Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Science, Environment & Research

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Testing the Waters

Seventeen-year-old Daniel has always loved science. Most of his friends spend their free time playing football or learning about computers, but Daniel is different. He enjoys learning about the natural world. He really wants to become an environmental scientist when he finishes his studies.

Last month, Daniel joined a local science project in his town. Every Saturday morning, he meets a group of volunteers at the river. Their job is to put water into small plastic bottles and check how clean it is. At first, it was difficult to use the testing equipment, but now Daniel is very good at it.

During their work last Saturday, Daniel noticed something unusual. The river water near the town’s shoe factory looked very dirty. Daniel carefully wrote down the information and took some photos. The leader of the volunteer group sent Daniel’s notes to the city council. She told Daniel that his quick thinking was excellent.

Next year, Daniel is going to university to study biology and chemistry. His parents are very happy because they know he is doing something important. Daniel knows that protecting the environment is a big job, but he is excited. He hopes that one day he will earn money by doing this work all over the world.

1   What do we learn about Daniel in the first paragraph?

     (A) His interests are not the same as his classmates’ hobbies.

     (B) He spends his free time learning about computers.

     (C) He plays football when he finishes his studies.

2   What does Daniel do with the volunteer group every weekend?

     (A) He brings new testing equipment to the river.

     (B) He examines the river to see if it is healthy.

     (C) He makes small plastic bottles for the local project.

3   What happened when Daniel was working last Saturday?

     (A) He visited the town’s shoe factory to take photos.

     (B) He sent his notes to the city council.

     (C) He found a problem with the water in the river.

4   What does Daniel hope to do in the future?

     (A) Get a paid job working to save nature.

     (B) Study biology and chemistry all over the world.

     (C) Give his parents money to do something important.

5   What is the best title for this article?

     (A) How to get a job at a shoe factory

     (B) A teenager’s plan to help the environment

     (C) Working at the local city council

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Chloe’s Underwater Dream

Fourteen-year-old Chloe lives in a small town near the beach. While her classmates prefer spending their weekends at the shopping centre, Chloe has a different hobby. She loves everything about the ocean. She enjoys swimming and reading books about sea creatures.

Chloe has a big dream for the future. She knows exactly what she wants to be. She hopes to become a marine biologist. Many people think this job is just playing in the water, but Chloe knows it is hard work. Her perfect career is to spend her life studying and swimming with wild dolphins.

To prepare for her dream job, Chloe studies very hard in her biology classes. Last summer, she also decided to help at a local sea life centre. She didn’t work with dolphins there. Instead, she cleaned the pools and prepared food for the small fish. Her older sister works in a bank and thinks Chloe’s job was dirty, but Chloe loved every minute of it.

Next August, Chloe is going to travel to a special nature camp in another country. A famous scientist is going to teach the teenagers how to look after ocean animals. Chloe knows she must get excellent marks in her school exams to go to university. She is very excited to start her underwater adventure.

1   What does Chloe like doing in her free time?

     (A) learning about animals that live in the water

     (B) spending her weekends at the shopping centre

     (C) playing in the water with her classmates

2   What does Chloe think about being a marine biologist?

     (A) It is not an easy profession.

     (B) It is just playing in the water.

     (C) It is a perfect career for many people.

3   What did Chloe do at the sea life centre last summer?

     (A) She made meals ready for some animals.

     (B) She worked with dolphins there.

     (C) She helped her older sister in a bank.

4   Why is Chloe going to a nature camp next August?

     (A) to find out how to care for sea creatures

     (B) to get excellent marks in her school exams

     (C) to teach the teenagers about a famous scientist

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A teenager’s plans to work with ocean animals

     (B) The best nature camp in another country

     (C) How to get a job at a local sea life centre

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Tom’s Journey to the Stars

Tom is a thirteen-year-old boy who loves the night sky. During the day, he plays tennis and does his homework like his friends. But every evening before bed, he doesn’t watch television. Instead, he spends hours reading heavy books about planets and stars. His biggest dream is to become a famous astronomer.

Tom’s interest in space began three years ago. For his tenth birthday, his aunt didn’t buy him a toy car or a video game. She gave him a beautiful white telescope. That night, Tom used it to look at the moon from his bedroom window. It was so amazing that he decided to study the universe forever.

Now, Tom works very hard at school to prepare for his future career. He knows that an astronomer must be good at numbers, so mathematics and physics are his favourite subjects. Every Saturday, he takes the bus to the city library. He borrows difficult science books because he has already read all the space books in his school.

Next August, Tom is going to attend a special space camp for young scientists. His parents are paying for the trip because he got excellent marks in his exams. Tom cannot wait for the camp. He hopes that one day he will work in a large observatory and discover a new planet.

1   What does Tom do every night?

     (A) He plays tennis with his friends.

     (B) He looks at information about the universe.

     (C) He watches television before bed.

2   How did Tom’s interest in space start?

     (A) A relative gave him a tool to look at the sky.

     (B) His aunt bought him a toy car for his birthday.

     (C) He played a video game about the moon.

3   Why does Tom visit the city library on Saturdays?

     (A) He needs a quiet place to study mathematics and physics.

     (B) He has already read all the difficult science books there.

     (C) He wants to get more texts to read about his hobby.

4   What do we learn about the space camp next August?

     (A) Tom is going to work in a large observatory there.

     (B) Tom’s family is spending money for him to go.

     (C) Tom is going to discover a new planet during the trip.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to buy a beautiful white telescope

     (B) A boy’s plans to work in astronomy

     (C) The best city library for science books

Exercises:   12345