BEGINNER ENGLISH STORY 😞A Stressful Week😞 A2 - B1 | Level 3 - 4 | British English Listening Practice

Summary

In this beginner-level English story, the narrator reflects on a stressful week filled with work challenges, personal errands, and social activities. Despite the heavy workload and tight deadlines, the narrator finds relief in working from home, exercising, and spending time with friends. The story highlights the balance between professional and personal life, with a focus on the importance of relaxation. It also provides vocabulary explanations for key terms such as 'deadline,' 'task,' and 'stressful,' helping learners expand their English language skills while relating to the everyday experiences shared in the narrative.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker had a stressful and busy week, juggling work and personal commitments.
• 😀 The speaker works for an insurance company and had to handle extra tasks as their manager was sick.
• 😀 Working from home helped reduce stress and allowed more flexibility, such as not needing to commute.
• 😀 The drive to work can take an hour, but the speaker enjoys listening to music during the commute.
• 😀 Running in the morning helps the speaker feel awake and energized, even though they don't run very far.
• 😀 The speaker typically eats breakfast while catching up on emails, though most emails are not very important.
• 😀 Meetings with the team occur daily to discuss tasks and progress, with casual conversations about personal lives.
• 😀 Despite enjoying their job, the speaker finds it sometimes boring and stressful, especially when working in the office.
• 😀 The speaker's coworkers are chatty, which can be both good and bad in terms of time management.
• 😀 Outside of work, the speaker has a busy social life, attending various activities such as dinner with friends, a dentist visit, and kickboxing class.
• 😀 The speaker looks forward to relaxing on Sundays, enjoying a traditional English breakfast and some gardening, followed by watching films.

Q & A

What kind of work does the narrator do?

The narrator works for a big insurance company, where they handle important documents for large companies.

How did the narrator feel about their week?

The narrator felt very stressed due to a busy work schedule, meetings, and tasks, but they also made time for some personal activities to relieve stress.

What activities did the narrator do to relieve stress?

To relieve stress, the narrator went for two runs, met friends, attended a kickboxing class, and went for a long walk with friends.

How does the narrator feel about working from home?

The narrator prefers working from home as it helps them feel less stressed, more energetic, and gives them more time to focus on tasks without distractions.

What was the highlight of the narrator's weekend?

The highlight of the narrator's weekend was resting on Sunday after a busy week, enjoying a relaxing English breakfast, and spending time in their garden.

What was the narrator's experience at the dentist?

The narrator had a filling at the dentist, which they didn't enjoy, indicating it wasn't a pleasant experience.

How does the narrator usually start their workday?

The narrator typically starts their workday with a morning meeting at 10 AM to check on tasks with their team, followed by checking emails and starting their tasks.

What was the narrator’s experience on Friday at work?

On Friday, the narrator had a long and stressful workday because it was deadline day, and they didn't leave the office until 10 PM.

What type of breakfast did the narrator make on Sunday?

The narrator made a traditional English breakfast, including eggs, beans, tomatoes, fried bread, sausages, bacon, and enjoyed it with cups of tea.

What does the narrator hope for in the upcoming week?

The narrator hopes the next week will be less stressful, as their boss will be back and they don't have as many plans.