Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Planting Trees & Gardening
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A New Forest for Emma
Fifteen-year-old Emma lived near a beautiful big forest. She often walked there with her family’s dog. But last August, a terrible fire happened and burned it down. The place became completely black and empty. Emma felt very unhappy when she looked at the dead woods, so she decided to do something to help nature.
She planned to buy and plant one hundred young trees. However, trees are not cheap, and she didn’t have enough cash in her bedroom. Emma needed to think of a way to get money. Finally, she chose to make lots of delicious cakes and sell them to the students at her school.
Emma could not do this alone, so her parents and two best friends helped her cook all weekend. On Monday morning, they brought the sweet food to the school hall. The other students loved the cakes, and they sold everything in just an hour! In fact, Emma collected enough money to buy one hundred and twenty trees.
Last Sunday, thirty teenagers from Emma’s classes went to the forest. Together, they put all the new trees into the ground. It was a very tiring day, but Emma felt extremely proud of their hard work. Now, she goes back every weekend to give the young plants water and watch them grow.
1 Why did Emma want to help nature?
(A) She was sad because the area was destroyed.
(B) She wanted to walk there with her family’s dog.
(C) She liked looking at the completely black and empty place.
2 What was Emma’s problem with her plan?
(A) She didn’t have enough cash to buy delicious cakes.
(B) She needed to earn money to pay for the plants.
(C) She had to keep the young trees in her bedroom.
3 What happened on Monday morning?
(A) Her parents and two best friends helped her cook.
(B) Emma bought one hundred and twenty trees.
(C) The students bought all the sweet food very fast.
4 What is Emma doing now?
(A) She goes back with thirty teenagers every weekend.
(B) She cares for the new forest each week.
(C) She puts all the new trees into the ground.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) A girl’s project to save a forest
(B) How to make delicious cakes at school
(C) The terrible fire in the dead woods
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 B 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Ben’s Natural Garden
Seventeen-year-old Ben lives in a busy city, but he always spends his summer holidays on his grandfather’s farm. Last summer, Ben noticed something interesting. His grandfather’s vegetables were big and delicious, but he never bought any chemicals from the shop to put on them. Ben wanted to know how he did it.
His grandfather explained that he uses traditional farming methods. Instead of using modern chemicals to help the food grow, he uses natural things. For example, he puts old fruit and vegetable leaves on the ground. He also keeps ducks because they eat the bad insects that destroy the plants. Ben started helping him every morning, and he soon learned a lot.
One week, there was a big problem. Some tiny green bugs began to eat the tomato plants. Ben thought they needed to go to the supermarket to buy a chemical spray. But his grandfather just smiled. They made a special mix of garlic and water and put it on the plants. A few days later, the bugs were gone, and the tomatoes were safe.
Now, Ben is back at home in the city. He doesn’t have a big farm, but he is growing some food on his apartment balcony using his grandfather’s old methods. Next year, he hopes to go to university to learn more about protecting the environment and farming.
1 What did Ben want to find out during his summer holiday?
(A) how his grandfather grew great food without shop products
(B) where to buy any chemicals from the shop
(C) how to spend his summer holidays on a farm
2 What does Ben’s grandfather do to look after his vegetables?
(A) He uses modern chemicals to help the food grow.
(B) He uses things from nature instead of bad chemicals.
(C) He gives his ducks old fruit and vegetable leaves to eat.
3 When bugs started eating the tomatoes, Ben and his grandfather
(A) went to the supermarket to buy a chemical spray.
(B) decided to let the tiny green bugs eat the tomato plants.
(C) made a special drink to save the plants.
4 What is Ben doing now?
(A) He has a big farm back at home.
(B) He is planting vegetables at his apartment.
(C) He is going to university to learn more.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to buy the best vegetables
(B) The dangerous chemicals on our food
(C) A teenager discovers old ways of farming
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 B 5 C
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Street That Grew Together
Sixteen-year-old Emma loves cooking healthy meals. Last year, she noticed that the small supermarket in her town didn’t sell many fresh vegetables. Then, she saw a large, dirty piece of land behind her street. It was full of rubbish, but Emma had a great idea. She wanted to make a community garden where people could grow their own food.
Emma knocked on doors and asked her neighbours for help. On the first day, only three people came. They worked all weekend to pick up the rubbish. Then, they brought tools and planted lots of seeds. Working in the hot sun was quite tiring, but they had fun together.
After a few months, the garden looked beautiful. There were huge tomatoes, sweet carrots, and green beans. The best part was that anyone in the street could take the vegetables for free. Soon, people who didn’t help at the beginning started coming to the garden. They didn’t just come for the food; they also wanted to chat and make friends.
Now, Emma feels very proud of her neighbourhood. The garden has changed everyone’s life. Next summer, Emma is going to put a large wooden table in the garden. She hopes everyone can sit and eat their fresh meals together.
1 Why did Emma decide to create the garden?
(A) She wanted to work at the small supermarket.
(B) She wished to give people fresh things to eat.
(C) She wanted to put her rubbish on the piece of land.
2 What does the writer say about the beginning of the project?
(A) Lots of people knocked on doors to help.
(B) Emma picked up the rubbish by herself.
(C) Only a few neighbours assisted Emma.
3 Why did more people start going to the garden later?
(A) to pay for huge tomatoes and sweet carrots
(B) because they wanted to help at the beginning
(C) to spend time talking with other people
4 What is Emma planning to do next year?
(A) give neighbours a place to sit and have food outside
(B) cook fresh meals for everyone in the street
(C) feel very proud of her neighbourhood
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to cook healthy meals
(B) A garden that brought a street together
(C) The best supermarket in town
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 C 4 A 5 B