Free Daily English · Level A2 (Elementary) · Topic: dealing with a noise complaint
The Noisy Bike Shop
Name: ______________________ Date: ____________
Sana worked in a small bike rental shop. She loved her job very much. Every morning, she opened the shop at eight o'clock. She checked all the bikes before customers came. She cleaned the bikes and pumped the tires. The shop was on a quiet street next to some apartments. Sana always tried to keep the shop tidy and clean. She used tools to fix bikes every day. Sometimes the tools were loud. She did not think about the noise very much. The neighbors were usually friendly. They waved to her in the morning. Sana waved back and smiled. She thought everything was fine.
She had no problems with anyone. One Tuesday morning, a woman walked into the shop. She did not look happy. She said, "Excuse me, I live in the apartment above your shop." Sana smiled and said, "Hello, how can I help you?" The woman frowned and said, "Your shop is very noisy. I hear loud banging every morning. It wakes me up at eight o'clock. I cannot sleep because of the noise." Sana was surprised. She said, "I am very sorry. I did not know the noise was so loud." The woman said, "Please do something about it. I work at night, so I sleep in the morning." Sana nodded and said, "I understand. I will try to fix this problem." The woman thanked her and left the shop. Sana felt bad about the situation. Sana thought about the problem carefully. She decided to change her morning routine.
She moved the noisy repair work to the afternoon. In the morning, she only did quiet jobs. She cleaned bikes and helped customers softly. She also put a thick mat under her workbench. The mat helped to reduce the noise from her tools. The next week, the woman came back to the shop. She was smiling this time. She said, "Thank you so much, Sana. It is much quieter now." Sana was very happy to hear this. She said, "I am glad I could help." The woman rented a bike that day. They became friendly neighbors after that. Sana learned that listening to people is very important.
Key vocabulary
| complaint (noun) | a statement that something is wrong or not good enough“The neighbor made a complaint about the noise.” |
| noise (noun) | a loud or unpleasant sound“The noise from the tools was very loud.” |
| neighbor (noun) | a person who lives near you“Her neighbor lived in the apartment above the shop.” |
| repair (verb) | to fix something that is broken or damaged“Sana had to repair the bike before the customer came back.” |
| reduce (verb) | to make something smaller or less“She wanted to reduce the noise in the morning.” |
| routine (noun) | the usual order of things you do regularly“She changed her morning routine to help the neighbor.” |
| workbench (noun) | a strong table where you do practical work with tools“She put a thick mat under her workbench.” |
| tidy (adjective) | clean and with everything in its place“Sana always kept the shop tidy.” |
Useful phrases
- do something about it — to take action to fix a problem“The noise is too loud. Please do something about it.”
- wake someone up — to cause someone to stop sleeping“The loud music wakes me up every morning.”
- I am sorry — used to apologize or show you feel bad“I am sorry about the noise from my shop.”
- how can I help you — a polite way to ask what someone needs“She smiled and said, "How can I help you?"”
- try to fix — to make an effort to solve a problem“I will try to fix this problem for you.”
- feel bad about — to feel sorry or guilty about something“Sana felt bad about disturbing her neighbor.”
- thank you so much — a strong way to show you are grateful“Thank you so much for helping me with this.”
- I am glad — used to say you are happy about something“I am glad I could help you.”
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 | A | W | N | D | L | R | Q | T | U | Y | A |
| 2 | K | O | T | C | M | G | E | H | Q | J | X |
| 3 | Z | R | K | N | Q | N | U | P | N | U | V |
| 4 | A | K | E | J | I | S | U | E | A | S | X |
| 5 | C | B | J | D | M | A | I | U | N | I | E |
| 6 | F | E | F | E | U | G | L | Q | D | N | R |
| 7 | I | N | K | Q | H | C | B | P | I | V | V |
| 8 | R | C | P | B | Z | T | E | T | M | U | R |
| 9 | T | H | O | A | I | C | U | V | J | O | T |
| 10 | Y | R | R | D | S | O | B | K | I | L | C |
| 11 | X | Z | Y | M | R | N | O | I | S | E | M |
Comprehension quiz
Where does Sana work?
- A) In a car garage
- B) In a bike rental shop
- C) In a supermarket
- D) In a bookshop
What does the word 'complaint' mean in this story?
- A) A kind of tool
- B) A statement that something is wrong
- C) A nice message
- D) A type of bicycle
Why was the woman unhappy?
- A) The shop was closed
- B) Her bike was broken
- C) The noise woke her up in the morning
- D) Sana was rude to her
True or False: The woman works during the day and sleeps at night.
- A) Not stated
- B) Not mentioned
- C) False
- D) True
What does 'reduce' mean?
- A) To make louder
- B) To make smaller or less
- C) To throw away
- D) To make bigger
What did Sana put under her workbench?
- A) A carpet
- B) A thick mat
- C) A blanket
- D) A box
When did Sana move the noisy repair work to?
- A) The afternoon
- B) The morning
- C) The weekend
- D) The evening
True or False: The woman never came back to the shop.
- A) False
- B) Not mentioned
- C) True
- D) Not stated
What does 'routine' mean in this story?
- A) A loud sound
- B) The usual order of things you do regularly
- C) A kind of bicycle
- D) A type of exercise
What did the woman do on her second visit to the shop?
- A) She rented a bike
- B) She asked for money
- C) She bought tools
- D) She made another complaint
Answer key (A2 (Elementary))
1. B 2. B 3. C 4. C 5. B 6. B 7. A 8. A 9. B 10. A
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: K10 ↖ · neighbor: I3 ↙ · noise: F11 → · reduce: B3 ↘ · repair: F1 ↘ · routine: E11 ↗ · tidy: F8 ↙ · workbench: B1 ↓