Boji, the street dog who rides public transport

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Boji, the street dog who rides public transport

Warm-up

Have you ever seen a dog on public transport?

Vocabulary Match

indicating -   - streetcars
apart from -   - notice
trams -   - showing
chases -   - runs after
wanders -   - besides
attention -   - walks around

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

Boji is a street dog in Istanbul who loves to travel on the city's public transport. He smartly uses ________, ferries, and subways, knowing exactly where he's going.

His travels around the city have made him famous, with people often sharing photos with him. After catching the city's ________, Boji received medical checkups and a collar ________ he's cared for.

Photographer Chris McGrath says, "Boji really dislikes cats. He ________ them up trees. But ________ that he's a totally perfect dog. Just ________ around. Everybody pats him. He's super happy."

Quiz

  1. Where does Boji live?
  2. How does Boji travel around the city?
  3. What did Boji receive after catching the city's attention?

True or False

  1. Boji is a pet dog.  T  |  F
  2. Boji knows how to use public transport.  T  |  F
  3. Boji is scared of cats.  T  |  F

Conversation

A: Did you see that dog on the tram?
B: Yes, that's Boji. He's quite famous here.
A: Famous? For what?
B: He travels all over the city using public transport.
A: That's incredible! Does he ever get lost?
B: Not at all. He knows exactly where he's going.

Discussion

  1. Are you good at navigating a city on public transportation?
  2. Have you ever gotten lost in a city?
  3. Which would you prefer, Boji or Google Maps?

True Story Answers

Boji is a street dog in Istanbul who loves to travel on the city's public transport. He smartly uses trams, ferries, and subways, knowing exactly where he's going.

His travels around the city have made him famous, with people often sharing photos with him. After catching the city's attention, Boji received medical checkups and a collar indicating he's cared for.

Photographer Chris McGrath says, "Boji really dislikes cats. He chases them up trees. But apart from that he's a totally perfect dog. Just wanders around. Everybody pats him. He's super happy."

Vocabulary Answers

trams → streetcars
attention → notice
indicating → showing
chases → runs after
apart from → besides
wanders → walks around

Quiz Answers

  1. Boji lives in Istanbul.
  2. He travels around the city using trams, ferries, and subways.
  3. Boji received medical checkups and a collar.

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Further Reading

https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2021/10/travel/dog-istanbul-boji-cnnphotos/

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ESL Lessons: True Stories