Test Reading 8th form

Read the text.

Just The Two of Us is my favourite book. It is about ‘different’ people, and it has changed the way I think about things.

 The book tells the story of two American boys, Joe and Barney. They live in Wyoming. Joe is tall, strong and confident. He plays baseball for the school team and he has lots of friends. Barney’s life is very different, and he is lonely. He was born with one leg shorter than the other, and he feels embarrassed because he has to wear special shoes. For this reason, he doesn’t want to play sport with the other boys – he is afraid they will laugh at him. He prefers spending his free time alone in the woods, and he watches and listens to the animals and birds.

 One summer, Joe goes hiking alone in the woods. When he sees a wolf in front of him, he is scared

and he runs through the trees, but he falls and breaks his leg. He lies there all night and all the next day, with no food or water. The noises around him terrify him.

 Back in the town, Barney hears that Joe is missing and he decides to do something to help. He leaves his house in the middle of the night to find Joe, but he doesn’t tell his parents. He cycles to the woods and spends hours there, looking for Joe. It is dark, but he isn’t afraid because he knows the place very well. Before morning he finds Joe, and their summer of adventures continues.

This exciting story, with its beautiful descriptions of Wyoming, shows us that people can surprise us.

1. Choose the correct answers.

The text is . . . . . . . .

2. Read the text again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?

1.  Joe and Barney are old school friends.     

2.        Barney doesn’t have a lot of friends. 

3.       One of his legs is longer than the other.

4.        He feels happier when he is alone in the woods.

5.        Joe goes hiking because he wants to see a wolf.

6.        He breaks his leg when he falls in a river.   

7.        He can’t move and stays in the woods for hours.

8.        Barney walks to the forest to look for Joe.

9.     The text doesn’t give details about what happens

after Joe finds Barney.