The Adventures of Pinocchio (ESL/EFL Version with Audioo)

By Qiliang Feng and C. Collodi

This is Book 2, Collection III, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words.
Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions.

[Text Information]
Readability | 82.14
Total word count | 24183
Words beyond 1500 | 1133
Unknown word percentage (%) | 4.69
Unknown headword occurrence | 3.25
Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 64
Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 193

[Synopsis]
Poor Geppetto carves a marionette and names it Pinocchio. Pinocchio wishes to become a real child. But like many children, he is naughty and often runs away from school. After many adventures, he is taken to the Land of Toys. There, he turns into a donkey. And at last, he falls into the belly of a big shark....
Can his wish be realized after all?
This book is rewritten from “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by the Italian author C. Collodi (1826 – 1890), published in 1880. It has been translated into over 240 languages worldwide and has been made into plays and films many times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Qiliang Feng
• Release date: Dec 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311737342

Qiliang Feng

Qiliang Feng has been a teacher of English in senior high schools since 1983. He is a keen supporter of reading in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and is expert at rewriting graded/simplified ESL(English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) readers. He has published several series of English reading course books and is promoting a reading project called Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP), in which ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words) are expected to read one million words within two or three years, and reach the upper-intermediate level easily.

Book preview

About This Book

This is Book 1, Collection III, of the Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) readers. It is suitable for learners with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words.

Million-Word Reading Project (MWRP) is a reading project for ESL/EFL learners at the elementary level (with a basic vocabulary of 1,500 words). In two years, for about fifteen minutes each day, an ESL/EFL learner can read one million words, and reach the upper-intermediate level, gaining a vocabulary of about 3,500 words and a large number of expressions.

Text Information

Readability | 82.1

Total word count | 24183

Words beyond 1500 | 1133

Unknown word percentage (%) | 4.69

Unknown headword occurrence | 3.25

Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 64

Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 193

Notes:

1. About readability: This is Flesch Reading Ease Readability calculated with MS WORD. The higher the score, the easier the text is to read.

Score | Level

0-29 | Very difficult

30-49 | Difficult

50-59 | Fairly difficult

60-69 | Standard

70-79 | Fairly easy

80-89 | Easy

90-100 | Very easy

2. This e-version does not give the meanings of unknown words. You can look them up with the dictionary on your e-reader. For words with different meanings and some expressions, we give their meanings at the end of the passages. We also provide some necessary background information.

3. To get the audio or video of this book, GO>>>

Synopsis

Poor Geppetto carves a marionette and names it Pinocchio. Pinocchio wishes to become a real child. But like many children, he is naughty and often runs away from school. After many adventures, he is taken to the Land of Toys. There, he turns into a donkey. And at last, he falls into the belly of a big shark….

Can his wish be realized after all?

This book is rewritten from "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by the Italian author C. Collodi (1826 – 1890), published in 1880. It has been translated into over 240 languages worldwide and has been made into plays and films many times.

Chapter 1. Master Cherry and a Piece of Wood

Once upon a time, there was a piece of wood in the shop of an old carpenter. His real name was Master Antonio, but everyone called him Master Cherry, for the tip of his nose looked like a ripe cherry.

As soon as he saw that piece of wood, Master Cherry was filled with joy. He decided to use it to make the leg of a table.

He grasped the hatchet quickly to cut off the bark. But suddenly he heard a little voice: Please be careful! Do not hit me so hard!

Master Cherry’s face looked surprised! His funny face became still funnier.

He looked about the room and he saw no one! He looked under the bench - no one! He opened the door to look up and down the street - and still no one!

Oh, I see! he then said, laughing. It can easily be seen that I only thought I heard the tiny voice say the words! Well, well - to work once more.

He struck a heavy blow upon the piece of wood.

Oh, oh! You hurt! cried the same little voice.

Master Cherry grew so surprised that his mouth opened wide, and his tongue hung down.

Where did that voice come from? he asked. Can it be that this piece of wood has learned to cry like a child? I can hardly believe it! I only imagined I heard the tiny voice! Well, well - to work once more!

He picked up the plane[1] to make the wood smooth, but as he drew it back and forth, he heard the same tiny voice:

Stop it! Oh, stop it! Ha, ha, ha! You tickle my stomach.

This time poor Master Cherry fell as if shot. When he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on the floor.

At that very moment, a loud knock sounded on the door. Come in, said the carpenter.

The door opened and a little old man came in. His name was Geppetto.

Good day, Master Antonio, said Geppetto. I have come to you to beg for a favor.

Here I am, at your service, answered the carpenter, standing up.

I want to make myself a beautiful wooden Marionette. It must be able to dance, fence, and turn somersaults. With it I intend to go around the world, to earn my bread and cup of wine. I want a piece of wood. Will you give it to me?

Master Antonio was very glad. He gave Geppetto the piece of wood which had frightened him so much.

Geppetto took the fine piece of wood, thanked Master Antonio, and went away toward home.

Chapter 2. Pinocchio and the Talking Cricket

Geppetto’s house was a small room on the ground floor. As soon as he reached home, Geppetto took his tools and began to cut and shape the wood into a Marionette.

I’ll call him PINOCCHIO, he said to himself. Then Geppetto set seriously to work to make the hair, the forehead, the eyes. Imagine how surprised he was when he noticed that these eyes moved and then stared at him. Geppetto, seeing this, said angrily:

Ugly wooden eyes, why do you stare so?

There was no answer.

Then Geppetto made the nose. When it was finished, it began to stretch. It stretched and stretched and stretched till it became so long, it seemed endless.

Poor Geppetto kept cutting it and cutting it, but the more he cut, the longer grew that nose. At last, he let it alone.

Next he made the mouth. No sooner was it finished than it began to laugh at him.

Stop laughing! said Geppetto angrily.

The mouth stopped laughing, but it stuck out a long tongue.

Not wishing to start an argument, Geppetto pretended he saw nothing and went on with his work. After the mouth, he made the chin, then the neck, the shoulders, the stomach, the arms, and the hands.

As he was about to finish the finger tips, Geppetto felt his wig being pulled off. He glanced up and saw his yellow wig was in the Marionette’s hand. Pinocchio, give me my wig!

But instead of giving it back, Pinocchio put it on his own head. Geppetto became very sad.

Pinocchio, you bad boy! he cried out. You are not yet finished, and you are impolite to your poor old father. Very bad, my son, very bad!

And he wiped away a tear.

When the legs and feet were made, Geppetto took hold of the Marionette under the arms and put him on the floor to teach him to walk.

Later, Pinocchio started walking by himself and ran all around the room. He came to the open door, and jumped out into the street. Away he flew! Poor Geppetto ran after him but was unable to catch him.

Catch him! Catch him! Geppetto kept shouting. But the people in the street stood still to stare and to laugh until they cried.

At last, a policeman happened to come along. Hearing all that noise, he stood bravely in the middle of the street. Pinocchio saw the Policeman from far away and tried his best to escape, but without success.

The Policeman grabbed him by the long nose and returned him to Master Geppetto.

The little old man seized Pinocchio by the back of the neck and took him home. As he was doing so, he shook him two or three times and said to him angrily:

We’re going home now. When we get home, then we’ll settle this matter!

Hearing this, Pinocchio threw himself on the ground and refused to take another step. One person after another gathered around the two.

Poor Marionette, called out a man. "I