Free Daily English · Level A2 (Elementary) · Topic: dealing with a noise complaint
Sana and the Noisy Shop
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
Sana worked at a bike rental shop. The shop was on a busy street. Every day, she opened the shop at eight o'clock. She checked all the bikes and made sure they were clean. The shop had ten bikes. Some bikes were big and some were small. Sana liked her job very much. She was always friendly to the customers. She helped them choose the right bike. She showed them how to use the helmet. The shop was usually quiet in the morning. But today was different. A man came in at nine o'clock. He looked worried. He said, "Excuse me, I need to talk to you." Sana smiled and said, "Of course! How can I help?"
The man's name was Tom. He lived next door to the shop. He said, "Your shop is very noisy today." Sana was surprised. She said, "I am sorry to hear that. What is the problem?" Tom said, "There is a loud machine near the window." Sana listened carefully. She could hear a strange noise. It was coming from the back of the shop. She walked to the back and looked around. She saw an old fan. The fan was very loud. It was making a rattling sound. She turned off the fan. The noise stopped right away. She walked back to Tom and said, "I found the problem. It was an old fan." Tom looked happy. He said, "Thank you so much!" Sana said, "I am very sorry about the noise."
Sana decided to fix the problem for good. She called her manager and explained everything. Her manager said, "Well done, Sana. Please order a new fan today." Sana wrote it down in her notebook. Then she went back to help Tom. She said, "We will get a new fan very soon." Tom smiled and said, "That is great news. Thank you for listening." Sana felt happy. She liked helping people. After Tom left, a new customer came in. The customer wanted to rent a bike. Sana helped her choose a good one. She checked the tires and the brakes. She gave the customer a helmet. The customer rode away happily. Sana watched her and smiled. It was a good day at the bike rental shop.
Key vocabulary
| complaint (noun) | a statement that something is wrong or not good“Tom made a complaint about the loud noise.” |
| noisy (adjective) | making a lot of loud or unpleasant sound“The old fan was very noisy.” |
| rattling (adjective) | making a series of short, hard sounds“The rattling sound came from the old fan.” |
| customer (noun) | a person who buys or uses a service“A new customer came in to rent a bike.” |
| helmet (noun) | a hard hat that protects your head“Sana gave the customer a helmet before she rode away.” |
| manager (noun) | a person who is in charge of a place or a team“Sana called her manager to explain the problem.” |
| tire (noun) | the rubber part around a wheel“Sana checked the tires on the bike.” |
| explained (verb) | told someone about something clearly“She explained the noise problem to her manager.” |
Useful phrases
- How can I help? — used to offer assistance to someone“Sana smiled and said, "How can I help?"”
- I am sorry to hear that — used to show you feel bad about someone's problem“Sana said, "I am sorry to hear that" when Tom complained.”
- right away — immediately; without any delay“The noise stopped right away when Sana turned off the fan.”
- I found the problem — used to say you have discovered what is wrong“Sana said, "I found the problem. It was an old fan."”
- for good — permanently; in a way that will not change“Sana wanted to fix the noise problem for good.”
- Well done — used to praise someone for doing something good“The manager said, "Well done, Sana."”
- Thank you for listening — used to thank someone for paying attention to your problem“Tom said, "Thank you for listening" to Sana.”
- make sure — to check that something is correct or done properly“Every day, Sana made sure the bikes were clean.”
Word search
Find all 8 key words from the story. They can read forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W | C | U | S | T | O | M | E | R | I | T |
| 2 | U | M | Z | F | Z | Q | R | Z | J | S | L |
| 3 | G | C | O | M | P | L | A | I | N | T | E |
| 4 | R | V | K | F | R | S | H | H | N | X | S |
| 5 | O | A | Z | K | G | E | A | C | P | V | I |
| 6 | H | I | T | Y | P | F | G | L | Z | K | A |
| 7 | O | E | D | T | S | P | A | A | R | S | H |
| 8 | S | S | L | L | L | I | U | N | N | G | L |
| 9 | S | T | I | M | N | I | O | L | K | A | L |
| 10 | U | S | R | E | E | P | N | N | S | J | M |
| 11 | J | O | D | M | J | T | M | G | X | Z | D |
Comprehension quiz
Where did Sana work?
- A) A bike rental shop
- B) A school
- C) A coffee shop
- D) A hotel
What time did Sana open the shop?
- A) Seven o'clock
- B) Nine o'clock
- C) Eight o'clock
- D) Ten o'clock
Why did Tom come into the shop?
- A) To meet Sana
- B) To rent a bike
- C) To buy a helmet
- D) To complain about noise
What was making the loud noise?
- A) An old fan
- B) A loud customer
- C) A broken bike
- D) A machine outside
What does the word 'rattling' mean in the story?
- A) Smelling bad
- B) Very quiet
- C) Moving very fast
- D) Making a series of short, hard sounds
What did Sana do to stop the noise?
- A) She closed the window
- B) She asked Tom to leave
- C) She called the police
- D) She turned off the fan
What did Sana's manager tell her to do?
- A) Order a new fan
- B) Move the old fan outside
- C) Close the shop
- D) Call Tom back
Sana gave the new customer a helmet before she rode away.
- A) Not stated
- B) Not mentioned
- C) True
- D) False
What does 'for good' mean in this story?
- A) For a short time
- B) Permanently
- C) Very well
- D) For a good reason
Tom lived next door to the bike rental shop.
- A) Not mentioned
- B) False
- C) True
- D) Not stated
Answer key (A2 (Elementary))
1. A 2. C 3. D 4. A 5. D 6. D 7. A 8. C 9. B 10. C
Word search answer key (A2 (Elementary))
Columns are lettered from the left, rows numbered from the top. The arrow shows the reading direction from the word's first letter.
complaint: B3 → · customer: B1 → · explained: K3 ↙ · helmet: A6 ↘ · manager: K10 ↖ · noisy: H10 ↖ · rattling: A4 ↘ · tire: K1 ←