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Chapter 4 – Around Town

Reading 4-1: Mike’s Restaurant

Listen:

A crew of smiling restaurant workers posing with a finished dish in their kitchen.
My name is Mike, and I work at a restaurant. I am a cook, and I manage the kitchen. There are many workers at my restaurant. Tom, Sarah, and Joe are servers. They get orders from the customers, answer questions, and deliver the food. Mary is the hostess. She answers the phone and organizes all of the dinner reservations. Tina and Yun are the bartenders. They make drinks for the customers, and they help them with the wine menu. Finally, Steve is the cleaner. After the restaurant is closed, he cleans the tables and the floors. I love my job at the restaurant. I work with very friendly people. 

Reading 4-2: The Hospital

Listen:

A smiling young man wearing nurse scrubs and a stethoscope in a hospital setting.
My name is Robert, and I work at a hospital. I am a nurse, and I love my job. I take care of patients and give them their medicine. There are many workers at my hospital. First, Chen, Janet, and Ivan are doctors. They perform surgeries and answer many questions. Also, they manage the nurses. Next, Sue and Frank are security guards. They walk around the building and make sure everyone is safe.  Next, Angel and Wendy work at the front desk. They greet people when they arrive at the hospital and help them find the correct room. Finally, Sandy and John are directors. They manage the schedules and support all workers. I really love my job at the hospital.

Reading 4-3: My Hometown at Night

Listen:

A neon sign for a pizza shop at night.
It is a beautiful night in my hometown. There is a full moon, and there are many stars in the sky. I can see a pizza delivery man on a bicycle. He is wearing glasses. Also, there are two men that are walking with two pizzas in each hand. The man on the right is wearing a red hat, and the other one has brown hair. I can also see a hungry cat on the sidewalk.  There is another hungry cat sitting beside a tree.  

Reading 4-4: The Park 1

Listen:

A park bench near a park trail.
It is a sunny day in the park. I see a man on a bench. He is reading a newspaper and eating a banana. Also, I see two boys playing soccer and laughing. There is also a woman who is walking and listening to music. Finally, there is a man with a white shirt and a woman with a red shirt who are walking together. It is a very beautiful day in the park, and everyone is having a great time.

Reading 4-5: The Park 2

Listen:

Three yellow ducklings swimming in a pond.
My name is Marco, and I am at the park with my family today. It is sunny and warm. I am beside my younger son, and we are watching a duck swim on the lake. My older son is playing frisbee with our dog. Also, my daughter is flying a big, purple kite. Finally, there is a bird feeding two baby birds in a tree. The baby birds are hungry, and the mother bird is happy. It is a great day with my children.

Reading 4-6: A Beautiful City

Listen:

A small town street with a grocery store on one side and a bookstore across the street.
My city is beautiful. It is small, but it has many places to visit. For example, there is an amazing bookstore. It sells new and used books, and it is very cute. You can also buy hot or cold coffee there. There is a swimming pool across from the park.  It is on Maple Street. Sometimes, I go for a walk in the beautiful park, and after that, I go to the swimming pool to swim with my children. There are not many people in my city, so it is never very busy. There is also a large grocery store that sells fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat. It is clean, and the workers are very friendly and helpful.  It has a big parking lot beside it and a movie theater behind it. Also, there are two banks. This is very convenient for me. Finally, there is a music store beside my favourite bank. It is on Davis Street. It is not very big, but it has many different kinds of music, so I really like it. My city has lots of places to visit, so I never feel bored.​

Vocabulary

Bench

Beside

Bookstore

Customer

Frisbee

Grocery store

Hometown

Hospital

Kite

Lake

Medicine

Park

Parking lot

Patient

Reservations

Restaurant

Sidewalk

Swimming pool

Media Attributions

References

Adobe. (2024). Adobe Firefly [Image generator].

Arizona State University. (2024). EdPlus Voiceover Generator [Voiceover audio generator].

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

  • Adobe Firefly was used to generate images, where indicated.
  • The Arizona State University EdPlus Voiceover Generator was used to create the audio recording of Reading 4-1, Reading 4-2, and Reading 4-5. Adaptations include modification of speed and/or timing, and comping of output takes.

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Foundations of Reading and Writing Copyright © 2025 by Lindsey Kasch and Lesline Fehr is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.