童话、寓言、故事以及科幻小说，都是孩子们喜爱的读物。小编分享关于较短的英语故事，希望可以帮助大家!

关于较短的英语故事：48 Homes Burn Down

Bill told Jimi to look up at the ridge, near the park. Bill thought he saw flames. Jimi went outside with his binoculars. He could see a suspicious glow. Using the binoculars, he could see flames. “God damn it!” he yelled.

He called Bill back. Then he and Bill started calling one neighbor after another, as they had established a fire warning and evacuation plan years ago. The whole community of 98 homeowners managed to get into their cars with their families and pets and just a few of their material possessions. They all survived the raging fire.

Unfortunately, 48 homes were destroyed and 27 were damaged. The fire engines were just not close enough to the community to get there before the Santa Ana winds, gusting up to 60 mph, ripped through the canyon. The next day, firefighters declared that the fire was a result of “human activity,” although they hadn’t determined if the fire was deliberate or accidental.

Homeowners were allowed to return to their home sites to assess damages. Most homeowners were philosophical about their losses. “We’ve got our families and our friends. That’s far more important than our homes and other possessions,” said Eve Grant.

But Jimi Hendrix was less even-tempered. “Common sense would tell anybody that you don’t set fires in a wooded area when the wind is blowing like crazy. Any idiot would know that. As far as I'm concerned, these bastards ought to be burned at the stake. And I’d grab me a front-row seat.”

关于较短的英语故事：The Starbucks Robbery

It is a crime that is getting to be common in Los Angeles. Customers are enjoying their meals at a restaurant. Two or more criminals stroll in and start waving their guns at everyone. They demand that everyone put their wallets or empty their purses into a bag, and then the gunmen stroll out. They usually wear hoodies or baseball caps with sunglasses to thwart identification.

At 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, the business establishment was a Starbucks. Three young men walked in, emptied the cash register, robbed the employees and the customers, and walked out to their stolen SUV. The police were able to respond quickly. A chase ended with one police car ramming the SUV from behind on the Third Street overpass. The SUV came to a stop, but, as usually happens, the three criminals were unhurt. They immediately hopped out of the SUV and started running in three different directions. It took about 10 minutes to catch two of them; one had hidden in a dumpster, and the other had broken a car window and hidden in the car.

The third one, instead of running, had decided it was quicker to jump off the overpass onto the freeway 20 feet below. He landed in an emergency lane, but did not get up and run. He did not get up at all. When police got to him, he was dead. “Too bad he wasn’t holding hands with the other two when he jumped,” said one officer, who asked to remain nameless.

关于较短的英语故事：New Year Celebrations

Different countries and cultures celebrate the new year in different ways. Many countries still follow the lunar calendar, meaning that their new year often starts in late January or in February. New Year celebrations for some countries (like China, Vietnam, and Korea) last not one day, but up to two weeks!

In the US, many people attend or throw New Year parties. They drink champagne, dance, and cheer at the stroke of midnight. Men kiss women who happen to stand under mistletoe. Fireworks, which in olden times scared away evil spirits, are very popular throughout the US, as they are throughout much of the world. US residents often make one or more New Year’s resolutions, such as promising to quit smoking, lose weight, or stop drinking. Most of these resolutions last little longer than a month.

In the southern US, many people eat black-eyed peas for good luck in the new year. In Mexico and Venezuela, many people wear red or yellow underwear for good luck. In Brazil, residents wear white clothes for good luck, and in China, they wear red clothes and give children red envelopes with money in them. In Iran, people wear brand new clothes on the first day of the new year.

In Scotland, homeowners open the front door at midnight to let in the new year, and open the back door to let out the old year. In Switzerland, people kiss each other three times at midnight. In Spain, people eat 12 grapes—one per chime—as the clock chimes midnight. In Japan, they ring a bell 108 times to get rid of the 108 bad desires that people have. In Korea they ring a bell 33 times in honor of 33 ancient soldiers.

In Colombia, families make a rag doll called “Mr. Old Year.” They dress it in old clothes and stuff it with things that the family doesn’t want anymore. Then at midnight, they set the doll on fire, to rid themselves of all the bad things of the previous year.