Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Fashion, Design & Crafts

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Making Shopping Greener

Seventeen-year-old Leo has always cared about the environment. Every weekend, he goes shopping in his town, but he hates seeing so many plastic bags on the streets. Last year, he decided to do something to stop this problem. He wanted to make shopping bags that people could use many times.

Leo didn’t know how to sew, so his aunt taught him. To make the bags, he didn’t buy new material. Instead, he asked his family and classmates to give him their old clothes, like jeans and cotton T-shirts. In the beginning, his bags looked a bit unusual, but soon they were beautiful.

One Saturday, Leo took thirty of his bags to the local market. He felt quite nervous because he didn’t know if anyone would like them. However, people loved the bright colours and the fact that they were eco-friendly. Amazing as it sounds, he sold all thirty bags in just two hours!

Now, Leo sells his eco-friendly bags online. He is doing very well, but he doesn’t keep all the money for himself. He gives half of it to a group that cleans up local beaches. Next year, Leo hopes to go to university to learn more about business and grow his fantastic project.

1   Why did Leo start his bag project?

     (A) He wanted people to carry their things in something they could reuse.

     (B) He hated going shopping in his town every weekend.

     (C) He wanted to stop people walking on the streets.

2   Where did Leo get the things to make his bags?

     (A) His aunt bought new material for him.

     (B) He received used items from people he knew.

     (C) His classmates sold him their cotton T-shirts.

3   How did Leo feel when he arrived at the local market?

     (A) Amazing because he sold thirty bags in two hours.

     (B) Happy because people loved the bright colours.

     (C) Worried that customers might not be interested in them.

4   What does Leo do with his online shop’s money?

     (A) He shares some of it with a team that picks up rubbish.

     (B) He saves it to learn more about business at university.

     (C) He keeps all the money for himself.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to sew old jeans and cotton T-shirts

     (B) The teenager turning old clothes into green bags

     (C) Why you should go shopping at the local market

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Bringing Traditional Art to Street Fashion

Sixteen-year-old Kenji has a passion for fashion. He loves wearing modern street clothes, like large hoodies and comfortable trainers. However, he also thinks his grandmother’s old Japanese dresses are beautiful. They have amazing pictures of flowers and birds on them. Last year, Kenji decided to mix these two very different styles together.

He began by drawing large T-shirts and painting traditional Japanese birds on them. His parents loved the idea and gave him some pocket money to print his designs on real clothes. Finding a good factory was quite difficult and took a long time. Luckily, his uncle knew a place that could make them quickly and cheaply.

When the clothes were ready, Kenji wore his favourite new T-shirt to a friend’s party. Everyone noticed the mix of old art and modern streetwear. His classmates thought his clothes were fantastic and asked where they could get them. Kenji brought a box of shirts from his house and sold ten of them that night! He was incredibly surprised.

Now, Kenji has his own website and sells his streetwear to teenagers all over the world. He is keeping all the cash he makes because he hopes to open a small shop in his town next summer. He wants to show everyone that traditional Asian art looks great on modern clothes.

1   What did Kenji decide to do last year?

     (A) Make old Japanese dresses for his grandmother.

     (B) Combine classic designs with new fashion.

     (C) Buy large hoodies and comfortable trainers.

2   How did Kenji get his designs printed on real clothes?

     (A) A member of his family recommended a factory.

     (B) His parents loved the idea and printed them.

     (C) He found a good factory that took a long time.

3   How did Kenji’s classmates react to his T-shirt?

     (A) They were incredibly surprised by the box of shirts.

     (B) They wore his favourite new T-shirt to a friend’s party.

     (C) They really liked his style and bought some from him.

4   What is Kenji doing with his money?

     (A) He is saving it to start a physical store.

     (B) He is selling his streetwear to teenagers all over the world.

     (C) He is buying traditional Asian art for modern clothes.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to open a small shop in your town next summer

     (B) The boy blending Asian art with modern streetwear

     (C) The best factories for comfortable trainers and hoodies

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager with a Wooden Business

Fifteen-year-old Leo has always loved working with wood. Since he was ten, he has spent hours in his family’s garage with his grandfather, building small birdhouses. Last year, Leo dropped his mobile phone on the floor and his plastic case broke immediately. Because of this, he decided to create a stronger phone case out of wood for himself.

When Leo took his phone to high school, his classmates were amazed. They loved his wooden case and asked him to make some for them, too. Leo agreed, and he started working on Saturday mornings. Because he cuts and shapes the wood by hand, making one case takes a long time. Soon, he opened a small online shop to sell his beautiful work.

In the beginning, running the internet business was quite difficult. For two weeks, nobody visited his shop. Then, a popular technology blogger bought a case and wrote an article about it. Suddenly, Leo received fifty orders in one day! He was very surprised and had to ask his older brother to help him pack the boxes.

Leo feels extremely proud of his small business. He uses the cash he earns to buy better tools for his hobby. When he finishes school, he doesn’t want to open a large factory. He wants to keep making things by hand. He believes that handmade items are always much more special.

1   Why did Leo make his first wooden phone case?

     (A) To keep his mobile safe after his old cover was damaged.

     (B) Because his grandfather asked him to create a stronger phone case.

     (C) Because he needed to build small birdhouses in the garage.

2   How does Leo produce his cases?

     (A) He makes each item himself without using machines.

     (B) He works on them together with his classmates.

     (C) He buys them from a small online shop.

3   What happened after a blogger posted about Leo’s cases?

     (A) He got lots of customer requests very quickly.

     (B) His older brother wrote an article about it.

     (C) Nobody visited his shop for two weeks.

4   What does Leo plan to do in the future?

     (A) Continue creating wooden objects manually.

     (B) Open a large factory when he finishes school.

     (C) Keep his cash to buy better tools for his hobby.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) The teenager who crafts and sells phone cases

     (B) How to open an online shop for your mobile

     (C) Why plastic phone cases break immediately

Exercises:   12345