Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Education, Languages & Science

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Listening to Success

Fifteen-year-old Lucas has always been very good at foreign languages. Last term, his younger sister and her classmates had a big problem with their English exams. They found the listening tests really difficult because the people on the audio spoke too fast. Lucas wanted to help them get better marks.

Lucas decided to make some new listening exercises. First, he read about the CEFR rules to understand what A2 students need to know. Then, he used his laptop to record his friends speaking. They talked about simple, everyday things like hobbies and school, and they remembered to speak slowly and clearly.

Making the exercises wasn’t simple. When Lucas listened to his first recordings, they were much too quiet. He also spent many hours in his bedroom cutting the audio to make it perfect. Sometimes he felt tired, but he didn’t stop. Finally, he uploaded his exercises to a free website.

Today, Lucas’s website is very successful. Over two hundred young people listen to his recordings every week to practice for their exams. His English teacher even uses them in her classes! Lucas feels incredibly happy that his hard work is helping others. Next autumn, he is going to build a mobile app so that students can practice on their phones.

1   Why did Lucas want to help his sister and her classmates?

     (A) They wanted to get better marks in foreign languages.

     (B) They could not easily understand the quick voices on the test.

     (C) They spoke too fast during their English exams.

2   What did Lucas and his friends do?

     (A) They read about the CEFR rules to understand students.

     (B) They used his laptop to learn about simple, everyday things.

     (C) They had clear chats about normal daily life.

3   What was the problem with his first recordings?

     (A) The sound of the voices was not high enough.

     (B) He spent many hours cutting the audio in his bedroom.

     (C) He felt tired and didn’t stop making them.

4   What is Lucas’s plan for the future?

     (A) Get two hundred young people to practice for their exams.

     (B) Help his English teacher use them in her classes.

     (C) Make a special program for smartphones.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A schoolboy’s useful idea for language learners

     (B) How to speak slowly and clearly in English exams

     (C) The hardest listening tests for A2 students

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Who Made Grammar Fun

Fifteen-year-old Ben has always enjoyed his English lessons. Last term, he saw that his younger brother, Tom, really hated his language homework. Tom thought the exercises were very boring. Ben wanted to help him, so he decided to create a fun board game to teach young kids basic grammar.

Ben used an old pizza box to make the board and drew a colourful map on it. He wrote questions on small cards. Because he wasn’t sure if his exercises were completely correct, he talked to his favourite teacher, Mrs. Clark. She happily checked all the sentences for him during her lunch break.

After a few days, Ben tested the game with Tom and his classmates. At first, there was a problem. The game took almost an hour to finish, and the kids felt tired. Ben quickly changed the rules so players could win in twenty minutes. After that, the boys loved playing it and laughed a lot.

Now, Ben’s game is extremely popular at his brother’s primary school. The teachers use it every week, and the students always ask to play it. Ben is saving his pocket money to buy a computer 

programme. Next year, he hopes to build an online version of his game for mobile phones!

1   Why did Ben make the board game?

     (A) To make his brother’s studies more entertaining.

     (B) Because he has always enjoyed his English lessons.

     (C) To do his younger brother’s language homework.

2   How did Mrs. Clark help Ben?

     (A) She looked for errors in his writing.

     (B) She wrote questions on small cards.

     (C) She made a colourful map during her lunch break.

3   What was the problem when the game was first played?

     (A) It needed too much time to complete.

     (B) The players could win in twenty minutes.

     (C) Ben tested the game with Tom and his classmates.

4   What do we learn about Ben in the final paragraph?

     (A) He wants to create a digital edition of his work.

     (B) He uses the game every week at a primary school.

     (C) He asks the students to play it on their mobile phones.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) The schoolboy who made learning grammar enjoyable

     (B) How to save pocket money for a computer programme

     (C) The primary school teachers who hate language homework

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Making Maths Easy for Everyone

Sixteen-year-old Liam has always loved numbers. At school, his favourite subject is maths. Last year, he noticed that his younger brother, Sam, was having problems with his maths homework. Sam’s friends found the subject very difficult, too. Private lessons were too expensive for their families, so Liam decided to start a free tutoring programme to help them.

Liam wanted a quiet place for his lessons, so he asked the manager of the local library for a space. The manager agreed to give him a room every Saturday morning. To find students, Liam built a simple website. He also asked his own teachers to tell parents about his new free club.

On the first Saturday, Liam felt quite nervous. He expected five or six children, but twenty primary school students arrived! The room was very noisy, and it was hard to teach so many kids alone. Liam quickly called two of his cleverest classmates, and they came to help him. Together, they played fun number games with the children instead of just reading books.

Now, the tutoring programme is very successful. The young students are getting much better grades in their school tests. Liam feels incredibly proud of his work. Because he enjoys helping others so much, he hopes to go to university and become a maths teacher in the future.

1   Why did Liam decide to start the programme?

     (A) To provide help for families who couldn’t pay for private lessons.

     (B) Because his favourite subject is maths at school.

     (C) To do his maths homework with his younger brother, Sam.

2   How did Liam get students to join his club?

     (A) He asked the manager of the local library to find them.

     (B) He created a webpage and had teachers share the information.

     (C) He spoke to parents every Saturday morning.

3   What happened on the first day of the club?

     (A) Five or six children arrived to play fun number games.

     (B) He taught twenty primary school students alone.

     (C) A large number of kids turned up, so he needed extra help.

4   What is Liam planning to do next?

     (A) Get much better grades in his school tests.

     (B) Train to be a professional educator after finishing school.

     (C) Feel incredibly proud of his work at the university.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) Why private lessons are too expensive for families

     (B) The schoolboy offering free maths support to children

     (C) How to build a simple website for a library club

Exercises:   12345