Practice FrenchB1Full sample
Le train des retards
The Train of Delays — A delayed train turns strangers into a small community before the service improves.
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Le train de 18 h 12 quitte rarement la gare à l'heure, et tout le monde le sait. Au début, Malik détestait ces retards: il arrivait fatigué, regardait son téléphone et comptait les minutes perdues. Un soir de pluie, la batterie de son téléphone s'éteint. Il lève enfin les yeux et remarque les autres passagers: une violoniste qui protège son instrument, un étudiant qui révise à voix basse, une femme qui tricote des gants rouges. Peu à peu, les retards deviennent une sorte de rendez-vous. Malik apporte un jeu de cartes, la violoniste joue parfois un air très doux, et l'étudiant explique ses cartes de géographie. Quand la compagnie annonce enfin des travaux pour rendre la ligne plus rapide, les passagers applaudissent. Puis ils échangent leurs numéros, au cas où la ponctualité les séparerait. Depuis ce soir-là, même quand le train part à l'heure, Malik garde un jeu dans son sac. Il sait qu'une ligne fiable n'empêche pas les rencontres; elle leur donne simplement un autre rythme.
Vocabulary
- à l’heureon time
- un retarda delay
- s’éteindreto switch off / go out
- tricoterto knit
- la ponctualitépunctuality
Show English translation
The 6:12 train rarely leaves the station on time, and everyone knows it. At first, Malik hated these delays: he arrived tired, looked at his phone, and counted the lost minutes. One rainy evening, his phone battery dies. He finally looks up and notices the other passengers: a violinist protecting her instrument, a student quietly reviewing, and a woman knitting red gloves. Little by little, the delays become a kind of appointment. Malik brings a card game, the violinist sometimes plays a very soft tune, and the student explains his geography maps. When the company finally announces work to make the line faster, the passengers applaud. Then they exchange numbers, in case punctuality separates them. Since that evening, even when the train leaves on time, Malik keeps a game in his bag. He knows that a reliable line does not prevent meetings; it simply gives them another rhythm.
Comprehension questions
1. How does Malik’s attitude toward the delays change?
- He stops taking the train.
- He starts to enjoy meeting the other passengers.
- He complains to the police.
- He becomes the train driver.
Show answer
He starts to enjoy meeting the other passengers.
2. What does Malik bring to the train?
- A card game
- A new phone
- A violin
- Red gloves
Show answer
A card game
3. The passengers are unhappy when the company announces work on the line.
Show answer
false
4. Complete with what happens to Malik’s phone after its battery runs out: Privé de batterie pendant l'attente, le téléphone de Malik ___.
Show answer
s'éteint
5. What does “ponctualité” mean?
- punctuality
- rain
- ticket
- friendship
Show answer
punctuality
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