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Reading Short Stories/Content for English Learners

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Short Story 642 – The Night Shift (UpB)

It was Alex’s first night as a security guard. He sat in the quiet, cold office building. It was one hundred floors high. He was on the ground floor. The clock said 2 a.m.

Everything was dark and still. He watched the cameras on his computer screen. Then, on one screen, a light turned on. It was a computer in an office on the 55th floor. Alex felt his heart beat faster. He was alone.

He took his torch and went to the lift. The lift doors opened quietly. He went up to floor 55. The doors opened. The office was quiet, but a single computer screen was bright. He walked slowly towards it. A door to the next office opened just a little. A small sound came from inside.

Alex was scared. He spoke in a loud voice. “Hello? Is anyone there?” There was no answer. He pushed the door open. A man was sitting at a desk. The man looked up, surprised. “Oh, hello,” the man said. “I’m Leo. I’m a programmer. I’m just fixing a small problem with the security system.” He smiled. “Sorry, I forgot to tell security I was here.”

Alex felt his fear disappear. “That’s okay,” he said. “It’s my first night.” He looked at the man’s screen. There were lots of green lines of code. Alex smiled back. Everything was fine.


Vocabulary Notes

Security Guard
A security guard is a person who protects a building or an area.
Example: “It was Alex’s first night as a security guard.”
Similar words: protector, watchman.

Clock
A clock is an object that shows the time.
Example: “The clock said 2 a.m.”
Similar words: timepiece.

Screen
A screen is the flat, glass part of a computer or television where images are shown.
Example: “He watched the cameras on his computer screen.”
Similar words: monitor, display.

Lift
A lift is a small room that moves up and down inside a building, carrying people and things.
Example: “He took his torch and went to the lift.”
Similar words: elevator (this is the American English word).

Programmer
A programmer is a person who writes code for computers.
Example: “I’m a programmer.”
Similar words: software developer, coder.

Story written by Gemini AI.

Image created by 1min.ai.

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