Full transcript
0:00Hello and welcome to Lovely English
0:04Stories. Thank you for stopping by. This
0:08story is for intermediate English
0:10learners. Are you ready? Well, let's get
0:14started.
0:16A Weekend with Harry Potter, a B1 B2
0:21English story with vocabulary
0:23explanations at the end.
0:28Harriet lived in Portsmouth with her
0:30husband Tom and their 7-year-old son
0:34George.
0:35Harriet worked in an office as an
0:38accountant. She enjoyed working with
0:42numbers and helping companies manage
0:44their money.
0:46Tom worked in the Royal Navy, so he was
0:50sometimes away from home for several
0:53weeks. When he was at home, the family
0:57loved spending time together.
1:02George loved reading the Harry Potter
1:05books. Every evening, Harriet read a
1:09chapter with him before bed.
1:12Harriet smiled because she remembered
1:15reading the same books when she was a
1:18child.
1:20She had always enjoyed stories about
1:23magic, adventures, and brave heroes.
1:28Even now, reading fantasy books helped
1:31her to relax after a busy day at work.
1:36She liked sitting in her favorite chair
1:39with a warm cup of tea and a good book.
1:44Reading helped her forget about work and
1:48made her feel calm.
1:52One Friday afternoon, the family packed
1:56their bags for a special weekend in
1:58London. They were going to watch the
2:01Harry Potter stage show.
2:04George had been talking about it for
2:07months and he couldn't wait.
2:11On Saturday morning, they walked to
2:14Portsmouth Railway Station.
2:17Harriet had already bought their train
2:20tickets online a few weeks earlier
2:23because it was cheaper than buying them
2:26on the day. She used her bank card to
2:30pay and the tickets were stored on her
2:33mobile phone.
2:35At the station, they scanned the QR code
2:39on the ticket at the automatic ticket
2:43gates. The gates opened and they walked
2:47onto the platform to wait for the train.
2:53Soon the train arrived and they found
2:56their seats.
2:58George sat by the window and watched the
3:02countryside pass by.
3:05He saw green fields, small villages,
3:09rivers, and forests.
3:12Harriet read a few pages of her book
3:15while Tom talked to George about the
3:19places they passed.
3:23About 2 hours later, they arrived at
3:27London Waterloo station. The station was
3:32much bigger than the stations they knew
3:35in Portsmouth.
3:37There were thousands of people walking
3:40in every direction,
3:43but clear signs helped them find where
3:46they needed to go.
3:50To reach the theater, they traveled on
3:53the London Underground, which most
3:55people simply call the tube.
3:59The tube is a fast train system that
4:03travels both underground and above
4:06ground. It connects many different parts
4:10of London.
4:13Harriet explained how it worked to
4:16George.
4:18First, they touched their contactless
4:21bank card on a yellow card reader at the
4:25entrance gate. The gate opened and they
4:29walked down the escalator to the
4:31platform.
4:33Harriet told George that it was
4:36important to touch the same card again
4:40when leaving the station because the
4:43system used both journeys to calculate
4:46the correct fair automatically.
4:51George looked carefully at the colorful
4:54tube map. Each railway line had its own
4:58color and name.
5:01Harriet showed him how to follow the
5:04correct line and count the number of
5:07stops before changing trains.
5:10George thought it was like solving a
5:13puzzle.
5:15After a short journey, they arrived near
5:19the theater.
5:20Before the show, they had lunch in a
5:23small cafe.
5:25George chose a cheese pizza. Tom ordered
5:29a sandwich. And Harriet enjoyed a bowl
5:33of hot soup with fresh bread.
5:38Soon it was time for the performance.
5:41As they entered the theater, George's
5:44eyes grew wide with excitement.
5:48The stage looked beautiful even before
5:52the show began.
5:56When the lights became dim, everyone
6:00became quiet.
6:02The actors brought the magical world of
6:06Harry Potter to life.
6:09There were incredible special effects,
6:13amazing music, and exciting scenes that
6:17made it seem as if real magic was
6:20happening.
6:22George laughed, gasped, and clapped
6:26throughout the performance.
6:28Harriet loved watching both the show and
6:32her son's happy face.
6:37After the performance, they visited the
6:40theater shop.
6:43George chose a small wand as a souvenir,
6:47and Harriet bought a bookmark with a
6:50Hogwarts design.
6:52She knew it would remind her of this
6:55wonderful day every time she opened one
6:59of her favorite books.
7:03The next morning, the family spent time
7:06exploring London.
7:08They walked beside the rivers, saw the
7:12famous clock tower known as Big Ben,
7:16watched the red double-decker buses
7:19drive past, and enjoyed the busy
7:23streets.
7:25George loved spotting black taxis and
7:28listening to musicians playing outside
7:31the stations.
7:34In the afternoon, they returned to
7:37Waterloo station for the journey home.
7:41Once again, Harriet scanned their
7:44tickets at the station gates before
7:47boarding the train.
7:50George soon fell asleep in his seat,
7:53tired after such an exciting weekend.
7:59As the train traveled back towards
8:03Portsmouth, Harriet looked out of the
8:06window and smiled.
8:09The weekend had given her wonderful
8:11memories with her family. She realized
8:15that reading the Harry Potter books
8:17together had made the stage show even
8:21more special because they already knew
8:24the characters and their adventures.
8:29When they arrived home, George hugged
8:34his new wand and asked, "Can we read
8:37another chapter tonight?"
8:40Harriet laughed and picked up the first
8:43Harry Potter book from the bookshelf.
8:47"Of course," she said. "A good story is
8:51always the perfect way to end a
8:56wonderful day.
8:58Now let's go through some of the
9:01vocabulary from this story. But please
9:05do tell us below what's your favorite
9:08type of genre of book. Do you like Harry
9:12Potter and magic? Or do you prefer
9:15romance or historical or thriller? Tell
9:20us below.
9:22Now, there's quite a lot of vocabulary
9:25here, but if we miss anything, please do
9:28comment and we'll try and help you out.
9:31So, let's start with contactless.
9:35This is when you pay without putting
9:37your card into or onto tapping it. Uh,
9:41sorry, putting it into a machine. You
9:43tap it instead. Harriet used her
9:47contactless bank card to pay for the
9:49tube. So when you do contactless, you
9:52can either use your phone or just tap
9:55your card onto the machine.
9:59A double decker is a chocolate bar in
10:02the UK, but it's also a vehicle is a bus
10:06with two floors.
10:08George saw a red double-decker bus in
10:12London.
10:14Automatic. If something is automatic,
10:17then it works by itself without someone
10:20else doing it. The automatic ticket gate
10:24opened quickly. And if something does it
10:29automatically, then it means it happens
10:31by itself. So the machine automatically
10:35worked out the train fair.
10:39Bookmark. A bookmark is something you
10:42put in a book to save where you're up
10:45to, to save your place.
10:49Harriet bought a Harry Potter bookmark.
10:53To calculate means to work out an answer
10:56using numbers. The tube system can
11:00calculate the correct fair
11:03code. Codes can be numbers, letters, or
11:08a pattern used to identify something.
11:11Harriet scanned the QR code.
11:15Escalator. You can see that on the
11:18background of the image here, and that's
11:20moving stairs that carry people up or
11:23down. The family stood on the escalator.
11:28Fantasy.
11:30Fantasy are stories about magic or
11:33imaginary worlds. Harriet enjoys reading
11:37fantasy books.
11:40Found. To have found is past tense of to
11:44find and it means to discover something.
11:48The family found their seats on the
11:51train.
11:53Magical. If something is magical, it is
11:56full of magic or very special. The show
12:00was magical.
12:02Accountant.
12:04An accountant is someone whose job is
12:07working out money and you guessed it,
12:10accounts.
12:12Harriet works as an accountant.
12:16Asleep. If you are asleep, you are
12:21sleeping.
12:23George was asleep on the train ride
12:26home.
12:28Brave.
12:29If you are brave, you are not afraid to
12:32do difficult things. Harry Potter is a
12:36brave hero.
12:39Calm. To be calm is to be peaceful and
12:43relaxed.
12:45Reading made Harriet feel calm. What
12:48makes you feel calm?
12:51Chapter. A chapter is a part of a book.
12:56Harriet read a chapter to George.
12:59Characters. These are people or animals
13:03in a story. George loved the Harry
13:06Potter characters.
13:09To clap is to hit your hands together to
13:13show you enjoyed something. They clapped
13:16at the end of the show.
13:20Colorful. If something is colorful, it
13:23has many bright colors. George looked at
13:26the colorful tube map.
13:30To connect means to join different
13:33places or things together.
13:36The tube connects many parts of London.
13:40To count means to say numbers in order.
13:44For example, 1 2 3 4 5.
13:49George learned to count the tube stops.
13:54Design. That's the way something looks
13:57or is made. Harriet liked the Hog
14:00Hogwarts. Even Hogwarts
14:04design on the bookmark.
14:07Direction. The direction is the way you
14:10need to go.
14:12The signs showed the right direction.
14:16Effects. Effects are special things that
14:20make a show or a film look exciting.
14:23The special effects looked like real
14:27magic.
14:30Excitement
14:31is a happy feeling when something
14:33exciting is happening.
14:36George smiled with excitement.
14:41Exploring.
14:42If you are exploring, you're looking
14:45around a new place. The family spent
14:49Sunday exploring London.
14:53Fair. Fair is the money you pay for a
14:56journey. The tube calculated the correct
15:01fair.
15:03Ground. Ground is the surface of the
15:07earth. Some tube trains travel above
15:11ground, but most are below ground.
15:15Heroes. Heroes are brave people who help
15:19others.
15:21Harry Potter is one of Harriet's
15:24favorite heroes.
15:27Hugged. To hug is to put your arms
15:30around someone or something. George
15:33hugged his new wand.
15:36Incredible.
15:38If something is incredible, it is very
15:41amazing. It is brilliant.
15:44The performance was incredible.
15:49Manage. To manage is to organize or
15:52control something. Harriet helps
15:54companies manage their money.
15:58Musicians.
15:59Musicians are people who play music. The
16:03family listen to music. Music musicians
16:05in London.
16:08Performance.
16:10A performance can be a play, a concert
16:14or a show.
16:15The Harry Potter performance was
16:18exciting. It was incredible.
16:23Picked or to pick is to choose or take
16:27something.
16:28Harriet picked up her favorite book.
16:32To reach is to arrive at a place. The
16:37family used the tube to reach the
16:39theater.
16:41Reader. A reader is a person who reads
16:45books. George is becoming a confident
16:49reader.
16:51Realized. To realize is to suddenly
16:55understand something.
16:57Harriet realized the weekend was very
17:00special.
17:03To relax is to rest and feel calm.
17:08Harriet likes to relax with a good book.
17:12How do you like to relax?
17:15To remind is to help someone remember
17:19something. The bookmark will remind
17:22Harriet of London and the play.
17:27Scenes.
17:28Scenes are different parts of a play or
17:31film. George loved the magical scenes.
17:36Solving or to solve means to find the
17:40answer to a problem. George enjoyed
17:43solving the tube map like a puzzle.
17:47Souvenir. This is something you buy to
17:50remember a place. George bought a
17:53souvenir from the theater.
17:57Stored or to store is to keep safely in
18:02a place. The tickets were stored on
18:05Harriet's phone.
18:08System. A system is a way of doing
18:11something using different parts that
18:13work together.
18:15The tube system is easy to use.
18:20Thought is the past tense of to think.
18:25George thought the theater was amazing.
18:30To touch is to put your hand or in the
18:34case of the story the card onto
18:36something. Harriet had to touch her bank
18:39card on the reader for a contactless
18:43payment as I mentioned earlier.
18:46Towards means in the direction of. So
18:50the train traveled towards in the
18:53direction of London.
18:57Tower. A tower is a tall building or
19:00part of a building. The family saw the
19:04famous clock tower, Big Ben.
19:08Tube. This is the London Underground
19:11Railway, which you can see on the back
19:14of this image. The family traveled on
19:17the tube.
19:19Working is doing a job or operating
19:22correctly. Harriet enjoys working in an
19:26office. That's quite an easy word, but
19:29it's good for a reminder.
19:32Throughout means during all of a period
19:35of time. George smiled throughout the
19:38show.
19:40Dim. If something is dim, it is not
19:44bright. The lights became dim before the
19:48performance started.
19:51scanned or to scan means to use a
19:55machine to read a code. Harriet scanned
19:59her train ticket.
20:01To gasp means to go
20:05and it means to take a quick breath
20:09because you were surprised.
20:12George gasped when Harry flew.
20:17We hope you enjoyed this lovely English
20:20story and the vocabulary explanations.
20:24Thank you for stopping by and don't
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