Once upon a time, a poor widow lived with her son Jack in a small cottage. They had very little money and only one cow to give them milk. One day, the cow stopped giving milk, and they had nothing left to sell. The mother told Jack to take the cow to the market and sell it for money. On his way to the market, Jack met a strange old man. The man offered to trade magic beans for the cow. He promised the beans would grow into something wonderful. Jack was excited and made the trade without thinking. When he returned home, his mother was furious. She scolded him for being so foolish and threw the beans out the window. They went to bed hungry and sad that night. But the next morning, something incredible had happened. A giant beanstalk had grown outside their window, reaching high into the clouds. Jack decided to climb it to see where it led. He climbed higher and higher until he reached the top. Above the clouds, he found a strange and magical land. There was a huge castle that belonged to a terrible giant. Jack was curious and walked toward the enormous building. At the door, he met the giant's wife, who was much kinder than her husband. She warned Jack that her husband ate human children for breakfast. But Jack was hungry and begged for something to eat. The kind woman gave him bread and cheese and told him to hide. Soon, the ground began to shake with heavy footsteps. The giant came home and immediately smelled something strange. He roared that he could smell the blood of an Englishman. His wife convinced him it was just the leftover dinner from last night. The giant sat down and counted his bags of gold coins. After eating, he fell asleep at the table, snoring loudly. Jack crept out of his hiding place and grabbed a bag of gold. He ran to the beanstalk and climbed down as fast as he could. His mother was overjoyed when she saw the gold. They lived well for many months, but eventually the money ran out. Jack decided to climb the beanstalk again. He reached the castle and hid in the same place as before. This time, the giant brought out a hen that laid golden eggs. Jack watched in amazement as the hen produced a perfect golden egg. When the giant fell asleep, Jack grabbed the hen and ran. The hen continued to lay golden eggs for Jack and his mother. They became quite wealthy, but Jack could not resist one more adventure. He climbed the beanstalk a third time, knowing it was dangerous. This time, he hid in a copper pot in the kitchen. The giant came home and again sensed that something was wrong. He searched the house but could not find Jack in the pot. After dinner, the giant brought out a magical golden harp. The harp could play beautiful music all by itself. Its songs were so lovely that the giant soon fell asleep. Jack jumped out and grabbed the harp. But the harp cried out for its master to wake up. The giant woke with a terrible roar and chased after Jack. Jack ran faster than he had ever run in his life. He reached the beanstalk and began climbing down rapidly. The giant followed him, making the whole beanstalk shake. Jack shouted for his mother to bring him the axe. As soon as he reached the ground, he began chopping the beanstalk. The giant was still high above when the beanstalk started to fall. With a mighty crash, the beanstalk and the giant came tumbling down. The giant hit the ground and was never seen again. Jack and his mother were finally safe and very rich. They had the golden eggs from the hen and music from the harp. The villagers came to admire their wealth and hear the magical music. Jack grew up to be a wise and generous young man. He never forgot how poor they had once been. He shared his fortune with others who needed help. His mother was proud of the man he had become. They lived happily in their cottage for many years. Some say the magical harp still plays on quiet nights. And Jack's bravery became a legend that people told for generations.
Jack and the Beanstalk
English Story for Intermediates (B1)
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
A poor boy named Jack trades his family's only cow for magic beans. When his angry mother throws them out, they grow into a giant beanstalk reaching the clouds. Jack climbs up three times to a giant's castle, stealing gold, a hen that lays golden eggs, and a magical harp. On his third adventure, the giant chases him down, but Jack cuts down the beanstalk just in time, defeating the giant and securing his family's wealth forever.
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