Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Shopping & City Amenities

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Who says the sports centre is a long way from where they live?

     (A) Daniel   (B) Sophie   (C) Ryan

2   Who thought the temperature of the pool wasn’t warm enough?

     (A) Daniel   (B) Sophie   (C) Ryan

3   Who visited the sports centre to see a swimming competition?

     (A) Daniel   (B) Sophie   (C) Ryan

4   Who feels that it is expensive to get into the building?

     (A) Daniel   (B) Sophie   (C) Ryan

5   Who went to the new building with someone related to them?

     (A) Daniel   (B) Sophie   (C) Ryan

6   Who believes they are getting better at their favourite activity?

     (A) Daniel   (B) Sophie   (C) Ryan

7   Who wants to do something other than swimming on their next visit?

     (A) Daniel   (B) Sophie   (C) Ryan

The New Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool

Daniel

I visited the brilliant new sports centre yesterday. My older brother came with me on the bus because I didn’t want to go alone. The entrance wasn’t expensive at all, which is great for young people. However, it takes me almost an hour to travel there from my house, so I can’t go every single day. We spent two hours in the amazing Olympic-sized pool. The water was lovely and warm. Even though I love swimming, I really want to try the indoor tennis courts when I return next week.

Sophie

I didn’t actually swim when I went to the new sports centre on Saturday. My dad was busy, so my school friends and I sat in the large seats and watched a big event for professional swimmers. They were so fast! Seeing them made me want to practice more. I take lessons at a different pool in town, and I know I am getting much faster in the water now. Some people enjoy playing basketball or volleyball at the new centre, but I only care about swimming. It’s my favourite hobby!

Ryan

The new sports centre is really close to my apartment, so I can just walk there in five minutes. It looks fantastic, but you have to spend a lot of cash just to go inside for an afternoon! I went to try the huge Olympic pool. I am still a beginner, so I swam very slowly. Because the pool room is so big, the heating doesn’t work perfectly yet, and I was freezing when I jumped in! I got out after ten minutes and had a hot shower to get warm.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Who bought an item of clothing?

     (A) Marco   (B) Sophie   (C) Youssef

2   Who felt that the souvenirs cost too much?

     (A) Marco   (B) Sophie   (C) Youssef

3   Who says the people working in the shop were kind?

     (A) Marco   (B) Sophie   (C) Youssef

4   Who got a present for a relative?

     (A) Marco   (B) Sophie   (C) Youssef

5   Who thought there were too many people inside the shop?

     (A) Marco   (B) Sophie   (C) Youssef

6   Who bought something that was made in the town?

     (A) Marco   (B) Sophie   (C) Youssef

7   Who looked at the souvenirs after seeing the historical building?

     (A) Marco   (B) Sophie   (C) Youssef

Cathedral Souvenir Shops

Marco

I went to the famous cathedral in the morning. When we finally finished looking at the beautiful old building, my friends and I walked to the tourist stores. It was very quiet inside the first one we visited. I wanted to find a nice gift for my sister, so I got her a small painted cup. I also saw a great jacket with a picture of the church on it. I paid for it and put it on immediately! The man at the desk wasn’t very friendly, but I didn’t mind.

Sophie

We visited the shops before we went inside the cathedral. I wanted to buy a lovely sweater, but I left it on the table because the prices were just so high. Everything required a lot of cash! Also, I couldn’t move easily because the store was completely full of other tourists. There was almost no space to walk or look at the shelves. However, the woman behind the desk smiled and said hello to everyone, which was nice. I only bought a cheap postcard for myself.

Youssef

I didn’t want to look at the shops near the cathedral because they usually sell things from other countries. But my brother really wanted to go inside. I actually found a beautiful wooden clock. The text on the box said it was created by artists who live in the area, so I bought it. I asked the lady in the shop about it. She was so polite and answered all my questions with a big smile. It was a fantastic price, too!

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person visited the shop to get something repaired?

     (A) Toby   (B) Sofia   (C) Marcus

2   Which person found it hard to decide what to get?

     (A) Toby   (B) Sofia   (C) Marcus

3   Which person was unhappy about the loud music?

     (A) Toby   (B) Sofia   (C) Marcus

4   Which person talked to a nice shop assistant?

     (A) Toby   (B) Sofia   (C) Marcus

5   Which person spent money on something they hadn’t planned to get?

     (A) Toby   (B) Sofia   (C) Marcus

6   Which person left the store because the lines were too long?

     (A) Toby   (B) Sofia   (C) Marcus

7   Which person went to the store with a family member?

     (A) Toby   (B) Sofia   (C) Marcus

The Busy Electronics Store

Toby

The electronics centre was incredibly crowded this Saturday. I usually go with my older brother, but he was busy today. My mobile phone screen was in pieces, so I needed the experts there to make it work again. There were so many teenagers looking at the new computers. I just wanted to collect my device, but while I was waiting, I saw a brilliant video game. I didn’t expect to leave with anything else, but I handed over my cash for it anyway! There was a short wait to pay, but it wasn’t too bad.

Sofia

My father drove me there in the morning because I needed some new headphones for my laptop. The place was absolutely packed! I loved the pop songs they were playing inside, but there were hundreds of different products on the shelves, so I didn’t know which ones to take home. I felt a bit lost. Fortunately, a very polite woman in a red uniform came over and answered all my questions. I didn’t need to mend any of my old gadgets, I just wanted something new.

Marcus

I went to the big tech store this afternoon to buy a keyboard. I knew exactly what I wanted, so I didn’t need to spend time making choices. However, the pop songs coming from the big speakers were much too noisy for me. It gave me a headache! The workers looked too busy to chat with anyone. When I finally found my item, the lines of people waiting to give their cash to the cashier were huge. In the end, I just walked out with empty hands. I’ll buy it online instead.

Exercises:   12345