Practising English
Listening practice for learners of B1 intermediate and B2 upper-intermediate levels of British English. Learn British English by listening to stories. Original and exciting stories written for learners and students of British English. Practise and prepare for Cambridge: B1 PET Preliminary and FCE First Certificate exams. IELTS: level 4, level 5 and level 6. Includes English grammar explanations and practice exercises, examples of vocabulary use, phrasal verbs and collocations help, British English pronunciation practice, advice and help for passing B1 and B2 English examinations: Cambridge, IELTS and Trinity. Start practising and improving your British English listening, vocabulary and speaking levels today!
Practising English
272. The Sandwich Hero (B1 Story)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Here is the script for today's B1 story:
The Sandwich Hero
In our town there used to be this chap, Tom. Every day, he sat near the market asking for coins or for a sandwich to eat. His clothes were dirty, and his hair was messy, I noticed he smelled a bit too. People didn’t pay him much attention. I couldn’t say I was fond of him, but I did feel sorry for him. He looked a bit depressed. I wondered if he’d had a difficult life. I used to give him money now and again.
I remember one cold winter morning, smoke began to rise from the baker’s in the High street. Soon, the fire filled the building. People just stood there watching. Quite honestly, I didn’t know what to do either. Where the baker was – I don’t know. Somebody called the fire brigade, but that was it. We all heard this crying sound from inside – a child crying. Then Tom appeared, and without delay, he ran into the burning building.
A few minutes later, Tom came out, coughing, with a small girl in his arms. The crowd clapped. The baker’s daughter was safe, thanks to him.
Then the fire brigade arrived. Fortunately, they didn’t need to save anybody. I think people felt ashamed of how they had felt about Tom. Now he was a hero.
The baker, who had left the baker’s for change when the fire started, gave him a new coat and a place to stay.
From that day on, people greeted Tom with smiles instead of cold looks. He no longer asked for money in the street as the baker gave him a job in the shop selling sandwiches.
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