A LESSON FOR INTERMEDIATE LEARNERS

This is a comprehension exercise. The word ‘comprehension’ means ‘to understand’ or, ‘to take in’. Read the following two extracts and answer the questions that follow. You will find the correct answers at the bottom of the page.

Extract 1

My Japanese friend, Sakura, is in her 20s. She is pretty tall and thin. She has long, straight, black hair and brown eyes. A lot of her friends say she looks like a pop star. I’m German. I’m pretty tall, too, but I’m a little bit overweight. I have light skin, short, curly, brown hair, and green eyes. I’m middle-aged and I can’t see very well, so I wear glasses all the time.

1. Sakura is _______. a. middle-aged b. a TV star c. in her twenties  d. a little bit overweight
2. Sakura’s friend is _______. a. thin b. a little bit overweight c. a pop star d. in her twenties
3. Sakura has _______. a. curly hair b. black hair  c. short hair  d. green eyes  
4. Sakura’s friend has _______. a. light skin b. long hair  c. blue eyes  d. blonde hair
5. Sakura and her friend are _______. a. middle-aged b. overweight c. in their twenties  d. pretty tall

Extract 2

When Adam Roberts and his Chinese wife, Li Na, won a million dollars in a lottery, they didn’t leave their jobs as chefs at a local Chinese restaurant. They loved cooking, even though they didn’t earn much. The first thing they did was to pay all the money they owed on their cooking school loans. Next, they bought a lot of things they couldn’t afford before, like expensive furniture, a swimming pool, and a fishing boat, and they visited Li Na’s brother in Beijing, China. The couple also lent quite a bit of money to their family and friends, but they never asked people to pay it back. Then they spent thousands dollars on a trip to the Amazon in Brazil with their Brazilian friends Davi and Alice. Well, as you can imagine, after about six months, most of the money was gone. They were almost back where they had started. But Adam and Li Na are not sorry that they spent the money. They paid all their debts, had great holidays in China and Brazil, and, most importantly, helped a lot of people. However, if they win the lottery again, they’ll save the money first and spend the rest little by little over several years.

1. Adam and Li Na didn’t leave their jobs as chefs because _______. a. they earned a lot b. they didn’t earn much c. they owed money  d. they loved their work
2. Family and friends _______ Adam and Li Na. a. borrowed money from   b. gave money to  c. paid money to  d. stole money from
3. Adam and Li Na are not sorry about spending the money, mainly because _______. a. they own expensive furniture b. they were kind to many people  c. they can go fishing   d. they don’t like money
4. After six months, Adam and Li Na _______. a. had spent almost all the money b. won the lottery again c. owed a lot of money again  d. had paid back all the money
5. “Spend the rest little by little” means _______. a. spend a little of it b. don’t spend a lot of it  c. spend it slowly, in smaller amounts  d. spend too little of it

ANSWERS

Extract 1

1. Sakura is (c) in her twenties.
2. Sakura’s friend is (b) a little bit overweight.
3. Sakura has (b) black hair.
4. Sakura’s friend has (a) light skin.
5. Sakura and her friend are (d) pretty tall

Extract 2

1. Adam and Li Na didn’t leave their jobs as chefs because (d) they loved their work.
2. Family and friends _______ Adam and Li Na. (a) borrowed money from…
3. Adam and Li Na are not sorry about spending the money, mainly because (b) they were kind to many people
4. After six months, Adam and Li Na (a) had spent almost all the money.
5. “Spend the rest little by little” means (c) spend it slowly, in smaller amounts.