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The Long Way Home

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Bea pauses beside her bicycle on a new route through town and notices a small bicycle repair shop.

Bea cycled home along the river every day. One afternoon, a sign said the path was closed for repairs. She had to ride through a part of town she did not know well.

At first, she was annoyed. The other route had more traffic and took ten minutes longer. Then she passed a small shop with bicycles outside.

For weeks, one of her brakes had made a strange noise. The bigger repair shop near her office was always busy. Bea stopped and asked the man inside if he could look at it.

He fixed the problem in a few minutes. While he worked, Bea noticed a map on the wall. It showed several quiet cycling routes.

The man gave her a copy. The next day, she tried one of them. It was not the fastest way home, but it went through a lovely park. This time, she did not mind the extra minutes.

Words in paragraphs you spend time reading are added to Seen, once per text per UTC day. This estimates exposure, not understanding.

Check your understanding

1. Why does Bea change her route?
2. What problem does the man fix?
3. Why does Bea enjoy the next day's longer journey?

Original AI-assisted fiction. CEFR levels are estimates.

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