Beginner English Listening Lessons
[Music]
my house
I live in a house my house is small my
house has two bedrooms
my mom and dad sleep in one bedroom my
sister and I share the other bedroom my
house has a kitchen
my mom and dad cooked dinner there every
night my house has a living room my
family watches television there every
night my house has a big bathroom my
house has a lot of closets my house has
a basement
my dad has a workshop in the basement
my dad makes wood furniture my house
does not have a second floor
my house has a garage my house has a big
backyard my backyard has a maple tree my
backyard has a swimming pool my backyard
has a vegetable garden
family likes our house
my flower garden
my name is Anne I love flowers I have a
flower garden
is in front of my house
my neighbor has a garden too my garden
has different types of flowers I have
roses in my garden I have tulips in my
garden I have petunias in my garden my
garden has different colors I plant red
flowers I plant orange flowers I plant
blue flowers I plant purple flowers I
take care of my garden I water my garden
every day I kill the weeds in my garden
I kill insects that eat my flowers I
love my beautiful garden
Jessica’s first day of school
today is Jessica’s first day of
kindergarten Jessica and her parents
walked to school
Jessica’s mom walks with her to her
classroom
her teacher
his name is mr. Parker
the school bell rings at 8:45 a.m.
Jessica hugs and kisses her mom goodbye
says I love you
at 9:00 a.m. Jess
stands for the national anthem
calls out children’s names each child
yells back here
Parker teaches them about letters
mr. Parker teaches them about numbers
at 10:15 a.m. the students have recess
recess is fun
play and eat
at 10:30 a.m. the students go to gym
class at 11:15 a.m. the students return
to mr. Parker’s classroom
mr. Parker tells the students to sit on
the carpet
mr. Parker reads the students a story
teaches the students a song
the lunch bell rings
Jessica’s first day of school is over
going camping
the brightfamily went camping on the
weekend the bright family went to silent
Lake the bright family left on Friday
they camped for three days the bright
family brought a big tent they brought a
lot of food they brought insect
repellent the bright family had a
campfire on Friday they roasted
marshmallows
they sang campfire songs on Saturday
they went canoeing on saturday they went
fishing on Saturday they went swimming
they went hiking on Sunday the
brightfamily saw many birds they saw
Blue Jays they saw hummingbirds what
brightfamily saw many animals they saw
raccoon they saw a squirrel but they
didn’t see a bear the bright family had
a fun vacation
my first pet
my name is Sarah I am 14 years old I
have a pet cat my cat’s name is Milo my
cat is black and white Milo’s paws are
white
milos body is black she is very cute
Milo’s fur is very soft Milo was a very
small kitten Milo is a very big cat Milo
cannot have kittens she is fixed
Milo likes to eat
likes to play outside Milo likes to hunt
for birds Milo likes to hunt for mice
she likes her ears scratched Milo likes
to sit in my laughs
Milo likes to sleep on my bed Milo is a
good pet
Jennifer the firefighter
Jennifer Smith is a firefighter she is
one of the first female firefighters
Jennifer works hard every day
Jennifer exercises everyday she lifts
weights she wants her muscles to be very
strong she saves people’s lives every
day she is very strong Jennifer is
married her husband is a schoolteacher
Jennifer’s husband is proud of her
Jennifer is a mother
she has two daughters
daughters are proud of her - Jennifer is
happy being a firefighter
is happy being a wife
fur is happy being a mother
summer vacation
today is the last day of school it is
summer vacation grace is very excited
this summer will be fun
grace is going to visit her grandparents
they have a cottage the cottage is on
Lake Erie it is a lot of fun grace is
going to swim she is going to play board
games she is going to talk with her
grandparents
grace is going to have fun grace is
going to a summer camp she will sleep in
a cabin
make lots of new friends grace will
learn campfire songs camp will be fun
grace is going to Cape Cod with her
parents we are going for two weeks we
are going to drive grace will see the
ocean Cape Cod will be beautiful summer
vacation is fun
Mark’s big game Mark’s favorite sport is
hockey he is 15 years old
mark practices three times a week
practices are two hours long
mark plays one game a week mark is a
good hockey player he plays on Friday
nights
Friday night hockey games are popular
Mark’s family watches him play Mark’s
friends watch him play too
there are always many fans tonight is
the big game
coaches are coming to watch mark play
wants to play in the National Hockey
League mark wants to make a lot of money
it is very hard to play in the NHL
Mark’s parents want him to go to college
they want him to have an education they
want mark to be successful they want
mark to be happy
the Easter egg hunt
Samantha is going to an Easter egg hunt
Tracy is going to an Easter egg hunt the
Easter egg hunt is at Sydney’s house it
is going to be fun Sydney’s mom hid
chocolate eggs Sydney’s mom hid
chocolate bunnies
everybody is here everybody has an
Easter basket the Easter egg hunt can
start everybody must close their eyes 1
2 3 go
Samantha finds an Easter egg the Easter
egg is behind a table she puts it in her
basket Tracy finds a chocolate Easter
Bunny it’s under the couch
Tracy puts it in her basket Sydney finds
a chocolate Easter Bunny too
it’s in front of the television
she puts it in her basket
everybody finds lots of chocolate
everybody shares their chocolate
Samantha Tracy and Sydney law of Easter
Joe’s first car
Joe is 18 years old Joe works at
McDonald’s
saves all his money Joe has $2,500 in
the bank he wants to buy a sports car
Joe starts to look for a new car
books in the newspaper Joe looks in
magazines
Joel finds a car he likes Joe goes to
see the car with his dad
really likes it
have enough money
Joe’s dad tells him to keep saving his
money Joe wants this car a lot
Joe asks his dad to help him Joe and his
dad make a deal Joe’s dad will lend him
the money
Joe must work hard he must pay the money
back to his dad Joe is very happy Joe
owns his first car
a baby
my aunt just had a baby girl we went to
the hospital to visit my aunt and to see
the new baby
my aunt was feeling fine although as she
was just a bit tired she walked with us
to a big window that had lots of babies
behind it she pointed to a crib with a
baby in it the baby was wrapped in a
pink blanket we all said how pretty the
baby looked I couldn’t believe how tiny
the baby was she was asleep so we
couldn’t see her eyes when the baby went
home we went to visit her
we heard the baby she was crying my aunt
said the baby was hungry my aunt had a
baby bottle full of warm milk she fed
the baby with it the baby was happy
after that my aunt patted the baby on
the back until the baby burped and then
the baby fell asleep I held the baby I
looked at her tiny fingers and tiny toes
I was very careful with her she opened
her eyes and looked at me I spoke to the
baby but I knew that she could not
understand me babies have to learn to
walk and talk my aunt changed the baby
babies were diapers so they need to be
changed often the baby has a lot of toys
but she is still too young to play with
them my aunt says that it won’t be long
before the baby is crawling and trying
to talk babies are cute I have seen
pictures of myself when I was a baby and
it’s hard to believe that I was once
that small
wild animals
some animals are wild they don’t live in
homes or cages they live in jungles or
on plains the lion is the king of the
beasts
he is very mighty he roars loudly the
giraffe has a long neck
he eats leaves from the tallest trees
the elephant is very large he has a
trunk and two tusks a tiger has stripes
some bears are black and some are brown
there are even white bears called polar
bears a kangaroo lives in Australia that
is the only place that you would find a
kangaroo except in a zoo it might be
frightening to run into a wolf or a fox
monkeys run and play in the trees in
Canada we don’t see lions tigers
giraffes or monkeys running wild there
are squirrels in my backyard sometimes I
see a raccoon or a chipmunk
in Northern Ontario you might see a
moose or a bear I have seen a deer in
the forest there are many wild animals
you can see wild animals if you go to
the zoo
Susan’s wedding day
Susan is getting married her fiance’s
name is Michael
are in love
getting married today Susan wakes up
early she is getting her hair done Susan
is having her makeup done - Susan looks
beautiful
puts on her white wedding dress
it’s on her veil Susan needs something
blue her garter is blue Susan needs
something old her grandmother’s ring
is old Susan needs something borrowed
she is wearing her mother’s jewelry
Susan needs something new her shoes and
dress on you
needs a penny for her shoe it will bring
her good luck Susan is ready to get
married
vacation
my family and I went on vacation to Lake
Huron the water is beautiful and blue
there and the sand is nice and white the
week that we were there was very hot the
Sun was hot but the water was still very
cold I went swimming and tried to catch
little fish in my hands I was careful
not to get sunburned we stayed at a
hotel that had a pool and a game room
I played pinball and video games
sometimes I’d like to swim in the hotel
pool but I like the beach better I would
lie on a big beach towel and get warm
then I would jump in the water and cool
off sometimes I would just lie on the
sand and watch the waves roll up on
shore I found some seashells and saw a
crab walking on the sand at first I was
a bit lonely because I didn’t know
anyone there it wasn’t long before I met
some other kids my age
we built sand castles together and swam
in the lake the other kids were from
different towns so we told each other
stories about our schools and friends we
found that we had a lot in common even
though we were from different places our
families got together and went to
restaurants together we played
volleyball on the beach and we sat
around a campfire at night and sang
songs at the campfire we would roast
marshmallows on a stick
I always burn my marshmallows that is ok
I like them that way mostly we just swam
in the lake until we were very tired I
was sorry when our vacation was over I
had a good time at Lake Huron I met some
very good friends there we still write
to each other maybe we’ll see each other
next summer
the restaurant
when you go to a restaurant you might
see a sign that says please wait to be
seated a host or hostess will ask you
how many people are in your party then
they will want to know if you want to
sit in the smoking or non-smoking
section the host or hostess will take
you to your seat you might sit at a
table or at a booth the host or hostess
will give you a menu to look at
sometimes there are different menus for
different meals there can be a breakfast
menu a lunch menu and a dinner menu
sometimes there is also a wine list and
a dessert menu the food and the prices
of the food are listed on the menu on
your table there will be cutlery cutlery
is the knives forks and spoons there
will also be a napkin you are supposed
to put your napkin on your lap when you
eat your waiter or waitress will take
your order you might want an appetizer
before your meal some people want a
salad or soup before their meal after
your meal you might have a dessert or
tea or coffee when it is time to go you
will pay your bill and leave a tip for
the waiter or waitress
my house
I live in a two-story house the bottom
of the house is painted white the upper
part of the house is made of red brick
the chimney is also made of red brick if
you go through the front door and turn
right you’ll see the living room the
living room is very large and
comfortable there are easy chairs a
coffee table and a sofa in there I like
to sit in there and relax next to the
living room is the dining room there are
a dining table and chairs in there we
use this room whenever we have visitors
over for dinner beside the dining room
is the kitchen the kitchen has a stove
and a refrigerator in it there’s also a
kitchen table with some benches at it
most of the time we eat in the kitchen
upstairs there are three bedrooms my
parents bedroom is very big
they have a large queen sized bed in
there and there are two closets for
their clothes my room is smaller my room
is painted pink and I have ruffled
curtains on the windows from my bedroom
window you can see the front yard
there’s a pine tree in the front yard my
brother’s bedroom is painted blue he has
blinds on the windows he has a bunk bed
in his room if he has a friend stay over
one of them can sleep on the top bunk
and the other can sleep on the bottom
bunk you can see the backyard from his
bedroom window there are rose bushes and
a picnic table in the backyard there is
also a white fence that has a gate in it
in the basement there is a recreation
room this is where we watch television
and have friends over to visit the
laundry room is also in the basement
there’s a washing machine and a dryer in
there beside our house is a garage we
keep the car in the garage
whenever the weather is bad our house is
just the right size for our family
friends are always welcome at our house
music
if you were in an orchestra what would
you play would you play a tuba a trumpet
or a saxophone perhaps you would prefer
a stringed instrument like a violin or a
cello maybe you would enjoy percussion
more you could play the kettle drum
there are instruments that have
keyboards a piano and an Oregon have
keyboards there are instruments that
have strings on them a guitar banjo &
mandolin have strings on them there are
instruments that you blow into a flute a
French horn and a harmonica are all
instruments that you blow into there are
instruments that you hit with a stick a
drum and a cymbal are two things that
you would hit with a stick if you are in
an orchestra you have to watch the
conductor he will lead you through the
piece of music you might just want to be
in a band for fun you could join a rock
band or a dance band some people learn
to read music music notes are written on
a staff each note represents a sound
there are whole notes half notes quarter
notes and eighth notes each one of these
is held for a different number of beats
it is good to learn about music you have
to learn your scales and learn about
sharps and flats if you want to learn
how to play an instrument it is best to
take music lessons
my family
my grandparents are coming to visit us
from Calgary Alberta my father is very
happy because they are his parents and
he’s glad that he will see them we don’t
see them very often because Calgary is a
long way from Toronto my grandparents
have two sons my father and my uncle
bill uncle bill is married to my aunt
Susan
they have a daughter who is my cousin my
cousin is a lot older than I so we do
not have a lot in common they also have
a son who is the same age as me he is my
favorite cousin because we both like the
same television shows and the same games
I have two brothers and one sister my
brothers are both younger than I they
are twins so they have the same birthday
my sister is one year older than I
people say that my sister and I look
alike
we both have blonde hair and blue eyes
my mother’s parents live near us
they are my grandmother and grandfather
who visit us often my mother does not
have any brothers or sisters she is an
only child I like it when all my family
is together I don’t have a lot of
cousins like some people do but I have
fun with my relatives my uncle will
often take my cousin and me to the
movies I like to take my grandparents
for walks so they can see my school and
they can meet my friends my parents
talked to my brothers and my sister and
I a lot we are a very close-knit family
people who have close families are very
lucky
the museum
the museum was very interesting there
were so many things in the museum that I
would need more time to really see
everything there were clothes from the
past I don’t know how people wore some
of those things they look like they
would be uncomfortable I like to wear my
jeans there were things from Wars there
were bullets and cannons and even
uniforms from the soldiers I don’t think
that war is a good thing but it is good
to remember the past and honor the
people who died for your country there
was an old fire truck at the museum this
fire truck was pulled by a horse there
were some very old photographs of the
firemen putting out fires there were
rooms in the museum that were set up
like an old house there were antique
irons and sewing machines the women used
to clean the clothes with a washboard
there were no modern appliances back
then I’m glad that we have electricity
and modern appliances the things that we
have make life so much easier
there were mummies from Egypt at the
Museum I was fascinated by those there
were artifacts from the Indians
there were arrowheads and cradles that
the babies slept in I tried my best to
see everything but it was almost
impossible the museum is a good place to
learn about your past I tried to imagine
my grandparents using some of the things
that were on display at the Museum
food
what kinds of food do you like to eat I
am lucky because in Canada there are
many foods to choose from I like to eat
hot dogs hamburgers and steak these are
all meat products I also like cheese ice
cream and yogurt these are all dairy
products I like vegetables my favorite
vegetables are broccoli cabbage carrots
and peas I eat a lot of fruit I eat
whatever fruit is in season in
strawberry season I eat a lot of
strawberries
in peach season I eat many peaches
sometimes my mother will make a peach
pie many different crops grow in Canada
we have many orchards and farms fresh
fruit and vegetables are plentiful in
Canada meat and fish are also plentiful
here in Canada we have a lot of
different foods to choose from in my
city there are a lot of Italian
restaurants my favorite food at the
Italian restaurant is pizza my parents
would rather have spaghetti or lasagna
there are Greek restaurants Mexican
restaurants and Chinese restaurants in
fact there are restaurants from most
cultures I can go around from restaurant
to restaurant and pretend that I am
travelling the world and trying all the
different foods from around the world
sometimes I eat things that aren’t good
for me
I eat potato chips and candies these
foods aren’t part of a nutritious diet
but they are fun to eat
transportation
people move from place to place there
are lots of ways you can move around
from one place to another sometimes you
can just move your feet and walk walking
is good for you some places are too far
to walk to you might have to ride a
bicycle or ride on a skateboard
some places are too far away to ride
your bicycle too you might have to drive
in a car or a van or even a truck my
father has a car my uncle has a van I
have never been in a big truck trucks
are usually used to carry big loads from
one city to another I would like to be a
truck driver I would travel all over and
sit high up in the cab I have been in a
taxicab once my mother and I took a taxi
to the hospital there was a special
meter in the taxi when we finished our
taxi ride the driver looked at the meter
to find out how much money we owed him I
once rode a horse i sat in the saddle
and held on tight to the reins the horse
ran very fast it was a bumpy ride and I
was afraid that I would fall off the
horse not too many people around here
use horses for transportation they used
to use horses for transportation in the
old days if you want to travel very far
away you have to go on a train a plane
or boat if you are in a hurry it is best
to take a plane planes fly through the
air very fast trains go along the tracks
sometimes I can hear the train whistle
from my house boats take a long time to
cross
Oshin great big boats that cross the
oceans are called ships if you like to
take it easy and look out at the water
then ships are a good way to travel they
say that the world is a lot smaller now
because of transportation people can
travel to all parts of the world quickly
and easily the world is not really
smaller but it has become easy to get to
faraway places
which direction
which direction should I go in should I
go up if I go up I will head toward the
sky I can go up the stairs should I go
down I can go down the stairs to the
basement I can climb down into a hole
should I go left or right I am
right-handed so I know which way right
is should I go backwards I would be
going away from the things that I am
facing now if I went backwards if I went
backwards from the thing that I am
facing I would go away from it
should I go forward I will just go
straight ahead if I go forward if I am
facing something and I go forward then I
will go toward the thing that I am
facing maybe I should go sideways but
which side left or right it sounds very
complicated but it is not directions are
very easy to follow if you just stop and
think about them
months
there are 12 months in the year January
is the first month of the year it is
usually cold in January February is the
second month of the year it is still
winter when February comes they say that
March comes in like a lion and goes out
like a lamb that means that it is still
usually cold and sometimes stormy when
March begins by the time that March ends
the weather is starting to get a little
better April is the rainy month April
showers bring May flowers many of the
spring flowers bloom in May the weather
can be quite mild in May June is usually
a nice warm month many people get
married in June July can be hot people
have vacations in July it is a month to
do summer things it is still summer in
August but the summer is winding down
August is the time to have last-minute
vacations in September we go back to
school the autumn winds begin to blow
October really feels like autumn October
is Halloween time November is when we
really start to feel the chill December
is the Christmas month most people do a
lot of Christmas shopping in December
they spend quite a bit of time getting
ready for Christmas all of the months
are different which month were you born
in
Halloween night
Halloween is fun my mom buys candy
my mom buys potato chips
mom buys chocolate bars
trick-or-treaters my mom buys me a
costume it is a ghost costume I am going
to be scary my sister is going to dress
up as a princess
we’ll have a wand
we’ll have a crown she will look
beautiful my dad buys a pumpkin it is
going to be a jack-o'-lantern we draw a
face on the pumpkin we carved the face
with a knife
our jackal
looks funny we go trick-or-treating
neighbors door we say trick-or-treat our
neighbors give us candy we say thanks
to many houses we go home our parents
check our candy it’s safe we eat lots of
candy
we don’t feel very good we go to bed
cleaning up leaves
the leaves are changing colors I see red
maple leaves
I see orange maple leaves I see yellow
maple leaves
leaves are beautiful
is starting to get cold the wind is
strong winter is coming
the leaves fall off the trees
Saturday we will clean them up the whole
family helps
dad gets the wake my mom gets the
garbage bags
my brother and I help too
gather leaves with our hands we make a
big pile my brother and I jump in the
leaves we make a big mess our parents
don’t mind our parents fill our coats
with leaves
really big everyone laughs playtime is
over
back to work
Remembrance Day
my grandfather fought in World War two
my grandmother was a nurse in World War
two today is November 11th today is
Remembrance Day
day we celebrate soldiers everyone wears
a poppy poppies are red flowers poppies
remind me of my grandparents poppies
remind me of their sacrifice at 11 a.m.
there are two minutes of silence
people remember their friends and family
will recite the poem in Flanders field
it is a sad poem it helps us remember
wish for peace in the world
Christmas Eve
Ben and Melissa are getting ready for
Christmas Ben and Melissa’s house has
lots of lights on the roof the lights
are many colors inside they listen to
Christmas music Ben and Melissa drink
eggnog eggnog tastes good
Mellisa hang stockings on the fireplace
they string popcorn
Mellisa put the popcorn string on the
Christmas tree
Christmas lights on the tree they put
tinsel on the tree
Ben and Melissa put ornaments on the
tree
they put a star on top of the tree they
get ready for Santa Claus
they leave milk and cookies for Santa
Ben opens one present Melissa opens one
present they go to sleep Ben and Melissa
wake up early they run downstairs
a lot of presence under our tree
wake up their mom and dad Ben and
Melissa opened their presents they loved
our presence everyone cleans up the
wrapping paper it is time for breakfast
vegetables
vegetables are very good for you they
say that you should have three servings
of vegetables every day I like green
peas peas come in pods I also like snow
peas you eat the pods on the snow peas I
like corn when it is on the cob carrots
are good to eat raw beans are good for
you there are many different types of
beans there are string beans kidney
beans baked beans and lots of other
types of beans some people don’t like
green vegetables like broccoli and
brussel sprouts I like broccoli and
brussel sprouts you can make a salad and
put lots of different vegetables into
the salad in my salads I like lettuce
tomatoes celery cucumber radishes
cauliflower and spring onions I try to
have a salad with dressing on it every
day my dad likes root vegetables like
beets and parsnips my brother will only
eat potatoes he likes his potatoes baked
my mother likes to buy her vegetables at
the market she says they are fresher
there my mother buys a lot of onions
she puts onions in almost all the meals
that she cooks some children won’t eat
their vegetables I didn’t like some
vegetables at first but I have become
used to them
I like having vegetables with my meals
the kitchen
the kitchen is where we make and eat our
meals there is a stove in the kitchen
inside the stove there is an oven where
you bake things you can put a cake into
the oven to bake on top of the stove our
burners the burners get hot you put pots
or pans on the burners the refrigerator
is where we store the food that needs to
be kept cold
we keep milk eggs cheese and vegetables
in the refrigerator at the top of the
refrigerator is the freezer the freezer
keeps things frozen we have frozen
vegetables ice cream and ice cubes in
the freezer we have a toaster in the
kitchen you put the bread in the toaster
and it turns into toast we have an
electric kettle we boil water to make
tea in the kettle there is a double sink
in the kitchen that is where we wash the
dishes we turn on the hot tap and put
some dish detergent into the sink to
wash the dishes sometimes we put the
dishes into the dishwasher and the
dishwasher washes the dishes there are
other things in the kitchen
there are utensils like knives forks and
spoons there are tea towels and dish
cloths there are other myths and
potholders to take hot things out of the
oven there are pots to cook and boil
things in there are pans to fly things
we have dishes that we eat from we have
plates for our dinner and balls that we
can put our soup in we drink from cups
or coffee mugs or glasses we keep our
juice in a pitcher or a jug there is a
timer that you can set when you are
cooking the timer buzzes when the food
is ready we also have a microwave oven
in the kitchen if we are in a hurry we
cook our food in the microwave
pets there are many different animals
that you can have for pets
the most common pets are cats and dogs
I think the second most common pets are
birds and fish you can hug a cat or a
dog you can play with a cat or dog but
it is difficult to play with a bird or a
fish some birds are very smart and they
can be taught to do things parrots are
very clever
some of them even talk birds usually
stay in bird cages fish have to stay in
the water in a tank or a fishbowl some
people have gerbils or guinea pigs as
pets there are even people who have
ferrets as pets I have a friend who has
a lizard for a pet she has to buy live
crickets for her lizard to eat another
friend of mine has a pet snake I don’t
think I would like to have a pet snake
there are different types of dogs some
dogs are very big and some are small a
Labrador Retriever is a big dog a poodle
is usually a small dog although there
are some large poodles some dogs are
noisy and they bark a lot other dogs are
quiet and obedient I once had a dog it
was a cocker spaniel I used to take it
for walks there are different types of
cats too
my favourite type of cat is a Siamese
cat Siamese cats have blue eyes my
mother had a Persian cat it was very
furry my mother said that it used to
shed fur all over the house pets are a
lot of fun but they are a lot of work to
to be a good pet owner you have to be
very responsible
Thanksgiving
we are having Thanksgiving at our house
family is coming my parents bought a
turkey
weighs 30 pounds it takes a long time to
cook
surely to cook the turkey
the house with my dad the house smells
good
the kitchen I peel potatoes and carrots
makes pumpkin pies my mom cooks squash
make stuffing I mix the bread and spices
we make good stuffing
it goes inside the turkey we put on nice
clothes I set the table
my dad carves the turkey
my mom makes the gravy our relatives
arrive we say thank you for all we have
we eat and eat it is a good Thanksgiving
fruit
some fruit grows on trees apples grow on
trees you can get red yellow or green
apples some apples are green until they
ripen then they turn red
peaches grow on trees peaches have a
fuzzy skin cherries grow on trees you
can climb a ladder and pick cherries
from the tree cherries and peaches have
pits inside them the pits are not edible
pears also grow on trees
lemons grow on trees they are very sour
have you ever picked strawberries
strawberries do not grow on trees you
have to bend down to pick strawberries
have you ever tried strawberry shortcake
it is very good grapes grow on vines
people use grapes to make wine there are
many types of berries there are
blackberries blueberries raspberries and
cranberries just to name a few some
fruits are more exotic
there are mangoes and papayas they don’t
grow in Canada bananas and oranges don’t
grow in a Canadian climate either but we
are able to buy them here some fruits
have to be peeled and some can be eaten
as they are it is always a good idea to
wash fruit before you eat it
the farmers spray the crops with
pesticides to kill bugs so it is good to
wash that off
pretending
I’d like to pretend I like to make up
things that aren’t real I use my
imagination I was pretending that I was
in a time machine I set the date for a
prehistoric time I turned on the time
machine and it buzzed inward and spud
madly when it stops spinning I opened
the door and stepped out into a very
thick jungle I listened carefully to the
sounds of the jungle
I could hear strange animal noises and
the leaves were rustling I wasn’t sure
if I’d gone back in time or just landed
in a jungle somewhere in the 21st
century it didn’t take me long to
realize that I had indeed gone back in
time
a very strange bird-like creature with a
large beak flew overhead I had never
seen anything like it in my life I took
a few steps out into the long grass and
ferns I didn’t want to go too far away
from my time machine I heard a noise
over on my right side there was a man
who looked quite different from me he
was dressed in an animal skin and he
carried a big stick I didn’t want him to
see me so I hid behind a tree he didn’t
speak any language that I could
understand he grunted at someone who
must have been in the distance then I
felt the earth shake beneath my feet
I heard giant thumps on the ground as
the floor of the jungle shook the man
and the animal skin began to run I saw
why he was running a giant dinosaur
appeared above the tops of the trees it
was bigger than anything I had ever seen
my heart began to pound in my chest it
was coming toward me
I ran toward my time machine and jumped
in I set the dial for the 21st century
the machine word and buzzed my time
machine landed in the 21st century I got
away just in time
learning how to drive
amy is 16 years old she lives in a small
town amy is learning how to drive Amy’s
dad is giving her lessons
Amy’s dad’s name is Howard
amy has had three lessons
Amy and her dad argued during the
lessons Amy’s mom is giving her driving
lessons amy’s mom’s name is Jane
Jane has given Amy a lesson
has decided to stop giving a me lessons
Jane and Amy argued during the lessons
to amy’s parents call a driving school
amy is going to get lessons from a
professional the classes cost three
hundred dollars for ten lessons
lessons are very good Amy learns how to
drive
Amy gets her license
colors
red is a vibrant color roses are
sometimes red blood is red white is the
color of snow clouds are very often
white blue is the color of the sky and
the ocean black isn’t really a color at
all tar is black a crow is black green
is the color of grass it is also the
color of leaves on the trees in the
summer Brown is the color of dirt many
people have brown hair yellow is a
bright color
most people use yellow when they draw a
picture of the Sun orange is an easy
color to remember that is because an
orange is orange pink is the color that
we dress baby girls in we dress baby
boys in blue purple is the color of some
violets the Canadian flag is red and
white what color is your flag
traffic traffic moves along on the
streets and highways there are rules
that drivers must follow to make the
traffic flow smoothly you must wear a
seatbelt the seatbelt helps to keep you
safe you must stop and all stop signs
you must also stop at a red light a
green light means go and a yellow light
means to be careful if you see a sign
that says school crossing you have to be
careful because you are near a school
and children might be crossing the
street some places are crosswalks those
are places where people cross the street
people who are walking have the
right-of-way if you hear a siren behind
you you must pull over an emergency
vehicle like a police car or an
ambulance might need to get somewhere
fast when a school bus puts on its
flashing signals you have to stop you
can’t go past the school bus because
children may be crossing the street from
the bus
you should always obey the speed limit
it is not good to drive too fast people
should never drink and drive driving is
a serious business you have to obey all
the rules to be a good driver
the two sexes
there are two sexes or genders there is
the male gender and there is the female
gender males and females are different
both physically and mentally
humans are both male and female and
animals are both male and female if you
have a dog it is either a girl dog or a
boy dog boys grow up to be men men grow
hair on their faces and are usually more
muscular than women men dressed
differently than women men are males
males are masculine girls grow up to be
women only women can have babies
women are females females are feminine
another word for women is ladies it is
good that we have males and females your
father is a male your grandfather
brother and uncle are males your mother
is a female your grandmother sister and
aunt are female
emotions
do you ever think about your emotions
what kinds of things make you sad I get
sad when I get a bad mark in school or
when someone that I like moves away I
sometimes see sad movies that make me
cry I don’t like to be sad I don’t like
to have a frown on my face I’d like to
be happy I’m happy most of the time
parties make me happy being with my
friends makes me happy lots of things
make me happy if someone tells me a joke
I laugh I enjoy laughing funny movies
make me laugh I think that people look
the best when they smile what kinds of
things make you mad I get mad when my
brother breaks one of my toys I try not
to show it when I get mad my parents get
mad at me if I come home late
I don’t think anger is a good emotion it
is best to stay calm and talk things
over
emotions come from inside you but they
show on your face people can tell when
you’re mad or sad or happy I prefer to
look happy
sometimes I even smile when I’m feeling
sad and the smile makes me feel a little
better
me
I am special nobody in the world is
exactly like I am they might have the
same hair color and eyes that I do but
they are not exactly like me I am the
only person in the world who thinks my
thoughts no two people in the world are
exactly alike it is good to be your own
person it is good to be creative and be
natural people have to follow the laws
and the rules people should always be
kind to others I try to follow all the
rules I am kind to others I am a lot
like many other people yet I am
different I am like my friend Jane but
she has red hair and I have dark hair
she has a loud voice and I have a soft
voice she likes to eat vegetables and I
do not Jane and I are the same height we
both like movies and we are both afraid
of spiders we wear the same size shoes
and we both have the same favorite color
we are best friends but sometimes we
disagree about things we are alike in
many ways and different in many ways if
we were all exactly the same the world
would be a very boring place I am myself
and I am glad that I am special you are
special to use your own special talents
and take the time to meet other people
the world is made up of a lot of
different people and that’s what makes
life exciting
my classroom
my classroom is a large room it’s full
of brightly colored pictures my teacher
hangs pictures up all over the walls
there are blackboards at the front of
the room my teacher always has writing
all over the blackboards sometimes the
chalk squeaks when she writes on the
blackboard we cover our ears when that
happens our classroom is full of desks
there are a lot of students in our class
our desks are full of books notebooks
and pens I try to keep my desk neat but
I have a lot of things in there my ruler
and pencils are always falling out of my
desk at the back of the room is a
bookcase full of books we can sign those
books out and take them home to read I
have read a lot of the books I like
mysteries and biographies so I have
taken many of those home there are also
tables at the back of the room that’s
where we do our artwork we spread out
big sheets of paper and use paints or
crayons to make pictures sometimes we
cut things out of magazines with
scissors and we glue pictures to the
paper I like art class after school my
friends and I often erase the
blackboards for the teacher then we take
the erasers outside and clock them
together to get the chalk dust out of
them my friends and I walk home together
and talk about what we did in school and
what we’re going to do after supper
the police
my mother always told me that if I was
lost I could go up to a policeman and
that he would help me to find my way
home I never did get lost but I always
remembered what my mother told me about
the police
I think policemen look very nice in
their uniforms I see police officers
drive by in their police cars in my town
we even have police officers armed
bicycles policemen and police women have
a job that can sometimes be dangerous
they have to catch people who break the
law sometimes they have to chase people
or try to calm people down to be a
police officer you need a lot of
training it’s important to be able to
deal with people effectively a police
officer came to our school he had a
police dog with him the officer showed
us how the dog could track down
criminals the dog was very smart he
could even find things that were hidden
criminals sometimes hide things that
they don’t want the police to find the
policeman told us that he and his dog
were partners his dog lives at his house
with the policeman and his family
sometimes I see police cars on the side
of the road the police stop people who
are speeding or are not wearing their
seatbelts the police officers warn
people or give out tickets sometimes
they even have to arrest people police
officers are just doing their job when
they arrest people some people need to
be arrested and put in jail to make it
safer for the rest of us
spring
it rains a lot in the spring the trees
are full of buds and the flowers are
starting to bloom my favorite spring
flowers are tulips and daffodils the
birds come back from the south I can
always tell that spring is here when I
see my first Robin of the season
the Robins pull worms from the wet
ground when it isn’t raining my friends
and I go outside and toss a ball around
we look forward to the summer but we are
glad to get outside after the long
winter the air smells so fresh in the
spring my mother always tells me not to
track mud into the house it’s very muddy
in our yard in the springtime I wipe my
muddy feet before I go into the house
there are a lot of puddles in my yard
I sometimes splash in the puddles and I
get wet and cold so I have to go into
the house I like it when the snow has
melted the rain has stopped and the Sun
comes out on sunny days I always get
together with my friends on those days
we either wide our bikes or play ball my
parents like to go for walks on spring
evenings they also like to clean up the
yard in the spring everyone seems to be
outside the spring time brings people
out of their houses
the zoo
my class took a trip to the Toronto Zoo
I had a wonderful time there my favorite
animals were the Lions they look very
powerful and strong they say that the
lion is the king of the forest and I
think that title suits him the monkeys
were funny they were looking at us just
as much as we looked at them they were
swinging from branches and doing tricks
to impress us there was a baby monkey
that was clinging to its mother’s back
it was very cute the Tigers were pacing
back and forth they seemed Restless the
stripes on a tiger are very beautiful we
watched the toll giraffes as they
nibbled leaves off the tallest trees we
spoke to a colourful parrot that spoke
back to us we saw exotic animals that we
had never seen before some of them were
very strange there were different types
of bears there there were black bears I
saw a black bear once when I was camping
up north we saw polar bears polar bears
are white they like the cold we even saw
panda bears one of my friends bought a
toy panda bear from the gift shop
because she thought that the pandas were
so cute
we saw slithery snakes some of the
snakes had very bright skins most of the
girls were afraid of the snakes the
zookeeper was looking after the snakes
and one of them hissed at him he has to
be very careful when he works with the
snakes
the last thing that we saw at the zoo
was the elephant he was enormous he
looked at us then he raised his trunk
and made a loud sound it made us jump
jobs there are many different jobs that
you can choose from you can be a doctor
or a nurse you could work in a hospital
or doctor’s office you might be a
firefighter and put out fires a
policeman enforces the law an actor
plays roles on stage or in the movies
you could drive a taxi or be the pilot
of an airplane what kinds of things do
you like to do you might want to be a
sales clerk in a store maybe you are
good at a sport you could be a baseball
player or a hockey player being a
dentist is a good job a dentist fixes
teeth if you are good at arguing you
might want to be a lawyer do you like to
fix people’s hair you could be a
hairdresser or a barber if you are good
with your hands you might want to be a
carpenter or a mechanic if you like to
travel you could be a stewardess or a
travel agent you could be a teacher or a
photographer
are you artistic or creative you might
want to be an artist or a writer you
could work on construction and build
houses you could look after animals and
be a veterinarian if you like to cook
you could be a cook or a chef there are
so many places to work and so many jobs
to do maybe you could fix computers or
work in a library you
could wash windows or be the captain of
a ship there is no limit to what you can
be
transportation
every family that I know has at least
one car some families have two or even
three cars most people get their license
to drive when they are 16 in my house we
just have one car if my father takes the
car to work my mother will take the bus
I ride in a school bus to school my
sister works in another town
she gets on the train to go to work
the train station is not far from my
house the train tracks run right by my
house my grandfather from Ireland comes
to visit us he came over by boat
he had to cross the ocean we went to
Florida last year we flew on a plane the
plane flew right through the clouds my
friend’s brother drives a motorcycle
he wears a helmet I rode on his
motorcycle once I had to sit on the back
and hold on tight I ride my bicycle when
the weather is nice I also have a
scooter that I used to travel around I
took a helicopter ride once
the helicopters propellers were going
around when I got on I went straight up
in the air I enjoyed the ride I would
like to learn how to fly a plane or a
helicopter I like flying through the air
my body
on the top of my head I have hair below
my hair is my face I have two eyes
I have eyebrows and eyelashes below my
eyes I have a nose my mouth is below my
nose
I have lips if I open my lips you will
see my teeth and my tongue below my
mouth is my chin on the sides of my head
I have two ears my cheeks are on either
side of my nose my neck holds up my head
my neck attaches my head to my chest on
either side of my chest are my shoulders
my arms hang down from my shoulders
I have wrists on my arms my hands are
attached to my wrists my fingers are
part of my hands I have ten fingers and
ten fingernails my back is at the back
of me further down there is my waist if
I wear a belt I put it on my waist my
hips are below my waist my legs come
down from my hips my legs are made up of
my thighs my knees and my cats my knees
can bend my ankles are below my legs my
feet are attached to my ankles my toes
are part of my feet I have ten toes and
ten toenails I am me from the top of my
head to the tip of my toes
Travel it is fun to take a trip to a
faraway place my brother just went to
Italy and France he got on a plane at
Toronto Airport he took a flight to
France he stayed there for a couple of
days he visited the Eiffel Tower he was
in Paris he said that he enjoyed the
food in France he then traveled to Italy
he saw many towns and villages in Italy
he went to Rome and visited many of the
tourist attractions in Venice he saw the
canals he tried to speak Italian but he
is not too good at it
he said that the people were very
helpful they tried to understand him he
bought souvenirs for us when he was in
Italy he ate Italian food
he said that pizza in Italy is quite
different from the pizza we eat here in
Canada he saw many streets that were
made of cobblestones he saw many old
buildings a lot of people in Italy
travel around on scooters he stayed at a
very nice hotel in Italy he was sorry
when it was time to come home my brother
likes to travel
he likes to fly in airplanes
the airlines lost his luggage once he
was not too pleased about that next year
he would like to travel to England
the shopping mall
there are many different stores in the
shopping mall there are ladieswear
stores they sell dresses blouses and
many kinds of clothes for women in the
menswear stores there are suits ties
shirts and slacks
there are also clothing stores that
appeal just to teenagers some clothing
stores only sell children’s clothes
there is even a store that sells bathing
suits and cover-ups for the beach or
pool there are lingerie stores that sell
ladies underwear and nightwear there are
hardware stores that sell tools there
are shoe stores you buy shoes and boots
in a shoe store there are book stores
you can buy a book on almost any topic
at the book store there are stores that
sell compact discs those stores also
have tapes and videos there are sports
stores that sell special shoes and
clothes for sports they also sell sports
equipment and t-shirts and hats with the
logo of your favorite teams there are
gift stores that sell all kinds of
things that someone might want for their
house there are kitchen stores where you
can buy utensils and pots and pans those
kinds of stores also sell aprons and
napkins and anything you might need for
your kitchen there is a movie theater at
the mall there is a jewelry store that
has a lot of gold and silver jewelry
there is a hairdresser in the mall
sometimes I go in there to get my hair
cut there are fast-food places in the
mall you can get a quick lunch like a
hamburger or some french fries
there are also fancier restaurants in
the mall you can sit down for a nice
meal there is a furniture store in the
mall
you can buy a new sofa or bed at the
furniture store
there are bulk food stores and a bulk
food store all the foods are in bins you
take as much as you want and pay for it
at the counter
there is even a telephone store and an
electronics store at the mall my
brother’s favorite store is the toy
store he could spend hours in there
there are also department stores at the
mall department stores sell all kinds of
things
they sell perfume clothes shoes kitchen
utensils or just about anything you
might need you can get almost anything
you want at the shopping mall
clothing
I changed my clothes a lot if I am going
somewhere fancy I wear a dress I wear
stockings on my legs and I wear a pair
of nice shoes if I am going to play
sports I wear sweatshirt and jeans if I
am going to the beach I wear a bathing
suit or a bikini
my brother wear swimming trunks to the
beach at work I wear a skirt and the
blouse underneath my clothes I wear
underwear a lady wears a bra and panties
as underwear a man wears boxer or jockey
shorts as underwear today I am wearing a
blouse and a pair of jeans over my
underwear I have socks and shoes on my
feet in the summer I often wear sandals
on my feet in the summer the tops that I
wear are usually sleeveless I usually
wear shorts in the summer sometimes I
wear a sweater or a jacket if the
weather is cool I wear a cap or a hat on
my head I wear a belt to hold up my
jeans or my slacks women sometimes wear
a dress or a skirt men wear a pair of
slacks and a shirt some men wear a suit
and a shirt and tie
if it is very cold outside I wear winter
coat if it is cold I like to wear gloves
or mittens on my hands sometimes I wrap
a scarf around my neck to keep warm
I wear a to con my head in cold weather
I wear boots on my feet in the winter if
it is raining I wear a raincoat the way
that I dress depends a lot on the
weather
movies I go to the movies almost every
week sometimes I rent movies from the
video store my favorite films are action
films I like to watch car chases I like
it when the bad guy has a shootout with
the good guys I like the good guys to
win I also like science fiction movies I
like things that take place in the
future I like movies that have aliens
from different planets in them some of
the science fiction movies can be silly
and unbelievable I don’t like those ones
my mother likes dramas she has a lot of
favorite actors and actresses she
sometimes watches sad movies that make
her cry she also likes comedies she
laughs out loud if a comedy is very
funny my father likes horror movies he
likes movies with monsters in them he
also likes thrillers I have watched some
thrillers that keep you tense and on the
edge of your seat sometimes I have to
shut my eyes if the movie gets too scary
my brother likes animated films in
animated films there are no actors just
cartoon characters my brother goes to
the movies on Saturday afternoons with
his friends he goes to the matinee
he gets popcorn candy and pop he usually
comes back with a stomachache because he
eats so much sometimes my father watches
documentaries documentaries are about
real things you can learn a lot from
watching a documentary I watch
documentaries with him sometimes but I
would rather see a good
in film
flowers
there are hundreds of different types of
flowers most people like roses roses
grow on bushes and may smell beautiful
you have to be careful that you don’t
prick your finger on a rose thorn roses
come in many colors there are red pink
yellow and white roses in the spring
tulips are in bloom in Ottawa there are
many tulips some people go there just to
see all the tulips in the spring
forget-me-nots are also spring flowers
they are tiny and blue release of the
valley look like white bells where I’ll
live many of the trees have blossoms on
them in the springtime the apple and
cherry trees look particularly beautiful
when they are in blossom we have a
Blossom Festival in my town my neighbors
like to plant geraniums petunias and
marigolds in the summer some people
plant sunflowers sunflowers grow very
tall they have bright yellow petals all
of those flowers grow best in the
sunshine if your garden is shady you
have to plant different things
hostas grow well in a shady garden
chrysanthemums are fall flowers
chrysanthemums come in many colors also
there are purple yellow and white
chrysanthemums
flowers are good to give as gifts women
like to receive a dozen roses on
Valentine’s Day
carnations also make a nice gift they
have a very sweet smell
many people give away lilies for Easter
poinsettias are very festive
at Christmastime if someone goes to a
dance they often give their partner a
flower to wear if you go to a wedding
you will probably see a lot of flowers
there flowers help to make places
beautiful