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    Tobias and the Old Book

    realizing you were wrong about somethinga second-hand bookstallCEFR A2
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    Story

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    Tobias walked slowly along the street. He saw a bookstall. There were many old books on the table. The books looked and . Tobias did not like old books. He thought old books were boring. He thought they had no good stories. He walked past the stall and did not stop. The man at the stall smiled at him. "These are great books," the man said. "You should look at them." Tobias shook his head. "No, thank you," he said. "I don't like old books." He walked away quickly. Tobias sat down on a bench near the stall. He was tired. He looked back at the bookstall. He saw a small blue book on the table.

    The cover had a picture of a ship on it. Tobias loved ships. He stood up and walked back to the stall. He picked up the blue book. He opened the first page. The story was about a young . The had many at sea. Tobias read two more pages. The story was very . "This is really good," Tobias said quietly to himself. His eyes were wide. He could not put the book down. He read five more pages standing at the stall. The man watched him and smiled again. Tobias looked up at the man. He felt a little . "How much is this book?" he asked.

    The man told him the price. It was very . Tobias paid for the book. He sat back down on the bench. He kept reading for a long time. He finished half the book before he went home. That evening, he told his friend about the bookstall. "I was totally wrong about old books," Tobias said. "They can be really ." His friend laughed. "I told you so!" his friend said. Tobias laughed too. The next morning, he went back to the bookstall. He wanted to find more old books. He looked at every book on the table carefully. He was very happy.

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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.
    second-hand
    /ˌsek.ənd ˈhænd/
    adjective

    not new; used or owned by someone else before

    "He bought a second-hand book for a very low price."

    dusty
    /ˈdʌs.ti/
    adjective

    covered with a thin layer of dust; not clean

    "The old books on the shelf looked dusty and forgotten."

    worn
    /wɔːn/
    adjective

    damaged or thin from being used a lot

    "The cover of the book was old and worn."

    sailor
    /ˈseɪ.lə/
    noun

    a person who works on a boat or ship

    "The young sailor had many adventures at sea."

    adventure
    /ədˈven.tʃə/
    noun

    an exciting or unusual experience

    "The book was full of exciting adventures."

    embarrassed
    /ɪmˈbær.əst/
    adjective

    feeling uncomfortable or shy because of something you said or did

    "Tobias felt embarrassed because he had been wrong."

    cheap
    /tʃiːp/
    adjective

    not expensive; costing very little money

    "The old book was very cheap, so he bought it."

    exciting
    /ɪkˈsaɪ.tɪŋ/
    adjective

    making you feel happy and interested; not boring

    "The story about the sailor was really exciting."

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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.

    walk past

    to go by something without stopping

    "He walked past the stall because he was not interested."

    shake your head

    to move your head from side to side to say no

    "She shook her head when he asked if she wanted help."

    pick up

    to lift something from a surface using your hands

    "He picked up the blue book and looked at the cover."

    put down

    to place something you are holding onto a surface

    "The story was so good that he could not put the book down."

    How much is...?

    a question used to ask the price of something

    ""How much is this book?" Tobias asked the man."

    I told you so

    something you say when you were right and another person was wrong

    ""I told you so!" his friend said with a big smile."

    totally wrong

    completely incorrect about something

    ""I was totally wrong about old books," Tobias said."

    keep reading

    to continue reading without stopping

    "The story was so good that he kept reading for a long time."

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