Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Eco-friendly Transportation

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Shopping on Skates

Sixteen-year-old Jamie lives in a small town. His house is quite far from the big supermarket. Because his parents work late, Jamie usually buys the food for dinner. He normally takes a taxi because the bags are heavy, but taxis are expensive and Jamie thinks the journey is boring.

Last month, Jamie had a great idea. He decided to roller-skate to the supermarket. He received some roller-skates for his birthday last year, but he didn’t wear them often. He put on his helmet, took a large backpack, and started his journey. The trip only took twenty minutes, and it was much faster than walking.

When Jamie arrived at the supermarket, some shoppers looked at his skates. But Jamie didn’t mind. He filled his backpack with vegetables, milk, and bread. Skating back home with a heavy bag was a bit difficult, but he felt fantastic. He got some good exercise and he didn’t spend any money on a taxi.

Now, Jamie roller-skates to the shops every Thursday afternoon. Two of his classmates think it is a brilliant idea, and they are going to join him next week. Jamie is very happy because he keeps the taxi money his parents give him. He hopes to buy some faster wheels for his skates soon.

1   Why does Jamie dislike travelling by taxi?

     (A) The shopping bags are very heavy.

     (B) It costs a lot and isn’t interesting.

     (C) His parents usually work late.

2   What does the writer say about Jamie’s roller-skates?

     (A) He didn’t use them very much in the past.

     (B) He bought them for his birthday last year.

     (C) They make him walk much faster.

3   How did Jamie feel about the journey back to his house?

     (A) He was glad he didn’t mind the shoppers.

     (B) He loved it even though it was not easy.

     (C) He was happy to spend money on a taxi.

4   What is Jamie going to do with the money he saves?

     (A) Give it back to his parents.

     (B) Go out with two of his classmates.

     (C) Get some new parts for his skates.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to roller-skate in twenty minutes

     (B) A teenager’s new way to shop

     (C) The boy who works at the supermarket

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Toby’s Letter to the Mayor

Thirteen-year-old Toby loves cycling to school every morning. However, he doesn’t enjoy his journey very much. The streets in his city are full of fast cars and heavy lorries. There is a very narrow bike lane, but it suddenly ends near the sports centre. Toby often feels quite frightened when he has to ride on the main road with all the traffic.

One day, Toby decided to change things. He found the address of the city’s mayor on the internet and started writing a letter. In his letter, he explained that teenagers need safe spaces to cycle. After he finished writing, he took the letter to school. He asked all his classmates to read it and write their names at the bottom. Fifty students signed it!

Toby posted the letter the next day and waited. For three weeks, nothing happened. Toby felt a little sad because he thought the mayor was too busy to read letters from children. But then, an important-looking envelope arrived at his house. It was a letter from the mayor’s office.

The mayor wrote that Toby’s idea was fantastic. Even better, she invited Toby to a special meeting at the town hall to talk about building new bike lanes. Toby is preparing for the meeting now. He hopes that next year, his journey to school will be completely safe.

1   Why does Toby dislike his journey to school?

     (A) He is afraid of the vehicles on the roads.

     (B) He has to drive fast cars and heavy lorries.

     (C) He suddenly ends his journey near the sports centre.

2   What did Toby do when he took his letter to school?

     (A) He found the address of the mayor on the internet.

     (B) He got other teenagers to support his plan.

     (C) He created safe spaces for fifty students.

3   Before the mayor’s reply arrived, Toby thought that

     (A) the mayor was a little sad.

     (B) the mayor lived in an important-looking house.

     (C) the mayor did not have time to look at his message.

4   What do we find out in the last paragraph?

     (A) Toby is going to build new bike lanes next year.

     (B) Toby will talk to a city leader about his ideas.

     (C) The mayor is preparing for a meeting at the school.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A young boy tries to change his city

     (B) The mayor who rides a bicycle to work

     (C) Fifty ways to write an important message

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Green Tourist Map

Fifteen-year-old Maya lives in a lovely seaside town. Every summer, thousands of tourists visit the area. Most of these visitors rent cars to drive around. Because of this, the roads are always noisy and the air gets very dirty. Maya loves her town and wanted to do something to protect the environment.

She decided to create a special map for visitors. For three months, she spent her weekends travelling on different public buses. She wanted to find the fastest and easiest ways to get to the most famous beaches and museums. She carefully wrote down all the bus times and stop names in her notebook.

After that, Maya drew a beautiful, colourful map. It showed tourists how they could visit all the wonderful sights without using a car. She printed two hundred copies of her map and took them to the big hotels in her town. The receptionists were very happy to give them to their guests.

The project was a huge success. Tourists loved the maps because buying bus tickets was much cheaper than renting a car. Maya feels proud that she is keeping her town clean and green. Next summer, she is going to build a free app so people can use her map on their mobile phones.

1   What happens in Maya’s town during the summer?

     (A) People on holiday drive too much and cause pollution.

     (B) Thousands of tourists do something to protect the environment.

     (C) The roads are always noisy because of the public buses.

2   How did Maya get information for her map?

     (A) She spent her weekends working on different public buses.

     (B) She carefully wrote down all the famous beaches in her notebook.

     (C) She used local transport to test the different routes.

3   What did Maya do with the finished maps?

     (A) She asked receptionists to draw a beautiful, colourful map.

     (B) She shared them with local businesses where visitors stay.

     (C) She took two hundred tourists to the big hotels in her town.

4   Why did the visitors enjoy using Maya’s maps?

     (A) They wanted to feel proud of keeping the town clean and green.

     (B) It made their travel around the area less expensive.

     (C) They could easily use her map on their mobile phones.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) The fastest ways to get to the beach

     (B) How to build a free app for mobile phones

     (C) A girl’s plan for greener tourist travel

Exercises:   12345