Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Consumer Habits & Shopping Situations

Exercises:   12345678910

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person pays for their clothes with money from a job?

     (A) Anna   (B) Ben   (C) Chloe

2   Which person is given famous brands by someone in their family?

     (A) Anna   (B) Ben   (C) Chloe

3   Which person thinks students spend too much time looking at what others are wearing?

     (A) Anna   (B) Ben   (C) Chloe

4   Which person feels unhappy when they cannot buy the clothes their friends have?

     (A) Anna   (B) Ben   (C) Chloe

5   Which person says how their clothes feel is the most important thing?

     (A) Anna   (B) Ben   (C) Chloe

6   Which person buys cheaper clothes that look like expensive ones?

     (A) Anna   (B) Ben   (C) Chloe

7   Which person enjoys wearing a variety of different fashion styles?

     (A) Anna   (B) Ben   (C) Chloe

The Pressure of Brand-Name Clothes

Anna

At school, everyone wants to wear the newest designer fashion. I am lucky because my grandmother always gets me popular brand-name trainers for my birthday. For my other clothes, I just go to the local supermarket. I usually find things there that appear exactly the same as the expensive ones, but they cost much less cash! I love trying new looks and different colours every week. Sometimes, I feel sad when a nice shirt doesn’t fit me, but I never worry about what my classmates think. I know some designer shoes aren’t very comfortable anyway!

Ben

Kids in my class always watch what everyone else puts on every morning, and they talk about it all day. I think it is quite silly! I don’t care about having a famous name on my t-shirt. For me, the best thing is when my jumpers and trousers are nice and soft to wear. I want to relax in them! I actually work in a café at the weekend, but I don’t use the cash to buy fashion. I save it for video games. My parents give me clothes as gifts sometimes, which is nice.

Chloe

The pressure to have the right fashion at school is very hard. When my mates get a cool new jacket or expensive bag and I don’t have enough cash for it, it makes me feel really sad. I want to look like them! I wash cars in my street every Sunday so I can earn enough to go shopping for the brands I love. Some of my classmates change their outfits every week, but I can only buy one good thing a month. I prefer buying one expensive item instead of lots of cheap clothes.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person chose their clothes because they were cheap?

     (A) Jamie   (B) Sam   (C) Taylor

2   Which person thinks locally made clothes last longer?

     (A) Jamie   (B) Sam   (C) Taylor

3   Which person bought clothes that were made in their own town?

     (A) Jamie   (B) Sam   (C) Taylor

4   Which person worries about the environment when buying clothes?

     (A) Jamie   (B) Sam   (C) Taylor

5   Which person says they have visited the place where the clothes are made?

     (A) Jamie   (B) Sam   (C) Taylor

6   Which person believes that local clothes fit better than imported ones?

     (A) Jamie   (B) Sam   (C) Taylor

7   Which person thinks that buying local helps people in their area?

     (A) Jamie   (B) Sam   (C) Taylor

Buying Locally Made Clothes

Jamie

I always look for shirts made by people in my city. I actually visited the small workshop where they stitch the fabric, and it was so interesting to see the work involved. Because the clothes are made right here, I can try them on and they always fit perfectly. Imported clothes often feel too wide or too long for me. I also know that when I buy these, I am keeping money within our community, which helps many families pay their bills and keeps our local shops open.

Sam

Some of my friends love buying trendy clothes from big websites, but those items are usually made thousands of kilometres away. I think that is bad for the planet because of all the travel needed to bring them here. I prefer to buy trousers and jumpers made nearby. They might cost a little more than the ones from abroad, but they don’t fall apart after a few washes. They are very strong and stay in good condition for many years, so I don’t need to buy new things often.

Taylor

I don’t have much pocket money, so I usually look for the lowest prices. I saw a hat made by a local designer last week. It was a great bargain because it was on sale, and it was much more affordable than the items I see from overseas brands. I didn’t plan to get it, but I couldn’t say no to such a low price! I think it’s better to get things that aren’t expensive, even if they aren’t made in this country, but if I can find a local one for less, that is even better!

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person paid the least money for their umbrella?

     (A) Mia   (B) Carlos   (C) Ruby

2   Which person says their umbrella broke very quickly?

     (A) Mia   (B) Carlos   (C) Ruby

3   Which person plans to use their umbrella again?

     (A) Mia   (B) Carlos   (C) Ruby

4   Which person got wet because their umbrella was too small?

     (A) Mia   (B) Carlos   (C) Ruby

5   Which person bought an umbrella in a colour they didn’t like?

     (A) Mia   (B) Carlos   (C) Ruby

6   Which person walked under their umbrella with a friend?

     (A) Mia   (B) Carlos   (C) Ruby

7   Which person had to wait with other people to buy their umbrella?

     (A) Mia   (B) Carlos   (C) Ruby

Buying Umbrellas in the Rain

Mia

When the heavy rain started, I ran to the street seller. A large crowd was already there, so it took about ten minutes before I could finally get one. He only had bright pink ones left. I usually wear black and I think pink looks terrible on me, but I had to stay dry! I paid five pounds for it. Sadly, as soon as I opened it, the wind blew and it fell into pieces in just two minutes! I couldn’t share it with anyone, so I threw it in the bin.

Carlos

I was walking home from school when the storm began. A man on the corner was selling umbrellas. The person in front of me paid ten pounds for a large one, but I only had two pounds in my pocket. Luckily, that was exactly the price of his cheapest one! It was a lovely dark blue, which is my favourite colour. However, it was a tiny size. My head stayed dry, but the water fell all over my jacket and trousers. I won’t use it again because it is useless in bad weather.

Ruby

I was at the bus stop with my classmate when it started raining heavily. A street seller was walking past us, and because there was nobody else around, I bought an umbrella immediately. It cost me six pounds. It was a really strong, big yellow one. Because my classmate forgot his coat, I invited him to stand under it with me so we both stayed completely dry. The quality is actually fantastic for a cheap street item! I’ve put it in my school bag for the next time we have bad weather.

Exercises:   12345678910