Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – E-commerce, Finance & Smart Business

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Street’s Big Sale

Fifteen-year-old Mark lives in a busy street in London. Last year, he visited his neighbor, Mrs. Higgins. He noticed that her house and garage were completely full of old things. Soon, he saw that many other people on his street had the same problem. They didn’t have enough space, so Mark decided to help them clear out their unwanted items.

Mark thought of a great idea. He wanted to organize a large garage sale for the whole street. First, he spent a weekend making colorful posters. He asked the local shop owners to put the posters in their windows. Then, he told his neighbors to find all their old books, clothes, and toys and put them in boxes.

The garage sale happened on a Saturday morning. It was quite difficult work for Mark. Some buyers wanted to pay very little money, so Mark had to chat with them to agree on a better price. Also, it was very windy, and some light clothes blew away! But luckily, the rain stayed away and everyone had fun.

At the end of the day, the street looked much cleaner. The neighbors made almost four hundred pounds. They didn’t keep the cash. Instead, they gave it all to a local animal hospital. Mark feels extremely proud of his hard work. Next spring, he hopes to organize an even bigger sale with the next street.

1   Why did Mark decide to help his neighbors?

     (A) Their homes were too crowded with things they didn’t need.

     (B) He wanted to live in a busy street in London.

     (C) He had to visit his neighbor, Mrs. Higgins.

2   What did Mark do to prepare for the event?

     (A) He spent time creating notices about the sale.

     (B) He decided to put the posters in their windows.

     (C) He had to find all their old books, clothes, and toys.

3   What was one problem during the garage sale?

     (A) The weather caused some items to move around.

     (B) The rain stayed away and everyone had fun.

     (C) Mark wanted to pay very little money for the items.

4   What happened to the money from the sale?

     (A) It was given to a place that cares for pets.

     (B) The neighbors kept the cash to clear out unwanted items.

     (C) Mark used it to organize an even bigger sale.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A teenager’s useful community project

     (B) How to find all your old books and clothes

     (C) The best local animal hospital in London

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Who Started a Summer Car Wash

Sixteen-year-old Jamie wanted to earn some extra pocket money during his summer holidays. He didn’t want to spend his time working inside a noisy shop or a hot café. Instead, he decided to start a car-washing business in his neighbourhood. He asked two of his school friends, Mark and Tom, to join his new team.

Getting started was actually quite easy. The boys already had some large buckets and soft sponges at home, but they had to buy some special car soap from the supermarket. To practice, they cleaned their parents’ cars for free. A neighbour watched them working hard and offered to pay them to wash his car, too.

Now, Jamie is the manager of the small business. He talks to the customers and takes the money. Mark is very tall, so he washes the outside and the roof of the cars. Tom enjoys making the inside look perfect. The only problem is the weather. If it rains, nobody wants a clean car, so the boys have to stay at home.

So far, the friends have washed over fifty cars. They keep all the cash in a secure box in Jamie’s bedroom. They aren’t spending it on video games or clothes. Instead, Jamie plans to buy a better cleaning machine next month to make their jobs faster. He is very happy because he is learning how to run a real company.

1   Why did Jamie start his car-washing business?

     (A) He wanted to spend his time working inside a noisy shop.

     (B) He preferred to earn some cash outdoors.

     (C) He asked two of his school friends to give him pocket money.

2   How did the boys get their first paying customer?

     (A) Someone living nearby saw what they were doing.

     (B) They decided to buy some special car soap from the supermarket.

     (C) They cleaned their parents’ cars for free.

3   What is the most difficult thing for the business?

     (A) Mark washing the outside and the roof of the cars.

     (B) Jamie talking to the customers to take the money.

     (C) Bad days when it is wet outside.

4   What does Jamie plan to do with the cash?

     (A) Spend it on video games or clothes.

     (B) Get a useful tool to help them work more quickly.

     (C) Keep all the cash in a secure box in his bedroom.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to wash cars perfectly in your neighbourhood

     (B) The young student who became his own boss

     (C) Why you should buy a better cleaning machine

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Who Wrote His Way to a New Guitar

Sixteen-year-old Mark loves playing music. Last year, he really wanted to buy a new electric guitar, but it was very expensive. His friends found weekend jobs in local cafes to earn pocket money, but Mark didn’t want to do that. He wanted to try something different.

Mark usually earned cash by washing his neighbours’ cars and selling his old video games online. He knew a lot of excellent ways to make money quickly. One day, he decided to write a digital book about his ideas to help other teenagers. He spent two hours every evening typing on his computer, and after a month, his e-book was finally ready.

Mark uploaded his book to a website and asked people to pay just two dollars for it. During the first week, he didn’t sell any copies. He felt quite disappointed. However, his older sister read the book and loved it. She shared a link to Mark’s e-book on her popular fashion blog. Suddenly, hundreds of people started buying it!

In the end, Mark made enough cash to get his beautiful new guitar. He feels incredibly proud of his project. Many students at his school are now reading his book and asking him for advice. Next summer, Mark is going to write a second e-book. This time, he hopes to teach teenagers how to save their money for university.

1   Why didn’t Mark get a job in a cafe?

     (A) He preferred to find another way to get cash.

     (B) His friends found weekend jobs there.

     (C) He wanted to buy a new electric guitar.

2   What do we learn about Mark’s e-book?

     (A) He spent two hours every evening selling old video games.

     (B) It took him about four weeks to complete the text.

     (C) It was about washing his neighbours’ cars.

3   Why was Mark unhappy during the first week?

     (A) He had to pay just two dollars for a website.

     (B) His older sister read the book and loved it.

     (C) Nobody purchased his digital guide in the beginning.

4   What is Mark planning to do next summer?

     (A) ask students at his school for advice

     (B) produce another online text for young people

     (C) save his money for university

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to start a popular fashion blog

     (B) Why teenagers need weekend jobs in cafes

     (C) The schoolboy who earned money as an author

Exercises:   12345