Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Office Environment, Tech & Automation

Exercises:   123456789101112

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person speaks to unhappy customers?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Toby

2   Which person had some classes before they started their job?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Toby

3   Which person says their job helps them with their school studies?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Toby

4   Which person wants to do a different job when they are older?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Toby

5   Which person works at the weekend?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Toby

6   Which person works with someone in their family?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Toby

7   Which person looks online to find information for customers?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Toby

Teenage Customer Service Workers

Leo

I answer phone calls for a computer company. My boss taught me how to speak to clients for a week before I could answer my first call. The work is interesting. When someone asks a difficult question, I quickly search on the company website to give them the right advice. Most people who ring are very polite, which is nice. I usually do my school homework in the evening after I finish work. I enjoy helping people now, but I hope to become an engineer after university, so I won’t do this forever.

Maya

I have a part-time job answering calls for a clothing store. I didn’t need to practise before I started, because I just chat with people about their orders. It is a brilliant job because my older brother is a manager there, and we share an office. I only work on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, so my weekends are completely free. Since I started this job, I have become much better at listening and solving problems. This makes my school projects much easier to do!

Toby

I work for a large toy company. I am at the office every Saturday morning. It can be a very busy time. Sometimes clients ring me and they are quite angry because their order is late or a toy is broken. I always speak quietly and try to help them feel better. I don’t use a computer to find the answers. Instead, I have a big book on my desk with all the information. Nobody else in my family works here, but I have made lots of new friends.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person is worried about what will happen to the business later?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Sam

2   Which person explains how they use information to do their job?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Sam

3   Which person didn’t expect to have a good time doing this work?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Sam

4   Which person likes that they don’t have to travel to work?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Sam

5   Which person is keeping their money to buy better computers?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Sam

6   Which person works from early in the morning until late at night?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Sam

7   Which person says their business makes things easier for others?

     (A) Leo   (B) Maya   (C) Sam

Starting a Data Company

Leo

Starting this data company with my friends is awesome. Before we began, I believed looking at numbers all day would be really boring, but actually, I am having a great time! We work together at the local library right now because it’s quiet. We earn a bit of cash from our first project, but we aren’t spending it on going out. We are putting it all in the bank so we can afford faster machines for our desks soon. We really need them to do our jobs well!

Maya

Our new company is growing fast. People always ask me what ‘data analysis’ means. Basically, we take a large amount of numbers from a business, read them carefully, and find useful answers for them. This solves problems for small shops and helps them sell more things. I feel proud of that! Because we have many customers, my days are very long. I usually start checking my emails at 6:00 a.m. and I don’t turn off my screen until 11:00 p.m. It is tiring, but I know we will be successful!

Sam

I love being part of this new startup. The best thing for me is that I can just wake up and turn on my laptop in my bedroom. I don’t miss catching a crowded bus to a big building in the city centre every morning! We are doing well at the moment and making some money, which is fantastic. However, I sometimes feel a bit nervous when I think about the next few years. What if we lose our customers? I hope we can keep finding new projects to do.

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Who collected the cash from everyone to pay for the cake?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

2   Who thinks that the cake had too much sugar in it?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

3   Who decided what flavour the cake should be?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

4   Who used their phone to take pictures of the celebration?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

5   Who was surprised because the cake was so big?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

6   Who says it was difficult to give everyone a piece of the cake?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

7   Who saved some cake to eat after work?

     (A) Mark   (B) Sarah   (C) David

An Office Retirement Party

Mark

Yesterday, we had a party for our manager, Robert, because he is leaving the company. When the delivery man brought the cake into the office, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was huge! There was enough for fifty people, and we only have twenty workers. David picked a chocolate and strawberry flavour. I usually love chocolate, but I couldn’t finish my slice. It was just too sweet for me. Sarah wanted to get a picture of all of us with Robert. I didn’t take any pictures because my phone was on my desk.

Sarah

I wanted Robert’s last day to be special. A few days ago, I asked all our colleagues to give me a few pounds. Then, I used that money to order a beautiful retirement cake. When we finally cut it, it was very easy to share it out. Mark didn’t like the taste, but I thought it was perfect and not too sweet. During the party, I made sure to get lots of photos on my mobile so Robert can remember us. I was really full after lunch, so I put my slice in a box and enjoyed it at my house in the evening.

David

Robert and I have worked together for ten years, so I know exactly what he likes. Because of this, the team asked me to select the kind of cake we should get. I chose lemon and vanilla. The cake looked amazing, and it wasn’t a surprise that it was large because we have a big team. However, we only had a small plastic knife in the office kitchen. Breaking it into twenty slices was really hard work! Some people kept their cake for later, but I ate mine immediately. It was delicious!

Exercises:   123456789101112