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 learning 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 state of disrepair, 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 lifestyle 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

I've been flying quite a lot lately - 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 supplier 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

"Night. Dead silence. Only the breath of the night shakes the grass on the plain. A lonely fire burns in the night, ”this is how this story begins, which was written back in 1955 by the great dreamer and almost madman Ray Bradbury. Read an online short story in English called The Dragon. The story is adapted for the intermediate level(intermediate). Words are included for study.

The Dragon by Ray Bradbury (part 1, for intermediate)

Words to understand:

• on the moor- on a plain covered with heather
• in the wilderness in this wild place
• strewn hither and thither scattered here and there
• the birth of Jesus- the birth of Christ

The night fell, the silence was on the moor. It was years since a bird had flown in the dark sky. Two men were sitting by their lonely fire in the wilderness, darkness pumped quietly in their veins and ticked silently in their temples and their wrists .

Firelight gleamed on their wild faces. They listened to each other's faint breathing.

At last, one man poked the fire with his sword.

"Don't do that; you'll give us away! »

"No matter," said the second man. "The dragon can smell us miles off, anyway. How cold it is! I wish I was back at the castle.

"It's death, don't sleep, we're after..."

Why? Why? The dragon never sets foot in the town!"

Quiet, fool! He eats men traveling alone from our town to the next!”

"Let them be eaten and let us get home!"

"Wait now; listen!"

The two men sat in silence. They waited for a long time, nothing had happened, nothing was heard, there was only the shake of their horses’ buckles, softly, softly.

Ah. The second man sighed. "What a land of nightmares. Everything happens here. God, listen! This dragon, they say his eyes are fire. His breath is white gas; you can see him go across the dark lands. He runs with thunder and kindles the grass. Sheep panic and die insane. Women deliver forth monsters. The dragon's fury is such that tower walls shake back to dust . His victims, at sunrise, are strewn hither and thither on the hills. How many knights , I ask, have gone for this monster and failed , even as we shall fail? »

Enough of that!

More than enough! Out here I cannot tell what year this is!”

"Nine hundred years since the birth of Jesus«.

"No, no," whispered the second man, eyes shut. "On this moor is no Time, is only Forever. I feel if I ran back on the road the town would be gone, the people yet unborn, things changed; don't ask how I know, the moor knows, and tells me. And here we sit alone in the land of the fire dragon. God save us!"

"What's use? The dragon runs from nowhere; we cannot guess its home. It vanishes in fog, we know not where it goes. Aye, put on our armor, we'll die well-dressed."

The second man turned his head.

The Dragon by Ray Bradbury (part 2, for intermediate)

Words to understand:

• all the time confused- time is confused
• the midnight wilderness- midnight desert
• terrible wailing cry- terrifying piercing howl
• gave him plenty of whistle- whistling with might and main

Across the dim country the wind blew full of dus t from clocks that used dust for telling time. The burnt leaves were shaken from some autumn tree beyond the horizon. This wind blew, making the blood thicken. It was a thousand souls dying and all the time confused. It was a fog inside of a darkness , and this place was no man’s place and there was no year or hour at all, but only these men were standing in the emptiness of the moor. Sudden thunder was heard, then came the lightning. The rain drenched the moor, and the two men were waiting alone, listening to its sound .

"There," whispered the first man. "Oh, there..."

Miles off, rushing with a great roar appeared the dragon.

In silence the men mounted their horses. The midnight wilderness was split by as the dragon roared nearer, nearer. Its yellow glare appeared above a hill and then disappeared into a valley.

They spurred their horses forward to a small hollow.

"This is where it passes!"

They got their swords ready for the battle.

On the instant the dragon rounded a hill. Its monstrous yellow eye flashed on them. With a terrible wailing cry it was going forward.

'Mercy, God!'

The sword struck under the huge yellow eye. The dragon buckled him, threw the man through the air, knocked him down. Passing, the monster smashed the other horse and a rider. The two knights were dead. The roaring dragon, the fire and the smoke all around, disappeared .

Did you see it? cry a voice. "Just like I told you!"

“The Same! The same! A knight in armor , by the Lord, Harry! We hit him!"

Are you going to stop?

Did once; found nothing. Don't like to stop on this moor. I get the willies.

"But we've hit something."

"We gave him plenty of whistle; but he didn't move."

The steam cut the mist aside.

"We'll arrive at Stokely on time. More coal, eh, Fred?”

The night train vanished over cold earth, towards the north, leaving black smoke and steam to dissolve in the air minutes after it had passed and gone forever.

Read more online short stories in english for intermediate level writer Ray Bradbury / Read more short stories by Ray Bradbury in the category —

In this article, we offer you simple texts in English for beginners with sound and translation. If you have already mastered, then it will not be difficult for you to read them.

The lyrics are written by a native English speaker with an Australian accent, the so-called aussie. Listen carefully, follow the text with your eyes, try to catch not only sounds, but intonation, rhythm, stress. Listen several times (the more the better), then start repeating after the speaker, and try to copy exactly all the shades of her speech.

We highly recommend reading an article on the topic, where, in particular, there are some practical useful tips from a very successful young polyglot Luca Lampariello on how to read texts in English correctly for beginners.

1. I am happy - I'm happy

2. Texts in English for beginners on the topic: What is it? - What is it?

I want to tell you a little about my family. My family is quite large. I have a mother, father, sister and brother. There are five of us in our family. My mother is 42 but she looks younger. She is not tall, but slim. Her hair is blonde and curly. Her eyes are grey. She is a doctor. She is very kind. My father is strong and handsome. His hair is dark and straight. His eyes are brown. My father is a programmer. It can also do many different things. He always helps us with our homework. I have an older sister. She is 19 and she is a student. She loves to cook and read. She looks like my father. She has many boyfriends. My little brother is only 12. Sometimes he is noisy, but mostly he is a very friendly boy. I am 16. I like to play football and listen to music. I am like my mother. I also have blond, curly hair and gray eyes. After I finish school I would also like to be a doctor and help people. We have grandparents. They live in the village. They don't work, they are retired. Sometimes they come to visit us and every summer we visit them and spend our holidays with them.

4 Appearance

We have a head, a face, two arms, two hands, a body with two shoulders, chest and belly, two legs, two knees and two feet. We have hair and two ears on our head. We have two eyes, a nose, a mouth on our face. We have 32 teeth and we have our tongue in our mouth. Our hair can be dark or light, straight or curly, long or short. Our eyes can be blue, green, brown, gray or yellow. We can have long or short, strong or weak arms and legs. We can be tall or short, thin or fat. Our skin can be white, yellow, brown or black.

We can be old or young. A man can be good-looking, or handsome. A woman can be very pretty, or beautiful. How would you describe yourself? I am not very tall, not very short. I'm not very old, but my hair is almost grey. I have blue eyes. My nose is straight. My ears are small. My face is a little tanned because I am often outside. What about you? How would you describe yourself?

5. Where are you from - Where are you from?

Where are you from?
I'm from Russia. And you?
I am from Germany. And you?
I am from Italy. And she?
She is from France. And he?
He is from Spain. And they?
They are from the Czech Republic.

We are from different countries, but we all want to learn English, don't we?
By the way, do you know where English is the native language? It is native to the UK, Ireland, Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ghana and a second national language in India.
English is now the most influential language in the world, spoken by more than a billion people on our planet.

Simple texts in English for beginners - a collection of short stories

In this section you can read or download simple, short and easy texts in English for beginners. Materials include short stories, articles, excerpts from well-known works or short stories in English for beginners. These texts will be useful, first of all, for those who are at the initial stage of learning and have a small vocabulary, although they may be of interest to more advanced students. Approximate level of presented stories from beginner to elementary. Simple stories and beginner-level stories will be an excellent source of vocabulary building, especially when reading without a dictionary using semantic guesswork, since most of the words in the text are quite simple and will most likely be familiar to you. Reading light articles and stories will allow you to develop and consolidate the vocabulary of the most frequently used words in everyday speech, the so-called "minilex" consisting of about 400-500 popular words.

You can read your favorite stories in English at an entry level on our website, print materials directly from the browser "Ctrl + P" or save to your computer using the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + S" for further work with the text.

The more you read, the faster your vocabulary builds up, as reading is the most natural, efficient and enjoyable way to build up your vocabulary. At the initial stage, short and easy texts for reading in English are suitable, as well as specially adapted books of 1-3 difficulty levels (starter, beginner, elementary).
You just read the story, trying to guess the meaning of all unfamiliar words. If the level of the work is chosen correctly, then there will not be too many such words, and you will be able to fully understand the meaning of what you read. A good option for reading would also be easy texts in English for beginners with translation into Russian. The advantage of this option is that there is no need to consult a dictionary. But in this case, one should not abuse the translation and mainly use a semantic guess, and only then watch the Russian version.

This section presents mainly fiction for reading. And if you did not find what you were looking for, then perhaps you need to refer to the section of the site where are presented, as well as essays in English. Or a collection of topics for reading and memorizing to your computer.
The collection includes simple texts in English for beginners on various topics and will be a great helper for language learners. Only 400 topics from stories about yourself, family and your hobbies, to biographies of prominent people in the history of mankind and the traditions of the inhabitants of English-speaking countries.
If easy texts for beginners in English seem too simple to you, that is, when reading there will be no unfamiliar words or there will be too few of them, then you can safely move on to stories and stories of an average level of complexity or adapted books of an intermediate level.

Download and read short easy stories in English :

English legend

There is a myth that only English speakers can read original books. But today you will be convinced that even a beginner is able to master a literary work and understand its meaning (especially if these are adapted books in English for beginners). In addition, you can always click on an unfamiliar word and see its translation.

Why is it so important to read books at an elementary level?

• First, reading books guarantees a deeper immersion in the language than texts from textbooks.
• Secondly, this is a huge plus for self-esteem and motivation, which is very important for further language learning.
• And, finally, this is one of the easiest and most interesting activities, if the appropriate literature is selected.

That's why we found for you the best adapted versions of foreign works(just follow the links). All books have been rewritten by professional linguists and significantly reduced: the average volume of a simplified version is about 10-20 pages, which is quite realistic to read in one evening.

A story about the friendship of two smart mice from France and Great Britain, who are concerned about the fate of Shakespeare's cultural heritage. This book uses direct speech a lot, which means you won't have problems speaking English in the future.

by Mark Twain (beginner - 7 pages) It's hard to find someone who hasn't heard about the thrilling adventures of Tom Sawyer. And reading about them in the original is even more fun. The vocabulary of the story is suitable even for those who "yesterday" began to learn English.

by Sally M. Stockton (elementary - 6 pages) An ageless tale of a brave archer who fights for justice. After reading the book, you can watch one of the many film adaptations.

by Andrew Mathews (elementary - 6 pages) A beautiful story about a teenage girl, Susie, living in the shadow of her more attractive friend Donna. Susie hates her freckles and thinks they make her look ugly. Find out how the story ends and whether Susie's attitude towards herself will change.

by John Escott (elementary - 8 pages) In our selection there was a place for a story about ghosts. The author has a very bright style of narration, so it is difficult to break away from the story. So, you can easily master 8 pages in one go.

by Mark Twain (elementary - 9 pages) Another work of Mark Twain in our selection will delight you with the story of Huckleberry Finn. A great chance to remember your childhood. The adapted version of this children's book is a real boon for the beginner!

More than ten pages - success! Simple books in English for beginners

by Peter Benchley (elementary - 12 pages) An adapted version of the famous "Jaws" - a novel about a great white shark attacking vacationers in a resort town (brrr, horror!). Because of the long, common sentences, the book may seem difficult for the elementary level, but we believe that 12 pages is not a problem for you.

by Lewis Carroll (elementary - 13 pages) A wonderful opportunity to once again be in Wonderland and learn the names of the characters in English. The book is read very quickly and easily - tested on my own experience in elementary school.

by Jack London (elementary - 15 pages) A heartbreaking story about the life of a dog during the gold rush. The book focuses on the relationship between man and animals. In my opinion, this work is one of the best in our selection in terms of plot and style of writing.

by Roger Lancelyn Green (elementary - 16 pages) A great opportunity to get acquainted with the exploits of King Arthur and the famous knights of the round table. Welcome to the era of the English Middle Ages.

For those who are serious. Reading books in English for beginners

The second story by Arthur Conan Doyle, dedicated to the investigations of Sherlock Holmes. In the simplified version of the work, the beauty of the story and the mystery of this detective story are perfectly preserved.

by Elizabeth Gaskell (pre-intermediate - 51 pages) The novel "North and South" describes the confrontation between manufacturers and aristocrats during the industrial revolution in England. The book will appeal not only to fans of the romantic classics performed by Jane Austen, but also to those who like historical works.

Books in English with translation for beginners