Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Language Learning & Academic Skills
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Talking My Way to Better English
Fourteen-year-old Toby really likes learning English at his school. He always gets excellent marks in his grammar and writing exams. However, he has one big problem. He finds speaking quite difficult. He feels very shy in class and worries about making mistakes with his pronunciation.
Last month, Toby decided to change this. He didn’t want to ask his parents for money to pay for extra classes. Instead, he found a fantastic language website on the internet. This site helps teenagers meet native speakers from countries like the USA and the UK to practice talking.
Toby’s first video call was with a boy called Sam from London. Before the computer screen turned on, Toby felt completely terrified. Sam spoke quite fast, but he was incredibly friendly. They chatted for an hour about playing video games and their favourite sports. Sam helped Toby fix some words he said wrong.
Now, Toby speaks online with his foreign friends three times a week. His English teacher is very surprised because his pronunciation is so much better. Toby doesn’t feel afraid to speak in class anymore. Next summer, he is going to fly to the UK. He hopes to visit London and finally meet Sam face-to-face.
1 What does Toby find hard about learning English?
(A) His grammar and writing exams.
(B) Saying words correctly.
(C) Getting excellent marks.
2 How did Toby choose to improve his skills?
(A) By using an online service to chat with people.
(B) By asking his parents for money.
(C) By paying for extra classes.
3 During his first video call, Toby
(A) spoke quite fast to the other person.
(B) helped Sam fix some words.
(C) talked about his hobbies with a nice boy.
4 What is Toby planning to do in the future?
(A) Speak online with his foreign friends three times a week.
(B) Travel to another country to see his friend.
(C) Make his English teacher very surprised.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Making new friends and improving pronunciation
(B) How to pass your grammar and writing exams
(C) Building a fantastic language website on the internet
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 A 3 C 4 B 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Teenager Who Read His Way to Better English
Fifteen-year-old Lucas really likes learning English at his high school. However, last term, he had a problem. He found it very difficult to remember new vocabulary. He read his thick school textbooks every day, but the long lists of words were just too boring for him. He needed to find a better way to study.
One afternoon, his English teacher gave him some excellent advice. She told him to try reading graded storybooks. These are special short books for language learners. Lucas went to the school library and found an exciting adventure story at Level 2. He started reading it immediately while he was travelling home on the bus.
Lucas quickly realised that reading stories was a fantastic way to learn. When he saw a word he didn’t know, he didn’t use a dictionary. Instead, he guessed the meaning from the story. Then, he wrote the new words in a small notebook. He preferred doing this instead of typing them on his mobile phone.
After two months of reading, Lucas’s test marks improved a lot. His parents were very happy, and Lucas felt incredibly proud of his hard work. Now, he always reads a chapter before he goes to sleep. Next week, he is going to borrow a Level 3 mystery book to learn even more vocabulary.
1 What problem did Lucas have last term?
(A) He didn’t enjoy learning words from his class materials.
(B) He found it very difficult to read his thick school textbooks.
(C) He liked learning English from long lists of words.
2 What did Lucas do after he spoke to his teacher?
(A) His English teacher went to the school library.
(B) He read his new book while he was on public transport.
(C) He tried reading graded storybooks to his English teacher.
3 How did Lucas learn the new words in the books?
(A) He typed them on his mobile phone.
(B) He recorded unknown vocabulary on paper.
(C) He used a dictionary when he saw a word he didn’t know.
4 What was the result of Lucas’s new reading habit?
(A) His parents felt incredibly proud of his hard work.
(B) He wrote a Level 3 mystery book in two months.
(C) He got better grades in his English exams.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Reading thick school textbooks every day
(B) How to write an exciting adventure story
(C) The student who improved his English through reading
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 B 4 C 5 C
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Practising Together
Fourteen-year-old Leo really loves learning foreign languages. His favourite subject is English, and he usually gets high marks in his reading and writing exams. However, he has one big problem. When he tries to speak, he feels incredibly shy and forgets his words. He wanted to find a way to change this.
Last month, Leo decided to organise an after-school conversation group. He didn’t want to ask his teacher for extra lessons. Instead, he made some colourful posters and left them on the desks in the school library. At first, he felt quite anxious because he thought nobody would want to join.
Fortunately, he was wrong! On Tuesday afternoon, five classmates met Leo at a quiet café near their school. They bought some drinks and sat around a large table. They didn’t use any grammar books. Instead, they played board games and chatted about their favourite films and sports. Everyone laughed a lot and nobody felt afraid to make mistakes.
Now, the teenagers meet every single week, and their speaking skills are much better. Leo feels completely different when he talks in his English classes. He doesn’t feel worried anymore. Next month, the students are going to prepare a short play and invite their parents to watch it!
1 What is Leo’s main problem with English?
(A) Communicating out loud.
(B) Doing reading and writing exams.
(C) Learning foreign languages.
2 What did Leo do to start the group?
(A) He asked his teacher for extra lessons.
(B) He left some books on the desks in his class.
(C) He placed notices where people go to read.
3 At the first meeting, the students
(A) bought some new grammar books.
(B) talked about their hobbies and interests.
(C) were afraid to make mistakes.
4 What do we learn about Leo in the final paragraph?
(A) He is preparing to teach his English classes.
(B) He is much more comfortable talking at school.
(C) He feels worried about the short play.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to pass your writing exams
(B) A fun way to improve speaking skills
(C) The most popular café for teenagers
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 B 5 B