Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Sports, Travel & Exploration

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Running for a Goal

Fifteen-year-old Toby has always loved running. Most of his classmates spend their free time playing team sports like football or basketball. Toby enjoys these games, but his real dream is to complete a marathon. He usually runs alone in the park, but he recently decided he wanted to train with other teenagers.

Last month, Toby asked his sports teacher, Mr. Evans, to start a long-distance running club at school. Mr. Evans thought it was a great idea, but he gave Toby a challenge. Toby had to find at least five students who wanted to join. So, Toby spent his weekend making colourful posters and put them on the school walls.

Toby felt quite worried before the first meeting. He thought that nobody would come. However, he was amazed when fifteen students walked into the sports hall! Some of the teenagers could run very fast, while others were quite slow. Toby quickly understood that training together was difficult, so he asked Mr. Evans to help him divide the runners into two different groups.

Now, the club meets three times a week. Last weekend, all the members ran in a local five-kilometre race. Every student finished the race, and Toby felt incredibly proud. They are not ready for a real marathon yet, but Toby hopes they will run ten kilometres together next spring.

1   Why did Toby want to start a club?

     (A) He wanted to spend his free time playing team sports.

     (B) He hoped to find other people to practise his sport with.

     (C) He wanted to complete a marathon alone in the park.

2   What did Mr. Evans ask Toby to do?

     (A) get a minimum number of classmates to take part

     (B) spend his weekend making colourful posters

     (C) put colourful posters on the school walls

3   What was the problem at the first meeting?

     (A) Fifteen students walked into the sports hall.

     (B) He thought that nobody would come.

     (C) The young people did not all run at the same speed.

4   How did Toby feel about the recent race?

     (A) He was happy because all the runners successfully finished.

     (B) He felt incredibly proud to run ten kilometres together.

     (C) He was pleased that they were ready for a real marathon.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to win a local five-kilometre race

     (B) The schoolboy who started a successful training group

     (C) Why playing team sports is better than running alone

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Who Fixes Surfboards

Sixteen-year-old Leo lives near the sea. Last summer, he watched his older brother ride the waves and decided he wanted to learn to surf too. At first, it was very difficult. Leo often fell into the water, and his arms felt heavy. However, after three weeks of daily practice, he finally stood up on his board. He loved the amazing feeling!

One afternoon, Leo had an accident while surfing. The sea was quite rough, and his surfboard hit a rock. It got a large hole in the middle. Leo was sad because a new board was too expensive for him to buy. So, he borrowed some special glue and watched online videos to find out how to fix it himself.

When Leo returned to the beach with his repaired board, his friends were very surprised. It looked fantastic! Soon, other teenagers at the beach asked him to mend their broken boards. Leo decided to start a small weekend business. He only charges a few pounds, which is much cheaper than the sports shop in town.

Now, Leo spends every Saturday morning repairing boards in his family’s garage. He enjoys his new job because he can earn his own pocket money. Next year, he hopes to save enough cash to buy a better surfing suit for the winter. He feels proud that he can help the local surfers get back into the sea quickly.

1   How was Leo’s experience when he began surfing?

     (A) He found the new sport quite hard to do.

     (B) He wanted to watch his older brother.

     (C) He immediately stood up on his board.

2   What did Leo do after his surfboard hit a rock?

     (A) He used the internet to learn how to repair the damage.

     (B) He asked his parents to buy a new board.

     (C) He helped his friends fix it with some special glue.

3   Why do other teenagers ask Leo to fix their boards?

     (A) He asks for less money than the local store.

     (B) They want to go to the sports shop in town.

     (C) They are very surprised by the broken boards.

4   What is Leo planning to do with his money?

     (A) Get some warmer clothes for his hobby.

     (B) Buy a garage to spend every Saturday morning in.

     (C) Give his own pocket money to the local surfers.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A teenager’s useful surfboard business

     (B) How to win a local surfing competition

     (C) The best sports shop to buy a board

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Sharing the Love of Sports

Sixteen-year-old Ben has always loved sports. He plays football and basketball for his school team. Last summer, he travelled to a small village in the mountains with his family. While he was there, he saw some children playing with an old, broken ball. They didn’t have anywhere to play. Ben felt sad and wanted to help them.

When he returned home, Ben started a project called ‘Sports for Everyone’. First, he asked his classmates to give him their old sports clothes and equipment. It was quite difficult because many teenagers wanted to keep their favourite things. Luckily, his sports teacher heard about the project and gave him some fantastic new basketballs.

Now, Ben takes a bus to different mountain villages once a month. He spends his weekends teaching the local children how to play tennis and football. The journeys are usually very long, and he often feels extremely tired. However, he loves watching the kids smile when they win a game, so he doesn’t mind the hard work.

Next year, Ben is going to finish high school. He wants to go to university to learn how to be a sports teacher. He also hopes that some of his friends will join his project. With more helpers, they can travel to even more places and teach more children.

1   What made Ben decide to help the children?

     (A) He wanted to play football and basketball for his school team.

     (B) He needed to travel to a small village in the mountains.

     (C) He saw that they didn’t have good things to play with.

2   What was the problem when Ben started his project?

     (A) His sports teacher wanted to keep their favourite things.

     (B) It was hard to collect items from the other students.

     (C) He asked his classmates to give him fantastic new basketballs.

3   How does Ben feel about his trips?

     (A) He is happy to do it, although the travelling makes him exhausted.

     (B) He usually feels extremely tired when the kids win a game.

     (C) He doesn’t mind taking a bus to win a game.

4   What is Ben planning to do after high school?

     (A) Travel to even more places with his sports teacher.

     (B) Ask some of his friends to go to university.

     (C) Get a degree so he can work as a sports instructor.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to play football and basketball at school

     (B) A teenager bringing sports to mountain villages

     (C) The best ways to travel to mountain villages

Exercises:   12345