Practising English

This is the story text for the B2 story today:https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-283.htmThe song in today's podcast is an arrangement by Dmitry Taras - check it out at Pixabay.The Christmas Festival'So, Miss Jenkins,' said the mayor. 'As the town's new Councillor for cultural events, it'll be your turn this year to organise the Christmas town festival.''Yes, Mr Mayor. I'm aware of that,' Jenny Jenkins answered.'Councillor David did a marvellous job last year. A difficult act to follow, Miss Jenkins. I understand you used to direct pantomimes at Christmas. And you would sing yourself in them. You sing well - so I've been told.''Well, they were just school pantomimes, Mr Mayor. When I was a teenager. Nothing professional.' Then she added, 'The experience will help, of course.''We're all convinced you'll do a splendid job, Miss Jenkins.''I'll do my best,' Mr Mayor.However, quite honestly, Jenny Jenkins wasn't sure she could live up to everyone's expectations. Last year's event had been perfect, and people kept reminding her of the fact. Still, she had decided to take on the challenge. Trying to get out of it was useless - it was her job after all.At first, everything went smoothly-until the main singer suddenly dropped out of the programme a week before Christmas. Jenny tried not to panic, but she kept putting off finding a replacement. She hoped someone would magically appear, but Christmas magic seemed to be running late.Two days before the festival, the town mayor pointed out that the schedule still had an empty space where the singer should be. Jenny realised she could no longer ignore the problem. Finally, she caught up with her long list of tasks and started calling local musicians…It was Christmas Eve, the morning of the festival. There had been a heavy fall of snow the night before and everything was looking very Christmassy. Jenny was exhausted but proud. Everything was ready. The mayor had told her he'd found a singer himself, and she'd be the star of the festival. Jenny felt relieved - whoever it might be.Jenny was on the stage in the market square, making final preparations. The mayor walked across the square tContact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www....

This is the audioscript for today's story and the B1 words studied:Scrooge and the TurkeyScrooge ran to the window, opened it, and put his head outside. There was no fog or mist. The air was clear, bright, and cold. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the bells were ringing happily.'Oh, how absolutely wonderful!' cried Scrooge in a cheerful voice.'What day is it?' he shouted down to a boy wearing his Sunday clothes, who was standing in the street.'Eh?' said the boy, very surprised.'What day is it, my boy?' Scrooge repeated, expecting to be disappointed.'Why, it's Christmas Day!' replied the boy.'It's Christmas Day!' said Scrooge to himself, delighted. 'I haven't missed it. The Ghosts did everything in one night. They can do anything!''Hello, my boy!' Scrooge called.'Hello!' said the boy.'Do you know the shop on the corner in the next street where they sell turkeys?' asked Scrooge.'Of course I do,' said the boy.'Good boy!' said Scrooge. 'Do you know if they have sold the big prize turkey? Not the small one-the huge one.''The one as big as me?' asked the boy.'Yes!' laughed Scrooge. 'That one.''It's still there,' said the boy.'Good!' said Scrooge. 'Go and buy it.''You must be joking!' said the boy amazed.'Definitely not, my boy,' said Scrooge. 'Go and tell them Ebenezer Scrooge will buy it, and then tell them to bring it here. Come back with the man, and I'll give you a shilling. If you don't hang about and come back in less than five minutes, I'll give you two shillings!'The boy ran off as fast as he could go.'I'll send the turkey to Bob Cratchit,' Scrooge said quietly, laughing to himself. 'He won't know who sent it. It's much bigger than his son, Tiny Tim. I'll wrap it up and send it as a Christmas gift. This will be a wonderful surprise for him!'Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www....

Not able to bring my new B2 podcast today so I'm leaving you with an older Christmas story (repeat). Audioscript at: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-70.htmContact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www....

This is the text for the B1 story today. Who was the mysterious girl in the park?https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-280.htmA brief meeting at ChristmasIt was two days before Christmas, and Lucas, a sixteen-year-old boy, was feeling rather lonely. His parents were busy at work, and his older sister was studying in London. To pass the time, Lucas decided to take a walk through the snowy park. Everything was quiet and peaceful, and the trees were covered in white.As he walked, he noticed a small brown glove lying on a bench. It looked new, so Lucas picked it up. ‘Maybe someone lost it,’ he thought. It was made of leather with a small silver chain on the back, and looked valuable. He looked around and saw a girl about his age standing under some pine trees. She was well-dressed, her clothes seemed a little old-fashioned. She seemed worried, so Lucas went up to her.‘Hi, is this your glove?’ he asked. The girl’s face suddenly shone. ‘Yes! Thank you. I thought it was gone forever.’ When he looked at her face, he noticed she had a beauty that was unforgettable. They started talking, and soon they were laughing. They made a snowman together, which was the handsomest one Lucas had ever made.Before leaving, the girl said, ‘Come to the Christmas market tomorrow. I’ll be at the hot chocolate stall. I run it with my mother.’ Lucas agreed and went home – a smile on his face.The next day, he arrived early at the market. He looked for the girl, but she wasn’t there. There wasn’t a chocolate stall either. When he asked an elderly woman about her who sold woolly cardigans, the woman looked surprised.‘There hasn’t been a hot chocolate stall here for years,’ she said. ‘There used to be one, I remember. But I was a child then. It was set up by a lady and her daughter every Christmas. Pretty girl, the daughter. She died of typhus, poor thing, at just about Christmas time if I remember correctly.’Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www....

https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-279.htmThis is a B2 recording today with a story for you to enjoy...Christmas cheerI’m standing in a peaceful, wealthy suburb a few miles from Bristol city centre. Without doubt, It’s going to be a white Christmas, or rather it is already a white Christmas thanks to a generous amount of snow that has fallen on this Christmas Eve. The quiet, snowy road has a number of luxury cars parked on either side, and on my right and left stand those sort of houses, or should I call them mansions, the whole world would love to own: large, spacious, attractive stone, sloping grey roofs, leafy gardens - front, back and sides, and a broad driveway to park an expensive SUV. If I take a glance through the windows, I can just make out flashing lights from Christmas trees and decorations.A car pulls up outside a house. A couple get out. They open the boot and in the soft illumination of the street lamps I can see they take out some colourful boxes - Christmas presents. The front door of the house is pushed open. Three children dash out into the snow in their slippers laughing excitedly. They’re hugged by the two adults. The parents appear at the door shouting warm greetings. Everybody is laughing and chatting. They all disappear inside the house. A silence falls over the houses again as the front door shuts.I hear voices to my right over the soft snow. To the best of my knowledge, they’re a group of carol singers making their way to a house on the other side of the road. Some are still singing. They’re wrapped up warm in thick coats, furry boots and woollen scarves. Some are holding sticks with candles burning still. I hear a girl make a comment: something about how hungry she is - the others agree enthusiastically. Another door is opened by a man in an apron, and they all make their way up the steps singing and shouting “Merry Christmas”. Again, the door shuts and all that happiness and laughter is shut in – as though something exclusive to a privileged few,Who am I? And what am I doing out in the snow on such a special night? I should be with family, friends, and loved ones. It would be a sad Christmas Eve indeed if I were alone here, ouContact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www....