TOEFL Primary Step 2 Test #21 - Reading

10/30/2020 1:09:00 PM

This is a home device which helps you wake up at a given time. What is this?

  • television
  • alarm clock
  • automatic door

This is a kind of train or railway underneath which travels faster and saves more time than buses or trams. What is this?

  • taxi
  • cable cars
  • underground

What do we call the people who are aged from 13 to 19 years old?

  • toddlers
  • teenagers
  • infants

Simpson is in his study room. He needs his Science workbook for class today. What is he doing?

  • Looking for
  • Looking after
  • Looking into

There are many people who are not familiar with using their right hand and prefer the other side. How are these people?

  • left-hand
  • right-hand
  • second hand

You need to collect or write news for a magazine, or even broadcast news on television. What is your job?

  • artist
  • stylist
  • journalist

This is a small long animal with many legs and grows into a butterfly. Which animal is this?

  • worm
  • snail
  • caterpillar

This is one type of film that most children like to watch in their free time. What is this?

  • documentary
  • cartoon
  • sci-fi movie

This is one unpleasant taste which is typical for lemon or unripe apples. How is this feeling?

  • sour
  • sweet
  • bitter

Read the email below. Then answer the questions.

From: Veronica

To: McKenzie

Sent: 22nd December

How are things, McKenzie? I am OK. I've just finished my exams and everything is fine. And you? I hope you have had great results because I am planning a trip. What about going to Pattaya? Mark and Sara are going to come. Tell me if you want to come as soon as possible, please.

By the way, what is the household chore you hate most? I make this weird question because I must write a composition for my English teacher on vacation and I have no idea what to write about it.

Send me your photos with Susan. I haven't seen them yet.

Bye.

Why is Veronica sending this email for McKenzie?

  • To ask if McKenzie wants to go to Pattaya with them or not.
  • To inform the final results for McKenzie.
  • To have McKenzie do Vernonica homework.

Why does Veronica refer to household chores?

  • Because Vernonica does not have her household chore to do.
  • Because Vernonica has to hand in her homework about housework she hates.
  • Because Vernonica wants McKenzie help her to write the composition.

Read the letter. Answer the questions.

Dear Max,

We all miss you very much. Max and the family are welcome to come visit any time at all. I hope all is well with everyone. Please send hellos from all of us to your family. Talk to you soon.

P.s: Don't forget to send me those vacation pics!

Love,

Elisa D.

Why does Elisa write this letter to Max?

  • To invite Max's family come visit whenever they have time.
  • To remind Max send Elisa's greeting to his friends.
  • To ask Max about his summer vaction.

What does Elisa want Max to send her at the end of the letter?

  • Photos of the trip
  • Souvenir from the trip
  • Stories from the trip

Read the poster below. Then answer the questions.

lễ hội

Where does this Fall Carnival take place?

  • a school
  • a stadium
  • a park

What kinds of activities can they join in?

  • Game Booths
  • Costume-designing
  • Hand painting.

Students who buy tickets by Oct 19 will be welcomed into _____.

  • Pumpkin Decorating
  • Mystery Drawing
  • Duck Pond

Which information is NOT true from the announcement?

  • The Carnival will be held on Friday, October 26th.
  • The price of 5 tickets is $2.50.
  • "WILL-CALL" which collects all tickets opens at 3:30pm.

Read the instruction. Then answer the questions.

What is the purpose of this poster?

  • To help people have understanding of Covid-19 and its danger to the community.
  • To supply people with information to protect themselves from the disease.
  • To allow people go outside as long as they follow the steps above.

Which one is UNTRUE?

  • Use a tissue or elbow when you cough or sneeze.
  • Keep safe distance and do not go outside as you have symptoms.
  • Wash your hands whenever you want and shake hands with others.

Which organization does this instruction belong to?

  • International Labour Organization
  • World Health Organization
  • World Trade Organization

Read the story below. Then answer the questions.

THE JACKAL AND THE SUN CHILD 

A jackal is a wild dog with a big black back. It resides in the desert. But how did the jackal get his black back? This was how it happened.

One day, the jackal saw a girl. She was sitting upon a rock. She was not a normal child. She was a rare and beautiful sun child. She was bright and warm like the sun. The child saw the jackal and smiled.

She said, “Jackal, I have been relaxing on this rock for too long. I must get home soon. But, I am slow and you are fast. You will likely get me home more quickly.” Then she requested, “Will you carry me home? If you do, I’ll give you a gift. This necklace belongs to me, but I will give it to you.”

The wild jackal agreed. So the sun child sat on the dog’s back. They started to walk. But soon, the jackal felt ill. The sun child was very hot on his back. The heat was hurting his back very badly. “I made a terrible error in judgment,” he thought. He shouldn’t have agreed to carry her. So he asked her to get off.

But she did not. The jackal’s back continued to get hotter and hotter. He had to get away from the sun child. So he made a plan. First, he ran as fast as he could. He hoped the sun child would fall off. But she did not. So when the sun child was looking at the sky, not aware of the jackal’s next plan, he jumped into a field of flowers. As a result, the child rolled off his back. The jackal ran away.

But the sun child left a mark on the jackal’s back, a visible black mark. Ever since his experience with the sun child, the jackal has had a black back.

What is this story about?

  • How the jackal got his visible black mark
  • An error that the sun child once made
  • Why a wild dog hurt a sun child

What kind of girl was the sun child?

  • She was a normal child.
  • She was rare and beautiful.
  • She was an ill child.

Why did the jackal run into the field?

  • To get away from the sun child
  • To take a nap and relax
  • To continue his journey

What happened at the end of the story?

  • The sun child rolled off the jackal’s back.
  • The sun child has stayed upon the jackal’s back since then.
  • The sun child became aware of the jackal’s black back.

Read the story below. Then answer the questions.

A MAGICAL BOOK 

Sarah loved to read. She read novels and poems. She loved the beautiful descriptions and phrases. She loved reading work from poets and novelists. She didn’t like video games or technology. She was on the basketball team, but she didn’t like sports. Her parents made her play basketball. In fact, Sarah’s parents made her do many things. But she didn’t want to do those things. She just wanted to sit and read all day.

One day, a small book came in the mail. It was for Sarah. The book looked very special. It was printed on sheets of gold. Sarah began to read. The outline of the story was simple. It was about a magical place. Strange things happened there. One example from the book was about a boy who could control people. In one scene, he made his friends tell funny jokes.

Sarah loved the book. She read it all the time. Then something strange happened. The book gave Sarah a special power. She could control other people. She was like the boy in the book. During one exam, she made her friend tell silly jokes. Her friend got in trouble.

After school, Sarah did not make a direct trip home. On the way, she went to the local store. She wanted to play more tricks on people. She caused problems. She made people fall down. She laughed and had fun.

Finally she left and started to walk home. Then she saw something. Her basketball coach was about to walk in front of a bus. He was looking the other way. She had to stop him! She used her power. She controlled him. She made him stop walking.

Sarah learned something that day. It was better to help people than make them suffer. So, she put a limit on how she used her power. She did not want to do bad things with it anymore. She only wanted to do good.

What is this story about?

  • A basketball coach who tells jokes to people
  • A girl who can control other people
  • A girl who gets a novel about technology in the mail

Why does Sarah love to read?

  • She likes the phrases and descriptions in books.
  • She likes to tell jokes to her teachers.
  • She wants to be a poet.

What does Sarah learn in the end?

  • She should not read during an exam.
  • Simple stories are the best.
  • She must limit her power.

What is true about the magical book?

  • It gives examples of good jokes.
  • It is printed on sheets of gold.
  • Sarah doesn’t want to write in it.

Read the story below. Then answer the questions.

CATS AND SECRETS 

In English, there is a common idiom “let the cat out of the bag.” It means to tell a secret. But where did this idiom start?

It came from a section of England. Long ago, people there went from town to town to sell things like vegetables, clothes, and pigs. They had strong beliefs about honesty. They didn’t like lying. One day, a man went to the section’s center to sell things.

“I have a baby pig for sale! It won’t cost much,” he said. He held the animal above his head. His style was different from honest people’s style. He was a master of tricking people and lying.

A woman named Beth scanned his pig. He offered her the pig for one gold coin. That was a very small amount. Beth gave him the coin. He put it in his pocket. He walked ahead of Beth to get the pig.

He gave her a closed bag and said, “Here’s your pig.” He then left very quickly.

Beth looked at the bag’s surface. It was moving. She opened it to let the pig out. A cat was inside! “He tricked me! That isn’t proper,” she said.

Later, the man returned to trick more people. Beth saw him and the memory of the cat came back. She told her friends. They stopped him. But no one knew what to do next.

Someone said, “We need an independent and fair person to decide that.” They went to the judge. Beth told him about the cat in the bag.

The judge asked, “Is there evidence? Can you demonstrate how he did it?”

“Look in his bag,” said Beth. She opened it and let a cat out of the bag. They learned the man’s secret, and he went to jail.

That’s how the idiom “let the cat out of the bag” came to mean to tell a secret.

What did Beth say after she was tricked?

  • That’s not proper.
  • That’s a very small amount.
  • We need an independent and fair person to help.

Where did the man hold the pig?

  • Above his head
  • In the section’s center
  • On the surface of the bag

Why did Beth look at the bag?

  • He offered the pig for so little money.
  • The man had a different style.
  • The surface was moving.

What is the main idea of this story?

  • It is about the origin of an idiom.
  • People should scan evidence carefully.
  • Masters of lying will go to jail.

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

It was our school's annual Sports Day last week. We arrived at Bedol Stadium at eight in the morning. Everyone was chatting happily and excitedly with one another. We were then told to gather in groups, according to our classes, as well as in groups for those who were competing in the events. Parents and supporters were seated in the stands, waiting to cheer the competitors on. 

The event started soon after the national anthem was sung and the principal had given his speech. The stadium was filled with cheers and applause for the competitors. 

My friend and I represented our class in several track events - the 4 times 100-metre replay and the 100- and 200-metre sprint. Being very good runners, we manage to clinch a few medals and won a special award for our class.

What is the text about?

  • Sports Day
  • Bedol Stadium
  • Running Competition

Which statement is INCORRECT from the text?

  • Students are divided into groups depending on their classes.
  • Audience have to stand in the stadium to cheer the competitors on.
  • The writer's class got a few medals and won a special award for the whole class.

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Fairies today are the stuff of children's stories, little magical people with wings, often shining with light. Typically pretty and female, like Tinkerbell in Peter Pan, they usually use their magic to do small things and are mostly friendly to humans.

We owe many of our modern ideas about fairies to Shakespeare and stories from the 18th and 19th centuries. Although we can see the origins of fairies as far back as the Ancient Greeks, we can see similar creatures in many cultures. The earliest fairy-like creatures can be found in the Greek idea that trees and rivers had spirits called dryads and nymphs. Some people think these creatures were originally the gods of earlier, pagan religions that worshipped nature. They were replaced by the Greek and Roman gods, and then later by the Christian God, and became smaller, less powerful figures as they lost importance.

Which thing is regarded as typical for fairies?

  • Magical wings
  • Using wands for small things
  • Treating unkindly to humans

Which is not the origin of the earliest fairy-like creatures?

  • Shakespeare
  • The Greek
  • The Roman