Practice Reading English Exercises for Beginner – Past events

Exercise 1

A. Read about Cara, Antonio and Ava. Which events do they talk about?

a party  –  a sports game  –  a concert  –  a meeting

B. Read the texts again. Which cities does each person talk about?

Exercise 2

Who killed Lady Grey?

Lord and Lady Grey live in a big house in London. Lady Grey has some very expensive diamonds. They are always in a bag under her bed.

One week, Lord and Lady Grey had guests at their house for lunch. After lunch, Lady Grey was tired, so she went to her bedroom to sleep. Lord Grey stayed with the guests until 3:00 and then they went home. At 3:15 he went to the bedroom with some tea for his wife. Lady Grey was on the floor. She was dead. There was a knife next to her and a bag … but no diamonds.

The police interviews

James Green   ‘After lunch, I went with Lord Grey to the living room and we had coffee. We saw Jane White through the window. She was in the garden with a book. At 3:00 I went home with Sue Black. She lives near me, so we went in my car.’

Jane White   ‘After lunch, I went into the garden. Sue Black was with me. She said ‘Oh, my phone is on the table!’ and she went back into the house. I stayed in the garden and read a book. At 3:00, I went home and watched TV.’

Sue Black   ‘After lunch, I went into the garden. I saw Jane White in the garden and we went for a walk together until 3:00. Then we all went home. James Green lives near me, so I went with him in his car.’

Lord Grey   ‘We had lunch until 2:00, then I stayed in the living room with James Green. We had coffee together and we talked about business. At 3:00 the guests went home.’

A. Read Who killed Lady Grey? and underline the correct answers.

1   Lady Grey’s diamonds were in the bedroom / living room.

2   The guests were there until 3:00 / 4:00.

3   Someone killed Lady Grey with a bag / a knife.

4   At 3:15 the diamonds were / weren’t in the bag.

B. Read to the police interviews. Which people are A, B and C on the plan?

C. Who do you think killed Lady Grey? Why?

Exercise 3

DUBLIN SIGHTSEEING

FRIDAY 9th JAN

I had a horrible day at work. The office was really busy. I was so happy to get home. My flatmates, Mel and Amy, wanted me to go to the theatre with them, but I was tired. They went out, but I watched an old film in my bedroom. It was a brilliant murder story, but I fell asleep before the end, so I don’t know who the killer was!

SUNDAY 11th JAN

I got up late and had a long bath, then I watched a programme about Indian cookery. I was a bit hungry after the programme so I had cheese on toast – my favourite! I met Angela in town for lunch and then we went shopping. I bought a suitcase for our holiday in Ireland and Angela got some books. At 6:00 we met Mel and Amy for a pizza. We were in the restaurant till 10:00!

MONDAY 12th JAN

I got up at 4:00 this morning. I was really tired, but our plane to Ireland was at 6:30. I went to the airport in a taxi. Angela was already there with the tickets. It only took seventy minutes to travel from London to Dublin. We had breakfast on the plane, then Angela read one of her new books and I looked out of the window. We had a tour of Dublin today, and now we’re at our hotel, which is lovely!

A. Read the blog. Are the sentences true or false?

1   Jill was at work on Friday.

2   She lives with Mel and Amy.

3   She was in her office on Sunday.

4   She had lunch with Angela on Sunday.

5   Mel and Amy went to Dublin on Monday.

6   Jill and Angela travelled to the airport together.

B. Read the blog again. Underline the correct words to complete the sentences.

1   Jill had a good / bad day at work on Friday.

2   She went to the theatre / stayed at home on Friday evening.

3   She missed the end of the film because she was tired / bored.

4   She watched a cookery programme / cooked an Indian meal on Sunday.

5   Angela bought a suitcase / some books on Sunday.

6   Jill and her friends had pizza for lunch / dinner on Sunday.

7   They were in the pizza restaurant for three / four hours.

8   Jill got up early / late on Monday.

9   Jill and Angela arrived in Dublin at 7:40 / 8:40 on Monday.

10   They were in Dublin for a holiday / on business.

C. Write a blog about your daily life. Write about last week. Think about these questions:

•   What did you do?

•   Where did you go?

•   Who did you see?