Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Animal-Related Careers
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Working Hard for a Dream
Fifteen-year-old Emma has a very special dream. While her friends want to be singers or computer programmers, Emma wants to become a skilled veterinarian. She loves all animals, from small cats to large horses, and she wants to help them when they are sick.
Because of this big dream, Emma’s evenings are different from other teenagers’ evenings. After dinner, she doesn’t watch television or play video games in her bedroom. Instead, she sits at her desk and studies biology for two hours. Sometimes her friends ask her to go to the cinema on a Wednesday evening, but Emma always says no. She knows that she must get excellent marks in science to go to a good university.
On weekends, Emma doesn’t study biology at her desk. Instead, she helps at a local animal clinic. She cannot give medicine to the animals yet, but she cleans their cages and gives them food. The main vet, Dr. Smith, often shows her how to hold the animals safely. Emma loves watching him work.
Emma understands that becoming a vet is not an easy journey. She will have to study at university for many years. However, she does not mind the hard work. She is very excited about her future and cannot wait to have her own animal clinic one day.
1 What is Emma’s main goal for the future?
(A) to become a singer or computer programmer
(B) to work as an animal doctor
(C) to buy small cats and large horses
2 What does Emma usually do after her evening meal?
(A) She plays video games in her bedroom.
(B) She goes to the cinema with her friends.
(C) She spends time learning about science.
3 At the animal clinic, Emma is allowed to
(A) give medicine to the animals.
(B) provide meals and tidy up for the animals.
(C) show Dr. Smith how to hold the animals safely.
4 How does Emma feel about her career plans?
(A) She thinks that becoming a vet will be an easy journey.
(B) She does not want to study at university for many years.
(C) She is looking forward to doing her dream job.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A teenager preparing for her future career
(B) How to get excellent marks in science
(C) Why teenagers should not play video games
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 B 4 C 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Working at the Pet Hospital
Fifteen-year-old Maya has always loved animals, especially dogs. While her classmates usually spend their weekends working in a local clothes shop or a busy café, Maya does something completely different. She has a part-time job as an assistant at the city pet hospital.
Maya works there every Saturday morning. The vets do the difficult jobs, like giving medicine and doing operations. Maya’s job is much simpler, but still very important. She washes the dirty blankets, cleans the floors, and brings fresh water to the sick dogs. She likes her tasks because she knows the animals need a clean space to get well.
Last weekend, a large golden retriever arrived at the hospital. The poor dog was very ill and looked frightened. Maya felt quite sad when she saw him. However, the head vet showed Maya how to talk quietly to the animal to make him feel safe. Soon, the big dog wagged his tail, and Maya felt wonderful.
Working at the hospital is often tiring and dirty, but Maya doesn’t mind at all. She is learning a lot about how to care for sick animals. Because of her weekend job, Maya now knows exactly what she wants to do when she is older. She is going to study hard at school and become a vet.
1 What is different about Maya’s weekends?
(A) She earns money helping at a medical place for animals.
(B) She spends time working in a local clothes shop.
(C) She usually goes to a busy café with her classmates.
2 What is Maya responsible for at the pet hospital?
(A) Giving medicine to the sick dogs.
(B) Doing operations on the animals.
(C) Providing clean drinks for the dogs.
3 When the golden retriever arrived at the hospital, Maya
(A) felt quite sad and looked frightened.
(B) used a soft voice to help him feel comfortable.
(C) showed the head vet how to talk quietly to him.
4 What do we learn about Maya in the final paragraph?
(A) She plans to have a career caring for animals in the future.
(B) She thinks her weekend job is too tiring and dirty.
(C) She wants to stop working because she has to study hard.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) The student who learns by helping sick pets
(B) How to find a weekend job in a busy café
(C) The most difficult operations at the pet hospital
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 A 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My Interview with a Tiger Photographer
My name is Sarah, and I write for my high school magazine. Last month, my teacher asked me to write an article about an interesting job. I decided to interview Mark Davis. He is a famous wildlife photographer, and he travels all over the world to take pictures of wild tigers.
When we met, Mark told me about his past. He got his first camera when he was ten years old. At first, he enjoyed taking photos of everyday farm animals. However, everything changed when he went on a holiday to India in 2015. He saw a beautiful wild tiger there, and from that day on, he only wanted to photograph big cats.
Many teenagers think Mark’s job is just fun and exciting, but he explained that it is actually very difficult. He often has to sit completely still in the forest for hours. He waits in the freezing cold or the terrible heat just to get one perfect photo. But Mark said he doesn’t mind the bad weather because he loves his work so much.
Speaking to Mark was an amazing experience. Before the interview, I wanted to become a journalist and write news stories. Now, my plans are different. I am saving my pocket money to buy a good camera. I want to travel to beautiful places and take pictures of amazing creatures, just like Mark.
1 Why did Sarah contact Mark Davis?
(A) She travels all over the world.
(B) She had to do a task for her classes.
(C) She asked her teacher to write an article.
2 What did Mark do when he first got a camera?
(A) He went on a holiday to India in 2015.
(B) He only wanted to photograph big cats.
(C) He captured images of animals that live on farms.
3 What does Mark say about his job in the forest?
(A) He dislikes waiting in the freezing cold or the terrible heat.
(B) He thinks his job is just fun and exciting.
(C) He is happy to stay in uncomfortable places for a long time.
4 How did the interview change Sarah?
(A) She hopes to have the same career as Mark in the future.
(B) She plans to become a journalist and write news stories.
(C) She is saving her pocket money to write for the school magazine.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to travel all over the world for free
(B) A teenager’s chat with a professional photographer
(C) The terrible bad weather in the forests of India
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 C 4 A 5 B