Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – School Subjects & Classroom Activities
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Learning New Words
Sam is thirteen years old and usually enjoys his time at school. His favorite subjects are maths and history, but this year he has a new Spanish class. He thinks learning a different language is very hard. On Monday morning, Sam sat at his desk and looked at the big smartboard. His teacher, Mr. Thomas, was writing some new vocabulary.
The words on the smartboard were very long. Sam felt worried because he thought it was impossible to remember them all. He looked at his best friend, Ben. Ben was writing everything in his notebook very quickly and he looked completely happy. Sam felt sad because he was sure he would get a bad mark in the test next week.
Then, Mr. Thomas stopped writing and turned to the class. He explained a special way to learn new vocabulary. He told the students to draw small pictures next to the words in their notebooks. Sam decided to try this idea. He drew a funny little dog next to the Spanish word for ‘dog’ and a house next to another word.
Suddenly, the activity was fun and the words did not look so difficult anymore. When the lesson finished, Sam felt much better about his Spanish. He couldn’t wait to go home and study for his test using his new pictures. Now, he believes he can get a good mark!
1 What do we learn about Sam in the first paragraph?
(A) He does not enjoy his time at school.
(B) He thinks maths and history are very hard.
(C) He finds his new language lessons difficult.
2 Why was Sam worried during the lesson?
(A) He expected to do poorly on his upcoming exam.
(B) He was writing everything in his notebook very quickly.
(C) He thought it was impossible for Ben to be completely happy.
3 What did Mr. Thomas tell the class to do?
(A) write a special way to learn new vocabulary
(B) sketch some images beside their text
(C) draw a funny little dog on the smartboard
4 How did Sam feel at the end of the lesson?
(A) He thought the words still looked so difficult.
(B) He was eager to go home and forget about his test.
(C) He was more confident about his language skills.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A new way to remember difficult vocabulary
(B) The boy who got a bad mark in his test
(C) Why maths and history are favorite subjects
ANSWER KEY
1 C 2 A 3 B 4 C 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Sam’s Useful Computer Lesson
Sam is fifteen years old and he really loves his computer classes at school. Usually, the students learn how to make websites or they play educational games. However, last Monday, his teacher, Mr. Davis, gave them a different activity. He told the class they had to learn how to write formal emails. At first, Sam felt quite bored because he thought emails were old-fashioned.
Mr. Davis gave them their homework. Everyone had to write a message to a manager to ask for a summer job. Sam started typing very fast. He wrote the email exactly like a text message to his best friend. When Mr. Davis looked at Sam’s computer screen, he stopped him. He explained that a formal email needs polite words and correct spelling.
Sam deleted his message and tried again. It was quite difficult to choose the right vocabulary. Fortunately, the girl sitting next to him, Lily, offered to help. She didn’t write it for him, but she showed him how to begin the message with ‘Dear’ and finish with ‘Best regards’. Finally, Sam completed his work.
On Wednesday, the teacher gave the students their marks. Mr. Davis was very happy with Sam’s work and gave him an excellent grade. Sam felt very proud of himself. He now understands that this is a very useful skill. In fact, he is going to write a real email to a local café tomorrow to ask for a weekend job.
1 How did Sam feel about the new computer activity?
(A) He wanted to make websites instead.
(B) He wasn’t very interested in it.
(C) He thought educational games were old-fashioned.
2 What was the problem with Sam’s first email?
(A) He sent a text message to his best friend.
(B) He asked his teacher for a summer job.
(C) It was too friendly for a manager.
3 What did Lily do to help Sam?
(A) She wrote it for him.
(B) She gave him advice on how to start and end the email.
(C) She told him to delete his message.
4 What is Sam planning to do next?
(A) Give the students their marks on Wednesday.
(B) Go to a local café tomorrow.
(C) Try to find some work using his new skill.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A valuable lesson for the future
(B) Sam’s new job at the café
(C) How to make websites at school
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 B 4 C 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Surprising Performance
Fifteen-year-old Leo loves reading, but he usually prefers doing it quietly in his bedroom. Last week, his literature teacher, Mr. Harris, told the class about a new activity. They had to read a famous play out loud together. The play was by William Shakespeare. Leo felt very nervous because he hates speaking in front of other students.
On Thursday morning, it was time for the literature lesson. Mr. Harris gave everyone a book and asked Leo to read the most important part. His best friend, Mia, was the other main character. Leo’s hands shook as he looked at the difficult words on the page.
When Leo started reading, his voice was very quiet. But after a few minutes, something changed. He forgot about the other students in the room. He really liked the story, so he started to speak louder. He even changed his voice to sound sad or excited, just like a real actor in a theatre.
When the lesson finished, the room was quiet. Then, all the students started clapping. Mr. Harris smiled and said Leo did a fantastic job. Mia told him he sounded amazing. Leo was very surprised but felt quite proud. He decided that reading out loud wasn’t so bad after all.
1 How did Leo feel about the new activity?
(A) Worried about talking to the class.
(B) He wanted to do it quietly in his bedroom.
(C) Excited to read a play by William Shakespeare.
2 What happened during the lesson on Thursday?
(A) Mr. Harris read the most important part.
(B) Mia looked at the difficult words on the page.
(C) The teacher gave Leo a major role to read.
3 Why did Leo’s reading improve after a few minutes?
(A) He changed his voice to sound sad.
(B) He became interested in what was happening.
(C) He watched a real actor in a theatre.
4 How did the other students react when Leo finished?
(A) They said he did a fantastic job.
(B) They were very surprised but felt quite proud.
(C) They showed that they enjoyed his performance.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A surprising literature class
(B) How to write a famous play
(C) The teacher who loves Shakespeare
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 C 5 A