Reading & Writing Level 2

Student name

Group/Class

Date Score

READING

[1] Living in a new country can be difficult for many different reasons. The biggest
problems, however, are mostly differences in culture and language.

[2] The first thing to do in a new place is to meet people and make new friends. Some
countries, however, are known to be more friendly and welcoming to strangers than
others. A recent study has shown the following countries all score high marks in making
people feel like their new country is a place they can call home.

[3] The East African country of Uganda scored highest in “friendliness.” This is a country
where welcoming anyone of a different nationality is a basic part of the culture and they
quickly make newcomers feel at home. In fact, workers who go there on short contracts
are refquently known to ask to stay longer.

[4] Cultures that enjoy having festivals make it easier to meet new people. People who
like events full of energy might prefer to live in Korea. This country is famous for
celebrating its culture, and there are plenty of opportunities to have a good time during
these colorful events. There’s no better way to make new friends.

[5] People who are tired of big, noisy cities may like Costa Rica. Life is slower there, and
most people earn similar amounts of money. This means that there is less competition
between people and a greater sense of peace. Another factor is that English is spoken in
many places, so it’s easy to communicate with new friends and colleagues.

1 Read the text quickly. Match the paragraphs with the main ideas. There are three
extra ideas you do not need to use.

A Learn to have more fun.

B There are often problems when you change countries.
C Be sure to be honest with new people.
D This country offers a quieter place to live.
E Going to fun events is a good idea.
F This is the friendliest country.
G It’s a good idea not to be alone.
H Use your English to make new friends.
Paragraph 1

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

Paragraph 4

Paragraph 5

Score: /5

2 Read the text. Do these statements agree or disagree with the opinions in the text, or
is no information given? Write Y (Yes), N (No), or NG (Not Given).

1 Most problems are connected to not speaking the language in the Y / N / NG

new country.

2 Not all countries are equally welcoming. Y / N / NG

3 Ugandans only welcome people if they are a specific nationality. Y / N / NG

4 The best way to make new friends in Korea is to go to festivals. Y / N / NG

5 There are no rich people in Costa Rica. Y / N / NG

Score: /5

[1] When it comes to getting a quick energy boost, coffee, tea, cocoa, and guarana have
been popular choices for years. More recently, however, we are seeing yerba maté
products on the shelves of supermarkets and bars—not only health food stores and
vegetarian restaurants.

[2] Yerba maté has been a popular choice of stimulant for South American rain forest
tribes for hundreds of years. The natural caffeine content from the holly tree has been
used to energize, focus, and nourish these traditional people.

[3] But why has this herbal drink recently become so popular in developed countries? The
answer is simple: yerba maté can be used in many different ways. It can be drunk hot or
cold, pressed with teas or coffee, or served with ice water and lemon.

[4] Furthermore, this leaf provides a healthier option to many of the energy-giving drinks
so popular in the West. For example, not only does the caffeine help keep us awake, but
it also has a much more natural balance than coffee. Too much coffee, as we all know,
can also have negative side effects.
[5] Yerba maté is also packed with nearly 200 vitamins and minerals. These rich contents
have helped it receive the name of “liquid vegetable” or in some regions “the drink of
the gods.” It is also believed that yerba maté can help prevent heart disease, weight
problems, and cancer.

3 Read the text quickly, then complete the summary. There are three extra words you
do not need to use.

choice negative North plant positive South stores tree

Yerba maté is a drink made from the leaves of the holly (1) and has been drunk
for years in (2) America. It can also now be found in many (3) in the
West and is becoming a more popular (4) than tea and coffee for providing a
mental boost. It is different from coffee, however, which can be bad for you if you drink
too much. This is because yerba maté only has (5) effects on your health.

Score: /5

4 Read the text and find the synonyms with a similar meaning to these words and
phrases.

Word or phrase

Paragraph 2 Rain forest tribes

Paragraph 3 Yerba maté

Paragraph 4 Yerba maté

Paragraph 4 Coffee, tea, guarana

Paragraph 5 Vitamins and minerals

Score: /5

[1] Crowdfunding is a way of raising money. It is often used by start-up companies,

which need money to invest in a new business idea.

[2] Because it can be hard to get money from a bank due to the financial dangers
involved, crowdfunding asks the public to invest. There are three common ways to give
money to a start-up.
[3] First, people can choose to donate a small amount of money for an idea they like,
which means they expect nothing back for their money. Second, they may choose to lend
money in order to earn some money on the finished product. Finally, there is the option
to invest—in other words, to buy a part of (or shares in) the company.

[4] Usually there is no minimum amount of money you can give for a project. In fact, the
very idea behind crowdfunding is that it can work with small investments. For instance, it
may be difficult to raise $100,000 from one person, but when 1,000 people each give the
small sum of $100, there is a greater chance of success.

[5] One example is a small watch company. To begin with, they posted ideas for their
project and asked the public to vote for their favorite design. When this was chosen,
money was collected to produce the watches. At the end of the project, the people who
donated enough money got the finished watch.

[6] It is not certain, however, that a company will be successful. If not enough money is
raised for the project, then the company will close, the product is never produced, and
everybody loses their money.

5 Read the text carefully. In each pair of sentences, one is the main idea for each
paragraph and one is a supporting idea. Check (✔) the main idea.

1 Paragraph 2
It’s hard to get money from a bank for a start-up.

The risks are too high.

2 Paragraph 3
Some people choose to donate money to a start-up.

People who donate do not expect anything in return.

3 Paragraph 3
Some people choose to invest in a start-up.

Investors buy part of the company.

4 Paragraph 4
It is easier to collect $100 from one person.

Collecting $100,000 is not easy.

5 Paragraph 6
Sometimes not enough money is collected for a start-up.

Not all start-ups are successful.

Score: /5
6 Read the text. Complete the sentences with the correct word. There are two extra
words you do not need to use.

design gift invest lend product production vote

The three different ways of crowdfunding a start-up project are to donate,

(1) , or (2) money.

The small watch company project worked because it asked people to choose the
(3) before making an investment. After this, they started (4) of
the watch. The final stage was sending out the finished (5) to people who
gave enough money.

Score: /5

[1] A quick search on the Internet will tell you that the biggest trend of 2016 was
Pokémon GO. This game became available on July 6, and online data says that it was
downloaded over 100 million times in the first month. During its most popular time, 20
million people per day were playing the game.

[2] The aim of the game was to find Pokémon in the real world. Users turned on the
camera on their smartphones and looked around them. If you were lucky, you would see
a Pokémon sitting in front of you or walking down the street. Using the app on your
phone would give you the chance to catch one. The company that produced the game
said that there are 151 monsters in total to catch.

[3] The Pokémon characters first appeared back in 1995 when a Japanese video game
company invented a game in which humans had to catch and train monsters called
Pokémon. To many people not interested in gaming, these monsters became very
annoying, as they were everywhere in the media at the time: on TV, on T-shirts, and even
in movies.

[4] Most of the people I spoke to, however, were very happy to see the return of these
monsters. But, they told me, the main attraction of the new game was its mix of real-life
and video game action.
7 Read the text. What do the following numbers or dates refer to?

1 2016

2 100 million

3 20 million

4 151

5 1995

Score: /5

8 Look at the information from the article. Decide whether each piece of information
came from a primary source (P) or a secondary source (S).

1 Paragraph 1 Pokémon GO was the biggest trend in 2016. P / S

2 Paragraph 1 The game was downloaded over 100 million times in the first P / S
month.

3 Paragraph 2 The game involves catching a total of 151 Pokémon P / S

monsters.

4 Paragraph 4 Many people were very happy to see the monsters return. P / S

5 Paragraph 4 The mix of real-life and video game action was the game’s P / S
big attraction.

Score: /5

[1] Elon Musk was born in South Africa on June 28, 1971. At the age of 24, he moved to
California, borrowed $2,000 from his father, and started a software company with his
brother, Kimbal. They worked very hard, and the company quickly became a big success,
and because of this, he decided he wanted to become CEO of the company. The other
important members of the company, however, refused. On account of this, Musk sold his
part of the company. He got $22 million.
[2] In 1999, just four years after he started his first company, Musk started another
company because he wanted to create a better service for paying for things online. It
was financed with $10 million of the money he got from selling his first business. This
company also became very successful, but once again he disagreed with the other
people involved. As a result, he again decided to sell. The money he received this time
was even more: it was around $165 million.

[3] Musk has continued to found one business after another, and each one has been a
great success. According to Musk, the reason why he has been so successful is that they
are all based on his simple business ideas: these are to work hard and to not follow
trends.

[4] Musk is now 46 and has a net worth of $15.2 billion, making him the 80th richest
person in the world. If anybody knows the secrets of success, it must be him.

9 Find these phrases in the text. What do each of the pronouns in bold refer to?

1 They worked very hard ... (Paragraph 1)

2 ... the company quickly became a big success, and because of this ... (Paragraph 1)

3 It was financed with $10 million ... (Paragraph 2)

4 ... each one has been a great success ... (Paragraph 3)

5 ... these are to work hard and to not follow trends ... (Paragraph 3)

Score: /5

10 Scan the text and answer the questions.

1 Why did Musk sell his part of the company he started with his brother?
A The company didn’t want him to be CEO.
B He wanted to start a new company.
2 Why did Musk create his second company?
A To buy and sell things online
B To make buying and selling online easier
3 Why did Musk sell the online payment company?
A He didn’t agree with the other people in the company.
B The company became too successful.
4 Why does Musk believe his businesses are successful?
A Because he invests a lot of money
B Because his business ideas are simple
5 Which is NOT part of Musk’s simple business philosophy?
A To work hard
B To follow trends

Score: /5