Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Unusual Pets & Exotic Animals
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My Naughty Little Thief
Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog. My name is Mia, and I have a very unusual pet. He is a ferret named Barnaby. Ferrets are small, furry animals that love to play all day long. Barnaby is very sweet and friendly, but he is also incredibly naughty sometimes.
Barnaby has one really funny habit. He absolutely loves stealing socks! Whenever someone in my family takes off their shoes and socks, Barnaby watches them carefully from across the room. Then, when they are not looking, he grabs a sock with his teeth and runs away quickly. He usually hides his new prize under my bed or behind the living room sofa.
Last Tuesday, my dad was getting ready for an important meeting at work. He opened his drawer to get dressed, but it was completely empty! He spent twenty minutes looking everywhere for his black socks. Finally, I heard a strange noise in the kitchen. I looked behind the fridge and found Barnaby. He was sleeping comfortably on a huge pile of my dad’s socks!
Having a pet ferret is not always an easy job. You have to keep your bedroom tidy, or your favorite things will disappear! However, Barnaby makes me laugh every single day. I wouldn’t change him for any other pet in the world.
1 What does Mia say about Barnaby in the first paragraph?
(A) He behaves badly from time to time.
(B) He is a very unusual person to have.
(C) He loves to play all night long.
2 What does Barnaby do when people take off their clothes?
(A) He watches them carefully from under the bed.
(B) He waits until they are not paying attention to steal from them.
(C) He grabs their shoes with his teeth and runs away.
3 What happened to Mia’s dad last Tuesday?
(A) He found an empty drawer while looking everywhere in the kitchen.
(B) He heard a strange noise while he was having an important meeting.
(C) He could not find something he needed to wear for his job.
4 What does Mia say about owning a ferret?
(A) She loves him a lot, even though it can be hard work.
(B) She thinks it is an easy job to keep her bedroom tidy.
(C) She wants to change him for another pet in the world.
5 What is Mia’s main purpose for writing this blog post?
(A) to explain how to look for lost socks in the kitchen
(B) to tell an amusing story about the animal she lives with
(C) to ask her readers to buy a small, furry pet
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 A 5 B
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Pets That Look Like Plants
Most teenagers in Sam’s class have an animal at home. While his classmates enjoy playing with noisy dogs or soft cats, fifteen-year-old Sam prefers something completely different. He keeps stick insects in his bedroom. He thinks they are amazing because they look exactly like small tree branches. Sometimes, his friends cannot even see them!
Sam first became interested in these unusual animals last year. His science teacher, Mr. Davis, brought some to school. Mr. Davis explained that these insects use their brown and green colours to hide from larger animals in the wild. When the school year finished, the teacher gave three of them to Sam to take home.
Taking care of stick insects is very simple. Sam doesn’t have to buy expensive meat or fish from the supermarket. Instead, he just walks into his garden and picks fresh leaves from the trees. The insects live in a tall glass box next to his bed. He only needs to clean it once a week.
At first, Sam’s parents were a bit worried about having insects in the house. But now, they really like them because they are so quiet. Sam loves watching his pets grow. After high school, he hopes to go to university to study biology. He wants to learn more about the wonderful ways animals protect themselves in nature.
1 Why does Sam think his pets are amazing?
(A) They enjoy playing with noisy dogs or soft cats.
(B) They appear very similar to parts of trees.
(C) His classmates cannot even see them in his bedroom.
2 How did Sam get his stick insects?
(A) He brought some to school last year.
(B) He found them hiding from larger animals in the wild.
(C) He received them as a present from his teacher.
3 What does Sam feed his stick insects?
(A) Expensive meat or fish from the supermarket.
(B) Green plants that he finds in his yard.
(C) Things he finds in a tall glass box.
4 What do we learn about Sam’s parents?
(A) They changed how they felt about the animals.
(B) They hope to go to university to study biology.
(C) They were a bit worried because they are so quiet.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to hide from larger animals in the wild
(B) A teenager and his very unusual pets
(C) The best way to catch insects in the garden
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 B 4 A 5 B
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Healthy Meal for Barnaby
Thirteen-year-old Chloe loves animals, but she doesn’t have a dog or a cat like her friends. Last month, she got a very unusual pet. It is a giant African land snail called Barnaby. He is a beautiful creature, but at first, Chloe didn’t know much about taking care of him.
On his first day in his new home, Chloe wanted to give Barnaby a nice meal. She opened the fridge and found some green leaves. She put them in his glass cage, but Barnaby just went to sleep. He didn’t eat anything. Chloe was quite worried.
The next afternoon, Chloe turned on her computer to do some research. She spent two hours reading about pet snails. She was surprised to learn that sweet potatoes and carrots are excellent for them. However, she also read that some foods, like onions or anything with salt, are extremely dangerous.
After finishing her research, Chloe walked to the supermarket with her mother. She bought lots of fresh, safe vegetables. Back at home, she washed a carrot carefully and gave a small piece to Barnaby. He woke up and ate it very quickly! Chloe felt very proud because she finally understood what to feed her special pet.
1 What is true about Chloe’s pet?
(A) It is a dog or a cat like her friends.
(B) It is a kind of animal that few people keep.
(C) She knew much about taking care of him.
2 How did Barnaby react to the green leaves?
(A) He ignored his meal completely.
(B) He was quite worried.
(C) He opened the fridge and found some.
3 What did Chloe find out from her computer research?
(A) She should feed him onions or anything with salt.
(B) She must spend two hours reading about snails.
(C) Certain everyday foods can be very bad for snails.
4 What did Chloe do after she arrived back at her house?
(A) She walked to the supermarket with her mother.
(B) She prepared a healthy snack that her snail loved.
(C) She bought lots of fresh, safe vegetables.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) How to spend two hours reading on a computer
(B) A teenager learns what her strange animal can eat
(C) The giant snail who went to the supermarket
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 A 3 C 4 B 5 B