Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
I’ve got a painful experience that I went through last semester. I joined the cross country. We were
running this race competing against several I other schools. The entire race was long and dreadful. It took
place in the desert so it was really hot and humid. We ran up and down the hills.
It was getting awful after 10 minutes of the race. People who ran in front of me made me breathe the dust
they created. It wasn’t so bad until my throat started to hurt. It was very painful. I had a hard time to catch
my breath and I sweat a lot. I really hated it.
In the end I managed to finish the race. I felt really good after that. I felt fully alive again. That race was a
horrible experience. That is the reason why I quitted the team a week later.
One day a man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers. He wanted to send it to his mother who
lived far in another town through a delivery company. Meanwhile he was looking at sad young girl who
was sitting in front of the flower shop. He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a
red rose for my mother but my money is not enough”. The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me I’ll
buy you a rose.” He bought the little girl a rose and he ordered for his own mother flowers too.
After buying a rose flower for the girl the man offered the girl a ride to her home. She said” yes please!
You can take me to my mother. She directed him to a cemetery. The girl placed the rose on her mother’s
fresh grave. Knowing the girl’s mother had died the man realized that he must show his love to his mother
while she was still alive. Then the man returned to the flower shop. He cancelled the flower delivery order
picked up the rose flower and drove to reach his mother’s house.
Last holiday, I was in Mexico City with my Dad. It was a fascinating place and the people were friendly.
The most amazing thing happened to me when I was looking for the Paseo de la Reforma. It is a street with
beautiful trees, plants and statues. I was nearly lost and studying my map when I saw a man with colourful
and unusual clothes in front of the cathedral. So I asked him, “Can you tell me where the Paseo de la
Reforma is?” he smiled and answered, “It is only two blocks away from here.”
I thought I took the wrong street because I didn’t find the Paseo de la Reforma. Just when I was thinking
about going back to my hotel, the man appeared again and showed me the way. As I was walking down
the street, I saw the statue of Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec leader. I was going to take the photo of it when I
realized something unusual. The statue looked exactly like the man I saw in front of the cathedral! He was
wearing the same clothes. Even his grin was similar.
What do you think about this? Do you think I am crazy?
Kuta is administratively a district and village in southern Bali, Indonesia. It used to be a sleepy village with a quiet,
beautiful sweep of beach. Today, Kuta is a popular beach destination in its own right, alive with tourists from all
over the world, swimming, surfing or sunbathing by the beach. Others, casually dressed in shorts, T-shirts and flip-
flops stroll along its main road, shopping around or enjoying meals at its many open air restaurants. When in Kuta
you know that you are in a holiday town, and people here are in a holiday mood.
Back in the 1960’s, the only hotel was the Kuta Beach Hotel, but soon without much planning, Kuta developed
rapidly. It is the ultimate beach resort catering to any taste and budget. You may stay at five star hotels, or at
clean “losmen” or home stays. In the hotel complex you will have privacy at the hotel’s own beach front or
swimming pool, but when you stroll out, you will be met with the hustle and bustle of the town center. On the
beach, people enjoy parasailing, banana boat trips or swimming. Women offer traditional Indonesian massage on
the beach, others are seen plaiting hair.
Before sunset, crowds rush to the beach waiting to watch Kuta’s legendary sunsets. Then as darkness falls, Kuta’s
nightlife starts to throb with loud music from bars and restaurants, while shops stay open till late at night. Kuta’s
main attraction is that everyone can enjoy the town without any prescribed dress code. Many famous
international bands and celebrities have voluntarily played and sung here enlivening the fun, dance and music
scene of Kuta.
There are plenty of taxis that can take you to Kuta beach. You can rent these by the meter or by the hour. Taking
your own car is not recommended as parking here is very tight.
One poignant reminder, however, of the tragedy that befell Kuta is a monument located next to the present
Paddy’s café. The monument is erected in memory of those killed during the fatal October 2002 bomb terrorist
blasts. The blasts killed more than 300 people, mostly Australian tourists and Indonesian workers.
A. 2-5-3-6-9-4-1-7-8 B. 2-5-6-9-3-4-7-1-8
C. 2-5-3-9-4-6-1-7-8 D. 2-3-5-6-9-4-1-7-8
A natural disaster is a terrible accident, e.g. a great flood, a big fire or an earthquake. It usually causes
great suffering and loss of a large sum of money. The casualties are injured or died. Some people are
homeless and need medical care.
Floods occur when the water of rivers, lakes, or streams overflow their banks and pour onto the
surrounding land. Floods are caused by many different things. Often heavy rainstorms that last for a brief
can cause a flood. But not all heavy storms are followed by flooding. If the surrounding land is flat and can
absorb the water, no flooding will occur. If, however, the land is hard and rocky, heavy rain cannot be
absorbed. Where the banks are low, a river may overflow and flood adjacent lowland.
In many part of the world flood are caused by tropical storms called hurricanes or typhoons. They bring
destructive winds of high speed, torrents of rain, and flooding. When a flood occurs, the destruction to
surrounding land can be severe. Whole villages and towns are sometimes swept away by water pouring
swiftly over the land. Railroad track blocked and uprooted from their beds. Highways are washed away.
When a building caught fire, the firemen pitched in to help battle the blaze. Before the pumps were
invented, people formed bucket brigades to fight fires. Standing side by side, they formed a human chain
from the fire to nearby well or river. They passed buckets of water from to hand to be poured on the
flames.
The damage of the fire did depend a great deal on where it happened. In the country or a small village,
only a single house might burn down. But in crowded cities, fire often destroyed whole blocks and
neighborhoods before being controlled.
28. What can possibly prevent rivers and lakes from overflowing?
A. An absorbent bed. C. A low land.
B. A rocky surrounding. D. A high bank.
29. We know from the text that . . . .
A. River can sweep heavy flood
B. People can make money from flood
C. The destruction by flood is always less severe
D. Water flood is absorbed by land
30. We know from the text that . . . .
A. The pump is the only tool used by fire fighters C. Fires in big cities are always very big
now D. People no longer use buckets to control fire
B. The pump helps people to fight fires more
efficiently
Come and visit our new library. Lots of new books (brand new novels and non-fiction books) are
available. You can also enjoy our newest DVDs collection.
Head of library
Ramadhan