Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Family Relationships & Relatives
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Difficult School Project
Fourteen-year-old Ben usually enjoys his geography classes. However, last week, his teacher gave the students a very difficult project about mountains. Ben felt extremely stressed. He had to write a long report and draw detailed maps. He just didn’t know how to begin, and he worried that he wouldn’t finish it on time.
On Saturday morning, Ben decided to ask his older brother, Harry, for some advice. Harry is nineteen years old and studies at university. He is usually very busy with his own homework, but when he saw that Ben was upset, he immediately closed his laptop and listened to his little brother.
Harry smiled and told Ben not to worry. He explained that large projects always look scary at first. His advice was to break the work into smaller, easier parts. “Don’t try to do everything in one day,” Harry said. He told Ben to spend the first day just reading information, the second day taking notes, and the third day drawing the maps.
Ben thought this was a brilliant idea. He followed his brother’s advice and worked on the project for just one hour every afternoon. Suddenly, the geography assignment didn’t feel so difficult anymore. He finished it two days early and felt very proud of his work. Ben realized that asking for help is always a great idea!
1 Why was Ben feeling stressed last week?
(A) He got a hard school assignment to complete.
(B) He didn’t enjoy his geography classes anymore.
(C) He had to read a long report about mountains.
2 What did Harry do when Ben went to speak to him?
(A) He asked his little brother for some advice.
(B) He continued doing his university homework.
(C) He stopped what he was doing to give Ben his attention.
3 What was Harry’s advice to his brother?
(A) to spend a whole day reading and drawing maps
(B) to try and finish everything in one day
(C) to divide the big project into smaller tasks
4 How did Ben complete his geography project?
(A) He asked his brother to draw the maps for him.
(B) He spent a short amount of time on it each day.
(C) He worked on it for two full days.
5 What is the best title for the story?
(A) How to study geography at university
(B) Getting useful advice from a brother
(C) The boy who hated his school projects
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 C 4 B 5 B
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Night in Charge
Fourteen-year-old Lily felt incredibly happy last weekend. Her parents wanted to go out for a special dinner on Saturday evening to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Usually, when they go out, they ask Aunt Mary to look after Lily’s two-year-old sister, Daisy. But this time, they asked Lily to babysit. Lily was surprised but very excited to do it.
When their parents left the house, the girls played with some colourful wooden blocks in the living room. At six o’clock, it was time for dinner. Lily cooked pasta with tomato sauce, which is Daisy’s favourite meal. Daisy ate everything on her plate. She dropped some food on the floor, but Lily cleaned it up quickly without any problems.
At eight o’clock, Lily took her sister upstairs to bed. At first, Daisy started crying because she wanted her mum. Lily didn’t panic. She picked up a book about a little brown bear and read the story in a soft voice. After just ten minutes, the baby was fast asleep. Lily went back downstairs, sat on the sofa, and started doing her homework.
Her parents arrived home at half past ten. They were amazed to find the house so quiet and completely tidy. They smiled and thanked Lily for being so responsible. Lily felt extremely proud of herself. She hopes her parents will trust her to look after Daisy again soon.
1 Why was Lily surprised on Saturday?
(A) Her parents asked Aunt Mary to look after her.
(B) Her mum and dad let her take care of the toddler.
(C) Her parents wanted to go out for a special dinner.
2 What happened while the girls were eating?
(A) They played with some colourful wooden blocks.
(B) Lily cooked pasta with tomato sauce.
(C) The baby made a small mess on the ground.
3 How did Lily get her sister to sleep?
(A) She shared a tale about an animal with her.
(B) She went back downstairs and sat on the sofa.
(C) She started doing her homework.
4 Why were Lily’s parents amazed when they returned?
(A) They arrived home at half past ten.
(B) The home was clean and silent.
(C) Lily felt extremely proud of herself.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A special dinner for an anniversary
(B) A successful evening of babysitting
(C) How to cook pasta with tomato sauce
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 B
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Cooking with Grandma’s Rules
My name is Marco, and I am thirteen years old. Most of my friends spend their weekends playing video games or football, but I have a different hobby. I love cooking. I don’t make fast food or modern dishes. I prefer cooking traditional meals for my family.
My teacher in the kitchen is my grandmother, Rosa. She grew up in a small village in Italy, and she knows how to make amazing food. Every Sunday, we cook together. She showed me how to make fresh pasta by hand. She always says, “You must follow the recipe exactly.” I never change anything, and I always use the exact ingredients she tells me to use.
Last month, my school had a cooking competition. I really wanted to win. Many students brought expensive machines to make their food quickly. I just brought a simple pot, some fresh tomatoes, and flour. I made my grandmother’s special pasta dish. It took two hours, and my arms were very tired, but the smell was fantastic.
In the end, the teachers chose my meal as the winner. They said it tasted like the food from their childhood. Winning the competition made me feel incredibly proud. When I am older, I am going to open my own restaurant. I want everyone to try my grandmother’s wonderful recipes.
1 What does Marco like doing at the weekend?
(A) playing video games or football
(B) preparing old-fashioned food
(C) making fast food or modern dishes
2 How does Marco make the food?
(A) He does exactly what his grandmother says.
(B) He changes the recipe when he cooks.
(C) He grows ingredients in a small village.
3 In the school cooking competition, Marco
(A) brought expensive machines to the school.
(B) needed a long time to finish his dish.
(C) tried to make his food quickly.
4 What do we learn about Marco in the final paragraph?
(A) He is going to open his own restaurant soon.
(B) He wants everyone to try the food from their childhood.
(C) The judges loved the traditional flavor of his dish.
5 What is the best title for this text?
(A) How to Make Fresh Pasta
(B) The School Cooking Competition
(C) Keeping Family Recipes Alive
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 A 3 B 4 C 5 C