Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Friends & Socializing

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Cheering Up My Best Friend

My name is Toby. Yesterday, my best friend Ben got his science exam results. He was very unhappy because he failed it. I felt really sorry for him. Ben always studies hard in the library, but he told me the exam questions were just too difficult this time. I wanted to do something to cheer him up.

I thought about taking him to the cinema to see a new movie. But then I decided that sitting in a dark, quiet room wouldn’t help him talk about his feelings. Instead, I invited him to the new sports centre in our town to play basketball. We both love sports, and it is a great way to relax.

When I called Ben, he didn’t want to leave his house. He said he just wanted to stay in his bedroom and sleep. I told him that getting some exercise would make him feel much better. After a few minutes, he finally agreed to meet me.

We played basketball for two hours and then we ate some pizza. Ben finally smiled and said thank you. He understood that one bad grade is not a disaster. I am good at science, so I promised to help him study for the next test.

1   What was the reason Ben did badly on his exam?

     (A) He felt the test was not easy.

     (B) He always studies hard in the library.

     (C) He got his science exam results yesterday.

2   Why did Toby decide not to go to the cinema?

     (A) He wanted to take him to see a new movie.

     (B) He wanted them to be able to have a conversation.

     (C) He decided that sitting in a dark, quiet room was best.

3   What did Ben want to do when Toby first phoned him?

     (A) He just wanted to get some exercise.

     (B) He agreed to meet him after a few minutes.

     (C) He preferred to stay at home and rest.

4   What did Toby do for Ben at the end of the day?

     (A) He agreed to assist Ben with his schoolwork later.

     (B) He understood that one bad grade is not a disaster.

     (C) He played basketball for two hours and ate some pizza.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A great new sports centre in town

     (B) How to study for a science test

     (C) Making a sad friend feel happier

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A Meal for Two

Leo loves food and really enjoys cooking. Every morning, he wakes up early to prepare his own packed lunch for school. While other students bring boring food, Leo always makes something delicious. Today, he made two big chicken sandwiches. He also packed a sweet red apple and a packet of chocolate biscuits.

At one o’clock, the bell rang for lunch. Leo went to the school canteen and sat down at his usual table with his best friend, Sam. Usually, Sam is very talkative, but today he was very quiet. He was looking inside his backpack with a sad face.

Leo asked him what the problem was. Sam explained that he woke up late and had to run to catch the school bus. Because he was in a hurry, he left his lunchbox on the kitchen table. He didn’t have any money in his pocket, so he couldn’t buy a meal from the school café.

Leo smiled and opened his bag. “Don’t worry,” he said. He gave Sam one of his chicken sandwiches and shared the packet of chocolate biscuits with him. Sam was very surprised and thanked his friend. The food was enough for both of them, and Leo felt really happy that he could help his classmate.

1   What does Leo do every morning?

     (A) He makes a nice meal to take to school.

     (B) He brings boring food to school.

     (C) He eats a sweet red apple and chocolate biscuits.

2   When Sam was at the lunch table, he

     (A) did not speak as much as he normally does.

     (B) was very talkative about his backpack.

     (C) rang the bell for lunch at one o’clock.

3   Why didn’t Sam have his lunchbox with him?

     (A) He forgot to take it from his house because he was late.

     (B) He left his lunchbox on the school bus.

     (C) He used his money to buy a meal from the school café.

4   What did Leo do when he saw his friend was sad?

     (A) He let his friend have some of his food.

     (B) He opened his bag and gave it to Sam.

     (C) He bought him a packet of chocolate biscuits.

5   What is the best title for this story?

     (A) How to Cook Chicken Sandwiches

     (B) The Best Food in the School Café

     (C) A Good Friend in Need

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Our Funny Song

My name is Jamie and I love playing the keyboard. Every year, our town has a local talent show in the summer. My friends and I always go to watch it, but this year we decided to take part. We wanted to do something different, so I planned to write a funny song for us to perform.

Writing the song wasn’t easy. I spent two weeks thinking of good ideas. First, I wanted to write about our math teacher, but then I decided to write about waking up late for school. I wrote silly words and added a fast, happy tune. When I finally showed the song to my friends, they thought it was brilliant.

We practised in my garage every afternoon. My friend Leo played the guitar and Sam was the singer. Sam isn’t the best singer in the world, but his voice is very loud and he makes funny faces. During our practice, we often stopped playing because we were laughing so much.

On the night of the talent show, there were a hundred people in the theatre. We felt quite nervous before we went on stage. However, when we started singing, everyone in the room smiled. We didn’t win the competition, but the audience laughed loudly at our song. For us, that was the best prize!

1   What is different about the talent show this year?

     (A) Jamie and his friends are performing in it.

     (B) The town is having it in the summer.

     (C) Jamie is going to watch his friends.

2   What is the topic of Jamie’s song?

     (A) learning math with his teacher

     (B) not getting out of bed early enough

     (C) writing silly words to a happy tune

3   What happened when the boys practised the song?

     (A) Sam sang with the best voice in the world.

     (B) Leo made funny faces while playing the guitar.

     (C) They found it so amusing that they stopped playing.

4   How did Jamie feel at the end of the talent show?

     (A) happy because the crowd liked their song

     (B) upset because they didn’t win the competition

     (C) nervous because a hundred people were there

5   What is Jamie doing in this text?

     (A) explaining how to win a music competition

     (B) talking about a fun musical experience with friends

     (C) describing the best way to write a song for school

Exercises:   12345