Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Neighbors & Neighborhood Life 4
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Bright New Look for Our Street
My name is Mia, and I am fifteen years old. Every morning, I walk to my high school past a very long, gray wall. The wall looked incredibly sad and made our street seem dark and boring. Last month, I finally decided to do something to change it.
First, I wrote a letter to the town council to ask if I could paint the wall. Surprisingly, they said yes! I saved my pocket money for a few weeks to buy lots of brightly coloured paints. My art teacher, Mr. Jones, was very kind and lent me some excellent large brushes from his classroom.
On a sunny Saturday morning, I started my project. I painted a huge yellow sun, tall green trees, and beautiful blue birds. It was hard work, but I loved it. While I was painting, several neighbours stopped to watch. A friendly old woman even brought me some sandwiches and a cold lemon drink.
Now, the painting is finished, and the street looks completely different. People often stop their cars to take photos of the bright, happy colours. I feel incredibly proud of my artwork. It was a big job, but I hope to decorate another boring wall in my town next summer!
1 How did Mia feel about the wall on her way to school?
(A) She felt incredibly sad when walking to her high school.
(B) She disliked it because it was unattractive and dull.
(C) She finally decided to change her dark and boring walk.
2 Where did Mia get the things she needed for her project?
(A) She purchased the colours herself and borrowed the rest from school.
(B) She used her pocket money to buy excellent large brushes.
(C) The town council gave her lots of brightly coloured paints.
3 What happened on Saturday morning?
(A) A friendly old woman painted a huge yellow sun.
(B) Several neighbours brought her sandwiches and a cold lemon drink.
(C) People living nearby looked at her, and someone gave her food.
4 What do people do when they see the finished wall?
(A) They often stop their cars to feel incredibly proud.
(B) They pause their journeys to capture pictures of the artwork.
(C) They decide to decorate another boring wall in the town.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Bringing colour to the neighbourhood
(B) Buying brightly coloured paints
(C) How to take photos of bright colours
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 A 3 C 4 B 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Friendly Street Online
Maya is sixteen and lives on Oak Street. It is a very long road with many houses. In the past, people were always busy with school and work, so they never really spoke to each other. Maya felt sad about this because she wanted to live in a friendly place.
One weekend, Maya had a brilliant idea. She decided to start a social media group just for the people on her street. She made a page on her laptop and then printed fifty small invitations. She spent the whole afternoon walking up and down the road, putting the papers through her neighbours’ doors.
During the first week, only five people joined the group. But slowly, more neighbours started using it. Now, it is very popular! People write messages to share local news or find lost cats. Sometimes, older people ask for help with their heavy shopping, and teenagers quickly offer to do it for them. Last week, Maya’s dad even borrowed a ladder from a man opposite their house.
Because of the group, Oak Street is a much happier place today. When Maya walks to school, lots of people wave and say hello. She is very proud of what she did. Next month, the neighbours are going to have a big street barbecue, and Maya cannot wait.
1 Why did Maya feel sad about her street?
(A) The residents did not communicate very much.
(B) She was always busy with school and work.
(C) It was a very long road with many houses.
2 How did Maya invite everyone to join her group?
(A) by making a new page on her laptop
(B) by delivering paper notes to their homes
(C) by walking up and down chatting to people
3 What happened when Maya first started the web page?
(A) Teenagers quickly offered to do heavy shopping.
(B) Her dad borrowed a ladder from a man.
(C) Not many people became members immediately.
4 How has Oak Street changed today?
(A) It is a much friendlier community to live in.
(B) Maya walks to school with lots of people.
(C) The neighbours are going to have a big street barbecue.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Connecting Neighbours on the Internet
(B) Helping Older People with Heavy Shopping
(C) The Longest Road in the City
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 A 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Discovering Our Street’s Past
My name is Mia, and I am thirteen years old. Last week, our history teacher gave us a new school project. We had to write about how our town has changed. I decided to interview Mr. Davis. He is eighty-nine years old and has lived on our street longer than anyone else.
On Saturday morning, I went to his house with my notebook. I thought he would just talk, but he brought out a big box of black-and-white photos. I looked at the pictures and was very surprised. Many years ago, our street didn’t have any tall buildings. Instead, there were lots of large trees and beautiful gardens.
Mr. Davis explained that daily life was very different when he was young. There were no large supermarkets, so his family bought fresh food from small shops every morning. Also, he and his friends often played football in the middle of the street. It was safe because there were almost no cars at that time.
He told me that people didn’t have much money, but the street was a very friendly place. Neighbors always helped each other and organized fun street parties in the summer. I learned a lot from the interview and got a great mark on my school project. Now, I understand my neighborhood’s history, and I promised to visit Mr. Davis again soon.
1 Why did Mia talk to Mr. Davis?
(A) He gave her a new school project.
(B) She needed information for her history homework.
(C) He is a history teacher in her town.
2 What surprised Mia when she looked at the photos?
(A) The street did not look the same in the past.
(B) Mr. Davis had a big box of black-and-white pictures.
(C) The neighborhood had a lot of tall buildings.
3 What did children do when Mr. Davis was young?
(A) They bought fresh food from small shops.
(B) They drove safe cars in the middle of the street.
(C) They played games on the road.
4 What does Mr. Davis say about the people in the past?
(A) They had a lot of money.
(B) They were kind to the people living near them.
(C) They organized fun street parties to make money.
5 What is Mia doing in this text?
(A) explaining how to get a great mark on a project
(B) describing what she learned from an older resident
(C) giving advice on how to organize a street party
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 A 3 C 4 B 5 B