Practice English Reading Exercises for A1 – Hobbies, Sports, Places & Transport
Reading 1
Read the story. Write words to complete the sentences about the story.
You can use 1, 2 or 3 words.
The yellow umbrella
Last Saturday afternoon, Daisy walked to the town centre. She wanted to meet her best friend there. She wore a new pink T-shirt and blue jeans because the weather was sunny. But suddenly, there were big grey clouds in the sky. Then, it started raining very hard. Daisy was cold and wet.
Examples
Daisy walked to the ………town centre……… last Saturday afternoon.
Daisy went to the town to meet her ………best friend……… .
Questions
1 Daisy put on a pink T-shirt and ………………………… because it was a sunny day.
2 Suddenly, some ………………………… appeared in the sky.
3 Daisy felt ………………………… when the hard rain started.
Daisy ran quickly to a big supermarket on the corner of the street. She went inside because she needed some dry clothes or an umbrella. The supermarket was very busy. Daisy looked in lots of boxes. Then, she saw some big umbrellas near the fruit. She picked up a beautiful yellow one and walked to the woman at the desk.
4 Daisy ran to a ………………………… on the street corner.
5 Inside the shop, Daisy wanted to find an umbrella or some ………………………… .
6 Daisy tried to find an umbrella in ………………………… .
7 The big umbrellas were ………………………… in the supermarket.
Daisy gave the woman some money and bought the yellow umbrella. She opened it and walked outside. She didn’t feel wet now. Her friend was at the bus stop. “I love your new umbrella!” her friend said. Daisy smiled and they caught the bus home together.
8 Daisy gave ………………………… to the woman for the yellow umbrella.
9 Daisy’s friend waited for her at the ………………………… .
10 The two friends ………………………… home together.
ANSWER KEY
1 blue jeans 2 big grey clouds 3 cold and wet
4 big supermarket 5 dry clothes 6 lots of boxes 7 near the fruit
8 some money 9 bus stop 10 caught the bus
Reading 2
Read the story. Write words to complete the sentences about the story.
You can use 1, 2 or 3 words.
The beautiful toy airplane
It was a quiet weekend at home. Leo and his grandfather went down to the basement. They wanted to make a beautiful toy airplane. Grandpa carried a big grey box with all the things inside. Leo was very excited because he loved making things.
Examples
The story happened on a quiet ………weekend……… at home.
Leo and his grandfather went down to the ………basement……… .
Questions
1 The two of them wanted to build a beautiful …………………… .
2 Grandpa brought all the things in a …………………… .
3 Leo was very excited because he loved …………………… .
The two of them sat at an old brown table. First, they put the long wings on carefully. Then, Leo painted the airplane red and silver. After an hour, Leo couldn’t find the small wheels. He was sad. He looked under the table and behind the chairs. Finally, he found the wheels inside his old shoe! Grandpa laughed very loudly.
4 Leo and Grandpa worked at an …………………… .
5 They carefully put the …………………… on the airplane first.
6 Leo used …………………… paint for the airplane.
7 Leo found the small wheels inside his …………………… .
Grandpa helped Leo put the wheels on the airplane. Now, the toy was finished, and it looked really beautiful. Leo carefully carried it upstairs to the garden. He threw his new toy in the air, and it flew over the tall trees. “You are a clever boy, Leo!” said his grandpa. Making airplanes was a great hobby.
8 The finished toy looked …………………… .
9 Leo took his new toy upstairs to the …………………… .
10 The airplane flew above the …………………… when Leo threw it in the air.
ANSWER KEY
1 toy airplane/airplane 2 big grey box/grey box 3 making things
4 old brown table/brown table 5 long wings/wings 6 red and silver 7 old shoe/shoe
8 really beautiful/beautiful 9 garden 10 tall trees/trees
Reading 3
Read the story. Write words to complete the sentences about the story.
You can use 1, 2 or 3 words.
Mia’s Yellow Swimming Cap
Last Saturday morning, Mia went to the city pool with her older brother, Sam. They loved swimming, and they went there every week for their sports lessons. Mia put her towel and soap in her bag. She wore her favourite pink swimsuit and a yellow swimming cap.
Examples
Mia and her brother went to the ………city pool……… last Saturday morning.
The children had their ………sports lessons……… there every week.
Questions
1 Mia put her soap and a ………………………… in her bag.
2 Mia’s favourite swimsuit was ………………………… .
3 Mia wore a swimming cap that was ………………………… .
The children swam for two hours in the big pool. After their lesson, Mia took off her yellow swimming cap and washed her hair in the shower. Then, she put on her jeans and a T-shirt. They walked outside to catch a bus home. Suddenly, Mia started to cry. “I don’t have my swimming cap!” she said to Sam. “I left it in the shower.” She was very sad because it was a birthday present.
4 Mia and Sam swam in the big pool for ………………………… .
5 Mia washed her hair in the ………………………… after the lesson.
6 When the children went outside to catch a bus, Mia started ………………………… .
7 Mia was sad because she left her cap in the shower, and it was a ………………………… .
Sam and Mia ran back inside the building. Sam asked a kind woman at the desk to help them. The woman went to the shower and found the yellow cap on a chair. Mia was very happy. She smiled and said thank you to the kind woman.
8 The children ………………………… inside the building to look for the cap.
9 Sam asked a ………………………… at the desk for help.
10 The woman found Mia’s yellow cap on ………………………… .
ANSWER KEY
1 towel 2 pink 3 yellow
4 two hours 5 shower 6 to cry 7 birthday present
8 ran back 9 kind woman 10 a chair