Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Working Animals & Therapy Pets
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Brave Horse’s Quiet Retirement
My name is Mia, and I am fourteen years old. Every Saturday, I travel to a beautiful farm near my town. I go there to visit a very special animal. His name is Charlie, and he is a large, grey horse. However, Charlie is not a normal farm horse because he used to work for the city police.
For fifteen years, Charlie lived in the centre of a loud and busy city. His job was to help police officers keep the streets safe. He had to walk through heavy traffic and stay calm around large crowds of people. He was a very brave horse, but last year, he became too old to do this difficult work.
Now, Charlie lives peacefully on my uncle’s farm. His life is completely different. There is no noisy traffic, just green grass and quiet fields. When I visit him at the weekend, I always bring him some sweet carrots. We usually spend hours walking slowly around the farm together.
I am so happy that Charlie has a relaxing home now. After working hard for so many years, he really deserves a long rest. Spending time with Charlie is my favourite thing to do. Because of him, I want to become a police officer when I finish school.
1 What does Mia say about Charlie in the first paragraph?
(A) He is a normal farm horse.
(B) He travels to a beautiful farm every Saturday.
(C) He had a job in the city before.
2 What do we learn about Charlie’s old job?
(A) He was afraid of the heavy traffic in the city.
(B) He had to work in a noisy place with lots of cars.
(C) He did his difficult work for large crowds of people.
3 When Mia visits Charlie at the weekend, she
(A) gives the horse something to eat.
(B) lives peacefully on her uncle’s farm.
(C) spends hours walking slowly through noisy traffic.
4 How does Mia feel about her future?
(A) She wants to work hard for many years on the farm.
(B) She hopes to get a job with the police.
(C) She plans to take a long rest when she finishes school.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to be a police officer in the city
(B) The horse who kept my uncle’s farm safe
(C) A relaxing new life for a brave animal
ANSWER KEY
1 C 2 B 3 A 4 B 5 C
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Birds That Carried the News
My name is Tom and I am eleven years old. I really love history and I enjoy reading in my free time. Yesterday, I went to my school library and found a very interesting book. It was about how people talked to each other a long time ago.
In the past, there were no mobile phones or computers. When people wanted to send a message to a different city, it was very difficult. In my new book, I read about a fantastic idea. People used special birds, called carrier pigeons, to carry their news across the country.
The book explained exactly how this worked. A person wrote a very short letter on a small piece of paper. Then, they put the paper on the bird’s leg. The pigeon flew high in the sky and travelled a very long way to go back to its home. I think it is amazing that the birds never got lost.
I finished reading the book in only two days. Today, it is very easy for me to text my friends in a few seconds. However, I think the old way of sending messages was a wonderful adventure. Next week, I am going to tell my class all about these clever birds for my history project.
1 What does Tom say about his new book in the first paragraph?
(A) He got it from a place at his school.
(B) He found it while he was talking to people.
(C) He bought it in his free time.
2 Why did people use carrier pigeons in the past?
(A) because they wanted to buy mobile phones
(B) because they lacked the machines we use today
(C) because they wanted to live in a different city
3 How did people send messages with the birds?
(A) They taught the pigeons to write a short letter.
(B) They put the paper inside the bird’s home.
(C) They fastened tiny notes to the animals.
4 What does Tom plan to do soon?
(A) share his new information with other students
(B) text his friends in a few seconds
(C) finish reading the book next week
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) The fastest way to text your friends
(B) My favourite history teacher at school
(C) Learning about flying postmen from the past
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 A 5 C
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Very Helpful Friend
Fourteen-year-old Jamie often feels very nervous and worried. Sometimes, he worries so much about school and his friends that he cannot sleep. But last year, his parents found a wonderful way to help him. They got him a special cat named Barnaby.
Barnaby is not a normal pet. He is a certified therapy animal. This means he had special training to learn how to help people who are unhappy or afraid. Before he came to Jamie’s house, Barnaby spent several months learning how to stay calm in noisy places and how to sit quietly with people.
When Jamie starts to feel bad, Barnaby always knows what to do. The large, fluffy cat walks over and sits on Jamie’s lap. Barnaby stays there and makes a soft, happy sound. Jamie says that feeling the cat’s warm body and listening to this quiet sound makes his anxiety go away completely. “He makes me feel safe,” Jamie explains.
Because of Barnaby, Jamie’s life is much better today. In the past, Jamie usually stayed in his bedroom at the weekend. Now, he feels brave enough to go to the cinema or the park with his classmates. Jamie believes that having a therapy cat is the best medicine in the world, and he is very thankful for his furry friend.
1 Why did Jamie’s parents bring Barnaby home?
(A) because Jamie could not sleep with a normal pet
(B) to help Jamie make new friends at school
(C) to help Jamie stop feeling so nervous
2 What does the text say is different about Barnaby?
(A) He was taught how to make sad or scared people feel better.
(B) He spent several months living in a very noisy place.
(C) He is just a normal pet that likes to sit quietly.
3 How does Barnaby help Jamie relax?
(A) by walking over and playing with him when he feels bad
(B) by resting on his legs and making quiet noises
(C) by keeping Jamie’s body warm when he goes outside
4 What has changed for Jamie because of Barnaby?
(A) He prefers to stay in his bedroom at the weekend.
(B) He often takes his cat to the cinema and the park.
(C) He goes out to do fun things with other teenagers.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to train your pet cat to sit quietly
(B) A special animal that changed a boy’s life
(C) Why teenagers worry about their classmates
ANSWER KEY
1 C 2 A 3 B 4 C 5 B