 A short story about a character who collects things to make something. A story by Julia Ronaldson based on the stage 3 phonic system for the Oxford Reading Tree series.

Story time with Debbie

The Scrap Rocket

Sara got an email from a company.
“I got the job! I’m going to celebrate!” she shouted.
Her sister looked at her and said,
“Hold your horses. Did you read the whole email?”
Sara checked again.
It was only an interview invitation.
She laughed and said, “Oops… I got too excited!”


Ali saw a big SALE sign and ran into the store.
“I’m going to buy everything!” he shouted.
His friend laughed and said, “Hold your horses! Check your wallet first.”
Ali stopped. He only had $10.
He smiled and said, “Okay… maybe just one T-shirt.
Idiom: Hold your horses

Meaning:
Wait a moment. Slow down. Don’t rush. Be patient.

It’s used when someone is too excited, impatient, or moving too quickly.

It is an informal expression.
Why “horses”? 
In the past, people rode horses.
If the horses moved too fast, you had to hold them to stop them.
So “hold your horses” means control yourself and slow down.

Example Sentences
“Hold your horses! I’m not ready yet.”
“Hold your horses before you spend all your money.”
“Hold your horses — let’s think about this first.”


“Hold your horses! I’m still talking.”
“Hold your horses before you quit your job.”
“Hold your horses — we need more information.”

Do you make decisions quickly, or do you take your time?

Have you ever been too excited and someone told you to calm down?

English Mini Lessons

Hold your horses

Ciao e buon venerdì santo! Dopodomani in Italia si festeggia la Pasqua!
Hello and happy Good Friday! In 2 days we are going to celebrate Easter!

Ascolta questo episodio per imparare parole nuove relative a questa festa: c'è anche la traduzione in inglese.
Listen to this episode to learn new words in Italian related to this holiday: there is also an English translation.

Download the pdf "Italian for travelers". Click here. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cocaiitaliano/e/120663

Learn Italian from scratch https://cocai-italiano.com/

More content https://linktr.ee/Cocaiitaliano

3 minutes Italian

La Pasqua - 3 minutes Italian

Switzerland has a problem, and it needs your help.

Between 1918 and 1964, lots of military ammunition was thrown into lakes around the country. At the time, it was believed to be a safe way to dispose of it.

And it wasn't a small amount, either. According to a government press release, about 8,000 metric tons of ammunition lies underwater, mostly in three lakes: Lake Thun, Lake Brienz and parts of Lake Lucerne.

Some of the ammunition lies as deep as 220 meters, and some is just a few meters deep.

Now, the country needs help getting it out, and it's offering a prize of about $58,000 for the best ideas.

Getting the ammunition out won't be easy — although it has been underwater for a long time, the risk of explosion is still high. Some of it weighs up to 50 kilograms, and the water visibility is poor in many parts of the lakes.

Some of the ammunition has components that can pollute the water and soil if moved, so the government is also looking for ideas that are environmentally friendly.

The competition to find the best idea is open now, and will run until February 2025. The three best ideas will be announced in April next year, and the winners will share the $58,000 prize.

The government said this doesn't mean the ideas will be implemented immediately, but said they could help with future research on the issue of underwater ammunition.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Switzerland Offers Prize to Get Ammunition out of Lakes

In questa puntata vedremo la storia dell'aperitivo, tradizione italiana che col tempo si è diffusa anche all'estero. 
Di seguito una parte del testo trascritto.


Breve storia dell’aperitivo
Ogni giorno non soltanto in Italia ma in tutto il mondo, molte persone prima di cena, hanno l’abitudine di bere l’aperitivo al bar. L’aperitivo è amato molto dagli stranieri che visitano l’Italia perché è un momento rilassante e divertente da passare con gli amici, casomai seduti fuori a un tavolino del bar in una piazza. L’aperitivo in teoria ha un’origine lontana e risale all’antica Roma. Infatti la parola “aperitivo” viene dal latino “aperitivus” che vuol dire “aprire”, con riferimento allo ‘stomaco’. L’aperitivo quindi servirebbe per “far venire fame”. Tuttavia l’aperitivo ‘moderno’ nasce invece nel 1786, quando Antonio Benedetto Carpano inizia la sua produzione di vermouth, un vino aromatizzato con erbe che ottiene subito un grande successo. Siccome la bottega (shop) di Carpano si trovava proprio vicino al Palazzo Reale, allora Carpano ha l’idea brillante di inviare delle bottiglie di vermouth al re. ......

Italiano espresso

Breve storia dell'aperitivo 

In this episode, we explore the ancient area of İznik in Turkey. We talk about its history, culture, and why this city is so special. At the end, as always, we will learn some new Turkish words and expressions.

Merhaba Türkçe 

A Journey to an Ancient Region in Türkiye

Привет! J'utilise la méthode TPRS, qui permet d'apprendre à bien comprendre et à utiliser activement le vocabulaire et la grammaire de niveau A1. Écoutez, répétez, répondez aux questions et vérifiez. Bonne chance! 

Утром Катя пьет кофе. Она предпочитает эспрессо. Катя покупает кофе в маленькой кофейне недалеко от офиса. Она заходит туда по пути на работу. Там очень вкусный кофе. Кофе стоит 300 рублей, это недорого. Для Кати утренний кофе - приятный и важный ритуал. Катя думает, что утро без кофе – это не утро.

кофе - café
кофейня – место, где продают кофе
продавать - vendre
пить -boire
маленькая/большая - petite/grande
недалеко от…/рядом с… - non loin de.../à côté de...
вкусный и недорогой -  délicieux et  bon marché
Сколько стоит кофе? - Combien coûte un café?
дорого/недорого -сher/bon marché
нет, конечно - bien sûr que non
предпочитать - préférer
идти/ходить - aller
заходить - еntrer
Во-первых, во-вторых, в-третьих… - tout d'abord, deuxièmement, troisièmement...

По-русски легко!

Короткие истории. 4. Кофе по утрам

Tôi đang đọc một cuốn sách có tên "Xóa bỏ định kiến "Tôi có trí nhớ kém"", nếu tiêu đề hay cách phát âm của mình còn chỗ nào còn chưa đúng please come and help me improve it!
The first episode is called " What is memory?", hope people who are learning Vietnamese enjoy~


Quyen Dang's Podcast

Delete preconception about you have a bad memory

Learn the basic French vocabulary, grammar, and expressions needed to communicate while moving around a city. We cover directions, positioning, and landmarks.
Best for beginners and elementary students!
