Click any sentence to jump to that moment
Tap an underlined word to see what it means.
Chloe is a teacher. She works at a school. She likes her job very much. Every morning, she arrives early. She puts her bag on her desk. Then she makes a cup of tea. The is a small room. All the teachers sit there. They drink tea and talk before lessons. Chloe always says good morning to everyone. She is very friendly. Her like her a lot. One Monday morning, Chloe walks into the . She feels tired. She did not sleep well the night before. Chloe goes to her usual chair.
She sits down and closes her eyes. Then she hears a noise. She opens her eyes and looks around. All her are standing there. They are smiling at her. There is a big cake on the table. There are on the wall. The are blue and yellow. Chloe is very . She does not understand. "What is happening?" she asks. Her friend Tom speaks first. "Today is your fifth year at this school," he says. "We want to with you." Chloe smiles. Her eyes are wet. Chloe stands up and looks at the cake.
It is a chocolate cake. Her . There is writing on the cake. It says "Thank you, Chloe." She feels very happy. "I do not know what to say," she tells everyone. "Thank you so much." All the teachers their hands. Tom cuts the cake. Everyone takes a piece. They laugh and talk together. The head teacher comes in too. "You are a wonderful teacher," the head teacher says. Chloe feels very . It is a great morning. She is not tired anymore. She thinks this is the best surprise of her life.
a room in a school where teachers rest and prepare
"The teachers eat lunch in the staffroom every day."
a person you work with
"My colleague helped me carry the books."
to do something special because of a happy event
"We celebrate when something good happens."
feeling shock because something unexpected happened
"She was surprised when she saw the cake."
a small colorful bag filled with air, used for decoration
"There were red balloons at the party."
feeling very pleased about something you or others have done
"He felt proud when he passed his exam."
to hit your hands together to make a noise, usually to show you are happy
"Everyone clapped when she walked in."
the one you like most
"Chocolate cake is my favorite."
say good morning
to greet someone at the start of the day
"Chloe always says good morning to her colleagues."
I do not know what to say
used when you are so surprised or moved that you cannot think of words
"When she saw the surprise party, she said, "I do not know what to say.""
feel tired
to have a feeling of needing rest or sleep
"She feels tired after a long day at work."
sit down
to move into a seated position
"Please sit down and have some tea."
look around
to turn your head and look at different things in a place
"He looked around the room and smiled."
cut the cake
to use a knife to divide a cake into pieces for people
"Tom cut the cake and gave everyone a piece."
take a piece
to pick up one part of something that has been divided
"Everyone took a piece of the chocolate cake."
the best surprise of my life
used to say that something unexpected was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to you
"She smiled and said it was the best surprise of her life."
Finished the A2 version? Challenge yourself with the B1 intermediate story.
One short story every morning at your level, with audio, key words and a quiz. Free. Unsubscribe any time.