Practice English Reading Exercises for A1 – School, Learning & Friends
Reading 1
Read the story. Write words to complete the sentences about the story.
You can use 1, 2 or 3 words.
Leo’s bad headache
It was Tuesday morning. Leo sat at his desk in the classroom. He tried to read his English book, but he couldn’t. His head was very hot and it hurt a lot. “I feel terrible,” Leo told his teacher, Mr Green. Mr Green looked at Leo and felt his head.
Examples
Leo was at his desk on ………Tuesday morning……… .
Leo couldn’t read his ………English book……… .
Questions
1 Leo’s …………………… was very hot and hurt a lot.
2 Leo felt …………………… so he talked to his teacher.
3 The teacher’s name was …………………… .
“You have a bad headache, Leo,” Mr Green said. He took Leo to the school office and phoned his mother. Leo’s mother was at the hospital because she worked there as a nurse. “Leo is ill,” Mr Green told her. “I must come and get him,” she answered. She stopped her work immediately and drove her red car to the school.
4 Mr Green told Leo that he had a …………………… .
5 The teacher phoned Leo’s mother from the …………………… .
6 Leo’s mother worked as a …………………… at the hospital.
7 Leo’s mother drove her …………………… to the school to get him.
When she arrived, Leo was on a chair in the office. His mother hugged him carefully. They went home together. She gave Leo some water and put him in his bed. Leo slept all afternoon. In the evening, his head didn’t hurt.
8 Leo’s mother saw him sitting on a …………………… in the office.
9 At home, Leo’s mother put him in …………………… after he drank some water.
10 Leo’s head didn’t hurt in the …………………… .
ANSWER KEY
1 head 2 terrible 3 Mr Green
4 bad headache 5 school office 6 nurse 7 red car
8 chair 9 his bed/bed 10 evening
Reading 2
Read the story. Write words to complete the sentences about the story.
You can use 1, 2 or 3 words.
The Beautiful Song
Mary and her best friend, Lily, loved music. They sang songs in their bedrooms every afternoon. Last month, their teacher, Mrs. Bird, talked about a big school party. “We want some children to sing or dance at the party,” she said. The two girls were very excited.
Examples
Mary and Lily liked ………music……… a lot.
The girls sang in their bedrooms every ………afternoon……… .
Questions
1 Mrs. Bird, the girls’ ………………………… , told them about a big school party.
2 Mrs. Bird wanted children to ………………………… at the party.
3 When they heard about the party, Mary and Lily felt ………………………… .
Mary and Lily chose a beautiful song about the sea. They needed to learn all the words. Every day after school, they walked to Lily’s house to practice. Sometimes, Lily played her new guitar while Mary sang. They practiced for three weeks because they wanted to be very good. They didn’t watch television or play games.
4 The girls picked a beautiful song that was about ………………………… .
5 They needed to learn all ………………………… of the song.
6 The girls practiced their song at ………………………… every day after school.
7 Mary sang and Lily played her ………………………… .
Finally, it was the day of the school party. All their friends and parents were there in the hall. Mary and Lily stood up and sang their beautiful song. Everyone clapped loudly and smiled. “That was fantastic!” Mrs. Bird said. The girls were very happy and tired.
8 The girls sang for their ………………………… in the hall.
9 People smiled and ………………………… when the girls sang their song.
10 Mrs. Bird told the girls their song was ………………………… .
ANSWER KEY
1 teacher 2 sing or dance 3 very excited
4 the sea 5 the words 6 Lily’s house 7 new guitar
8 friends and parents 9 clapped loudly 10 fantastic
Reading 3
Read the story. Write words to complete the sentences about the story.
You can use 1, 2 or 3 words.
The kitten at the bus stop
Last Tuesday morning, the weather was very bad. It rained a lot and it was cold. Harry and his younger sister, Anna, walked down the street to the bus stop. They waited quietly for the school bus. Harry held a big black umbrella over them so they weren’t wet.
Examples
The weather was ………very bad……… last Tuesday morning.
Harry walked to the bus stop with his ………younger sister……… , Anna.
Questions
1 The children walked down the street to the ………………………… .
2 Harry and Anna ………………………… for their bus.
3 Harry held a ………………………… over him and his sister.
Suddenly, the wind blew very hard. Anna looked down at the ground and saw a small grey kitten near her shoes. It was very cold and dirty. “Oh, the poor kitten!” Anna said. She picked it up carefully and put it inside her warm yellow coat. The little kitten closed its eyes and started to sleep.
4 Anna saw a ………………………… on the ground near her shoes.
5 The kitten was dirty and ………………………… .
6 Anna put the kitten inside her ………………………… .
7 After that, the kitten ………………………… and went to sleep.
Ten minutes later, the yellow school bus arrived. The driver, Mr Park, opened the door. He saw the kitten and smiled. “You cannot bring animals on the bus,” he said kindly. Harry’s mother ran down the street and saw them. She took the kitten home, and the happy children got on the bus.
8 The driver of the bus was called ………………………… .
9 Mr Park said that they couldn’t take ………………………… on the bus.
10 Harry’s ………………………… carried the kitten back to their house.
ANSWER KEY
1 bus stop 2 waited quietly 3 big black umbrella
4 small grey kitten 5 very cold 6 warm yellow coat 7 closed its eyes
8 Mr Park 9 animals 10 mother