The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (ESL/EFL Version with Audio)
By Qiliang Feng and Mark Twain
()
About this ebook
This is Book 10, Collection I, 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 | 84.99
Total word count | 37343
Words beyond 1500 | 1800
Unknown word percentage (%) | 4.82
Unknown headword occurrence | 3.24
Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 108
Unknown words that occur 2 times or more | 323
[Synopsis]
This book is rewritten from “Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by the famous American writer Mark Twain (1835 - 1910).
Tom Sawyer is a naughty but good-hearted boy. He lives in his aunt’s house with his half-brother Sid. Like many boys of his age, he hates school, and hopes to live a life of adventures.
Tom’s real adventure begins one night when he and Huck Finn accidentally witness a murder case. They are so terrified that they swear never to tell. The real murderer is the cruel Indian Joe, but the innocent man, Muff Potter, is arrested.
Can the boys keep quiet about the murder?
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.
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (ESL/EFL Version with Audio) - Qiliang Feng
About This Book
This is Book 10, Collection I, 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 | 85
Total word count | 37343
Words beyond 1500 | 1800
Unknown word percentage (%) | 4.82
Unknown headword occurrence | 3.24
Unknown words that occur 5 times or more | 108
Unknown words that occur 2 times or more |322
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
This book is rewritten from "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by the famous American writer Mark Twain (1835 - 1910).
Tom Sawyer is a naughty but good-hearted boy. He lives in his aunt’s house with his half-brother Sid. Like many boys of his age, he hates school, and hopes to live a life of adventures.
Tom’s real adventure begins one night when he and Huck Finn accidentally witness a murder case. They are so terrified that they swear never to tell. The real murderer is the cruel Indian Joe, but the innocent man, Muff Potter, is arrested.
Can the boys keep quiet about the murder?
Chapter 1. Tom Plays, Fights, and Hides
Tom!
No answer.
Tom!
No answer.
Where has that boy gone, I wonder? You Tom!
No answer.
The old lady pulled her glasses down and looked over them about the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy. She looked puzzled for a moment, and then said:
Well, if I get hold of you, I’ll -
She did not finish, for by this time she was bending down and pushing the broom under the bed, but only the cat came out.
She went to the open door and looked out among the tomato plants and weeds in the garden. No Tom. So she lifted up her voice and shouted:
T-o-m, Tom!
There was a slight noise behind her and she turned just in time to seize a small boy before he could run away.
There! I didn’t think of that closet. What have you been doing in there?
Nothing.
Nothing! Look at your hands. And look at your mouth. What IS that?
I don’t know, aunt.
Well, I know. It’s jam. I’ve said many times if you touched that jam I’d skin you. Hand me that stick.
The stick rose in the air -
Oh! Look behind you, aunt!
The old lady quickly turned round and saved her skirts out of danger. The boy ran away at once, climbed up the high board-fence, and disappeared over it.
His aunt Polly stood surprised a moment, and then gave a gentle laugh.
Why, can’t I ever learn anything? Hasn’t he played enough tricks like that on me before? He’s my own dead sister’s boy, poor thing, and I don’t have the heart to punish him, somehow. Every time I let him off, my conscience hurts me so, and every time I hit him my old heart almost breaks. He’ll play truant this afternoon. I’ll just have to make him work tomorrow, to punish him. It’s very hard to make him work Saturdays, when all the boys is having holiday, but he hates work more than he hates anything else, and I have to do some of my duty by him, or I’ll spoil the child.
Tom did play truant, and he had a very good time. He got back home just in time to help Jim, the small colored boy, with the firewood - at least he was there in time to tell his adventures to Jim while Jim did most of the work. Tom’s younger brother (or rather half-brother) Sid had already done his part of the work, for he was a quiet boy and was not adventurous or troublesome.
While Tom was eating his supper, and stealing sugar whenever he could, Aunt Polly asked him clever questions to find out whether Tom had gone swimming during the afternoon.
Tom, it was very hot in school, wasn’t it?
Yes, auntie.
Didn’t you want to go swimming, Tom?
Tom felt a little afraid. He searched Aunt Polly’s face, but it told him nothing. So he said:
No, auntie - well, not very much.
The old lady reached out her hand and felt Tom’s shirt, and said:
But you aren’t too warm now, though.
And she was pleased that she had discovered that the shirt was dry while nobody knew that was what she had in her mind. Now, Tom knew what she meant, so he said:
Some of us pumped water on our heads - mine is still wet. See?
Aunt Polly was not pleased to think she had not noticed that. Then she had a new idea. She had sewn up his shirt at the neck, so she asked:
Tom, you didn’t have to open your shirt collar where I sewed it, to pump water on your head, did you? Open your jacket!
He opened his jacket. His shirt collar was firmly sewed.
Well, go out and play. I thought you’d played truant and been swimming.
She was glad that Tom had listened to her for once.
But Sidney said, Well, you sewed his collar with white thread, but it’s black.
Why, I did sew it with white! Tom!
But Tom did not wait for the rest. As he went out at the door he said, Sid, I’ll beat you for that.
In a safe place Tom examined two large needles in the collars of his jacket. One needle had white thread and the other black. He said, She’d never have noticed if it hadn’t been for Sid. Damn it! Sometimes she sews it with white, and sometimes she sews it with black. I wish she’d stick to only one color. But I’ll hit Sid for that!
Within two minutes, or even less, he had forgotten all his troubles. The summer evenings were long. It was not dark, yet. A stranger was before him - a boy a little larger than himself. A stranger of any age would make people in the poor little village of St. Petersburg curious. This boy was well dressed, too well dressed on a weekday. This was simply surprising. He had shoes on - and it was only Friday. He even wore a necktie. He looked as if he had come from the city, and his fine clothes made Tom’s look worn-out. Neither boy spoke. They kept face to face and eye to eye all the time. Finally Tom said:
I can beat you!
I’d like to see you try it.
Well, I can do it.
No you can’t, either.
Yes I can.
No you can’t.
I can.
You can’t.
Can!
Can’t!
There was an uncomfortable pause. Then Tom said:
Oh, you think you’re very smart, don’t you? I could beat you with one hand tied behind me, if I wanted to.
Well, why don’t you do it? You say you can do it. It’s because you’re afraid.
I’m not afraid.
You are.
Soon they were shoulder to shoulder. Tom said:
Get away from here!
Go away yourself!
I won’t.
I won’t either.
So they stood, both pushing hard and glaring at each other with hate. But neither could get an advantage. After struggling till both were hot and red, they stopped and Tom said:
"You’re a coward. I’ll tell my big brother on[1] you, and he can beat you with his little finger, and I’ll make him do it, too."
What do I care for your big brother? I’ve got a brother that’s bigger than he is - and what’s more, he can throw him over that fence, too.
Tom drew a line in the dust with his big toe, and said:
If you step over that, I’ll beat you till you can’t stand up.
The new boy stepped over at once, and said:
Now you said you’d do it, now let’s see you do it.
For two cents I will do it.
The new boy took two cents out of his pocket and held them out. Tom struck them to the ground. In an instant both boys were rolling and falling in the dirt; and for a minute they pulled and tore at each other’s hair and clothes, hit and scratched each other’s nose, and covered themselves with dust and glory. Soon through the fog of battle Tom appeared, seated on the new boy, and beating him with his fists. Say ‘enough!’
said he.
The boy only struggled to free himself. He was crying - mainly from anger.
Say ‘enough!’
- and the beating went on.
At last the stranger said Enough!
and Tom let him up and said:
Now that’ll teach you a lesson. Better look out who you’re playing with next time.
The new boy went off brushing the dust from his clothes, sobbing, and occasionally looking back and shaking his head and threatening what he would do to Tom the next time he caught him out.
Tom only made faces at him, and started off proudly, and as soon as his back was turned the new boy picked up a stone, threw it and hit him between the shoulders and then ran away fast. Tom ran after him, and thus found out where he lived. He then stood at the gate for some time, daring the enemy to come outside, but the enemy only made faces at him through the window and refused. At last the enemy’s mother appeared, and called Tom a bad child, and ordered him away. So he went away.
He got home pretty late that night, and when he climbed cautiously in at the window, he found his aunt standing in front of him; and when she saw how his clothes looked, she made up her mind to make him work on Saturday.
Chapter 2. The Glorious Whitewasher
It was Saturday morning, and all the summer world was bright and fresh, and filled with life. There was a song in every heart. There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step. The air was filled with the pleasant smell of flowers. Cardiff Hill, beyond the village and above it, was green with trees and looked beautiful.
Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash in one hand and a brush with a long handle in the other. He examined the fence, and all pleasure disappeared from him. Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high. Life to him seemed meaningless and was only a burden. Sighing, he dipped his brush and passed it along the top. He repeated the operation, compared what he had done with the long fence, and sat down on a box discouraged.
Jim came jumping out at the gate with a tin pail, and singing a song. Tom had always considered bringing water from the town pump as hateful work before, but now it did not seem so. He remembered