Updated 2026-09-12intermediate

New TOEFL Reading: Read in Daily Life Practice #009 — Summer Camp, Swim Lessons, a Blood Drive, and a Trip

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 — Email

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

Subject: Camp Wildhorn - what to send before July 1

From: Camp Wildhorn office

To: Parents of registered campers

Thank you for registering. Camp runs from July 14 to July 25, and there are three things to complete before July 1.

First, the health form. It must be signed by a doctor, not by a parent, and appointments fill up in June, so book now if you have not. Campers without a signed form cannot be dropped off.

Second, the swim level. Every camper swims on day one so instructors can group them. You do not need to tell us anything in advance; we mention it only so the day is not a surprise.

Third, the bus. Campers can be dropped at camp or take the bus from Ridge Plaza at 8:00 AM. The bus is free but seats are limited, and we allocate them by registration date rather than by request.

Please label clothing with your child's surname. Every year we return three boxes of unlabeled items to charity, most of it new.

Do not send phones. There is a camp line for messages, answered between 5:00 and 7:00 PM.

Q1 · Detail
Who must sign the health form?
  1. A. A parent, before July 1
  2. B. A doctor
  3. C. A swimming instructor on day one
  4. D. The camp office, after the bus is allocated
Answer
Correct: B
Q2 · Inference
What can be inferred about getting a seat on the camp bus?
  1. A. Families who registered earlier are more likely to get one.
  2. B. Seats are given to families who ask first.
  3. C. A fee is charged for a seat on the bus.
  4. D. Every camper is guaranteed a seat if they arrive by 8:00 AM.
Answer
Correct: A
Q3 · Purpose
Why does the email mention the day-one swim?
  1. A. To ask parents to report their child's swimming level in advance
  2. B. To require a second signature from a swimming instructor
  3. C. To warn that weak swimmers may be sent home
  4. D. So that families are not surprised by it on the first day
Answer
Correct: D
2

Text 2 — Schedule

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

Autumn swim lessons - Calder Leisure Pool

Term: September 15 to December 5, no lessons October 27 to 31

All lessons are thirty minutes. Arrive changed; the changing rooms are busiest in the ten minutes before each hour.

  • Mon and Wed 4:00 PM - Starters, ages 4 to 6, small pool
  • Mon and Wed 4:40 PM - Improvers, ages 6 to 9, small pool
  • Tue and Thu 5:30 PM - Stroke Development, ages 8 to 12, main pool lanes 1 to 3
  • Sat 8:30 AM - Adult beginners, main pool, no age limit

One parent may stay on poolside for Starters. For every other class, parents watch from the balcony, which keeps the noise down and the poolside clear.

Missed lessons cannot be refunded, but two catch-up sessions per term can be booked in the Saturday adult hour if the swimmer is over eight.

Goggles are optional for Starters and recommended from Improvers upward. The pool sells them at the desk, though not in children's sizes on weekdays.

Classes with fewer than four swimmers after the second week are merged with the next level down, and the difference in fees is refunded.

Q4 · Detail
Where do parents watch the Improvers class?
  1. A. From the balcony
  2. B. From poolside, one parent per child
  3. C. From lanes 1 to 3 of the main pool
  4. D. They are asked to wait outside the building
Answer
Correct: A
Q5 · Inference
A seven-year-old in Improvers misses a lesson. What can be concluded?
  1. A. The fee for that lesson will be refunded.
  2. B. The child can join the Saturday adult hour instead.
  3. C. The child cannot use a catch-up session this term.
  4. D. The child will be moved down to Starters.
Answer
Correct: C
Q6 · Purpose
Why does the schedule say to arrive already changed?
  1. A. Because the changing rooms are locked during lessons
  2. B. Because lessons last only thirty minutes
  3. C. Because goggles are sold only at the desk
  4. D. Because the changing rooms are crowded just before each hour
Answer
Correct: D
3

Text 3 — Flyer

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

Blood drive - Wednesday, November 6

Marsden Civic Hall, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Book a slot online or walk in. Walk-ins are welcome but waited about fifty minutes last time; booked donors waited nine.

Bring photo identification. First-time donors should allow an hour in total, most of which is the health questionnaire and a short interview in a private booth.

Eat a full meal within three hours of your appointment and drink water before you arrive. Donors who skip breakfast are the main reason we have to stop a donation partway.

You cannot donate if you have had a tattoo or piercing in the last four months, are currently taking antibiotics, or gave blood less than twelve weeks ago. Having a cold today also means waiting for another drive; please do not come in and ask, as the answer will be no and you will have travelled for nothing.

Afterwards, sit for fifteen minutes with a drink and something to eat. Avoid heavy lifting and sport for the rest of the day. Cycling home is fine if you feel well, but tell a volunteer before you leave.

Each donation is separated into three components, so one visit can help up to three patients.

Q7 · Inference
What can be inferred about booking a slot?
  1. A. Walk-in donors are turned away when the hall is busy.
  2. B. Booking is required for first-time donors.
  3. C. Booked donors are likely to spend much less time waiting.
  4. D. Booking online guarantees a nine-minute appointment.
Answer
Correct: C
Q8 · Detail
Who is asked NOT to come to the hall at all?
  1. A. Anyone who has a cold that day
  2. B. Anyone donating for the first time
  3. C. Anyone who plans to cycle home
  4. D. Anyone who last donated twelve weeks ago
Answer
Correct: A
Q9 · Purpose
Why does the flyer mention donors who skip breakfast?
  1. A. To explain why donations are separated into three components
  2. B. To give a reason for the instruction to eat before donating
  3. C. To warn that breakfast is not provided at the hall
  4. D. To explain the fifteen-minute rest after donating
Answer
Correct: B
4

Text 4 — Message Thread

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

Trip planning - Saturday

Yusuf (8:15 PM): Train leaves at 7:42 on Saturday. Ticket office opens at 7:00 but the machines are fine and there is no queue that early.

Clara (8:19 PM): I have the group ticket already. It only works if we all board together, so please do not go ahead to find seats.

Yusuf (8:21 PM): Noted. Meet under the departure board at 7:25?

Marco (8:40 PM): I can only get there for 7:35. Sorry, no earlier bus on Saturdays.

Clara (8:43 PM): That still works, the platform is announced around 7:30 and it is a two-minute walk. But 7:35 is the limit, not a target.

Marco (8:45 PM): Understood. If my bus is late I will message and you should go without me. I can buy a single and meet you there; do not miss the train for me.

Clara (8:52 PM): Agreed. Last thing: the return is open, so we can come back on any train until 9 PM, but after that the tickets are not valid.

Q10 · Detail
Why does Clara ask the others not to board ahead of her?
  1. A. Because the platform is not announced until 7:30
  2. B. Because she is arriving at 7:35 herself
  3. C. Because the group ticket only works if they board together
  4. D. Because seats cannot be reserved on Saturday trains
Answer
Correct: C
Q11 · Inference
What can be inferred about what the group will do if Marco's bus is late?
  1. A. They will wait for him under the departure board.
  2. B. They will board the 7:42 train without him.
  3. C. They will all buy single tickets instead.
  4. D. They will take a later train together.
Answer
Correct: B
Q12 · NOT / EXCEPT
All of the following are stated in the thread EXCEPT
  1. A. The return ticket is valid on trains until 9 PM.
  2. B. The platform is announced around 7:30.
  3. C. The ticket office opens at 7:00.
  4. D. There is no bus to the station before 7:00 on Saturdays.
Answer
Correct: D