Hey there and welcome to English Unleashed. I'm Tom and in this episode I have something special for you. We're going to learn and practice English with a story.
But don't worry, we're not reading the full book. This is a summarized version of the story. That means it is short, simple, and perfect for language learning.
The story you will hear today is called Treasure Island. My friend and colleague Richard will narrate it for you slowly and clearly. Here is what we will do today.
First you will hear the story slowly using simple words. Then I will teach you important vocabulary from the story. I will explain each word in a clear and simple way.
And finally you will practice shadowing. You can pause, repeat or even write down what you hear. So get ready.
This is Treasure Island told just for English learners. A long time ago in a quiet village by the sea, there was a small inn called the Admiral Bambbo. A young boy named Jim Hawkins lived there with his parents.
Life at the inn was simple and peaceful. Only a few travelers stayed there and nothing exciting ever happened until one day everything changed. An old sailor came to the inn.
He was tall, strong, and looked rough. He had a deep scar on his face. He didn't talk much, but he always looked nervous.
Every morning, he walked to the top of the hill near the sea with a telescope. He looked out at the water as if he was watching for someone. He drank too much rum and sang old pirate songs.
The songs scared the other guests. His name was Billy Bones. Billy told Jim to watch for a sailor with one lick.
He gave Jim a silver coin every month to keep an eye out. Jim didn't understand why Billy was afraid, but he knew the sailor was hiding from someone. One day, a blind man came to the inn.
His name was Pew, and he was even scarier than Billy. He gave Billy something called the black spot, a pirate sign of danger and death. Billy turned very pale and looked afraid.
A few minutes later, he collapsed and died. His heart simply gave out. After Billy's death, Jim and his mother opened Billy's small box to find the money he owed them.
They found coins from many countries. But they also found something more important, a map. It was a treasure map.
It showed the place where the famous pirate, Captain Flint, had hidden his gold long ago. Jim took the map to Dr Livy, a kind and clever doctor, and to Aquire Trilani, a rich land owner. The three of them made a plan to sail across the sea and search for the treasure.
And so their great adventure began. Dr Livzy and Squire Trilani hired a ship called the Hispanola. It was a strong and beautiful ship ready for a long sea voyage.
They also found the captain to lead the trip. His name was Captain Smalllet. He was very strict, but he was also fair and honest.
Jim was allowed to join the ship's crew as a cabin boy. He was very excited. He had never been on a ship before, and he felt proud to be part of the adventure.
One of the men working on the ship was Long John Silver. He was hired as the cook. He had only one leg and he walked with a wooden crutch.
But he moved quickly and always had a smile on his face. He was smart, friendly, and full of funny sea stories. He also had a green parrot on his shoulder that kept saying, "Pieces of eight, pieces of eight.
" At first, everyone liked Silver. He told jokes and helped everyone, but soon Jim discovered a terrible secret. One day, Jim was hiding inside a barrel on the ship.
While he was hiding, he heard Silver talking to some of the other men. Jim found out that Silver and many of the crew were actually pirates. They had a plan.
They would wait until the treasure was found. Then they would take over the ship and keep the treasure for themselves. Jim felt very scared, but he stayed quiet and listened to everything.
Later, he told Captain Smalllet and the other honest men. Now they knew the truth. Many of the crew were dangerous.
They had to be very careful and get ready to defend themselves. After many days sailing on the sea, the ship finally arrived at Treasure Island. The island was green, wild, and very quiet.
There were trees, hills, rocks, and secret caves. It looked calm, but Jim and his friends knew there could be danger. Some of the crew went to the island right away.
Jim went with them, but soon he walked off alone into the forest. While he was walking, he met a strange man named Ben Gun. Ben had been a pirate before, but his pirate friends had left him alone on the island.
He had lived there for 3 years, eating berries and goats. Ben was a bit strange, but also kind and friendly. He told Jim a big secret.
He had already found Captain Flynn's treasure and had hidden it in a safe place. Ben said he would help Jim and the others, but only if they promised to take him home after the adventure. While this was happening, things got worse on the island.
Long John Silver and the other pirates took control of the ship. They also asked for the treasure map. But Captain Smlet, Dr Livy, Squire Trilani, and the other good men moved into an old wooden house on the island to stay safe and fight back.
Soon the fight between the two groups began. The pirates attacked the old wooden house with guns and swords. They tried to steal the map, but the loyal men were strong, smart, and brave.
They defended the house and didn't give up the treasure. Then Jim did something brave. He found a small round boat.
He used it to quietly go back to the Hispanola. There he fought a dangerous pirate and he won. He took control of the ship and moved it to a safe place far from the pirates.
Later, Jim went back to the wooden house and told his friends what he had done. Together, they continued fighting against the pirates. Silver tried to act friendly again.
He changed sides and wanted to stay safe, but Jim and the others didn't trust him anymore. At last, the pirates used the map and went to the place where they thought the treasure was. They dug and dug, but they found nothing.
The treasure was gone. They had been tricked. They didn't know that Ben Gun had already found the treasure and hidden it in a cave.
Some pirates gave up. Some ran into the forest and were never seen again. Others were too weak to keep fighting.
In the end, the good men had won. They were tired, but they were safe. And now they finally knew where the real treasure was.
They found gold, silver, jewels, and coins from many different parts of the world. There was more treasure than they had ever imagined. It was so much that they had to carry it in many trips to the ship.
They were ready to leave the island. A few pirates were left behind. Some pirates had died and others had escaped into the forest.
Long John Silver was still with them. He had helped them sometimes, but he also lied and tricked them. Then one night, while everyone was sleeping, Silver disappeared.
He took one small bag of treasure with him and was never seen again. The ship sailed back to England. Jim and his friends were safe and now they were rich.
But Jim felt different. He had gone on a great adventure. He had seen danger, greed, and death.
He had learned about bravery, friendship, and trust. He was no longer just a young boy. He had grown up.
[Music] Okay, it's Tom here again from English Unleashed. Let's now go over some of the best vocabulary from today's pirate adventure. These words will help you understand stories better and sound more natural when you speak English too.
I will say the word, explain it simply, give you a real life example and then we will say it together. Shadowing time. Right.
Ready? Great. Let's go.
The first word is by the sea. This means near the ocean or next to the coast. You could say they built a small cottage by the sea.
They built a small cottage by the sea. Now repeat after me. They lived by the sea.
The inn was by the sea. Good job. Now the second word is in.
An inn is a small hotel. Often quiet, old, and cozy. Now try this.
We stayed at a little inn during our road trip. We stayed at a little inn during our road trip. Great.
Now repeat this one. Let's rest at an inn. Now let's look at the word rough.
When someone looks rough, it means they look tough or wild, not neat or clean. For example, the sailor looked rough with messy hair and old clothes. Now repeat after me.
He looked rough and scary. That man has a rough voice. The fourth word is scar.
A scar is a mark on the skin after a cut or injury heals. For example, she has a small scar on her knee from when she fell. Now repeat this one.
He has a scar on his face. Good job. Up next, we have the word nervous.
Nervous means you feel worried or afraid that something bad might happen. Here is an example. I feel nervous before speaking in public.
Now repeat this one. Jim looked nervous. Mhm.
And now this one. She felt nervous before the test. Great.
The next word is watching for someone. This means waiting and looking to see if someone is coming. Here is an example.
He is stood at the window watching for his friends. Now repeat this one. He was watching for danger.
Perfect. The next word is keep an eye out. This means to watch carefully, to be alert.
Try this. Keep an eye out for your phone. You lose it a lot.
Now repeat this one. Keep an eye out for trouble. Good job.
Our next word is pale. If someone is pale, their skin looks very white, often from fear or sickness. You might hear, "She went pale when she heard the bad news.
" Now repeat this one. He looked pale. Great job.
Now comes the word collapse. To collapse means to fall down suddenly from fear, pain or being tired. Now repeat this one.
He collapsed on the floor. Very good. The next phrase is his heart simply gave out.
This means his heart stopped often because of shock or fear. Now repeat this one. He was so scared his heart simply gave out.
Good job. And next we have adventure. An adventure is a fun and exciting journey, sometimes dangerous.
Use it like this. Climbing the mountain was a big adventure. Now repeat this one.
That was a great adventure. Very good. The next word is voyage.
Voyage is a long trip by ship. For example, the voyage took many weeks. Now repeat this one.
We went on a long voyage. Perfect. The next word is strict.
Strict means someone who follows rules exactly and expects others to do the same. Try this. Our teacher is very strict but fair.
Now we have the phrase take over the ship. This means to control the ship often by force like pirates. For example, the pirates try to take over the ship.
And here's another one. Right away. Right away.
This means immediately without waiting. Use it like this. Come here right away.
Come here right away. And here's the final one. Walked off.
To walk off means to leave a place, often quietly or without saying anything. For example, he didn't answer. He just walked off.
Now repeat this one. Jim walked off into the forest. Good job.
And there you have it. Your vocabulary adventure is complete. This is how your English becomes stronger step by step.
And hey, you don't have to do it on your own. We're here to help you every episode. I'm Tom and this is English Unleashed.
Bye for now.
