Thematic index:

American themes

British themes

Short stories etc.

Technical English

Puzzles & word games

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Teachers: For more ideas for using reading resources in the classroom see Reading comprehension .

Interactive resources: Many articles come with interactive worksheet resources that can be used in class, done on paper, or filled in on screen.
   

Reading comprehension texts for intermediate  English - CEF levels A2, B1 and B2

Britain in general

Society

London

Icons

Dialogues

Sport

Britain in general

• NEW  Keir Starmer - Britain's new Prime Minister - 
• NEW   Princess Kate - from ordinary girl to Queen - (short A2 - B1 level text with   audio).
• NEW   Sport: The origins of football and rugby - (short A2 level text).
• NEW  Charles III, his coronation and the future    audio
• NEW  London Fashion - London is the world capital of fashion
• Remembering Queen Elizabeth - simple English    audio
• Britain's new king  With  audio - Queen Elizabeth II has died. God save the King.
• The Commonwealth.  After the United Nations, it is the world's largest grouping of nations ..
• Britain - a nation of cat-lovers  -  audio A touching story about an old lady and her cats: interactive
• The tradition of Christmas cards.  People have been sending Xmas cards in England since 1843.
• Christmas in England With  audio - Christmas is the biggest... and longest... festival in the year.
• Christmas shopping  For many people, it is the most important aspect of Christmas.
• Britain, that island   With  audio - Why did Britain vote for Brexit? Is Britain really so different ? Easy intermediate English
• The place where money has no value - (short A2 - B1 level text with   audio).

Society

• Living in the Highlands. What is it like to live in the Highlands of Scotland, specially for young people?
• The wind farm controversy - Conservationists oppose plans to modernise a wind farm.
• Moving to the Country - With  audio  More and more people want to live the rural life, but....
• Leaving home - Leaving home is part of the teenage dream, particularly in Britain. But the dream is often a long way from reality.
• Black and British; an extended document.  A full Focus on minorities in Britain.
• No more Fish 'n' Chips?  a look at Britain's original fast food
• Scouting moves ahead. The scout movement is over 100 years old, and still going strong.
• English ghost stories   New  audio Fact or fiction?

And new texts available only in the Linguapress paperback - ► A Background to English

• The Mother of Parliaments!  The English / British parliament is almost 1000 years old. 
• Cambridge new and old - The historic university city is the heart of Britain's "Silicon Fen".

Dialogues

• NEW  Polluting for pleasure ? - B1 - a dialogue in simple English
• Pollution - someone else's problem- a humorous dialogue on a serious subject.
• Dialogue: School uniforms  With  audio -  British school pupils discuss the pros and the cons
• Dialogue: Work  British school pupils talk about work
• Dialogue: Drugs  British school pupils discuss drugs – now less cool than they used to be
• Dialogue: Talking about "culture"  What is culture? And do teenagers get enough of it?
• Dialogue: Are you a brand slave? British teens discuss designer clothes
• Dialogue: Fast food, OK ?  With  audio - British teens discuss fast food. 

Icons

• NEW    William Shakespeare, still a star! - (short A2  level text with   audio).
• NEW   Black taxis going green.  London's iconic black taxis are changing.
  
• NEW Music: Ed Sheeran - from Yorkshire to the world- (short A2 - B1 level text with   audio).
• My name is Bond.  An imaginary interview with James Bond.
  
• New Life for Big Ben.  With  audio . London's iconic clock is being renovated.
  
• Charlie Chaplin and the Little Tramp.  A classic story of "rags to riches".
  
• Sherlock Holmes is getting old  - The famous detective first appeared in 1887. - over 130 years ago.
• Still No. 1 in 2024 ! Music : the Beatles - Fifty years on, they are still among the best-selling groups in the world.
• Robin Hood - Fact or fiction ?  Did this popular hero really exist?
• The Loch Ness Monster - does it really exist?
•  Who is James Bond ?
•  The story of the BBC - Britain's main broadcaster is one of the most important in the world
•  The men who guard the King With  audio - who are the red-coated guards outside Buckingham Palace ?

London

• New Life for Big Ben.  With  audio .  London's iconic clock has been renovated.
  
•  London in the Sea ? - Britain's capital city is at serious risk from rising sea levels.
• The story of London - Britain's capital city, once the biggest city in the world, is over 2000 years old.
• Big red London buses  With  audio  -  the story of London's famous routemaster buses
• London : Madame Tussaud's -  Where you can be sure to see the celebrities every day
• London: the Lord Mayor's show.  One of the biggest free shows in the world.
• London: the Great River Race London's other marathon

Sport

• Britain: sport cuts crime.  In Bristol, a new football league is making its mark
• Sport: The story of the Derby - With  audio - The oldest and most famous horse race in the world.
• NEW   Sport: The origins of football and rugby - (short A2 level text).
• Sport: The story of football and rugby - (B2 level text), and how football came from England to Brazil.
• More resources coming

2. Topics with a North-American theme

• NEW  ► Taylor Swift - in elementary English -  A short A2 level text, with interactive exercises and  audio
• NEW    Martin Luther King - an American hero- (short A2 - B1 level text with   audio).
• American Indians - With  audio - Also known as Native Americans, they are the original inhabitants of the USA 
• Alcohol, Prohibition and Al Capone B1 level, a simple but interesting text with interactive worksheet.
• Profession : Cowboy   With  audioThere are still cowboys working today in the American west
• George Washington -  With  audio - the story of America's first president
• Hollywood & Superheroes    New  audio
• Focus on Canada An introduction to Canada in intermediate-level English
• USA: Still looking for Gold  Out west, the gold rush is not yet over...
• USA: who was Buffalo Bill? With  audio - Remembering one of America's great folk heroes .
• USA: Team sports, American style  Why do the USA and Europe have different sports?
• Elvis - he's still the "King" and his home Graceland, in Memphis, is a major tourist attraction.
• The story of Silicon Valley  What is Silicon valley, where is it, and why ?
• The story of Coca-Cola. With  audio  The name "Coca-Cola" is the best-known name in the whole world.
• The story of Blue Jeans. New  audio  The world's most popular garment was first created in 1873
• Hollywood - its life and times A short story of Hollywood, in easy English.
• America's oil - a love affair Americans use a lot of energy; but the cost of oil is going up.
• USA: Winter sports USA  Americans love winter sports, because their winters are so cold
• USA: Close encounters with a Twister  -  A tornado strikes....

And new texts available only in the Linguapress paperback  ► A Background to English

• Go West, young man! The phrase that built America  - With  audio
• Plastic pollution; how can we stop it? - With  audio

3. Other reading resources - varia, short stories, technical English, songs, cartoons

• NEW  ► Malala - fighting for Education - , with interactive exercises and  audio
• NEW  ► The End of the World? -  How much longer can planet Earth survive? An A2.2  level text with interactive exercises and  audio
•  Looking for the yeti.   A2 - B1 level. Does this legendary creature really exist ?
•  Humour and jokes.  in easy English   A2

Short stories - teenage fiction  (► see also short stories)

• NEW  The Death of Charlie Huff   (B1) a short story from Ireland -  with interactive exercises and  audio
• Short story: Dr. Trelew's Encounter - (B1) a Victorian mystery with worksheet and  audio
• Short story: Dance Macabre  - (B1) a short story from the USA with worksheets and  audio
• Short story: Driftwood  - (B2) a short story from England with worksheet and  audio
• Short story: the Wimp.  Teenage fiction, in two parts, with worksheets and  audio
• Short Story - The Girl in the Denim Jacket , a story in two parts with worksheets and  audio
• Short Story - The Trap , a story in two parts
• Mystery : The Titanic and the Temple of Doom  Did this really happen ?
• Short story: the Box  - a short story in two parts with worksheets and  audio
• Short Story - One Foggy Night - teenage fiction -  a short story in two parts with worksheets and  audio
• Short Story - The path to High Crag , a story in two parts

Songs

• Song: I would if I could.  An English learning song; theme, modal verbs (+ audio)
• Song: the Titanic.  A popular folk song, with words (+  audio)

Technical English

• NEW  Living underground - past and future - (short A2 - B1 level text with   audio).
• NEW   Storing electricity - the big challenge. The sun doesn't shine at night, and sometimes the wind stops blowing....
  
• NEW  Climate change: can we stop it ? -  Or are we heading for disaster? With  audio
• Polluting for pleasure ? -  a dialogue in simple English
• Pollution - someone else's problem - a humorous dialogue on a serious subject.
• The wind farm controversy - Conservationists oppose plans to modernise a wind farm.
•  Short text: The car of the future?  An easy text in semi-technical English.  With  audio
•  Will there be life after oil?  What will happen when the oil runs out ?  With  audio
•  Short text: Holidays in space  With  audio   An easy text in semi-technical English
•  The story of Silicon Valley  What is Silicon valley, where is it, and why ?
• Short text: Living without energy  A short text in semi-technical English
• The legendary Mini Cooper - Semi-technical English
• The story of the bicycle - semi technical English

Cartoons

•   Cartoon - MacBrain & MacBrawn 1 - Fiona McBelle -
          MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 2 : A Walk in the hills
          MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 3 : The Sales
          MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 4 : Wishful thinking
          MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 5 : The motorbike
          MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 6 : Another dinner date
          MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 7 : African safari ?
          MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 8 : A new job...
          MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 9 : Hang-gliding champion...
     and more to come.

4.  Go to > Intermediate Puzzles and word games

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