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    Same Hard Hat, Same Big Dreams

    a stranger who turns out to have a lot in common with youa construction site break roomCEFR A2
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    Yasmine walked into the and sat down at a long table. She was tired. She had been working on the site all morning. The was small and a little noisy. There were other workers sitting and eating lunch. Yasmine took out her sandwich and a bottle of water. She looked around the room. She did not know many people there. She had only started the job three weeks ago. A man sat down across from her. He had a yellow hard hat on the table next to him. He smiled at her. "Hello," he said. "My name is Dan. I am new here too." Yasmine smiled back. "I am Yasmine," she said. "Nice to meet you." She felt a little less alone.

    Dan opened his . He had rice and vegetables inside. Yasmine looked at her sandwich. "I wanted to bring hot food today," she said, "but I did not have time this morning." Dan laughed. "Me too!" he said. "I woke up late." They both laughed. Then Dan saw the small book on Yasmine's bag. "Is that a book about bridges?" he asked. Yasmine looked . "Yes!" she said. "I love reading about bridges and big buildings." Dan's eyes went wide. "I have the same book at home!" he said. "I read it last year." Yasmine could not believe it. They started to talk about the book. They talked about bridges and tall towers. The time went very fast. Yasmine forgot about her tired legs.

    After lunch, they walked back to the work area together. "What did you do before this job?" Yasmine asked. Dan told her he had studied at a college. "I studied too!" Yasmine said. She was very . They also found out they both liked to draw building in their free time. "I draw every weekend," Yasmine said. "That is amazing," said Dan. "I do that too!" They stopped and looked at each other. They were both smiling. "It is funny," said Yasmine. "I thought I did not know anyone here." Dan . "Me too," he said. "But now I think we are going to be good friends." Yasmine put on her hard hat. She felt happy. The afternoon was going to be much better now. She was glad she had sat down at that table.

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    Key Vocabulary

    How to use these cards
    1. Read each word and its meaning.
    2. Tap “Cover the meanings”, then tap a card to check yourself.
    3. Tap “Quick quiz” for a short test. Tap “I know this” on cards you have learned.
    construction
    /kənˈstrʌk.ʃən/
    noun

    the process of building something large, such as a house, road, or bridge

    "She works on a construction site every day."

    break room
    /ˈbreɪk ruːm/
    noun

    a room at a workplace where people rest and eat during their break

    "The workers ate their lunch in the break room."

    lunchbox
    /ˈlʌntʃ.bɒks/
    noun

    a small container used to carry food for lunch

    "He opened his lunchbox and took out his food."

    surprised
    /səˈpraɪzd/
    adjective

    feeling shock or wonder because something is unexpected

    "She was surprised to see her old friend at the site."

    engineering
    /ˌen.dʒɪˈnɪə.rɪŋ/
    noun

    the study or work of designing and building machines, roads, and buildings

    "He studied engineering before he became a builder."

    famous
    /ˈfeɪ.məs/
    adjective

    known by many people

    "They talked about famous bridges around the world."

    nodded
    /ˈnɒd.ɪd/
    verb

    moved the head up and down to show agreement or understanding

    "She nodded when he said they were going to be friends."

    plan
    /plæn/
    noun

    a drawing that shows how a building will look

    "Yasmine likes to draw building plans in her free time."

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    Useful Phrases

    How to use these cards
    1. Read each phrase and its meaning.
    2. Tap “Cover the meanings”, then tap a card to check yourself.
    3. Tap “Quick quiz” for a short test. Tap “I know this” on cards you have learned.

    Nice to meet you

    a polite thing to say when you meet someone for the first time

    ""I am Yasmine," she said. "Nice to meet you.""

    Me too

    used to say that you are the same as the other person

    ""I woke up late," said Dan. "Me too!" said Yasmine."

    could not believe it

    to feel very surprised about something

    "Yasmine could not believe it when Dan said he had the same book."

    went wide

    eyes opened very large because of surprise

    "Dan's eyes went wide when he saw the book about bridges."

    find out

    to learn or discover something new

    "They found out they both liked to draw building plans."

    in common

    shared interests or qualities between two or more people

    "Yasmine and Dan had a lot in common."

    It is funny

    used to say something is strange or surprising, not always humorous

    ""It is funny," said Yasmine. "I thought I did not know anyone here.""

    felt a little less alone

    to feel slightly better and not as lonely as before

    "After meeting Dan, Yasmine felt a little less alone."

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