Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Arts, Music & Literature
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Teenager Singing About School Life
Fourteen-year-old Charlie loves playing the electric guitar. Last year, he decided to start a rock band with two of his classmates, Tom and Ben. At first, they only played famous pop songs by other people, but Charlie soon got bored. He told his friends that he wanted to create something completely new.
Charlie decided to write the words for their own songs. He doesn’t write about big things like saving the world. Instead, he writes about normal teenage life. His songs are about having too much homework, waking up early for school, or feeling stressed about exams. His bandmates think these ideas are really funny, and they help him add the music.
The boys practice in Charlie’s garage every Saturday afternoon. In the beginning, his neighbors were very angry because the heavy drums were incredibly loud. Because of this, Charlie’s dad put some special thick boards on the walls to keep the noise inside. Now, the neighbors never complain, and the band can practice for hours.
Last month, the band performed at the school summer festival. The teenagers in the audience loved their music because they understood the stories in the songs perfectly. Charlie felt amazing when everyone cheered and danced. Next year, he hopes his band can play at a popular music club in the city centre.
1 Why did Charlie want to make his own music?
(A) He was tired of performing tracks that everyone already knew.
(B) He wanted to play famous pop songs by other people.
(C) He decided to start a rock band with two classmates.
2 What are Charlie’s songs about?
(A) Big things like saving the world.
(B) Things that happen to students every day.
(C) Ideas that his bandmates think are really funny.
3 What did Charlie’s dad do to help the band?
(A) He told the neighbors to stop being very angry.
(B) He added something to the walls to block the sound.
(C) He moved the heavy drums every Saturday afternoon.
4 Why did the students like the band’s performance?
(A) They connected with the messages in the words.
(B) They want to play at a popular music club.
(C) They performed at the school summer festival.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A school rock band playing songs for teenagers
(B) How to practice the electric guitar at home
(C) The best music club in the city centre
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 B 4 A 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Filming the Past
Sixteen-year-old Sam has always loved watching films. Last year, his teacher gave his class a project. They had to find out about the history of their town. Sam didn’t want to just write an essay. He decided to make a documentary video instead. To begin his project, he looked at old black and white photos in the town library.
Next, Sam needed to talk to people who lived in the town a long time ago. He interviewed an 85-year-old man called Mr. Davies. Mr. Davies worked in the town’s shoe factory when he was young. Today, that factory is a beautiful park. Sam thought it was amazing to hear about how the town was different in the past.
Making the documentary wasn’t always easy. One afternoon, while Sam was filming the old train station, his camera stopped working. The battery was completely dead. He didn’t want to go home, so he used his smartphone to finish the video. He was happy that the pictures still looked great.
When the project was ready, the school showed Sam’s documentary in the town hall. Many people came to watch it, and they clapped loudly at the end. Sam felt incredibly proud of his hard work. Next year, he is going to make another film, but it will be about local wildlife.
1 Why did Sam decide to make a documentary?
(A) His teacher asked him to just write an essay.
(B) He wanted to complete his schoolwork in a different way.
(C) He wanted to look at old black and white photos.
2 What did Sam learn from Mr. Davies?
(A) How to build the town’s shoe factory.
(B) How to make a beautiful park.
(C) How much the local area has changed.
3 What problem did Sam have while filming?
(A) His equipment ran out of power.
(B) His smartphone stopped working at the train station.
(C) He had to go home early to get a battery.
4 What do we learn about Sam in the last paragraph?
(A) He clapped loudly at the end of the film.
(B) He plans to record a new video about animals.
(C) He is going to visit the town hall next year.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to fix a broken smartphone camera
(B) The best beautiful parks in my hometown
(C) A teenager’s successful history movie
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 C
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Teenager Translating Her Grandmother’s Tales
Sixteen-year-old Elena lives in Spain and loves reading. When she was a little girl, her grandmother told her amazing traditional Spanish short stories. Elena enjoyed them so much that she wanted teenagers in other countries to read them, too. Last year, she decided to start translating these stories into English.
At first, the project was quite difficult. Elena speaks English well, but sometimes she couldn’t find the right words. She didn’t want to use a computer to translate, so she bought a large dictionary. She also stayed at school late on Fridays to ask her English teacher, Mr. Davies, for advice. She often spent her whole weekend writing instead of watching films with her friends.
When she finished her first three stories, Elena started a blog to share them. For the first two months, only her parents and her classmates read the blog. However, one day, a famous American writer shared her website on the internet. Suddenly, hundreds of students from all over the world started reading her work and leaving kind messages.
Now, Elena is very busy translating her grandmother’s favourite story. It is the longest one she has ever done! When she finishes high school, she hopes to study foreign languages at university. She feels extremely happy because her hard work is helping people learn about her country’s culture.
1 Why did Elena begin translating the stories?
(A) She wished to let young people abroad enjoy them.
(B) Her grandmother wanted teenagers in other countries to read them.
(C) She needed to learn amazing traditional Spanish short stories.
2 What did Elena do when she needed help with her English?
(A) She decided to use a computer to translate.
(B) She purchased a book to look up vocabulary.
(C) She spent her whole weekend watching films with her friends.
3 What happened after Elena started her blog?
(A) Only her parents and her classmates shared her website.
(B) A well-known author helped people find her page online.
(C) Hundreds of students started a blog on the internet.
4 What do we find out about Elena in the final paragraph?
(A) She is studying foreign languages at university.
(B) She helps people learn about high school.
(C) She is currently working on a very large text.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to study foreign languages at university
(B) The schoolgirl sharing her family’s stories with the world
(C) The famous American writer who started a blog
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 B 4 C 5 B