TOEFL Primary Step 2 Test #53 - Reading

This is ​a square or rectangular piece of cloth filled with soft material. Many people like to rest their heads on this when they sleep. What is this?

It is a bird with a flat face and large eyes that hunts at night. What is it?

It is a large area of water that is not salty and is surrounded by land. What is it?

Read the email about the Karate courses. Then answer the questions.

Katy,
Thanks for asking me to do a Karate course with you - what a great idea! I prefer the earlier time if that's OK with you, and Monday is not good for me because I have a tennis lesson after school that day. Of course, we should do the easiest class! My phone number is 07859-567398. Call me if there is a problem.
Lucas

Why does Lucas write the email for Katy?

Why cannot Lucas take Karate class on Monday?

Read the poster. Then answer the questions.

Zoo Summer Camp 2014

What are your plans for summer? Explore the wonderful world of animals through 5-day adventures in a zoo! Learn about animals, and enjoy fun games and art activities. We have different camp activities for all grades from K to 12.

Tickets are $200 and up.
Call for more information or to reserve a spot.
(723) 555-2341

How long does the camp last?

What are the camp attendees going to do at the camp?

Which sentence is true?

When the weather is hazy, _____.

The temperature of earlier today is _____.

The chance of rain tonight is _____.

Read the air travel tips. Then answer the questions.

Air Travel Tips

1. After you pack your bag, lock it and put a name tag on it. Try to put your valuable items in your carry-on bags.

2. Don't forget to bring your passport and flight itinerary.

3. Try to be at the airport at least 2 hours prior to your boarding time.

4. Empty your pockets when you go through security.

5. Check your gate number and boarding time.

6. Turn off your cell phone before the plane takes off.

7. Take off your hat or sunglasses when you are at the immigration. Provide extra documents that support your purpose of stay if necessary, such as a hotel confirmation or your return ticket.

8. If you are going to a foreign country and are not fluent in the language, ask for an interpreter at immigration.

What must you have in order to get a boarding pass? 

Showing your hotel confirmation or return ticket will support _____.
 

Read the passage and answer the questions.

Taste this

“Everyone is good at something.” That was what Ms. Lowen always said. But Jake was not so sure. He hated doing math. He wasn’t much of a reader. He couldn’t toss a ball. And he had no idea what he wanted to do when he grew up.

His best friend, Charlie, was going to be a firefighter. Charlie knew what he wanted. It seemed he had always known. He was strong and smart, so he would probably pass all the tests. And his friend Kyle was going to be a teacher, like his dad. Kyle loved math and was always winning contests. “What am I good at?” Jake wondered. “What will I be someday?” 

Sometimes, after school, Jake visited his uncle at the restaurant where Uncle Mike worked. He liked to watch Uncle Mike stir sauces. He liked helping out.

Sometimes he said things like, “This needs a little more pepper,” when he tested Uncle Mike’s recipes. He began to read cookbooks. “Let’s try this!” he’d tell Mike when he found something that seemed good. They experimented together. Jake got good at measuring. He learned to convert a recipe for six to a recipe for ten. He liked playing with ingredients. “Instead of peaches, let’s try pears in this cake,” he would suggest.

The school food fair was coming up. Most students brought in things that their parents had made. Jake decided to try a recipe he’d made up - pineapple pizza. At first, when he placed it on the table, some people said, “Yick. That sounds awful.” Then, one by one, some of his friends decided to try it.

(Adapted from readworks.org)

The author wrote, "one by one, some of his friends decided to try it". His friend probably _____

Read the passage and answer the questions.

The shortcut

“Follow me. I know a shortcut,” Danny said.

Carl held back. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said. He was used to his brother looking for easy ways to do things. Danny slept on the floor so he didn’t have to make his bed. And now he had found a shortcut from the store to their grandmother’s house. 

They were visiting for the Thanksgiving weekend. The block around her house was familiar. It was just four blocks from the store, with a turn on one corner. Between the store and the house was a junkyard. It was a dirty place with old cars and sofas piled in heaps. There was a fence around it. But nobody seemed to own it or to care about it. 

“Come on!” Danny said. “Don’t be chicken!” Carl hated it when he called him a chicken. But he felt he had to keep an eye on his brother. It’s what he had been doing his whole life, even though Danny was a year older.

They pushed aside a broken part of the fence and walked through the mud. Danny hopped onto the springs of a discarded bed. His foot got stuck. He had to take off his shoe to free it. Then he saw something interesting on the ground. It looked like a silver dollar, but it turned out to be just a bottle cap. Danny tossed a flat football to Carl. He filled his pockets with all sorts of finds. A piece of blue glass. A soggy picture of a dog. Four pennies. While Danny studied the ground, Carl was looking at the sky. “It’s getting late,” he said. Finally, they reached the other side. There, the fence was strong and high. There was no way to climb over it. So, they had to run-fast-back to where they’d started.

(Adapted from readworks.org)

What is the theme of the passage?

Carl seemed _____.

At the end, Danny and Carl _____.

Read the passage and answer the questions.

The magician

Simon was really excited when he got a magic kit on his birthday. He dreamed of being a great magician someday.

He figured he’d get his start at the school talent show. But when he opened the box, Simon wasn’t so excited anymore. All the tricks were made of plastic pieces that had to be put together. There were lots of instructions to read. Simon stared at the box for a while. Then he closed it back up.      

The next week, his teacher sent out a sign-up sheet for the school talent show. Simon still really wanted to be in the show. He signed his name on the sheet: “The Amazing Simon - a magic act.” Everyone got excited when they saw Simon’s name on the sheet. 

“Can you really do magic?” his friend Megan asked.

“Sure,” Simon said. “I have a kit and everything.” Simon wasn’t worried. There were four weeks until the talent show. He figured that would be plenty of time to learn some tricks. 

The next night, Simon opened the box again. He picked the easiest trick. It was a thin plastic box. You put a quarter in it and closed it. When you opened the box, the quarter was gone. Simon showed the trick to his grandma.

"That’s great, Simon!” she said. “You’re a real magician!” A real magician! Simon felt really proud. He would do just fine in the talent show, he knew it.        

But the weeks went by, and Simon didn’t learn any more tricks. Everything else in the box looked so hard. One night Simon and his family were eating dinner. His grandma looked at the calendar on the wall.

"Tomorrow night is the talent show, Simon!” his grandma said. “I can’t wait to see you on stage!” 

Simon got a bad feeling in his stomach. He put down his fork. “Uh, grandma, I think I have a problem,” he said.

(Adapted from readworks.org)

After opening the box, Simon 

Before the show, Simon seemed

Simon's grandma 

Read the text. Then answer questions.

Weather Instruments 

In order to measure the weather, weather instruments such as a thermometer, a barometer, a rain gauge, a wind vane, and a weather map are needed. A thermometer measures the air temperature. When the air is hot, the liquid in the closed glass tube moves up, and when it is cold, it goes down. A barometer measures air pressure. When the weather is sunny and dry, the pressure goes up, but when it is rainy or stormy, it drops. A rain gauge measures the amount of rain over a certain period of time, and a wind vane determines the direction the wind is blowing. A weather map shows atmospheric conditions of the Earth's surface. Meteorologists examine the weather map and predict the weather. 

What instrument is NOT used for measuring the weather?

What does a rain gauge do? 

Read about how to make a volcano. Then answer the questions.

 A volcano is a mountain with a large hole at the top. When it is active, lava, which is extremely hot liquid rock, is forced to come out of the hole. An active volcano can be very dangerous because it can destroy an entire town or city and cause tsunamis, flash floods, earthquakes, mudslides, and rockfalls.

What makes a volcano erupt? The Earth's crust is made up of plates that fit together like a puzzle. However, these plates sometimes move, and the friction that is caused by their movement causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

There is a fun and easy way to experiment with volcanic eruptions using baking soda. Fill a cylinder or bottle with warm water and a bit of red food coloring. Add 6 drops of detergent and 2 tablespoons of baking soda to the container. Then slowly pour vinegar into it.

The baking soda and vinegar cause a chemical reaction. Pressure builds from the carbon dioxide gas inside, so the gas bubbles out of the cylinder. 

What can be caused by a volcano?

You can make a volcano experiment with ____.