Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – School Subjects & Classroom Activities
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Passion for the Past
Fourteen-year-old Leo is a normal student, but he has a big problem at school. He really doesn’t like math. When he looks at numbers and difficult exercises, he feels stressed. Even when he studies hard for hours, he still gets bad marks in his math exams. His parents often worry about this.
However, there is one subject that Leo absolutely loves. He thinks history is the most interesting thing in the world. Instead of playing video games on his computer after school, he usually reads thick books about the past. His bedroom is full of stories about old kings, famous queens, and great journeys.
Last month, Leo’s school went on a trip to the city museum. His math teacher gave the students a worksheet. They had to count how many old coins were in the boxes. But Leo didn’t do the math exercise. Instead, he spent the whole time reading the information about the people who made the coins.
His history teacher, Mr. Clark, saw how much Leo knew about the museum. He told Leo to start a history club at school. Now, Leo is the president of the club. He knows he must try harder in math, but he is happy because he already knows what his future job will be: a history teacher!
1 What problem does Leo have at school?
(A) He never studies hard for his exams.
(B) He doesn’t get good results in math.
(C) He feels stressed by his parents.
2 What does Leo prefer doing in his free time?
(A) playing video games on his computer
(B) reading thick books about his school
(C) learning about things that happened a long time ago
3 During the trip to the city museum, Leo
(A) counted how many old coins were in the boxes.
(B) finished the worksheet for his math teacher.
(C) learned about the people on the money.
4 What do we find out about Leo in the last paragraph?
(A) He has decided what he wants to do when he is older.
(B) He wants Mr. Clark to be the president of the club.
(C) He doesn’t need to try harder in math anymore.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to get better marks in math
(B) A boy’s favorite school subject
(C) The history of the city museum
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 C 4 A 5 B
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Magic of Chemistry
Leo is fourteen years old and he loves school. His favorite subject is science. He likes learning about plants and animals, but chemistry is the best. The science lab at his school is very big and has lots of interesting equipment. Leo always feels excited when he walks in there to start his lessons.
Last Tuesday, Leo’s science teacher, Mr. Davies, told the class about a special experiment. “Today, we are going to make a rainbow in a glass,” he said. The students had to mix different liquids together to see what would happen. Mr. Davies gave everyone three bottles of clear water and some special powders.
Leo worked with his best friend, Maya. First, they put the powders into the liquids. At first, it looked boring. But then, they carefully mixed the liquids together in a tall glass. Suddenly, the water changed color! First, it became bright pink, and then it turned a beautiful dark blue. Leo and Maya were amazed. It looked like magic, but they knew it was science.
After the class, Leo felt really happy. He decided to read more about chemistry when he got home. Before this experiment, he wanted to be a doctor like his mother. Now, he is sure he wants to work in a laboratory as a chemist. He can’t wait for his next science lesson.
1 What does Leo enjoy most at school?
(A) learning about plants and animals
(B) his chemistry lessons
(C) the interesting equipment
2 What did the teacher hand out to the students for the experiment?
(A) a rainbow in a glass
(B) different liquids
(C) water with no color
3 What happened when Leo and Maya mixed the items in the tall glass?
(A) The water turned into new colors.
(B) It looked boring.
(C) They did some magic.
4 What does Leo want to do in the future now?
(A) be a doctor like his mother
(B) read more about chemistry
(C) have a career as a scientist
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A fun lesson in the science lab
(B) How to make magic water
(C) Leo’s favorite plants and animals
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 A 4 C 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Leo’s River Adventure
Leo is fourteen years old. Last week, his geography teacher gave the class a new project. They had to find out about the longest rivers in their country, the UK. At first, Leo felt worried. He usually gets bad marks in geography, and he prefers history and maths. However, he went to the school library and borrowed some books about the River Severn and the River Thames.
When he started reading, he found too much information and quickly felt confused. Fortunately, his older sister, Maya, offered to help. She didn’t write the project for him, but she showed him how to make notes on his computer. Maya also helped him draw a beautiful map of the rivers. She remembered doing the exact same project five years ago!
On Saturday, Leo’s dad had a great idea. He drove Leo to London to see the River Thames. The weather was terrible and it rained all day, but Leo didn’t mind. He walked along the river and took lots of fantastic photos of the bridges and boats to put in his project.
On Monday, it was time to show the project to the class. Leo felt a bit nervous before he started speaking. But he showed his map and his photos, and everyone loved them. His teacher was very happy and gave him the best mark in the class. Now, Leo thinks geography is a really interesting subject!
1 How did Leo feel when he first heard about the project?
(A) He was afraid because he isn’t usually good at geography.
(B) He was pleased because he prefers history and maths.
(C) He was worried because he couldn’t find the school library.
2 How did Maya help Leo with his homework?
(A) She taught him a useful way to organize his information.
(B) She wrote the project for him on his computer.
(C) She drew a beautiful map of the rivers for him.
3 What happened on the trip to London?
(A) Leo and his dad went on a boat in the rain.
(B) Leo got some useful pictures for his school work.
(C) Leo was sad because the weather was terrible.
4 What do we learn about Leo’s presentation?
(A) He felt a bit nervous after he started speaking.
(B) He gave the best mark to everyone in the class.
(C) He achieved an excellent result from his teacher.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to take photos of rivers
(B) A terrible trip to London
(C) A surprising success in geography
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 A 3 B 4 C 5 C