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High Intermediate (B1 High) CEFR B1

The Unicorn Who Saved the Heart

Duration

5 min read

Length

300 words

Story

5 paragraphs

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Story Excerpt

Sample preview reading passage

Paragraphs 1–2 of 5

In a cozy house on Maple Street, a small unicorn named Sparkle lived with her best friend, a red blood cell called Ruby. Sparkle had a shiny horn that glowed whenever she got excited. Ruby, however, was worried because a villain named Dr. Clot had been sneaking around the house. Dr. Clot wanted to block all the tubes and stop the heart from working. "We must stop him," Sparkle said. "If we don't, the whole body will suffer."

Sparkle and Ruby decided to follow Dr. Clot into the mysterious hallway that looked like a giant artery. The artery was a large tube that carried blood away from the heart. As they walked, Ruby explained, "The heart is a powerful pump that pushes blood around the body." Sparkle nodded, but she was a bit scared. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise. Dr. Clot was building a wall of sticky fat to block the artery. "You'll never stop me!" he laughed.

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Educational Objectives

Story Details

Grammar focus and learning objectives covered in this story.

Grammar Level

B1 · Present Simple, First Conditional, Past Simple

Learning Outcomes

Read and understand a story about the heart and blood flow.
Recognise and use target vocabulary: artery, pump, oxygen, nutrition, exercise.
Use the present simple to describe facts about the heart.
Form first conditional sentences to talk about real possibilities.
Answer comprehension questions about the story's plot and moral.

Grammar Focus

Present Simple for facts and habits

Use the present simple to talk about general truths, routines, and things that happen regularly.

“ The heart is a powerful pump that pushes blood around the body.

Tip: Remember to add -s or -es to the verb when the subject is he, she, or it.

First conditional (If + present simple, will + base verb)

Use the first conditional to talk about real or possible future situations and their results.

“ If we exercise every day, Dr. Clot can't come back.

Tip: Use the present simple in the if-clause, not 'will'.

Past Simple for completed actions

Use the past simple to talk about actions that started and finished in the past.

“ Sparkle and Ruby celebrated with a dance.

Tip: Regular verbs add -ed, but many common verbs are irregular (e.g., go → went, see → saw).

Reading tip

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