Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Arts, Design & Entertainment

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Leo’s Stage Dream

Leo is sixteen years old and lives in a quiet village in the north of the country. While his classmates enjoy playing football or video games, Leo has a different hobby. He loves the theatre. His biggest dream is to move to the capital city one day and become a famous stage actor.

To prepare for his future career, Leo practises every day. He joined a local drama club last year. Every evening after dinner, he stands in front of his bedroom mirror and remembers long conversations from famous plays. His parents are very kind and support him, but they say he must finish high school first.

Last month, Leo had a fantastic experience. His teacher gave him a small part in the school play, “The Dark Castle”. Before the show started, Leo felt incredibly nervous. However, when he walked onto the stage and looked at the audience, he felt completely happy. At the end, everyone clapped loudly.

Next summer, Leo is going to spend two weeks at a special drama camp in London. The trip is quite expensive, so he has a weekend job at a local café to earn enough cash. He washes the cups and cleans the tables. Leo knows that becoming an actor is difficult, but he is ready to work hard for his dream.

1   What does Leo want to do in the future?

     (A) He wants to enjoy playing football or video games.

     (B) He hopes to get a job acting in the big city.

     (C) He hopes to move to a quiet village in the north.

2   What do Leo’s parents want him to do?

     (A) They ask him to stand in front of his bedroom mirror every evening.

     (B) They want him to remember long conversations from famous plays.

     (C) They want him to complete his education before he becomes an actor.

3   How did Leo feel during the school play?

     (A) He stopped being worried when he saw the people watching him.

     (B) He felt incredibly nervous when he looked at the audience.

     (C) He clapped loudly because it was a fantastic experience.

4   Why does Leo have a job at the weekend?

     (A) Because he wants to wash the cups and clean the tables.

     (B) To save up enough money to pay for his trip to London.

     (C) Because he knows that becoming an actor is difficult.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) The best weekend job in a local café

     (B) How to remember conversations from plays

     (C) A teenager’s plan to work in the theatre

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Sam’s Rock and Roll Dream

Fifteen-year-old Sam loves music. While his classmates enjoy playing video games or watching sports on television after school, Sam prefers doing something different. He spends his free time playing his electric guitar. His biggest dream is to start his own rock band and become a successful and famous musician one day.

To prepare for his dream, Sam practices in his bedroom for two hours every evening. He doesn’t go to a special music school because the lessons are too expensive for his family. Instead, he watches videos of famous guitar players on the internet. He tries to play exactly like them. His parents often listen to him and they think he is getting very good.

Last month, Sam decided it was finally time to find other young musicians. He wrote a poster and put it on the wall at his high school. He wanted to find a singer and a drummer to join his new group. At first, he was worried that nobody would read it. However, two days later, a few students called him, and they immediately started practicing together in his garage.

Next Friday, Sam’s new band is going to play at a school concert for the first time. They are very excited, but they still need to choose a good name for the band! Sam knows that it takes a lot of hard work to become a rock star, but he is ready to begin his musical journey.

1   How does Sam prefer to spend his time after school?

     (A) watching sports on television

     (B) playing video games with his classmates

     (C) making music on his instrument

2   How does Sam learn to play the guitar?

     (A) He takes lessons at a special music school.

     (B) He looks at online videos of guitarists.

     (C) He asks his parents to teach him in his bedroom.

3   What did Sam do last month?

     (A) He looked for people to play music with.

     (B) He put a poster on the wall of his garage.

     (C) He started singing and playing the drums.

4   What problem does Sam’s band have at the moment?

     (A) They don’t know what to call their group.

     (B) They aren’t ready to play at the school concert.

     (C) They don’t want to work hard to become famous.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to learn the guitar online

     (B) A teenager’s plan to start a band

     (C) The most famous rock star in the world

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A Life Behind the Lens

Sixteen-year-old Emma loves taking pictures. Most of her friends use their mobile phones to take photos of themselves at the weekend. However, Emma is different. She uses her grandfather’s old camera to capture beautiful photos of the countryside and old city streets. Her biggest dream is to become a professional photographer.

Last summer, Emma went on a camping holiday with her parents. They visited a famous national park in the mountains. While her parents were resting by the lake, Emma spent her time walking around and looking for interesting animals. She took hundreds of photos of birds and insects. When she got home, she sent her favourite picture to a popular teen magazine.

A few weeks later, Emma received an email from the magazine. They loved her picture of a small blue bird and wanted to put it on their front page! They didn’t pay her a lot of money, but Emma didn’t mind. Seeing her photo in a real magazine made her feel incredibly proud.

Next year, Emma is going to do a photography course at her local college. She wants to learn how to use lights and computer programs to make her photos even better. When she finishes school, she hopes to travel around the world and take amazing pictures for international magazines.

1   What do we learn about Emma in the first paragraph?

     (A) She uses her mobile phone to take photos of herself.

     (B) She doesn’t take pictures in the same way as her classmates.

     (C) She likes taking photos of her grandfather’s old camera.

2   What did Emma do during her holiday last summer?

     (A) She photographed wildlife while her family relaxed.

     (B) She was resting by the lake with her parents.

     (C) She sent hundreds of photos to a popular teen magazine.

3   How did Emma feel about the email from the magazine?

     (A) She was sad because they didn’t pay her a lot of money.

     (B) She was very happy even though the reward wasn’t large.

     (C) She didn’t mind that they didn’t want to put it on the front page.

4   What is Emma planning to do next year?

     (A) Travel around the world and take amazing pictures.

     (B) Finish school and work for international magazines.

     (C) Get some extra training to improve her abilities.

5   What is the best title for this article?

     (A) A camping holiday in a famous national park

     (B) How to use lights and computer programs

     (C) Working hard for a future in photography

Exercises:   12345