Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Pet Adoption & Animal Shelters

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Perfect Quiet Pet

Fifteen-year-old Maya loves animals. Every Saturday, she helps at a local pet rescue centre. Last month, a small white rabbit arrived. The workers called him Snowball. Most visitors wanted to adopt active pets that liked to run and play. No one wanted Snowball because he was very quiet and never jumped around his cage.

However, Maya thought Snowball was special. She watched him for a long time and understood that he wasn’t boring. He was just a shy animal who didn’t like noisy places. She decided to ask her parents if she could bring him home. They agreed, but they told her that she had to buy his food and clean his cage herself.

When Maya brought Snowball home, he was quite afraid. For the first two days, he stayed in a dark corner of her bedroom and didn’t want to come out. Maya didn’t try to touch him. She just left some fresh carrots near him and read her books quietly on the floor.

Slowly, Snowball began to feel safe. By the end of the week, he finally came out to explore. Now, whenever Maya sits at her desk to do her homework, Snowball sits next to her feet. He is still a very quiet rabbit, but Maya thinks he is the perfect pet for a student.

1   Why didn’t anyone want to take Snowball home from the rescue centre?

     (A) He liked to run and play.

     (B) He was a small white rabbit.

     (C) He didn’t move much or make a lot of noise.

2   What did Maya’s parents tell her?

     (A) She must look after the rabbit without their help.

     (B) He was just a shy animal.

     (C) She decided to ask her parents.

3   During Snowball’s first few days at Maya’s house, Maya

     (A) stayed in a dark corner of her bedroom.

     (B) gave him something to eat and waited patiently.

     (C) tried to touch him.

4   What does Snowball do now?

     (A) He sits at her desk to do her homework.

     (B) He finally comes out to explore.

     (C) He rests on the floor close to Maya.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to clean a rabbit’s cage

     (B) A quiet animal finds a good home

     (C) A busy day at the pet rescue centre

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Sophie’s Shelter Dream

Fourteen-year-old Sophie loves felines. While her friends spend their weekends going to the shopping mall or taking photos for social media, Sophie prefers a very different activity. Her biggest dream is to work at an animal shelter because she wants to help cats find loving homes.

To prepare for her future career, Sophie volunteers at a local cat rescue center every Saturday. She doesn’t just play with the cute kittens all day. Her job includes giving them fresh water, washing their dirty food bowls, and brushing their fur. It can be a bit messy sometimes, but she loves making the cats feel comfortable.

Last month, a very scared older cat named Barnaby arrived at the rescue center. He hid under a blanket and didn’t want to eat anything. Sophie decided to sit quietly next to his bed and read a book aloud. After a few days of doing this, Barnaby finally came out and sat on her lap. Sophie was absolutely thrilled.

Next year, Sophie is going to study animal care at college. She knows that working in a shelter is not always easy and can sometimes be sad, especially when animals are sick. However, knowing that she is helping them is the best feeling in the world. She is ready to follow her dream.

1   What does Sophie want to do in the future?

     (A) take photos of animals for social media

     (B) work at a rescue center to look after cats

     (C) spend her weekends going to the shopping mall

2   What is one of Sophie’s jobs at the rescue center?

     (A) playing with the cute kittens all day

     (B) taking the cats to find loving homes

     (C) cleaning the bowls that the animals eat from

3   What did Sophie do to help Barnaby?

     (A) She sat near him and read a story out loud.

     (B) She gave him a new blanket to hide under.

     (C) She brought him some delicious food to eat.

4   What does Sophie understand about shelter work?

     (A) It is always a very easy job to do.

     (B) It can be a difficult and unhappy job sometimes.

     (C) It takes a lot of time to study at college.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to feed a scared older cat

     (B) The best weekend jobs for teenagers

     (C) A teenager’s dream to care for cats

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A New Life for Barnaby

Fourteen-year-old Lily loves writing about animals on her blog. Last year, she noticed a small, dirty dog near her school. The dog lived on the street and always looked very hungry. Lily and her classmates often gave him pieces of their sandwiches, but the dog was too afraid to come close to them. He always ran away.

Everything changed on a very cold afternoon in November. It was raining heavily, and Lily was walking home. Suddenly, she saw the little dog outside the local supermarket. He was completely wet and shivering. Lily knew she couldn’t just walk past him. She put her red umbrella over him and telephoned her mother for help.

Her mother quickly arrived in her car, and they took the dog to the animal doctor. The doctor checked him carefully and said he just needed a warm bed and some good food. Lily asked her parents if the dog could live with them. They agreed, but only if Lily promised to take him for walks every morning.

Now, six months later, the dog has a name, Barnaby, and he is part of the family. He is not afraid anymore. He loves sleeping on the sofa and playing with Lily’s younger brother. Lily feels incredibly lucky that she found him and gave him a perfect home.

1   What did the dog do when the students offered him food?

     (A) He ate pieces of their sandwiches.

     (B) He refused to go near the teenagers.

     (C) He lived on the street near her school.

2   Why did Lily call her mother from the supermarket?

     (A) She was completely wet and shivering.

     (B) She couldn’t find her red umbrella.

     (C) She needed some assistance with the animal.

3   Lily’s parents said she could keep the dog if

     (A) she agreed to exercise him early in the day.

     (B) he had a warm bed and some good food.

     (C) she promised to take him to the animal doctor.

4   What do we learn about Barnaby in the final paragraph?

     (A) He feels incredibly lucky that she found him.

     (B) He belongs to Lily’s younger brother.

     (C) He is a comfortable and relaxed pet now.

5   What is the best title for this article?

     (A) A scared street dog finds a safe home

     (B) A very cold afternoon in November

     (C) How to check an animal carefully

Exercises:   12345