are very dangerous. Domestic animals live next to people, whereas wild animals’ “homes” are forests, jungles, oceans and so on.
Giraffes are very beautiful and unusual animals. They are the tallest land animals in the world. Giraffes can reach a height of 5.5 m and a weight of 900 kg. They are famous for their long necks. But does anybody know that giraffes have a very long tongue? They can even clean the ears with it! Giraffes are usually yellow or light brown with dark stains. Giraffes live in African savannas. They can live from 20 to 30 years. It is interesting to know that giraffes sleep only for a few minutes at a time. They sit down on the ground and bend their long neck down.
Giraffes do not hunt. They eat leaves, grass, and fruit. Due to their long neck, they can reach the highest leaves on the trees that other animals cannot eat.
You can often meet giraffes in city Zoos. They are very friendly and all the children like them very much.

giraffes

There are many different types of animals on the planet, and all of them are very important for her. For example, everyone knows that sharks are dangerous to humans, but they are useful for purifying sea water. There are two types of animals - domestic (or pets) and wild. People keep pets in their homes. And some wild animals are very dangerous. Domestic animals live close to people, while the "homes" of wild animals are forests, jungles, oceans, and so on.
Giraffes are very beautiful and unusual animals. They are the tallest land animals in the world. Giraffes can reach a height of 5.5 meters and a weight of 900 kg. They are famous for their long necks. But does anyone know that giraffes have a very long tongue? They can even clean their ears! Giraffes are usually yellow or light brown with dark spots. Giraffes live in the African savannas. They can live from 20 to 30 years. It is interesting to know that giraffes sleep no more than 20 minutes at a time. They sit on the ground and bend their long necks.
Giraffes don't hunt. They eat leaves, grass and fruits. Thanks to their long necks, they can reach the very top leaves on trees that other animals cannot eat.
You can often meet giraffes in city zoos. They are very friendly and the children love them very much.

Fiction for Easy Reading in English

As for literary texts, it is advisable for beginners to choose adapted books. Now you can pick up works of art for any level of language proficiency, with dictionaries, comments and translation. At the initial stage, short and easy texts for reading in English are suitable, as well as specially adapted books of the first three levels of complexity (starter, beginner, elementary). You don't have to look up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary. As you read the story, try to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words. If the book you have chosen corresponds to your level, then there will not be too many such words, and you will be able to understand the meaning of what you read.

Here are some of the works of English and American writers that are easy to find in an adapted version in English. All these books have been translated into Russian and are well known to Russian readers, which, of course, will provide additional assistance when reading them in English.

How to get the best out of reading

So, you have decided to build your English base by reading English books. But finding and reading texts in English for beginners is only half the battle. For a good result, you need not only to read, but also to work with the material read. Here are some tips on how to do it.

• Look for English texts with audio accompaniment. So you can not only increase your vocabulary, but also control and improve your pronunciation.
• Look for English texts with tasks after them. These can be questions, various exercises for choosing words or correct options, etc. This will give you an additional opportunity to fix new words in memory and work out grammatical constructions.
• If there are no exercises after the texts, try the "Why" -questions method. It lies in the fact that, based on what you read, you yourself can make up several questions for yourself, starting with “Why?”. Moreover, it is better if the text does not contain a direct answer to your questions and you have to reason or think something while answering them.
• Try using the text to make a brief retelling, no more than 7-8 sentences. It is advisable to use new words. Learn the retelling by heart. Speak it out loud.

Online text comprehension exercise for beginners

Read the text and do the tasks.

The trip to my Granny

Yesterday I visited my Granny in the countryside. We go there every weekend and I enjoy these trips. But not this time. It was raining cats and dogs, our car broke several times and we were all very tired. But when we saw the Granny, I forgot about the difficulties.

Answer the questions

Indicate whether the statements in the text are true (true - correct, false - incorrect)

Write a sentence that reflects the main idea of ​​this text.

In world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing ... in world the is Family the best thing !

You will find even more simple texts and online exercises in the Lim English online learning service. Sign up and start learning!

When learning English, it is important to pay attention to various aspects of the activity: reading, translating, learning vocabulary, listening, speaking. Despite the fact that you should constantly alternate classes, it is extremely important to pay attention to English texts of various levels of difficulty.

So, we propose to figure out what texts are in English:

If you have just started to get acquainted with a foreign language, read the texts that you have previously read in Russian. Pay attention to short stories or fairy tales. You can also listen to adapted books in English: in this case, you can train your hearing aid and hone your listening comprehension. Where can I find texts for beginners? Check out the British Council website where you can read the same text written for different levels of language proficiency. You can find out your level.

Finding somewhere affordable to live in Britain is hard. Some parts of the country are cheaper than others, of course, but the cost of renting a home is horrendous, especially in London and the South. Normally, the only answer is to share a house or a flat: you get a room of your own, but you have to share the kitchen and bathroom. In cities like Oxford and Cambridge, where rooms are scarce, prices will make your eyes water: more than £500 a month. In London, they’re even higher – not far off £700.

Oxford already seemed expensive when I lived there, and that was almost 40 years ago. When I started work after university, my room cost £40 a month – almost 15 per cent of my salary. With today’s rents in Oxford, you’d need to earn £40,000 a year if you didn’t want to spend more than 15 per cent on your room. But when you finish university, starting salaries are usually between £20,000 and £30,000.

Apart from the cost, shared flats and houses are often in poor condition. Landlords are slow to spend their profits on repairs. I was fairly lucky with mine. The house I lived in was scruffy, but the landlord took action when needed - like the time the bathroom ceiling fell in. I'd just run a bath and had returned to my room to get something, when I heard a loud crash. I went back to find the bathtub full of wet plaster. I had the ceiling repaired and took the bill to my landlord.

Show translation

Show translation

Finding affordable housing in the UK is a tricky business. Of course, some parts of the country are cheaper than others, but the cost of renting a house is horrendous, especially in London and the south. Usually the only solution is to share a house or apartment: you get your own room, but you need to share the same kitchen or bathroom. In cities like Oxford or Cambridge, where there aren't enough rooms, the prices will make your eyes water: over £500 a month. In London, prices are even higher - around £700.

Oxford seemed more expensive when I lived there, which was almost 40 years ago. When I started working at the university, my room cost £40 a month - almost 15% of my salary. With today's rental prices, you need to be earning 40,000 a year if you don't want to spend more than 15% of your income on your room. But when you graduate from university, starting salaries usually range from £20,000 to £30,000.

In addition to housing costs, shared rooms or houses are often in poor condition. Owners are reluctant to spend their income on repairs. I am lucky with my owner. The house I lived in was in a run down state, but the owner stepped in when needed, like when the ceiling collapsed. I was about to take a bath and went to my room to get something when I heard a loud crash. I returned to find the bathroom full of plaster. The roof was repaired, and I took the bill to my master.

For continuing (Pre-intermediate - Intermediate)

Reading English texts is not only an opportunity to enrich yourself with new knowledge, but also to get an idea of ​​the structure of an English sentence, slang expressions and, in general, modern speech. After all, it often happens that when studying a language at school, we have no idea that some words are already used in completely different meanings, while others are completely born before our eyes and replenish the English dictionary with new lexical units that did not exist before. Scientists note that in 5-7 years there will be such professions that we know nothing about today. Below you can find the literary text. Pay attention to sentence structure and vocabulary.

Are you ready for this, Amy?” David asked his daughter. The girl finished tying the laces of her old walking boots, looked up and nodded slowly. “I think so.” They walked along a lane out of the village until they reached a gently winding path that led to the river. After crossing a wooden bridge, they followed the line of the riverbank, where tall trees kept the hot sun off their heads. David listened to the chatter of the fast-flowing river. The last time they had come this way, he had listened to a chattering stream of words from his daughter, who had told him about endless adventures and the scandals of friends and classmates. Today, as they had crossed the bridge, a little gray and yellow bird had caught her eye. Amy's face had brightened, and the start of a story almost reached her lips, but then she remained silent. The path became steeper, leaving the river and splitting into two parts as they came closer to Kinder Reservoir. Looking at his map, David pointed to the route that climbed above the reservoir. They followed it to the start of a narrow valley, where another steep path ran beside a fast-moving stream. As they climbed higher, Amy began to notice the changing landscape. The stream was a series of little waterfalls that fell through green ferns and purple heather.

Show translation

Show translation

"Are you ready for this, Amy?" David asked his daughter. The girl finished tying her old shoe laces, looked up and nodded slowly. "I think yes". They walked along the narrow path out of the village until they reached a calm winding path leading to the river. After crossing the wooden bridge, they walked along the riverbank, where tall trees kept the hot sun over their heads. David heard the murmur of a fast-flowing river. The last time they came here, he heard an unceasing stream of words from his daughter, who told him about the endless adventures and scandals of friends and classmates. Today, when they crossed the bridge, she noticed a small gray-yellow bird. Amy's face filled with joy, and she almost began her story, but said nothing. The path became steeper, leaving the river behind and splitting in two as they approached the Kinder reservoir. Looking at his map, David pointed to a route that skirted the reservoir. They followed him to the beginning of a narrow valley, where another steep path ran beside a swift stream. As they climbed higher, Amy began to notice the changing landscape. The stream was part of small waterfalls that tumbled through green ferns and purple heather.

Intermediate-Upper-intermediate

When people ask me how I learned to speak German, I tell them it was simple: I met a German man at the Oktoberfest, married him, and stayed in Munich for 20 years. But there's a bit of a backstory, too. In 1973, my friend Sally and I decided to quit our jobs and travel through Europe. We boarded a plane in early September, determined to stay abroad as long as possible - stretching our money by hitchhiking and staying in youth hostels. Over the next eight months, we covered a lot of ground, from Greece and Turkey to Finland, managing to limit our costs to an average of $5 a day. It all started in Luxembourg, when we walked to the edge of town and stuck out our thumbs. It wasn't long before a group of US soldiers on motorcycles stopped. They were on their way to a wine festival on the Moselle River and were thrilled to have female companionship.

As 24-year-old American girls with backpacks, Sally and I rarely had to wait long for a ride. And although we often couldn't understand the drivers, it didn't matter. Wherever they were going was fine with us. Other than our plans to visit the Oktoberfest in Munich, we had absolutely no itinerary. The advantage of this easygoing lifestyle was that we visited many villages that were far off the beaten path.

Show translation

Show translation

When people ask me how I learned to speak German, I tell them that it was simple: I met a German at Oktoberfest, married him and stayed in Munich for 20 years. But there is also a backstory. In 1973, my friend Sally and I decided to quit our jobs and travel around Europe. In early September, we boarded a plane, determined to stay abroad as long as possible, saving our money by hitchhiking and staying in youth hostels. Over the next eight months, we traveled from Greece and Turkey to Finland, intending to cut our costs down to an average of $5 a day. It all started in Luxembourg when we were out of town and gave a thumbs up. It wasn't long before a group of American soldiers on motorcycles stopped. They were on their way to a wine festival on the Moselle River and were delighted with the sorority. As 24-year-old American girls with backpacks, Sally and I rarely had to wait for a ride. And although we often couldn't understand the drivers, it didn't matter. Wherever they went, we were fine. Apart from our plans to visit the Oktoberfest in Munich, we had absolutely no itinerary. The advantage of this quiet way of life was that we visited many villages that were far off the beaten track.

For advanced (Advanced)

Recently, I've been flying quite a lot - for the usual reasons, like holidays, weddings, milestone birthdays and, sadly, the odd funeral. Since I live in Perth, Western Australia - a very isolated state capital – a flight to the east coast means at least four hours in the air for me. To put that into a European perspective, a flight to Sydney is about the same as flying from Dublin to Istanbul. Then there's the time difference of two to three hours, so that a whole day is lost crossing the country. When I'm sky-high, I'm captive to what I call "cardboard-box cuisine". Recent experiences with our major carriers Qantas and Virgin suggest that there may be more flavor in the box itself than its contents.

Sure, Australian airlines have a long tradition of offering free food and drinks, including beer and wine, especially on longer flights. And flying is relatively inexpensive in economy class. Even on the good airlines, I can usually get to and from Sydney for less than A$700. Budget carriers will cost you half of that. Back to airline food, though. On a flight to Perth some weeks ago, I was given a “Chinese chicken salad” for my evening meal. In the box, I found a mound of dry purple cabbage and a dozen small pieces of equally dry chicken. There was no dressing, so the only parts of this meal I could eat were two cracker biscuits and a piece of cheese that came on the side. I washed them down with a tiny bottle of red wine and thought, “This meal isn’t free: it’s worthless.” Some time later, I wandered down to the flight attendants’ quarters at the back of the plane to see if I could get some more cheese and crackers and another small bottle of wine. The staff were helpful, but what surprised me were the meals they were eating, including a steaming plate of grilled pork medallions in cream sauce with rice and fresh vegetables.

Show translation

Show translation

AT recent times I fly quite a lot - for the usual reasons like vacations, weddings, anniversaries and, unfortunately, funerals. Since I live in Perth, Western Australia, a very remote state capital, flying to the east coast means at least four hours in the air for me. If we draw parallels with Europe, a flight to Sydney takes about the same time as from Dublin to Istanbul. In addition, there is a time difference of two or three hours, so a whole day is lost when crossing the country. When I'm high in the sky, I become a prisoner of what I call "food from a cardboard box." Recent experiences with major food vendor Qantas and Virgin suggest that there may be more smell in the box than what's inside. Of course, Australian Airlines has a long tradition of serving free food and drink, including beer and wine, especially on long flights. Flying in economy class is relatively inexpensive. Even with good airlines, I can get there from Sydney for less than AU$700. Budget carriers will cost half the price. However, back to the food on board. On a flight to Perth a few weeks ago, I was served "Chinese Chicken Salad" for dinner. In the box I found a pile of dry cauliflower and a dozen small pieces of the same dry chicken. There was no sauce, so all I could eat was two crackers and a piece of cheese. I washed them down with a small bottle of red wine and thought, "This food isn't free, but it's disgusting." After a while, I walked to the back of the plane to see the flight attendants to make sure I could ask for some more cheese, crackers, and a small bottle of wine. The staff were helpful, but what surprised me the most was the food they ate, including steaming plates of grilled pork medallions in a cream sauce with rice and fresh vegetables.

Download ready-made texts

Ready-made texts in English can be found on specialized sites or in magazines and. Please note that tasks often go to the text to consolidate the material, and new vocabulary is highlighted in a different color.

Articles above and other texts you can download

Which is useful to read for both adults and children. These stories are very instructive, at the end of each of them a moral is stated. For those who still find it difficult to translate even such simple texts, a translation is presented. Most likely, you have already heard similar fairy tales in Russian, so it will be easier for you to understand their meaning.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great effort an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling away?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at the present."

But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing, every day, corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew..

MORAL: Work today and you can reap the benefits tomorrow.

Ant and Grasshopper

On a field on a sunny day, a grasshopper jumped, chirped and sang to his heart's content. An ant passed by, dragging a corncob with great effort to his home.

“Why not come up to me and have a chat,” the grasshopper said, “instead of straining like that?” “I help to stock up for the winter,” said the ant, “I advise you to do the same.” “Why worry about winter? - said the grasshopper, - We have a lot of food at the moment.

But the ant did its job and continued its hard work. When winter came, the grasshopper literally starved to see how the ants distribute corn and grain every day from their stores, which they collected in the summer.
Then the grasshopper realized...

Morality: Work today and you can reap the rewards tomorrow.

The Lion and the Mouse

Once when a Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon him. This soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him and opened his big jaws to swallow him.

"Sorry, O King!" cried the little Mouse, “Forgive me this time. I shall never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness. And who knows, but I may be able to do you a good turn one of these days?”

The Lion was so tickled at the idea of ​​the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.

Sometime later a few hunters captured the King and tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on.

Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, ran up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse, very happy to help the Lion.

MORAL: Little friends may prove great friends.

Lion and mouse

Once, when the lion fell asleep, a small mouse began to run over him. Soon he woke the lion, who caught him with his huge paw and opened his jaw to swallow him.

"Excuse me, O king! sobbed the little mouse, “Forgive me this time. This will never happen again and I will never forget your kindness. And who knows, maybe one day I can also do something good for you.”

The lion was so amused at the idea that the mouse could somehow help him that he raised his paw and let him go.

A few days later, the hunters caught the king and tied him to a tree while they were looking for a wagon where they could put him.

Just then it happened that a mouse ran past, he saw the predicament in which the lion was, ran up to him and quickly gnawed through the ropes that tied the king of beasts. "Wasn't I right?" - said the mouse, joyful because he helped the lion.

Morality: Little friends can be great friends.

The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs

Once upon a time, a man and his wife had the good fortune to have a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough.

They imagined that if the bird must be able to lay golden eggs, its insides must be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all that precious metal at once, they would get mighty rich very soon. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird.

However, upon cutting the goose open, they were shocked to find that its innards were like that of any other goose!

MORAL: Think before you act.

The goose that laid golden eggs

One day, a man and his wife were lucky enough to have a goose that laid a golden egg every day. Despite such great luck, they soon began to think that they could not get rich pretty fast.

They imagined that if a bird could lay golden eggs, then its insides must also be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all this precious metal at once, then very soon they would become extremely rich. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird.

However, when they opened the goose, they discovered with great shock that its insides were the same as any other goose.

Morality: Think before you do.

If you liked these stories, then you can read another interesting one. Don't forget to offer similar stories to your children who are learning English. They will love this unobtrusive way of learning a new language.

And here is a 45-minute collection of fairy tales with subtitles.