Here is the B2 story for today:A chance of a lifetime (B2)Sophie had always led a busy life. Between her job at the hospital and her evening art classes, she hardly had a moment to relax. One Friday, after a long shift, she received a last-minute call from her boyfriend, Tom. He insisted she came to the old café by the river.When Sophie arrived, the place was quiet, and Tom was waiting with a big smile. ‘You’ll never guess what’s happening,’ he said. Sophie laughed sharply. ‘You’re such a liar, Tom. You said you’d gone to Italy on business for a few days!’Tom nodded his head. ‘I did go. That was part of the surprise. I was planning something for you.’ He handed her an envelope. Inside was a plane ticket to Italy and a letter inviting her to an international art exhibition — her paintings had been chosen to be displayed.For a moment, Sophie couldn’t speak. She had always lived for her art, but never believed it would lead anywhere. ‘I can’t accept this,’ she whispered. ‘Just enjoy it,’ Tom replied gently. ‘Don’t worry about work. You can’t live on stress forever.’That evening, Sophie realised this was the chance of a lifetime — and she wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. Last but not least, she now knew that Tom was a guy worth holding on to.My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www.practisingenglish.com/Be back soon with another podcast!Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)
--------
15:36
--------
15:36
270. A Helpful Ghost (B1 Story)
This is the B1 story I'm going to read to you today and the vocabulary I'll look at:A helpful ghost (B1)Detective Sam Green liked to hang around any place where strange things happened. One autumn morning, he arrived in a small town surrounded by a beautiful landscape of snowy mountain peaks. The people there seemed friendly, but whenever Sam asked about the old castle on a nearby hill, they were silent. At night, lights could be seen in the windows, yet nobody had lived there for hundreds of years.Sam had some knowledge of what people were like in this area, and knew the villagers were hiding something. ‘It’s better to keep this secret,’ one old woman admitted to him. ‘We don’t want the tourists to get frightened and leave. We need them.’However, Sam kept on thinking about this mystery, watching from a distance and taking notes.One foggy evening, he saw a soft light in the window. Quietly, he climbed the hill and broke in through the locked door. In an upstairs room, a simple lightbulb was attached to a battery and a clock.Sam smiled. ‘Well, would you believe it?’ he said. ‘There’s nothing like a ghost to attract the tourists. If you don’t have one, you’ve got to invent one. Mystery solved!’My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www.practisingenglish.com/Be back soon with another podcast!Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)
--------
19:33
--------
19:33
269. Every Dog has his Day (B1 and B2 Story)
Norman Newbury has never won anything in his life, and then when a swimming competition comes up, Norman thinks he could, at last, win the trophy.B2 phrases to listen for. What is the context of each phrase?1) talk things over with2) kept in good shape3) push himself4) (feel) over the moon5) took a deep breath6) taken it for grantedThe vowels (a, e, i, o, u) have been taken out (unless the word begins with a vowel). Read the definition and guess the word in bold.B1-level1) achvmnt n. (something difficult you managed to de)2) dscssn n. (talking among people)3) rd v. (opposite of polite)4) rcgnsd (saw somebody and knew who they were)5) cmpttr n. (somebody in a competition)B2-level6) otstnding adj. (exceptional, very good)7) trgc adj. (very sad)8) prftbl adj. (a way that earns you money)9) gggls n. (worn over the eyes when swimming)10) astnshd adj. (very surprised)To see the answers: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-205.htmMy NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www.practisingenglish.com/Be back soon with another podcast!Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)
--------
27:10
--------
27:10
268. The Girl in the Painting (B1 Story)
The B1 story today:The Girl in the PaintingSophie had been meaning to visit the old house on the hill for years, and she was surprised to see the door open, as though inviting her to visit.Inside, the air was heavy and quiet. She glanced around the dusty room and saw an old mirror. In the glass, she saw a handsome young man smiling at her. She turned suddenly, however, there was no one there behind her. She turned back to the mirror. There was the same young man dressed in a smart dinner jacket and matching trousers, his dark, curly hair falling down onto his broad shoulders.“Help yourself to some tea,” he said calmly, and pointed to a table with a silver teapot, plates and dishes with cakes.Sophie wanted to escape, but the man’s deep, brown eyes somehow pulled her towards them, and then she disappeared into the mirror altogether.When her friends came looking for her a few days later, the mirror was gone, and in its place was an enormous painting of a young couple in fine clothes taking tea and cakes. The gorgeous woman looking out of the painting, they recognised as Sophie. Her sad eyes filled with tears.My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www.practisingenglish.com/Be back soon with another podcast!Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)
--------
17:10
--------
17:10
267. Article on Friendship (B2 level)
This is a B2 level podcast:The Magic of True FriendshipHave you ever stopped to think what really makes a good friend? We all have people we hang out with, but genuine friendship goes beyond just having fun together.A good friend is someone you can count on, no matter what. They listen when you need to talk, cheer you up when you’re feeling down, and tell you the truth — even when it’s hard to hear. Trust and honesty are key. After all, what’s friendship without trust?With good friends, you don’t have to pretend to be someone else. You can be completely yourself — messy hair, bad jokes and all! They accept you for who you are and stand by you, whatever happens.But can we really be good friends with lots of people? Honestly, I don’t think so. You can have many acquaintances, sure, but real friendship takes time, effort and care. You can’t give that to dozens of people!In the end, it’s not about having loads of friends — it’s about having a few who truly matter. Because when you find those special people, you know you’ve found something priceless. So, who’s that person you can always count on?My NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To read more about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www.practisingenglish.com/Be back soon with another podcast!Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)
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!
Colombia