Middle East International School

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15
Academic Year 2023-2024
Name: ……………………………….. Reading Comprehension Grade: 8 ……..

Date: ………………….…………….…… Total Marks: 15 Time Allowed: 1 period

Passage: 1
Steve Cummins Talks about Starting his Own Business

I’d worked for the company for almost ten years. They were good employers and the
money wasn’t that bad. They trusted in my ability and always left me to get on with my
work. And I shared an office and met some lovely people, so I certainly wasn’t unhappy
there. But I just couldn’t stop wondering how better my life would be if I had my own
business and could make my own decisions. And so one year ago this week I left my job.

We don’t have a spare room at home, so the kitchen table has been my office. It was
difficult to begin with, but I soon got used to working in this way. I started by visiting small
businesses in the area to see if I could interest them in my services. My proudest moment
was making my first sale, a website for a local cake shop. Soon after, I started getting calls
from other people asking for help with websites of their own and I found myself getting
quite busy.

Of course, there have been challenges. I’m not earning quite as much as before but it’s
enough. I don’t have to pay for transport to work anymore so that means I’m not spending
quite so much. My biggest problem has been managing my time. There’s no boss to tell me
what to do and I’m sometimes a little lazy. I have this rule that work stops on a Friday
afternoon so I can spend time with the family at weekends, so I need to pay more attention
to this.

So, I wouldn’t say it’s been easy, but I don’t regret my decision at all. I’ve enjoyed being my
own boss and I’m quite hopeful about the future. During the next 12 months I plan to rent
some office space as I’d like to be able to separate work from my home life. I’m going to
need to earn more money to pay for it but I think it will help me to focus on my work.

1 Why did Steve leave his job?

A He didn’t like attending meetings.

B He wanted more control of his work.
C He had a great idea for a product.
D He wanted to earn more money.
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2 Steve’s greatest pleasure so far has been

A getting his first customer.

B not having to drive to work.
C having his own office.
D not having to answer the telephone.

3 What does Steve say is the most difficult about working for himself?

A working hard enough

B not having a regular salary
C feeling lonely
D working at the weekend

4 In the next year, Steve thinks

A he will get an office job.

B he will earn less money.
C he might not need to work in his kitchen.
D there will be much more competition.

5 What would be a good introduction to this article?

A In this article, Steve Cummins explains the problems of starting your own business
and dealing with difficult customers.
B Thinking of starting your own business? Steve Cummins did just that and now wishes
he had done it sooner.
C Steve Cummins made a big decision last year to leave his job. Read on to find out
about the ups and downs of being your own boss.
D Steve Cummins explains below how he dealt with not enjoying his job by leaving his
employer and starting his own business.

Passage: 2

Whale-watching Trip

A while ago, my friend Olivia was telling me about a whale-watching trip she’d been on, in
Canada. I wanted to tell her I was about to do the same thing, off the north coast of the UK,
where my grandparents live. Whales had recently appeared there again, and my
grandparents were convinced we’d see some – so I was sure my trip would be as good as
Olivia’s! But then I saw some review of the trip my dad had booked for us, when no-one
had seen any whales at all. So, in the end, I decided not to tell Olivia anything about my trip,
in case it wasn’t successful!
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Anyway, Dad and I set off on our trip – which was Dad’s idea – and it was fantastic!
Travelling out to sea on the tour boat with our guide, we soon reached the spot where
whales often appeared. Then we waited – and nothing happened. I was sure this wouldn’t
last, though. People kept calling out they’d seen one, which was exciting – but then it
turned out they were wrong. Then finally I saw something move under the water – a minke
whale! So I felt like a hero for the rest of the trip!

The whale was a wonderful sight, with its huge back not far from the boat. Our guide said it
was around five tonnes in weight and around 10 metres long. Yet, despite its size, it swam
alongside us at speed, and with little effort. We waited to see if more appeared, and some
time later, we saw three more some distance away, that kept diving under the water and
coming up again. Then just after I’d filmed them, they disappeared.

Although the water’s less deep around the coast, larger whale species appear in the area
with minke whales, feeding on fish. But minkes are curious creatures, so they’re more likely
to approach tourist boats – which was why we were successful! Then later, up on the cliffs,
we looked out to sea, searching for signs of whales. Sometimes seabirds diving into the
water means whales are around, as they’re stealing the whales’ meal. We were unlucky,
sadly – but we’ll be back!

1 Jack wasn’t keen to mention his whale-watching trip to Olivia because

A he thought her trip sounded a lot more exciting.

B he’d read some negative reports about where he was going.
C he wasn’t sure if his dad had definitely arranged it.
D he didn’t know whether she was very interested in whales.

2 On board the whale-watching boat, Jack

A was proud to be the first person to see a whale.

B began to worry that they might all be disappointed.
C tried not to get excited when anyone saw something.
D was glad he’d persuaded his dad to come with him.

3 When Jack saw the minke whale, he was

A surprised at how close it came to the boat.

B amazed that it was so much bigger than he’d imagined.
C impressed that it moved through the water so easily.
D delighted to see it had arrived with several others.

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4 Jack suggests minke whales appeared in the same area as the boat because

A they knew there were plenty of fish there.

B they were attracted by the arrival of the visitors.
C they didn’t have to compete for food with seabirds.
D they preferred how deep the water was there.

5 What would Jack text to his grandparents about the whales?

A I’ll send you my video of the group of whales – they only appeared briefly, so they
weren’t as interesting as the first one we saw.
B Dad said he’d really wanted to go to Canada to watch whales, like my friend Olivia –
but now we’re really happy we came here.
C I must take you up to the cliffs to look for whales – we’ve seen them every time
we’ve been there, so far.
D You were so sure our whale-watching trip would be a success, while I still had doubts
– but you were right.

Passage: 3
My Favourite Book
Jian
This well-known book was in a box of old books that a neighbour gave me. I wasn’t sure
about it when I picked it up because I saw the pictures and thought it was a book for little
children. But I was bored, so I started reading. After a few pages I couldn’t stop, and when I
got to the last page, I was quite upset that there wasn’t more. It’s about two friends who
play a game, and how it changes their lives. It’s brilliant!

Max
This was one of the first books I ever had, but it’s still a favourite. Even before I could read, I
loved looking at the drawings as my parents read the story to me. Now my little sister’s got
it, and she loves it too. The writer has become quite famous, but this is the first book she
wrote, and not many people have heard of it. It’s very different from the books she wrote
later. I suppose what you write about changes as your life changes.

Kojo
I read this book for the first time when I was about eight. One of the reasons I liked it was
that it was about people growing up in a place which I knew nothing about. My friend read
it too, and our ideas for games often came from this book. I read it again recently, and I still
think it’s great, except the last few pages. What happens in them doesn’t seem real.
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1 Who does not like the way the book ends?
A Jian B Max C Kojo

2 Who enjoyed the pictures in the book?

A Jian B Max C Kojo

3 Who explains how he got the book?

A Jian B Max C Kojo

4 Who enjoyed learning about lives which are different from his own?
A Jian B Max C Kojo

5 Who says something about what happens in the story?

A Jian B Max C Kojo

6 Who says the book is not very well-known?

A Jian B Max C Kojo

7 Who felt sad when he finished the book?

A Jian B Max C Kojo

Good Luck!!

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Name Class Date

Bubble Answer Sheet

A B D

1. A B C D 1. A B C D 1. A B C D

2. A B C D 2. A B C D 2. A B C D

3. A B C D 3. A B C D 3. A B C D

4. A B C D 4. A B C D 4. A B C D

5. A B C D 5. A B C D 5. A B C D

6. A B C D

7. A B C D

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