Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Software Development & App Design
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Lucas Learns to Code
Fifteen-year-old Lucas has always loved using his mobile phone. But a year ago, he decided he didn’t just want to play games anymore. He wanted to learn how to make them. Lucas decided to become a computer programmer. His parents were very happy, and they bought him a fast new laptop for his birthday.
Lucas started watching videos on the internet to learn how to write computer programs. In the beginning, it was really difficult. After school, his friends usually went to the park to play football. However, Lucas stayed in his bedroom to study. Sometimes he felt tired, but he never stopped trying.
Last month, Lucas started building his very first mobile app. It is a special app to help students with their maths homework. He asked his maths teacher, Mr. Davies, for some advice. Mr. Davies thought it was a brilliant idea and gave Lucas some interesting maths problems to put in the app.
Lucas hopes to finish his app in two weeks. He is going to share it with his classmates for free. When he leaves school, he wants to go to university and learn more about computer science. One day, he dreams of starting his own business and creating popular apps for people all over the world.
1 What did Lucas decide to do a year ago?
(A) create his own mobile games
(B) buy a fast new laptop
(C) play games on his mobile phone
2 What does the writer say about Lucas after school?
(A) He preferred to stay at home and learn.
(B) He went to the park with his friends.
(C) He played football in his bedroom.
3 How did Mr. Davies help Lucas?
(A) He provided some questions for the project.
(B) He helped him with his maths homework.
(C) He built his very first mobile app.
4 What is Lucas planning to do soon?
(A) give his app to other students without asking for money
(B) go to university and learn more
(C) start his own business
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Working hard to build an app
(B) Playing games on a mobile phone
(C) How to teach maths at university
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 A 3 A 4 A 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Ben’s Coding Dream
Sixteen-year-old Ben is very interested in computers. While other teenagers use their mobile phones to play games or chat, Ben loves learning how apps work. He started writing his own computer programs two years ago. Now, he spends most of his evenings reading books about coding.
Ben has a great idea for a new mobile app. He wants to build an app that can understand words in photos. If someone takes a picture of a page in a book or a street sign, the app will get the text from the picture and save it on their phone. Then, it can translate the words or read them out loud. Ben thinks this will help tourists and people who cannot see well.
To make his dream come true, Ben is doing a special programming course online. The classes are quite difficult, but his teacher is very helpful. Ben knows that building a good app takes a lot of time and hard work. However, he hopes to finish his project before he leaves school next year.
1 What does Ben usually do in the evening?
(A) He plays games on his phone.
(B) He learns about making computer programs.
(C) He chats with his friends online.
2 What will Ben’s new app do?
(A) take beautiful photos of street signs
(B) get text out of photographs
(C) make books easier to read for teenagers
3 Who does Ben want to help with his app?
(A) people visiting different places
(B) students who are leaving school
(C) teachers who give difficult classes
4 What is Ben doing to learn more?
(A) He is taking a class on the internet.
(B) He is reading books for a helpful teacher.
(C) He is teaching people how to code.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) The easiest way to learn a new language
(B) A smart teenager’s big app idea
(C) How to take better photos on your phone
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 B 3 A 4 A 5 B
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Leo’s Homework Helper
Fourteen-year-old Leo has always been brilliant with computers. At school, he often notices that his friends have problems with their daily homework. They usually spend hours studying for maths and history. So, Leo decided to use his computer skills to build a special software program to help them learn faster.
Before he started writing the code, Leo needed some advice. He asked his teachers what they thought about his idea. They liked it, but they told him that the program shouldn’t just give students the correct answers. Instead, it should give them helpful hints. Leo agreed that this was the best way to learn.
Leo started working on his project at the weekends. He quickly realised that making automated software was actually quite difficult. He originally hoped to finish everything in just one month. However, because he had to find and fix a lot of mistakes, it took him three months to complete the program.
Now, Leo is almost ready to show his software to the world. Next week, he is going to ask five of his classmates to test it. If they think it is useful, he will give it to the whole school for free. In the future, Leo hopes to start a company and sell his programs to other schools.
1 Why did Leo decide to make the software?
(A) Because he has problems with his daily homework.
(B) To spend hours studying for maths and history.
(C) To make studying easier for his classmates.
2 What did the teachers say about Leo’s idea?
(A) The program should give students the correct answers.
(B) The software must not provide the solutions immediately.
(C) He should ask his teachers what they thought about it.
3 How long did it take Leo to build the program?
(A) more time than he first planned
(B) just one month
(C) only at the weekends
4 What will Leo do next week?
(A) give it to the whole school for free
(B) let a small group try the software
(C) start a company and sell his programs
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A clever idea to assist students
(B) How to fix mistakes in your computer
ANSWER KEY
1 C 2 B 3 A 4 B 5 A