Jackie Bolen - Short Stories in English for Intermediate Level ESL/EFL Learners: Improve Reading Comprehension with Stories about Life in Canada

Short Stories in English for Intermediate Level ESL/EFL Learners:

Improve Reading Comprehension with Stories about Life in Canada

Jackie Bolen

www.eslspeaking.org

Copyright 2021 by Jackie Bolen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher/author at the following address: Jackie Bolen: .

About the Author: Jackie Bolen

I taught English in South Korea for 10 years to every level and type of student. I've taught every age from kindergarten kids to adults. Most of my time has centered around teaching at two universities: five years at a science and engineering school in Cheonan, and four years at a major university in Busan where I taught upper-level classes for students majoring in English. In my spare time, you can usually find me outside surfing, biking, hiking, or snowshoeing. I now live in Vancouver, Canada.

In case you were wondering what my academic qualifications are, I hold a Master of Arts in Psychology. During my time in Korea, I completed both the Cambridge CELTA and DELTA certification programs. With the combination of almost ten years teaching ESL/EFL learners of all ages and levels, and the more formal teaching qualifications I've obtained, I have a solid foundation on which to offer advice to English learners.

I truly hope that you find this book useful. I would love it if you sent me an email with any questions or feedback that you might have.

Jackie Bolen (www.jackiebolen.com)

Twitter: @bolen_jackie

Email:

You might also be interested in this book: Intermediate English Dialogues: Speak American English Like a Native Speaker with these Phrases, Idioms, & Expressions. It has hundreds of helpful English idioms and expressions. You can find it wherever you like to buy books. Learn to speak more fluently in American English.

How to Use this Book

T his book is ideal for people who want to improve their reading comprehension skills and vocabulary. Or for people who are preparing to move to Canada and want to learn a little bit about the culture before doing that.

To get the most bang for your buck, I recommend doing the following:

Read one story a day, instead of all the stories in a single day! The best readers are those who do it consistently each day.

Be sure to do the questions for each story.

Pay attention to the vocabulary words in bold (letters that are darker). Try to guess the meaning of the word, considering the other words in the sentence before looking it up in a dictionary. After that, write down any words that you don't know in a notebook to review later. Also consider making flashcards for these new words.

Read the stories with a friend if possible. Discuss the questions together.

If you're using this book to improve your TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS reading scores, be sure to read the questions first so you can scan for the answers instead of reading every single word. After doing this, take more time to read the story in full.

Min-Gyu is Going to Canada

R eading strategy focus : Look at the questions (see below the story) first. Think about the key words in each question and what kind of information you'll need to find in the story.

Min-Gyu is having trouble sleeping. He is going to be leaving Korea for the first time the next morning. Actually, that isn't 100% correct. He had gone to Japan when he was in high school with his classmates. But, this would be his first time traveling alone. That's why he's so nervous .

Min-Gyu is flying to Vancouver at 1:30 pm. He will start English classes in a few days. Of course, he doesn't plan to only study. He wants to experience Canadian culture, visit Stanley Park, try Canadian food and maybe skiing in Whistler. He'd love to see the Rocky Mountains too. And hopefully make some friends from other countries to practice his English with. Maybe even find try online dating with some Canadians!

His parents and brother are going to take him to the airport in a couple of hours . Some of his close friends will be there too. He thinks he'll probably cry, which might be kind of embarrassing. He's twenty years old now, not a child. It will be difficult to say goodbye. He's known these friends his entire life , since elementary school.

Right now, he's checking to make sure he has everything he needs. Passport, phone charger, power converter , Korean snacks, laptop and cord. A book for the plane. A sweater in case it's cold. He's ready to go. His suitcase is very heavy though because he has everything he needs for a year.

His mom says, Min-Gyu. Do you have everything? Are you ready? He answers, Yes, mom. I've got everything. His mom responds, Come have some lunch. I've made your favouritekimchi stew . His family eats lunch together. Everyone is quiet and not talking that much. They're thinking about Min-Gyu leaving for one year and how much they'll miss each other.

After lunch, his family starts bringing his things to the car. His parents look sad. He feels very sad too but also excited about his new life in Canada. The drive to Incheon airport together, listening to pop songs on the radio. Min-Gyu looks out the window. So many thoughts are going around inside his head.

Finally, they arrive at the airport. Everyone is bustling around, getting his luggage out of the car and taking pictures. He sees his friends who are already there. Min-Gyu gets his ticket at the check-in machine and drops off his luggage. It's time to go through immigration. He quickly hugs everyone goodbye and tries not to cry. He looks back one last time before he goes through the door and waves. He's ready to start his adventure in Canada.

Vocabulary

nervous: Worried or anxious feeling.

a couple of hours: Two hours.

entire life: From birth to the present time. For Min-Gyu, from 0-20 years (he's 20 years old now).