Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Language Education & Assessment

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A Big Dream to Teach

Sofia is sixteen years old and she has a big dream. While many of her friends want to be doctors or work with computers, Sofia wants something different. She wants to be an English teacher for young children. She believes it is the most important job in the world.

This idea began two years ago. Sofia’s aunt came to visit with her little boy, Leo. Leo was only six and he didn’t speak any English. Sofia sat with him and taught him the names of animals using a picture book. When Leo finally said the word “elephant” correctly, he smiled happily. At that moment, Sofia knew what she wanted to do in the future.

Now, Sofia is working hard to learn more about teaching. Every Saturday morning, she goes to a local kindergarten. She doesn’t get money for this. She reads English stories and plays fun vocabulary games with the little boys and girls. The children have a lot of energy, so she often feels very tired by the afternoon, but she always enjoys her time there.

Next year, Sofia is going to finish high school. After that, she plans to move to the capital city to study education at university. She knows she must study for four years. One day, she hopes she can open her own language school for kids in her hometown.

1   How does Sofia feel about her future career?

     (A) She thinks it is a very necessary thing to do.

     (B) She wants to work with computers like her friends.

     (C) She would like to be a doctor.

2   How did Sofia decide she wanted to be a teacher?

     (A) Her aunt came to visit her two years ago.

     (B) She helped a young family member understand some new words.

     (C) She bought a picture book with an elephant.

3   What do we learn about Sofia’s time at the kindergarten?

     (A) She earns some money to read English stories.

     (B) She has a lot of energy by the afternoon.

     (C) She works with the young children for free.

4   After Sofia finishes high school, she is going to

     (A) open her own language school next year.

     (B) go to university in a different town.

     (C) study for four years in her hometown.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to open a language school

     (B) A teenager’s plan to teach young children

     (C) Why teenagers should study in the capital city

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Elena’s Language Project

Nineteen-year-old Elena is a university student who loves learning languages. She can speak Spanish, English, and a little French. However, she noticed that the listening exercises in her language classes were often very boring or too fast. Many of her classmates felt worried when they had to do a listening test.

Elena decided to do something to help. She wanted to design her own listening exercises. She read about international language exams and learned the rules for making good tests. She wanted her exercises to be the same as the real exams, so her classmates could practice perfectly.

At first, Elena had a big problem. She needed different people to speak on her recordings. She didn’t want to use her own voice for everything. So, she asked some of her international friends at university to read short stories for her. They spoke clearly and slowly, which was exactly what Elena needed.

Next, Elena shared her new listening exercises with her classmates. They listened to them on their phones. After a few weeks, their test marks improved a lot. Elena was so happy to see her friends succeed. Now, she is planning to build a website. She hopes to share her language exercises with students all over the world next year.

1   What did Elena think about the audio materials at her university?

     (A) They made her classmates feel worried about speaking.

     (B) They were not very interesting and were too quick.

     (C) They were exactly the same as a real listening test.

2   Why did Elena read about international language exams?

     (A) Because she wanted her practice materials to follow the correct rules.

     (B) Because her classmates wanted to practice perfectly for their test.

     (C) Because she had to design her own language exams for the university.

3   What was Elena’s main problem in the beginning?

     (A) She had to use her own voice for everything.

     (B) She had to read short stories for her international friends.

     (C) Getting other people to talk on her audio files.

4   What happened after Elena’s classmates used the new exercises?

     (A) They used their phones to build a website.

     (B) They achieved higher scores on their exams.

     (C) They shared the exercises with students all over the world.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to pass an international language exam

     (B) A student’s idea for better listening practice

     (C) The most popular language website in the world

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Leo’s Language Testing Dream

Fifteen-year-old Leo loves studying foreign languages. However, he does not just want to travel and speak to people from other countries. He has a very unusual dream for his future career. When he finishes school, he wants to work as a professional language tester to help students find their correct level.

Last month, his English teacher gave him an exciting new project. She asked Leo to read about international proficiency frameworks, like the CEFR standards. Then, Leo helped her create some new listening exercises for the younger students at his school. He had to pick the words very carefully to make sure the test was not too difficult for them.

At first, making the test took a lot of time and hard work. Leo spent his whole weekend writing the questions in his bedroom. When the younger students finally did the listening exercises, they felt very happy and confident. The test was perfect for their level, and the teacher thanked Leo for his great help.

Right now, Leo is prototyping a structured language learning system on his computer. He hopes to build a smart software program that can quickly check a student’s grammar and listening skills. He knows he still has a lot to learn at university, but he is excited to start his career in language education.

1   What kind of job does Leo want to have one day?

     (A) an expert who checks how well people use a language

     (B) someone who travels to speak to people from other countries

     (C) a teacher who loves studying foreign languages

2   What did Leo do for his English teacher?

     (A) He read a book about international proficiency frameworks.

     (B) He made some audio tests for children in lower classes.

     (C) He had to pick the words to learn the CEFR standards.

3   How did the younger students feel about Leo’s test?

     (A) They thought it took a lot of time and hard work.

     (B) They were pleased because it was right for their abilities.

     (C) They liked writing the questions in his bedroom.

4   What is Leo working on at the moment?

     (A) He is designing a computer tool to test students’ abilities.

     (B) He is learning how to check a student’s grammar and listening skills.

     (C) He is excited to start his career in language education.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A teenager’s plan to measure language skills

     (B) How to study foreign languages at university

     (C) The best listening exercises for younger students

Exercises:   12345