Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Green Energy & Saving Electricity
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Solar Power for Our School
Fourteen-year-old Maya loves her science lessons. Last month, her class learned about solar energy. They learned how the sun can make electricity for homes and buildings. Maya looked around her school and noticed that they always kept the lights and computers on. She decided it was time to do something to help the planet.
Maya spent her weekend preparing a special project. She wrote a long document and drew pictures to explain her ideas. She wanted to show this to her head teacher, Mr Clark. Some of her classmates told her not to do it. They said Mr Clark was too busy to look at her pictures. But Maya wasn’t afraid to try.
When Maya finally spoke to Mr Clark in his office, he listened carefully. He thought her project was interesting, but he was worried about the cost. He explained that solar panels were very expensive to buy. Maya quickly told him that the school could save a lot of money on electricity after a few years.
Mr Clark smiled and agreed to test her idea. During the summer holidays, workers put a few solar panels on the roof of the sports hall. Now, the school uses the sun to power the lights in the gym. Maya feels incredibly proud and hopes to see more panels next year.
1 Why did Maya want to change things at her school?
(A) She noticed that the building was wasting power.
(B) She wanted to make electricity for homes.
(C) She really loved her science lessons.
2 What did Maya’s classmates think about her plan?
(A) They believed speaking to the head teacher was a bad idea.
(B) They wanted to spend the weekend preparing a special project.
(C) They told her they weren’t afraid to try.
3 What was Mr Clark’s problem with the solar panels?
(A) He didn’t want the school to save a lot of money.
(B) He believed electricity was very expensive to buy.
(C) The price to get the equipment was too high.
4 What happened during the summer holidays?
(A) Mr Clark smiled and agreed to test her idea.
(B) The school started using the sun for one building.
(C) Maya felt incredibly proud to see more panels.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How one student brought solar energy to her school
(B) The expensive solar panels for homes and buildings
(C) Mr Clark’s interesting new science lessons
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 A 3 C 4 B 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Light Savers Game
Mark is a sixteen-year-old boy who lives in a large house with his parents and his seven-year-old brother and sister, Sam and Lily. The twins love playing in different rooms, but they always forget to turn off the lights when they leave. This made their parents very unhappy because the electricity bill was getting too expensive.
Mark wanted to help his parents. He thought about how much the twins loved playing games, so he decided to create a special game for them. He called it the ‘Light Savers’ game. He spent an afternoon drawing a big chart on a piece of paper and put it on the kitchen wall.
The rules of the game were very simple. Every time Sam or Lily remembered to turn off the lights after leaving a room, Mark gave them a silver star to put on the chart. When they got ten stars, they won a small prize. The prize was usually a trip to the park or some chocolate ice cream.
During the first few days, the twins still forgot sometimes. But after a week, they became amazing at the game. They even started turning off the lights before Mark or their parents could do it! Now, the family’s electricity bill is much cheaper, and Mark is very proud of his clever idea.
1 Why were Mark’s parents unhappy?
(A) They had to pay a lot of money for power.
(B) Mark always forgot to turn off the lights.
(C) The twins loved playing in different rooms.
2 What did Mark do to solve the problem?
(A) He spent an afternoon playing games with the twins.
(B) He drew a big picture of a kitchen wall.
(C) He made a fun activity for his younger brother and sister.
3 How did Sam and Lily get a prize?
(A) By winning ten silver stars for switching off the lights.
(B) By buying some chocolate ice cream.
(C) By putting a simple trip on the chart.
4 What happened after a week?
(A) Mark started turning off the lights for them.
(B) The younger children stopped leaving the lights on.
(C) The family’s electricity bill became too expensive.
5 What is the best title for this article?
(A) The most expensive house in the city
(B) How to win games at the park
(C) A smart idea to save electricity
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 C
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Teenager Cooking with the Summer Sun
Fifteen-year-old Charlie loves the summer holidays. He usually spends his afternoons making delicious snacks in the kitchen. However, last July, the weather was extremely hot. Charlie didn’t want to turn on the cooker because it made the house too warm. He needed to find a different way to prepare his food.
One day, Charlie read an article on the internet about solar ovens. These are special boxes that use the sun’s heat to cook meals. Charlie decided to build one himself. He found an empty pizza box, some black paper, and a piece of glass. He worked carefully in his bedroom for two hours to put everything together.
The next afternoon, Charlie carried his new invention into the garden. He put some cheese and tomatoes on bread and placed the sandwiches inside the box. At first, he felt a bit worried because nothing happened quickly. But after forty minutes, the cheese was completely soft and warm. His solar oven really worked!
Charlie’s parents and his younger brother ate the snacks and thought they were fantastic. Charlie felt incredibly proud of his clever project. Now, he never cooks inside when the sun is shining. Next year, he hopes to build a much bigger solar oven to take on family camping trips.
1 Why did Charlie stop using his kitchen cooker?
(A) He usually spends his afternoons making delicious snacks.
(B) He wanted to keep the temperature inside his home cooler.
(C) He wanted to make the house too warm.
2 Where did Charlie make his solar oven?
(A) In a special box that uses the sun’s heat.
(B) On an article on the internet.
(C) In the room where he sleeps.
3 How did Charlie feel when he first put his food in the oven?
(A) He was completely soft and warm.
(B) He felt his new invention in the garden.
(C) He was slightly concerned because it was slow.
4 What does Charlie want to do next summer?
(A) Create a larger oven for sleeping outdoors with his relatives.
(B) Never cook inside when the sun is shining.
(C) Feel incredibly proud of his clever project.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Making delicious snacks in the kitchen
(B) The schoolboy who used the sun to make his food
(C) Taking family camping trips next year
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 C 4 A 5 B