Updated 2026-09-12intermediate

New TOEFL Reading: Read in Daily Life Practice #006 — A Rescue Dog, a Return, a Lift Check, and a Ward Handover

Free practice for the new TOEFL Reading section's short daily-life texts: 4 everyday texts and 12 questions with an answer key.

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How to use this practice: Each text is something you could actually receive — an email, a notice, a memo, a post. Read it once at normal speed, then answer the three questions under it. Watch the options that reuse a word from the text: matching words are the most common trap in this part.
1

Text 1 — Social Media Post

Read the text, then answer the three questions below it.

hallway_hazel @hallwayhazel - 1d

Six weeks ago we adopted a four-year-old dog who had been in the shelter for over a year. Everyone warned us about the first night. Nobody warned us about week three.

The first days were quiet, almost worryingly so. She slept, she ate, she stayed near the door. Then around day eighteen she seemed to decide the place was hers, and everything started at once: barking at the corridor, chewing one specific chair leg, refusing to walk past the recycling bins.

Our trainer says this is normal and even a good sign, because a dog that feels unsafe does not test the rules. That reframed the whole thing for us. The chair is still losing.

For anyone considering a shelter dog: ask how long the dog has been there, not just its age. A year in kennels shapes a lot of what you see in the first months.

And no, we are not giving her back. Several people have asked and I would rather answer once here.

212 replies - 96 reposts - 2.8K likes

Q1 · Detail
What happened around the eighteenth day?
  1. A. The dog started barking, chewing, and avoiding the bins.
  2. B. The dog stopped eating and stayed by the door.
  3. C. The trainer visited the flat for the first time.
  4. D. The family began considering returning the dog.
Answer
Correct: A
Q2 · Inference
Why does the writer say the trainer's explanation "reframed the whole thing"?
  1. A. It showed that the chair could be repaired after all.
  2. B. It meant the difficult behavior was a sign the dog feels safe.
  3. C. It proved the dog had been badly treated at the shelter.
  4. D. It suggested the first quiet days had been the real problem.
Answer
Correct: B
Q3 · Purpose
Why does the writer mention the last line about giving the dog back?
  1. A. To ask followers for advice on rehoming her
  2. B. To explain why the shelter kept the dog for a year
  3. C. To answer a question several people have already asked
  4. D. To warn that adopting an older dog is usually a mistake
Answer
Correct: C
2

Text 2 — Email

Read the text, then answer the three questions below it.

Subject: Your return request for order 88-4412 (walking boots)

From: Tarn Outdoor Supply

To: Priya Venkatesan

We have received your return request for one pair of walking boots, size 39. Here is what happens next.

A prepaid label is attached to this email. Print it, or show the barcode at any of the 4,000 drop-off points; the shop assistant scans it from your phone. Please send the boots in the box they arrived in, or another box of similar size. Boots sent in a bag alone often arrive damaged and we cannot refund a damaged return.

Your refund goes back to the card you paid with, usually within five working days of the boots reaching our warehouse, not five days from when you post them.

You asked whether you can exchange these for size 40 instead. We do not process exchanges directly. Place a new order for size 40 whenever you like and return this pair separately; the two are not linked, so you do not need to wait for one before doing the other.

The label expires in fourteen days. If it lapses, reply here and we will send another, but only once.

Q4 · Detail
When does the five-day refund period begin?
  1. A. When Priya posts the parcel at a drop-off point
  2. B. When the boots arrive at the company's warehouse
  3. C. When the prepaid label is printed
  4. D. When a new order for size 40 is placed
Answer
Correct: B
Q5 · Inference
What can be inferred about how Priya should get size 40?
  1. A. She should wait for the refund before ordering the new pair.
  2. B. She should ask the drop-off point to swap the sizes for her.
  3. C. She can order the new pair today and return the old pair separately.
  4. D. She must request an exchange within fourteen days.
Answer
Correct: C
Q6 · Purpose
Why does the email mention boots sent in a bag?
  1. A. To offer a cheaper way to post the parcel
  2. B. To explain that bags are not accepted at drop-off points
  3. C. To advertise a packaging service at the warehouse
  4. D. To warn that a damaged return will not be refunded
Answer
Correct: D
3

Text 3 — Notice

Read the text, then answer the three questions below it.

Notice: Annual lift inspection, September 9 and 10

Brookvale Tower management

Both lifts must be inspected by law once a year. This year the inspection falls on Monday, September 9 and Tuesday, September 10.

Only one lift will be out of service at a time. Lift A is inspected on Monday and Lift B on Tuesday, each from 9:00 AM until roughly 3:00 PM. The working lift will be busier and slower than usual, particularly between 8:00 and 9:00 AM when most residents leave.

Deliveries of large items should not be booked for these two days. The service key that holds a lift open for loading cannot be used while an inspection is running, and the goods entrance has no other lift.

Residents on floors 10 and above who cannot use stairs should contact the management office before September 5 so we can note your flat. If a lift stops unexpectedly during the inspection, the engineer on site will restore the other one first for those flats.

Both lifts will be back in normal service by 6:00 PM on Tuesday at the latest. The inspection certificate will be posted in the lobby.

Q7 · Detail
What does the notice say about large deliveries?
  1. A. They should be booked before 9:00 AM on either day.
  2. B. They should be taken through the goods entrance instead.
  3. C. They should not be scheduled on those two days.
  4. D. They may use the service key if the office is told first.
Answer
Correct: C
Q8 · Inference
What can be inferred about residents who leave for work at 8:30 AM?
  1. A. They will not be affected, because the inspection starts at 9:00.
  2. B. They should expect to wait longer than usual for a lift.
  3. C. They must use the stairs on both mornings.
  4. D. They will need to register with the management office.
Answer
Correct: B
Q9 · Expected Action
What should a resident on the twelfth floor who cannot use stairs do?
  1. A. Contact the management office before September 5
  2. B. Wait in the lobby until the engineer restores Lift A
  3. C. Ask for the service key from the goods entrance
  4. D. Check the inspection certificate posted in the lobby
Answer
Correct: A
4

Text 4 — Workplace Memo

Read the text, then answer the three questions below it.

Memo: Handover notes, Ward 6 night shift

To: Night staff, Ward 6

From: Reuben Oyelowo, day charge nurse

Date: 19:00, May 8

Two admissions today and one discharge planned for tomorrow morning. Bed 4 is empty and has been cleaned.

Bed 2 came in this afternoon and is stable, but the family speaks limited English and the interpreter line was busy each time we tried. The number is on the board. Please try again around 21:00, when the line is usually quieter, rather than waiting for the morning.

Bed 7 has asked three times about going home on Friday. That decision sits with the consultant on Thursday's round, not with us, and saying anything firmer than that has caused confusion before. Please keep to the same answer the whole team is giving.

The medication fridge alarmed twice today at around 14:00 and again at 16:30. Maintenance logged it as a door seal and will return Friday. Check the temperature reading at the start of your shift and record it, even though the alarm has stopped.

Finally, the printer on the desk is out of labels. There is a box in the store cupboard, second shelf.

Q10 · Purpose
Why does the memo tell night staff to call the interpreter line at 21:00?
  1. A. Because the family can only be reached in the evening
  2. B. Because the line is usually less busy then
  3. C. Because the day team has already booked that slot
  4. D. Because the consultant's round happens earlier in the evening
Answer
Correct: B
Q11 · Detail
What are night staff asked to do about the medication fridge?
  1. A. Call maintenance again if the alarm sounds
  2. B. Move the medication to another fridge overnight
  3. C. Record the temperature at the start of the shift
  4. D. Leave the door open until the seal is replaced
Answer
Correct: C
Q12 · Inference
What can be inferred about answering the patient in Bed 7?
  1. A. Staff should tell the patient that discharge on Friday is confirmed.
  2. B. Staff should avoid speaking to that patient until Thursday.
  3. C. Staff should refer the patient directly to the consultant tonight.
  4. D. Staff should give the same careful answer the rest of the team gives.
Answer
Correct: D