The vocabulary and story transcript to today's B2 story:

https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-297.htm

1. define
It is sometimes difficult to define success, because it means different things to different people.

2. an act of will
Finishing the marathon after injuring his ankle was purely an act of will.

3. upside down
When I turned the map upside down, I finally realized I had been reading it the wrong way.

4. What on earth happened?
The kitchen was covered in flour and broken plates—what on earth happened while I was out?

5. something daring
She decided to do something daring and quit her stable job to start her own business.

6. stare in disbelief
He could only stare in disbelief when he saw his small village on the international news.

7. Don’t talk nonsense!
Don’t talk nonsense! Of course you can pass the exam if you prepare properly.

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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).
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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

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English lear...

These are the words I'll be studying today:

Transcript at my website: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-296.htm

treasure

to sail

crew

sailor

the docks

ship

telescope

crutch

pirate

the squire

All hands on board!

aye, aye, sir!

a schooner

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

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

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English lear...

The signalman explained to me that every signal had to be written down, with the exact time. Even during the quietest hours of the night, he had to remain watching.

As he spoke, the bell rang sharply .

He stopped mid-sentence, moved quickly to the wall, and rang back without hesitation . Then he returned to the desk and carefully wrote the time and signal in his book.

‘You see?’ he said. ‘ Accuracy is everything. A single mistake can have serious consequences .’

We continued talking, but twice he suddenly stopped, his face turning pale . Each time, he opened the door and stared towards the tunnel, though the bell had not rung.

‘Did you hear something?’ I asked.

‘No,’ he said. ‘But I thought I might.’

When I stood to leave, I said, ‘You sound like a man who once took pride in his work.’

‘I did,’ he replied quietly. ‘Before the trouble started.’

I returned the following night, exactly as arranged . I did not call out. He was waiting for me, holding his white light steady.

‘I’m glad you came back,’ he said. ‘I need to talk this over with somebody .’

We sat by the fire, and he leaned forward, speaking in a low voice.

‘One night,’ he began, ‘I was sitting here alone when I heard a voice cry, ‘Hallo! Below there!’’

Without wanting to, I shivered .

‘I went to the door,’ he said, ‘and I saw a figure near the danger light. One arm was waving wildly , as if in warning. The other arm was held across the face.’

‘What did you do?’ I asked.

‘I ran towards it,’ he said. ‘I believed an accident had happened.’

‘And then?’

‘It disappeared.’

He told me that within hours, there was a terrible accident on the line. Trains were stopped. People were injured. Some were killed.

‘I told myself it was a coincidence ,’ he continued. ‘But months later, the figure returned. It said nothing. It stood with both hands before its face, like someone in deep sadness .’

‘And that same day—’ I said.

‘A young woman died on a passing train,’ he finished.

I tried to convince him of my point of view . I spoke of stress, imagination, and long hours alone.

‘I wish I could accept that,’ he said. ‘But the figure keeps coming back.’

‘How often?’ I asked.

Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm

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

Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English lear...