Free Daily English · Level A2 (Elementary) · Topic: a very enthusiastic salesperson
Hugo the Happy Seller
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
Hugo works at a newsagent's counter. He sells newspapers, magazines, and snacks. He loves his job very much. Every morning, he arrives early. He puts all the newspapers in neat rows. He smiles at every customer who comes in. His counter is always very tidy. Hugo knows where everything is. He can find any magazine very quickly. He is always happy to help people. The shop is small but very busy. Many people come in every day. Hugo greets every single person. He never forgets a friendly face. One day, a woman came into the shop. Her name was Sara. She only wanted to buy one newspaper.
Hugo smiled his biggest smile at her. "Good morning! Welcome to our shop!" he said. Sara picked up a newspaper. Then Hugo pointed to the magazines. "These magazines are very good today!" he said. Sara looked at them. Hugo picked up a chocolate bar. "This chocolate is delicious! It is on special offer!" he told her. Sara put the chocolate in her basket. Then Hugo showed her some chewing gum. "This gum is very popular! Everyone buys it!" he said. Sara looked a little surprised. She put the gum in her basket too. Sara walked to the counter with a very full basket.
She only came in for one newspaper. But now she had lots of things. Hugo put everything in a bag for her. He was still smiling. "Thank you so much for shopping with us today!" he said. Sara laughed a little. "I only wanted a newspaper," she said. Hugo nodded. "Yes, but you found so many great things too!" he said. Sara smiled and shook her head. She paid for everything and picked up her bag. It was quite heavy now. "See you tomorrow!" Hugo called out loudly. Sara walked out of the shop. She was smiling too.
Key vocabulary
| newsagent (noun) | a shop or person that sells newspapers, magazines, and small items“Hugo works at a newsagent's counter every day.” |
| counter (noun) | a long flat surface in a shop where you pay for things“Sara put her newspaper on the counter.” |
| tidy (adjective) | neat and in good order“Hugo keeps his counter very tidy.” |
| greet (verb) | to say hello to someone when you see them“Hugo greets every customer with a big smile.” |
| special offer (noun phrase) | a product sold at a lower price than usual for a short time“The chocolate bar was on special offer today.” |
| popular (adjective) | liked or bought by many people“Hugo said the chewing gum was very popular.” |
| surprised (adjective) | feeling something you did not expect“Sara looked surprised when Hugo showed her more things to buy.” |
| basket (noun) | a container used for carrying items when shopping“Sara put the chocolate bar in her basket.” |
Useful phrases
- on special offer — available at a lower price than usual“Hugo told Sara the chocolate was on special offer.”
- greet every customer — to say hello to each person who comes into the shop“Hugo greets every customer with a big smile.”
- in neat rows — arranged in straight, tidy lines“Hugo puts all the newspapers in neat rows every morning.”
- walked to the counter — moved towards the place where you pay“Sara walked to the counter with a very full basket.”
- shook her head — moved your head from side to side to show surprise or disbelief“Sara smiled and shook her head at Hugo.”
- called out — said something loudly so that others can hear“"See you tomorrow!" Hugo called out loudly.”
- quite heavy — more than a little heavy“Sara's bag was quite heavy when she left the shop.”
- very full — containing a lot of things, almost too many“Sara had a very full basket when she went to pay.”
Word search
Find all 8 key words from the story. They can read forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O | L | R | E | F | F | O | L | A | I | C | E | P | S |
| 2 | L | F | D | T | Y | O | W | Y | W | I | L | A | L | M |
| 3 | H | D | T | J | J | I | Y | P | Y | T | T | A | P | J |
| 4 | Y | E | A | G | K | Q | K | L | J | N | U | N | M | U |
| 5 | T | R | A | L | U | P | O | P | L | E | S | J | X | R |
| 6 | C | E | S | S | P | G | E | Z | L | G | W | X | B | E |
| 7 | P | W | K | L | U | Y | N | O | F | A | Q | U | D | T |
| 8 | T | Z | S | S | D | R | R | Z | K | S | Z | M | D | N |
| 9 | G | Y | Z | I | A | J | P | Y | M | W | A | Y | Y | U |
| 10 | L | J | T | I | R | B | B | R | B | E | W | T | T | O |
| 11 | Z | T | S | Z | I | X | B | C | I | N | C | E | S | C |
| 12 | Z | W | W | E | A | H | W | M | Z | S | E | G | W | C |
| 13 | K | K | C | W | P | Z | L | H | I | R | E | F | X | X |
| 14 | R | Q | B | Z | C | H | X | U | G | C | Y | D | F | J |
Comprehension quiz
Where does Hugo work?
- A) At a supermarket
- B) At a newsagent's counter
- C) At a café
- D) At a bookshop
What does Hugo do every morning before customers arrive?
- A) He drinks coffee
- B) He puts newspapers in neat rows
- C) He reads the newspapers
- D) He counts the money
Why did Sara come into the shop?
- A) To buy some chewing gum
- B) To buy one newspaper
- C) To buy some chocolate
- D) To buy a magazine
What did Hugo say about the chocolate bar?
- A) It was very expensive
- B) It was on special offer
- C) It was his favorite
- D) It was very old
In the story, the word 'tidy' means:
- A) Very busy
- B) Neat and in good order
- C) Old and dirty
- D) Small and dark
Hugo said the chewing gum was very popular. What does 'popular' mean?
- A) New in the shop
- B) Very sweet
- C) Very cheap
- D) Liked or bought by many people
How did Sara feel when Hugo kept showing her things to buy?
- A) Surprised
- B) Bored
- C) Sad
- D) Angry
What did Sara say at the counter?
- A) "I will come back tomorrow."
- B) "This shop is very nice."
- C) "I only wanted a newspaper."
- D) "I want more chocolate!"
Hugo was unhappy when Sara left the shop. True or False?
- A) True
- B) False
- C) Not mentioned
- D) Not stated
What did Sara do at the end of the story?
- A) She gave Hugo a newspaper
- B) She walked out smiling
- C) She dropped her bag
- D) She came back into the shop
Answer key (A2 (Elementary))
1. B 2. B 3. B 4. B 5. B 6. D 7. A 8. C 9. B 10. B
Word search answer key (A2 (Elementary))
Columns are lettered from the left, rows numbered from the top. The arrow shows the reading direction from the word's first letter.
basket: F10 ↖ · counter: N11 ↑ · greet: I14 ↗ · newsagent: J11 ↑ · popular: H5 ← · special offer: N1 ← · surprised: D6 ↘ · tidy: C10 ↗