​The Ant: Story in Present Simple/Present Continuous

Level: A2

The Ant is dragging a straw to the ant-hill. The straw is growing heavier and heavier. The Ant sits down. The Ant is resting.

The Beetle passes by. “Why are you working so hard?” he asks. “And for whom are you working?” The Ant is thinking. After a long pause he says: “For all my friend-ants, of course.”

“You can work just for yourself” says the beetle. “You can go anywhere. You can have more time. You can play and relax.”

“It’s a good idea,” says the Ant. “I can build a little house. I can fill it with food and enjoy my life.”

He drops the straw. He is looking for a good place. He finds the good place for his house. He is building. The house is very nice. The Ant is carrying lots of food into the house.

One day, it is heavily raining. The rain sweeps away the house. The Ant is homeless.

“I can build another house in a tree stump,” the Ant says. And so he does.

But soon a big caterpillar comes up. The caterpillar is tunnelling through the stump. The caterpillar is inside the Ant’s house.

The Ant is fighting hard against the caterpillar. At last the caterpillar is out. But alas! The tiny, neat home is shattered.

The Ant is crawling out. The Ant is so weak that he soon faints.

Another ant sees him. He is lying breathless. The friend-ant carries him to the ant-hill. All the ants are looking after the sick Ant. At last the Ant opens his eyes. He is back in his old home.

“Forgive me for running away!” he cries. This is a good lesson for me.