Name____________________________________                             Date_______________________
           Human Power
Reading Comprehension Worksheet           

Directions:  Read the passage below carefully. When you have finished reading it completely, answer the questions that follow.

The date is 4th July 2000. Two brothers, Richard and Andrew McLaughlin, have just cycled across a bridge and arrived in Thailand. Why is that a news story? Because they're in the middle of one of the most amazing journeys that anyone has ever attempeted. They're travelling from London to Sydney, a distance of 26,000 kilometres, using only the power of their own bodies. They aren't travelling by plane, train, car or boat -they're travelling by bike and canoe! 

The brothers began their journey 286 days ago, and they've already covered 15,000 kilometres. They left London on 22nd September and cycled to the south coast of Enfland. Then they crossed the English Channel by canoe. After that, they cycled across Europe to Istanbul and Entered Asia. 

On their journey across Asia, the brothers have already seen all kinds of landscapes. In January, they cycled 620 kilometres across the Baluchistan Great Sandy Desert between Iran and Pakistan. After that, they approached the Himalayas -the largest mountain range in the world. They spent the next four months cycling up and down its hills and mountains before they reached the other side! 

However, the brothers haven't started the most dangerous part of their journey yet. When they have finished travelling through Asia, they are canoeing from Indonesia to Australia across the Timor Sea, a distance of 400 kilometres. 

The McLaughlin brothers have got their own website on the Internet. Perhaps you can look at it and find our what happened. Did they cross the Timor Sea safely? And have they started planning their next amazing journey yet? 

Questions:

1)   What is the tone of this selection?

2)   What is the setting of this passage?

3)   What seems to be the author's intent for writing this selection?

4)   What is the Main Idea of this passage?

5>   When did the brothers reach Thailand? 

6>   How far is their total journey from London to Sydney? 
 
7>   How are they traveling? 

8>   Where is the Baluchistan Great Sandy Desert? 
 
9>   When did they leave London? 
 
10>  How long did they spend in the Himalayas? 

11>  How far is it from Indonesia to Australia?