Joy English · Level B1 · IELTS-stylejoy-english.com
IELTS-style reading: True, False or Not Given
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Independent practice in the IELTS reading style, not an official test: read an article about a community repair group and answer True/False/Not Given and multiple-choice questions.
Fixing things together
On the first Thursday of every month, the hall behind a small town library fills with broken things. People arrive carrying lamps that no longer switch on, chairs with loose legs, jackets with broken zips and radios that have gone silent. They have come to a repair evening, an event where volunteers help visitors to mend their belongings instead of throwing them away.
The idea began four years ago with a retired electrician called Tomás Ferreira. He had noticed that his neighbours often asked him to look at small faults, and that most of these problems took only a few minutes to solve. 'A lot of things are thrown away because one cheap part has stopped working,' he explains. 'People assume that a repair will cost more than a new item, but very often that is not the case.' He put up a notice in the library asking for helpers, and six people came to the first meeting.
Today the group has around twenty volunteers, although not all of them come every month. Some are skilled in electronics, while others are good at sewing, woodwork or fixing bicycles. Visitors do not pay for repairs, but there is a box by the door for donations, and this money is used to buy tools and spare parts. The library lets the group use the hall free of charge.
The volunteers are clear that a repair evening is not simply a free repair shop. Visitors are expected to sit with a volunteer and take part in the work. 'We want people to go home with a working toaster, but also with the confidence to try the next repair themselves,' says Aiko Mori, who runs the sewing table. In her view, many adults were never taught basic skills such as replacing a button, and they are often surprised by how easy these jobs turn out to be.
Not every item can be saved, however. Some modern devices are sealed in a way that makes them difficult to open without causing damage, and spare parts for older machines can be hard to find. The volunteers keep a simple record of every item they look at, and they estimate that about two in every three leave the hall in working order.
For many visitors, the social side of the evening matters as much as the repairs. People chat while they wait, and several regular visitors have gone on to become volunteers themselves. Mr Ferreira hopes that other towns will set up similar groups. 'You don't need a big budget,' he says. 'You need a room, a few tables and people who are happy to share what they know.'
True, False or Not Given
Do the statements agree with the information in the passage? Choose True if the statement agrees with the information, False if it contradicts the information, or Not Given if there is no information about it.
- The repair evening takes place once a month.
- More than ten people came to the group's first meeting.
- Tomás Ferreira found his first helpers by putting up a notice.
- Every volunteer comes to every repair evening.
- The group pays the library to use the hall.
- Aiko Mori learned to sew from a member of her family.
- Visitors are expected to help with the repair of their own items.
- Some visitors bring their children to the repair evenings.
Multiple choice
Choose the correct answer according to the passage.
- What is the main aim of the repair evenings?
- Why did Tomás Ferreira start the group?
- What is the money from the donation box used for?
- According to Aiko Mori, many adults
- Why are some modern devices difficult to repair?
- About how many of the items that the volunteers look at are successfully repaired?
- What does the writer say about some regular visitors?
Answer key
True, False or Not Given
- a) TrueThe passage says the event happens on the first Thursday of every month, so it is held once a month.
- b) FalseOnly six people came to the first meeting, so the statement contradicts the passage.
- a) TrueHe put up a notice in the library asking for helpers, and six people came.
- b) FalseThe passage says that not all of the volunteers come every month.
- b) FalseThe library lets the group use the hall free of charge, so the group does not pay.
- c) Not GivenThe passage says she runs the sewing table, but it never says how or from whom she learned to sew.
- a) TrueVisitors are expected to sit with a volunteer and take part in the work.
- c) Not GivenThe passage does not mention children at all, so we cannot say whether this is true.
Multiple choice
- c) to help people fix their belongings and learn how to do itVolunteers help visitors to mend their things, and they want visitors to gain the confidence to repair things themselves.
- a) He noticed that many faults were quick and easy to fix.He noticed that most of the problems his neighbours had took only a few minutes to solve.
- b) tools and spare partsThe passage says the donations are used to buy tools and spare parts.
- d) were never taught simple repair skills.She says many adults were never taught basic skills such as replacing a button.
- b) They are sealed and hard to open without damaging them.Some modern devices are sealed in a way that makes them difficult to open without causing damage.
- d) about two in threeThe volunteers estimate that about two in every three items leave the hall in working order.
- a) They have become volunteers.The passage says several regular visitors have gone on to become volunteers themselves.