Free Daily English · Level A2 (Elementary) · Topic: buying medicine at the pharmacy
Nina Buys Medicine at the Post Office
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
Nina does not feel well. Her head hurts and her throat is sore. She needs medicine. Nina looks in her bag, but she has no medicine at home. She decides to go out and find some. There is a pharmacy near her apartment, but it is closed today. Nina walks down the street and looks for another place to buy medicine. She sees a post office nearby. Nina knows that some post offices also sell basic medicine. She walks inside and looks around. The post office is busy. There are people waiting in line. Nina joins the line and waits. She feels a little dizzy, but she stays calm. She takes a number from the machine by the door. After a few minutes, it is Nina's turn. She walks up to the counter. A sales clerk smiles at her.
"Good morning," the clerk says. "How can I help you?" Nina speaks slowly. "Hello. I have a headache and a sore throat. Do you have any medicine for that?" The clerk nods. "Yes, we do. We have pain relief tablets and throat lozenges." Nina is happy. "Can I have both, please?" she asks. The clerk takes the items from a small shelf behind the counter. "Of course," he says. "Do you have any allergies?" Nina thinks for a moment. "No, I don't," she says. The clerk puts the medicine in a small paper bag. He tells Nina the price. Nina pays with her card. "Thank you so much," Nina says. The clerk smiles. "I hope you feel better soon," he says.
Nina walks out of the post office. She feels glad she found the medicine. She sits down on a bench outside. She reads the instructions on the box carefully. The label says to take one tablet with water. Nina takes a bottle of water from her bag. She takes one tablet right away. She also reads about the throat lozenges. The label says to let one dissolve slowly in her mouth. Nina puts one lozenge in her mouth. She waits and rests on the bench for a little while. After ten minutes, she feels a little better. She is grateful for the kind sales clerk. She thinks it was lucky that the post office had medicine. Nina stands up slowly. She smiles and starts to walk home. She plans to rest for the rest of the day.
Key vocabulary
| pharmacy (noun) | a store where you can buy medicine“Nina goes to the pharmacy to buy medicine for her headache.” |
| sore (adjective) | painful, especially a part of the body“Her throat is sore, so she needs a lozenge.” |
| lozenge (noun) | a small tablet you let dissolve in your mouth to help a sore throat“The sales clerk recommends throat lozenges for Nina's sore throat.” |
| tablet (noun) | a small, solid piece of medicine you swallow“The label says to take one tablet with a glass of water.” |
| allergy (noun) | a bad reaction your body has to certain foods or medicines“The clerk asks Nina if she has any allergies before selling the medicine.” |
| counter (noun) | a long, flat surface in a store where a clerk serves customers“Nina walks up to the counter and speaks to the sales clerk.” |
| dissolve (verb) | to slowly mix into a liquid or melt in your mouth“The lozenge dissolves slowly in Nina's mouth.” |
| instructions (noun) | directions that tell you how to use something“Nina reads the instructions on the medicine box carefully.” |
Useful phrases
- feel well — to be in good health“Nina does not feel well, so she needs to buy medicine.”
- wait in line — to stand behind other people and wait for your turn“There are many people at the post office, so Nina has to wait in line.”
- How can I help you? — a phrase a sales clerk uses to ask what a customer needs“The clerk smiles and says, "How can I help you?"”
- pain relief — medicine that stops or reduces pain“The post office sells pain relief tablets for headaches.”
- I hope you feel better soon — a kind phrase said to someone who is sick“The clerk says, "I hope you feel better soon," as Nina leaves.”
- read the instructions — to look at and understand the directions on a product“Nina reads the instructions on the box before taking the tablet.”
- pay with your card — to use a bank or credit card to buy something“Nina does not have cash, so she pays with her card.”
- take a tablet — to swallow a medicine tablet“The instructions say to take one tablet with water.”
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 | L | O | S | L | F | Z | P | R | T | R | P | O | H | F |
| 2 | D | U | Y | N | P | Q | X | A | A | E | W | W | F | E |
| 3 | O | Z | C | M | O | T | Q | J | B | T | Z | U | K | V |
| 4 | W | N | A | F | K | I | G | R | L | N | V | I | C | L |
| 5 | V | U | M | Y | G | P | T | R | E | U | Q | U | A | O |
| 6 | D | I | R | G | C | E | E | C | T | O | P | Y | L | S |
| 7 | J | L | A | R | Y | D | D | O | U | C | J | O | S | S |
| 8 | A | F | H | E | D | J | Z | O | J | R | Z | B | K | I |
| 9 | I | S | P | L | J | V | N | E | V | E | T | W | Z | D |
| 10 | Q | V | Z | L | W | F | C | S | N | G | L | S | F | D |
| 11 | R | F | Z | A | E | G | K | G | C | P | J | E | N | D |
| 12 | G | M | Q | M | Z | Y | E | A | Y | K | L | R | Y | I |
| 13 | B | K | Y | N | Y | A | T | O | Z | E | Y | O | Z | F |
| 14 | P | G | X | B | F | K | S | Q | O | S | K | S | V | M |
Comprehension quiz
Why does Nina need medicine?
- A) She has a headache and a sore throat.
- B) She has a broken arm.
- C) She has a stomachache.
- D) She feels dizzy and cannot walk.
Why does Nina go to the post office instead of the pharmacy?
- A) Nina prefers the post office.
- B) The pharmacy is closed.
- C) The pharmacy does not sell medicine.
- D) The pharmacy is too far away.
What does Nina buy at the post office?
- A) Cough syrup and vitamins.
- B) Pain relief tablets and throat lozenges.
- C) A headache patch and ear drops.
- D) Throat spray and allergy tablets.
What does the sales clerk ask Nina before giving her the medicine?
- A) He asks if she has any allergies.
- B) He asks how old she is.
- C) He asks for her ID.
- D) He asks her name.
How does Nina pay for the medicine?
- A) She pays with cash.
- B) She pays with her card.
- C) She pays with a voucher.
- D) She does not pay.
What does the label on the lozenge say to do?
- A) Crush it and mix it with juice.
- B) Swallow it quickly with water.
- C) Chew it slowly.
- D) Let it dissolve slowly in your mouth.
The word "dissolve" means to melt or slowly mix until it disappears. Which sentence uses this word correctly?
- A) The tablet dissolves when Nina reads it.
- B) Nina dissolves the counter at the post office.
- C) The lozenge dissolves slowly in Nina's mouth.
- D) The clerk dissolves the paper bag.
Nina sits on a bench outside and rests after buying the medicine. True or false?
- A) True
- B) False
- C) Not mentioned
- D) Not stated
Which word means "a store where you can buy medicine"?
- A) counter
- B) pharmacy
- C) lozenge
- D) allergy
How does Nina feel after ten minutes on the bench?
- A) She feels exactly the same.
- B) She feels very hungry.
- C) She feels much worse.
- D) She feels a little better.
Answer key (A2 (Elementary))
1. A 2. B 3. B 4. A 5. B 6. D 7. C 8. A 9. B 10. D
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.
allergy: D11 ↑ · counter: J7 ↑ · dissolve: N9 ↑ · instructions: N12 ↖ · lozenge: M6 ↙ · pharmacy: C9 ↑ · sore: L14 ↑ · tablet: I1 ↓