Listen "271. Chance of a Lifetime (B2 Story)"
Episode Synopsis
Here is the B2 story for today:A chance of a lifetime (B2)Sophie had always led a busy life. Between her job at the hospital and her evening art classes, she hardly had a moment to relax. One Friday, after a long shift, she received a last-minute call from her boyfriend, Tom. He insisted she came to the old café by the river.When Sophie arrived, the place was quiet, and Tom was waiting with a big smile. ‘You’ll never guess what’s happening,’ he said. Sophie laughed sharply. ‘You’re such a liar, Tom. You said you’d gone to Italy on business for a few days!’Tom nodded his head. ‘I did go. That was part of the surprise. I was planning something for you.’ He handed her an envelope. Inside was a plane ticket to Italy and a letter inviting her to an international art exhibition — her paintings had been chosen to be displayed.For a moment, Sophie couldn’t speak. She had always lived for her art, but never believed it would lead anywhere. ‘I can’t accept this,’ she whispered. ‘Just enjoy it,’ Tom replied gently. ‘Don’t worry about work. You can’t live on stress forever.’That evening, Sophie realised this was the chance of a lifetime — and she wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. Last but not least, she now knew that Tom was a guy worth holding on to.Support the showMy NEW book: "B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Students Need to Pass the B1 Exam" is now available! This book gives the learner enough vocabulary to pass any B1 exam (special help for Cambridge exams).To about my book, click here (you can access it from any Amazon platform):https://amzn.to/46AVFe9 Learners studying towards B2 level will be interested in my B1 to B2 reader: The Tudor Conspiracy (includes audio version) https://amzn.to/4gPsj0i For very young learners (from 8-10), I recommend my picture reader book for children learning A1 to A2 English. It comes with a fully dramatised audio version: https://amzn.to/46TCWvv Oxford Bookworm Graded Readers: Read stories at your level to improve your English. I recommend Oxford Bookworms as the best series of books for learners: https://amzn.to/4r7YVHg At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, free grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.https://www.practisingenglish.com/Be back soon with another podcast!Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)
More episodes of the podcast Practising English
281. The Fat One (B2, C1 Story - repeat)
12/12/2025
280. A Brief Meeting at Christmas (B1 Story)
10/12/2025
279. Christmas Cheer (B2 Story)
04/12/2025
278. White Christmas (B1 story)
03/12/2025
277. Family Breakfast (B2 conversation)
27/11/2025
276. B1 Linking Words (Part 2)
26/11/2025
275. B2 Linking Words
20/11/2025
274. B1 Linking Words (Part 1)
19/11/2025
273. Priorities (B2 Story)
13/11/2025
272. The Sandwich Hero (B1 Story)
12/11/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.