Read the passage carefully before attempting Exercise 1 (Multiple Choice) and Exercise 2 (Fill in the blanks dropdown) below.
Fatima’s holiday starts tomorrow. She is going to Porto, Portugal, with her sister Nadia. They have a small apartment near the beach for five days. Fatima is very happy, but she is also a little nervous because she always forgets something.
Today, Fatima is packing her suitcase. She puts in clothes for warm weather — shorts, T-shirts, and a light jacket for the evenings. She also packs her sunscreen, a good book, and her camera. Nadia sends her a message: “Don’t forget your passport and your travel card!” Fatima checks her bag. The passport is there, but the travel card is on the kitchen table. She puts it in her bag quickly.
Fatima also needs to do a few things before she leaves. She buys some snacks for the plane journey. She calls her neighbour, Mr. Costa, and asks him to water her plants. Then she checks the weather in Porto — it is sunny and 28 degrees all week. Fatima smiles. She is ready for a great holiday.
Exercise 1
Read the passage about getting ready for a holiday carefully. Then choose the correct answer for each question based on the text.
Example: Where is the family going for their holiday?
Answer: The family is going to the beach.
Getting Ready for a Holiday
Packing a bag is exciting — but it can also be stressful! Before you read, think about these two questions: What do you always take on holiday? And do you pack early or at the last minute? Keep your answers in mind as you read about Fatima and her trip.
Reading Passage: Fatima's Big Packing Day
Fatima's holiday starts tomorrow. She is going to Porto, Portugal, with her sister Nadia. They have a small apartment near the beach for five days. Fatima is very happy, but she is also a little nervous because she always forgets something.
Today, Fatima is packing her suitcase. She puts in clothes for warm weather — shorts, T-shirts, and a light jacket for the evenings. She also packs her sunscreen, a good book, and her camera. Nadia sends her a message: "Don't forget your passport and your travel card!" Fatima checks her bag. The passport is there, but the travel card is on the kitchen table. She puts it in her bag quickly.
Fatima also needs to do a few things before she leaves. She buys some snacks for the plane journey. She calls her neighbour, Mr. Costa, and asks him to water her plants. Then she checks the weather in Porto — it is sunny and 28 degrees all week. Fatima smiles. She is ready for a great holiday.
Key Vocabulary in Context
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech | Definition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| holiday | noun | a period of time when you travel or relax away from home or work | We are going on holiday to Spain next week. |
| suitcase | noun | a large bag with a flat bottom that you use to carry clothes when you travel | She puts her T-shirts in the suitcase. |
| nervous | adjective | a little worried or not relaxed about something | He is nervous because it is his first flight. |
| passport | noun | an official document you need to travel to another country | Don't forget your passport at the airport! |
| sunscreen | noun | a cream you put on your skin to protect it from the sun | I always pack sunscreen for a beach holiday. |
| journey | noun | the time you spend travelling from one place to another | The train journey takes two hours. |
| neighbour | noun | a person who lives near you | My neighbour takes my letters when I am away. |
| checks | verb | looks at something carefully to make sure it is correct or there | She checks her bag before she leaves the house. |
Reading Strategies & Comprehension Tips
Skimming for the Main Idea
Read the passage quickly — in about 30 seconds. Do not stop at every word. Ask yourself: What is this text about? You can see from the title and the first sentence that it is about a woman preparing for a trip. This is skimming.
Scanning for Specific Details
If a question asks "Where is Fatima going?", scan the text for a place name. You can see Porto, Portugal in the first paragraph. You do not need to read every sentence to find this. This is scanning.
Understanding Sequence
Notice the order of events. Fatima packs first, then she gets a message from Nadia, then she buys snacks, then she calls her neighbour. Words like also and then help you follow the order. Look for these small connecting words in questions about what happens first or last.
Using Context to Guess Words
If you do not know a word like sunscreen, look at the words around it. It is with shorts, T-shirts, beach, and warm weather. You can guess it is something for a sunny, hot place. This strategy helps with unknown vocabulary.
Common Reading Pitfalls & Traps
Trap 1: Confusing the Two Sisters
Fatima and Nadia are both in the story. Fatima is packing the bag. Nadia sends the message about the passport. Students sometimes confuse who does what. Read carefully — the subject of each sentence tells you who is doing the action.
Trap 2: The Travel Card
A question might ask: "Is the travel card in Fatima's bag at the start?" The answer is no — it is on the kitchen table. But at the end, she puts it in her bag. Be careful about when something happens in a story.
Trap 3: The Word "nervous"
The text says Fatima is "a little nervous." This does not mean she is unhappy or scared. She is excited but also slightly worried. Do not choose an answer like "Fatima does not want to go on holiday" — that is not correct.
Trap 4: How Long Is the Holiday?
The text says "five days" — not one week. Students sometimes read "all week" in the last paragraph (about the weather) and think the holiday is seven days. Read the numbers carefully and check what they refer to.
Quick Summary
In this passage, you read about Fatima, who is packing her suitcase the day before her holiday to Porto with her sister Nadia. She packs clothes, sunscreen, a book, and a camera. After a reminder from Nadia, she finds her travel card on the kitchen table. She also buys snacks, asks her neighbour to water her plants, and checks the weather. The text uses simple present and present continuous tenses, everyday vocabulary, and a realistic, relatable situation — all typical of A1-level reading tasks.
Now read the passage carefully and complete Exercise 1 (Multiple Choice) and Exercise 2 (Fill-in-the-gap dropdown) below.
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