Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Zoos, Safari & Wildlife Parks
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A New Home for the Penguins
Thirteen-year-old Charlie loves visiting the local zoo. He goes there with his family every month. His favourite animals are the penguins because they are very funny. However, last spring, Charlie noticed a problem. The penguins’ pool was very small and quite old. The zoo needed a lot of money to build a better home for them.
Charlie decided to do something to help. He went to his school and talked to his friends about the penguins. Together, they planned a big cake sale. Charlie spent his whole weekend baking chocolate cakes, while his classmates made hundreds of biscuits. They brought all the food to school on Monday and sold it during the morning break.
The cake sale was a fantastic success. The students were very hungry, so they bought all the cakes and biscuits in just twenty minutes! Charlie and his friends collected £150. When Charlie told his parents the good news, they felt very proud. They gave him another £50 for the penguins, so he had £200 in total.
The next day, Charlie took the money to the zoo. The manager was incredibly pleased and thanked him for his hard work. Six months later, the new pool was finally ready. Charlie visited the zoo to see it. The penguins were swimming quickly around their huge new pool. Charlie felt wonderful because he knew he helped his favourite animals.
1 What was the problem with the penguins’ living area?
(A) It wasn’t big enough for them.
(B) It needed a lot of money.
(C) They were very funny animals.
2 How did Charlie and his classmates raise money?
(A) His classmates spent the whole weekend baking chocolate cakes.
(B) They talked to his friends about the penguins.
(C) They prepared sweet snacks and sold them to other children.
3 Where did the extra £50 come from?
(A) Charlie and his friends collected it.
(B) His mother and father gave it to him.
(C) The students who were very hungry bought it.
4 What happened when Charlie returned to the zoo six months later?
(A) He took the money to the zoo.
(B) He thanked the manager for his hard work.
(C) He watched the birds enjoying a much larger swimming space.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to make hundreds of biscuits
(B) The boy who improved the penguins’ home
(C) Charlie’s fantastic weekend at the local zoo
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 C 5 B
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Journey into the Dark
My name is Leo and I am fourteen years old. Last week, my family and I went on a very unusual trip. We visited a night safari park. It is a special zoo that only opens when the sun goes down. I love animals, but I usually only see them during the day.
When we arrived, it was completely dark. We didn’t walk through the park. Instead, we got on a small train with some other visitors. The guide told us that we couldn’t take any photographs. Bright flashes of light can frighten the animals and make them angry. We only used soft red lights to look around.
During the trip, I saw some amazing things. In a normal zoo, lions usually sleep all day in the sun. But here, a large male lion was awake, walking around and looking for food. Later, we watched some big hippos. They were not swimming in the water. They were walking on the grass and eating plants.
The journey took about an hour, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was completely quiet, and the animals looked so different in the dark. I think this night safari is much better than a normal daytime zoo. Tomorrow, I am going to write a story about it for my school newspaper.
1 What was special about the zoo Leo visited?
(A) People can only go there in the evening.
(B) He usually only sees it during the day.
(C) He went there with some other visitors.
2 What rule did the guide give the people on the train?
(A) They must not use cameras to record their trip.
(B) They have to use bright flashes of light to look around.
(C) They need to walk through the park very quietly.
3 How was the lion in the safari different from lions in a normal zoo?
(A) It was active and searching for a meal.
(B) It wanted to sleep all day in the sun.
(C) It was walking on the grass and eating plants.
4 How does Leo feel about his safari experience?
(A) He prefers it to seeing animals during the day.
(B) He wants to spend an hour at a normal daytime zoo.
(C) He enjoyed it because he wrote a story about it.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Watching wild animals in the dark
(B) A long walk through a special zoo
(C) How to find a large male lion
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 A 3 A 4 A 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Toby’s Favourite Animals
Ten-year-old Toby loves animals. Last Saturday, his parents took him to the new city zoo for his birthday. Toby was very excited because he wanted to see the elephants and the monkeys, but most of all, he wanted to see the giraffes. They walked past the monkey area quickly to get to the tall animals.
When Toby finally stood in front of the giraffes, he couldn’t speak. He knew they were big, but he was completely amazed by their height. They were much taller than his school building! He watched a mother giraffe and her baby walking around. The mother’s legs were longer than his dad’s whole body.
Later, it was time for the zookeeper to give the animals their lunch. Toby watched carefully as the zookeeper put fresh leaves on a high wall. Suddenly, the mother giraffe opened her mouth and Toby saw her tongue. It was incredibly long and dark blue! Toby laughed because the giraffe used it like a hand to pull the leaves into her mouth.
Before they left the zoo, Toby’s parents bought him a small present from the shop. He chose a book about African animals instead of a toy. On the drive home, Toby read about what giraffes drink. He decided that they were definitely the most wonderful creatures in the world.
1 Why did Toby go to the zoo?
(A) To celebrate his special day.
(B) To take his parents to the new city zoo.
(C) To walk past the monkey area quickly.
2 What surprised Toby about the giraffes?
(A) Their legs were longer than his school building.
(B) How extremely tall the animals actually were.
(C) He knew they were big and couldn’t speak.
3 What did Toby find funny about the giraffe?
(A) The zookeeper put fresh leaves on a high wall.
(B) The mother giraffe opened her mouth.
(C) The way the animal grabbed its food.
4 What did Toby get from the zoo shop?
(A) He chose a toy instead of a book.
(B) A small present for what giraffes drink.
(C) Something to read about wildlife.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Toby’s wonderful experience with the giraffes
(B) Toby’s new book about African animals
(C) How the zookeeper gives the animals their lunch
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 C 5 A