Level: A2

American accent

Sally was a hard-working mother. She lived in a small house with her husband, Tom, and their two teenage children, Amy and Jack. Sally loved her family very much, but they were lazy. Every day she cooked, cleaned, washed clothes, and did the shopping, but none of the family helped. Tom sat on the sofa watching TV, Amy stayed in her room with her phone, and Jack played games for hours. They expected her to do everything and never thanked her.

One morning, Sally woke up and felt something change inside her. She looked around the messy kitchen. There were dirty plates everywhere, the rubbish bin was full and there were clothes on the floor. Sally sighed and said softly, “Enough. I am not their servant.” She smiled to herself. She had an idea.

She made breakfast as usual, but she did not clean anything. When Tom came in, he said, “Sally, where are my clean shirts?” Sally smiled. “I don’t know,” she answered. “Maybe you can find them.” Tom looked confused, but he said nothing.

Amy came into the kitchen next. “Mum, why is there no clean bowl for my cereal?” she asked. “Because I didn’t wash it,” Sally said. “You can wash one yourself.” Amy looked shocked. She had never washed a dish before.

Then Jack shouted from the living room, “Mum! Why is my schoolbag still dirty?” Sally walked to him and said calmly, “Because you didn’t clean it.” Jack opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The house became very quiet. Sally took her bag, put on her coat, and said, “I’m going out. I will be back later. There is food in the fridge if you want to cook.” Her family stared at her in surprise.

Sally left the house and went for a long walk in the park. She enjoyed the cool air and the sound of birds. For the first time in years, she felt relaxed. She sat on a bench and watched people walking their dogs. She smiled. “They need to learn,” she thought.

At home, Tom, Amy, and Jack looked around the messy rooms. Tom said, “We should do something.” Amy nodded. “Mum works so hard. Maybe we should try.” Jack sighed but agreed.

They started slowly. Tom washed the dishes while Amy cleaned the kitchen table. Jack picked up clothes and put them in the washing machine. They worked for a long time, and soon the house looked much better.

When Sally returned home, she opened the door carefully. She expected a disaster. But instead, she saw a clean floor and a tidy kitchen. Her family stood together, looking nervous.

Tom said, “We are sorry, Sally. We didn’t see how much work you did. We want to help now.”

Amy stepped forward. “We made dinner.”

Jack nodded. “And I cleaned my room.”

Sally felt warm inside. She smiled and hugged them. “Thank you,” she said. “From now on, we work together.”

And they did. The house became a happier place, not because it was clean, but because everyone helped and respected the mother who had taught them an important lesson.

📒 Key vocabulary

• messy – not clean or tidy
• rubbish – trash; things to throw away
• servant – a person who works for others in a house
• shocked – very surprised
• stared (stare, stared, stared) – look at someone for a long time
• nodded (nod, nodded, nodded)- move the head up and down to say ‘yes’
• hugged (hug, hugged, hugged)- hold someone in your arms
• respected (respect, respected, respected) – treat someone well and value them

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Tom Parker always said he was busy. He said it many times each day.

Whenever a coworker asked him how he was, he always gave the same answer: “Oh, I’m very busy. I have so many things to do. More than anyone else!”

Tom liked to say this because it made him feel important.

At work, Tom walked very fast. He wanted people to think he had no time to stop. When someone asked, “Can you help me with this?” he quickly said, “No, I’m too busy.” When people invited him to lunch, he said, “No time. I have work.”

But Tom did not really have a lot of work. He just liked people to think he did.

One Monday morning, Tom entered the office and said loudly, “What a busy day! I am the busiest person here!”

His coworker Anna looked at him and asked, “What do you have to do today?”

Tom opened his computer. He saw only two small tasks. They were easy and not important. He felt a little strange, but he still said, “Oh, many things. Too many to explain.”

Anna only said, “Okay,” and went back to her desk.

At lunchtime, several coworkers walked past Tom’s desk.

“Tom, we’re going to lunch. Do you want to come?” Anna asked.

Tom wanted to say yes, but he didn’t want people to think he had spare time. So he said his usual words: “Sorry, I’m too busy.”

After everyone left, Tom ate a small sandwich alone at his desk. It did not feel good. He looked at the empty office and felt a little sad.

On Wednesday, there was a team meeting. Tom told everyone, “I can’t go. I have too much work.”

Later that day, his boss came to talk to him.

“Tom,” she said, “I checked your work. You are not behind. You have time for the meeting. Why do you keep saying you are too busy?”

Tom sat quietly for a moment. Then he said, “I… I don’t know. I guess I want people to think I am important.”

His boss spoke gently. “Being busy does not make you important. Working together with others does. Talking to people and helping them does.”

Tom did not know what to say, but he understood her words.

That night, Tom lay in bed and thought about his week. He thought about all the times he said, “I’m too busy.” He thought about eating alone. He thought about Anna and the other workers going to lunch without him. He finally understood something: saying he was busy all the time did not make his life better. It only pushed other people away.

The next morning at work, Tom tried something new. He walked at a normal speed. He smiled a little.

When Anna passed by, he said, “Good morning.”

She smiled. “Good morning.”

Then Tom said, “If you and the others go to lunch today… can I come too?”

Anna looked happy. “Yes, of course. We would like that.”

Tom felt warm inside. Not because he was “important”, but because he was included.

From that day on, Tom tried to stop saying he was too busy. He learnt that having time for people made his days better. He felt lighter, friendlier, and not alone anymore.

📒 Key vocabulary

• coworker – a person who works with you
• invited (invite, invited, invited) – ask someone to come with you
• tasks – jobs or pieces of work you need to do
• explain (explain, explained, explained) – tell someone clearly so they can understand
• meeting – a time when people come together to talk about work
• boss – a person of authority in a workplace
• gently – in a soft and kind way
• speed – the rate at which you do something
• included – being part of a group or activity

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Mike walked out of the prison gates. The sky was blue, and the sun was shining. The world looked the same as he remembered it, but for him, everything felt new. After ten long years inside, he was finally free.

In prison, Mike had changed. He had worked in the kitchen and read many books. He had learned how to stay calm and be patient. He told himself again and again, “When I go out, I will live a good life.”

At first, he was full of hope. He went to many places and asked for work. He wanted to cook, clean, do anything. But people always asked about his past.

“Have you ever been in trouble with the police?” they said.

Mike told the truth. Every time, they said they would call him, but they never did. After a few weeks, he had no money left. He stayed in a small room near the bus station and ate bread and soup.

He started to feel sad again. Sometimes, he thought about giving up. But he remembered the books he read — books about people who didn’t stop trying. So every morning, he got up and tried again.

One day, he walked past a bakery. The smell of bread made him stop. Inside, a woman was working. Mike asked, “Do you need help?”

She looked at him. “Maybe,” she said. “Have you worked in a bakery before?”

“I worked in a kitchen,” he said. “In prison.”

The woman looked away. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “Not today.”

Mike thanked her and walked out. His heart felt heavy, but he didn’t get angry. He knew people were afraid.

That afternoon, something happened. Mike was walking down the main street when he heard a loud crash. Two cars had hit each other. Smoke came from one of them.

People stood and watched, but no one moved. Mike ran to the car. Inside was a woman screaming. The door wouldn’t open. Mike pulled hard until it opened, then helped her get out. Crying, she said, “Thank you! You saved me!”

Soon, the police and ambulance came. A police officer asked, “What’s your name?”

“Mike Harris,” he said.

The next day, the story was in the local newspaper: “Man Helps Woman After Street Accident.”

When people found out Mike had just come out of prison, they were surprised — but also impressed. The bakery woman came to see him.

“You were brave,” she said. “Would you still like to work for me?”

Mike smiled. “Yes. Thank you.”

He started work the next day. He cleaned, baked, and learned how to make bread. The pay was not much, but it was honest work.

Every morning, he watched the sun rise over the town. He was tired but happy. Life was not easy, but it was real.

Mike was finally back to reality — and this time, he was ready for it.

📒 Key vocabulary

• prison – a place where people stay as punishment for a crime
• gates – parts of a fence or outside wall that open and close
• in trouble – in a position where someone in authority is angry with you
• bakery – a shop selling bread
• crash – a loud noise made when two things hit each other, like cars
• smoke – grey air that comes from fire or something burning
• ambulance – a special car that takes sick or hurt people to hospital
• impressed – feeling respect or surprise because someone did something good
• brave – not afraid to do something dangerous or difficult
• rise (rise, rose, risen)– go up

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Rita worked as a cleaner in a big office in the city. Every morning, she arrived before the sun came up and started her long day of work. The rooms in the building were quiet at that time, and the air was still pleasantly cool. She cleaned the desks, the floors, and the kitchen, and when she had finished doing that, she emptied the bins and washed all the cups that people left behind.

When the workers came in, everything was always bright and tidy — but nobody thanked her. They talked to each other and ignored her. They left food on the tables, dropped paper on the floor, and never said hello. Occasionally they laughed when she worked. “You missed a spot,” one man said one day. Rita smiled, but she felt hurt inside.

One morning, after a night of heavy rain, the office looked terrible. Footprints covered the floor. Coffee had spilt across a desk. The kitchen was dirty, with plates and cups everywhere. Rita looked around and felt tired. She had cleaned this office for years, and nothing ever changed.

So that morning, she made a choice. She put her cleaning things away and sat down for a few minutes. Then she went home early.

The next day, the office looked the same as before — messy and dirty. The workers came in and stopped at the door.

“What happened?” one woman asked.
“Where’s Rita?” said another.

The place smelt bad. The tables were sticky. The bins were full. Nobody wanted to sit down or make coffee. People started to complain. “This is awful,” one man said. “How can we work like this?”

They had never seen the office dirty before. Now they realised how much work Rita did every single day.

When Rita came in later, everyone turned to look at her. She stood by the door with her cleaning trolley and smiled.

“Looks like you’ve had a busy morning,” she said quietly.

The manager walked over to her. “Rita,” he said, “we’re sorry. We didn’t see how much you do for us.”

Rita nodded. “It’s all right,” she said. “Maybe now you do.”

That evening, some of the workers helped her clean. They picked up papers, washed the cups, and wiped the tables. They saw how hard it was to make everything clean again.

After that day, things were different. The workers tried to keep their desks tidy. They said hello when Rita arrived. Sometimes, they even thanked her.

Rita still worked early and left late, but she felt better. Now people saw her — really saw her — and she smiled as she worked.

📒 Key vocabulary

• cleaner – a person whose job is to clean places
• bin – a container for rubbish
• tidy – clean and organised
• ignore (ignore, ignored, ignored) – not pay attention to someone
• miss (miss, missed, missed) – not notice or reach something
• spill (spill, spilt, spilt) – make liquid fall or run out by mistake
• sticky – not clean and a little wet, so things stay on it
• trolley – a small cart used to carry cleaning tools
• wipe (wipe, wiped, wiped) – rub with a cloth to make clean

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Ann and Charles worked long hours every day, but they still had little money. Their home was a tiny one-room flat in a dirty part of the city. At the end of each month, they counted coins and worried about the rent.

Every Sunday morning, they went to the park with their dog, Max. This was the only time they had together because of the long hours they spent at work.

One Sunday morning, they sat on a bench and watched Max play. They were both feeling exhausted and had difficulty keeping their eyes open. Next to them on the bench, an old woman was feeding the birds. She looked at them kindly and said, “You both look tired. Life seems hard for you.”

Ann smiled a little. “Yes, we work and work, but we never seem to have enough money.”

The old woman nodded slowly. “I can give you something. Five million dollars. Enough to change your lives forever.”

Charles laughed nervously. “That sounds impossible. What’s the catch?”

The woman’s voice was calm. “It is simple. Each of you must give up one sense. You can choose which one.”

Ann and Charles looked at her in shock. But the woman only kept feeding the birds, as if her words were normal.

That night, they did not sleep. They thought about the money. A house by the sea, no more work, no more bills.
Finally, Ann whispered, “I will give up smell. I can live without it.”

Charles thought for a long time. “Then I will give up touch. It will not be too bad.”

The next day, they went back to the park. The old woman was waiting on the same bench. She touched their foreheads gently.
In that moment, their senses were gone.

The money came soon after.

At first, everything was wonderful. They bought a large house by the sea with many rooms and big windows.
They travelled to other countries. They ate in famous restaurants and wore new clothes. Life seemed perfect.

But soon, problems began.

Ann could not smell the roses in the garden. She could not smell fresh bread or coffee in the morning.
Food had no taste for her anymore. One evening, she burnt dinner because she did not smell the smoke.

Charles could not feel Ann’s hand in his. He could not feel the warm sun or the soft sheets.
One afternoon he cut his hand badly and did not notice until he saw the blood.

Ann cried, “This is not life. You could die and not feel it.”

Charles looked around at their big house. Ann looked too. They had money, cars, and everything they once wanted.
But they both felt empty inside.

“We are rich,” Charles said, “but we are not happy.”

Ann nodded. “We gave away too much.”

They went back to the park many times, but the old woman never came again. The choice was final.

And in their fine new house, Ann and Charles realised that money cannot buy back the senses that make life real.

📒 Key vocabulary

• tiny – very small
• flat – a small home, usually in a building with many homes
• rent – money you pay to live in a flat or house
• bench – a long seat in a park or public place
• feed (feed, fed, fed) – give food to
• sheets – thin covers on a bed
• empty – with nothing inside
• nod (nod, nodded, nodded) – move the head to show agreement
• final – last, cannot be changed

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John loved technology. It was all he ever talked about. He was always excited to try the latest gadgets, and whenever a new phone, watch, or computer came out, he had to be the first to have it. For John, technology made life easier and certainly more exciting.

The house could do many things. The front door opened when it saw his face. The lights came on when he said, “Lights on.” The coffee machine made coffee when he said, “Good morning.” Even the fridge told him when he needed more milk.

At first, John was very happy. He told his friends, “This house is amazing. I don’t need keys, I don’t need to write shopping lists, and I don’t even need to think about many things. The house does it all.”

But one evening, after work, something went wrong. There was a big storm. The wind was strong, and the rain was heavy. Suddenly, the whole street lost electricity. The smart home went dark and quiet.

John stood at the front door. “Open,” he said. But the door stayed closed. He tried again, louder: “Open!” Nothing happened. The door only worked with electricity. John had no key.

He waited, but the power did not come back. He was wet and cold outside. “Why didn’t I keep a key?” he thought.

When the power finally returned, John ran inside. But the problems continued. The fridge was warm, and the food inside was bad. He wanted to make tea, but the electric kettle did not start. The system was not working so he could not even boil water.

John went to take a shower, but the hot water was cold because the machine needed electricity. He tried to open the windows for fresh air, but they were locked by the smart system too.

That night, John sat in the living room, tired and hungry. Without the smart system, the house felt useless. He remembered his old apartment with a normal key, a simple kettle, and windows he could open by hand. Life there was harder in some ways, but at least it always worked.

The next day, John asked a worker to add a normal lock to the door. He also bought a small gas stove and a candle. His friends were surprised.

“You love technology,” one of them said. “Why are you going back to old things?”

John smiled. “Living in a smart home is great,” he said. “But when there is no electricity, the house cannot help me. I’ve learnt that doing things the old way is sometimes safer and more reliable. A key and a simple stove will not stop working in a storm.”

From that day on, John continued to enjoy his smart home, but he also held on to some traditional habits too. He now realised that while technology can be incredibly useful, it also has some disadvantages.

📒 Key vocabulary

• gadgets – small, useful machines or tools
• electricity – power that gives energy to lights and machines
• kettle – a pot for boiling water
• system – a group of machines or parts that work together
• locked (lock, locked, locked) – close with a key or other system so it cannot be opened
• useless – not helpful; something that cannot do what you need
• stove – a machine used for cooking food or boiling water
• candle – a stick of wax that gives light when it burns
• traditional – old and simple, not modern or new
• disadvantages – negative points, things that cause problems

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Nick had been out of work for months. Every day he sat at his old laptop, sending applications to companies that never replied. His money was almost gone, and each morning it grew harder to believe his luck would ever change.

One day he saw an ad in the newspaper: “GlobalCore Industries needs a worker. High Salary. Travel Opportunities. Start now.”

The job sounded too good to be true. Still, he decided to apply. That afternoon, a woman from GlobalCore called him and asked him to come for an interview the following day.

When Nick arrived at the big office the next morning, the tall building looked dark. Inside, it was quiet and clean. At reception, a woman smiled and said, “Hi Nick, we’ve been waiting for you,” even though he did not give his name. Nick thought that this was very strange.

The interview was strange. A man in a black suit asked only a few straightforward questions. He didn’t look much at Nick’s papers. At the end, he smiled coldly and said, “You are exactly what we want. Welcome to GlobalCore.”

The welcome meeting was short. A speaker talked about “a new future”, but the words were not clear. The contract worried Nick: no fixed hours; he must always be ready for work, and he must never tell anyone, even family, about his job. But the salary was very high. With nervous hands, he signed.

On his first day, he was given an office in the basement. There were no windows, only bright lights. His job was to “translate” papers with numbers and names. They did not make sense. When Nick asked what they meant, his boss only said, “Do your job and don’t ask questions.”

The other workers looked afraid. They spoke only in low voices. Cameras watched Nick all the time. At night, when he left the building, he saw lights still on in the top floors, with people moving inside.

One evening, Nick found an open paper on his desk. It had names of people, cities, and countries. Some names had one word in red: “GONE”.

Nick’s hands felt cold. Now he understood. GlobalCore was not making the world better. It was controlling it.

The next morning, Nick tried to quit before things became more complicated. “Leaving already?” his boss asked with a thin smile.

“I don’t think this job is for me,” Nick said.

The man closed the door and locked it. “You don’t leave GlobalCore, Nick. You stay. You work. That is the deal.”

Nick’s heart beat fast. He saw the truth: this was not a new chance. It was a prison.

And there was no way out.

📒 Key vocabulary

• laptop – a small computer you can carry
• ad – a short text that tells people about a job or product
• salary – money you earn from your job
• reception – the front desk in an office or hotel
• contract – a paper you sign to agree to work rules
• basement – the underground floor of a house or building
• floors – levels in a building
• quit – stop working in a job
• lock – close something so that it cannot be opened
• deal – an agreement between two people or groups
• heart – the part of the body that pumps blood
• prison – a jail; a place where people must stay as punishment

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