Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Open Spaces & Special Buildings

Exercises:   1234567

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person brought food that they did not make themselves?

     (A) Liam   (B) Noah   (C) Emma

2   Which person says they lost their way before reaching the castle?

     (A) Liam   (B) Noah   (C) Emma

3   Which person used a device to get pictures of the old building?

     (A) Liam   (B) Noah   (C) Emma

4   Which person noticed some animals living in the wall?

     (A) Liam   (B) Noah   (C) Emma

5   Which person played a sport after the meal was finished?

     (A) Liam   (B) Noah   (C) Emma

6   Which person wished they had worn different clothes?

     (A) Liam   (B) Noah   (C) Emma

7   Which person says the weather suddenly changed for the worse?

     (A) Liam   (B) Noah   (C) Emma

Picnic at the Castle Ruins

Liam

I love having lunch outdoors! My friends all spent hours in the kitchen preparing hot meals, but I just bought some fresh bread and cheese from the local supermarket. It saved a lot of time. The ruins are quite easy to locate, as they are right next to the main road. The sun was shining the whole time, so I didn’t need my thick jacket at all. While we were sitting on the grass, I saw a family of rabbits sleeping in a hole in the ancient stones. I tried to use my phone to film them, but the battery was completely dead!

Noah

Our picnic near the old castle was quite an adventure. My dad gave me clear directions, but we still took the wrong path and walked for an extra hour before we found the stones! I brought a delicious chocolate cake that I baked myself. After we ate everything, I took a ball out of my bag and we had a fun game of football on the green grass. Sadly, we couldn’t stay long. We were wearing shorts because it was warm, but suddenly dark clouds appeared and water started falling heavily. We had to run to the bus station!

Emma

I really enjoyed eating next to the castle wall. I cooked a huge bowl of pasta for everyone to share, and my friends loved it. After lunch, everyone wanted to play a board game, but we were too full and tired to move. Instead, I took out my digital camera and captured some beautiful images of the tall, broken towers to remember the trip. There were no birds or insects around because the wind was very strong. In fact, I felt really cold! I only wore a thin T-shirt and really wished I had put a warm jumper in my bag.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Who mentions that the work took a long time to finish?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

2   Which person talks about a place to get something to drink?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

3   Who says they kept some of the old furniture?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

4   Which person likes that you don’t have to pay to go inside?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

5   Who was afraid that people wouldn’t like the changes?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

6   Which person mentions a special room where you can learn to paint?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

7   Who says the building has a lot of light inside now?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

From Post Office to Art Space

Mark

Changing this old post office into an art space wasn’t easy. We actually worked on it for over three years before opening! I was quite worried that people in the town would hate the modern style, but everyone loves it. Some people thought it would cost a lot of money to visit, but the ticket prices are actually very low. The building used to be very dark, and unfortunately, we couldn’t change the small windows, so we just added lots of modern lamps.

Sarah

When we moved the art into the post office, we didn’t throw everything away. We actually use the wooden desks from the 1920s to show our small sculptures! Before, the post office was quite dark, but we painted the walls white and opened the ceiling, so now it is incredibly sunny in every room. We opened the space very quickly, in just six months. We don’t sell any food or coffee here, but there is a great space upstairs for students to practice making pictures with watercolours.

David

I live next to the old post office, and I’m so happy it is an art space now. The best thing is that you can walk through the doors without buying a ticket! It doesn’t cost a penny to look at the beautiful displays. I didn’t want to take any art lessons, so I just go there to relax. They opened a lovely little café near the entrance. They make fantastic hot chocolate and tea, and you can sit on modern chairs—all the old seating is gone.

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Who bought something to drink while waiting?

     (A) Ryan   (B) Sophie   (C) Mateo

2   Who found a place to sit down?

     (A) Ryan   (B) Sophie   (C) Mateo

3   Who says the building was very noisy?

     (A) Ryan   (B) Sophie   (C) Mateo

4   Who bought a ticket for a boat journey on another day?

     (A) Ryan   (B) Sophie   (C) Mateo

5   Who was travelling with a family member?

     (A) Ryan   (B) Sophie   (C) Mateo

6   Who had a meal that they really enjoyed?

     (A) Ryan   (B) Sophie   (C) Mateo

7   Who went outside to look at the boats?

     (A) Ryan   (B) Sophie   (C) Mateo

The Busy Ferry Terminal

Ryan

The ferry terminal was completely full this morning. My friends and I got our passes for the afternoon boat. After that, I really wanted some apple juice from a stall, but there were too many people waiting. We were very hungry, so we got some hot food instead. I tried the noodles, and they were the most delicious thing I have ever eaten! The only problem was the sound inside the hall. Hundreds of passengers were chatting loudly and carrying heavy bags. I couldn’t even hear my friends when they spoke to me!

Sophie

My parents and I arrived at the ferry building very early. We walked around the little food shops because we had a lot of time. It was freezing, so my mum gave me some coins to get a hot cup of tea. It was lovely! We tried to rest before our journey, but all the benches were full. We had to stand by the door the whole time. Finally, we decided to leave the hall and walk by the water. It was great to watch the large ships coming in and leaving.

Mateo

I went to the terminal on Tuesday, but I didn’t travel anywhere. I just went to the office to pay for my trip for next weekend. There were so many tourists with huge suitcases! I was lucky because I saw an empty space on a sofa in the corner and rested my legs. From there, I could see the ferries on the water through the huge glass windows, so I didn’t need to go out. Before I left, I bought a chicken sandwich from a little stall, but the bread was quite dry and boring.

Exercises:   1234567