Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Educational Trips & Summer Camps
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Sam’s Zoo Tour Adventure
Sixteen-year-old Sam loves animals. Every Saturday, he helps out at the city zoo. This weekend is a bit different, however. Sam is not just cleaning cages today. He is taking a group of young children on a special tour. He feels slightly nervous because he has never led a group before, but he is also very excited.
First, Sam took the children to see the monkeys. The young kids actually wanted to visit the lions first, but Sam knew the big cats were sleeping. The monkeys were climbing high up in the trees and making a lot of noise. Sam carefully explained what fruit and insects they usually eat, and the children listened quietly.
After that, they walked to the reptile building to look at the snakes. One little boy started crying because he was afraid of them. Sam quickly took him to see a small, friendly turtle instead. The boy smiled and even touched the turtle’s hard shell. Soon, all the children were asking interesting questions about the animals.
At the end of the day, the group went to the zoo shop to buy small toys. The zoo manager watched Sam and told him he did a fantastic job. Sam felt incredibly proud. He knows that working with children is hard, but he really wants to become a zookeeper after he finishes university.
1 Why is this Saturday different for Sam?
(A) He is showing some boys and girls around.
(B) He is cleaning cages today.
(C) He is nervous because he loves animals.
2 What did Sam do at the monkey area?
(A) He climbed high up in the trees.
(B) He watched the big cats sleeping.
(C) He talked about the animals’ food.
3 What happened inside the reptile building?
(A) Sam helped a frightened child feel better.
(B) All the children touched the turtle’s hard shell.
(C) One little boy was afraid of the friendly turtle.
4 How did Sam feel at the end of the tour?
(A) He wanted to buy small toys.
(B) Very happy about what he did.
(C) Working with children is hard.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to clean zoo cages quickly
(B) A teenager’s first time guiding students
(C) The little boy who loved snakes
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 B
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Lily’s Historic Homework
Fourteen-year-old Lily loves spending time outdoors. Last week, her geography teacher gave the class some difficult homework. They had to write a project about a local historic site. Many of her classmates decided to look for information on the internet. However, Lily wanted to visit Blackwood Castle, an old building just outside her town, to see it for herself.
On Saturday morning, Lily took the bus to the castle. At the entrance, she met a friendly tour guide. He didn’t just talk about the kings and queens. Instead, he told Lily interesting facts about the natural area. He explained why the river next to the castle was so important for the people who lived there in the past.
After that, Lily walked around the outside of the castle. She used her notebook to write down lots of useful details. She looked carefully at the tall hills behind the building and the dark stones that the builders used to make the walls. Suddenly, it started to rain heavily, but Lily put on her coat and continued working.
On Sunday evening, Lily finished writing her geography project. A few days later, her teacher gave her an excellent mark! Lily felt incredibly proud of her hard work. She learned that visiting a real place is much more fun than reading a website. She is already planning to explore an old ruined church for her next school project.
1 What did Lily decide to do for her homework?
(A) She decided to look for information on the internet.
(B) She chose to travel to a real location to get facts.
(C) She asked many of her classmates to see it for herself.
2 What did the friendly tour guide tell Lily about?
(A) He only talked about the kings and queens.
(B) He explained how to take the bus to the castle.
(C) He shared details about the water and land nearby.
3 What happened while Lily was outside the castle?
(A) She kept writing notes after the weather changed.
(B) She used the dark stones to make the walls.
(C) She went inside because it started to rain heavily.
4 What do we learn about Lily at the end of the text?
(A) She got an excellent mark for her old ruined church project.
(B) She prefers going to places rather than looking online.
(C) She thought it was much more fun reading a website.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A successful geography trip
(B) How to build an old castle
(C) The history of kings and queens
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Khoa’s Forest Survival Camp
Fifteen-year-old Khoa usually spends his weekends inside his bedroom playing video games. But last week, he decided to do something completely different. He travelled to a survival camp in the beautiful pine forests of Da Lat. He really wanted to learn how to stay safe in the wild without any modern technology.
On the first morning, the camp instructor taught the teenagers how to find safe water. Khoa thought they would just drink from the river nearby. However, the instructor explained that river water can easily make you ill. Instead, Khoa learned a clever trick to collect clean drinking water from the green leaves of large trees. It was quite difficult, but he felt very proud.
In the afternoon, the group had to build a fire to keep warm. Khoa tried to use some wet leaves and thick branches, but it simply didn’t work. Luckily, a new friend showed him how to catch a flame using dry grass and tiny pieces of wood. After twenty minutes of trying, Khoa finally started a bright, beautiful fire.
The short camp finished on Sunday evening. Khoa was extremely tired and his clothes were incredibly dirty, but he loved the outdoor adventure. He feels much more confident about his abilities now. Next summer, he plans to return to the same forest to learn how to build a safe place to sleep.
1 Why did Khoa decide to visit the survival camp?
(A) To find out how to live without everyday electronics.
(B) He wanted to spend his weekends playing video games.
(C) He had to travel to the beautiful pine forests of Da Lat.
2 What did Khoa learn about getting a drink in the forest?
(A) He should just drink from the river nearby.
(B) It is a bad idea to consume liquid from the river.
(C) He must wash the green leaves of large trees.
3 Why did Khoa have trouble making a fire at first?
(A) He used dry grass and tiny pieces of wood.
(B) He waited for twenty minutes of trying.
(C) He chose the wrong kind of materials from the ground.
4 How did Khoa feel when the trip ended?
(A) He was angry because his clothes were incredibly dirty.
(B) He felt very positive about his exciting experience.
(C) He wanted to quickly build a safe place to sleep.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A teenager’s useful weekend in nature
(B) How to start a bright, beautiful fire
(C) Playing video games inside your bedroom
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 B 5 A