Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Special Events & Competitions

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A Long Walk for a Good Cause

Fourteen-year-old Leo usually spends his weekends playing video games. However, last Saturday, he did something completely different. His high school organised a long walk to raise money for a local children’s hospital. The plan was to walk around the large school playing field as many times as possible. Leo wasn’t a sporty person, but he decided to take part because he really wanted to help the sick kids.

Before the event, Leo visited his family and neighbours. He asked them to give him some money for every lap he completed. Many people were very kind and promised to pay him. On the morning of the walk, the weather was quite hot. When Leo saw the huge field, he suddenly felt a bit nervous about the long distance.

For the first hour, everything was fine. But after walking around the field fifteen times, Leo felt terrible. His legs hurt, and he just wanted to sit down on the grass and stop. Suddenly, his best friend, Maya, came to walk next to him. She gave him a cold bottle of water and told him a funny story.

Maya’s help gave Leo new energy. He didn’t stop until he completed thirty laps! The next day, he collected all the money from his family and neighbours. He raised two hundred pounds for the hospital. Leo’s legs were still tired, but he felt incredibly proud of himself. He is already looking forward to the next charity event.

1   Why did Leo choose to walk on Saturday?

     (A) He wished to support an important place for young people.

     (B) He wanted to spend his weekends playing video games.

     (C) He was a sporty person who wanted to do something completely different.

2   How did Leo feel right before the walk started?

     (A) He was quite hot because of the long distance.

     (B) He felt a bit nervous about visiting his family and neighbours.

     (C) He was anxious because it looked like a very long way to go.

3   What happened after Leo walked fifteen laps?

     (A) He decided to sit down on the grass and stop.

     (B) A classmate joined him and helped him to continue.

     (C) He gave a cold bottle of water to his best friend.

4   What do we learn about Leo at the end of the text?

     (A) He collected all the money from the hospital.

     (B) He completed thirty laps the next day.

     (C) He was extremely pleased with his great result.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A difficult challenge to help others

     (B) How to collect all the money from your neighbours

     (C) A funny story about the school playing field

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A Fantastic Victory for Ben

Fourteen-year-old Ben is an active teenager who absolutely loves athletics. He practices running in the park every evening after finishing his schoolwork. Last weekend was a very important time for him because it was the annual school sports festival. He decided to enter the 100-meter race, which is his favourite event.

Before the race started, Ben felt quite nervous. He looked at the other fast runners and worried that he wasn’t good enough to win. However, when he heard the teacher blow the whistle, he forgot about his fears. He ran as fast as he could. The weather was very hot, but he didn’t stop or slow down. He crossed the finish line before anyone else.

After the race, the headteacher asked Ben to stand at the front. She smiled and put a beautiful, shiny gold medal around his neck. Ben couldn’t believe it. He was so happy that he didn’t take the medal off for the rest of the day. He even wore it while he was eating his dinner at home with his parents.

On Sunday morning, Ben visited his grandparents to show them his special prize. They were extremely proud of his hard work and took lots of photographs of him wearing the medal. Ben knows that running is his favourite hobby, and he is already planning to win another gold medal next year.

1   What did Ben do last weekend?

     (A) He practiced running in the park.

     (B) He took part in a sports competition.

     (C) He watched his favourite running event.

2   How did Ben feel when the race began?

     (A) He stopped being afraid and just ran.

     (B) He was worried about the other fast runners.

     (C) He felt nervous about the hot weather.

3   What did Ben do with his medal?

     (A) He left it with the headteacher at the front.

     (B) He took it off before he had his dinner.

     (C) He kept it around his neck all evening.

4   How did Ben’s grandparents react to his news?

     (A) They bought him a special gold prize.

     (B) They felt very pleased with his achievement.

     (C) They asked him to win another medal next year.

5   What is the best title for the text?

     (A) How to run a 100-meter race

     (B) Ben’s difficult school sports day

     (C) A great sports success for Ben

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Cooking for Culture Day

Maria is a 15-year-old student at Greenhill High School. Next Friday is International Culture Day at her school. Students have to bring food from different countries to share with everyone. Maria’s family is from Argentina, so she decided to make empanadas. She wanted to use her grandmother’s special recipe because it is very delicious.

On Saturday morning, Maria went to the supermarket with her father. They needed to buy a lot of ingredients, like meat, onions, and flour. Maria was worried because she left her shopping list on her desk at home. However, her father laughed and said he remembered everything they needed to buy.

In the afternoon, they started cooking. Maria worked in the kitchen for three hours. It was hard work to make the dough and cook the meat. Her younger brother, Leo, came into the kitchen and tried to eat some empanadas before they were ready. Maria stopped him and told him to wait until the school festival.

The day of the festival was amazing. Maria put her food on a big table in the school hall. Her classmates tasted the empanadas and loved them. In fact, they ate all of them in just ten minutes! Maria felt tired but extremely proud. She is already planning to make more traditional food for next year’s Culture Day.

1   Why did Maria choose to make empanadas?

     (A) It is her grandmother’s favourite food.

     (B) She wanted to share a meal from her family’s home country.

     (C) Her school asked her to cook a traditional Argentinean dish.

2   What happened when Maria and her dad went shopping?

     (A) Maria forgot to bring the paper with the things they needed.

     (B) Her father laughed because they bought the wrong ingredients.

     (C) They decided to go back to Maria’s desk to get the list.

3   While Maria was preparing the food, her brother

     (A) helped her to make the dough and cook the meat.

     (B) worked in the kitchen with her for three hours.

     (C) wanted to taste the meal before it was finished.

4   How did Maria’s classmates react to the food?

     (A) They helped Maria put the food on a big table.

     (B) They thought the empanadas were fantastic.

     (C) They needed ten minutes to decide if they liked them.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) Cooking something special for school

     (B) How to make grandmother’s empanadas

     (C) A difficult trip to the supermarket

Exercises:   12345