Reading comprehension I term 8th form

 Read the passages and answer reading comprehension questions about each passage.

I.  I’m 15 years old and I live with my brother and parents in Sidney. I like drawing a lot and I’d like to be a designer or maybe illustrate children’s books. I’ve taken up extra painting classes and it’s a lot of fun. My brother thinks I’m not talented at all but that is my brother. He is a bit of weirdo, anyway. He is 18, but still spends most of the time on his skateboard. He has a bunch of friend who are all crazy about it. They all think they are cool.

1. The word “weirdo” in the passage is closed in meaning to:

a)  kook

b) foreigner

c) lazybones

d) workaholic

2. The girl has taken up extra painting classes

a) for her future profession

b) to make her parents be proud of her

c) because her friends are all crazy about it

d) evil her brother

3. The girl finds her brother’s friends

a) cool

b) stupid

c) responsible

d) strange

4. This passage is about

a) girl’s family

b) girl’s friends

c) girl’s hobby

d) girl’s training

II. Sleep is extremely important for teenagers because it is while they are sleeping that they release a hormone that is essential for their growth. They need more sleep than both children and adults. At night our body produces the “darkness hormone” melatonin which helps us to fall asleep. Most adults start to produce melatonin at about 10 pm. Research has shown that teenagers start to produce the hormone at 1 am. In other words, teenagers are being kept awake by their bodies and there is not much they can do about it. The fact that they play computer games and watch television late at night stimulates the brain even more and makes it harder for them to fall asleep.

1. The phrase “both children and adults” in the passage refers to:

a) children as well as adults

b) only children but not adults

c) only adults but not children

d) neither adults nor children

2. Many teenagers stay up late at night because of

a) bad habit

b) the lack of the hormone

c) the time of producing melatonin

d) computer addiction

3. Stimulation of the brain by computer games

a) helps to fall asleep

b) prevents falling asleep

c) improves memory

 d) is useful for health

4. The word “extremely” in the passage is closed in meaning to:

a) very

b) just a bit

c) not

d) simply

III. We have a new boy in our class. He is quite and okay but some people are horrible to him, especially this one boy who is really arrogant and full of himself. The new boy has to defend himself all the time. My dad says bullies can be boys or girls. They pick on kids who are new or who are different for some reason. Maybe they are talented and this makes some people jealous.

1. The phrase “full of himself” in the passage is closed in meaning to

a) having too much pride

b) empty

c) having too much responsibility

d) being helpful

2. The new boy is

a) brave

b) shy

c) lazy

d)outgoing

3. Bullies pick on kids who are

a) the same as they are

b) different from them

c) too intelligent

d) arrogant

4. This passage is about

a) good relationship

b) problems of talented people

c) new teacher

 d) arrogant people