READING COMPREHENSION

THE DEADLINE
MAGGIE: Hi Tom, have you finished your homework?
Tom: Oh hi Maggie. No, I havent.
Maggie: The deadline is tomorrow you know so you have to submit it tomorrow.
Tom: I cant make it. I havent even started it yet. Can we hand it in next week?
Maggie: I dont know. Youll have to ask Mrs. Robinson about that. I think you must finish
it by tomorrow. She probably wont accept projects after tomorrow.
Tom: Ive had so many other things to do. I couldnt even start it. I dont know what to do.
Maggie: Dont worry. Ill help you. Its not very difficult. I finished it in one day.
Tom: Really? Great!
Maggie: First, you should read the article that Mrs. Robinson gave us. Its about the
Mohican Civilization. Then, you have to design a poster for a play about them the
Mohicans for the theatre.
Tom: Yeah I know but it looks a bit difficult
Maggie: Not at all. You dont have to make the poster from scratch and it doesnt have to
be a work of art. There are lots of templates on the internet. You can just use one of those
designs to make your own poster.
Tom: Well, I think I can do it. What title shall I use? Can you help me?
Maggie: Yeah, I can give you some suggestions but you mustnt use the same title as
anyone else in our class. You have to create your own title.
Tom: Okay, I can come up with something I guess.
Maggie: Alright?
Tom: Yeah, Ive got to go now and make a start on it. Ill follow the project guidelines like
you said. Thanks, Maggie.
Maggie: No problem. Good luck!

1. Maggie has completed her project. (TRUE)

2. Tom has submitted his project. (FALSE)
3. Tom must ask Mrs. Robinson if he can hand in the project after the deadline. (FALSE)
4. The poster must look great when its finished. (FALSE)
5. Tom must design the entire poster by himself. (FALSE)
6. Maggie cant help Tom with the poster in any way. (FALSE)
 Picky, Picky, Picky!
Story By: Andrew Frinkle
Patty hated broccoli. She stared at the weird tree-shaped vegetable sitting next to her yucky pork
chop and her boring salad. It was horrible. It looked like squirrel food. How could her mother expect
her to eat it? The only thing worse than broccoli was Brussels sprouts. Those things looked like
little, green, alien brains.
GROSS! Patty shouted, pushing her plate away.
Patty. Her father said her name sternly. He liked his dinner, and he hated bad table manners.
Where are my hamburgers and fries? Why cant I have chicken nuggets? Or how about pizza for
once? Patty whined.
We had pizza on the weekend. During the week we need to eat healthy to balance out the junk
food we have sometimes. Mother explained.
How about some soda with dinner, then? Patty grumbled. Milk is icky.
Patty. Father repeated her name again. He was starting to get his irritated face. The vein in the
middle of his forehead stood out when he was angry.
Patty sighed and pulled her plate back to her. She took a hesitant bite of broccoli and promptly spit
it back on the plate.
Patty! Room! Now! Father barked at her. Hed had enough.
Scolded, she ran to the other room, slammed the door, and threw herself on her bed. She cried for
a few minutes, but then a thought occurred to her. Her parents would feel sad and get her some
food she actually liked if she didnt eat anything for days. Theyd feel guilty and give in to her wishes.
She smiled to herself, imagining her parents feeding her ice cream whenever a tear threatened to
drop from her eye.
Mom tried to get her to eat later that evening, but she refused. Patty didnt eat breakfast the next
day either. When lunch came around, she was starving, but she wouldnt eat anything that wasnt
fried or sweet. They didnt offer her anything special when she didnt eat. That surprised her.
By the time dinner came around, she could hardly move. Her stomach growled loudly and she felt
very weak. She was dizzy with hunger and barely had the energy to drag herself to the table.
Suddenly, vegetables didnt look so bad.
And you know what? They didnt taste so bad either. Patty had seconds of mashed potatoes and
corn that night. She went to bed with a full stomach. She still wanted pizza and chips and junk food,
but she could wait until the weekend.

1. How does Patty feel about broccoli?

D) She hates it.
2. What does Patty do that makes father angry enough to send her from the table?
C) She spits her food on the table.
3. What plan does Patty make?
C. She decides to refuse to eat until they give her what she wants.
4. What kinds of food does Patty really want to eat?
D. junk food and fast food
5. What did Patty learn at the end of the story?
C. If she is hungry enough, she can eat anything.
 The Great Wall of China

Walls and wall building have played a very important role in Chinese culture. These people, from
the dim mists of prehistory have been wall-conscious; from the Neolithic period when ramparts
of pounded earth were used - to the Communist Revolution, walls were an essential part of any
village. Not only towns and villages; the houses and the temples within them were somehow walled,
and the houses also had no windows overlooking the street, thus giving the feeling of wandering
around a huge maze. The name for city in Chinese (cheng) means wall, and over these walled
cities, villages, houses and temples presides the god of walls and mounts, whose duties were, and
still are, to protect and be responsible for the welfare of the inhabitants. Thus a great and extremely
laborious task such as constructing a wall, which was supposed to run throughout the country,
must not have seemed such an absurdity.

However, it is indeed a common mistake to perceive the Great Wall as a single architectural
structure, and it would also be erroneous to assume that it was built during a single dynasty. For
the building of the wall spanned the various dynasties, and each of these dynasties somehow
contributed to the refurbishing and the construction of a wall, whose foundations had been laid
many centuries ago. It was during the fourth and third century B.C. that each warring state started
building walls to protect their kingdoms, both against one another and against the northern nomads.
Especially three of these states: the Chin, the Chao and the Yen, corresponding respectively to
the modern provinces of Shensi, Shanzi and Hopei, over and above building walls that surrounded
their kingdoms, also laid the foundations on which Chin Shih Huang Di would build his first
continuous Great Wall.

The role that the Great Wall played in the growth of Chinese economy was an important one.
Throughout the centuries many settlements were established along the new border. The garrison
troops were instructed to reclaim wasteland and to plant crops on it, roads and canals were built,
to mention just a few of the works carried out. All these undertakings greatly helped to increase the
countrys trade and cultural exchanges with many remote areas and also with the southern, central
and western parts of Asia the formation of the Silk Route. Builders, garrisons, artisans, farmers
and peasants left behind a trail of objects, including inscribed tablets, household articles, and
written work, which have become extremely valuable archaeological evidence to the study of
defence institutions of the Great Wall and the everyday life of these people who lived and died
along the wall.

Q1 - Chinese cities resembled a maze

because the houses has no external windows.

Q2 - Constructing a wall that ran the length of the country

may have made sense within Chinese culture.

Q3 - The Great Wall of China

used existing foundations.

Q4 - Crops were planted

on reclaimed wasteland.

Q5 - The Great Wall

helped build trade in China and abroad.
 The Beautiful Moon
By Deborah Lynn

Have you ever dreamed of going to the moon? In July 1969, two American astronauts walked on the
moon. Their names were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

If you visited the moon today, you would still be able to see their footprints! They also left behind the
American flag.

When the astronauts went to the moon, they needed to wear spacesuits and helmets to protect them,
because sometimes the moon is very cold and at other times it is very hot. The helmets helped them
breathe because there is no air on the moon.

Did you know that if you weighed 70 pounds on Earth, you would weigh only 11 pounds on the
moon? And if you went for a walk on the moon, you would bounce with each step.

Some people say the moon is made out of Swiss cheese because there are holes, called craters, on
the moon. The craters were caused by large rocks from space, called meteorites, hitting the moon. Here is
another interesting thing about the moon: Did you know that the moon is like a mirror? It reflects the light
of the sun and sends it to Earth and makes the moon look bright and beautiful! Dont you agree we have a
beautiful moon?

Use the information in the story to answer the questions below.

1. What did the astronauts leave on the moon when they walked on it?
B. Footprints and an American flag
2. Why do astronauts need spacesuits?
D. To protect them from the cold and heat
3. If you weighed 70 pounds on Earth, how much would you weigh on the moon?
C. 11 pounds
4. What are the holes on the moon called?
A. Craters
5. Why does the moon shine? A
D. Because it reflects the light from the sun