Practice English Reading Exercises for A1 – Special Days, Parties & Weekend Fun
Reading 1
Read the story. Write words to complete the sentences about the story.
You can use 1, 2 or 3 words.
The Wet Garden Party
Last Sunday was Lily’s birthday. Her parents had a beautiful party for her in their big garden. The weather was very sunny in the morning. Lily wore a new pink dress and pretty white shoes. Her friends arrived at eleven o’clock and they were very happy.
Examples
Lily had her birthday party last ………Sunday……… .
The beautiful party was in a ………big garden……… .
Questions
1 In the morning, the weather was …………………… .
2 Lily had pretty white shoes and a …………………… on.
3 Lily’s friends came to the party at …………………… .
The children played fun games on the green grass and listened to loud pop music. Then, Lily’s dad brought out a big chocolate cake and some cold lemonade. But suddenly, the sky got very dark. It started to rain heavily. There was a lot of water everywhere in the garden. The children ran quickly inside the house.
4 The children listened to …………………… and played games.
5 Lily’s dad brought some cold lemonade and a …………………… .
6 The sky …………………… and then it rained heavily.
7 Because of the rain, the children ran …………………… .
Lily’s beautiful pink dress was very wet. Her friends’ clothes were dirty and wet too! Lily’s mum gave the children some dry T-shirts and warm sweaters to wear. They sat in the living room and ate the delicious chocolate cake. The weather outside was bad, but the indoor party was still great.
8 After the rain, Lily’s beautiful dress was …………………… .
9 Lily’s mum gave everyone warm sweaters and …………………… to put on.
10 The children ate the chocolate cake in the …………………… .
ANSWER KEY
1 very sunny 2 new pink dress 3 eleven o’clock
4 loud pop music 5 big chocolate cake 6 got very dark 7 inside the house
8 very wet 9 dry T-shirts 10 living room
Reading 2
Read the story. Write words to complete the sentences about the story.
You can use 1, 2 or 3 words.
Paul’s Special Birthday
Last Saturday was Paul’s birthday. He was nine years old. His mum and dad wanted to do something special, so they took him to a beautiful old castle. They drove there in their car in the morning. Paul’s little sister, Mary, was very excited. The castle was on a big green hill.
Examples
Paul had his birthday ………last Saturday……… .
Paul was ………nine years old……… on his special day.
Questions
1 Paul’s mum and dad took him to a ………………………… .
2 The family travelled to the castle in ………………………… in the morning.
3 The castle stood on a ………………………… .
Inside the castle, the family walked up some tall stairs. They saw old pictures on the stone walls. In the biggest room, a man sold toys and books. Paul looked at a funny plastic king’s crown. “Can I have this, please?” he asked. His dad smiled and bought it for him. Paul put the crown on his head quickly.
4 The family climbed some ………………………… inside the castle.
5 There were ………………………… on the castle’s stone walls.
6 A man in the biggest room had some ………………………… to sell.
7 Paul’s dad ………………………… a funny plastic crown for him.
After that, the family sat on the grass outside and had a picnic. They ate sandwiches and drank sweet apple juice. Mum took a great photo of King Paul and his sister. “This is the best birthday,” Paul said happily.
8 The family had a picnic on ………………………… outside.
9 They had sandwiches and some ………………………… for their picnic.
10 Mum took a ………………………… of Paul and Mary.
ANSWER KEY
1 beautiful old castle 2 their car 3 big green hill
4 tall stairs 5 old pictures 6 toys and books 7 bought
8 the grass 9 sweet apple juice 10 great photo
Reading 3
Read the story. Write words to complete the sentences about the story.
You can use 1, 2 or 3 words.
The Roller Skating Race
Last Saturday morning, Alex and his friends, Ben and Lucy, went to the big lake. The weather was sunny and warm. The children carried their new roller skates in their bags. They wanted to do some sports because they loved skating.
Examples
Alex and his friends went to the ………big lake……… last Saturday morning.
The weather on Saturday was ………sunny and warm……… .
Questions
1 The children put their ………………………… in their bags.
2 The friends wanted to do ………………………… at the lake.
3 The children did this because they ………………………… .
The three friends sat on the grass and put on their skates. They stood up and skated very quickly around the lake. Suddenly, Ben said, “Let’s have a fun race! The first person to reach the big bridge is the winner.” Alex and Lucy laughed and said, “Yes!” They skated as fast as they could.
4 The children put on their skates when they sat on the ………………………… .
5 They stood up and skated ………………………… around the lake.
6 Ben wanted to have a ………………………… with his friends.
7 The winner was the first person to get to the ………………………… .
Lucy was very good at skating and she won the race. She waited for the boys at the big bridge. “Well done, Lucy!” said Alex. After the long race, they were very thirsty. They went to a small café near the lake and bought some cold lemonade. It was a fantastic weekend.
8 ………………………… won the race because she was very good at skating.
9 The children felt ………………………… after their long race.
10 At the small café, the friends bought some ………………………… to drink.
ANSWER KEY
1 new roller skates / roller skates
2 some sports / sports
3 loved skating
4 grass
5 very quickly / quickly
6 fun race / race
7 big bridge
8 Lucy
9 very thirsty / thirsty
10 cold lemonade / lemonade