Reading Comprehension 2 Date: _________________________

Martin is reading a newsletter about different places in the world.

Issue 18
June 2021

Junior Globe Traveller

Fun Facts around the World

5 There are many fabulous places around the world. Many have created world records. Let's
see if any of these record-breaking places are near you!

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world. Over

half of the rainforest is in Brazil. It is home to around 2.5 million
different insect species and over 40,000 plant species.

10 Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall on Earth. It stands 979 m. It

is named after American pilot Jimmy Angel who first flew over the falls in
1933. Located near Brazil, Venezuela contributes another famous place to
South America.

Antarctica is the coldest region on Earth. Temperatures here can be

15 as low as - 92 degrees Celsius. The ridges high up on the hills are
said to be the coldest.

The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world situated

in Northern Africa. Some experts have estimated that the
desert is made up of 30% sand and 70% gravel. Some sand
20 dunes can reach up to 122 m high. During the day, it can get
very hot. However, at night, temperatures can plunge to below
freezing.

1. Circle the headline of the newsletter.

2. Underline the issue number of the newsletter.

Source: P6 Read Right (p.32)

A. Choose the best answers by blackening  the circles.

1. What can’t we find out by reading the newsletter?

 A. the location of the Sahara Desert

 B. the origin of the name of Angel Falls

 C. the types of animals living in Antarctica

 D. the number of insect and plant species in the Amazon Rainforest

2. Read line 22. What does ‘plunge’ mean?

plunge / plʌndʒ/
noun Dictionary skills
1. to suddenly and quickly go down in value or amount
The company’s shares plunged 33% in a single day.

2. a sudden large fall in a price, value, or rate

The plunge in oil prices led to losses of about $50 million.

verb
3. to jump or dive into water
He stripped off and plunged into the sea.

4. suddenly decreases by a large amount

The unemployment rate plunged sharply.
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4

3. Where did Martin most likely get this newsletter from?

 A. Cookery Club  B. Geography Club

 C. History Club  D. Maths Club

4. Why did the author mention ‘Jimmy Angel’ in the newsletter?

 A. He is famous in America.

 B. He was the founder of Angel Falls.

 C. The waterfall was named ‘Angel Falls’ because of him.

 D. The waterfall is the tallest on Earth.

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B. Give SHORT answers to the following questions.

. Read line 14. What does the word ‘here’ refer to? Antarctica

2. Which continent is Angel Falls located in? South America

3. According to some experts, what element is the Sahara Desert mainly made up of?

Gravel

C. Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.

1. Among all the places introduced, where is suitable for the most animals to live in?

The Amazon Rainforest is suitable for the most animals to live in.

2. How tall can the sand dunes in the Sahara Desert reach?

They can reach 122 m high.

3. Martin would like to visit The Sahara Desert after dinner. What would you suggest him to

wear according to the newsletter? Why?

Suggested answers: I would suggest him to wear something warm/ a thick coat because it is

cold at The Sahara Desert at night.

D.Some travelers have been to the places mentioned in the newsletter. Read what they

said and guess the places they visited.

Travellers: Comments about the place: Names of the places

Terry: It was stunning! The land was mostly covered Antarctica

with ice. I had to put on thick jackets, a hat and

gloves to keep myself warm.

 Sana: I saw lots of tall trees that are very close together. The Amazon

I took photos of different bugs and plants too. Rainforest

It’s really a memorable tour! I spent two days The Sahara Desert
 Suki:
sandboarding and camel trekking and one night
_______________
singing, dancing and stargazing! Sleeping in the tents
near the sand dunes was unforgettable too. ________

 Rebecca: I enjoyed resting near the water. I was amazed when

I saw the water falling down the rock. Angel Falls

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This is a blank page.

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Reading Comprehension 3 Date: _________________________
Frankie is reading a letter to the editor in the magazine. Read it carefully and answer
the questions.

Dear Editor,

I was upset after I read the article ‘The Forgotten Village’ in your magazine on
25th October 20XX. The article is about an old village in Yuen Long where nobody is
living in anymore.

5 This village is where I spent most of my childhood. When I was twelve years old, my
family moved to the USA. Back then I often played at the smallest stream in the
village with my friends after school. We used to catch fish with small nets. We took
the fish home so that our mothers could cook the fish for dinner. Since our families
were poor, instead of being upset, our mothers were always pleased with us when we
10 brought the fish home.

In winter, we didn’t play at the stream because it was so cold. Instead, my friend
Eddy and I often played in a small dark cave near the village. We pretended it was a
ghost house. Eddy made a fire with firewood and we told ghost stories. My little
brother never went with us because he said he could hear strange noises in the cave.
15 He was as timid as a mouse. I didn’t hear anything so we kept on going there. It
wasn’t dangerous to play in a small cave.

Your article said that the government would break down all the houses in the village
and build new housing estates there. I am very disappointed with these actions if
they really take place. I think the village is a valuable place. We should keep it and
20 turn it into an outdoor museum for children to learn about life in the past.

I am really concerned. I don’t want the village to disappear. I hope someone will stop
these plans.

 __________
Ivan Kong (296 words)

(I) Choose the best answers by blackening● the circles.

1. In line 2, a ‘forgotten’ place is a place _____.

●A. where everyone has left C. where many children live in

B. very far away D. with many old buildings

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2. Read line 9. How did the writer’s mother feel?

A. B. ●C. D.

3. Eddy, the writer’s friend, made a fire because _________.

A. he wanted to cook the fish for dinner

●B. it was too dark and cold in the cave

C. he needed to read some ghost stories

D. the cave was too small

4. Read line 15. What does ‘as timid as a mouse’ mean?

A. The writer’s brother liked mice.

B. The writer’s brother was tiny.

●C. The writer’s brother was afraid.

D. The writer’s brother saw a mouse.

5. What should the writer write in  __________ ?

A. Goodbye, C. Write back soon.

B. Love, ●D. Yours faithfully,

6. Why did Ivan write the letter?

A. To tell young readers about life in the past.

B. To introduce a village in Yuen Long.

●C. To try to stop people from destroying the village.

D. To talk about the article in the magazine last week.

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(II) Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.

1. Why did the writer think it was fine to go to the cave?

The writer thought it was fine to go to the cave because he didn’t hear strange noises/ it

wasn’t dangerous to play in a small cave.

2. According to the writer, what should the government do to keep the village?

The government should turn the village into an outdoor museum for children to

learn about life in the past.

(III) Frankie is writing some comments to Ivan. Use only ONE word from the text to fill

in the blanks. Make sure your answers are grammatically correct.

My main (1) ___ concern___(n.) is that breaking down the houses in the village can

cause huge (2)___ noise____(n.) pollution that may scare the wilds animals living

around. However, I agree that more new housing (3) ____ estates____(n.) can help

solving the problem of overpopulation. It is (4)___ disappointing___(adj.) if the village

disappears one day.

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This is a blank page.

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 Reading Comprehension 4 Date: _________________________
Martin wrote an email to his friend, Leonard. Read the information carefully and choose
the best answers.

To: leonard_cheng@hkmail.com

From: martin_lk99@netreach.com

Hi Leonard,

Yesterday was Kindness Day at my school. It was meaningful to spend the day doing
volunteer work with the other members of the Charity Club.

First, we visited a home for the elderly. Mrs Leung said that we could either read
5 to an elderly or help to tidy up the residents’ rooms. I chose the first option
because I’m good at it. I read several newspaper articles to an old man who used to
be a reporter. His name was Mr So. He was very thankful for my help because the
words are usually too small for him to read. He said he was really pleased with our
visit since he hasn’t read a newspaper for a long time.

10 Next, we went to several housing estates and collected books and toys. Although
most of the toys were cheap, we made sure only to take books and toys that were in
good condition. Then we gave them to the kids living in a children’s home. The kids
were surprised when they saw the gifts. Just click on the attached photo and see
how big their smiles were.

15 Finally, we went back to school and used chalk to draw big happy faces on the wall
surrounding the school. It may not sound like much, but our ‘street smiles’ brought
a real smile to the face of everyone who walked past. Who knew that turning a
boring wall into a work of art could have such a positive impact? It was amazing
that we could make such a huge difference to the neighbourhood.

20 Kindness Day was a huge success! It is indeed meaningful to help people in need.
When I grow up, I want to be a social worker and help as many people as I can!

Martin

(297 words)
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(I) Choose the best answers by blackening  the circles.
1. Martin chose to read to an elderly person because _________.

A. he didn’t like tidying up C. he wanted to be a reporter

B. Mrs. Leung told her to ●D. he had good reading skills

2. Which of the following is NOT true about Mr So?

A. He was glad that Martin helped him.

B. It was difficult for him to read by himself.

●C. He asked the members of the Charity Club to tidy up his room.

D. He used to write newspaper articles.

3. Which of the following is TRUE about the things donated to the children’s home?

A. All of the items were cheap.

●B. None of the toys were broken.

C. Some of the books had torn pages.

D. They used to belong to Charity Club members.

4. Read line 16. What did Martin mean by ‘It may not sound like much’ ?

A. The members of the charity club drew few smiley faces.

●B. Drawing smiley faces seemed not a great kind of charity work.

C. The drawings were not beautiful.

D. The members of the charity club didn’t have enough chalk to draw.

5. What is the ‘positive impact’ of the ‘street smiles’?

●A. The artwork made people happier.

B. The students weren’t bored anymore.

C. The students’ drawing skills improved.

D. The wall surrounding the school became cleaner.

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6. Why did Martin write Leonard the email?

A. To introduce Leonard the volunteer works a Charity Club member did.

B. To tell Leonard that he wants to be a social worker when he grows up.

C. To invite Leonard to join the Kindness Day.

●D. To share with Leonard the experience and happiness of helping others.

(II) Sequencing: Put the following events in the correct order.

a. Painting the wall.
b. Taking photos with the kids.
c. Writing an email to Leonard.
d. Collecting old stuff in the neighbourhood.
e. Cleaning the rooms for the aged people.
( e ) → ( d ) → ( b ) → ( a ) → ( c )

(III) Give SHORT answers to the following questions.

1. What was the profession of Mr So when he was young? a reporter

2. Read line 12. What does the pronoun ‘them’ refer to? the books and toys

3. Read line 15. What does the pronoun ‘we’ refer to? Martin and the
members of the
Charity Club
(IV) Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.

1. How did the Charity Club collect items for the kids in the children’s home?

The charity club collected items (for the kids in the children’s home) (from several)
housing estates.

2. Did Leonard know the kids living in the children’s home liked the gifts? Explain your answer.

Yes, he knew the kids liked the gifts because he could see the smiles on their faces

in the photo attached.

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3. If you were the chairperson of the Charity Club, what other charity work would you do in
the future? (Explain your answers in NOT LESS THAN 30 words.)

Suggested answers: If I were one of the chairperson of the Charity Club, I would run

a second-hall stall to raise money for the low income families at school. I would either

collect old books or old uniforms at the stall.

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