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Sakura worked at a small food in a busy night market. She sold noodles and drinks every evening. The market was always loud and bright. One night, her boss said, "We have a very important tonight." Sakura was surprised. She did not know about the . The started at ten o'clock at night. All the owners sat around a big table. The room was small and warm. There were no windows. Sakura sat down and put her bag on the floor. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was already very late. She felt a little tired. She drank some water and tried to listen. Her boss started to talk about the market rules. The went on for a long time. Sakura listened carefully at first.
The boss talked about prices and working hours. Then another man talked about cleaning the market. His voice was very slow and quiet. Sakura felt her eyes getting heavy. She many times. She looked around the table. Some people were writing notes. One old man was already asleep! Sakura did not want to fall asleep. She sat up in her chair. She pinched her arm to wake herself up. "Ow!" she said quietly. The woman next to her looked at her. Sakura smiled and said, "Sorry, I am fine." She tried to again. But the room was so warm and the voices were so soft. Sakura picked up her pen and started to write notes. Writing helped her stay awake.
She wrote down every word she heard. Her hand moved fast across the paper. After a long time, the boss said, "We are almost finished." Sakura felt very happy. Then the last person stood up to speak. He talked for thirty more minutes! Sakura drank more water. She tapped her foot on the floor quietly. She counted the lights on the . There were twelve lights. Finally, the boss said, "Thank you, everyone. The is finished." Sakura stood up quickly. She walked outside into the cool night air. The market was still busy and bright. Sakura took a deep and smiled. She was very happy the was over.
a time when a group of people come together to talk about something
"The boss called a meeting for all the stall owners."
a small shop or table where things are sold, often outside
"Sakura sold noodles from her stall at the night market."
feeling like you want to sleep
"She felt sleepy because the meeting was very long."
to give all your attention to something
"It was hard to focus during the long, quiet meeting."
not bent or curved; upright
"She sat up straight to try to stay awake."
to open and close your eyes quickly
"Sakura blinked many times to stop herself from sleeping."
the top inside surface of a room
"She counted the lights on the ceiling to stay awake."
the air that you take into and push out of your body
"Sakura took a deep breath of cool air outside."
fall asleep
to start sleeping, sometimes when you do not plan to
"She did not want to fall asleep during the meeting."
stay awake
to not sleep; to keep your eyes open and your mind active
"Sakura drank water to help herself stay awake."
sit up straight
to sit with your back upright and not bent
"She sat up straight to try to look more alert."
go on
to continue for a long time
"The meeting went on for many hours."
take a deep breath
to breathe in a large amount of air slowly
"She took a deep breath when she finally walked outside."
feel like
to have a certain feeling or sensation
"She felt like she could fall asleep at any moment."
look around
to turn your head and look at different things near you
"Sakura looked around the table to see what other people were doing."
almost finished
very close to the end of something
"The boss said they were almost finished, and Sakura felt happy."
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