A children's short story with vocabulary and comprehension exercises for young learners of English / Tea

Tea

Marty Mckay was already five years old, but he was still the baby of the family.

"Can I have some tea too?" Marty asked his mother. She drank her tea from a beautiful cup and stirred it

with a silver spoon.

"No, Marty. You're too young to drink tea."

"But, why?" Marty asked.

"Because your fingers are too tiny to hold the cup. And tea is too hot for you, baby."

"I'm not a baby," Marty said. "I'm five-and-a-half."

Marty went out to the yard. His brother Ralph was playing basketball.

"Can I play too?" Marty asked. Ralph bounced the ball up and down under Marty's nose and then threw it into the basket.

"No Marty, you're too young to play basketball."

"But, why?" Marty asked.

"Because the basket is too high for you to reach. And the ball is too big for your tiny baby hands," Ralph said.

"I'm not a baby," Marty said. "I'm five and three quarters."

Marty went into the kitchen. His sister Jane was getting ready to ride her bicycle to the candy store.

"Can I go to the store to buy candy?" Marty asked Jane. He could feel the wind in his hair and the candy on his tongue.

"No, you're too young to go to the store," Jane said.

"But why?" Marty asked.

"Because the store is too far for you to ride to. And your baby bike is too slow."

"I'm not a baby," Marty said. "I'm nearly six."

"Six?" Jane laughed. "You just turned five!"

Marty sat on the grass and watched his sister ride away on her bike. He started to cry. Marty's father was washing the car. He heard a tiny cry and went to find out what was wrong.

"Why are you crying?" Marty's father asked.

"Because I'm too tiny to do anything. I wish I
weren't the youngest one."

"Be careful what you wish for," his father said.

Just then, Marty's mother came out to bring Marty's dad his tea. She patted her belly and smiled.

"We're going to have another baby," his mother said.

"And that means you're going to be a big brother,"
his father said.

"But, I'm too tiny to be a big brother," Marty said. "I'm just a baby!"

Exercise A: Vocabulary

Match the words from the story (abc) with the definitions (123). For example: a9

a. beautiful b. stirred c. basket d. tongue e. bike f. patted g. belly h. spoon i. to reach j. yard

1. the body part that tastes food
2. another word for stomach
3. to be able to touch or grab something
4. an area out front or out back of a house
5. touched with a soft up and down motion
6. short for bicycle
7. mixed
8. used to stir or bring food to the mouth
9. very pretty, nice looking
10. in basketball, a net with a hole at the top and bottom

Exercise B: Comprehension

Answer the questions about the story:

1. How old is Marty?

a. almost five b. five c. almost seven

2. What is Marty's brother doing in the story?

a. going to the store b. washing the car c. playing basketball

3. What does Marty wish?

a. That he was younger b. That he was a baby c. That he wasn't the youngest

4. What does Marty's mother bring to Marty's father?

a. a baby b. a bicycle c. a cup of tea

5. What does Marty's mother tell Marty?

a. She is feeling better. b. He is going to grow soon. c. He is going to be a big brother.

Hide answers

A: a9, b7, c10, d1, e6, f5, g2, h8, i3, j4

B: 1b, 2c, 3c, 4c, 5c

see also:

The Chickens Take a Holiday