Chicken Little

2023 · VOA Learning English

This speaker is a general-american model. Each line below can be recorded and scored against it.

Transcript

1. And now an American Children’s Story from VOA Learning English.

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2. Today’s story probably had its start long before it was published in Europe long ago. It might have first been known as “Henny Penny.”

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3. But the story has been told to American children at least since the mid-1800s under a title similar to “Chicken Little.”

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4. Generations have heard and thought about the lessons of the little chicken who causes big problems for a group of well-meaning but not-so-thoughtful birds.

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5. Today’s version is based on two examples of the story. One is called Remarkable Story of Chicken Little

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6. John Green Chandler had it published in the city of Boston, Massachusetts in 1842.

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7. Katharine Pyle published her 1918 version in Mother’s Nursery Tales

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8. The story has taken on its own American qualities and is a little like a parable, a story that teaches a moral lesson.

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9. Later retellings including a few movie versions have made changes to some of the characters or aimed to teach different ideas.

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10. Here is the story Chicken Little in VOA Learning English. One day, Chicken Little fell asleep under some flowers.

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11. Cow wandered by, reached over the fence and bit off some flowers. The noise wakened Chicken Little just as a flower petal fell on her tail.

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12. "Squawk! Squawk!” cried Chicken Little, frightened by the petal’s landing.

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13. “The sky is falling,” she continued, her call rising louder with her terror. “Squawk!

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14. Squawk!” And, she jumped up and began to run, moving as fast as her two legs would carry her.

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15. She did not stop running until she came to the barnyard. There, she found Henny Penny scratching in the dirt of the barnyard.

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16. “Oh, Henny Penny, do not scratch—run!” cried Chicken Little.

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17. “The sky is falling.” The scratching stopped.

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18. Then Hen called out: “How do you know that, Chicken Little?” “I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail.

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19. Let us run, until we get some place.” “Squawk!

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20. Squawk,” cried Hen in return, a look of shock on her face. Then, run she did, speeding away from the barnyard.

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21. Chicken Little followed close behind. They almost ran right past the little lake, just as Ducky Lucky was going in for a swim.

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22. “Oh, Ducky Lucky! Ducky Lucky! Do not try to swim,” cried Henny Penny.

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23. “The sky is falling.” “Seriously, Henny Penny?

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24. Why do you think that?” asked Ducky Lucky. “Chicken Little told me.”

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25. “How do you know the sky is falling, Chicken Little?” “I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail.

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26. Oh, let us run until we get some place.” Ducky Lucky was persuaded.

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27. “Yes, we had better run,” he yelled. And the three took off, Ducky Lucky waddling faster than he ever had before.

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28. The birds ran and ran until they came to a green meadow and there was Goosey Loose eating the green grass.

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29. “Oh, Goosey Lucy, Goosey Lucy, do not eat; run,” cried Ducky Lucky. “Why should I run?”

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30. asked Goosey Lucy. “Because the sky is falling.”

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31. “How do you know that, Ducky Lucky?” “Henny Penny told me.”

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32. “How do you know that, Henny Penny?” “Chicken Little told me.”

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33. “How do you know that, Chicken Little?” “Because I saw it with my eyes, and heard it with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail.

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34. Oh, let us run some place.” “Yes, we had better run,” cried Goosey Lucy.

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35. Away they all ran, Goosey Lucy in the lead, and they ran and ran until they came to the turkey yard and there was Turkey Lurkey strutting and

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36. gobbling “Oh, Turkey Lurkey! Do not strut!”

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37. cried Goosey Lucy. “Why should I not strut?”

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38. asked Turkey Lurkey. “Because the sky is falling.”

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39. “How do you know it is?” “Ducky Lucky told me!”

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40. “How do you know, Ducky Lucky?” “Henny Penny told me!”

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41. “How do you know, Henny Penny?” “Chicken Little told me!”

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42. “Chicken Little, how do you know this for a fact?” “I could not help knowing!

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43. I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my ears, and a part of it fell on my tail. Oh, let us run until we get some place.”

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44. “Yes, it would be best to run,” said Turkey Lurkey, so away they all ran, first Turkey Lurkey, and then Goosey Lucy, and then Ducky Lucky, and

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45. then Henny Penny and then Chicken Little. They ran and ran until they came to Foxy Loxy’s house.

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46. Foxy Loxy was resting, spread out across the doorway.

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47. She kept yawning opening her mouth wide so that all her sharp teeth showed.

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48. She was so very happy to see them all and smiled sweetly. “Well, well,” the fox said, “what brings you all here?”

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49. “Foxy Loxy, prevent yourself from yawning,” cried old Turkey Lurkey, “Indeed, the sky is falling.” “How do you know that, Turkey Lurkey?”

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50. asked the fox. “Goosey Lucy informed me.”

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51. “How do you know that, Goosey Lucy?” “Ducky Lucky told me.”

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52. “How do you know that, Ducky Lucky?” “Henny Penny told me.”

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53. “How do you know that, Henny Penny?” “Chicken Little.”

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54. “How do you know that, Chicken Little?” “I could not help knowing, for I saw it with my eyes, and I heard it with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail.

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55. Oh, where shall we run? We ought to go someplace.”

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56. “Well,” said the Fox, “you come right into my house, and I will protect you and take such good care of you that, even if the sky falls, you will not

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57. know anything about it.” So, in ran Turkey Lurkey and Goosey Lucy and Ducky Lucky and Henny Penny and Chicken Little.

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58. Foxy Loxy waited for a while and then shut the door firmly behind her.

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59. She would not let the falling sky threaten her guests, you see. She was going to take special care of them all.

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60. And, maybe she did. But no one ever saw Chicken Little or her friends again.

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