Hello students. I’m proud of you for completing years 1 and 2 of our American English course. In order for you to become a strong intermediate American English learner, you need to be able to read, understand, and discuss abridged American English short stories. In this lesson, throughout Year 3 of your studies, you will read, listen to, and write about popular American English short stories. Please follow the directions below closely.
- Study the American English vocabulary below.
Words in This Story
interurban – n. between cities or towns
guinea pig – n. a small furry animal, or rodent, that is often kept as a pet
hippopotamus – n. a large African animal that has an extremely large head and mouth and short legs and that spends most of its time in water
genus – n. a group of related animals or plants that includes several or many different species
telegram – n. a message that is sent by telegraph (an old-fashioned system of sending messages over long distances by using wires and electrical signals)
- Listen to the story.
- Watch the video and read along.
- Take the short story quiz.
Take the quiz: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/ellis-parker-butler-pigs-is-pigs/2930216/p1.html?isEmbedded=True
- Write a summary of the short story you just read and listened to in the comments section below. Click here to read an article that teaches you how to summarize a story. Remember to let us know who the characters of the story are, what they do, and what the story is about.