Read the passage carefully before attempting Exercise 1 (Multiple Choice) and Exercise 2 (Fill in the blanks dropdown) below.
My name is Lucy. I am ten years old. I live in a small house on Green Street. Last Saturday, a new family moved in next door.
In the morning, I saw a big yellow truck outside. Two men carried boxes into the house. I was very curious. I looked out of my window and waited.
In the afternoon, a girl came outside. She had long brown hair and a red jacket. She looked at my garden. I opened the front door and said, “Hello! My name is Lucy. Welcome to Green Street!”
The girl smiled. “Thank you! My name is Sofia. I am nine years old. I am from Spain.” Sofia spoke English very well.
We sat on the steps together. Sofia told me about her old city, Madrid. It is very big and busy. She likes football and drawing. I like football too! We laughed a lot.
Now Sofia is my best friend. We walk to school together every day. I am very happy she is my new neighbour.
Exercise 1
Read the passage about a new neighbour carefully. Then choose the correct answer for each question based on the text.
Example: Where does the new neighbour live?
Answer: The new neighbour lives next door.
My New Neighbour
Do you know your neighbours? Meeting someone new can be exciting! In this story, a young girl meets her new neighbour for the first time. Before you read, think about these questions:
- What do you say when you meet someone new?
- What things do you like to do with your neighbours?
Reading Passage
My name is Lucy. I am ten years old. I live in a small house on Green Street. Last Saturday, a new family moved in next door.
In the morning, I saw a big yellow truck outside. Two men carried boxes into the house. I was very curious. I looked out of my window and waited.
In the afternoon, a girl came outside. She had long brown hair and a red jacket. She looked at my garden. I opened the front door and said, "Hello! My name is Lucy. Welcome to Green Street!"
The girl smiled. "Thank you! My name is Sofia. I am nine years old. I am from Spain." Sofia spoke English very well.
We sat on the steps together. Sofia told me about her old city, Madrid. It is very big and busy. She likes football and drawing. I like football too! We laughed a lot.
Now Sofia is my best friend. We walk to school together every day. I am very happy she is my new neighbour.
Key Vocabulary in Context
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech | Definition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| neighbour | noun | a person who lives very close to you, in the next house or apartment | My neighbour has a big dog and a beautiful garden. |
| moved in | verb phrase (past) | started to live in a new home | A new family moved in last week. Now the house is full. |
| curious | adjective | wanting very much to know about something or someone | The boy was curious about the new student in his class. |
| welcome | verb / exclamation | something you say to greet someone arriving at a new place | "Welcome to our school!" said the teacher to the new girl. |
| smiled | verb (past) | moved your mouth to show happiness or friendliness | She smiled when she saw her old friend at the park. |
| busy | adjective | with a lot of people, traffic, or activity; not quiet | The city centre is very busy on Saturday mornings. |
| steps | noun (plural) | flat surfaces outside a door where you can sit or walk up | The children sat on the steps and ate their lunch. |
| together | adverb | with another person; not alone | We cooked dinner together. It was a lot of fun. |
Reading Strategies & Comprehension Tips
Skimming the Text
Before reading every word, look quickly at all the paragraphs. Ask yourself: Who is this story about? Where does it happen? You can find the main ideas very fast. In this story, you can see the names Lucy and Sofia quickly. This tells you the story is about two girls.
Scanning for Specific Information
If a question asks you about ages, places, or colours, do not read everything again. Move your eyes quickly across the text and look for numbers, capital letters, or colour words. For example, scan the text to find Sofia's age or the colour of the truck — they are easy to spot!
Using Simple Inference
Sometimes the text does not say everything directly. For example, the story says Lucy looked out of her window and waited. This tells us Lucy is curious and excited, even though the word "excited" is not used. Think about why a character does something to understand their feelings better.
Read Simple Past Verbs Carefully
This story uses many past tense verbs like saw, came, smiled, sat, and told. Make sure you understand that these actions happened before now — last Saturday, not today.
Common Reading Pitfalls & Traps
Confusing Ages
Be careful! Lucy is ten years old and Sofia is nine years old. These numbers are close together and easy to mix up. Always re-read the sentence carefully when you see a number in a test question.
Where is Sofia From?
The text says Sofia is from Spain and her old city is Madrid. Some students confuse the country and the city. Remember: Spain is the country. Madrid is the city inside Spain. These are two different answers!
The Colour of the Truck
The truck is yellow. Do not confuse it with the colour of Sofia's jacket, which is red. Test questions sometimes ask about colours to check that you read the details carefully.
False Friend — "Curious"
In some languages, a word that looks like "curious" can mean "strange" or "funny." In English, curious means you want to know about something. Lucy is curious because she wants to see who is moving next door — not because she thinks something is strange.
Best Friend vs. New Friend
At the beginning of the story, Sofia is a new neighbour. At the end, she is Lucy's best friend. Make sure you answer questions about the end of the story correctly — their friendship grows during the passage!
Quick Summary
In this warm and simple story, a girl named Lucy meets her new neighbour Sofia, who has just moved from Spain. The two girls discover they both love football and quickly become best friends. The story uses everyday vocabulary, simple past tense, and short sentences — all perfect for building your A1 reading confidence.
Now read the passage carefully and complete Exercise 1 (Multiple Choice) and Exercise 2 (Fill-in-the-gap dropdown) below.
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