Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Eco-friendly Transportation
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Cleaner Morning at School
Fourteen-year-old Lily goes to a large school in the centre of town. Every morning, hundreds of parents drive their children to the school gates. Because of all the cars, the traffic is terrible, and the air always smells bad. Lily decided to do a science project about this problem.
With her science teacher’s help, Lily borrowed a special computer from a local university. This small machine checks how dirty the air is. For a whole week, Lily stood outside her school at eight o’clock in the morning. She used the machine to measure the air while the cars were waiting.
The numbers on the machine were very high, which meant the air was extremely dirty. Lily wrote a report about her project and gave it to the drivers. At first, a few parents were angry. But Lily politely explained that the dirty air was bad for the children’s health.
After a few days, the head teacher read Lily’s report. He thought her project was brilliant. He sent an email to all the families and asked them to walk or cycle to school if possible. Now, the street is much quieter, and Lily is very happy because everyone can breathe clean air.
1 Why did Lily decide to do her science project?
(A) She disliked the horrible air around her school.
(B) She wanted to drive to the school gates every morning.
(C) She needed to go to a large school in the centre of town.
2 Where did Lily get her special computer from?
(A) Her science teacher bought the small machine for her.
(B) She got it from a university in her town.
(C) She found it outside her school at eight o’clock.
3 When Lily showed her report to the drivers,
(A) they explained that it was bad for children’s health.
(B) they thought the numbers on the machine were very high.
(C) a small number of them were quite cross.
4 What did the head teacher do after reading the report?
(A) He sent an email to Lily to say the project was brilliant.
(B) He asked families to travel to school without a car.
(C) He told the parents to make the street much quieter.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A school girl makes the air cleaner
(B) The head teacher who stopped the traffic
(C) How to build a computer for a science project
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 B 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Helmet That Changed the Ride
Sixteen-year-old Leo loves cycling to his high school every morning. However, he noticed that many younger children never ride their bikes to school. They are afraid of falling, and their parents worry about the dangerous roads. Leo also learned that kids hate wearing normal helmets because they are heavy and uncomfortable.
Leo decided to do something about this problem. In his after-school science club, he started designing a new kind of helmet. He read many articles on the internet and found a special material. This material was very light, but it was also much stronger than the plastic used in old helmets.
It took Leo six months to finish his project. He painted the new helmet bright yellow so that car drivers could easily see the young cyclists in the dark. After he finished, a local sports company tested the helmet. The engineers there were surprised and said it was an excellent invention.
Today, the sports company makes Leo’s helmets and sells them in many shops. Because of his great idea, lots of kids are now cycling to school safely. Leo is very proud of his work. Next year, he is going to invent special bike lights to help children ride safely at night.
1 Why don’t many younger children cycle to school?
(A) Their families feel the streets are unsafe.
(B) They hate riding heavy and uncomfortable bikes.
(C) They love cycling to his high school.
2 What does the writer say about the material Leo used?
(A) It was the plastic used in old helmets.
(B) He found it in his after-school science club.
(C) It did not weigh a lot and was hard to break.
3 Why did Leo paint the helmet bright yellow?
(A) because a local sports company tested the helmet
(B) to help people in vehicles notice the riders at night
(C) so that it took him six months to finish his project
4 What is the result of Leo’s invention?
(A) Leo sells them in many shops today.
(B) He is going to invent special bike lights.
(C) More students are riding their bicycles to class.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) The best sports company in town
(B) A smart idea to protect young cyclists
(C) How to build a fast bicycle
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 C 5 B
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Sam’s Big Traffic Race
Fifteen-year-old Sam loves making short films in his free time. Every morning, his mum drives him to school, but the traffic in their town is terrible. They always spend a long time waiting in the car. Sam thought, “Riding a bike must be much faster than this.” He decided to make a fun video to show people his idea.
Sam planned a special race for Monday morning. He and his mum left the front door of their house at exactly the same time. His mum drove her car, and Sam rode his bicycle. To make the video interesting, Sam put a small digital camera on his helmet to record his journey.
During the trip, Sam cycled easily past all the traffic on the road. He felt healthy and energetic in the fresh air. When he looked at his mum’s car, she was waiting behind a big, slow bus. Sam smiled and waved at her. She looked very bored!
Sam arrived at the school gates fifteen minutes before his mum. That evening, he added some funny music to his film and put it on the internet. Thousands of teenagers watched it, and they laughed a lot. Now, the town’s roads are much quieter because lots of Sam’s classmates have started riding their bikes to school!
1 Why did Sam decide to make his video?
(A) To prove that travelling by bicycle is quicker.
(B) Because he loves making short films in his free time.
(C) To spend a long time waiting in the car.
2 What did Sam do on the day of the race?
(A) He left the front door after his mum drove her car.
(B) He wore a device on his head to film the trip.
(C) He used his digital camera to make the bicycle interesting.
3 How did Sam’s mum feel during the journey?
(A) She felt healthy and energetic in the fresh air.
(B) She smiled and waved at him from the car.
(C) She was tired of being stuck in traffic.
4 What happened after Sam shared his video online?
(A) More students began cycling to their classes.
(B) He arrived at the school gates fifteen minutes before his mum.
(C) Thousands of teenagers added some funny music to it.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) The boy who proved bikes beat cars
(B) How to add funny music to your internet films
(C) Why mothers should drive teenagers to school
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 A 5 A