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Level: A1

A Road Trip

A cooler in the trunk, a stop at a gas station, and a calm blue lake three hours away.

CEFR A1 · 191 words · ~1 min read · US English

๐Ÿ”Š Listen to this passage

6:15 ๐ŸŽฌ Watch this lesson on YouTube A Road Trip โ€” Slow English Reading Practice for Beginners (A1) ยท Lesson 18 Read the lesson below first. When you understand every line, open the YouTube link above and play this video in your earbuds โ€” while you walk, cook or ride the bus, with nothing to look up and nothing to pause. English you already understand, heard again and again, is what turns reading into listening.
๐Ÿ“– Open in interactive ESL Reader โ†’

In the reader, tap any word or sentence to hear it in English, translate it, or look up a definition.

Words to know

cooler
a box that keeps food and drinks cold
trunk
the space at the back of a car for bags
seat belt
the belt in a car that holds you safe in your seat
gas station
a place where you buy gas for your car
highway
a big, fast road between cities
rest area
a place by a highway where drivers stop and rest
barn
a big farm building for animals or hay
trail
a small path for walking in nature

Picture words from this story

Tap ๐Ÿ”Š to hear a word, or ๏ผ‹ to save just that one to My Flashcards.

  • cooler

    cooler

    It keeps food cold.

  • trunk

    trunk

    The back of the car.

  • seat belt

    seat belt

    Click it before you drive.

  • gas station

    gas station

    Fuel for the car.

  • highway

    highway

    A big, fast road.

Every sentence has a โ–ถ button โ€” tap it to hear that sentence read slowly, one word at a time.

Road trip!
Road trip!

On Saturday, my friend Ben and I go on a road trip.

a road trip

We drive to a lake in the mountains.

a lake in the mountains

It is three hours away.

three hours
Packing the car
Packing the car

I pack sandwiches, apples, and water in a cooler.

cooler

Ben puts our bags in the trunk.

trunk
Seat belts on
Seat belts on

We put on our seat belts.

seat belt

I start the car and turn on the radio.

start the car
At the gas station
At the gas station

First, we stop at a gas station.

gas station

I fill up the tank and buy two coffees.

two coffees
On the highway
On the highway

Then we get on the highway.

highway

Ben sings along with the radio, and I laugh.

sings along
Rest area
Rest area

After two hours, we stop at a rest area.

rest area

We stretch our legs and use the restroom.

stretch
Forty more miles
Forty more miles

Ben checks the map on his phone.

the map on his phone

Only forty more miles, he says.

forty more miles
Cows and a red barn
Cows and a red barn

We drive past farms and small towns.

farms and small towns

I see cows and a red barn.

cows and a red barn
The lake
The lake

At noon, we arrive at the lake.

arrive at the lake

The water is blue and calm.

blue and calm
Skipping rocks
Skipping rocks

We eat our sandwiches by the water.

sandwiches

Ben skips rocks, and I take photos.

skips rocks
A trail in the woods
A trail in the woods

In the afternoon, we walk on a trail in the woods.

a trail in the woods
Driving home
Driving home

At five, we drive home.

drive home

Ben falls asleep in the car.

falls asleep

The sunset is orange and pink.

sunset

It is a perfect day.

a perfect day

Check your understanding

  1. What is this text about?

    Show answer

    A road trip to a lake โ€” The writer and Ben drive three hours to a lake in the mountains.

  2. What does the writer pack in the cooler?

    Show answer

    Sandwiches, apples, and water โ€” The text says: I pack sandwiches, apples, and water in a cooler.

  3. Where do they stop first?

    Show answer

    At a gas station โ€” The text says: First, we stop at a gas station.

  4. The lake is two hours away

    Show answer

    False โ€” The text says: It is three hours away. After two hours they stop at a rest area, with forty more miles to go.

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