Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Music, Arts & Creative Hobbies
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Teenager Who Paints on a Screen
Fifteen-year-old Lily has always loved drawing. Since she was a little girl, she used to carry thick paper and heavy boxes of coloured pencils everywhere she went. Her school bag was always extremely full, but she wanted to be ready to draw whenever she had a good idea.
Things changed completely for Lily last December. For her birthday, her parents gave her a large electronic tablet and a special digital pen. In the beginning, drawing on a smooth glass screen felt very unusual. However, she practised every evening after doing her homework. Soon, she discovered that she really enjoyed this modern way of working.
Lily thinks that using a tablet is much easier than using traditional paints. When she makes a mistake, she doesn’t ruin the picture. She simply taps a button to delete the bad lines. Last week, she painted a beautiful portrait of her pet cat. She showed it to her classmates, and they thought it was absolutely fantastic.
Now, Lily never buys thick paper or expensive pencils from the art shop. She keeps all her favourite pictures in a folder on her computer. She feels very happy because her bag is much lighter now. When she finishes her studies, she hopes to become a professional digital artist and illustrate children’s books.
1 Why was Lily’s bag usually so heavy?
(A) She always took her art equipment with her.
(B) She wanted to draw whenever she had a good idea.
(C) She was a little girl.
2 How did Lily feel about her birthday gift at first?
(A) She thought using it was a bit strange.
(B) She practised every evening after doing her homework.
(C) She really enjoyed this modern way of working.
3 What does Lily say is good about using a tablet?
(A) She can easily remove things she draws incorrectly.
(B) She painted a beautiful portrait of her pet cat.
(C) She doesn’t ruin traditional paints.
4 What are Lily’s plans for the future?
(A) To earn money by creating pictures with technology.
(B) To keep all her favourite pictures in a folder.
(C) To buy thick paper or expensive pencils.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) The student who switched to digital drawing
(B) Heavy boxes of coloured pencils
(C) How to illustrate children’s books
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 A 3 A 4 A 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Dancing to the Screen
Fourteen-year-old Sarah loves pop music and dancing. While many of her school friends go to expensive dance classes in the centre of town, she prefers staying at home. She has a completely different way of learning. She uses her laptop to watch famous music videos on the internet and discovers how to dance by looking at them.
Every afternoon after school, Sarah puts on some comfortable clothes. First, she plays the music videos very slowly. Then, she stands in front of the large mirror in her bedroom and copies the people on the screen. In the beginning, it was quite difficult to remember all the different steps, but she practised the moves every single day.
Last month, Sarah tried to learn a very fast dance by a popular American singer. The routine was incredibly hard, so she watched the video twenty times! One day, she fell on the floor and her younger brother laughed at her. However, Sarah didn’t feel angry about it. She just got up and tried again until it was perfect.
Now, Sarah is a fantastic dancer. When she goes to school parties, her classmates always ask her to teach them the newest moves. Sarah feels very proud of her hard work. Next year, she hopes to start her own video channel on the internet and show other teenagers how to dance to their favourite pop songs.
1 How does Sarah learn how to dance?
(A) By viewing online clips of songs in her house.
(B) She goes to expensive dance classes in the centre of town.
(C) She watches famous music videos with her school friends.
2 What is the first thing Sarah does when she practises?
(A) She stands in front of the large mirror in her bedroom.
(B) She watches the films at a reduced speed.
(C) She tries to remember all the different steps.
3 What happened when Sarah was learning the fast dance?
(A) A boy in her family was amused when she dropped to the ground.
(B) She felt angry about it when her younger brother laughed.
(C) She watched a popular American singer twenty times.
4 How do the other students feel about Sarah’s dancing?
(A) They feel very proud of her hard work.
(B) They hope to start their own video channel.
(C) They would like her to give them lessons.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) Becoming a great dancer through the internet
(B) The best expensive dance classes in town
(C) How to make famous music videos at school
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 A 4 C 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Weekend at the Gallery
Fourteen-year-old Chloe always loved to draw, but recently she felt that her pictures were becoming a bit boring. She wanted to create something new, but she did not know where to find good ideas. Last month, a friend told her about the city’s large art gallery, which has many different rooms full of famous paintings. Chloe decided to spend her next weekend there.
On Saturday morning, Chloe arrived at the gallery with a small sketchbook and a few soft pencils. She walked slowly through the quiet rooms and looked carefully at the large landscapes and portraits. While she was standing in front of a colourful picture of a forest, she suddenly knew exactly how to make her own drawings better. She started to sketch some of the shapes she saw on the gallery walls.
She returned to the gallery on Sunday because she wanted to finish her sketches. This time, she spent an hour looking at the modern art section. She liked the bright colours and the unusual way the artists used lines. By the time she left the building, she had five pages of great new ideas. She felt very excited to start her next big project at home.
Now, Chloe goes to the gallery every Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Her art teacher at school noticed that her work is much more interesting now and asked her to help with the end-of-year art exhibition. Chloe is happy because she found the perfect way to get inspiration for her creative work.
1 Why did Chloe decide to visit the art gallery?
(A) She wanted to improve her drawing skills because they were messy.
(B) She needed to find some fresh ideas for her artwork.
(C) She was bored with the pictures she drew at school.
2 What did Chloe do when she visited the gallery on Saturday?
(A) She bought a new sketchbook and some pencils.
(B) She spent the whole day looking at portraits of forests.
(C) She drew some things she saw in the paintings.
3 How did Chloe spend her time on Sunday?
(A) She finished all the sketches she started the day before.
(B) She looked at different types of art and got more ideas.
(C) She left the gallery because she felt tired of the bright colours.
4 What is the result of Chloe’s weekend visits?
(A) Her teacher thinks her drawings have improved.
(B) She has finished a big project for an exhibition.
(C) She has become a famous artist in her city.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to become a famous artist at school
(B) Finding creative ideas in a local gallery
(C) Why teenagers should study modern art
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 B 4 A 5 B