Уютные истории на английском. А1: читаем с удовольствием и повышаем уровень
Подготовка текста Наталия Попова

Серия «Читаем на английском: маленькие истории для большого прогресса»

© Попова Н.С., текст, 2025

© Оформление. ООО «Издательство «Эксмо», 2025

Story 1. The Cat in the Café

Lisa had a hard time with her small café. It was in Garden street. The café was nice and warm, but very quiet. Lisa made good coffee and cakes.

Every morning, Lisa opened her café at 7 o’clock. She liked her work, but not many people came to her café. Lisa often felt sad.

One cold morning, Lisa saw a cat. The cat was orange and white. It sat near the café door. The cat looked hungry.

“Poor cat,” said Lisa. “Are you hungry? Come in!”

The cat looked at Lisa. Its eyes were big and green. Lisa gave the cat some milk. The cat was happy.

“You can stay here,” said Lisa. She named the cat Tom. He slept on the blue chair. He walked around and looked at people. People liked Tom very much. They said:

“What a nice cat!”

Tom was friendly.

More and more people came to the café. They wanted to see Tom and drink coffee. Children came to play with Tom.

Lisa was happy. The café was always full now. People called it “The Cat Café.”

Lisa took care of Tom very well. Tom was her best friend.

Every evening, when Lisa closed the café, she said to Tom: “Thank you, Tom. You changed everything.”

And Tom? He drinks milk and feels happy too.

Полезные выражения

▶ to have a hard time – испытывать трудности

▶ to come in – входить

▶ to take care – заботиться

▶ to change everything – изменить все

Упражнения

1

Прочитайте утверждения и напишите верно или неверно:

1. Lisa’s café was full from the beginning. ___

2. Tom was a black and white cat. ___

3. The cat came to the café on a rainy day. ___

4. Lisa saw Tom near the door. ___

2

Заполните пропуски:

1. Lisa had a small _______ in Garden Street.

2. The cat looked very _______ when Lisa first saw it.

3. More people _______ to see Tom.

4. Tom and Lisa became good _______.

5. Tom _______ Lisa’s life.

3

Ответьте на вопросы:

1. What time did Lisa open her café every morning?

2. What did Lisa give to Tom when he first came?

3. Where did Tom like to sleep in the café?

4. Why did more people come to the café?

5. What did people call Lisa’s café later?

Story 2. The Childhood Bicycle

David walks in his old street. He comes to his small town after twenty years. The houses are different now.

He stops and looks. There is a red bicycle near house number 12. The bicycle is old but nice. David likes this bicycle!

A man stands near the house. “David? Is that you?”

David looks at the man. “Alex? My old friend?” They smile and say hello.

“This bicycle looks like my old bicycle,” says David.

Alex laughs. “This IS your bicycle! You gave it to me when you moved to a new city. I have had it for many years. Look at your name here.”

David looks at the bicycle. Yes! His name is there – ‘David’.

“My son likes this bicycle,” says Alex. “I tell him about you and me. We were friends. We went to school together. We played in the park.”

“Yes! And we liked ice cream,” says David. “We ate ice cream every Friday.”

“Why are you here?” asks Alex.

“I have a new job here. I work near our old school.”

Alex smiles. “Good! My son wants to ride this bicycle. Can you help us?”

“Yes, of course!” says David.

Now David has his old friend and his old bicycle. Some good things never change.

Полезные выражения

▶ to stop and look – останавливаться и смотреть

▶ to smile and say hello – улыбаться и здороваться

▶ to look like – выглядеть как / быть похожим на

▶ to give it to somebody – отдать это кому – то

▶ to look at – смотреть на

▶ can you help us? можешь нам помочь?

Упражнения

1

Прочитайте утверждения и напишите верно или неверно:

1. David returns to his town after ten years. ____

2. The houses in his old street look the same. ____

3. David’s bicycle is new and red. ____

4. Alex’s son likes the bicycle. ____

5. David and Alex went to school together. ____

2

Заполните пропуски:

1. David walks in his ______ street.

2. Alex says, “This bicycle ______ your old bicycle!”

3. ”You ______ me when you moved to a new city.”

4. David ______ the bicycle and saw his name on it.

5. David ______ near his old school now.

3

Ответьте на вопросы:

1. How many years was David away from his town?

2. What does David see near house number 12?

3. What does Alex show David on the bicycle?

4. Where does David work now?

5. What does Alex ask David to help with?

Story 3. Grandmother’s Diary

My name is Bill. My grandmother has a big house. The house has many old things. One day, I found a small blue book. It was my grandmother’s diary.

The diary had a love story. Grandmother wrote about a young man. His name was Peter. He was an artist. Every day, Peter drew in the park.

Grandmother walked there often.

One day, Peter drew grandmother’s portrait. The picture was very

beautiful. Grandmother and Peter started to date. They walked in the park a lot. Peter drew, and grandmother read books.

Then something strange happened. Peter got a letter. He needed to go to another city. He wanted grandmother to go with him. But grandmother could not go. She studied at university.

Peter went away. He wrote letters to grandmother every day. Grandmother wrote letters too. They missed each other very much.

After one year, Peter came back. He brought many pictures. The pictures showed grandmother in the park. Peter drew her every day when he was far away. He loved grandmother very much.

They got married in the same park where they had met. Peter drew this moment. This picture is in grandmother’s house now.

I never saw grandfather Peter. He passed away long ago. But his pictures live in grandmother’s house. And his love lives in her diary.

I showed the diary to grandmother. She looked at the old pages for a long time. Then she smiled and said: “Love is like a picture. It makes the world more beautiful.”

Полезные выражения

▶ every day – каждый день

▶ long ago – давно

▶ far away – далеко

▶ to get married – пожениться

▶ to look at – смотреть на

▶ to start to date – начать встречаться

Упражнения

1

Прочитайте утверждения и напишите верно или неверно:

1. Bill found a red book in his grandmother’s house. ___

2. Peter was a musician. ___

3. Grandmother and Peter met in the park. ___

4. Peter went to another country for two years. ___

5. Peter drew portraits of grandmother while he was away. ___

2

Заполните пропуски:

1. Peter _____ (to be) an artist.

2. Every day, Peter _____ (to draw) in the park.

3. Grandmother _____ (to walk) there often.

4. They _____ (to get) married in the park.

5. Bill _____ (to show) the diary to his grandmother.

3

Ответьте на вопросы:

1. Where did Bill find the diary?

2. What did Peter do every day in the park?

3. Why couldn’t grandmother go with Peter to another city?

4. How often did Peter write letters to grandmother?

5. What did grandmother say about love at the end of the story?

Story 4. A Kind Word

My name is Kim. I work in a small shop. Every day, I sell things to many people. They are always in a hurry. They often look sad or angry.

One cold day, an old woman came to the shop. She wanted to buy bread and milk. I was very tired that day. My head hurt. I gave her the bread and milk quickly. I dropped her money on the floor. I felt very bad.

“I’m sorry,” I said. I picked up the money.

The old woman looked at me. She had kind eyes. “You have a nice smile,” she said. “It makes me happy. But today you look sad.”

No one at the shop ever told me kind words. I almost started to cry. But I just smiled.

“Thank you,” I said. “I am just tired.”

The next day, the old woman came again. She remembered my name. She asked how I was. I told her I wanted to be a cook, but I did not have money for school.

“You can be a good cook,” she said. “You are nice and smart. Don’t be afraid to try new things.”

Her words helped me. That night, I made a nice dinner at home. My family loved it. I decided to save money for cooking school.

The old woman came to the shop every day. She always had a kind word for all people. The shop started to change. People smiled more. They talked with each other. Even my boss was kinder.

One day, the old woman came with a small box. “This is for you,” she said. There was money for cooking school in it. I was surprised.

“I can’t take this,” I said.

“It’s from many people,” she said. “People from the shop. They all want to help you. Your smile helped them. Now they want to help you.”

I went to cooking school. It was hard, but I worked hard. Now, I am a cook at a small cafe. I try to make good food. I say kind words to people every day. One kind word can change someone’s day.

The old woman still comes to the cafe. She eats my food and smiles. She says my food is the best. I know it’s not true, but her kind words still make me happy.

I learned that kind words are strong. They can change a shop. They can change a life. They changed my life.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «Литрес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на Литрес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.