The following story is part of our easy reading for beginners in English series. The first text is about a girl named Anna and her cat, Whiskers. Anna takes care of Whiskers, plays with it, and loves it very much. They are best friends and always stay together. The second text is a folklore about cats and mice.
Read the text and answer the questions
Anna loves her cat
Anna has a cat. The cat's name is Whiskers. Whiskers is a white cat; it has green eyes. Every morning, Anna feeds Whiskers. She gives it a bowl of milk and some cat food. Whiskers always finishes its food. Anna loves playing with Whiskers. She throws a small ball, and Whiskers runs after it. Sometimes, Whiskers hides under the bed. Anna calls it, "Whiskers, where are you?" Then, Whiskers comes out and jumps into Anna's arms. Anna hugs Whiskers and says, "You are my best friend." At night, Whiskers sleeps next to Anna. He curls up on her bed and purrs softly. Anna feels happy when Whiskers is around. She tells it, "Good night, Whiskers." They both sleep peacefully until the morning.
Multiple-choice questions
Now, let's check your understanding of the story with some simple multiple-choice questions. Choose the correct answer for each question based on what you read about Anna and her cat, Whiskers. After answering, click the "Check answers" button to see your results.
1. What is the name of Anna’s cat?
2. What colour is Whiskers?
3. What does Anna give Whiskers in the morning?
4. What does Anna do to play with Whiskers?
5. Where does Whiskers sleep at night?
Cats and mice
A long time ago, cats and mice were best friends. They did everything together: they slept together, ate together, played together, and had fun together. One day, while they were at home, a cat and a mouse were talking to each other:
- 🐭 Mouse: Let's play tag!
- 🐱 Cat: Okay! But who will be "it"?
- 🐭 Mouse: It’s fine, I’ll be "it" first!
So, they started playing tag. Because the tiny mouse could easily squeeze itself under holes and furniture, the cat didn't get very far before the mouse caught it. Then, it was the cat’s turn to be "it." The game continued. The cat had trouble catching the mouse because the mouse kept running into small holes and hiding under large furniture. The cat got tired and said:
- 🐱 Cat: I don’t want to play anymore.
- 🐭 Mouse: Why not?
- 🐱 Cat: You just keep hiding in holes and under furniture. That’s not fair.
- 🐭 Mouse: Let’s change the game to hide-and-seek!
- 🐱 Cat: Alright, I’ll hide first.
- 🐭 Mouse: (nervously) Okay, go ahead!
Then, they started playing hide-and-seek. It didn’t take long for the mouse to find the cat, since the cat was big and easy to see. So, it was the cat’s turn to search for the mouse. The game continued. The cat had trouble finding the mouse because the mouse kept hiding in small holes and under big furniture. The cat became frustrated and said:
- 🐱 Cat: I give up, Mouse. Come out now.
But the mouse didn’t come out. He stayed hidden because the cat had taken too long to find him. The cat kept calling for the mouse, but the mouse didn’t answer. After a long time, the cat became tired and fell asleep. The mouse, hearing the cat’s soft snoring, finally came out and woke him up. But the cat was having a nice dream and was very annoyed when the mouse disturbed him. They argued for a long time, and their friendship ended. The cat became very angry and tried to chase the mouse. The mouse got scared, ran away and hid again. From that day on, cats and mice became enemies; cats chased mice and mice hid from cats. Even now, they are still playing the same game.
Grammar comprehension
1. The plural form of 'mouse' is
2. The infinitive form of 'caught' is
3. The past simple of 'hide' is
Vocabulary comprehension
4. The synonyms of 'annoyed' is
5. To 'fall asleep' means
Reading comprehension
6. The cat fell asleep because he was bored of the game.
7. The cat had a bad dream.
8. After the cat and the mouse argued for a long time, they became friends again.
