Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Types of Holidays
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
1 Which person says there were too many people in the balloon?
(A) Leo (B) Maria (C) David
2 Who went on the flight to celebrate something?
(A) Leo (B) Maria (C) David
3 Which person lost an item of clothing?
(A) Leo (B) Maria (C) David
4 Who saw some wildlife during the journey?
(A) Leo (B) Maria (C) David
5 Which person travelled in the balloon with their relatives?
(A) Leo (B) Maria (C) David
6 Who got out of bed very early for the trip?
(A) Leo (B) Maria (C) David
7 Which person was scared before the journey began?
(A) Leo (B) Maria (C) David
Riding a Hot Air Balloon Over the Valley
Leo
I had to leave my house at 4:30 a.m. because the flight started before the sun came up! It was hard to leave my warm bed, but the views were worth it. I went with two mates from school, not my parents. While we were flying over the green valley, we watched some deer running in the grass below. It was amazing! I wore a warm hat because it was cold. The only bad thing was the basket. There was almost no space to move because they sold tickets to fifteen different tourists.
Maria
I always thought flying was dangerous, so I felt terrified while we waited to get into the basket. But as soon as we went up into the sky, I felt completely safe. We flew in the late afternoon, so I didn’t have to wake up early. The valley was beautiful, although we were too high to see any farm animals or birds. I tried to lean over the side to take a photo, and the wind blew my new scarf away! I watched it fall into the trees, which was quite annoying.
David
My parents paid for this trip because I just turned eighteen. It was a fantastic present! I didn’t want to go alone, so my older sister and my brother came with me. We had a great time together. There was plenty of room for all of us in the balloon, so we could walk around easily. I held my mobile phone very carefully the whole time because I didn’t want it to fall out of my hands. We had a wonderful breakfast in the valley after we landed to finish our special day.
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 A 5 C 6 A 7 B
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
1 Who needed to use a map because their phone stopped working?
(A) Oliver (B) Chloe (C) Daniel
2 Who paid for a new map just before the trip?
(A) Oliver (B) Chloe (C) Daniel
3 Who helped someone else understand how to read a map?
(A) Oliver (B) Chloe (C) Daniel
4 Who looked at the map to find a good place to stop and rest?
(A) Oliver (B) Chloe (C) Daniel
5 Who walked in the wrong direction for a short time?
(A) Oliver (B) Chloe (C) Daniel
6 Who felt that reading a map was easier than they thought?
(A) Oliver (B) Chloe (C) Daniel
7 Who used their map to find an area of water?
(A) Oliver (B) Chloe (C) Daniel
Practicing Map-Reading on a Hike
Oliver
I usually use my mobile to find my way on walks. However, on our weekend hike in the mountains, my device’s battery went completely dead after just an hour! I had to pull out an old paper map. My dad was there, but he didn’t teach me how to use it; I had to learn myself. I was afraid of going down the wrong path, but we never got lost. Later, my legs were tired, so I studied the paper carefully to discover a quiet area where we could sit down, eat our sandwiches, and take a break.
Chloe
I wanted to practice using a map without looking at screens, even though my phone was fully charged. The day before our camping trip, I went to a local shop and spent my pocket money on a very detailed map of the forest. We didn’t want to stop to relax anywhere because we wanted to reach the campsite quickly. However, I didn’t read the signs well, and we took an incorrect road for half an hour! After we found the right way again, I used the map to discover a beautiful blue lake where we enjoyed a lovely swim.
Daniel
For our hiking trip, I didn’t buy anything new. Instead, I brought an old map that belonged to my grandfather. I always believed that following a map would be a very hard job, but actually, I understood the lines and pictures almost immediately! It was quite simple. My little sister came with me, and she didn’t know how to find our way. I spent some time explaining to her what the different colors meant. We tried to look for a river to catch fish, but sadly there wasn’t any water on our route.
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 A 5 B 6 C 7 B
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
1 Who ordered something to eat that they didn’t expect?
(A) Harry (B) Sarah (C) Mike
2 Who found a person that could speak their own language?
(A) Harry (B) Sarah (C) Mike
3 Who had problems because people didn’t speak slowly enough?
(A) Harry (B) Sarah (C) Mike
4 Who used their body to explain what they wanted?
(A) Harry (B) Sarah (C) Mike
5 Who couldn’t understand the written information on the roads?
(A) Harry (B) Sarah (C) Mike
6 Who studied some local words before leaving home?
(A) Harry (B) Sarah (C) Mike
7 Who used a mobile phone program to help them?
(A) Harry (B) Sarah (C) Mike
Communicating in a Foreign Country
Harry
When I went to Italy, I didn’t learn the language before I left. I thought it would be fine because I downloaded a smart dictionary on my smartphone. It was really helpful for reading menus, so I always got the exact meals I wanted. However, talking to people was very hard. When I asked questions, the local people were friendly, but they answered so fast! I couldn’t catch what they meant at all. Next time, I will try to take some lessons before my trip.
Sarah
During my holiday in Japan, my phone battery died, so I couldn’t use it to translate. I wanted to visit a famous temple, but the names on the street boards were in a different alphabet. I had no idea where I was going! To ask for help, I pointed at my map and moved my hands a lot. Some people tried to help, but they didn’t know English. Finally, I heard a woman who came from my home town. She gave me the right directions!
Mike
I travelled to Brazil last summer. Weeks before the flight, I read a book and practised saying things like ‘hello’ and ‘how much is this?’. That was very useful for buying tickets. However, restaurants were a different story! One evening, I couldn’t read the menu at all. I didn’t want to point at random things with my finger, so I just guessed. When the waiter brought my dinner, it was a bowl of cold soup instead of hot meat! I ate it, but it was a big surprise.
ANSWER KEY
1 C 2 B 3 A 4 B 5 B 6 C 7 A