Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Digital Content & Video Editing

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Filming the Everyday

Four months ago, Sam received a new smartphone for his fourteenth birthday. Most of his friends spend their free time playing video games on their phones. However, Sam decided to do something different. He began using the camera to make short digital films about his daily life.

Sam does not film exciting holidays or big parties. Instead, he records very ordinary things. He often films his family eating breakfast, his journey to school, or his cat sleeping on the sofa. After filming, he spends hours on his laptop. He uses a free program to cut the videos and add his favourite music. It is hard work, but he finds it really relaxing.

In the beginning, Sam only showed his mini-movies to his parents. Then, last week, he decided to upload one to the internet. The next day, some of his classmates talked about it at school. Sam felt quite nervous because he thought they might laugh at him. Surprisingly, they loved the video and asked him to make more.

Now, Sam is planning to make a special film for a school art competition next month. He is going to record a day in the life of his teachers. He knows there are many excellent students in the competition. But for Sam, winning the first prize is not important. He just loves telling stories through his camera.

1   What did Sam choose to do with his new phone?

     (A) He spent his free time playing video games.

     (B) He started a fresh hobby recording his normal routines.

     (C) He used the camera to photograph his friends.

2   What do we learn about how Sam makes his films?

     (A) He makes movies about exciting holidays or big parties.

     (B) He buys an expensive program to add his favourite music.

     (C) Putting the recorded pictures and sound together takes a lot of time.

3   How did Sam feel before his classmates watched his video?

     (A) He was afraid that the other students would make fun of him.

     (B) He hoped that his classmates would laugh at him.

     (C) He was surprised because he loved the video.

4   What is Sam’s main reason for entering the school competition?

     (A) to be one of the excellent students

     (B) to have fun sharing a story rather than coming first

     (C) to make sure that he gets the first prize

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) The boy who won the art competition

     (B) How to use a free computer program

     (C) A teenager discovers a creative new hobby

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Making Better Online Videos

Fourteen-year-old Toby loves making short videos about his daily life. He usually records them on his smartphone, but he always felt they looked a bit boring. His videos only had people talking, and nothing else happened. Toby really wanted to make them more exciting, just like the famous digital content creators he watches on the internet.

For his birthday last month, his parents bought him a fantastic new Mac computer. Toby was incredibly happy. He quickly downloaded a popular editing program called CapCut. He spent the whole weekend watching online lessons to learn how to use it. At first, the software was quite difficult to understand, but soon he knew exactly what to do.

Toby decided to fix an old video from his school holiday. He didn’t just want to show his friends walking around the city. Instead, he learned how to add loud rock music to make the video really fun. Then, he put colourful text on the screen so people could easily read what his friends were saying.

When Toby showed the finished movie to his classmates, they were amazed. They said it looked just like a real television programme! Now, Toby is extremely busy because everyone asks him to edit their videos. In the future, he hopes to become a professional media strategist and create amazing content for big companies.

1   Why wasn’t Toby happy with his early videos?

     (A) He wanted to watch famous digital content creators.

     (B) He thought they were not very interesting.

     (C) He usually recorded them on his smartphone.

2   How did Toby feel about the new editing software?

     (A) He found it hard to use in the beginning.

     (B) He already knew exactly what to do.

     (C) He spent the whole weekend downloading it.

3   What changes did Toby make to his holiday video?

     (A) He showed his friends walking around the city.

     (B) He easily read what his friends were saying.

     (C) He put words and songs into his movie.

4   What does Toby want to do when he is older?

     (A) Make a real television programme.

     (B) Get a job making digital content for large businesses.

     (C) Ask his classmates to edit their videos.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to download a popular editing program

     (B) The famous digital content creators on the internet

     (C) A schoolboy learns how to improve his videos

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Making Your Phone Pictures Perfect

Sixteen-year-old Leo has always loved taking photographs. Every day, he uses his mobile phone to take pictures of his friends, his dog, and nature. A few months ago, his friends told him his photos looked amazing. They asked him for advice. Because he wanted to help them, Leo started a blog to share his photo editing secrets.

Leo’s first piece of advice is about choosing the right app. He says there are hundreds of editing apps on the internet. Many teenagers want to buy expensive ones immediately because they think they are better. However, Leo believes that free apps are actually the best for beginners. They are very easy to use and understand.

When you have an app, Leo says you should think carefully about light and colour. Sometimes a photo is too dark. You can easily change the brightness on your phone to make it look sunny. Leo also tells his followers to be careful with filters. If you add too many filters, the picture won’t look natural.

Now, Leo has thousands of followers on his blog. He feels incredibly happy when teenagers send him messages to say thank you for his help. His blog is very popular, but he wants to do more. Next month, he is going to create a free video course to show people exactly how he edits his favourite pictures.

1   Why did Leo decide to begin his blog?

     (A) To give other people tips about pictures.

     (B) To take pictures of his friends and his dog.

     (C) To share his mobile phone with his friends.

2   What does Leo advise new editors to do?

     (A) Buy expensive ones immediately.

     (B) Find out about hundreds of editing apps.

     (C) Start with software that they don’t have to pay for.

3   What does Leo say about using filters?

     (A) They can easily change the brightness.

     (B) It is a bad idea to put a lot of them on a photo.

     (C) They are the best way to make it look sunny.

4   What is Leo planning to do next month?

     (A) Send messages to say thank you to his fans.

     (B) Make some educational films for his followers.

     (C) Let people see exactly how he edits his favourite pictures.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A teenager’s guide to mobile photo apps

     (B) How to buy an expensive mobile phone

     (C) The best nature photographs on the internet

Exercises:   12345