Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Recycling & Waste Management
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Teenager Building with Plastic Bottles
Sixteen-year-old Leo has always cared about the environment. In his town, people buy a lot of food in plastic bags and then just throw the bags away. Leo often walks to school and sees empty bottles and plastic packets on the streets. He wanted to clean up his town, but he wasn’t sure how.
One evening, Leo read an article online about ‘eco-bricks’. An eco-brick is an empty plastic bottle that is completely full of clean, soft plastic waste. He thought it was a fantastic idea. He decided to collect plastic from his house and make his own eco-bricks in his bedroom.
The process was not very easy. Leo had to wash all the plastic bags and dry them carefully. Then, he used a long wooden stick to push the plastic deep inside the bottles. He asked his classmates to give him their empty bottles, and soon his arms felt very tired from all the hard work!
After three months, Leo finally had one hundred eco-bricks. With his father’s help, he used the bottles to build a beautiful, colourful seat for the school garden. His teachers and friends loved it! Next spring, Leo is going to teach other teenagers how to make eco-bricks. He hopes they can build a big wall together.
1 What made Leo want to clean up his town?
(A) He observed a lot of litter on the roads.
(B) People buy a lot of food in plastic bags.
(C) He often walks to school.
2 How did Leo learn about eco-bricks?
(A) He made his own eco-bricks in his bedroom.
(B) He decided to collect plastic from his house.
(C) He saw some useful information on the internet.
3 What was difficult about making the eco-bricks?
(A) He asked his classmates to give him their empty bottles.
(B) Pressing the material down made his body ache.
(C) He had to wash all the plastic bags.
4 What did Leo do with his finished project?
(A) He hopes they can build a big wall together.
(B) He created a place for people to sit outside.
(C) He is going to teach other teenagers.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A schoolboy’s clever way to reuse rubbish
(B) Pushing plastic deep inside empty bottles
(C) How to dry all the plastic bags carefully
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 B 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Second Life for Old Things
Fifteen-year-old Mia always tries to help the environment. Last month, she was helping her parents clean their garage. She saw that they were throwing away a lot of old things. The items were still in good condition, but nobody needed them anymore. Mia noticed that her neighbours did the exact same thing, and she wanted to change this habit.
Mia decided to start a special event in her town. She called it ‘Swap Day’. She spent a few days drawing beautiful posters about it. Then, she put them up in the local supermarket and the library. The posters asked people to bring their unwanted clothes, books, and games instead of putting them in the rubbish bin.
The first event happened on a Sunday afternoon in a small park near Mia’s house. At first, Mia felt worried because it was quite cloudy. However, more than fifty people arrived! Everyone enjoyed chatting and trading their old objects. Mia was very happy when she exchanged her old blue coat for an interesting board game.
Now, the neighbours organise this fantastic event once a month. People love it because they can get new things without spending any money. Mia feels incredibly proud of her idea. Next year, she hopes to talk to her school teachers and start a similar project for the students there.
1 Why did Mia decide to take action?
(A) She wished to stop people from wasting useful items.
(B) She was helping her parents clean their garage.
(C) She needed to throw away a lot of old things.
2 How did Mia let people know about ‘Swap Day’?
(A) She placed notices inside public buildings.
(B) She asked people to bring their unwanted clothes.
(C) She spent a few days drawing in the library.
3 What happened during the first event?
(A) More than fifty people felt worried because it was quite cloudy.
(B) Mia traded an item of clothing for a fun activity.
(C) Everyone enjoyed chatting and trading inside Mia’s house.
4 What is Mia planning to do next year?
(A) Get new things without spending any money.
(B) Organise this fantastic event once a month.
(C) Set up an exchange activity for her classmates.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A teenager’s brilliant idea to share old items
(B) How to clean your garage on a Sunday afternoon
(C) The best places to draw beautiful posters
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 A 3 B 4 C 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Unlucky Bag
Fifteen-year-old Tom had to do a science project for school. His teacher asked the class to research ocean life. Tom wanted to do something different, so he decided to write a story about the journey of a plastic bag. He called his project “The Unlucky Bag.”
In Tom’s story, the bag started its life in a busy city supermarket. A family bought it to carry their picnic. They took it to the beach and left it on the sand. Later that day, a strong wind blew the empty bag into the cold water.
The plastic bag travelled in the sea for many months. It visited beautiful coral reefs and met lots of fish. Then, a hungry sea turtle saw the bag and thought it was food. Luckily, a brave scuba diver was swimming nearby. The diver quickly saved the turtle and put the bag in his boat.
When Tom read his story to his classmates, they were very quiet. His teacher said it was a brilliant and sad project. Tom got the highest mark in the class. After finishing his project, Tom felt he needed to do more. Now, he always carries a cloth bag in his backpack so he never has to buy a plastic one again.
1 Why did Tom write a story about a plastic bag?
(A) His teacher asked the class to write one.
(B) He needed to research ocean life.
(C) He wanted to create an original project.
2 How did the plastic bag get into the sea?
(A) A family threw it into the cold water.
(B) The weather pushed it off the beach.
(C) It carried a picnic into the water.
3 What happened to the sea turtle in the story?
(A) It tried to eat the plastic bag.
(B) A brave scuba diver put it in his boat.
(C) It found some food near the coral reefs.
4 What did Tom do after he finished his project?
(A) He bought a plastic one again.
(B) He stopped using plastic bags.
(C) He got the highest mark in the class.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A brave diver saves a sea turtle
(B) How to get the highest mark in science
(C) A school project changes a student’s habits
ANSWER KEY
1 C 2 B 3 A 4 B 5 C