TOEFL Primary Step 2 Test #4 - Reading

I really like Mary, my best friend. She is willing to share with me her food and give me her toys. Mary is very _____.

You need to use this for washing your hair. It has different smells. It is a liquid. What is it?

When you read a fairy tale, you can see a large strong building where kings and queens live. What is it?

He will take a final exam tomorrow but he did not practice anything. He looks so _____ now!

This is the coldest season of the year with a lot of wind. At that time, snow may fall in somewhere. Which season is it?

When Mary went to her grandma’s house, she saw a baby cat. The baby cat can be called _____.

Peter’s bike is broken down. His father helps him to _____ it!

It is an Italian dish. It is a flat round bread with cheese, tomatoes, vegetables, meat, etc. on top. What is it?

It is a small narrow river. We are able to walk across it. What is it?

Read the email. Then answer the questions.

Dear Kevin,

Last week I played my first baseball game. It was in the park. There were many people watching, so I was a little nervous. I stepped up to bat. I hit the ball! Wow! It went really far. Everyone shouted at me to run. I run and run. I run past first base, and then the second base. Everyone was cheering me on. I scored a homerun! My team was shouting and clapping. Our team won the game! I was very happy. I wish that we can play baseball together one day.

Your friend,

Tom

(Adapted from Reading Starter 2 by John Thomas)

What is this text about?

Why was the team shouting?

Read the email. Then answer the questions.

Dear Sally, 

I have to go pick up your brother from basketball practice. I don't have time to go to the store. Could you please go to the store instead? We are going to make tacos for dinner. They are your dad's favorite! Here are the things we need to buy: 

• 1 pound of ground beef 
• 1 bottle of taco sauce 
• 3 tomatoes 
• 1/2 pound of cheese 
• 1 package of 10 taco shells 
• 1 onion
• 1 head of lettuce 

I left two ten-dollar bills on the table. That should be more than enough to buy all the groceries. Thanks for your help, Sally! We'll all be home soon. 

I love you! 

Mom

(Adapted from Reading Starter 3 by John Thomas)

How much money did Sally's mom leave the table?

How many people will be eating tacos tonight?

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Mary loves all the cafés, but she has a favorite. Mary loves to have lunch at the Koala Café. This café is very popular with people. It has really good food and good prices. 

Some things are cheap. Some things are more expensive. Prices for lunch are around $5.00, but Mary usually spends about $6.00 on her meals. The café is also well known for its cheap ice cream. In the summer, Mary likes to buy ice cream cones from there. The café charges only 70 cents for a cone!

(Adapted from Reading Starter 2)

What is this reading about?

How much does Mary usually spend at the café?

Which is true about the cafés?

What does the word "its" mean in the story?

Read the instruction. Then answer the questions.

How to make Tacos

1. Fry 1 pound of ground beef in a pan. Add some taco spices.
2. Grate ½ pound of cheese and chop up 1 head of lettuce. Put the cheese and lettuce in separate bowls.
3. Chop up 3 tomatoes and 1 onion. Put them on a plate. Put the taco shells on a plate.
4. Now, put the cooked beef into a bowl. Put the bowls of meat, cheese, and lettuce on the table. Also, put the plate of taco shells on the table. Put a spoon into each bowl.
5. In order to make a taco, put the meat in a shell first. Then, add some cheese. The hot meat will melt the cheese. Next, put in the tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.
6. Put some taco sauce on the top. Enjoy!

(Adapted from Reading Starter 3)

What is the main idea of this reading?

Which vegetables should be used for tacos?

Read Charlie's story. Then answer the questions.

It was Charlie's birthday yesterday, but he felt sad. No one wished him a happy birthday. Even his mom seemed to have forgotten his special day. She just told Charlie to play outside. Charlie spent the morning wandering around the backyard, feeling lonely and neglected. He couldn't help but wonder why no one remembered his birthday.

Then, Charlie's mom finally called out to him. "Come inside for lunch, Charlie!" she said. Charlie slowly walked into his house, feeling a sense of disappointment wash over him. But as he entered the living room, he was surprised to see a big "Happy Birthday" banner hanging from the ceiling. There was also a birthday cake, balloons, gifts, and all of his friends.

"Surprise!" everyone shouted. Charlie's face lighted up with joy and surprise. He couldn't believe his eyes. It turned out that his mom had been planning a surprise party for him all along. Charlie's friends had hidden in the living room and waited for the perfect moment to shout "Surprise!".

Charlie felt a wave of happiness wash over him. He was so grateful to have such thoughtful friends and a caring mom. He knew that this birthday would be one he'd never forget. As he blew out the candles on his birthday cake, Charlie felt like the luckiest kid in the world.

What is this story about?

Why was Charlie sad?

What surprised Charlie when he entered the living room?

Which is true according to the story?

Read the story and then answer the questions.

As Billy was about to leave for school, his mother reminded him, "Billy, don't forget to take your umbrella or raincoat with you. The weather forecast mentioned the chance of rain today."

Billy confidently replied, "Mom, I think it'll stay dry. I'll be fine without them."

As the school day progressed, dark clouds gathered, and a heavy rain began to pour. Billy found himself without an umbrella or raincoat and had no choice but to rush home as fast as he could.

By the time he reached home, he was completely soaked. That night, he came down with a fever and had a runny nose. His mom took care of him and gently remarked, "I did tell you to be prepared, Billy. Now you're sick because you didn't listen."

Billy, feeling unwell and regretful, admitted, "You were right, Mom. Next time, I will definitely listen to you."

His mom smiled warmly and reassured him, "It's okay, Billy. We all make mistakes. Let's focus on getting you well again."

How did Billy respond to his mother's reminder?

What did Billy do when he realized that it rained heavily?

When did Billy start getting sick?

What lesson did Billy learn from his experience in the story?

Read the story. Then answer the questions.

Tracker was a little train engine. He lived in a small mountain town. His job was to haul coal. Every day, he would watch the other trains going far away. He wondered where they were going. One day, Tracker decided he wanted to do something new. He wanted to try new things.

He tried hauling circus animals. This will be fun, thought Tracker. The animals were fun to watch, but the elephants were too heavy. Next, he tried hauling soda. "This will be easy," he thought. Then the cans blew up and got him sticky and fizzy. Finally, Tracker decided to try hauling people. The people sure got mad when he was late!

Tracker felt useless. "I'm not good at anything!" he cried. He was sad and didn't know what to do. Soon, a big engine chugged up beside him. "Hey, aren't you that little engine from the coal town?" "I was," sniffed Tracker, "but-" "Well, come on!" said the big engine. "We have to take this coal to the coast. We need one more train, or we won't make it!"

"The coast!" thought Tracker, "I've never seen the ocean. This will be great!" "Well, hurry. We can't make it without you." Tracker was excited. He was glad that he could help the big trains. They had a very important delivery.

The workers loaded up his train car with coal, and off they went. He went around mountains and over bridges. He went through towns and fields. He went to all sorts of new places! Tracker helped carry the coal all the way to the coast. He even got to see the ocean.

The ocean seemed to go on forever. The sun dipped into the water, and the day was done. Tracker had come such a long way. Tracker was very happy that he had tried new things. It was scary but fun! Most of all, Tracker found out what he was best at. He was best at hauling coal.

(Adapted from Tracker's Big Adventure by Brittany Corker)

What is this story mostly about?

Why did Tracker try hauling circus animals?

How does his conversation with the big engine affect Tracker?

Where does Tracker take coal at the end of the story?

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Have you been to a museum? If so, you may have seen dinosaur bones. These bones are fossils. This fossil shows us what this dinosaur used to look like. 

Fossils are the remains of past life. They could have been animals, such as dinosaurs, or they could have been plants. 

We find fossils underground. Scientists use tools to dig them out. It is important to dig for fossils. 

Fossils tell us about an animal. Let's pretend you find a T.rex fossil. With this fossil, you can guess its age and how big it was. You can guess how it died. You may guess more interesting things. For example, you can guess how the T. rex moved and how fast it moved. We gather all these good guesses together. Then we can imagine how the T. rex lived. 

With enough fossils, we can learn a lot about a place. For example, we can know which animals were eaten. We can also know which animals ate the other ones! And, yes, the T. rex was one of them! 

(Adapted from "What Are Fossils?" by Marvin Ferraz)

What kind of fossils are there?

What point supports the idea that fossils are hard to find?

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Birds have a special way of drinking water. They mostly use their beak, which is like a long, thin tube, to suck up water from different sources. The beak is very flexible and can move up and down, allowing the bird to reach water that is far away. Some birds also have a special way of drinking called "sipping." They sip the water slowly, one drop at a time, which helps them to drink water without getting too much water in their mouths. Birds are very smart and have found ways to drink water that is clean and safe.

How do birds primarily drink water?

What is the purpose of the "sipping" technique used by some birds?