TOEFL Primary Step 2 Test #17 - Reading

It is red. It is a vegetable. You make spaghetti sauce with it. What is it?

It is a color between red and yellow. It is like the color of carrots. What is it?

It is a strong emotion. You might do something you don't want to do when you feel it. If your friend makes fun of you, you feel it. What is it?

This is what you call problems or difficulties. You may be worried about it. Teachers don't like it when students cause it. What is it?

It describes the desert. You need to drink water if your mouth feels this way. Farmers don't like weather like this. What is it?

It means you recover from something. When you stop feeling unhappy about something, you are doing this. You are _____ something.

People do this at a party. They do it with music. It is a good exercise. What are they doing?

You go to the doctor. You do not feel well. You are _____.

This is when you say funny things. People laugh when you do this. What are you doing?

Read the email. Then answer the questions.

Dear Isaac,

How are you? I hope you and your family are well. It was nice to see you in the photograph. I recently passed my final exams, and I am going to be in the 4th grade next year. I am glad that the exams are all over. I am ready to enjoy my summer now. Do you have any plans for this summer? If you do not, would you like to come and visit me? We can go rollerblading in the park and build miniature robots together!

I look forward to hearing from you. Take care.

Your best friend,

Robin

Why is Robin happy?

What does Robin want to know from Isaac?

Read the email. Then answer the questions.

Dear Sharon,

Thank you for sending your essay. I enjoyed reading your work, and it was nice to learn that you have good childhood memories. I liked the way you described things using sensory details. I made some grammatical corrections on your paper. I also made some comments to help you revise it for the final assignment. Please find the attached file of my feedback, and let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Claire D

Why does Claire write to Sharon?

What will Sharon find in the attached file?

Read the graph. Then answer the questions.

Students' Favorite After-school Activities

What is the most popular activity?

What is the least popular activity?

How many students like swimming?

Which two activities do an equal number of students like?

Read the instructions. Then answer the questions.

You just got a new dog. You need to train him! One of the first things you want to do is to train your dog how to sit. This is the most basic trick a dog can do. There are some things you will need. Also, there are steps you should follow.

Things you need:  

- A yummy dog snack

- A leash

Steps:  

1. Make sure there is a leash on your dog. Hold the leash in one hand.

2. Gather a yummy snack for the dog. Always have one in the other hand.

3. Tell your dog to sit. Each time he sits, say "Good dog!" ALWAYS say "Good dog" when your dog does what you say. This way he knows he is making you happy.

4. Repeat step 3. This time you can give him a snack.

5. Do this over and over until it becomes easy for him.

6. Now it is time to try without a snack. If your dog follows, you have taught him how to sit! 

What does "yummy" mean?

Why do you say "Good dog"?

When can you give him a snack?

Read the story. Then answer the questions.

Joanna and Miriam were walking home after school.

"What's that?" Miriam pointed to the corner of the street. There was a puppy. It looked very small and weak. Joanna and Miriam walked closer. The puppy seemed like it was scared of them, but it looked so tired. It didn't even bark at them. It just kept making a whimpering sound.

"Come on, boy. We are not going to hurt you," Joanna said, reaching out her hand.

"Maybe it's thirsty. I should give it some of my water," Miriam rummaged through her backpack and took out a water bottle. Then Joanna cupped her hands so Miriam could pour some water in her hands. Joanna put her hands closer to the puppy, and it started to drink the water quickly with its tongue.

"l think it is lost. What should we do now?" Miriam asked.

"Why don't we take it to the police station? I think it's the best thing we can do for now," Joanna said.

Joanna and Miriam took the puppy to the police station.

"What can I do for you girls?" one of the police officers asked.

"We found a lost puppy on the corner of the street, and we didn't know what to do with it," Joanna answered.

"It's very nice of you to bring the lost puppy here. Why don't you leave it with us? Then we will try to find its owner," the officer said.

"OK, please find its owner. Thank you," Joanna and Miriam said, hoping it would find its owner soon.

Why didn't the puppy bark at Joanna and Miriam?

What did Miriam do for the puppy?

What did Joanna and Miriam decide to do with the puppy?

What did the police officer think about the girls?

Read the story. Then answer the questions.

Dan likes eating sweets. He used to eat all kinds of candy and chocolate at least three times a day, especially after breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"If you keep eating too many sweets, you will spoil your teeth," Dan's mom warned him, but he did not listen.

No matter how much his mom tried to stop him from eating too many sweets, he kept eating them. The biggest problem was that he did not brush his teeth every day.

"Ouch! My teeth hurt a lot. I can't even drink water," Dan told his mom one morning. His mom looked inside his mouth.

"Oh, no. Some of your teeth are rotten! We should go to the dentist," Dan's mom said.

That afternoon, Dan and his mom went to see the dentist.

"Somebody didn't do a good job brushing his teeth regularly," the dentist said.

"It will take some time to fix your teeth. Until then, you will feel uncomfortable chewing or even drinking water. You have to stop eating sweets at once!" he added.

Dan did not want to change, but he had no choice. It took almost a month for Dan to stop feeling pain in his teeth.

"I never knew eating too many sweets could actually be so bad for me, I'm not going to eat sweets anymore, and I will brush my teeth every day from now on," Dan said to his mom. She was very glad that he had learned his lesson.

What was Dan's problem?

Why did Dan go to see the dentist?

What did Dan promise his mom?

Why was Dan's mom glad?

Read the story. Then answer the questions.

It was P.E. class.

"We are going to play dodgeball today. Please divide yourselves into two teams," the P.E. teacher said.

"l will be on the Red Team," Kevin said, putting on a red uniform.

"Then I will be on the Blue Team," Jack said, picking up a blue uniform.

The game started, and the ball flew back and forth between the two teams. Some players got hit and had to leave the court. A few minutes later, Kevin and Jack were alone in court. It was Kevin's turn to attack. He threw the ball toward Jack, but did not hit him. Then Jack quickly grabbed the ball and threw it back at Kevin.

"Ouch!" The ball hit Kevin's face.

"Are you alright, Kevin? I must have gotten carried away. I am really sorry," Jack apologized.

"Are you OK?" The teacher and other students also ran to see whether he was OK.

"My face hurts, but I'm OK." Kevin got up and rubbed his face.

"I'm glad that you are OK. I will be more careful next time," said Jack.

"I'm OK now, so don't worry. Let's play the game again," Kevin smiled and they continued playing. 

What game were the boys playing?

Which team was Jack on?

What happened to Kevin?

How did Jack feel after the incident?

Read the text. Then answer the questions.

Colors are used by human beings to show different emotions and traits. Humans are affected by colors and use colors to show different feelings and symbols. Humans can feel different emotions because of colors. For example, people placed in a blue room for long periods of time feel relaxed, and their heart rate slows down. Colors also symbolize life events. Green is linked with nature and the season spring, which makes people think of healing. These days, walls have been painted green in hospitals to help with healing. 

What is the reading mainly about?

How does the color blue make people feel?

Read the text. Then answer the questions.

Zheng He lived in the Chinese empire. He was born in 1371 and died in 1433. Zheng He is one of the greatest explorers in the history of the world and was the captain of seven great missions for the Chinese Emperor. After his trips, Zheng He brought back many rare items and animals to China. He traded with people all over the world and even battled pirates along the way. He learned many new things for China. The ships that Zheng captained were called Junks and were much larger than European ships at the time. 

What is the reading mainly about?

What were Junks?