1. 100 Short reading for English I
http://esl.about.com/library/beginner/bl_beginner_read_pete.htm
http://www.rong-chang.com/nnse/snse/snse001.htm EXCELLENT
1. What’s in the Boxes? 51. She Buys a New Dress
2. He Sells Purses 52. Take out the Trash
3. She Goes to Bed 53. A Yellow Leaf
4. A Letter from Europe 54. She Gets a New Tattoo
5. She Models Expensive 55. He Flies into a Building
Clothes 56. She Has Happy Thoughts
6. She Burps the Baby 57. They Run up the Stairs
7. His School Secret 58. They Decide To Marry
8. He Skates on the Pond 59. The Sand and the Waves
9. A Sharp Pocketknife 60. She Plays the Piano
10. He Goes to the Lake 61. Dishes in the Sink
11. He Is a Bus Driver 62. She Sweeps the Floor
12. He Buys Ballpoint Pens 63. Wedding Purchases
13. His Imaginary Friend 64. He Waits for the Bus
14. She Gets Ready for the 65. She Goes to the Dentist
Beach 66. A Laptop and a Movie
15. She Finds the Remote 67. He Reads the Paper
16. She Gets Health Insurance 68. Police Look for Terrorists
17. He Goes to the Bridge 69. He Studies Too Late
18. He Checks Off Each Item 70. The Cop Chases Him
19. She Rubs Her Foot 71. A Good Golf Shot
20. He Climbs Tall Buildings 72. She Is a Hard Worker
21. Her Sweet Boyfriend 73. The Batter Takes a Swing
22. She Goes to the Pool 74. His New Laptop
23. She Takes the Elevator Up 75. A Hamburger and Fries
24. Bubblegum on His Face 76. She Fixes Her New Shirt
25. He Eats Green Watermelons 77. She Washes the Clothes
26. He Thinks About Bad 78. A Butterfinger Candy Bar
Things 79. He Vacuums the Carpet
27. She Likes the House 80. She Goes to Lunch
28. The Blimp in the Sky 81. She Plays Golf
29. Her Electric Wheelchair 82. He Buys Some Milk
30. He Gets Dressed 83. He Is a Vampire
31. He Takes the Elevator 84. A Busy Museum
32. He Takes a Shower 85. She Scrubs the Sink
33. A Brown Spider 86. Her Office Is Cold
34. Many People Enjoy the 87. Fourth of July in the
Park U.S.A.
35. One Banana Is Just Right 88. He Pays the Electric Bill

2. 36. He Takes the DMV Test 89. She Has Brain Surgery
37. A New Bulb in the 90. He Takes a Shower
Bathroom 91. People Buy Lottery Tickets
38. He Sits on the Steps 92. He Fills Out a Form
39. He Shoots the Basketball 93. A Brand New Honda
40. Fish in the Aquarium 94. She Makes a Salad
41. She Delivers the Mail 95. He Has Bad Breath
42. She Buys Lottery Tickets 96. The Busy Ant
43. He Works in a Bank 97. He Is a Policeman
44. Shoppers Buy Christmas 98. The City Tour Bus
Gifts 99. Superman Is the Greatest
45. She Makes the Bed 100. She Catches the Train
46. He Waters the Plant
47. Rake Leaves in the Fall
48. A Good Book for a Rainy
Day
49. She Makes Coffee
50. She Sells Mangoes
My Office
Like most offices, my office is a place where I can concentrate on my work and feel comfortable at the same time. Of course, I have all the
necessary equipment on my desk. I have the telephone next to the fax machine on the right side of my desk. My computer is in the center of my
desk with the monitor directly in front of me. I have a comfortable office chair to sit on and some pictures of my family between the computer
and the telephone. In order to help me read, I also have a lamp near my computer which I use in the evening if I work late. There is plenty of
paper in one of the cabinet drawers. There are also staples and a stapler, paper clips, highlighters, pens and erasers in the other drawer. In the
room, there is a comfortable armchair and a sofa to sit on. I also have a low table in front of the sofa on which there are some industry
magazines.
Multiple-Choice Comprehension Check Questions
Choose the correct answer based on the reading. Click on the arrow to check your answer.
1. What do I need to do in my office?
A) relax B) concentrate C) study D) read magazines
2. 2. Which piece of equipment do I NOT have on my desk?
A) fax B) computer C) lamp D) photocopier
3. 3. Where are the pictures of my family located?
A) on the wall B) next to the lamp C) between the computer and the telephone D) near the fax

3. 4. 4. I use the lamp to read:
A) all day B) never C) in the morning D) in the evening
5. 5. Where do I keep the paperclips?
A) on the desk B) next to the lamp C) in a cabinet drawer D) next to the telephone
6. 6. What do I keep on the table in front of the sofa?
A) company reports B) fashion magazines C) books D) industry magazines
True Or False
Decide if the statements are 'true' or 'false' based on the reading. Click on the arrow to check your answer.
1. I work late every night.
2. I use highlighters to help me remember important information.
3. I keep reading materials that are not related to my job in the office.
4. It is important to me to feel comfortable at work.
Useful Vocabulary
armchair
cabinet
desk
drawer
equipment
furniture
highlighter
laptop
paperclip
stapler
My Friend Peter
My friend's name is Peter. Peter is from Amsterdam, in Holland. He is Dutch. He is married and has two children. His wife, Jane, is American. She
is from Boston in The United States. Her family is still in Boston, but she now works and lives with Peter in Milan. They speak English, Dutch,
German and Italian! Their children are pupils at a local primary school. The children go to school with other children from all over the world.
Flora, their daughter, has friends from France, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden. Hans, their son, goes to school with students from South Africa,
Portugal, Spain and Canada. Of course, there are many children from Italy. Imagine, French, Swiss, Austrian, Swedish, South African, American,
Italian, Spanish and Canadian children all learning together in Italy!
MULTIPLE-CHOICE COMPREHENSION CHECK QUESTIONS
1. Where is Peter from?
a. Germany &nbspb. Holland &nbspc. Spain &nbspd. Canada
2. Where is his wife from?
a. New York &nbspb. Switzerland &nbspc. Boston &nbspd. Italy

4. ANSWER
3. Where are they now?
a. Madrid &nbspb. Boston &nbspc. Milan &nbspd. Sweden
ANSWER
4. Where is her family?
a. American &nbspb. England &nbspc. Holland &nbspd. Italy
ANSWER
5. What are the children's names?
a. Greta and Peter &nbspb. Anna and Frank &nbspc. Susan and John &nbspd. Flora and Hans
ANSWER
6. The school is:
a. international &nbspb. big &nbspc. small &nbspd. difficult
ANSWER
TRUE OR FALSE
1. Jane is Canadian.
ANSWER
2. Peter is Dutch.
ANSWER
3. There are many children from different countries at the school.
ANSWER
4. There are children from Australia at the school.

5. ANSWER
A Secretary's Desk
Secretaries usually have an older computer and a telephone on their desk. The usually have an older computer because the managers are often
the first to receive the latest technological equipment. Secretaries' desks are often tidy as they are usually tidier than the bosses. You will also
find an agenda of some sort because secretaries need to make appointments for their bosses. Secretaries' desks often have pictures of their
children and families that they look at from time to time during the day. In the past, secretaries were usually women. Today, however, more and
more men are becoming secretaries as more and more women become managers and the workplace becomes more equal.
A Typical Manager's Desk
Managers often have desks that are surprisingly empty! These empty desks can show that the manager often travels and is out of the office most
of the time. An empty desk can also demonstrate how powerful the manager is by its representative status. Sometimes, in the USA, you can see
footmarks on the desk because some managers like to put their feet up on the desk when they are talking on the telephone! In the States,
managers put their feet up on the desk to show that they are in control in their office. Managers usually have a laptop computer on their desk. In
fact, this laptop computer is their true desk. These days, most managers do almost all their work on their laptops. Another thing you might find
is a cell phone - another sign of the mobility most managers demand.
A Typical Shop Worker's Desk
Shop workers probably have the untidiest desks of all. The desks of shop workers are used for a number of purposes. They often have a
computer and telephone to take care of paper work, but they also use their desk as a place to lay their various tools as they work at their
different tasks. In many machine shops, you will also be surprised at how dirty a shop worker's desk is! Shop workers have to do a variety of
physical tasks that often involve greasy equipment. Of course, the grease from the tools and the equipment dirty the desk as the shop worker
sits down to do a report or make a telephone call. Shop workers usually don't clean their desk too often as they know that the desks will just get
dirty the next time they sit down to have a cup of coffee.