CEFR A2 Reading

After Kenny moved to the North Pole, he began working at a toy factory. From summer to December, he worked very hard and was very tired, so on Saturdays he usually slept all day. After a few years, he had gained a lot of weight. He decided to ( --- ). He wanted to run, so he began training with the reindeer. It was difficult at first, but he started to enjoy it and lost a lot of weight.

• eat healthier food

• find a new job

• start exercising more

• take a vacation

However, one day when Kenny was running, his left foot began to hurt. He went to the doctor, and the doctor told him to do some special exercises to make his foot stronger. Kenny tried, but his foot still hurt. Then, Kenny had an idea. He decided to ( --- ). He found a special pair that was made for people who have pain in their feet. He wore them every day. After a few weeks, his foot stopped hurting, and Kenny was happy.

• buy some new shoes

• stop running

• go to the doctor again

• try a different sport

Do you know goldfish? Goldfish are small, colorful, and very popular fish. Goldfish originally lived only in East-Asia. However, these days, many live in rivers all around the world. These goldfish ( --- ). This happened because some people did not want to keep their pets anymore. They took the goldfish to a nearby river, and it became the goldfish’s new home.

• were very friendly to people

• were put there by humans

• lived in China

• needed more food

In 2005, scientists began to study goldfish in the Walt River in New Zealand. They found that goldfish travel long distances up and down the river. Along the way, the fish eat many plants in the river. But these plants are ( - - ) the river’s environment. The plants keep the water clean, and they are food for other fish and animals that live there. After the goldfish eat many of the plants, the river becomes dirty and many other animals die.

• made by

• far from

• important for

• given to

Scientists believe that they may have found a way to solve the problem of too many bunnies. Usually, the bunnies travel alone in different parts of the forest. However, once a year, they all ( - - ). This is where they paint their eggs. The scientists say that it is an easy time to catch a large group of bunnies and take them out of the forest. They now hope to use this method to stop the bunnies from damaging the woods.

• leave the forest

• search for eggs

• gather in one spot

• jump in different ways

Hi Kevin, this is Omar from Spring Break. Thanks for your e-mail. You asked about the dates of this year’s music camps for teenagers and how to apply. Spring Break has two music camps for teenagers. This year, the first camp is for singing and will be from March 20 to April 1, and the second one is for people who play instruments. It will be from March 22 to April 4. The fee for each camp is $1,500 per person.

• Omar wants to ask Kevin what instrument he learned to play.

• Omar wants to check Kevin's schedule for his music lessons.

• Omar wants to answer the questions Kevin's asked about camps.

• Omar wants to invite Kevin to an event for teenagers.

Dear Joshua,

Thank you for your interest in this year's Teenager Camp. You said your younger sister would like to join you this year. Is she at least 13 years old? If so, she can also join. If not, she can still go to the Kid Camp. Those only last for one week. I can tell you the dates for those, too, if you want.

• The camp for children under 13 lasts two weeks.

• The camp for children under 13 is not expensive.

• Children under 13 cannot go to any camps.

• Children under 13 can join a camp for kids.

The reservation form is available on our website. Please print it out and mail it back to us by July 15. Please make sure to announce the number of guests. Payments for the hotel rooms must be made by July 30. The explanation for how to pay is on the website, too. If you have any more questions, please let me know. Thank you.

• To book the rooms, you must come in person

• To book the rooms, you must mail your reservation by July 30.

• To book the rooms, you must announce how many guests are coming.

• To book the rooms, you must pay the fees by the beginning of July.

Today, most cities have firemen to put out fires, but it was very different in the past. In early U.S. history, fires were very dangerous. Back then, most houses were made out of wood. Once a fire started, it could spread very quickly, putting thousands of lives in danger. There were no fire departments, so neighbors and volunteers worked together to put out any fire that started in a neighborhood.

• Houses that were made of wood easily caught on fire.

• People did not know how to put out fires in their cities.

• Nobody wanted to volunteer to put out fires.

• It was difficult to find the wood that people needed to build fires.

Before there were firemen, in order to put out a fire, normal people would make a line between the nearest river and the place where the fire was. They passed buckets of water that were collected at the river from one person to the next. Then, the people closest to the fire threw the buckets of water over it. They continued to do this until the fire was put out.

• People lived close to rivers so that there would be fewer fires.

• People bought buckets for firmen to use for training.

• People collected water from rivers and used it to put out fires.

• People passed buckets to firmen to help stop fires.