Living in a small town vs a big city – A2 English Reading Test

A2 English Reading Test

Read the text about living towns and cities and choose the best option for each gap.

Living in a small town vs a big city

We used to live in Turin, a big city in the north of Italy. It was very exciting, with lots of things to do, but living in the city can be expensive. At the weekend, we often went to the park for a picnic, but there were always lots of people and the children couldn’t play football there. Sometimes, we went to the museum. We all enjoyed learning about art and history. Other times, we went to the shopping centre to buy new clothes.

My husband worked in an office downtown, not too far from where we lived, but driving to work every day was a problem. The car park was always full and he didn’t know where to leave his car. It was much easier to take the bus! I used to work at a factory making tomato sauce. It was just outside the city so I drove my car there, after dropping the children off to school.

Two years ago, we moved from Turin to a small town near the countryside. We sold our city apartment and we bought a house with a big garden. There are many trees near us and we hear the birds singing. That’s the kind of life we wanted! I now work at the town’s post office, sending letters and selling stamps, and my husband now works in a smaller office in the town hall, where he writes important emails.

There aren’t many restaurants or big shops in this small town, but there are other things to do. We visit the library more often because we spend more time reading. We take long walks to see old buildings. There’s even a castle, and the children think there’s a king living in it! It’s an important tourist attraction and many people come to see it. We grow our fruit and vegetables in our big garden–we don’t buy them at the market anymore!

City life was busy and stressful for all of us. Life now is slower and I was worried: what will the children think? It was a big change and the first few weeks were difficult, but they love it here now. Of course, we miss the city sometimes, but we prefer our life here.

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Page 1 of 5

1 What does the writer say about weekends in the city?

A. The park was too busy.

B. The museum was boring.

C. The shops were expensive.

Page 2 of 5

2 Why did the husband go to work by bus?

A. His office was too far to drive.

B. He didn’t enjoy driving in the city.

C. He could never find a parking space.

Page 3 of 5

3 Why did they leave the city?

A. To find better jobs

B. To live near nature

C. To have a big house

Page 4 of 5

4 What brings visitors to the small town?

A. The market

B. The library

C. The castle

Page 5 of 5

5 What do the children think about their new life?

A. They prefer the busy life of the city.

B. They weren’t sure at the beginning.

C. They enjoyed it from the first day.

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Explanation

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