This site contains 100 original short stories about life in America. These stories are written for ESL(English as a second language ) learners who are, at least, high beginners. We want to help ESL students learn English as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Learning should be interesting, not boring. We hope that learners will find that these stories are of some help to improve their English.

The stories have interesting topics and are easy to understand. Each story comes with an audio narrative so that learners can listen as they read. The audio requires downloading the free Real Player. Each story contains a search for pictures, definitions, and pronunciation.“ Following each story are four sets of exercises, and each containing 10 items.

Exercise A is “Yes / No Questions”. The learner is asked questions like, “Does Sara have children?” The learner can then type in, “Yes, she does.” Then the learner can check whether it’s the right answer or not.

Exercise B is “Wh-Questions”. The learner is asked questions like, “Where does Sara live?” The learner can then type in, “She lives in Pasadena.” Then the learner can check his answer.

Exercise C is “Ask Questions”. The learner is given an answer like, “They have two children.” The learner must then type in a question like, “How many children do they have?”The learner can then check to see whether he is correct or not. Exercise D is “Dictation”. The learner listens to a sentence. Most of the sentences duplicate  the sentences in the stories. The learner types the dictation and then checks to see whether he is correct or not.

Work on the site is in progress. Help us make it better as the years go by. We welcome all comments, suggestions, complaints, new ideas, and questions. Click here to send us emails.

1.Where does this passage come from?

2.The main purpose of this passage is to _____.

3.All of the following statements are correct EXCEPT _______.

4.If you want to improve your listening ability, you may mainly do some practice in _____.

What is the hottest topic at your school? In Hangzhou Yongjin Middle School, it's money. The school ran an activity called" making a living "recently. About 800 Junior1 and Junior 2 students were divided into 112 teams .They went out to make money by selling things.

What did they choose to sell? Some sold newspapers; some chose bottled water ;some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags and bamboo baskets.

Hu Qi's team decided to sell educational books in front of the Children Activity Center. There are always many parents around there and they thought parents would like to spend money for their children, especially on books .But unfortunately, they came across urban management officers(城管）.The officers asked them to leave.

"We played hide-and-seek (捉迷藏）with the officers for the whole morning" said Hu." Finally we gave up and moved to other places."

Wang Yongyi and her team sold ice cream in a square. They didn't meet any officers. But few people were interested in what they were selling.

The team then put up a board saying the money was to help the "Project Hope“for country kids .It worked. More people came to their stall(小摊）.A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan." He didn't want any change .He said he wanted to help the children," said Wang." We were touched ."

They gave the100 yuan to the "Project Hope" office later that day.

Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier. They sold all their cakes in four hours, spending 39.5 yuan and getting back 80yuan.

"It was not easy to make the money," said Meng "Some people just looked .Others just tasted but didn't buy."

Now I know how hard it is for our parents to earn the money we need to lead happy lives."

60.Hu Qi's team sold books in front of the children Activity Center because_____.

A.there were no urban management officers there

B.they could play hide-and -seek there

C.they thought parents would buy books for their kids

D.they are familiar with the place

61.More people came to Wang and her team's stall because they___________.

A.liked their ice cream         B.wanted some change 

C.were interested in their stall   D.wanted to help country kids

62.How much did Meng Zhaoxing's team earn in four hours?

A.39.5yuan    B.80yuan   C.40.5yuan   D.100yuan

63.Through the activity, most children learn that_______.

A.it's hard to make money   B.it's necessary to help country kids

C.it is easy to sell cakes      D.it's important to live a happy life.

Luo Gaoqi hopes to join the increasing number of Chinese students in the United States because he wants the experience of studying in a foreign land as it will help his future job at home. “I want to try Western education because people there think differently,” said the 21-year-old who is in his final year of undergraduate studies. “I also hope to meet friends from different cultures. The social connections may help in the future.”

The latest report from the US-based institute of International Education said China, for the first time, has become the top country of origin for international students in the United States.

For Yang Fan, a journalism student, said studying in the United States is a way to escape the competition for places in China’s top universities.

“Due to limited education resources, only about 60 percent of high school graduates in China enter college, and a much lower rate enters the top-level ones. “A foreign degree will definitely help when I seek a job in China,” Yang said.

Both Yang’s and Luo’s parents are supportive of them studying abroad. Neither of them is thinking of settling down in the United States after graduation.

“It is not realistic to do so. As a journalism student, there would be no advantage for me to work in the United States,” Yang said. “But in China, with a US degree and good English, I may stand out against other students who have only studied in China.”

China still needs to improve its environment for scientists and high-level talents, said Xiao Mingzheng, director of the Center for Human Resource Development and Management Research of Peking University, adding that, in particular, the country needs to improve its policies relating to research environments.

In June, the Chinese government published a plan concerning talent development for the next 10 years. In it, it has improved policies and increased budgets to attract talented students back home.

1.Why does Luo Gaoqi wants to study in a foreign land according to his words?

A．Because the people there are more intelligent.

B．Because the foreign countries are more developed.

C．Because he can make more friends there.

D．Because the culture there is different from that in China.

2.What do Guo Gaoqi and Yang Fan have in common?

A．Their major is the same, which is journalism.

B．Both of them want to go back to China after graduation.

C．Their parents are against their decision.

D．They are forced to study in a foreign land by their parents.

3.From the passage, we can infer that _______.

A．scientists and high-level talents need a better environment in China

B．the students abroad are unwilling to go back to China

C．China doesn’t need those people to come back to our country at all

D．we all need to go abroad to study and then serve our own country

Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?

    The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians, green was a color that represented the hope and joy of spring, while for Muslims, it means heaven. Red is a symbol of good luck in many cultures. In China, children are given money in a red envelope to bring good fortune in the New Year. For many nations, blue is a symbol of protection and religious beliefs. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves against evils（灾祸）.

    People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions （反应）toward them. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to reduce pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomach aches.

    Red can cause a person’s blood pressure to rise and increase people’s appetites（食欲）. Many decorators will include different shades of red in the restaurant. Similarly, many commercial websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eye.

    Blue is another calming color. Unlike red, blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less, some suggest that eating from blue plates can help.

    The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room, think about the color carefully.

1.Muslims regard green as a symbol of heaven mainly because of their        .

   A. cultural values                      B. commercial purposes

   C. personal experiences                D. physical reactions to the color

2.Why will many commercial websites have a red “Buy Now” button?

   A. To relax people physically.

   B. To increase people’s appetites.

   C. To encourage people to make a purchase.

   D. To cause a person’s blood pressure to rise.

3.What color might help lose weight according to the text?

   A. Red                 B. Green.         C. Blue.            D. Purple.

4.Which of the following would be the most proper title for the text?

   A. Colors and Human Beings        B. The Cultural Meaning of Color

   C. Colors and Personal Experiences   D. The Meaning and Function of Color

I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.

I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.

It takes confidence to make a new start — there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.

Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.

The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal — that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.

It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck — of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract（合同）of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding（有回报的）.

1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

2.The author decided to write a novel ______ .

3.How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?

4.What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?