Borrow a Drill, Not a Book
An article about a library that lends tools and machines instead of books, and an opinion article by a woman who uses the library.
Tap any word to hear it · dotted words have a definition in the glossary
Text 1
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Borrow a Drill, Not a Book
1Most people go to the library to books. At the new "Library of Things" in our community center, you can a , a , a sewing machine or even a tent for a camping trip.
2The idea is simple. Many people buy tools that they use only once or twice a year. The rest of the time, these tools sit in a and take up space. In a tool library, many people share the same tools, so each person spends less money, and fewer things end up in the garbage.
3Libraries like this already exist in many cities around the world. Ours opened last month with about two hundred items. Most of them were given by people from the neighborhood.
4Joining is easy. Members pay a small once a year and can up to three items at a time for one week. check every tool when it comes back and fix it if needed. On Friday mornings, they also teach short lessons, for example how to use a safely.
5"We want people to do more things themselves and to meet their neighbors," says one of the .
Text 2
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Why I Love My Tool Library
1When I moved into my first apartment, I needed to hang shelves, fix a door and paint my bedroom. I didn't have a single tool, and buying everything would cost a lot. A friend told me about the Library of Things, and it changed my life.
2In my opinion, every neighborhood should have a library like this. First, it saves money. In one month, I borrowed a , a and a paint roller, and I paid almost nothing. Second, it is good for the environment. Why should every family on my street own a that they use twice a year?
3But the best thing for me was the people. One of the , a retired , showed me how to hang my shelves straight. Now I come to the Friday lessons, and I have even fixed a chair for my grandmother.
4There is one problem: popular tools are not always . I waited two weeks for the sewing machine. I hope the library will get more of them soon.
5Still, I would tell everyone: before you buy, check if you can .
📘 Glossary
- borrow - to take something for a short time and give it back
- drill - a tool for making holes
- ladder - a set of steps for climbing up to high places
- sewing machine - a machine for making and fixing clothes
- cupboard - a piece of furniture with doors, for keeping things
- fee - money you pay for a service
- volunteers - people who work without being paid
- carpenter - a person who makes things from wood
- available - ready to be used or borrowed
Questions
Finding details · Text 1
1. What is different about the "Library of Things"?Finding details · Text 1
2. According to paragraph 2, what is the problem with buying tools?Finding details · Text 1
3. Give TWO advantages of sharing tools, according to paragraph 2.Finding details · Text 1
4. Where did most of the items in the library come from?Finding details · Text 1
5. How many items can a member borrow at one time?Finding details · Text 1
6. What do the volunteers do when a tool comes back?Purpose and structure · Text 1
7. What is the purpose of paragraph 4?Finding details · Text 2
8. Give TWO jobs the writer needed to do in her new apartment.Fact, opinion and stance · Text 2
9. Which sentence from Text B is an OPINION, not a fact?Reference words · Text 2
10. What does the word "they" in "a ladder that they use twice a year" (paragraph 2) refer to?Finding details · Text 2
11. What was the best thing about the library for the writer?Making inferences · Text 2
12. "Popular tools are not always available" (paragraph 4) means that…Finding details · Text 2
13. Copy the sentence that gives the writer's advice to readers.Comparing texts
14. In Text A, a volunteer says the library wants people "to do more things themselves and to meet their neighbors". How does Text B show this?
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