Reading Comprehension 2 PDF

READING COMPREHENSION TEST FUN
B.B.C. Newsround. November 16 2010.
Congratulations to Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton – they’re getting married
next year! The Royal wedding will take place during spring or summer 2011 in London, after
the couple got engaged while on holiday in the African country Kenya. Prince William gave
Kate his mother’s engagement ring, because he said both women were very special to him and
it was a way of bringing them together. Kate says she’s happy but slightly daunted about
joining the Royal family.
1. The Royal wedding will take place;
a) At the end of 2011.
b) While the couple are on holiday.
c) In Africa.
d) In early or the middle of 2011.

B.B.C. Newsround. November 17 2010.
A rare pink diamond has been sold for a world record‐breaking 29 million pounds. It’s the
highest sum of money that a jewel has ever been snapped up for at an auction. The stone went
up for sale at Sotheby’s in Geneva, Switzerland. The “fancy intense pink” diamond is about the
size of a large marble – it’s rare for a pink diamond to be this big.
Well known London jeweler Laurence Graff bought the sparkly rock and named it “The Pink
Graff” – after himself! New owner Mr. Graff said: “It is the most fabulous diamond I’ve ever
seen in the history of my career and I’m delighted to have bought it.”
2. The diamond is unusual because of;
a) Its color.
b) Its size.
c) Its age.
d) Its name.
B.B.C. Newsround. Jan 12 2011.
A military sniffer dog that went missing more than two years ago has been reunited with her
trainer. Sarbi’s handler lost sight of her when the pair was caught in an explosion in
Afghanistan when their patrol was ambushed in September 2008. It is thought she was being
looked after by Afghans, before being found a year later by American troops. Her trainer had
assumed she was dead, but now she has been reunited with him and is back home in Australia.
Sarbi is now being tested to find out if she is fit enough to return to work.
3. Sarbi is currently;
a) With her trainer.
b) With the American troops.
c) With Afghans.
d) Working again.


B.B.C. Newsround. Jan 11 2011.
Scientists have discovered the smallest planet ever to be found outside our solar system.
Kepler‐10b is 1.4 times bigger and 4.6 times heavier than Earth, although it could not support
life. That is because daytime temperatures there are over 1,300 C –hot enough to melt iron
and hotter than molten lava. It’s 560 light years away from Earth and has a solid and rocky
surface. It was discovered using NASA’s Kepler telescope. The telescope detected the planet
orbiting a star hundreds of light‐years away.
4. It would not be possible to live on the new planet because;
a) It is too far away from Earth.
b) It is too rocky.
c) It is too hot.
d) It is too small.

CBBC Newsround. Jan 19 2011.
A powerful earthquake measuring 7.2 has struck the south‐west of Pakistan near the border
with Afghanistan. The quake, which was felt as far away as India’s capital and Dubai, happened
more than 50 miles underground. This suggests the damage above ground will be limited. The
earthquake hit in the early hours of Wednesday morning. It is thought the 109,000 people
living in the region would have felt strong shaking.
5. We know that the earthquake;
a) Caused a lot of destruction.
b) Happened below the earth’s surface.
c) Was not very strong.
d) Happened in an uninhabited area.
If you enjoy borrowing books from your local library, you can imagine how annoying it would
be if the council decided they wanted to close it down! That’s exactly what has happened at
Stony Stratford library in Milton Keynes. So to show their anger, the locals have borrowed all
16,000 books. They hope by emptying the shelves, the council will realize how important the
library is to the local community. Now it seems the council is rethinking whether or not to shut
it down.
6. The council;
a) Is angry with the locals.
b) Will definitely close the library.
c) May not close the library.
d) Has emptied the shelves.

Two British people are feared dead in the explosion at Domodedovo airport in Russia’s capital
city, Moscow. Yesterday’s terrorist attack killed 35 people and injured more than 100. The
President of Russia has launched a major police investigation and he vowed he’ll track down
whoever was behind the attack. The blast happened in the baggage reclaim area of
Domodedovo airport, 25 miles from the city centre. Ambulances rushed to the scene to treat
the injured. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said: “We should never allow the terrorists to
win.”
7. It appears that;
a) The attackers have been found.
b) The attack happened in the city centre.
c) A police investigation is underway.
d) The President will investigate the police.
A hill climber has survived after falling 1,000 feet down a mountain in Scotland. Adam Potter,
35‐years‐old, said he thought he would die as he fell down the steep slope after slipping. But
rescuers in a Royal Navy helicopter found him standing up reading a map when they arrived on
the scene at Sgurr Choinnich Mor Mountain. Mr. Potter is now recovering in hospital in
Glasgow and he’s said he hopes to be back in the mountains in a few weeks.
8. The hill climber Adam Potter;
a) Is not expected to survive.
b) Will not climb in the future.
c) Was found on his feet.
d) Was found unconscious.


The Chicago Sun Times. Jan 25 2011.
Police are looking for the body of a late beloved Italian TV host after visitors at the cemetery
found his tomb broken into and his coffin missing. Generations of Italians grew up watching
Mike Bongiorno as he hosted quiz shows and other entertainment programs during the
fledging days of television in Italy. Bongiorno died in 2009 at the age of 85. Police in Arona, a
town in northern Italy, said officers are still investigating at the Dagnente cemetery and would
not comment. Italian news reports said a local man who came to the cemetery to visit a family
grave noticed Bongiorno’s tomb was open Tuesday morning and the coffin gone.
9. Which of the following is true?
a) The body of Mike Bongiorno was stolen by a family member.
b) Mike Bongiorno had appeared as a TV host in the early days of TV.
c) Mike Bongiorno was a well‐known news presenter.
d) The body of Mike Bongiorno was removed from his coffin.
The Chicago Sun‐Times. Jan 24 2011.
A marauding monkey that terrorized resort towns in central Japan last year by biting nearly
120 people has escaped captivity. Officials in Mishima City said the monkey slipped out of the
government‐run nature park it had been kept at since its capture last October when a keeper
was cleaning its cage. The city published an emergency notice urging residents to lock their
doors, though no new attacks have been reported. The fugitive monkey, known as “Lucky”, is a
type of macaque that is one of the most common wild animals in Japan. They are considered a
nuisance in rural areas, where they damage crops and steal food. Lucky has proved a tough
catch in the past, avoiding citywide monkey hunts during its previous two month biting spree.
10. It appears as though the monkey;
a) Escaped last October.
b) Has now been missing for two months.
c) Is a rarity in Japan.
d) Is aggressive towards people.


The Guardian. Feb 4 2011.
The prime minister of Burma’s outgoing military government has been appointed as president,
handing a key junta member the top job in the post‐election administration. Thein Sein, 65, is
the country’s first civilian president after nearly 50 years of military rule. His appointment by
parliament is the latest step in Burma’s self‐declared transition to democracy after elections in
November. Critics have condemned the process as a sham aimed at cementing military rule.
The military’s delegates in parliament and their civilian allies hold an 80% majority in the new
legislature, which chose the president from a pool of three vice‐presidents named yesterday.
Thein Sein is the most prominent of the three and was seen as a shoo‐in for the head of
government.
11. Burma’s authorities have claimed that:
a) It is becoming a democracy.
b) The elections were a sham.
c) Military rule is now stable.
d) The new president is only temporary.

Damain Carrington. The Guardian. Feb 3 2011.
Billions of trees died in the record drought that struck the Amazon in 2010, raising fears that
the vast forest is on the verge of a tipping point, where it will stop absorbing greenhouse gas
emissions and instead increase them. The dense forests of the Amazon soak up more than
one‐quarter of the world’s atmospheric carbon, making it a critically important buffer against
global warming. But if the Amazon switches from a carbon sink to a carbon source that
prompts further droughts and mass tree deaths, such a feedback loop could cause runaway
climate change with disastrous consequences.
12. The potential danger is that;
a) The Amazon could absorb too much carbon.
b) The Amazon could produce carbon.
c) The Amazon could absorb oxygen.
d) Another record drought is expected in 2011.


Cara Anna. New Zealand Herald. Feb 9 2011.
Chinese officials said today they were preparing for a “severe, long‐lasting drought” in the key
wheat‐producing eastern province of Shandong, with no rain in sight until mid‐month and
possibly beyond in the parched region. On Tuesday, the UN food agency warned that the
months‐ long drought was putting pressure on wheat prices in China, the world’s largest wheat
grower. Average flour prices rose more than 8 percent in January from the previous two
months. As the drought continues, the focus will be on whether China, which is largely self‐
sufficient in wheat, will reach out for imports and how that would affect global prices for the
staple, which has already risen about 35 percent since mid‐November. China’s national
weather bureau forecasts little if any rain for the Shandong region through Feb. 17.
13. As a result of the drought, it is possible that:
a) Many people will leave Shandong.
b) The price of wheat will drop internationally.
c) China may have to buy wheat from abroad.
d) The UN will put pressure on wheat prices.

B.B.C. News. Feb 2 2011.
Denmark is to build an underwater tunnel to Germany, cutting road and rail journey times
between Western Europe and Scandinavia. The Danish parliament rejected plans for a bridge
across the Fehmarn Strait in favor of the tunnel, deciding it would be safer and greener.
Denmark and Germany agreed on the need for the 18km link in 2008. Construction of the
Danish‐funded tunnel is to begin in 2014 and should be completed within six years. A budget
of 32bn kroner (4.2bn euros ) has been drawn up. The tunnel will be built between the Danish
island of Lolland and the German island of Fehmarn. Both islands are already connected by
bridges to the rest of their respective countries. When the tunnel is completed, the duration of
a rail journey between Hamburg and Copenhagen will be cut from about 4.5 to three hours,
the project’s website says.
14. It is believed that the proposed tunnel;
a) Will lengthen the journey from Hamburg to Copenhagen.
b) Will be completed in 2014.
c) Will be environmentally friendly.
d) Will be too expensive to build.


First News. Feb 4 2011.
The lost ‘eighth wonder of the world’ has been re‐discovered at the bottom of a lake in New
Zealand, 125 years after it was thought to have been destroyed. Colored steps known as the
Pink Terraces, once New Zealand’s most treasured tourist attraction, were found at the
bottom of Lake Rotomahana this week. Scientists from both New Zealand and America
discovered the colored steps during an attempt to map the lake floor. Images were taken by
robots beneath the lake revealing a pink colored staircase, covered in a brown sediment 60
meters below the surface of the lake. The Pink and White Terraces were thought to be
destroyed and lost forever in the eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886, which was also responsible
for the deaths of 100 people.
15. The ‘eighth wonder of the world’;
a) Has been discovered for the first time.
b) Has been lost forever.
c) Used to attract visitors.
d) Was being searched for by scientists.
First News. Feb 4 2011.
More than 190,000 people, including celebrities and public figures, have signed a letter of
petition to try to help save England’s forests. The Government is thinking about privatizing
large areas of our native woodland, which means they would sell the forests to private owners.
At the moment the Government owns 18% of England’s forests and spending cuts could mean
that some, or all of this, is sold. A bill is being presented before the House of Lords to get
permission to sell, although it is hoped that a letter of petition will help stop the sale.
16. The report states that;
a) England’s forests are owned by private owners.
b) England’s forests will be destroyed.
c) A letter will not prevent the sale.
d) Famous people are helping to prevent the sale.


CBBC Newsround. Feb 7 2011.
A politician with cerebral palsy has claimed other MPs mocked his disability during a debate in
Parliament. Conservative MP Paul Maynard has accused Labour MPs of “pulling faces” at him
as he tried to speak. It’s unclear if they were making fun of his condition –or just trying to
distract him, as MPs often do to each other. On Monday Mr. Maynard said he had no further
comment to make after an interview with ‘The Times’ newspaper. He won’t be making an
official complaint to the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.
17. Mr. Maynard believes that the other MPs;
a) Were laughing at his condition.
b) Were sympathetic towards his condition.
c) Understand his condition.
d) Resent his condition.

B.B.C. News November 18 2010.
Venezuela has deported three suspected left‐wing rebels to Colombia, a sign of improving
relations. Colombia says one belongs to the Farc rebel group, while the other two allegedly
belong to the ELN. Earlier this year, then Colombian President Alvaro Uribe alleged Venezuela
was harboring rebels. The deportations came a day after Colombia promised to extradite a
drug suspect, Waled Makled, to Venezuela rather than the United States.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez had expressed concern that a trial in the U.S. for the
Venezuelan national might be used to wrongly implicate his government in drugs trafficking.
M. Makled, who is accused of smuggling tons of cocaine into the U.S., has alleged he was
supported by Venezuelan officials.
18. Colombia accused Venezuela of;
a) Drug trafficking.
b) Hiding rebels.
c) Deporting rebels.
d) Extraditing drug suspects to the U.S.


Famous Faces, including Sienna Miller, say they believe newspaper reporters illegally listened
to their mobile phone messages to try to get information. And they’ve decided to take The
News of the World newspaper to court. Investigations first started more than three years ago
when a reporter was caught trying to listen in on members of the royal family to find stories.
The owners of the paper say they’ve always given police all the information they have and
dismissed anyone involved. But Metropolitan police detectives have now launched a new
inquiry into allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World.
19. It is believed that newspaper reporters;
a) Are investigating the royal family.
b) Have been breaking the law.
c) Are giving information to the police.
d) Are taking ‘The News of the World’ to court.

CBBC Newsround. Feb 4 2011.
Four thousand soldiers have been sent to northern Queensland to help with the clean‐up after
Cyclone Yasi lashed the Australian state. Hundreds of rescuers are using chainsaws to cut
through fallen trees, power lines and wreckage to reach towns cut off by the storm. At least
one person is now known to have died. Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan called
Tully a ‘war zone’ after a 30‐minute tour of the town. Officials have called for people to remain
calm while they wait for rescuers to reach them. Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of
banana and sugar cane crops have been destroyed by the cyclone. Cyclone Yasi is being called
the country’s worst storm in 100 years.
20. It appears that;
a) There were no deaths during the storm.
b) Towns have been isolated by the storm.
c) The Australian Prime Minister has visited the area.
d) It will be impossible to rescue people.


Dan Collyns. B.B.C. News November 21 2010.
Yale University has promised to return thousands of archaeological pieces taken from Machu
Picchu nearly a century ago, Peru’s president has said. The relics from the 15th Century Inca
citadel have been the focus of a bitter dispute lasting more than seven years. Peru says the
arte‐facts were loaned in 1911 but never returned. It filed a lawsuit against the university in
2008.
The agreement comes after a concerted media campaign by Peruvian President Alan Garcia
and his government. Marches fronted by ministers and the president himself were staged in
Lima and Cuzco. Mr. Garcia even appealed directly to his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, to
intervene.
21. The original agreement between Peru and Yale University was that;
a) Yale would keep the arte‐facts.
b) Yale would borrow the arte‐facts.
c) Peru would donate the arte‐facts to Yale.
d) Yale would pay for the arte‐facts.

The Guardian. Jan 9 2011.
At least 11 people have died in new battles with security forces in Tunisia after four weeks of
unrest, it was reported today. The interior ministry said eight people were killed over the
weekend in the western towns of Thala and Kasserine. Protesting against joblessness and
other social problems has damaged many cities in the country since 17 December, when a 26‐
year‐old graduate set himself on fire when police confiscated his fruits and vegetables for
selling without a permit. Mobs have since attacked public buildings and the local office of the
party of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
22. The clashes with Security forces in Tunisia;
a) Began over the weekend.
b) Are occurring only in Thala and Kasserine.
c) Have caused unemployment.
d) Were set‐off by the actions of the graduate.


Miles Brignall. The Guardian. November 13 2010.
For several years ‘Guardian Money’ has highlighted how little of the purchase price of
Christmas cards goes to the charity concerned, but two years ago we found what we thought
might be the best Christmas card ever – one in which the charity received 100% of the
purchase price.
The Sreepur Village charity, two hours north of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, cares for nearly
100 destitute mothers and 500 abandoned children. Started 25 years ago by former British
Airways flight attendant Pat Kerr, it now helps fund itself from the sale of Christmas cards
created by the women in and around the village. At the heart of the project is the paper‐
making facility. The community’s mothers have been trained to produce it from locally grown
material.
23. Sreepur Village charity differs from a lot of other charities in that;
a) Its resources are not locally produced.
b) It gets the full return from its sales.
c) It is supported by a paper‐making business.
d) It charges a higher price for what it produces.

Matt Sedensky. NZ Herald. Jan 11 2011.
Adam Martin doesn’t fit in here. No one else in this nursing home wears Air Jordans. No one
else has stacks of music videos by 2Pac and Jay‐Z. No one else is just 26. It’s no longer unusual
to find a nursing home resident who is decades younger than his neighbor: About one in seven
people now living in such facilities in the U.S. is under 65.
“It’s just a depressing place to live,” Martin says. “I’m stuck here. You don’t have privacy at all.
People die around you all the time. It starts to get really depressing because all you’re seeing is
negative, negative, negative.” The number of under‐65 nursing home residents has risen about
22 percent in the past eight years to about 203,000, according to an analysis of statistics from
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That number has climbed as mental health
facilities close and medical advances keep people alive after they’ve suffered traumatic
injuries.
24. Among the reasons given for keeping people under 65 in nursing homes is;
a) There is a reduction in psychiatric facilities.
b) They are less likely to be depressed than in hospital.
c) To prevent feelings of isolation.
d) To further medical understanding of the ageing process.


B.B.C. News. Jan 10 2011.
An Indian shaman who allegedly forced women to drink a potion to prove they were not
witches has been arrested. Nearly 30 women fell ill after they were rounded up in Shivni village
in central Chhattisgarh state on Sunday and made to drink the herbal brew. A senior police
officer told the BBC that six villagers had also been arrested. Witch hunts aimed at women are
common in east and central India, and a number of accused are killed every year.
25. According to the report;
a) Six villagers from Shivni village were accused of witchcraft.
b) Suspected witches are sometimes murdered.
c) The 30 women were willing to drink the brew.
d) Police officers are often sent on witch hunts.

Jonathan Watts. The Guardian. Jan 14 2011.
China took a step towards a smog‐free future today with the announcement of a wide new set
of pollution controls. For the first time, the Ministry of Environmental Protection added
ammonia nitrogen and nitrogen oxide to its list of reduction targets. As part of efforts to cut
these emissions by 1.5% this year, the ministry said greater efforts will be made to cut
vehicles’ exhausts and to tackle the worst polluting industries, such as paper‐making, textiles
and chemical plants.
In a website report, environmental minister, Zhou Shengxian said the government will increase
investment in waste‐treatment plants and tighten standards for approval of construction
projects. Few details were provided, but the announcement comes ahead of China’s new five‐
year economic plan, which is expected to ramp up environmental protection.
26. We can deduce from the report that in China in the future;
a) It will be more difficult to begin building projects.
b) Less people will own cars.
c) The number of waste‐treatment plants will be reduced.
d) More people will be working in textile factories and chemical plants.


Helen Pidd. The Guardian. Feb 2 2011.
It took German police five hours to evict tenants from one of Berlin’s last former squats today
after angry residents booby‐trapped the house. There were dozens of arrests after 2,500
police officers were deployed in a huge operation to clear the Liebig 14 commune in the
eastern district Friedrichshain. The 25 residents had refused to leave after losing a lengthy
legal battle that has become a focus point for the anti‐gentrification movement in Berlin and
other German cities. Six men and three women were found in the property when the police
and bailiffs finally gained entry using axes and sledgehammers to break through barricades of
barbed wire, sharpened metal poles and concrete blocks.
27. It appears that:
a) The police didn’t need to use force to enter the property.
b) The police were unable to evict the tenants.
c) There is a movement in favor of illegal occupants in several German cities.
d) There is very little support for illegal occupants in many German cities.

Xan Rice. The Guardian. Feb 3 2011.
Severe drought in Somalia has left nearly one in three children acutely malnourished in some
areas – double the normal emergency threshold – and caused a sharp rise in food prices. An
estimated 2.4 million people –about a third of Somalia’s population – require humanitarian aid
after the failure of recent rains, according to the U.N. This figure is up from 2 million six
months ago. Though fighting continues in many areas of the country, drought has overtaken
insecurity as the main reason for people being displaced. In the most striking sign of the
emerging crisis, the exodus from conflict‐racked Mogadishu in recent years has reversed, with
thousands of people leaving the countryside for the capital in search of food and water over
the past two months.
28. The main reason for movement of the population in Somalia is;
a) The ongoing conflict.
b) A lack of humanitarian aid.
c) An increase in the population.
d) A lack of rain.


The Florida Times‐Union. Jan 25 2011.
Food stamp use has more than doubled in Duval County over the past five years. That grim
statistic is twice the national average and is the second highest in a study of 22 cities
nationwide, according to a report released Monday. The report, issued by the Food Research
and Action Center, an anti‐hunger advocacy group, showed Jacksonville as second only to Las
Vegas in the growth in people who depend on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program, which is commonly called food stamps. It looked at a geographically balanced cross
section of urban areas.
29. The report claims that;
a) Duval County has the largest number of food stamp users in the USA.
b) Las Vegas has the largest number of food stamp users in the USA.
c) Jacksonville has the largest growth in food stamp users in the USA.
d) Las Vegas has the largest growth in food stamp users in the USA.

Richard Goldstein. The New York Times. Jan 23 2011.
Jack LaLanne, whose obsession with grueling workouts and good nutrition, complemented by a
salesman’s gift, brought him recognition as the founder of the modern physical fitness
movement, died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, Calif. He was 96. The cause was
respiratory failure resulting from pneumonia, his family said. A self‐described emotional and
physical wreck while growing up in the San Francisco area, Mr.LaLanne began turning his life
around, after hearing a talk on proper diet when he was 15. He started working out with
weights when they were an oddity, and in 1936 he opened the prototype for the fitness spas
to come –a gym, juice bar and health food store‐ in an old office building in Oakland.
“The Jack LaLanne Show” made its television debut in 1951 as a local program in the San
Francisco area, then went nationwide on daytime television in 1959. Long before Richard
Simmons and Jane Fonda and the Atkins diet, Mr.LaLanne was a national celebrity, preaching
regular exercise and proper diet. Expanding on his television popularity, he opened dozens of
fitness studios under his name.
30. Jack LaLanne, the founder of the modern fitness movement;
a) Died as a result of heart problems.
b) Followed in the footsteps of other health celebrities.
c) Invented weights and weightlifting.
d) Showed ability at marketing.


1 D
2 B
3 A
4 C
5 B
6 C
7 C
8 C
9 B
10 D
11 A
12 B
13 C
14 C
15 C
16 D
17 A
18 B
19 B
20 B
21 B
22 D
23 B
24 A
25 B
26 A
27 C
28 D
29 D
30 D

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