Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Sustainable Shopping & Fashion

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Oliver’s Amazing Watch Jewellery

Sixteen-year-old Oliver has a very unusual hobby. While most of his friends play video games or do sports, Oliver loves collecting old, broken watches. He doesn’t want to fix them so they can tell the time again. Instead, he uses the little parts inside them to make beautiful jewellery. He often visits a local market to buy cheap watches that do not work anymore.

When Oliver takes the watches home, he opens them carefully. Inside, he finds tiny metal wheels and other interesting shapes. He cleans them and turns them into amazing necklaces and rings. This job is quite difficult and takes many hours, but Oliver never feels bored. He usually listens to his favourite music while he works in his bedroom.

Last month, Oliver made a wonderful ring for his sister’s birthday. When she wore it to a party, all her friends loved it. One of them gave Oliver some cash to make a special necklace. After that, his parents helped him start a website to sell his jewellery to more people.

Now, Oliver gets orders every week. He doesn’t spend the money he earns on clothes or games. He is saving it because he wants to buy a special machine to cut metal. When he leaves school, Oliver hopes to study art and become a professional jewellery designer.

1   What does Oliver do with the broken watches?

     (A) He creates things to wear from their pieces.

     (B) He fixes them so they can tell the time again.

     (C) He sells them to people at a local market.

2   How does Oliver feel about his hobby?

     (A) He enjoys the activity even though it takes a long time.

     (B) He gets bored because the job is quite difficult.

     (C) He finds it hard to listen to his favourite music while he works.

3   How did Oliver get his first customer?

     (A) Someone saw his work on a family member.

     (B) His parents helped him start a website.

     (C) He wore a wonderful ring to a party.

4   What is Oliver doing with his money right now?

     (A) Keeping it to purchase some new equipment later.

     (B) Spending the money he earns on clothes or games.

     (C) Paying for his art studies to become a designer.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to fix broken watches at home

     (B) A teenager’s creative jewellery business

     (C) The boy who invented a new metal machine

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Shopping for a Better Planet

Fourteen-year-old Toby watched a TV programme about ocean pollution last month. He saw terrible pictures of animals swimming in plastic. After the programme, he went into his family’s kitchen. He looked in the cupboards and saw plastic everywhere. There was plastic around the bread, the fruit, and the cheese. Toby felt very worried about the planet, so he decided to help his parents change the way they shopped.

The next day, Toby talked to his parents about his idea. At first, his dad said that buying food without plastic was probably too expensive. His mum thought it would take a lot of time to find the right shops. However, Toby asked them to try his idea for just one week, and they agreed.

On Saturday morning, Toby took his parents to a local market instead of the big supermarket. They brought their own old cloth bags from home. They bought loose apples, carrots, and potatoes without any packaging. His parents were very surprised. The vegetables looked much fresher than usual, and they actually cost less money than the supermarket food!

It is now a month later, and Toby’s family never goes back to their old way of shopping. They love visiting the market every weekend to get their food. Toby feels extremely proud of his parents. They are eating healthier meals, saving money, and most importantly, doing something good for the earth.

1   Why did Toby want to change how his family shopped?

     (A) He was upset about the environment after seeing a TV show.

     (B) He wanted to go swimming with animals in the ocean.

     (C) He needed to buy some more bread, fruit, and cheese.

2   What did Toby’s parents think about his idea at first?

     (A) They asked him to try his idea for just one week.

     (B) They believed it would not be cheap or fast to do.

     (C) They wanted to spend a lot of time finding the right shops.

3   What happened when the family went to the market?

     (A) They bought their own old cloth bags there.

     (B) Toby took his parents to the big supermarket.

     (C) The family spent less cash on their vegetables.

4   How does Toby feel now?

     (A) Happy to go back to their old way of shopping.

     (B) Proud that he never goes back to the market.

     (C) Pleased because his family is protecting the world.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to cook healthier meals at home

     (B) A teenager helps his family shop greener

     (C) The terrible plastic in the world’s oceans

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A New Way to Play

Ten-year-old Leo loves playing with toys. But last year, his bedroom was completely full of cars and board games. Also, his parents said that new toys were too expensive to buy every week. Then, Leo heard about a brilliant new place in his town that could help him.

It was a local toy library. Leo went there with his mum on a Saturday morning. The toy library is like a normal library, but you don’t take books home. Instead, children can choose two toys and keep them for a fortnight. After that, they must take them back for other children to use.

On his first visit, Leo chose a huge plastic castle. He played with it every afternoon after school. However, by the end of the second week, he didn’t want to play with it anymore. He returned the castle to the library. He felt pleased because the big toy wasn’t sitting in his bedroom forever.

Now, Leo visits the toy library every month. He saves his pocket money, and his bedroom is always tidy. He also knows that borrowing things is good for the environment because people buy less plastic. He is planning to invite his classmates to come with him next time.

1   Why did Leo need to find a new way to get toys?

     (A) His parents wanted to buy cars and board games every week.

     (B) His room was crowded and toys cost a lot of money.

     (C) He wanted to build a brilliant new place in his town.

2   How does the local toy library work?

     (A) Kids borrow items for a couple of weeks.

     (B) Kids take books home on a Saturday morning.

     (C) Kids keep two toys instead of taking them back.

3   What happened with the huge plastic castle?

     (A) Leo left it at school after the second week.

     (B) Leo kept it sitting in his bedroom forever.

     (C) Leo lost interest in it after a short time.

4   How has the toy library changed Leo’s life?

     (A) He uses his pocket money to buy less plastic.

     (B) He visits the toy library with his classmates.

     (C) He keeps his money and his room is neat.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to buy the cheapest board games

     (B) A great place to borrow toys

     (C) The boy who built a huge castle

Exercises:   12345