Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Heritage & Cultural Sightseeing
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Town of Colourful Lights
Last week, fourteen-year-old Lily travelled to a famous ancient town in Asia with her parents. When they arrived in the afternoon, the weather was quite hot. Lily noticed that the streets were very narrow and full of old yellow buildings. Hanging above the streets, there were hundreds of paper lanterns, but they didn’t look very special in the daylight.
In the afternoon, the family walked around the busy markets. Lily’s mother bought some traditional clothes, and Lily tried a delicious local noodle soup. Lily saw a shop selling lanterns and wanted to get one immediately. However, her dad told her they should wait because the town changes completely after the sun goes down.
He was exactly right! When evening came, the shops turned off their electric lights and lit the paper lanterns. Suddenly, the whole town was full of bright red, blue, and green colours. Lily and her parents paid for a short trip on a wooden boat. They slowly went down the river, surrounded by beautiful lights.
Before walking back to their hotel, Lily finally chose a pretty purple lantern to take home. She carefully packed it in her suitcase. Lily was a bit tired from all the walking, but she felt incredibly lucky. It was the most magical place she had ever visited.
1 When Lily first saw the lanterns, she thought that they
(A) were not very impressive during the daytime.
(B) made the narrow streets feel quite hot.
(C) looked like the old yellow buildings.
2 Why didn’t Lily get a lantern in the afternoon?
(A) She was busy eating a delicious local noodle soup.
(B) Her father said it was better to buy one later.
(C) Her mother wanted to look at traditional clothes.
3 What did Lily and her parents do when it got dark?
(A) They turned off their electric lights.
(B) They bought things in bright red, blue, and green colours.
(C) They went on a journey on the water.
4 How did Lily feel at the end of the day?
(A) ready to carefully pack her suitcase
(B) very happy about her amazing experience
(C) excited to be walking back to their hotel
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A magical evening of beautiful lights
(B) How to make your own paper lantern
(C) The best traditional clothes and food
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 B 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Surprising School Trip
Last week, a 14-year-old student named Leo went on a school trip to the capital city. His class went there to learn about the country’s history. Leo usually thinks history lessons are quite boring, so he wasn’t very excited at first. But everything changed when they arrived at the old royal palaces.
The first place they visited was the famous Summer Palace. It was a beautiful building with hundreds of rooms. A tour guide showed them the king’s old bedroom and told them some amazing stories about the royal family. The room was very crowded with tourists, but Leo still had a great view of the beautiful furniture.
After that, the students had some free time in the palace gardens. Leo sat next to a large fountain to eat his sandwiches. Suddenly, he realised his map was missing. He felt a bit worried because the gardens were huge. Luckily, a friendly guard saw him and helped him find his classmates quickly.
In the evening, Leo bought a book about the kings and queens. He took a lot of photos during the trip to show his parents. He really enjoyed learning about the past, and he hopes to visit the capital city again with his family next year.
1 How did Leo feel about the trip in the beginning?
(A) He wanted to learn about history.
(B) He was very excited at first.
(C) He didn’t think he would enjoy it much.
2 What does Leo say about the king’s old bedroom?
(A) There were a lot of people inside it.
(B) He couldn’t see the beautiful furniture.
(C) He told some amazing stories there.
3 What happened to Leo in the palace gardens?
(A) He ate his sandwiches with a guard.
(B) He lost something useful.
(C) He couldn’t find a large fountain.
4 What does Leo plan to do in the future?
(A) He is going to buy a book about kings and queens.
(B) He wants to return to the capital with his parents.
(C) He will take a lot of photos to show his family.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A fantastic day at the old palaces
(B) How to find your way in the capital city
(C) The boring history of kings and queens
ANSWER KEY
1 C 2 A 3 B 4 B 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Sam’s Journey into the Past
Fifteen-year-old Sam lives in a small town. There is a huge, famous castle on a hill near his house. Sam walks past it every morning on his way to school, but he didn’t know anything about its past. Last Saturday, he decided to join a walking tour to discover its secrets.
The tour started at ten o’clock. The guide was a friendly man called Mr Davies, who used to be a history teacher. He gave everyone a map of the castle gardens. As they walked, Mr Davies explained that kings built the castle eight hundred years ago. Sam thought the information was absolutely fascinating.
Later, the group went inside the dark building. They visited the old kitchens and climbed up the tall towers. The guide told exciting stories about the brave knights who lived there. Sam really enjoyed these tales. He used his phone to take lots of pictures so he could show his classmates on Monday.
The walking tour finished at noon. Sam felt incredibly pleased with his morning. He realised that his town had an amazing history. Now, he wants to go to the local library to borrow some books about the castle. He also hopes to take his parents on the same tour next month.
1 Why did Sam go on the walking tour?
(A) He wanted to learn about the old building.
(B) He needed to walk past it every morning.
(C) He had to find his way to school.
2 What did Mr Davies do at the beginning of the trip?
(A) He worked as a history teacher.
(B) He built the castle eight hundred years ago.
(C) He handed out a drawing of the outdoor area.
3 Inside the castle, what did Sam like doing most?
(A) Listening to information about people from the past.
(B) Visiting the old kitchens.
(C) Climbing up the tall towers.
4 What does Sam want to do in the future?
(A) Take his classmates on the same tour next month.
(B) Get some reading material about the historic place.
(C) Feel incredibly pleased with his morning.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to build a huge, famous castle
(B) A teenager learns about his local area
(C) The brave knights who lived there
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 B