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High Intermediate (B1 High) Language Learning CEFR B1

The City Unicorn's Secret

Duration

5 min read

Length

320 words

Story

5 paragraphs

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Story Excerpt

Sample preview reading passage

Paragraphs 1–2 of 5

Maya had never seen a real unicorn before, although she had read about them in stories. "Why have you come to the city?" she asked, her voice trembling. The unicorn lowered its head and replied, "I have lost my magic stone in these crowded streets. If I cannot find it by sunrise, I will lose my power forever."

Suddenly, a group of hunters entered the alley, carrying shining traps. "Let's run!" Maya whispered urgently, but the unicorn remained calm. "Wait," it said softly, "they will follow fast movements. We should hide and wait for them to pass." Maya felt her heart pounding, yet she trusted the unicorn's judgment.

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Educational Objectives

Story Details

Grammar focus and learning objectives covered in this story.

Grammar Level

B1 · Present Perfect, Second Conditional, Past Perfect

Learning Outcomes

Recognise and understand the present perfect to talk about experiences and recent events.
Use the second conditional to discuss imaginary situations and their results.
Identify and form the past perfect to sequence past events correctly.
Answer comprehension questions about the story's plot and characters.
Discuss themes of patience and trust using the grammar structures practised.

Grammar Focus

Present Perfect: subject + have/has + past participle

Use the present perfect to talk about experiences or actions that happened at an unspecified time before now, often when the result is important in the present.

“ I have lost my magic stone in these crowded streets.

Tip: Remember that the present perfect is not used with specific past time expressions like 'yesterday' or 'last week'.

Second Conditional: If + past simple, would/could + base verb

Use the second conditional to talk about imaginary or unlikely situations in the present or future, and their hypothetical results.

“ If we had moved earlier, we could have escaped by now.

Tip: In the if-clause, use the past simple even though the meaning is present or future; in the main clause, use 'would' or 'could' plus the base verb.

Past Perfect: subject + had + past participle

Use the past perfect to talk about an action that happened before another past action or time.

“ he had felt guilty.

Tip: Use the past perfect for the earlier action and the past simple for the later action to show the order of events clearly.

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