Alice was sitting by the river with her sister on a warm summer afternoon. She was getting bored because her sister was reading a book without any pictures. Suddenly, a white rabbit with pink eyes ran past her. The rabbit took a watch out of his pocket and said, 'Oh dear, I shall be late!' Alice had never seen a rabbit with a pocket watch before. She jumped up and followed the rabbit across the field. The rabbit disappeared down a large hole under a hedge. Without thinking twice, Alice jumped into the hole after him. She found herself falling down what seemed like a very deep well. The sides of the well were filled with cupboards, bookshelves, and maps. She fell for so long that she began to feel sleepy. Finally, she landed on a pile of dry leaves. Alice found herself in a long hallway with many doors. She tried every door, but they were all locked. Then she noticed a tiny golden key on a glass table. The key opened a tiny door that was only fifteen inches high. Through the door, Alice could see the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. But she was too big to fit through the tiny door. Alice found a bottle on the table with a label that said 'DRINK ME'. She drank it and began to shrink until she was only ten inches tall. Now she was the right size, but she had left the key on the table above her. Alice sat down and began to cry. Then she noticed a small cake with the words 'EAT ME' written on it. She ate it and grew so tall that her head hit the ceiling. Poor Alice began to cry again, and her tears formed a pool around her feet. After drinking more of the magic liquid, Alice shrank again and fell into the pool of tears. She swam through the pool and met a Mouse who was also swimming there. Together they reached the shore where many strange animals had gathered. To dry off, they had a Caucus Race where everyone ran in circles. Alice wandered on and soon met a large blue Caterpillar sitting on a mushroom. The Caterpillar was smoking a long pipe and looked at Alice with sleepy eyes. 'Who are you?' asked the Caterpillar in a slow, lazy voice. Alice did not know how to answer because she had changed so many times that day. The Caterpillar told her that one side of the mushroom would make her grow taller. The other side would make her grow shorter. Alice took a piece from each side and continued her journey. She came to a house where she saw a grinning Cheshire Cat sitting in a tree. The Cat's smile was so wide that it stretched from ear to ear. 'Would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?' asked Alice. 'That depends on where you want to get to,' said the Cat. The Cat told her about the March Hare and the Mad Hatter who lived nearby. 'They are both mad,' warned the Cat before slowly disappearing. His body vanished first, leaving only his famous grin floating in the air. Alice found the March Hare and the Mad Hatter having tea in the garden. A sleepy Dormouse sat between them at the long table. The tea party was very strange, with riddles that had no answers. The Hatter kept asking, 'Why is a raven like a writing desk?' Time seemed to have stopped for them, and it was always six o'clock, time for tea. Alice left the mad tea party and wandered into a beautiful garden. There she saw gardeners painting white roses red. They explained that they had planted the wrong color and the Queen would be furious. Suddenly, a loud trumpet sounded and the Queen of Hearts arrived. The Queen was a very angry woman who shouted 'Off with their heads!' at everyone. The King of Hearts followed behind her, looking much kinder and quieter. The Queen invited Alice to play croquet, but the game was very peculiar. The balls were live hedgehogs and the mallets were flamingos. The Queen cheated at the game and kept ordering executions. Alice met the Duchess, who had a baby that turned into a pig. Then she was called to be a witness at a very important trial. The Knave of Hearts was accused of stealing the Queen's tarts. The King was the judge, and the trial made no sense at all. Alice began to grow larger again during the trial. She grew so tall that she was no longer afraid of the Queen. 'You are nothing but a pack of cards!' Alice shouted at the Queen. At this, all the cards rose up and flew at her face. Alice screamed and tried to push them away. She woke up on the riverbank with her head in her sister's lap. Her sister was gently brushing away some dry leaves that had fallen on her face. 'Wake up, Alice dear,' said her sister. 'You have been sleeping for a long time.' 'Oh, I have had such a curious dream!' said Alice. She told her sister about all the wonderful and strange things she had seen. The White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts all seemed so real. Her sister smiled and kissed her forehead. 'Now run along home for tea,' she said. 'It is getting late.' Alice got up and ran home, thinking about her wonderful adventure. She would never forget her time in Wonderland.
English Story (B1)Alice in Wonderland
This B1 English story is designed for intermediates learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Alice follows a White Rabbit down a rabbit hole into a magical underground world called Wonderland. She meets extraordinary characters including the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the tyrannical Queen of Hearts. After many strange adventures with shrinking potions and growing cakes, Alice wakes up to discover it was all a dream.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
Why did Alice follow the White Rabbit?
2
What did the Caterpillar tell Alice about the mushroom?
3
Why were the gardeners painting the roses red?
4
What happened at the end of Alice's adventure?
Vocabulary
41 words from this story
