📖 Script
Narrator: In a dry, lonely valley in France, a traveler 🧑 once wandered and found an old shepherd 🧓 living quietly.
Narrator: The old man said little but moved with purpose. Each day, he took a long walk and carried a bag filled with acorns.
🧑 Narrator: “Why do you carry so many acorns?”
🧓 Elzéard: “To plant trees.”
Narrator: The traveler was puzzled.
🧑 Narrator: “But why? This land is empty.”
🧓 Elzéard: “Someday, it won’t be.”
Narrator: Year after year, Elzéard walked alone, planting acorns with care. He checked the soil, spaced them out, and protected them from animals.
Narrator: Decades passed. The traveler returned and was amazed. The land had transformed! Hills once dry were now green and cool, full of trees, streams, and birdsong.
Narrator: People had come back to live nearby, enjoying fresh air and fertile soil.
🏘️ Villagers: “It’s a miracle!”
Narrator: But none knew the quiet old man who had made it happen.
Narrator: Elzéard asked for no reward, no thanks. He just kept planting—one tree at a time.
🧓 Elzéard: “A man is great when he plants trees whose shade he will never sit in.”
Narrator: And so, one man’s quiet work changed the world, proving that even a single person can make a forest grow. 🌳
📚 Vocabulary
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Acorn – A small nut from an oak tree
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Barren – Empty or lifeless land
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Fertile – Rich and good for growing
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Purpose – A reason or strong goal
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Miracle – Something amazing or unexpected
💬 Useful Expressions
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“To plant trees.” – A simple but powerful mission
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“Someday, it won’t be.” – Believing in future change
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“A man is great when he plants trees whose shade he will never sit in.” – Doing good without expecting reward
❓ Comprehension Questions
1. What did the old man carry in his bag every day?
2. Why did he plant trees in the empty land?
3. What did the traveler see when he returned?
4. How did the land and people change?
5. What lesson does Elzéard’s story teach us?