Learning English can be a challenging task. There are many ways to help overcome various problems related to grammar, spelling, pronunciation and even. One of them is the active reading method. The more you read texts in English, the more you develop an understanding of the English language. And as a result, the faster you will learn to read and speak English. Independent reading is quite effective, and it also greatly motivates learning. When you read on your own, and not with a teacher, you choose texts that will definitely be interesting to you, as opposed to texts suggested by the teacher. As a result, you will read more readily and, accordingly, remember more new words.
By English language are useful learning tools, but newspapers, magazines and books in English can be just as useful. From them you will learn popular English expressions, phrases, grammatical structures and words that will significantly expand your lexicon.
Why is reading necessary?
Reading in English is one of the best ways to improve your vocabulary. The context of articles, stories and dialogues helps you identify and understand the meanings of English words you encounter for the first time. Also, with the help of reading, you repeat already familiar words, thereby remembering them better.
Reading helps to concentrate your thinking in English. When you read books in English, hundreds of English words, set phrases, and grammatical structures are stored in your memory. Subsequently, they will be useful to you in writing and in doing exercises. Over time, you will stop thinking every time which tense form of the verb to use, how to place punctuation marks, how to write this or that word - your brain will learn to process all this information automatically. By the way, there is a strong connection between reading and writing. Reading allows you to see grammatically correct sentences in a living context, which can serve as a model for your own writing. Regular reading stimulates imagination and creativity, and helps you learn to write more meaningfully and originally.
If you want to become an experienced, “skilled” reader, it is advisable to read and translate at least a few pages a day. If you don’t have enough free time for this, take books, magazines and newspapers with you on the road, read public transport or a long line. Once you start reading every day, after a while you will learn to look in the dictionary less and less, and then you will completely abandon it.
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Reading is an activity that can be interesting to anyone age groups and students with any level of English proficiency.
Texts for children
English texts for children are usually limited to a small list of topics that are understandable to any schoolchild or child. As a rule, these are simple, sometimes funny and entertaining stories about animals, family members, nature, and surrounding objects. English texts for children use the simplest vocabulary and short sentences. Such stories are easy to understand and usually consist of 1-2 small paragraphs.
Texts for Beginners
These texts are designed for students at the Beginner and Elementary levels. Here you can find a wider variety of topics: holidays, appearance, cities and countries, everyday affairs. In terms of vocabulary, texts for beginners are almost as easy as texts for children; the same basic words and expressions are used here. As for grammar, tense forms of verbs, complex and compound words, and subordinate clauses begin to appear here.
Medium difficulty texts
English texts of medium complexity already include a large list of topics: professions, work, studies, relationships with family and friends, music, art, history, social problems, made up stories. Complex vocabulary is used here, professional terms are encountered, but in general the topics of the texts are not narrowly focused; they should be interesting and understandable to a wide range of readers. There are many grammatical structures in texts of average complexity - almost all of them can be found here, with the exception of the most complex and outdated ones.
Hello, my beloved readers!
Have you ever wondered how to force yourself to listen and read more at the very beginning of learning a language? After all, it seems like it’s so complicated, and difficult, and uninteresting... and you can come up with a couple hundred more excuses!
Today I will share a method that helps my students a lot. I will give you stories in English for beginners (by the way, I have begun to form - please)!
I have prepared short and very interesting stories with parallel translation for you. This practice at the beginning of learning a language helps you quickly and also absorb the structure of the language as a whole.
Story 1
Sudden rain.
Sudden rain.
It was definitely going to rain. The sky turned into gray and there was no sun at all. It was already a noon.
It was definitely going to rain. The sky turned gray and there was no sun at all. It was already noon.
Mary was standing at the corner of the street talking to Jane. Both of them were holding shopping bags in their hands.
Mary stood on the street corner talking to Jane. They were holding shopping bags in their hands.
Mary and Jane started to discuss the weather.
-Do you like rain? -Mary asked.
-Yes, actually I do. - Answered Jane. - When it rains, I sit on the porch and drink tea. Rain is quite refreshing and allows to think about everything. And you?
Mary and Jane began to discuss the weather.
Do you like rain? - asked Mary.
Yes, actually I like it,” Jane replied. - When it rains, I sit on the porch and drink tea. The rain is very refreshing and allows you to think about everything. And you?
-Well, I love when it rains during the summer. But I can’t stand rainy weather in winter.
I love it when it rains in summer. But I can't stand rainy weather in winter.
They were talking when a sudden stroke of thunder interrupted them. The heavy rain was about to start. Jane noticed that Mary didn’t have an umbrella. She decided to invite her for a cup of tea and continue their conversation sitting on her porch.
-I have no objections. At least, we can spend more time talking about your journey to the USA.
They were talking when a sudden clap of thunder interrupted them. It was about to start raining heavily. Jane noticed that Mary did not have an umbrella. She decided to invite her for a cup of tea and continue their conversation while sitting on the porch.
I do not mind. At least we can spend more time chatting about your trip to the US.
On initial stage It is very important to study that the stories are adapted specifically to your level. These stories are exactly like that. So try another exciting story with translation and audio.
Story 2
A Book Shop Robbery.
Bookstore robbery.
Sandy was on her way to work. Being the owner of a book shop was her dream. She loved books and the smell of recently published ones.
Sandy was on her way to work. Being a bookstore owner was her dream. She loved books and the smell of newly published books.
When she got to the shop she noticed that there was something wrong with the door. It was open. She remembered closing it last night. So there was only one explanation - she was robbed.
When she reached the store, she noticed that something was wrong with the door. It was open. She remembered closing it last night. So there was only one explanation - she was robbed.
Entering the shop she realized that the place was turned upside down. All the books were on the floor. She checked the till and thanked herself for taking all the money to the bank last night so there was nothing to steal.
Upon entering the store, she realized that everything was turned upside down. All the books were on the floor. She checked the cash register and thanked herself for taking all the money to the bank last night so there was nothing to steal.
She was upset but the relief of the thought that nothing was stolen calmed her down.
-I need to set an alarm system, - thought Sandy and started placing books on the bookshelves.
She was upset, but the relief of knowing that nothing had been stolen calmed her.
We need to install an alarm, Sandy thought and began to lay out books on the bookshelves.
If you want not only to learn to read, but also to perceive texts by ear, then I suggest listening to these stories. I recommend that you first read the story several times, then read and listen at the same time, and not at the last stage just listen.
2. A Book Shop Robbery
Nowadays you can find hundreds of stories online that will help you quickly master the initial stages of the English language. You can read, listen to, download for your travels, and all this is completely free. Don't be lazy and spend 20 minutes a day.
And if you don’t know what to learn, then subscribe to my newsletter, where I will constantly give you new materials and ideas for studying, as well as replenish your piggy bank with new stories for different levels.
Remember that the most important thing on the way to good English is practice.
Until we meet again, my dears.
When learning English, it is important to pay attention to various aspects of activity: reading, translating, learning vocabulary, listening, speaking. Although you should constantly rotate your studies, it is extremely important to pay attention to English texts of different difficulty levels.
So, we propose to understand what kind of texts there are in English:
If you have just started getting acquainted with foreign language, read texts that you have already read in Russian. Pay attention to short stories or fairy tales. You can also listen to adapted books in English: in this case, you can train your hearing aid and hone your listening comprehension of text. Where can I find texts for beginners? Take a look at the British Council website where you can read the same text written for different language levels. You can find out your level.
Finding somewhere affordable to live in Britain is difficult. Some parts of the country are cheaper than others, of course, but the cost of renting a home is horrendous, especially in London and the South. Normally, the only answer is to share a house or a flat: you get a room of your own, but you have to share the kitchen and bathroom. In cities like Oxford and Cambridge, where rooms are scarce, will prices make your eyes water: more than £500 a month. In London, they’re even higher – not far off £700.
Oxford already seemed expensive when I lived there, and that was almost 40 years ago. When I started work after university, my room cost £40 a month – almost 15 per cent of my salary. With today's rents in Oxford, you'd need to earn £40,000 a year if you didn't want to spend more than 15 per cent on your room. But when you finish university, starting salaries are usually between £20,000 and £30,000.
Apart from the cost, shared flats and houses are often in poor condition. Landlords are slow to spend their profits on repairs. I was fairly lucky with mine. The house I lived in was scruffy, but the landlord took action when needed - like the time the bathroom ceiling fell in. I’d just run a bath and had returned to my room to get something, when I heard a loud crash. I went back to find the bathtub full of wet plaster. I had the ceiling repaired and took the bill to my landlord.
Show translation
Show translation
Finding affordable housing in the UK is challenging. Of course, some parts of the country are cheaper than others, but the cost of renting a house is appalling, especially in London and the south. Usually the only solution All that's left is to share a house or apartment: you get your own room, but you have to share the kitchen or bathroom. In cities like Oxford or Cambridge, where rooms are scarce, the prices will make your eyes water: over £500 a month. In London, prices are even higher - around £700.
Oxford seemed more expensive when I lived there, which was almost 40 years ago. When I started working at university, my room cost £40 a month - almost 15% of my salary. With today's rent prices, you need to earn 40,000 a year unless you want to spend more than 15% of your income on your room. But when you graduate from university, starting salaries typically range from £20,000 to £30,000.
Apart from the cost of housing, shared rooms or houses are often in poor conditions. Owners are reluctant to spend their income on repairs. I was lucky with my owner. The house I lived in was in a state of disrepair, but the owner got involved when needed - like when the ceiling collapsed. I wanted to run a bath and went into my room to get something when I heard a loud crash. I returned to find the bathroom full of plaster. The roof was repaired and I took the bill to my landlord.
For continuing students (Pre-intermediate - Intermediate)
Reading English texts is not only an opportunity to enrich yourself with new knowledge, but also to gain an understanding of the structure of an English sentence, slang expressions and modern speech in general. After all, it often happens that while studying a language at school, we have no idea that some words are already used in completely different meanings, while others are even born before our eyes and replenish the English dictionary with new lexical units that did not previously exist. Scientists note that in 5-7 years, professions will appear that we know nothing about today. Below you can read the literary text. Pay attention to sentence structure and vocabulary.
Are you ready for this, Amy?” David asked his daughter. The girl finished tying the laces of her old walking boots, looked up and nodded slowly. “I think so.” They walked along a lane out of the village until they reached a gently winding path that led to the river. After crossing a wooden bridge, they followed the line of the riverbank, where tall trees kept the hot sun off their heads. David listened to the chatter of the fast-flowing river. The last time they had come this way, he had listened to a chattering stream of words from his daughter, who had told him about endless adventures and the scandals of friends and classmates. Today, as they had crossed the bridge, a little gray and yellow bird had caught her eye. Amy’s face had brightened, and the start of a story almost reached her lips, but then she remained silent. The path became steeper, leaving the river and splitting into two parts as they came closer to Kinder Reservoir. Looking at his map, David pointed to the route that climbed above the reservoir. They followed it to the start of a narrow valley, where another steep path ran beside a fast-moving stream. As they climbed higher, Amy began to notice the changing landscape. The stream was a series of little waterfalls that fell through green ferns and purple heather.
Show translation
Show translation
"Are you ready for this, Amy?" – David asked his daughter. The girl finished tying the laces of her old shoes, looked up and nodded slowly. "I think yes". They walked along the narrow path out of the village until they reached a calm winding path leading to the river. After crossing the wooden bridge, they walked along the river bank where tall trees kept the hot sun above their heads. David heard the sound of a fast-flowing river. The last time they came here, he heard a constant stream of words from his daughter, who told him about the endless adventures and scandals of friends and classmates. Today, when they crossed the bridge, she noticed a small gray and yellow bird. Amy's face filled with joy, and she almost began her story, but said nothing. The path steepened, leaving the river behind and splitting in two as they approached Kinder Reservoir. Looking at his map, David pointed to a route that skirted the reservoir. They followed it to the beginning of a narrow valley, where another steep path ran alongside a fast stream. As they climbed higher, Amy began to notice the changing landscape. The stream was part of small waterfalls that fell through green ferns and purple heather.
Intermediate - Upper-intermediate
When people ask me how I learned to speak German, I tell them it was simple: I met a German man at the Oktoberfest, married him, and stayed in Munich for 20 years. But there’s a bit of a backstory, too. In 1973, my friend Sally and I decided to quit our jobs and travel through Europe. We boarded a plane in early September, determined to stay abroad as long as possible - stretching our money by hitchhiking and staying in youth hostels. Over the next eight months, we covered a lot of ground, from Greece and Turkey to Finland, managing to limit our costs to an average of $5 a day. It all started in Luxembourg, when we walked to the edge of town and stuck out our thumbs. It wasn’t long before a group of US soldiers on motorcycles stopped. They were on their way to a wine festival on the Moselle River and were thrilled to have female companionship.
As 24-year-old American girls with backpacks, Sally and I rarely had to wait long for a ride. And although we often couldn’t understand the drivers, it didn’t matter. Wherever they were going was fine with us. Other than our plans to visit the Oktoberfest in Munich, we had absolutely no itinerary. The advantage of this easygoing lifestyle was that we visited many villages that were far off the beaten path.
Show translation
Show translation
When people ask me how I learned to speak German, I tell them it was simple: I met a German at Oktoberfest, married him and stayed in Munich for 20 years. But there is also a backstory. In 1973, my friend Sally and I decided to quit our jobs and travel around Europe. At the beginning of September we boarded a plane, determined to stay abroad as long as possible, saving our money by hitchhiking and staying in youth hostels. Over the next eight months, we traveled from Greece and Turkey to Finland, intending to cut our expenses to an average of $5 a day. It all started in Luxembourg when we found ourselves outside the city and gave the thumbs up. It didn't take long before a group of American soldiers on motorcycles stopped. They were going to a wine festival on the Moselle River and were delighted with the company of women. As 24-year-old American girls with backpacks, Sally and I rarely had to wait for a ride. And although we often couldn't understand the drivers, it didn't matter. Wherever they went, we were fine. Apart from our plans to visit Oktoberfest in Munich, we had absolutely no itinerary. The benefit of this relaxed lifestyle was that we visited many villages that were located well off the beaten track.
For advanced (Advanced)
Recently, I’ve been flying quite a lot - for the usual reasons, like holidays, weddings, milestone birthdays and, sadly, the odd funeral. Since I live in Perth, Western Australia - a very isolated state capital – a flight to the east coast means at least four hours in the air for me. To put that into a European perspective, a flight to Sydney is about the same as flying from Dublin to Istanbul. Then there’s the time difference of two to three hours, so that a whole day is lost crossing the country. When I’m sky-high, I’m captive to what I call “cardboard-box cuisine”. Recent experiences with our major carriers Qantas and Virgin suggest that there may be more flavor in the box itself than its contents.
Sure, Australian airlines have a long tradition of offering free food and drinks, including beer and wine, especially on longer flights. And flying is relatively inexpensive in economy class. Even on the good airlines, I can usually get to and from Sydney for less than A$ 700. Budget carriers will cost you half of that. Back to airline food, though. On a flight to Perth some weeks ago, I was given a “Chinese chicken salad” for my evening meal. In the box, I found a mound of dry purple cabbage and a dozen small pieces of equally dry chicken. There was no dressing, so the only parts of this meal I could eat were two cracker biscuits and a piece of cheese that came on the side. I washed them down with a tiny bottle of red wine and thought, “This meal isn’t free: it’s worthless.” Some time later, I wandered down to the flight attendants’ quarters at the back of the plane to see if I could get some more cheese and crackers and another small bottle of wine. The staff were helpful, but what surprised me were the meals they were eating, including a steaming plate of grilled pork medallions in cream sauce with rice and fresh vegetables.
Show translation
Show translation
I've been flying quite a lot lately - for the usual reasons such as holidays, weddings, anniversaries and, unfortunately, funerals. Since I live in Perth, Western Australia, a very remote state capital, flying to the east coast means at least four hours in the air for me. If we draw parallels with Europe, a flight to Sydney takes about the same time as from Dublin to Istanbul. In addition, there is a time difference of two or three hours, so a whole day is lost when crossing the country. When I'm high in the sky, I become a prisoner of what I call "cardboard box food." Recent experiences with major food supplier Qantas and Virgin suggest there may be more odor in the box than what's contained inside. Of course, Australian airlines have a long tradition of serving free food and drink, including beer and wine, especially on long flights. Flying in economy class is relatively inexpensive. Even flying on good airlines, I can get there from Sydney for under AUD$700. Budget carriers will cost half as much. However, let's get back to the food on board. On a flight to Perth a few weeks ago, I was served “Chinese chicken salad” for dinner. In the box I found a pile of dry cauliflower and a dozen small pieces of equally dry chicken. There was no sauce, so all I could eat were two crackers and a piece of cheese. I washed it down with a small bottle of red wine and thought, “This food isn’t free, but it’s disgusting.” After a while, I walked to the back of the plane to see the flight attendants to make sure I could ask for some more cheese, crackers, and a small bottle of wine. The staff were helpful, but what surprised me most was the food they ate, including steaming plates of grilled pork medallions in a creamy sauce with rice and fresh vegetables.
Download ready-made texts
Ready-made texts on the English language can be found on specialized websites or in magazines and. Please note that the text often includes tasks to reinforce the material, and new vocabulary is highlighted in a different color.
You can download the articles above and other textsWhich are useful to read for both adults and children. These stories are very educational and each one has a moral at the end. For those who find it difficult to translate even such simple texts, a translation is presented. Most likely, you have already heard similar fairy tales in Russian, so it will be easier for you to understand their meaning.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great effort an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling away?" “I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.” "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; “we have got plenty of food at present.”
But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing, every day, corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew..
MORAL: Work today and you can reap the benefits tomorrow.
Ant and grasshopper
On a sunny day in a field, a grasshopper jumped, chirped and sang to his heart's content. An ant passed by, dragging with great effort an ear of corn to its home. 
“Why don’t you come up to me and chat,” said the grasshopper, “instead of being so tense?” “I help make supplies for the winter,” said the ant, “I advise you to do the same.” “Why worry about winter? - said the grasshopper, “We have a lot of food at the moment.”
But the ant did its job and continued its hard work. When winter came, the grasshopper was literally starving to death, seeing the ants distributing the corn and grain every day from their stores that they had collected in the summer.
Then the grasshopper understood...
Morality: Work hard today and you can reap the rewards tomorrow.
The Lion and the Mouse
Once when a Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon him. This soon wokened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him and opened his big jaws to swallow him.
"Pardon, O King!" cried the little Mouse, “Forgive me this time.” I shall never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness. And who knows, but I may be able to do you a good turn one of these days?”
The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.
Sometime later a few hunters captured the King and tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on.
Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, ran up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse, very happy to help the Lion.
MORAL: Little friends may prove great friends.
Lion and mouse
One day, when the lion fell asleep, a little mouse began to run around him. He soon awakened the lion, who caught him in his huge paw and opened his jaw to swallow him.
“Forgive me, oh king! - the mouse sobbed, - Forgive me this time. This will never happen again, and I will never forget your kindness. And who knows, maybe one day I will also be able to do something good for you.” 
The lion was so amused by the idea that the mouse could somehow help him that he raised his paw and let him go.
A few days later, hunters caught the king and tied him to a tree while they looked for a cart in which to place him.
Just then it happened that a little mouse was running past, he saw the predicament in which the lion was, ran up to him and quickly gnawed the ropes that tied the king of beasts. "Was I wrong?" - said the mouse, happy that he had helped the lion.
Morality: Little friends can turn out to be wonderful friends.
The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs
Once upon a time, a man and his wife had the good fortune to have a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough.
They imagined that if the bird must be able to lay golden eggs, its insides must be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all that precious metal at once, they would get mighty rich very soon. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird.
However, upon cutting the goose open, they were shocked to find that its innards were like that of any other goose!
MORAL: Think before you act.
The goose who laid golden eggs
Once upon a time, a man and his wife were lucky enough to have a goose that laid a golden egg every day. Despite such great luck, they soon began to think that they could not 
get rich quickly enough.
They imagined that if a bird could lay golden eggs, then its insides must also be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all this precious metal at once, then very soon they would become extremely rich. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird.
However, when they opened the goose, they were very shocked to find that its insides were the same as any other goose.
Morality: Think before you act.
If you liked these stories, then you can read another interesting one. Don't forget to offer stories like these to your children who are learning English. They will love this unobtrusive way to learn a new language.
Here is a 45-minute collection of fairy tales with subtitles.
Hello friends. Many teachers include independent extracurricular reading in their curriculum. Some assign readings from classic works or adapted versions of books, but short stories that can be printed out and distributed to students are much better suited for this purpose.
The boy was soaking wet. He was standing in a puddle of water. His clothes hung heavy on his body. Suddenly, a sharp razor-like slither of white light blazed above his head and a gravelly rumbling echoed in his ears. Then came another downpour. He pulled his jacket tightly...
Long, long ago, in the winter-time, when the snowflakes were falling like little white feathers from the sky, a beautiful Queen sat beside her window, which was framed in black ebony, and stitched. As she worked, she looked sometimes at the falling snow, and so it happened that she pricked ...
In old days, it was believed that the seventh son, in a family of sons, was a conjurer by nature, and that he could work wonders like the fairies and cure diseases better than any doctor. If he were the seventh son of a seventh son, he was himself ...
Down below there was only a vast white sea of clouds. Above there was the sun, and the sun was white like the clouds, because it is never yellow when one looks at it from high in the air. He was still flying the Spitfire.* His right hand was on ...
JACK SELLS THE COW Once upon a time there was a poor widow who lived in a little cottage with her only son Jack. Jack was a giddy, thoughtless boy, but very kind-hearted and affectionate. There had been a hard winter, and after it the poor woman had suffered from ...
