Sarah drove to the city center on Saturday morning. She needed to buy a gift for her mother's birthday. The streets were very busy. She looked for a parking space for fifteen minutes. Finally, she found a spot near the shopping mall. Sarah parked her car quickly. She was excited to start shopping. There was a parking meter next to her car. Sarah looked at the meter carefully. The sign said 'Maximum two hours.' She put coins into the machine. The meter showed one hour of parking time. 'That should be enough,' she thought. Sarah walked to the shopping mall. She looked at many different gifts. Nothing seemed perfect for her mother. She went from shop to shop. An hour passed quickly. Sarah found a beautiful scarf in a small boutique. 'Mom will love this color,' she said to herself. Then she saw a lovely handbag. She couldn't decide between the two items. She called her sister for advice. They talked for twenty minutes. Her sister suggested buying both gifts. Sarah agreed and went to pay. There was a long line at the counter. She waited patiently. Finally, it was her turn. She paid for both items with her credit card. Sarah felt happy with her purchases. She walked back to her car slowly. Then she saw something on her windshield. It was a yellow paper. 'Oh no!' she said loudly. It was a parking ticket. She had stayed too long. The ticket was for fifty euros. Sarah felt very frustrated. She had forgotten about the parking meter. The gifts cost sixty euros together. Now she had to pay fifty euros more. She sat in her car and sighed. 'Next time I will set an alarm on my phone,' she promised herself. Sarah drove home feeling annoyed. But at least she had the perfect gifts for her mother.
English Story (A2)The Parking Ticket
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Sarah drives to the city center to buy a birthday gift for her mother. She finds a parking spot and pays for one hour at the meter. While shopping, she takes longer than expected choosing between a scarf and a handbag, eventually buying both. When she returns to her car, she finds a fifty-euro parking ticket on her windshield.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
Why did Sarah drive to the city center?
2
How much parking time did Sarah pay for?
3
What did Sarah finally buy for her mother?
4
How much was the parking ticket?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
