Approximately A2 · 100 words

The Night Train

On an overnight train, a restless passenger watches the darkness turn into a memorable sunrise.

Read at your own pace. Use the English meanings below, then answer the questions. The level is a teaching guide, not an assessment. Original stories include some British spellings and settings.

A train

The story

I once took a night train for twelve hours.

The train left at nine in the evening.

There were six beds in my compartment.

A family with two children had four of them.

The children were excited and did not want to sleep.

Their mother told them a story in a quiet voice.

After twenty minutes they were both asleep.

I could not sleep, so I looked out of the window.

The country was dark and there were very few lights.

At five in the morning the sky turned orange.

It was the most beautiful thing I saw that year.

English meanings

Save words to your review deck.

compartment
A separate space inside a train carriage.
asleep
Sleeping.
turned
Became or changed to something else; a color here.

Check your understanding

Choose an answer for each question, then open its explanation. You can try again as often as you like.

1. When did the train leave?
Show answer and story evidence

At nine in the evening

Nine in the evening is departure time; five is when the sky changes. Read the guide

The story says: “The train left at nine in the evening.”

2. How many beds were in the compartment?
Show answer and story evidence

Six

Six is the total number; the family used four. Read the guide

The story says: “There were six beds in my compartment.”

3. What color did the sky become?
Show answer and story evidence

Orange

The orange sky is the sunrise the narrator remembers. Read the guide

The story says: “At five in the morning the sky turned orange.”