Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Volunteering & Community Service 2
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Running for a Better Classroom
Last year, fifteen-year-old Mia travelled to a small village in the mountains for a holiday with her parents. While she was there, she visited the local primary school. The young students had lots of old books to read, but Mia noticed that they didn’t have any computers in their classrooms. She immediately decided to do something to help them.
When Mia went back to her city, she planned a charity run to get money for the rural school. She organised a five-kilometre race in the large town park. She asked her teachers, classmates, and family members to take part. Each runner had to give ten pounds to join the special event, and local businesses gave free bottles of water.
On the morning of the race, the weather was quite windy and cold. Mia felt a bit worried because she thought people would stay in their warm homes. However, more than a hundred people arrived at the park! Everyone ran the five kilometres, and then they enjoyed some hot soup and delicious cake together on the grass.
In the end, Mia collected enough money to buy five brand-new laptops for the village school. The teachers and children were incredibly happy when she sent them the machines. Mia felt very proud of her hard work. In fact, she is going to organise a music concert next summer to help another school!
1 Why did Mia want to help the village school?
(A) She realised the classrooms had no modern technology.
(B) She wanted to give them lots of old books to read.
(C) She was there for a holiday with her parents.
2 What did people have to do to be in the race?
(A) bring some free bottles of water
(B) plan a charity run for the rural school
(C) pay a specific amount of cash
3 How did Mia feel before the race started?
(A) angry about the windy and cold weather
(B) anxious that the runners would not arrive
(C) excited to enjoy some hot soup and delicious cake
4 What happened at the end of the story?
(A) Mia played in a music concert next summer.
(B) Mia sent the teachers and children to the city.
(C) Mia successfully got new PCs for the students.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A holiday in the mountains
(B) A race to improve a rural school
(C) How to use brand-new laptops
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 C 5 B
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Different Kind of Summer
My name is Mia, and I am sixteen years old. Most of my friends spent their summer holidays going to the beach or playing video games. However, I decided to do something different. I wanted to help build a new playground for the children in our town.
During the first week, the work was really hard. We had to clean a large area of land near the town center. There was a lot of rubbish and heavy stones to move. The weather was extremely hot, so we had to drink a lot of water and take frequent breaks. Sometimes, I just wanted to go home and sleep.
In the second week, things became more interesting. A group of builders arrived to help us. They showed me and the other teenagers how to use different tools safely. Together, we built wooden swings and a large yellow slide. I loved learning these new skills, and I made some great new friends, too.
At the end of the summer, the playground finally opened. We had a big party to celebrate. Now, when I walk past the park, I can hear the young children laughing and playing. My hands are still a bit sore from the hard work, but I feel incredibly proud of what we did for our community.
1 How was Mia’s summer different from her friends’ summer?
(A) She chose to work on a helpful project for her town.
(B) She went to the beach to play video games.
(C) She spent all her time relaxing with children.
2 What was difficult about the first week?
(A) The land was too far from the town center.
(B) They did not have enough water to drink.
(C) The high temperatures made the work very tiring.
3 What did Mia enjoy about the second week?
(A) teaching the adult builders how to make swings
(B) finding out how to do new things with tools
(C) playing on the large yellow slide with her friends
4 How does Mia feel now that the playground is open?
(A) She is sad because her hands are still sore.
(B) She is very pleased with the work she finished.
(C) She is happy because she can play in the park.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to build a large yellow slide
(B) The best video games to play on holiday
(C) A useful way to spend the summer
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 B 5 C
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Giving Old Furniture a New Home
My name is Liam, and I am sixteen years old. Last year, I saw a big problem in my town. My neighbours often put old but perfectly good furniture outside in the street for the rubbish truck. I felt very sad because many poor families cannot buy these things. I decided to start a website to help them.
I didn’t know anything about computers, so I asked my IT teacher, Mr. Davies. He agreed to help me build the website after school. We spent three weeks choosing the right colours and making it easy to use. I decided to call the website “Share a Chair”.
When the website opened, nobody used it for the first few days. I was worried. However, a journalist from a local newspaper wrote a short article about my idea. After that, hundreds of people started taking pictures of unwanted beds, sofas, and tables. Soon, people were giving away their things to families who really needed them.
Today, the website is incredibly busy. Some people even use my family’s garage to keep the furniture for a few days before the new owners collect it. I feel incredibly proud of my project. Next year, I am going to take special computer lessons so I can make the website even faster and better!
1 Why did Liam decide to start his website?
(A) He wanted to assist people who do not have much money.
(B) He wanted to put old furniture outside in the street.
(C) He needed to buy these things for his neighbours.
2 How was the website created?
(A) Mr. Davies asked him to build the website after school.
(B) A person who works at Liam’s school supported him.
(C) Mr. Davies spent three weeks choosing the right colours alone.
3 Why did the website become successful?
(A) Because nobody used it for the first few days.
(B) Because hundreds of people started taking pictures of their families.
(C) Because a writer for a town paper shared information about it.
4 What do we learn about the project today?
(A) Liam is going to take special computer lessons.
(B) The new owners collect the family’s garage.
(C) Some items are briefly stored at Liam’s house.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Sharing unused items to support the community
(B) How to use the rubbish truck in my town
(C) Choosing the right colours for old furniture
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 C 5 A