The farmer lost Alex’s telephone number.
Did the farmer know where he had lost Alex’s telephone number?
No, he didn’t know that. He didn’t know where he had lost his telephone number.
The farmer said that he had lost Alex’s telephone number somewhere.
What happened then?
Immediately, the wisest donkey came up with an idea! “We must find it. How about doing a big search on the farm? I am sure, we will find it.”
“That’s a great idea!” Tatsuki says. Remember?
What did the wisest donkey come up with?
An idea. The wisest donkey came up with an idea.
Did the wisest donkey suggest an idea?
Yes, exactly. He suggested an idea.
Did the wisest donkey produce an idea?
Yes, he did. An idea came to his head and he produced an idea. He came up with an idea.
Who came up with an idea?
The wisest donkey did. The wisest donkey came up with an idea.
What idea did he come up with?
He came up with an idea of doing a big search on the farm.
What exactly did the wisest donkey say?
He said, “We must find it. How about doing a big search on the farm? I am sure we will find it.”
Did the wisest donkey say, “How about forgetting his idea of finding Alex’s telephone number?”
No, he didn’t say that. On the contrary, he asked “How about looking for Alex’s telephone number?” “How about doing a big reach?” In other words, let’s go and look for the telephone number everywhere.
I see. Did the animals do what the wisest donkey suggested they do?
Yes, they did. And not only the animals. For three days and three nights, the farmer and the animals searched everywhere. And finally, a young pig found a small, dirty and crumpled piece of paper with Alex’s telephone number on it.
For how long did the farmer and the animals search everywhere?
For three days and three nights they searched everywhere.
Who searched everywhere for three days and three nights?
Right! The farmer and the animals did. They all searched everywhere.
Did they finally find what they were searching for?
Yes, they did. They finally found Alex’s telephone number.
Who finally found Alex’s telephone number? Remember?
A young pig finally found Alex’s telephone number. By the way, it was on a small, dirty and crumpled piece of paper.
Crumpled piece of paper? What does “crumpled” mean?
Here “crumpled” means old and not looking nice and fresh. So the piece of paper that the young pig found was old and it didn’t look nice and fresh. It was a small, dirty and crumpled piece of paper.
I see. Thank you.
My pleasure. Let’s get back to the story.
The farmer immediately called Alex. He asked him to come and teach his animals English. But Alex couldn’t come.
Why?
Because Alex was far away.
Where was Alex?
In Russia. Alex didn’t live in Japan anymore. Now he lives in Russia. But Alex said, “I cannot come to you, but you can buy my books, my English courses. And if you do the courses, I promise, you will understand English. You will read in English better and, of course, you will speak true, real and excellent English”.
Will the animals understand English if they buy Alex’s English courses?
Yes, they will.
Will the animals read in English better if they buy Alex’s books?
Yes, they will. And not only.
Will the animals speak true, real and excellent English?
Yes, they will. But they will only speak true, real and excellent English if they do the courses. The farmer and the animals were very happy and very excited.
This is the end of the mini-story lesson for “The Japanese Farmer”. Listen to this lesson and answer the questions. Do it every day for seven days and I promise you will speak English better than you are doing now. See you soon, and have a great day!
Unit 2. “A Little Girl”
Hello, this is Alex. Hope, you are having a nice day today. Welcome to our next lesson, to our next story called “A Little Girl”. Let’s get started.
There was a little, beautiful and kind girl. Her name was Amelia. She loved doing two things very much. She loved reading fairy tales, and she loved dreaming a lot. Every day Amelia read one fairy tale. Every day Amelia dreamed a lot. From reading fairy tales she learned about a magic wand. Because Amelia was a big dreamer, she began to dream of having a magic wand. Every day she imagined herself having a magic wand.
Amelia often said, “I wish I had a magic wand. If only I had a magic wand, I would be the happiest girl in the world. And I would help less fortunate people to be happier.”
One fine day, Amelia was helping her grandmother in the garden. The sun was shining bright. The birds were singing beautifully. The flowers were in bloom. The day was gorgeous.
Suddenly, Amelia saw a little, beautiful and rare bird with something in her beak. In a flash, the bird landed on the ground next to Amelia.
“This is a magic wand. It is for you, Amelia”, said the bird. “Take care of it. Protect it well and use it properly.” Then the bird flew away.
Amelia was very much excited. She gladly accepted the gift.
Amelia decided to go to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In school, Amelia learned how to take care of her magic wand. She learned how to protect the magic wand well. She learned how to use the magic wand properly. She learned quickly. Of course, Amelia made mistakes. But because she was a diligent student, she was a success.
After four years in the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Amelia became a master of her
