Pre-Intermediate A2 / Lesson 1

A Day at the Beach

Before you start reading, study the following vocabulary:

Excited
Crowded
Spot
To rest
Spread out
Towel
Glance
Cover
Grab

One day last summer, my boss gave me the day off. Because I was free, I decided to take my little sisters, Joanna and Kate, to the beach for the afternoon. They both love the beach, and got really excited when I told them the good news. So, we packed our swimsuits, towels, suntan lotion, and a picnic lunch, and then we were ready to go. After I turned off the lights and locked the door, we all piled into the car and set off. The traffic was light, so we were there in no time flat. When we arrived, it was really crowded – there was hardly any room for us to sit down. So, we walked along the beach for a long time until we found a spot that wasn't so popular. The girls wanted to hit the water right away, but I thought it was a better idea to rest for a bit after our long walk. I spread out the towels and lay down; I hoped I would get some sun and work on my tan. It didn't take long to find out why no one else was on that part of the beach. Just after I put my head down, I felt something on my ear. I reached up and pulled off a tiny blue crab. It pinched my hand, and I yelped – that really hurt! I glanced around me and saw that the beach was covered with hundreds, maybe even thousands of the tiny blue crabs. I wasn't sure if they were after my picnic basket or me, but I didn't want to wait to find out. I grabbed my sisters and we ran as fast as possible back towards the car. We made it back safely, but we left all of our things behind. But, I thought, it was better to miss lunch than to be lunch!

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