Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Heritage & Cultural Sightseeing
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Bringing the Past to Life
My name is Mark and I am fifteen years old. Before last month, history was my worst subject at school. I thought it was only about boring dates and old books. So, when my parents told me we were spending the weekend in the historic city of York, I wasn’t excited at all. I just wanted to stay in my bedroom and play video games.
However, when we arrived in York, things quickly changed. We went for a walk on the old walls around the city. Our tour guide was a young man called David. He didn’t talk about dates. Instead, he told us funny stories about the people who lived there hundreds of years ago. He really made everyone smile!
The next day, we visited a special Viking museum. It wasn’t like a normal museum. You don’t walk around it. Instead, you travel through a village from the past in a moving seat. You can hear the people talking and even smell the food! It felt real. I understood that people in the past were just normal people.
Now, I am finally interested in history. In my free time, I am even enjoying a thick book about the Romans. If you think the past is boring, you should definitely visit a historic city. It might completely change your mind!
1 How did Mark feel when his parents told him about the trip?
(A) He hoped to spend his weekend at home instead.
(B) He was excited to read some old books in York.
(C) He wanted to learn about boring dates in a historic city.
2 What did the tour guide do during the walk?
(A) He asked Mark to remember important dates.
(B) He showed the group how to build old walls.
(C) He shared amusing information that the group liked.
3 What does Mark say about the Viking museum?
(A) Visitors explore the building without using their feet.
(B) People there will cook and give you real food to eat.
(C) It is exactly like a normal museum in a village.
4 What is Mark doing in his free time now?
(A) Completely changing his mind about video games.
(B) Finding out about people from the past.
(C) Telling normal people that history is boring.
5 Why has Mark written this text?
(A) to give tourists information about the city of York
(B) to explain how a holiday changed his opinion of history
(C) to talk about the best video games to play on a trip
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 B
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Special Language Lesson
Last month, a 19-year-old student named Lily travelled to a small mountain village in South America. She wanted to learn about the people there. Most people in the village spoke an old local language. Lily only knew Spanish, so it was hard for her to talk to anyone.
One morning, she went to the busy market to buy some fruit. She pointed at some green apples, but the woman didn’t understand her. Suddenly, an 80-year-old man called Tomas walked over. He smiled and said the word for ‘apple’ in the old village language.
Lily repeated the word, and Tomas laughed. He invited her to sit down and drink some tea. For the next hour, the old man taught the young traveller a few simple words. She learned how to say ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’. The pronunciation was quite difficult, but Lily enjoyed her lesson.
The next day, Lily used her new words with the people in the village. When she said ‘good morning’ in their language, everyone was very surprised and happy. Lily felt incredibly proud. She is flying home next week, but she is going to study more foreign words on her next trip.
1 What was Lily’s problem when she arrived?
(A) She was unable to communicate with the people.
(B) She only wanted to learn about the people there.
(C) She travelled to a small mountain village.
2 How did Tomas help Lily at the market?
(A) He pointed at some green apples for the woman.
(B) He gave her the name of a fruit in the local language.
(C) He didn’t understand her old village language.
3 What do we learn about Lily’s time with Tomas?
(A) She invited him to sit down and drink some tea.
(B) She taught the young traveller a few simple words.
(C) She found the new vocabulary hard to say but fun.
4 How did the people in the village react the following day?
(A) They were pleased that she spoke their language.
(B) Everyone was incredibly proud to fly home next week.
(C) They were surprised to study more foreign words.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to buy green apples at a busy market
(B) A memorable language lesson in the mountains
(C) The old man who only knew Spanish
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 A 5 B
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Clara’s Quiet Adventures
Fifteen-year-old Clara is quite different from her classmates. During the holidays, her friends usually want to visit crowded modern cities. They love spending time in big shopping centres and eating in busy fast-food restaurants. However, Clara prefers going to quiet places. She finds history absolutely fascinating and loves old buildings.
Last month, Clara’s family travelled to a famous European capital. Her parents were extremely excited about visiting the new museums and taking a taxi around the noisy streets. Clara didn’t enjoy the city centre at all because there were too many tourists everywhere. She just wanted to leave.
On the second day, Clara asked her parents to take a train to some ancient Roman ruins outside the city. When they arrived, it was completely silent. Clara loved walking around the old stone walls. She closed her eyes and imagined the people who lived there hundreds of years ago.
Clara spent three hours taking beautiful photos of the ruins with her camera. Her parents read a book under a tree and enjoyed the peace. Now, Clara knows exactly what she wants to do in the future. She hopes to become a historian and travel the world exploring more ancient places.
1 Why is Clara different from her friends?
(A) She loves spending time in big shopping centres.
(B) She wants to visit crowded modern cities.
(C) She enjoys peaceful places from the past.
2 How did Clara feel about the European capital?
(A) She disliked the busy areas full of visitors.
(B) She was extremely excited about visiting the new museums.
(C) She liked taking a taxi around the noisy streets.
3 What did Clara do at the Roman ruins?
(A) She asked her parents to take a train.
(B) She pictured what life was like a long time ago.
(C) She lived there hundreds of years ago.
4 What do we learn about Clara’s parents at the end of the text?
(A) They spent three hours taking beautiful photos.
(B) They rested in nature while their daughter was busy.
(C) They hope to become a historian in the future.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) The famous European capital
(B) Big shopping centres and fast-food restaurants
(C) A teenager’s love for ancient sites
ANSWER KEY
1 C 2 A 3 B 4 B 5 C