Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Family Relationships & Relatives

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Grandpa’s Amazing Adventures

Thirteen-year-old Lily usually stays at her grandparents’ house once a month. In the past, she sometimes felt bored there because there was no internet and they only watched old films on television. However, this weekend was completely different, and she had a fantastic time.

On Saturday afternoon, her grandfather, Arthur, brought a heavy wooden box into the living room. He opened it slowly and took out lots of old black-and-white photographs. He wanted to share some special memories with Lily. She sat next to him on the sofa, excited to see the pictures.

Arthur showed Lily a photo of a large ship. He explained that when he was a young man, he worked as a cook on boats and travelled all over the world. He told amazing stories about visiting famous markets in South America and catching huge fish in the ocean. Lily couldn’t believe it because her grandfather usually just works in his garden!

Before Lily went home on Sunday, she asked her grandfather to tell her more stories next time. She has to write a history project for school next week, and she has decided to write about his wonderful life. She now thinks the past is extremely interesting, and she cannot wait to go back.

1   How did Lily feel about visiting her grandparents before?

     (A) She didn’t find the visits very interesting.

     (B) She loved watching old films on television.

     (C) She had a fantastic time.

2   What did Arthur do on Saturday afternoon?

     (A) He was very excited to see the pictures.

     (B) He let his granddaughter look at some things from his past.

     (C) He brought a heavy wooden box from his bedroom.

3   What surprised Lily about her grandfather’s stories?

     (A) He works as a cook in South America.

     (B) He usually just works in his garden.

     (C) He had an exciting career on the sea.

4   What is Lily planning to do for her homework?

     (A) Tell her grandfather more stories next time.

     (B) Write a history project about Sunday.

     (C) Use her grandfather’s experiences for her assignment.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to catch huge fish in the ocean

     (B) A fantastic weekend of family history

     (C) Watching old films on television

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

My Everyday Hero

My name is Leo and I am fifteen years old. Last week, my English teacher gave our class an interesting homework assignment. We had to write a short essay about our biggest hero. Many of my classmates wrote about famous pop singers, movie stars, or sports players. But I decided to write about someone much closer to me: my mother.

My mother works as a nurse at the city hospital. She works very long hours, and she often has to work at night. When she comes home, she is usually really tired. However, she never complains. She always asks me about my day at school and makes sure I have a hot dinner. I think that is amazing.

I will never forget what she did for me last winter. I had a difficult science project to finish for school, and I was feeling very worried about it. I wanted to give up. My mom sat with me at the kitchen table for the whole weekend. She doesn’t know much about science, but she helped me find information online and organize my work. I got an ‘A’ on that project!

To me, a real hero is not someone who flies in the sky or fights bad guys in movies. A hero is someone who always supports you and puts you first. My mother does this every single day. When I grow up, I just want to be as kind and hardworking as she is.

1   Why was Leo’s essay different from his classmates’ work?

     (A) He didn’t write about a well-known person.

     (B) He wrote about a famous pop singer.

     (C) He had to write a short essay.

2   What do we learn about Leo’s mother in the second paragraph?

     (A) She always cooks a hot dinner at the city hospital.

     (B) She often works at night and complains a lot.

     (C) She looks after him even when she has no energy.

3   How did Leo’s mother help him last winter?

     (A) She did his difficult science project for him.

     (B) She spent her weekend helping him to study.

     (C) She used her science knowledge to help him.

4   In Leo’s opinion, a true hero is somebody who

     (A) fights bad guys in movies.

     (B) flies in the sky.

     (C) is always there to care for you.

5   Why has Leo written this text?

     (A) to explain why his mother is so special to him

     (B) to describe his mother’s job at the city hospital

     (C) to tell people how to do a difficult science project

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A Special Party for My Grandparents

My name is Sam, and I am fifteen years old. Next month, my grandparents are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They are very important to me because they always help me with my school projects. I really wanted to do something special for them, so I decided to organize a big surprise party.

Planning the event was actually quite difficult. First, I asked my Aunt Mary to make the food because she is an amazing cook. Then, I designed the invitations on my computer. I sent them to all my grandparents’ old friends and our family members. The hardest part was not telling my grandparents about my plan!

The big day finally arrived last Saturday. My parents told my grandparents that they were just going to a quiet restaurant for dinner. Instead, they drove them to the local village hall. When they opened the doors, fifty people were waiting inside. Everyone shouted, “Surprise!” as loudly as they could.

My grandfather was completely shocked, and my grandmother started crying because she was so happy. She gave me a big hug and said it was the most wonderful day of her life. Organizing everything took a lot of my free time, but seeing their smiling faces made it perfect.

1   Why did Sam decide to plan a party?

     (A) He wanted to thank his relatives for their support.

     (B) He wanted them to help him with his school projects.

     (C) He decided to celebrate his own 40th anniversary.

2   What did Sam find most difficult about the planning?

     (A) Asking his Aunt Mary to make the food.

     (B) Keeping the event a secret from his grandparents.

     (C) Sending the invitations to old friends.

3   What did Sam’s grandparents expect to do on Saturday?

     (A) Drive to the local village hall.

     (B) Meet fifty people who were waiting inside.

     (C) Have a peaceful meal with Sam’s mum and dad.

4   How did Sam feel at the end of the text?

     (A) He started crying because he was so happy.

     (B) He was pleased that his hard work brought them joy.

     (C) He was sad because the party took a lot of his free time.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to Cook a Big Dinner for Fifty People

     (B) The Best Quiet Restaurant in Our Village

     (C) A Wonderful Secret Event for My Grandparents

Exercises:   12345