INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH STORY | Moving to the Highlands🌳 B1 - B2 | Level 5 | English Listening Practice
Summary
TLDRThis story follows Lucy and Tom, a couple who decide to leave the bustling city life of Glasgow for the tranquility of the Scottish Highlands. They embrace remote work, Lucy as a writer and Tom as a content creator, while enjoying their peaceful surroundings. The local community welcomes them, and their new environment becomes a source of inspiration for their work. Though they occasionally miss their old life, the beauty and peace of the Highlands bring them joy and productivity. Their journey captivates others through social media, reflecting their idyllic lifestyle.
Takeaways
- 🌄 Lucy and Tom moved from Glasgow to the Scottish Highlands to pursue a more tranquil life while working remotely.
- 🏡 They settled in a remote village, surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, far from the hustle and bustle of city life.
- 💻 Tom worked as a digital content creator and web designer, while Lucy focused on writing stories about their surroundings.
- 🌿 The couple's new home was a small whitewashed cottage with a garden full of wildflowers, offering peace and quiet.
- 👫 They quickly became part of the local community, learning about the area's wildlife, history, and culture.
- 📸 Lucy and Tom documented their new life through photos, videos, and stories, growing a following on social media.
- 🌱 Working remotely in the Highlands helped them feel more connected to their jobs and led to increased productivity.
- 🌍 Despite missing Glasgow, they stayed connected with family and friends through regular visits and hosted guests in their new home.
- 📖 Vocabulary explanations at the end of the story helped learners understand key words such as 'agency,' 'ancient,' 'appreciate,' and 'fascinated.'
- 📚 The story encouraged English learners to improve their skills by listening and engaging with the content, while also promoting channel subscriptions and productivity packs.
Q & A
What was Lucy and Tom's original lifestyle in Glasgow?
-Lucy and Tom had spent their entire lives in Glasgow, enjoying urban life and working in digital marketing and graphic design.
Why did Lucy and Tom decide to move to the Scottish Highlands?
-They craved something different from their urban lifestyle and saw an opportunity to work remotely as content creators in the countryside.
How did they prepare for the move to the Highlands?
-They spent hours researching remote jobs, locations, and the costs involved in moving before deciding to make the leap.
What was the landscape like as they approached their new village in the Highlands?
-The landscape was breathtaking, with an endless stretch of green hills, rugged cliffs, and ancient forests.
What kind of house did Lucy and Tom move into in the Highlands?
-Their new home was a small, whitewashed cottage with a thatched roof and a garden full of wildflowers.
How did Lucy and Tom's work change after moving to the Highlands?
-They found themselves more productive and connected to their jobs, creating content that reflected their new life in the countryside.
What was the local community in the village like?
-The local community was small but welcoming, and Lucy and Tom quickly became friends with their neighbors.
How did Lucy and Tom's social media following grow?
-Their social media following grew as people became fascinated with their journey and the idyllic life they had created in the Highlands.
What did Lucy and Tom miss about their life in Glasgow?
-They sometimes missed Glasgow, their friends, and family, but they made sure to visit at least once every two months.
What new vocabulary words were introduced in the story related to the couple's move?
-Words like 'agency', 'ancient', 'approached', 'arranged', 'common', 'connection', 'create', 'designing', 'excitement', 'involved', 'appreciate', 'breathtaking', 'clients', 'endless', 'entire', 'fascinated', 'inspiration', 'overlooking', 'reality', 'remote', 'stretch', 'surroundings', 'urban', 'landscape', 'local', 'nearby', 'nearest', 'opportunity', 'outdoors', 'phrases', 'homesick', 'plenty', 'social'.
Outlines
🏞️ Moving to the Highlands
Lucy and Tom, a couple from Glasgow, decided to leave their urban life for the Scottish Highlands. They had been working in digital marketing and graphic design but desired a change. With the rise of remote work, they saw an opportunity to fulfill their dream of becoming content creators in a rural setting. After extensive research on remote jobs and moving costs, they took the leap. Their new home was a charming whitewashed cottage surrounded by nature. They found the tranquility and slower pace of life in the village refreshing and were quickly embraced by the local community. Their productivity increased as they found inspiration in their new surroundings, creating content that resonated with their growing social media audience.
📚 Vocabulary from the Story
This section reviews the vocabulary used in the story about Lucy and Tom's move to the Scottish Highlands. Key terms include 'agency', which refers to an organization providing specific services, and 'ancient', indicating something very old. The term 'approached' means to come closer to something, while 'arranged' means to plan or organize in advance. Words like 'common', 'connection', 'created', 'designing', 'excitement', 'involved', 'appreciate', 'breathtaking', 'clients', 'endless', 'entire', 'fascinated', 'inspiration', 'overlooking', and 'reality' are also explained. Each word is defined and contextualized within the story, helping viewers understand their meanings and usage.
🌲 Life in the Highlands
In this part of the script, the focus is on the couple's life after moving to the Highlands. They enjoyed the remote areas and the beautiful landscapes, which inspired Lucy to write stories and Tom to create videos. The local community was welcoming, and they learned about the wildlife and local phrases. The couple felt a sense of peace and opportunity in their new environment. They occasionally missed Glasgow and their loved ones but maintained a regular visit schedule. Their social media following grew as people were fascinated by their idyllic life. The script concludes with a call to action for viewers to support the channel, subscribe, and check out language learning resources.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Remote work
💡Highlands
💡Content creators
💡Community
💡Nature
💡Tranquility
💡Homesickness
💡Urban life
💡Inspiration
💡Idyllic life
Highlights
Lucy and Tom moved from Glasgow to the Scottish Highlands for a change of lifestyle.
They worked in digital marketing and graphic design, seeking a new challenge.
The couple researched remote jobs and moving costs before making the decision.
They chose a village deep in the Highlands for its serene and picturesque environment.
Their new home was a small, whitewashed cottage with a thatched roof and a garden.
Tom found daily inspiration for his work designing websites in their new surroundings.
Lucy, a writer, enjoyed the tranquility of the outdoors and wrote for hours in their garden.
They built a working shed in the garden for Lucy, complete with internet and electricity.
The local community was small but welcoming, teaching them about the area's wildlife and history.
Lucy and Tom's productivity increased as they adapted to their new, distraction-free environment.
They began creating content that reflected their new life in the Highlands.
Their social media following grew as people were fascinated by their journey and lifestyle.
Despite missing Glasgow, they maintained connections with friends and family by visiting regularly.
They also received many visitors, alleviating any feelings of homesickness.
The story introduces various vocabulary words related to their new life and experiences.
An 'agency' is defined as an organization that provides specific services.
The term 'ancient' is used to describe something very old.
The word 'approach' means to come closer or move towards something.
To 'arrange' is to plan or organize something in advance.
The word 'common' is used to describe something that occurs frequently or is shared by many.
A 'connection' is a link or relationship between things or people.
To 'create' means to make or bring something into existence.
The word 'excitement' describes a feeling of great enthusiasm or eagerness.
To be 'involved' means to take part in or have a role in something.
To 'appreciate' means to value or recognize the worth of something.
'Breathtaking' is used to describe something extremely beautiful or astonishing.
The word 'clients' refers to people who use professional services or products.
The term 'endless' is used to describe something without limits or end.
'Entire' means whole or complete.
To be 'fascinated' means to be extremely interested or captivated by something.
The word 'inspiration' is used to describe something that motivates or encourages creative action.
To 'overlook' means to have a view from a high position.
'Reality' refers to the state of things as they actually exist.
The term 'remote' means far away from popular areas.
'Stretch' refers to an area of land or space that extends over a distance.
The word 'surroundings' describes the environment or area around a place.
'Urban' relates to a city or a town.
A 'landscape' is the visible features of an area of land.
The word 'local' relates to a particular area, usually nearby where you live.
'Nearby' means close to a particular place.
'Nearest' means closest in distance.
An 'opportunity' is a chance or set of circumstances that make something possible.
'Outdoors' is the open air or natural environment.
A 'phrase' is a small group of words that work together as a unit within a sentence.
To be 'homesick' is to long for home when you have been away from it.
'Plenty' means a large or sufficient amount of something.
The word 'social' relates to the interaction of people or communities.
Transcripts
hello and welcome to lovely English
stories thank you for stopping by this
story is for intermediate English
Learners ready well let's get
started B1 B2 English story moving to
the
highlands Lucy and Tom had spent their
entire lives in Glasgow they met at
college and had been together for over
10 years they loved urban life but after
years of working in digital marketing
and graphic design they craved something
different they loved to Holiday in the
countryside and the idea of moving to
the Scottish Highlands where they could
work remotely as content creators had
always been a distant dream but as
remote work became more common they
decided to make the leap and turn that
dream into
reality they spent hours researching
remote jobs locations and the costs
involved in moving before they finally
took the plunge and did it
The Village they chose was nestled deep
in the highlands miles away from the
nearest town the drive from Glasgow took
them through winding roads past
wonderful mountains and along Serene
locks the landscape was breathtaking
with an endless stretch of Green Hills
rugged Cliffs and ancient
forests as they approached the village
the sight of quaint Stone cottages and
the clear Still Waters of a nearby Lo
filled them with excitement and a sense
of peace they hadn't felt in
years their new home was a small
whitewashed cottage with a thatched roof
and a garden full of wild flowers the
air was crisp and fresh and the only
sounds were the distant call of birds
and the gentle rustling of the trees in
the
breeze it was a world away from the
crowded streets of Glasgow where they
lived in an overpriced modern
flat Tom set up his workspace by a large
window overlooking the lock the view
became his daily inspiration as he
worked on designing websites and and
digital content for
clients luckily he had got a job for an
agency and so had plenty of work coming
in Lucy a writer found the perfect spot
in the garden to set up her laptop in
the summer months she loved the
Tranquility of the outdoors and often
wrote for
hours she had arranged for a to build
her a working shed in their Garden
complete with an internet connection and
electricity so she could have a space
for work away from the
house life in the village was a
refreshing change of pace the local
community was small but
welcoming Lucy and Tom quickly became
friends with their neighbors
who taught them about the wildlife
history and even some local
phrases the couple felt as though they
had stepped back in time where life
moved more slowly and every day was an
opportunity to appreciate their new
surroundings work took on a new meaning
in the highlands without the
distractions of City Life l Lucy and Tom
found themselves more productive and
more connected to their jobs they began
creating content that reflected their
new life Lucy wrote stories about the
Landscapes and Tom created videos of
their hikes through the
[Music]
mountains together they took photos that
captured the harshness of the Scottish
weather their social media following
grew as people became fascinated with
the couple's journey and the idilic life
they had
created sometimes they missed Glasgow
and their friends and family but they
made sure to visit them at least once
every two months they also had a
plethora of visitors since they moved
away as everyone wanted to visit them so
any homesickness quickly went
away now let's go through some of the
vocabulary from this story there are
quite a lot of new words in this
story let's start with
agency an agency is an organization that
provides a specific service for example
luckily he had got a job for an agency
and so had plenty of of work coming in
you'll find in British English some
people say I work for a company so for
an agency or they might say I work at a
company or at an
agency Ancient Ancient means very old or
from a long time ago the landscape was
breathtaking with an endless stretch of
Green Hills rugged Cliffs and ancient
forests approached or to approach means
to come closer or move towards something
so as they approached they came closer
to the Village the sight of quaint Stone
cottages and the clear Still Waters of
the nearby Lo filled them with
excitement arranged or too arrange means
to plan or organize something in advance
she arranged for for a company to build
her a working shed in their
Garden common if something is common it
occurs frequently or is shared by many
as remote work became more common they
decided to make the leap so you can make
the leap or you can take the leap
connection connection is a link or
relationship between things or people
she arranged for a company to build her
a working shed in their Garden complete
with an internet connection and
electricity created or to create means
to make or bring something into
existence they created an idilic life
some people pronounce this idilic or
idilic designing or to design means to
create or plan something artistically or
pract ically the view became his daily
inspiration as he worked on designing
websites
excitement excitement is a feeling of
great enthusiasm or eagerness the Lo
filled them with
excitement involved or to involve means
to take part in or have a roll in
something they spent hours researching
remote jobs locations and the costs
involved involved in
moving appreciate to appreciate means to
value or recognize the worth of
something every day was an opportunity
to appreciate their new
surroundings
breathtaking if something is
breathtaking it is extremely beautiful
or astonishing the landscape was
breathtaking clients
clients are people who use Professional
Services or products the view became his
inspiration as he worked on websites for
his
clients
endless if something is endless it has
no limits or end the landscape was
breathtaking with an endless stretch of
Green
Hills
entire entire means whole or complete
Lucy and Tom had spent their entire
lives in
Glasgow
fascinated if something is fascinating
or you are fascinated by something it is
extremely interested or interesting and
captivating people became fascinated
with the couple's
life
inspiration means something that
motivates or encourages creative action
the view became his daily
inspiration over looking or to overlook
means to have a view from a high
position Tom set up his workpace for a
large window overlooking the
Lo reality reality is the state of
things as they actually
exist they decided to make or take the
leap of faith and turn that dream into a
reality
remote remote means far away from
popular areas they loved to Holiday in
remote
areas
stretch stretch is an area of land or
space that extends over a distance the
landscape was breathtaking with an
endless stretch of Green Hills
surroundings surroundings are the
environment or area around a
place every day was an opportunity to
appreciate their new
surroundings
Urban anything that is urban relates to
a city or a
town they loved urban life but after
years of working in digital marketing
and graphic design they rved something
different
landscape landscape is the visible
features of an area of land Lucy wrote
stories about the
Landscapes sometimes artists draw
landscapes local local relates to a
particular area and it is usually nearby
to where you live the local community
was small but welcoming
nearby nearby means close to a
particular place as they approach The
Village the site of quaint Stone
Cottages was close by was
nearby
nearest nearest means closest in
distance The Village they chose was
nestled deep in the highlands miles away
from the nearest town so nothing was
nearby opportunity opportunity is a
chance or set of
circumstances that make something
possible they appreciated the
opportunity to enjoy their new
surroundings
Outdoors Outdoors is the opposite of
indoors it is the open air or natural
environment she loved the outdoors
phrases phrases are a small group of
words that work together as a unit
within a sentence so they taught them
some local phrases maybe some idioms for
example that they only speak in the
highlands homesick homesick is when you
are longing for home when you have been
away from your home so sometimes you
might feel homesick if you are not close
to your home or perhaps you miss your
home
cooking plenty plenty means a large or
sufficient amount of something he had
plenty of work coming in so he had lots
of work coming in plenty means lots of
or enough I've got plenty of food I've
got plenty of money I've got plenty of
friends means i' I've got
enough sense a sense is a feeling or
perception about something they had a
sense of peace they hadn't felt in
years social social means relating to
the interaction of people or communities
their social media following grew as
people became fascinated with the
couple's
Journey we hope you enjoyed this lovely
English story and the vocabulary
explanations thank you for stopping by
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