Exam task
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Reading & Wi
A new type of transport
Alexis Lewis is a teenager from the USA.
She likes to invent - to think of new ideas for
things that no one has made before, and then
make them.
Alexis often enters competitions for young
inventors. When she was younger she spent
time with her grandfather, who made transport
for people to go to space. One day Alexis'
mother told her about a newspaper article
which explained how difficult it was to get sick
people through the countryside to hospital in
Africa. Alexis wanted to help.
Alexis knew that in North America, before
there were cars, horses pulled heavy things
on a travois (a type of sledge), made of wood.
Alexis thought people could do the same, but
she added wheels. To make her travois light,
she used bamboo, a plant which grows in Africa, not wood.
To pull Alexis' travois, you wear a belt, which means you can carry or hold other things. Alexis thinks he
travois might be useful for carrying food home from the market, as well as taking people to hospital. No
it's finished, she's writing instructions for building one so people in Africa can make it themselves.
With help from US companies, Alexis plans to give ten travois free to hospitals in Africa. She doesn't v
money for them because they are for poor people.
Alexis doesn't know if she wants to be an inventor when she's older, because she also likes music and
writing, but she thinks it's important for children to learn about inventing at school.
1 Why did Alexis decide to invent a new type of
transport?
A She wanted to win a competition.
B Her mother told her about a problem.
C Her grandfather worked on spaceships.
2 How is Alexis' travois different from those pulled by
horses?
A It is heavier.
B It is made of wood. T
C It has wheels.
What does the writer say about using Alexis' travois?
A People will need instructions to use it.
B People should not use it to carry shopping.
C People can pull it without using their hands.
4 What does the writer say about Alexis' futu
A She might do something different from
inventing.
B She would like to teach children how to
C She hopes she can start to sell her inve
5 What is the writer doing in this text?
A advertising a new way to travel
B telling the story of someone's idea
C asking for help with a problem