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
smash – v. to break into many pieces; to shatter or destroy
atmosphere – n. the whole mass of air that surrounds the Earth
surrender – v. to agree to stop fighting, hiding, resisting, etc., because you know that you will not win or succeed
retreat – v. to move or go away from a place or situation especially because it is dangerous, unpleasant, etc.
survivor – n. a member of a group who continues to live after other members have died
firestorm – n. a very large fire that destroys everything in its path and produces powerful winds
jammed – v. to fill (a place) completely
- Listen to the story.
- Watch the video and read along.
- Take the short story quiz.
Take the quiz: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/2914075/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.