Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Language Learning & Academic Skills

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager’s Secret French Diary

Fifteen-year-old Sam really enjoys learning French at his high school. He loves listening to French pop music and speaking with his classmates. However, last term, he had a big problem with his written homework. He usually made a lot of spelling mistakes and got bad marks. He needed to find a way to improve his skills.

One afternoon, Sam’s older sister gave him a brilliant idea. She told him to keep a daily journal in French. She even bought him a beautiful blue notebook. Sam decided to write in it every night before he went to sleep. He wrote simple sentences about his school day, his family, and his favourite sports.

At first, writing in another language was quite difficult. Sam often had to look at his dictionary to find the right words. But he didn’t worry about being perfect. He didn’t show his notebook to his teacher or his parents. Because it was a secret project, it felt like a fun hobby instead of boring schoolwork.

After three months of writing every day, Sam’s French improved a lot. His teacher was completely surprised when Sam got the highest score in the final writing exam. Sam felt incredibly proud of his hard work. Next summer, his family is going to visit Paris. Sam hopes to take his blue notebook and write about his amazing holiday.

1   What was Sam’s problem with his French classes last term?

     (A) He got low grades for his written assignments.

     (B) He found listening to French pop music difficult.

     (C) He did not like speaking with his classmates.

2   How did Sam use the beautiful blue notebook?

     (A) He wrote down his older sister’s brilliant idea.

     (B) He recorded details about his regular life and interests.

     (C) He completed his written homework in it every night.

3   Why did Sam enjoy writing in his diary?

     (A) He liked showing his notebook to his teacher or his parents.

     (B) He never had to look at his dictionary to find the right words.

     (C) It was an entertaining activity because it wasn’t for school.

4   What happened after Sam wrote in his journal for three months?

     (A) He achieved excellent results in an important test.

     (B) His teacher was completely surprised and got the highest score.

     (C) He decided to visit Paris for his final writing exam.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to stop listening to French pop music

     (B) A schoolboy’s personal way to get better at writing

     (C) The teacher who bought a beautiful blue notebook

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Movie Magic for Better Listening

Fifteen-year-old Lucas really enjoys his English lessons at school. He is very good at reading and always finishes his grammar homework quickly. However, he had a big problem last year. When his teacher played audio recordings in class, Lucas couldn’t understand them. He thought the people spoke much too fast for him.

One evening, his older sister Emma gave him a brilliant idea. She told him to watch popular American and British movies on his laptop. But she said he must leave the English subtitles on the screen. This way, he could read the words while listening to the actors’ voices at the exact same time.

In the beginning, this new activity was quite difficult. Lucas had to stop the film every five minutes to check his dictionary. But slowly, he started to learn how native speakers actually talk in real life. He noticed that they often join short words together. He bought a small red notebook to write down all the useful everyday phrases he heard.

After six months of watching films, Lucas feels much more confident. Last week, a lost tourist asked him for directions in the city centre. Lucas understood the man perfectly and answered without feeling shy. Next summer, he hopes to travel to the USA with his family to practice his fantastic new skills.

1   What did Lucas find difficult about his English classes?

     (A) Doing his grammar homework quickly.

     (B) Comprehending what people said on recordings.

     (C) Reading the books his teacher played in class.

2   How did Emma tell Lucas to watch movies?

     (A) By looking at the text while hearing the audio.

     (B) By listening to the actors’ voices on her laptop.

     (C) By turning off the English subtitles on the screen.

3   What happened when Lucas first started his new activity?

     (A) He slowly started to talk in real life.

     (B) He used a small red notebook to check his dictionary.

     (C) He needed to pause the videos very often.

4   How do we know Lucas’s listening skills are better now?

     (A) He travelled to the USA with his family last week.

     (B) He successfully helped a visitor in his town.

     (C) He felt shy when talking to a lost tourist.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A brilliant idea for finishing grammar homework

     (B) Improving language skills with the help of movies

     (C) Why native speakers talk much too fast

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Maya’s Green Project

Maya is 14 years old and lives in a busy city. There are lots of tall buildings but there are no parks near her flat. Maya loves plants, but she only has a few small pots on her balcony. She has always wanted a bigger space to grow her own vegetables.

Last year, she saw a dirty, empty piece of land behind her school. People just threw their rubbish there. Maya asked her head teacher, Mr. Green, if she could clean it and start a little farm. He thought it was a brilliant idea and gave her some money to buy seeds.

At first, it was very hard work. Maya spent her whole weekend picking up the rubbish and digging the soil alone. Then, a few of her classmates saw her working and decided to help. Together, they planted tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. They also watered the plants every day after school.

Now, the school garden is really beautiful and full of fresh food. The students often pick the vegetables and take them home for their families to cook. Maya feels very proud of what they have done. She hopes that other schools in her city will start their own gardens soon.

1   Why did Maya want a bigger space?

     (A) to build a new park near her flat

     (B) to have a place to plant food

     (C) to put more pots on her balcony

2   What did Mr. Green do to help Maya?

     (A) He cleaned the rubbish from the land.

     (B) He bought the seeds for the farm.

     (C) He gave her cash to start the garden.

3   When Maya first began working on the garden,

     (A) she worked by herself.

     (B) her classmates dug the soil.

     (C) she worked every day after school.

4   What do the students do with the vegetables?

     (A) They cook them at school.

     (B) They give them to their families to eat.

     (C) They sell them to other schools.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to grow the best vegetables

     (B) A teenager makes a beautiful difference

     (C) The greenest head teacher in the city

Exercises:   12345