Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Education, Languages & Science

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Who Brought Spelling to Her School

Fifteen-year-old Lily loves reading books and learning new words. Last year, she noticed something about her high school. There were always a lot of sports competitions, but there were no fun events for students who liked languages. Lily decided to change this by organising a big spelling competition for the whole school.

First, Lily explained her idea to her English teacher, Mr. Davies. He thought it was a fantastic plan, but he told Lily that she had to do the hard work. Lily spent two weeks making bright posters. She also visited different classrooms to invite students to join the competition.

On the day of the event, the school hall was full of people. Over fifty students entered the competition. At the beginning, the words were quite easy, but soon they became very difficult. Some students felt quite nervous when they stood on the stage, but the audience cheered and helped them feel better.

The winner was a thirteen-year-old boy named Sam. Everyone was surprised because he was one of the youngest students in the school. The head teacher gave him a special dictionary as a prize. Lily was incredibly tired at the end of the day, but she felt very proud. She hopes to organise the competition again next year.

1   Why did Lily want to organise the competition?

     (A) To provide an activity for people interested in words.

     (B) Because she wanted to join a lot of sports competitions.

     (C) To read books and learn new words in her high school.

2   What did Mr. Davies do?

     (A) He said it was a great idea but Lily must prepare everything.

     (B) He spent two weeks making bright posters for the school.

     (C) He visited different classrooms to invite students to join.

3   What happened during the event in the school hall?

     (A) The people watching supported the kids who were worried.

     (B) The words to spell were very difficult at the beginning.

     (C) Over fifty students cheered and helped them feel better.

4   What do we learn about Sam?

     (A) People did not expect a younger pupil to get first place.

     (B) He gave a special dictionary to his head teacher.

     (C) He was incredibly tired at the end of the day.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A teenager’s successful new language event

     (B) How to win a special dictionary

     (C) The most difficult sports competitions

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Saving the Town’s History

Sixteen-year-old Arthur has always loved history. Last summer, he visited the local library to read about his town. He found many old letters and maps there. However, the paper was very old, and it was easy to break them. Arthur wanted to find a way to keep these important things safe for the future.

He decided to build a digital library online. First, he needed the right equipment. His computer was fine, but he didn’t have a good scanner to copy the papers. He couldn’t buy one because it was too expensive. Luckily, his uncle gave him an old one. After that, Arthur spent every weekend copying hundreds of pages.

It was a long job, and sometimes Arthur had a big problem. Some of the letters were very difficult to read. He asked his neighbours for help, and many older people came to tell him stories about the town. They even brought their own historical documents for Arthur to add to his website!

Now, Arthur’s digital library is very successful. Teachers in his town use the website in their history lessons. Arthur feels incredibly happy about his project. Next month, he is going to start a new project. He wants to collect old photographs from families in the town and put them online, too.

1   Why did Arthur start his digital library?

     (A) He wanted to protect the town’s old papers.

     (B) He wanted to visit the local library.

     (C) He needed to read about his town.

2   How did Arthur get the machine to copy the documents?

     (A) He bought one because it was too expensive.

     (B) A family member provided it for him.

     (C) He used his computer to copy the papers.

3   What happened when Arthur couldn’t read some of the letters?

     (A) He told older people stories about the town.

     (B) People living near him assisted him.

     (C) He brought his own historical documents.

4   What do we learn about Arthur in the final paragraph?

     (A) He uses the website in his history lessons.

     (B) He is going to start a new school next month.

     (C) He plans to upload pictures to his site soon.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A teenager’s website about local history

     (B) How to read old letters and maps

     (C) The best history lessons in town

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Making Discoveries in the Forest

Sixteen-year-old Sarah has always loved being outside. She is still a high school student, but she is currently doing a special biology project for the city university. For this important homework, she has to learn all about the different wild plants that grow in her area.

Last weekend, Sarah went to the large forest near her town. She didn’t go alone; her science teacher, Mr Davis, went with her to help her and keep her safe. Sarah didn’t collect any green leaves or cut flowers to take home. Instead, she just used her new digital camera to take lots of clear photos of everything she saw on the ground.

During their long walk, Sarah noticed a beautiful purple flower near a small river. She looked carefully in her science books, but she couldn’t find anything about it. When she returned home, she emailed the picture to a clever university professor. He was incredibly excited and explained that this specific plant was extremely rare in their region.

Now, Sarah is very busy writing her final project. She is spending hours on it because she wants to get the best grade in her class. She feels incredibly proud of her unusual discovery. When she finishes high school next year, she hopes to study plant biology at university and maybe even travel to new countries.

1   What is Sarah’s main task for her homework?

     (A) To gather information about the flora in her region.

     (B) To do a special biology project for her high school.

     (C) To learn how to grow different wild plants in her area.

2   What did Sarah do while she was in the woods?

     (A) She captured images of the natural things she found.

     (B) She collected green leaves to take home with her.

     (C) She went for a long walk alone near her town.

3   Why did Sarah contact the university professor?

     (A) She was unable to name a flower using her own texts.

     (B) She wanted to ask him about a small river.

     (C) She found a beautiful purple flower inside her science books.

4   How does Sarah feel about her current work?

     (A) Very pleased with what she has found.

     (B) Quite annoyed because she is spending hours on it.

     (C) Nervous about having to travel to new countries.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A young student’s exciting nature project

     (B) How to take clear photos of wild plants

     (C) The best university to study plant biology

Exercises:   12345