Practising English

This is the audioscript for this B2 story (part 2) of The Hole:

https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-286.htm

The Hole (Part 2)

I hurriedly set up the equipment from out of my bags.

'Can I help, señor?' Pedro stepped forwards.

'Please. Undo these two ropes. One has a harness and the other is fixed to this small sack, while I set up the laptop and monitor.'

I then had to think fast. After I had the computer equipment ready, I knelt down at the side of the borehole and felt the walls. Cement.

'Pedro. Are the walls cement all the way down to the bottom? I imagine they're not.'

'These holes are dug with a machine and lower down the walls are just earth.'

So as the child fell, his body brushed against the sides of the hole bringing the earth down on top of him, I thought to myself. Not good.

I turned to Heidi. I had already typed in the programme for her to follow.

'Go, Heidi!'

She almost jumped into the hole head first. Even her small body would find it difficult to descend, but she disappeared rapidly into the darkness. Unlike the slow and clumsy articulated robots we usually see, those constructed at my company had the ability to react and move with lively and precise movements.

I looked into the borehole, as did Pedro and the father. I could see Heidi's multiple phosphorescent bulbs on her titanium frame had now lit up. The brightness descended as her feet dug expertly but carefully into the walls of the borehole so as not to disturb the soft soil.

I then turned to the laptop screen and monitor, and Pedro and the father followed. I examined the screen. There was now a crowd of people behind us, silent but impatient. The camera and microphone on Heidi's tail showed her metal frame moving mechanically down metre after metre.

'There's the bag of sweets,' said Pedro pointing at the screen. 'And there's the earth. The tunnel stops there.'

Heidi did not pause. She began digging with great care into the floor. We could hear the sounds over the speakers.

I then picked up the rope with the sack and dropped it into the hole, ensuring that for the last few metres they were lowered slowly.

Heidi now had two feet fixed firmly into the tunnel walls, the camera and microphone on its tail, while the remaining two feet pushed the soft soil into the bag. People crowding behind the monitor, watching, waiting, hardly daring to breathe.

Then it happened. The rest of the earth on the tunnel floor then dropped down showing the head of a small boy.

'Raise the bag of earth, Pedro. Don't let it drop down onto the child!' I shouted.

While Pedro rapidly pulled up seventy metres of rope, I lowered the other rope with the harness.

It was a matter of a few tense minutes, but eventually the harness appeared on the monitor screen. Yet at that moment, something truly amazing was taking place.

During the wait, Heidi had attached a small mask to the boy's face, and a tube then led to a tiny bottle of oxygen visible inside Heidi's frame. The body moved and everybody clearly heard a small cry.

'He's alive!' shouted the father. 'Carlitos is alive!'

'The boy was covered by earth above, but below there must have been an air space so that he could continue to breathe,' I suggested.

We could now clearly see Heidi expertly attaching it to the child's body. Heidi paused. She had no voice but sent a message that appeared on

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

This is the audioscript for today's B2 story:

https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-285.htm

The Hole

'We're arriving, señor,' said the helicopter pilot. 'It's down there, by that hill. I'll land as close as I can get. Time is going to be crucial.' The helicopter dropped down vertically and bounced once before finally settling on the grassy slope.

There were a number of people gathered about fifty metres further up the hill, and several vehicles: cars, police vehicles, two ambulances and a fire engine. It was otherwise a lonely spot, close to a country road; pleasant with green grass, trees and four or five wooden tables with benches for picnickers.

New Year is part of the Christmas holiday season in Spain, and in Andalusia, where the weather is often mild at this time of year, families will often head for the nearest countryside with a picnic basket and spend an afternoon in the fresh, clean outdoors.

The helicopter pilot jumped out and pulled open the side exit for me, and I jumped out immediately with my backpack and heavy canvas bag. I was not alone. Sunny, my 4-year-old golden retriever leapt out too, thankful to be out of that strange and noisy craft. However, I had another companion with a more complex name: High Degree of Articulated Freedom Robot. Naturally, you cannot use that name all the time when talking to an AI robot, so I had given her a shorter name - Heidi.

At my robotics company in Almeria, she had been my own creation, although a whole team of computer engineers had been responsible for her construction. Although smaller than a golden retriever, she looked like a dog in shape, so much so that Sunny, the golden retriever accepted her company even though a little suspiciously.

However, there was little covering the shiny, titanium structure, so she looked something like a yellow and silver dog skeleton. But she had two, bright, green and gold-coloured eyes, and there was a hook-like hand at the end of the tail - so she could hold firmly to any surface. She behaved like a dog too - the perfect companion: all obeying, fast and responsive with a strength far exceeding her canine friend, Sunny.

The three of us ran up to the large group of people gathered around the hole. I was aware there were television cameras on me, reporters with microphones wanting an exclusive. I ignored them, and they seemed to respect that. There was something that needed doing, and fast. However, all eyes were then on Heidi; nobody had seen anything like her before.

I was the first to speak.

'My name is Mike Finnigan, from Cyber Robotics. I've come to help. Who are the parents?' I asked in English as my Spanish was bad. A slim, dark-haired man stepped forward with his wife just behind. Their faces were full of worry, they had obviously been crying. He spoke in an English with a strong accent.

'I am the father. My name is Juan Fernandez. What do you want to know?'

'How long ago did your son fall into the hole?'

'That was about 11 o'clock this morning. It is now one o'clock.'

'Two hours. How old is he?'

'Carlitos is two and a half.'

I looked at the hole. It was what is called a borehole, an attempt at locating deep underground water for watering crops. This one was illegal. Unfortunately, the fool of the farmer who owned it had failed to block the entrance - and so close to a picnic site too. The problem was its width - only about 25 cm wide, no adult human could possibly be lowered down on a rope to pull the child up - they si

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

This is a B1 and B2 story with phrasal verbs. Here is the audioscripy for the story:

https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-284.htm

A Christmas Surprise

Christmas didn't turn out very well for Flora. She lived in the north of Scotland, where the weather can be a problem in the winter months. She lived in Keiss, a fishing village at the northern end of Sinclair's Bay on the east coast of Caithness in Scotland's Highland area.

She wanted to spend Christmas with her ageing mother who lived in Lairg - not far away but higher up in the mountains. A heavy snowstorm had cut off the town, so travel there was impossible. She had to give up that idea. Feeling disappointed, she decided to stay in and wait for the weather to change.

On Christmas Eve, Flora woke up early and put on her warmest coat to check outside. The streets were quiet, and most shops were closed. While she was looking around, she noticed an elderly neighbour, Mr. Armstrong, trying to clear away the snow in front of his house. Flora went over to help him, even though she didn't know him very well.

As they worked together, Mr. Armstrong opened up about his life. He told Flora that his family lived far away and that he usually ended up spending Christmas alone. Hearing this, Flora didn't want to walk away and forget about him. Instead, she came up with an idea.

Later that day, Flora set up a small Christmas dinner in her apartment. She invited Mr. Armstrong over, and he happily turned up just before sunset. They shared stories, laughed a lot, and slowly got to know each other better. Flora realized that even though her original plans had fallen through, something special had worked out in the end.

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

This is the story text for the B2 story today:

https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-283.htm

The song in today's podcast is an arrangement by Dmitry Taras - check it out at Pixabay.

The Christmas Festival

'So, Miss Jenkins,' said the mayor. 'As the town's new Councillor for cultural events, it'll be your turn this year to organise the Christmas town festival.'

'Yes, Mr Mayor. I'm aware of that,' Jenny Jenkins answered.

'Councillor David did a marvellous job last year. A difficult act to follow, Miss Jenkins. I understand you used to direct pantomimes at Christmas. And you would sing yourself in them. You sing well - so I've been told.'

'Well, they were just school pantomimes, Mr Mayor. When I was a teenager. Nothing professional.' Then she added, 'The experience will help, of course.'

'We're all convinced you'll do a splendid job, Miss Jenkins.'

'I'll do my best,' Mr Mayor.

However, quite honestly, Jenny Jenkins wasn't sure she could live up to everyone's expectations. Last year's event had been perfect, and people kept reminding her of the fact. Still, she had decided to take on the challenge. Trying to get out of it was useless - it was her job after all.

At first, everything went smoothly-until the main singer suddenly dropped out of the programme a week before Christmas. Jenny tried not to panic, but she kept putting off finding a replacement. She hoped someone would magically appear, but Christmas magic seemed to be running late.

Two days before the festival, the town mayor pointed out that the schedule still had an empty space where the singer should be. Jenny realised she could no longer ignore the problem. Finally, she caught up with her long list of tasks and started calling local musicians…

It was Christmas Eve, the morning of the festival. There had been a heavy fall of snow the night before and everything was looking very Christmassy. Jenny was exhausted but proud. Everything was ready. The mayor had told her he'd found a singer himself, and she'd be the star of the festival. Jenny felt relieved - whoever it might be.

Jenny was on the stage in the market square, making final preparations. The mayor walked across the square towards her from the Town Hall. He was wearing a thick coat, a hat, and a scarf to keep out the icy wind and snow. Curiously, he was holding a paper bag in his hand. Jenny wondered what might be in it.

'Here!' he said and handed Jenny the bag. Then, without another word, he turned and walked off. Jenny opened the bag cautiously. Inside was a microphone and a note, which said:

Congratulations! You're the singer for the festival! Happy Christmas!

'Oh, no!' whispered Jenny.

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

This is the audioscript for today's story and the B1 words studied:

Scrooge and the Turkey

Scrooge ran to the window, opened it, and put his head outside. There was no fog or mist. The air was clear, bright, and cold. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the bells were ringing happily.

'Oh, how absolutely wonderful!' cried Scrooge in a cheerful voice.

'What day is it?' he shouted down to a boy wearing his Sunday clothes, who was standing in the street.

'Eh?' said the boy, very surprised.

'What day is it, my boy?' Scrooge repeated, expecting to be disappointed.

'Why, it's Christmas Day!' replied the boy.

'It's Christmas Day!' said Scrooge to himself, delighted. 'I haven't missed it. The Ghosts did everything in one night. They can do anything!'

'Hello, my boy!' Scrooge called.

'Hello!' said the boy.

'Do you know the shop on the corner in the next street where they sell turkeys?' asked Scrooge.

'Of course I do,' said the boy.

'Good boy!' said Scrooge. 'Do you know if they have sold the big prize turkey? Not the small one-the huge one.'

'The one as big as me?' asked the boy.

'Yes!' laughed Scrooge. 'That one.'

'It's still there,' said the boy.

'Good!' said Scrooge. 'Go and buy it.'

'You must be joking!' said the boy amazed.

'Definitely not, my boy,' said Scrooge. 'Go and tell them Ebenezer Scrooge will buy it, and then tell them to bring it here. Come back with the man, and I'll give you a shilling. If you don't hang about and come back in less than five minutes, I'll give you two shillings!'

The boy ran off as fast as he could go.

'I'll send the turkey to Bob Cratchit,' Scrooge said quietly, laughing to himself. 'He won't know who sent it. It's much bigger than his son, Tiny Tim. I'll wrap it up and send it as a Christmas gift. This will be a wonderful surprise for him!'

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

Not able to bring my new B2 podcast today so I'm leaving you with an older Christmas story (repeat). Audioscript at: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-70.htm

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

This is the text for the B1 story today. Who was the mysterious girl in the park?

https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-280.htm

A brief meeting at Christmas

It was two days before Christmas, and Lucas, a sixteen-year-old boy, was feeling rather lonely. His parents were busy at work, and his older sister was studying in London. To pass the time, Lucas decided to take a walk through the snowy park. Everything was quiet and peaceful, and the trees were covered in white.

As he walked, he noticed a small brown glove lying on a bench. It looked new, so Lucas picked it up. ‘Maybe someone lost it,’ he thought. It was made of leather with a small silver chain on the back, and looked valuable. He looked around and saw a girl about his age standing under some pine trees. She was well-dressed, her clothes seemed a little old-fashioned. She seemed worried, so Lucas went up to her.

‘Hi, is this your glove?’ he asked. The girl’s face suddenly shone. ‘Yes! Thank you. I thought it was gone forever.’ When he looked at her face, he noticed she had a beauty that was unforgettable. They started talking, and soon they were laughing. They made a snowman together, which was the handsomest one Lucas had ever made.

Before leaving, the girl said, ‘Come to the Christmas market tomorrow. I’ll be at the hot chocolate stall. I run it with my mother.’ Lucas agreed and went home – a smile on his face.

The next day, he arrived early at the market. He looked for the girl, but she wasn’t there. There wasn’t a chocolate stall either. When he asked an elderly woman about her who sold woolly cardigans, the woman looked surprised.

‘There hasn’t been a hot chocolate stall here for years,’ she said. ‘There used to be one, I remember. But I was a child then. It was set up by a lady and her daughter every Christmas. Pretty girl, the daughter. She died of typhus, poor thing, at just about Christmas time if I remember correctly.’

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-279.htm

This is a B2 recording today with a story for you to enjoy...

Christmas cheer

I’m standing in a peaceful, wealthy suburb a few miles from Bristol city centre. Without doubt, It’s going to be a white Christmas, or rather it is already a white Christmas thanks to a generous amount of snow that has fallen on this Christmas Eve. The quiet, snowy road has a number of luxury cars parked on either side, and on my right and left stand those sort of houses, or should I call them mansions, the whole world would love to own: large, spacious, attractive stone, sloping grey roofs, leafy gardens - front, back and sides, and a broad driveway to park an expensive SUV. If I take a glance through the windows, I can just make out flashing lights from Christmas trees and decorations.

A car pulls up outside a house. A couple get out. They open the boot and in the soft illumination of the street lamps I can see they take out some colourful boxes - Christmas presents. The front door of the house is pushed open. Three children dash out into the snow in their slippers laughing excitedly. They’re hugged by the two adults. The parents appear at the door shouting warm greetings. Everybody is laughing and chatting. They all disappear inside the house. A silence falls over the houses again as the front door shuts.

I hear voices to my right over the soft snow. To the best of my knowledge, they’re a group of carol singers making their way to a house on the other side of the road. Some are still singing. They’re wrapped up warm in thick coats, furry boots and woollen scarves. Some are holding sticks with candles burning still. I hear a girl make a comment: something about how hungry she is - the others agree enthusiastically. Another door is opened by a man in an apron, and they all make their way up the steps singing and shouting “Merry Christmas”. Again, the door shuts and all that happiness and laughter is shut in – as though something exclusive to a privileged few,

Who am I? And what am I doing out in the snow on such a special night? I should be with family, friends, and loved ones. It would be a sad Christmas Eve indeed if I were alone here, outside in the cold, no food, unloved, forgotten, probably even rejected by most who saw me. How many like me are out in the cold when it seems the whole world around is warm, cosy and cared for in a comfortable home? 

Or perhaps I’m just a narrator. Not really out in the cold at all - I’m just writing about people enjoying Christmas. Pull back the curtain a little and glance out. Nobody there? Of course not. No need to feel guilty, then. Just enjoy Christmas!

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-278.htm

This is the story text I'll be using with the B1 words in bold:

White Christmas

Steve Matlock worked in a car factory in Bristol. Every day at lunch, he sat in the canteen with his colleagues. They had discussions about their families, their aims, and their dreams. It was Christmas Eve, and the canteen felt warm and cheerful.

“What are you doing for Christmas, Steve?” one colleague asked.

Steve smiled politely. “I intend to spend Christmas with my brothers and sisters in Bath,” he said. “It will be lively and fun. The kids play games all day long.”

His colleagues smiled, happy for him. But when the day ended and everyone went home, Steve walked slowly back to his small flat. Nobody was expecting him. He had no brothers, no sisters—no family at all. He would spend Christmas on his own, as usual.

When Steve got up on Christmas morning, he felt the silence in the flat. He looked out of the window and stopped. There was thick snow covering the whole city, shining white as the morning sun came out. For a moment, he forgot about being lonely.

He put on his thick coat and gloves and stepped outside. The snow sounded under his boots. Children were laughing - throwing snowballs and making snowmen, people were greeting neighbours, and the city was shiny and bright.

“As long as I can enjoy moments like this,” he thought to himself, “maybe things aren’t so bad after all.”

The greatest gift is friendship and the company of those we love, yet a close second is knowing how to be happy when we are alone.

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...

This is the formal conversation studied today:

“Beginning morning food consuming cycle,” said the father as he entered the kitchen. “Please gather at the table for an efficient distribution of resources.”

Mother replied, “Indeed, I have organised a balancedcombination of carbohydrates and proteins, which should provide ideal operating for the day.”

The ten-year-old entered next. “Parents, I request information regarding today’s academic schedule. My timetable indicates elementary programming, and logical calculation.”

The fifteen-year-old followed. “You have not interpreted the data inaccurately. I, however, will participate in advanced algorithmic reasoning, and the completion of two complex projects.”

Father asked, “Do you require additional data input before departure?”

“Negative,” said the younger child. “The information previously provided is sufficient for maximum efficiency.”

Mother directed her attention towards the older child. “Have you reviewed the regulations for your institution’s examinations?”

“Affirmative. I have memorised all content. There is no prediction of error.”

Father sat at the table. “The tasks at my place of occupation will involve machine precision processes.”

Mother added, “And I will contribute to the coordination of instructional software. My schedule is densely arranged but entirely manageable.”

A distant mechanical sound approached the house.

Father spoke again, “The transport vehicle has arrived. Prepare for collection.”

The kitchen door opened, and a lorry stopped outside. A human driver stepped inside the house. 

“Right, time to load you all up. Headquarters wants you there early.”

His colleague entered behind him. “Kids too. Their programming school starts in an hour.”

The father, mother, and children stood simultaneously.

“Affirmative,” they said together.

They walked outside one behind the other, and the humans guided the android family onto the waiting lorry.

See on https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-277.htm

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).
To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):
https://amzn.to/46AVFe9

Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i

For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning ...