Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Travel Mishaps & Surprises

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A Helpful Stranger in Edinburgh

Last month, I moved from Spain to Edinburgh to study English. On my first free weekend, I decided to visit the famous National Museum. My mobile phone battery was dead, so I couldn’t use the internet to find my way. Instead, I took a large paper map from my language school library.

I caught the bus and went to the city centre. When I got off, I opened the map, but the streets were very confusing. I walked for thirty minutes, but I couldn’t find the museum anywhere. It started to rain, and I felt completely lost and quite upset.

Suddenly, a friendly older man who was sitting outside a local café smiled at me. “Do you need some help?” he asked nicely. I showed him my map. He laughed gently and explained that my map was over ten years old! He told me that many streets had changed names since then. Then, he drew the correct way on the back of my map.

Thanks to him, I arrived at the museum just before it closed for the day. I had enough time to see some amazing historical things there. I am so glad I met that kind man. I learned that sometimes, talking to a friendly local person is much better than looking at an old piece of paper!

1   Why did the writer take a paper map?

     (A) He could not connect to the online world.

     (B) He lost his mobile phone at the language school library.

     (C) The internet was not working on his first free weekend.

2   How did the writer feel after getting off the bus?

     (A) Upset because the bus ride took thirty minutes.

     (B) Sad because it suddenly started to rain inside the bus.

     (C) Worried because he did not know where to go.

3   What was the problem with the writer’s map?

     (A) It belonged to a café from ten years ago.

     (B) The information on it was not modern.

     (C) The old man had changed the street names on it.

4   What happened at the end of the day?

     (A) The museum closed for the day before he arrived.

     (B) The kind man showed him some historical things.

     (C) He had enough time to look around the museum.

5   What is the writer doing in this text?

     (A) explaining how to draw a city map

     (B) talking about a useful conversation with a local

     (C) describing his favourite historical museum in Edinburgh

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Helpful Receptionist

Mia, a seventeen-year-old student, was very excited. She and her best friend, Sam, were going to a big music festival in the city. A month before the trip, Mia used her laptop to book a double room at the Star Hotel. She wanted everything to be perfect for their special weekend away.

On Saturday morning, they took the train to the city. The journey was three hours long, so they felt quite tired when they finally arrived. They walked slowly from the station to the Star Hotel. Mia went straight to the desk to check in and gave the man her passport.

The receptionist looked at his computer screen and frowned. He told Mia that there was a large problem with her booking. She had a room, but it was for the same weekend next month! Mia felt terrible. She didn’t have much money left. She thought they would have to sleep at the train station.

However, the receptionist smiled warmly. “Please don’t worry,” he said. “I can fix this.” He checked his computer again and found an empty room on the top floor. It was actually bigger than the one Mia booked, but he didn’t ask her to pay more money. Mia was amazed by his kindness, and the girls had a fantastic weekend.

1   What did Mia do a month before the trip?

     (A) She bought tickets for a big music festival.

     (B) She reserved accommodation for her holiday.

     (C) She planned a special weekend away with Sam.

2   How did Mia and Sam feel when they got to the hotel?

     (A) ready to rest after their travel

     (B) happy to walk slowly from the station

     (C) eager to go straight to the desk

3   What was the problem with Mia’s booking?

     (A) She didn’t have much money left.

     (B) She got the dates of her stay wrong.

     (C) She had to sleep at the train station.

4   What did the receptionist do to help the girls?

     (A) He asked her to pay more money.

     (B) He found the empty room that Mia booked.

     (C) He gave them a better room for the same price.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to book a cheap hotel room

     (B) A hotel worker saves the day

     (C) A terrible weekend at a music festival

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Ben’s Stormy Camping Trip

Fifteen-year-old Ben was really excited about his weekend holiday. His family wanted to spend two days in the mountains. However, when they arrived at the campsite on Saturday afternoon, the weather quickly changed. Thick grey clouds covered the sun, and soon it started to rain heavily. A strong wind also began to blow through the tall trees.

Ben’s father asked him to set up their new camping tent. Ben took the equipment out of its bag, but the terrible weather made the job almost impossible. Every time he tried to put the metal poles together, the fast wind blew the material away. After ten minutes, Ben’s clothes were completely wet, and he felt extremely frustrated.

Fortunately, his older brother, Tom, saw the problem and ran over to help. Tom told Ben to hold the front of the tent while he pushed the poles into the ground. Then, the two boys found some large, heavy rocks. They put the rocks on the corners of the tent so the wind couldn’t move it.

Finally, the tent was safe and ready. Ben and his brother quickly went inside to escape the bad weather. They changed into warm, dry clothes and drank some hot chocolate. Ben was very tired after the hard work, but he felt incredibly proud. He knew that the next time he went camping, he could survive any storm!

1   What happened after Ben’s family reached the campsite?

     (A) The outdoor conditions suddenly became much worse.

     (B) They wanted to spend two days in the mountains.

     (C) The bright sun covered the thick grey clouds.

2   Why did Ben find it difficult to put the tent up?

     (A) He took the equipment out of its bag.

     (B) The moving air kept pushing the fabric around.

     (C) He tried to put the metal poles together.

3   How did the brothers stop the tent from blowing away?

     (A) Tom told Ben to hold the front of the tent.

     (B) They pushed the heavy rocks into the ground.

     (C) They used big stones to hold it in place.

4   What did Ben and his brother do inside the tent?

     (A) They put on different things to wear and had a warm, sweet drink.

     (B) They quickly went inside to escape the bad weather.

     (C) They felt very tired after the hard work.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) Spending two days in the mountains

     (B) Setting up camp in a terrible storm

     (C) The large, heavy rocks on the grass

Exercises:   12345