Short Stories B1: The lie
Learn English through Short Stories: The lie. 35 audio segments at B1 level with interactive dictation.
- Category
- Short Stories
- Level
- B1 Intermediate
- Segments
- 35
- Running time
- 1:56
- Lesson
- 81 of 289
How to Practice
- Listen to the segment carefully (replay as many times as needed)
- Type what you hear in the text box below the player
- Click "Check Answer" to see if you got it right
- Use "Skip" to move forward or "Next" when you're ready
- Adjust playback speed if needed (0.5x - 2.0x)
Yesterday I told a lie.
I don't feel very good about it.
I was bouncing a ball in the kitchen,
and the ball bounced up and broke a cup.
It was one of my mother's best cups,
so I was afraid that she would be mad.
I put the broken cup back on the table, and I didn't tell anyone that I had broken it.
That night, my mother asked who had broken the cup.
My brother said, "not me".
My sister said, "I didn't do it".
I said, "I didn't break the cup",
but I was lying.
My mother said that we would all be punished, if someone didn't tell the truth and say who broke the cup.
I still did not tell her that I had broken it.
She gave us one more chance, and she said she wasn't mad about the cup,
she just wanted us to be honest.
I still didn't say anything.
My brother, sister and I all got sent to our rooms.
We had to stay in our rooms all morning.
My brother said it wasn't fair.
I felt very bad because my brother and sister were being punished because of me.
I went to my mother and told her that I had broken the cup.
She said that she was not upset about the broken cup.
She knew that it was an accident.
She was disappointed in me because I hadn't come forward and told the truth.
She said that she wouldn't have punished me if I had been honest with her.
I told my brother and sister that I was sorry.
I felt bad because they were punished because I was dishonest.
I told my mother that I was sorry that I had lied to her.
I told her that I had learned a lesson.
Honesty is the best policy.
It is better to tell the truth.
It is not a good feeling when people don't trust you.
I have learned that lying just hurts people.
Sometimes it is hard to be honest, but it is the best way to be.
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