Short story - reading comprehension (past time) Exercises with keys

READING COMPREHENSION exercise for ESL students (pre-intermediate)
SPEAKING and READING exercises about SLEEP
READING COMPREHENSION exercise (Penguin Island)
READING COMPREHENSION - true or false exercise (pre-intermediate)
Basic English lesson to learn new vocabulary and improve fluency - THE MARKET
ELEMENTARY English lesson for ESL students - Likes and dislikes
Reading exercise to learn new vocabulary (intermediate students)
Exercise to improve READING FLUENCY (intermediate)
FUN TIME - Reading exercise to improve English - pre-intermediate riddles

READ THE TEXT BELOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

Joe was the son of a farmer. His father's farm was poor, and Joe worked on it for a long time, but then his father died, and Joe said, "I needn't stay here now. I'll sell this farm and buy one in a better place. Then I'll soon be rich." 

He bought a farm in the east of the country, but then Ms new neighbours said to him, "The weather's often very bad here. The wind's very strong, and it breaks windows and doors. You must build a room under the ground, and then you and your family can go down there, and you'll be safe from the wind."

So Joe built a room under the ground. It was a lot of work, because the ground was hard. 

But after that, the weather was good for a very long time. There was no wind, and Joe spoke angrily. He said, "Why did I listen to my neighbours? I didn't have to make that room under the ground. The wind never blows strongly here." 

But then one day there was a very strong wind, and Joe and his family had to go down into their room under the ground. They were there for a long time. Then the wind stopped, and they came up. All the windows and doors in their house were broken. 

Joe was not angry about his work now. He smiled happily and said, "Ah! I'm glad I built that room!" 

EXERCISE 1

Look at these questions and find the right answers. 

1. What was Joe's father?

a) He was a farmer. 

b) He was a teacher.

2. Was his father rich?

a) No, he was not. 

b) Yes, he was.

3. Why did Joe leave his father's farm?

a) Because the wind was very strong there. 

b) Because he wanted a farm in a better place.

4. Why did he need a room under the ground?

a) Because the doors and windows of his farm were broken. 

b) Because there were very strong winds in that place.

5. Did the wind often blow strongly after that?

a) No, it did not. 

b) Yes, it did.

6. Was Joe happy about that?

a) No, he was not. 

b) Yes, he was.

My English Online - Curso gratuito de inglês (MEC)

O Ministério da Educação (MEC), por meio do programa Idiomas Sem Fronteiras (IsF), oferece aulas de inglês gratuitas para estudantes, técnicos e docentes de instituições de ensino superior cadastradas, e também professores da educação básica. Trata-se do curso My English Online, com inscrições abertas até 31 de julho de 2019.

O curso de língua inglesa é on-line e autoinstrucional, que oferece um pacote de atividade interativas voltadas ao desenvolvimento das habilidades de leitura, compreensão oral e gramática do idioma.

O curso é dividido em cinco níveis de aprendizado. Os quatro primeiros níveis (iniciante, básico, pré-intermédiário e intermediário) dividem-se em três módulos cada um, denominados Progress Test 1, Progress Test 2 e Final Test.

Já o nível 5 (avançado) oferece preparação para três exames de proficiência na língua inglesa: Cambridge English – Advanced (CAE); Cambridge English –  First (FCE); e Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). O participante é contemplado com um certificado para cada nível realizado.

As inscrições são gratuitas e devem ser feitas no site do IsF (clique aqui). Depois de se inscrever, é preciso realizar o Placement Test, um teste que vai indicar o seu nível de conhecimento da língua. O usuário tem até 20 dias para entrar no My English Online, fazer o login e começar os estudos (sem se ausentar por mais de 45 dias).

Para mais informações, acesse o edital completo.

COMIC STRIP reading comprehension - Hagar the Horrible

Love can also be portrayed in comic strips. Read the comic strip below and answer the questions orally. 

1. What is it about?

2. In your opinion, which of these options can be considered the purpose of the comic strip?
a) to inform
b) to entertain
c) to provoke reflection
d) to criticize

3. Read the items below and mark true or false.
a) Hagar the Horrible wants his daughter to have a marriage of convenience.
b) Honi seems to oppose the idea of having a loveless marriage.
c) Both of them agree that getting married for money is a wise decision.
d) Hagar is concerned about whether or not his daughter is ready to date.

ANSWER KEYS

1. It's a conversation about love, marriage, and money.

2. To entertain and criticize.

3. 
a) Hagar the Horrible wants his daughter to have a marriage of convenience. true
b) Honi seems to oppose the idea of having a loveless marriage. true
c) Both of them agree that getting married for money is a wise decision. false
d) Hagar is concerned about whether or not his daughter is ready to date. false

FUN TIME - Reading exercise to improve English - pre-intermediate riddles

Read the riddles about famous films and TV characters and guess who they are. Can you write a riddle about your favourite film or TV character?

1

I fly through the air but I haven’t got wings.

I wear a metal suit and fight evil things.

I’m clever and love to have money and fame.

I’m Tony Stark but I’ve got another name.

2

Some think I’m pretty, and some do not.

There’s a big green man I love a lot.

I’m bossy, I’m kind, I can get angry.

I sometimes eat eggs … when I’m hungry.

3

I haven’t got a lot of hair,

To tell the truth, I don’t care.

I know I’m not clever, I’m selfish and lazy

But I love my Marge, and she loves me.

FIRST CONDITIONAL - grammar exercise with keys

What will happen if there’s a power cut?

Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the verbs.

1. If there _____(be) a power cut, we ______ (not have) any electricity.

2. If we ____ (not have) any electricity, our computers ______ (not work).

3. If our computers ______ (not work), we ______ (not be able to) go on the Internet.

4. If we _____ (not can) go on the Internet, we _____ (not be able to) email our friends.

5. If we ______ (not can) email our friends, we ______ (have to) text them on our phones.

6. If our batteries _____ (run out), we _____ (not be able to) charge them!

7. If we _____ (not can) recharge our phones, we _____ (have to) go out and meet our friends.

8. If we ______ (go out) and meet our friends, we _____ (have) fun!

ANSWER KEYS

1. If there is a power cut, we won't have any electricity.

2. If we don't have any electricity, our computers won't work.

3. If our computers don't work, we won't be able to go on the Internet.

4. If we can't go on the Internet, we won't be able to email our friends.