Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Video Games & Interactive Media

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person plays the game with their school friends?

     (A) Alex   (B) Jamie   (C) Sam

2   Which person says they have to play often to get better?

     (A) Alex   (B) Jamie   (C) Sam

3   Which person speaks to their team to decide what to do fast?

     (A) Alex   (B) Jamie   (C) Sam

4   Which person chooses a character that helps keep their team alive?

     (A) Alex   (B) Jamie   (C) Sam

5   Which person feels angry when players ignore instructions?

     (A) Alex   (B) Jamie   (C) Sam

6   Which person doesn’t mind when their team doesn’t win?

     (A) Alex   (B) Jamie   (C) Sam

7   Which person looks at other people’s games on the internet to learn?

     (A) Alex   (B) Jamie   (C) Sam

Teamwork in Online Games

Alex

In my favourite game, you cannot win alone. I always join matches with people I don’t know from all over the world, not my classmates. Usually, I hate it when my team doesn’t get the first place! It really makes me mad when other players do what they want and do not follow my advice. To win, our group must work together. I spend hours checking out top players on video websites to see how they share items. Then, I try their ideas. You must log in every single day to improve your skills.

Jamie

I only play this multiplayer game with mates from my class. We understand each other perfectly because we see each other every day. We don’t like using our microphones, so we just type short messages to each other on the screen. In our group, everyone has a different job. I always pick the doctor character. While my friends fight, my task is to give them health and make sure they don’t die. I don’t need to view online clips to know how to do this. We just have fun and try our best!

Sam

For me, talking is the most important thing in online games. We always use headsets to chat because typing is too slow when we need to make quick choices. I usually choose the strongest fighter to attack the other team, so my partners need to tell me where to go. I only have time to turn on my computer at weekends, but we still do very well. Even if the other team beats us and we get zero points, I am still happy. The match is always fantastic if we all work as a unit.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Who says it is hard to give everyone in their city enough water?

     (A) Ethan   (B) Ruby   (C) Mason

2   Who paid real cash to buy extra things for their city?

     (A) Ethan   (B) Ruby   (C) Mason

3   Who believes the game is good for learning how to organize things?

     (A) Ethan   (B) Ruby   (C) Mason

4   Who thinks the game is quite boring when you begin?

     (A) Ethan   (B) Ruby   (C) Mason

5   Who plays this video game with a relative?

     (A) Ethan   (B) Ruby   (C) Mason

6   Who was the best player in a special game event?

     (A) Ethan   (B) Ruby   (C) Mason

7   Who had an issue with their laptop or PC during the game?

     (A) Ethan   (B) Ruby   (C) Mason

Building Digital Cities

Ethan

I love city-building games. I usually play on my laptop after school. Yesterday, my screen went black and my computer turned off while I was making a large park. That was annoying! Usually, my cousin sits with me and we play together on weekends, which is fantastic. The game is free, but I used some of my own pocket money to get beautiful houses from the digital store. It is not hard to give everyone enough water because the rivers are large, but managing game coins takes a long time.

Ruby

For me, this simulation game is excellent. It teaches me how to plan well before I build anything, which is a useful skill for real life. My family think video games are boring, so I always play alone in my bedroom on my new computer. It works perfectly. I never spend real cash on the game because you can earn virtual money by keeping your citizens happy. I am getting really good at it now. I even came first in a big match last week and got a gold cup! It is always exciting from the moment you start.

Mason

I have built three different cities in this game. To be honest, the first few hours are not very exciting because everything moves slowly, but it gets much better later. The most difficult part is resource management. Making sure there is enough to drink for all the people is tough when your city grows very large! My friends told me to buy extra pipes using real money, but I prefer to win without spending anything. I haven’t entered any big competitions yet, but I play nearly every evening with my classmates online.

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Who plays video games to get ready for school exams?

     (A) Liam   (B) Sophie   (C) Tariq

2   Who says games make it easier to remember exactly when things happened?

     (A) Liam   (B) Sophie   (C) Tariq

3   Who enjoys playing these games with someone in their family?

     (A) Liam   (B) Sophie   (C) Tariq

4   Who looks online to see if the facts in the game are correct?

     (A) Liam   (B) Sophie   (C) Tariq

5   Who likes walking around famous old places inside the games?

     (A) Liam   (B) Sophie   (C) Tariq

6   Who says the games teach them about what people wore long ago?

     (A) Liam   (B) Sophie   (C) Tariq

7   Who gets their historical games from a building in their town?

     (A) Liam   (B) Sophie   (C) Tariq

Learning History Through Video Games

Liam

I love history, but reading long books can sometimes be boring. Playing video games makes the past exciting! My favourite part is looking around ancient towns and castles on my screen. It feels like I am really walking down the streets of Rome or Athens. Since I started playing, I never forget the years of important battles now. Seeing the numbers in a fun way helps them stay in my head. My brother hates these games, so I play alone. Some people love looking at the strange dresses in the games, but I don’t really care about that.

Sophie

My teacher thinks video games are a bad idea, but they are actually very useful. Before a big history test, I usually spend an hour playing. It helps me understand the lessons much better! Historical games can be expensive, so I don’t buy them. Instead, I borrow them from the public library in the city centre. Sometimes, the makers of the game change things to make the action more exciting. Because of this, I always use the internet to find out if the story really happened 

Tariq

I buy all my games from an online shop, not from the store in town. For me, playing historical video games is a fantastic shared activity. My dad and I sit together every weekend and play games about ancient Egypt. We learn so many new facts! I don’t play them to help with my tests, I just do it for fun. I am very interested in fashion, so I love seeing the beautiful coats and hats from different centuries. The designers do a great job making the daily outfits look exactly like they did in the past.

Exercises:   12345