Reading Comprehension Test

PART1Read the story below. I couldn't even look at my basketball shoes, much less my ball. On Sunday morning, my team is playing a game and I'm supposed to be ready to play basketball. I love the game. I asked for a basketball for my birthday when I was still in preschool, but lately I've started to rethink if I want to be on the team. Almost every night, I go out to the backyard and shoot baskets with my dad. Lately, I've missed every shot and I can't even dribble."C'mon, it's easy!" my father loves to say. "Just feel the bounce in the ball." I can't stand anyone watching me practice, so I asked my older sister to drive me to the park. I wanted to do my own preparation. I know she will leave me alone to read her book. The playground was empty except for a boy on a wheelchair with his mother. The boy was about my age. I started shooting, but couldn't even hit the rim. "You need to put your legs into the shot!" the boy shouted to me. He rolled his chair over to me. "I know what you're thinking. Why is a guy in a wheelchair telling me what I should do with my legs?" He motioned for the ball, and then he made a move so fast and tossed the ball in the basket. "I'm Pablo. Because I can't jump, I've got to shoot it twice as hard. You have legs. Let them push the ball up so you jump first, then shoot." I took the ball and jumped as high as I could. The ball rolled off the edge then got in the basket."Now, that's an improvement! Pablo told me. "My dad says I have to feel the bounce in the ball." He smiled and caught the pass "If you feel the bounce, you're a real player." Pablo and I played every day that week. I learned lots of tricks so no one could block my shot. A few days later, shooting with my dad, I hit ten straight shots. Dad stood there immovable. "Where'd you learn that? he asked. "It's all in the bounce of the ball, Dad." 1. Based on the story, what does the narrator feel about practicing in front of others? comfortable embarrassed tired lucky 2. How does the narrator feel about basketball at the beginning of the story? He is ready for his game on Sunday. He is tired of playing and decides to quit. He loves playing, but he wants to beat his sister. He loves it, but he wants to become a better player. 3. Based on the story, the narrator thinks his basketball skills have improved because he _ is able to hit the backboard. practices with Pablo every day. can play basketball by himself. is not embarrassed to ask for help. 4. Read this sentence from the story. He just stood there,immovable. If someone is immovable, he or she is_ playing fair talking loudly moving around standing still 5. What lesson do you learn from this story? PART 2Read the story below. I’d been looking for a new job for a while, as I really hated my present one. I didn’t get on very well with my boss and I found the job really boring, so it was definitely time for a change. I had seen an advert in the local paper for a job that sounded absolutely perfect for me. I had to have it! I spent a long time on my CV and wrote a really convincing covering letter.You can guess what happened…On the day of the interview, I overslept! I must have forgotten to set my alarm the night before. I jumped out of bed, quickly put some clothes on, and rushed out the door but I was never going to make it in time. If only I’d set my alarm, I would’ve been on time!I would normally take the bus but, as I was running late, I decided the tube might be quicker. I ran down the escalators and jumped onto the train, just as the doors were closing. I breathed a sigh of relief – I might just make it after all. After a couple of minutes, I noticed that other people on the train were looking at me strangely. Suddenly, I had a dreadful feeling. I looked down at my feet. I still had my slippers on! I must have been in such a rush to leave the house that I forgot to put my smart black shoes on. This was a disaster! What would the interviewer think of me? I still really wanted the job so I decided to carry on. I got off the train and rushed outside. It had started to rain and I had forgotten my umbrella. It was only a short walk to my destination but I decided to take a taxi so I wouldn’t get too wet. I stood at the edge of the road waiting for a taxi when a huge truck drove past. I had been standing right next to a big puddle and I was now completely covered in dirty water!I couldn’t go to the interview looking like this. I decided to turn back and go home. Feeling very upset, I crossed the road to the tube station. I obviously wasn’t looking because the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital bed with lots of cuts and bruises and a broken leg! I wish I’d never got out of bed that morning! 6. Match the words below with the definitions. a) You write one of these when you apply for a job. covering letter b) A moving staircase that takes you up and down in a station or a shopping centre. escalator c) A small pool of water, especially on a road after rain. puddle d) A mark that you get on your body after you are hit or if you knock against something. bruise 7. On the day of the interview, Emma overslept because she was tired. True False 8. Emma was just in time to catch her train. True False 9. The taxi drove through a puddle and covered Emma in dirty water. True False 10. After getting off the train, Emma decided to walk to the destination because it was only a short walk, when it suddenly rained. True False 11. Why did Emma look for a new job? 12. What was the reason other people on the train were looking at Emma strangely? 13. What lesson do you learn from Emma's story?