News English · Level 1 of 4

News English:
A1 / A2 Beginner

Read a short, simple news article written for beginner learners. Then complete 25 exercises covering six different question types — designed to build your reading skills from the ground up.

🌱 Beginner 📰 Simple News 25 Questions 6 Exercise Types

What is CEFR A1/A2?

At A1/A2 (Beginner/Elementary), learners can understand short, simple texts using high-frequency vocabulary. News articles at this level use short sentences, present simple and past simple tenses, and familiar everyday topics such as people, places, food, weather and simple events. Key numbers, names and dates are always stated clearly.

Short sentencesHigh-frequency wordsPresent & past simpleFamiliar topicsClear facts & numbers
📰 News Article · A1/A2 · Beginner
A New Park Opens in the City Centre

A new park opened in the centre of London yesterday. The park is called Green Haven Park. It is very big. There are trees, flowers, and a small lake in the park.

The park is open every day from seven o'clock in the morning to nine o'clock in the evening. It is free for everyone. Children, adults, and older people can all visit.

The Mayor of London, Ms Patricia Webb, opened the park at 10 am on Monday, 14 April. She said: "This park is a gift to the people of London. I am very happy today."

The park has a café near the main entrance. A cup of coffee costs £2.50. A sandwich costs £4.00. The café opens at eight o'clock every morning.

There is also a children's play area with swings, slides, and a climbing frame. It is next to the café. Children under the age of 12 can use the play area for free.

The new park cost the city council £3.5 million to build. The council started building the park in January 2023. It took 15 months to complete.

Many people visited the park on its first day. Over 2,000 people came on Monday. One visitor, Mr Tom Baker, age 34, said: "It is a beautiful park. I live near here. I will come every day."

The city council says it plans to open three more parks in London over the next two years.

Key Words: park (a public green space) · mayor (the leader of a city) · entrance (the door or gate you use to go in) · council (a group of people who manage a town or city) · play area (a place for children to play)
A · MCQ
Multiple Choice Questions
Questions 1–5 · Choose the best answer: A, B, C or D
Question 1
What is the name of the new park?
ALondon City Park
BGreen Haven Park
CBaker's Park
DPatricia's Garden
Question 2
What time does the park open every morning?
A6:00 am
B8:00 am
C7:00 am
D9:00 am
Question 3
Who opened the park?
AMr Tom Baker
BThe city council
CMs Patricia Webb
DThe Prime Minister
Question 4
How much does a sandwich cost in the café?
A£2.00
B£2.50
C£3.50
D£4.00
Question 5
How long did the park take to build?
A12 months
B15 months
C18 months
D2 years
B · True/False
True or False?
Questions 6–10 · Read each statement and decide: TRUE or FALSE
Question 6
The park is in the north of London.
Question 7
It costs money to enter the park.
Question 8
The park has a small lake.
Question 9
The children's play area is for children under 10 years old.
Question 10
More than 2,000 people visited the park on its first day.
C · Fill in the Blank
Fill in the Blank
Questions 11–15 · Write the correct word or number in each space
Question 11
The Mayor of London is called Ms Patricia .
Question 12
The park cost £ million to build.
Question 13
Building started in .
Question 14
The visitor's name is Mr Tom and he is years old.
Question 15
The council plans to open more parks over the next two years.
D · Sentence Completion
Complete the Sentence
Questions 16–18 · Choose the best ending for each sentence
Question 16
The café in the park opens at eight o'clock and sells…
A…only hot drinks and cakes.
B…coffee and sandwiches.
C…fresh fruit and vegetables.
D…nothing — it is free.
Question 17
The Mayor said she was very happy because…
A…she received a lot of money.
B…the park is a gift for the people of London.
C…the weather was very nice that day.
D…she lives near the park.
Question 18
Tom Baker said he will come to the park every day because…
A…he works there.
B…it is free and beautiful, and he lives near it.
C…his children play there.
D…the café has good coffee.
E · Cloze
Cloze Exercise
Questions 19–22 · Choose the correct word to complete this summary paragraph

A new park in London on Monday. The park is for everyone. The Mayor the park at ten o'clock in the morning. The park has a café, a lake, and a children's .

F · Scrambled Sentences
Unscramble the Sentence
Questions 23–25 · Click the words in the correct order to build each sentence
Question 23
Rearrange these words: the / open / park / is / everyone / free / for
Question 24
Rearrange these words: the / café / opens / eight / at / every / morning / o'clock
Question 25
Rearrange these words: the / cost / park / £3.5 / million / council / to / build