Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – TV Programmes & Shows 3

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a live sports broadcast to enjoy.

There are descriptions of eight sports broadcasts.

Decide which broadcast would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Tom wants to watch a fast-paced team sport like basketball this Saturday evening. He also loves hearing famous ex-players explain the rules and share their professional opinions while the game is actually happening.

2   Sarah is a big fan of ice hockey and wants to stream a live match on her smartphone. After the game finishes, she wants to watch a detailed discussion about why the winning team succeeded.

3   Marcus and his friends want to stay up late tonight to watch a live rugby match after 11 p.m. They are students with no money, so they need a broadcast that doesn’t cost anything.

4   Julia loves international volleyball competitions. She plans to follow the game while driving, so she needs an audio-only radio broadcast. Before the action begins, she wants to hear interesting stories about the athletes’ backgrounds.

5   Diego missed yesterday’s live football match and wants to watch the full replay this Sunday morning. During the game, he likes to see lots of numbers and statistics on the screen about player performance.

Sports Broadcasts

A Weekend Hoops

Catch all the exciting court action this weekend! At 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, we bring you the biggest basketball tournament of the year. Throughout the event, former world champions will be speaking on the microphones, sharing their deep knowledge and personal experiences of the sport as every single point is scored.

B The Frozen Rink

Get ready for tonight’s thrilling winter hockey battle! You don’t need a television; just download our new software to view all the action directly on your pocket device. Once the final whistle blows, our panel of coaches will stay on screen to review the tactics and explain exactly how the match was won.

C Midnight Scrum

Don’t miss this thrilling international rugby tournament starting tonight at 11:30 p.m. Grab your snacks and get ready for some heavy tackles! The best part is that this sports channel is completely open to the public, meaning you will not have to spend a single penny to enjoy the whole event.

D Net Action FM

Join us on your car stereo for the big volleyball final! Tune in an hour early for a special program exploring the difficult personal journeys and histories of the star athletes. Then, keep listening as our excellent announcers describe every serve and jump, bringing the excitement straight to your ears.

E Soccer Rewind

Did you miss the big stadium soccer clash yesterday? Wake up early this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. to catch the complete recording. Our special display provides constant updates with running distances, passing percentages, and other technical data appearing right over the picture while you sit back and enjoy the action.

F Court Kings

If you love basketball, tune in this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. for a fantastic live game. Our professional sports reporters will provide excellent descriptions and opinions while the athletes play on the court. It is a great way to start your weekend morning before heading out into town for the day.

G Winter Goals

Enjoy the fastest winter sport on earth from your living room sofa! This ice hockey broadcast is exclusively available on our premium television channel. Stay tuned after the players leave the ice for a wonderful thirty-minute program where experts discuss the best moments and winning strategies in great detail.

H Saturday Rugby Live

Watch the best rugby teams fight for the national championship! The live broadcast begins this Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. It is available on our free public network, so everyone can enjoy the action without paying a subscription. We also offer great interviews with the managers after the game finally finishes.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a daily news website or app.

There are descriptions of eight news platforms.

Decide which news platform would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Mark is a university student who needs to follow global government elections and decisions. He prefers a formal, professional style of reporting. He wants a platform that provides brand new information every single day.

2   Sara wants to learn about the economy, particularly focusing on businesses in Asian countries. She doesn’t like reading long articles, so she is looking for a site that offers short video reports to watch instead.

3   David cares deeply about climate change and the natural world. He wants to hear opinions directly from scientists and researchers. He needs to be able to download the articles to read when he has no internet.

4   Maya is interested in the latest computers and software. She enjoys a relaxed, funny style of presentation rather than serious news. She wants to listen to the news on her way to school through audio recordings.

5   Elena wants to keep up with international sports competitions. She is looking for news that is written specifically by young people her own age. She also prefers articles that include plenty of brilliant pictures.

News Websites and Apps

A World Reporter

If you need to understand international relations and foreign leadership, this is the perfect site. The articles are written in a very serious, academic tone by respected journalists. Furthermore, the webpage is refreshed with brand new reports every morning, so you will never miss an important global event.

B Pacific Economy

This app is perfect for anyone interested in financial trends and company profits. It specifically focuses on markets in countries like South Korea, India, and Japan. Instead of long pages of text, all the daily financial updates are delivered through excellent short films that you can watch on your phone.

C Planet Voice

Discover everything about global warming and protecting wildlife here. We regularly speak directly with university professors and biologists to get their professional opinions. Best of all, every single report can be saved directly to your phone, allowing you to read them later even if you aren’t connected to Wi-Fi.

D The Gadget Show

Do you want to know about the newest smartphones and digital applications? Our presenters discuss the latest inventions while sharing lots of jokes to make you laugh. Instead of reading, you can simply put on your headphones and listen to our recorded conversations while you travel to school or work.

E Match Point

Follow all the biggest athletic championships right here! Everything on our platform is created entirely by high school students, giving a fresh perspective on athletics. We don’t use much text; instead, our pages are packed with hundreds of brilliant, colourful photographs taken right in the middle of the action.

F The Daily Brief

This app brings you the most important news every single day of the week. Our writers maintain a highly professional and serious style in every article. However, we only cover local events happening right here in our own country, keeping you informed about your immediate community rather than foreign countries.

G Future Money

If you want to learn about international banking and new business software, check out our platform. We release a new fifty-minute recorded conversation every Sunday for you to listen to. The hosts use a very serious tone to explain how new inventions are changing the way people make money globally.

H Youth Earth

This fantastic website is dedicated to saving our environment and fighting climate change. Every article is written by environmentally friendly teenagers from around the world. We also include beautiful galleries of nature photography to enjoy. Please note that an active internet connection is required at all times to view content.

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a soap opera to watch.

There are descriptions of eight soap operas.

Decide which soap opera would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Anna is looking for a recently created series about the lives of high school teenagers. Because she has a lot of free time, she wants to follow a story that is broadcast every single day of the week.

2   Tom wants to watch a medical drama focusing on doctors and nurses. He enjoys shows with a deep history that have been on television for decades. He only has time for episodes lasting less than half an hour.

3   Maria and John want a funny show about a large group of relatives living in the same house. They are watching with their little daughter, so it must be completely safe for young children to enjoy.

4   David enjoys trying to solve mysteries and wants a soap opera involving local crimes. He prefers stories taking place in a quiet countryside village. Because he works late, he only watches television on Saturdays and Sundays.

5   Elena loves watching romantic relationships develop. She prefers shows that focus on extremely rich characters living in beautiful, expensive houses. She travels on the train daily, so she needs to download episodes to her smartphone to watch offline.

Television Soap Operas

A City College

This completely new production follows the exciting challenges of students finishing their secondary education. It just premiered last month! Fans never have to wait long to see what happens next, as fresh installments are broadcast from Monday through to Sunday, making it an ideal choice for regular, continuous viewing.

B City Hospital

Follow the stressful shifts of surgeons and medical staff in this classic programme. Audiences have loved these familiar characters for over thirty years. At just twenty-five minutes per installment, it provides a quick, dramatic escape into the busy wards without requiring you to dedicate your whole evening to the screen.

C The Crazy Smiths

You will laugh out loud at this hilarious program focusing on grandparents, parents, and kids all sharing one messy home! There is absolutely no violence or bad language, making it a perfectly appropriate and highly entertaining choice for all age groups, including preschoolers, to sit down and view together.

D Dark Valley

Set in a tiny, peaceful farming community far away from the busy city, this tense program focuses on secret thefts and hidden dangers. It is broadcast exclusively on Saturday and Sunday nights, providing the perfect weekend puzzle for viewers who love trying to work out who broke the law.

E Golden Hearts

Discover the spectacular lives of millionaires living in massive mansions. The main plot focuses deeply on two wealthy business owners slowly falling in love. Best of all, you can easily save the files directly to your mobile device, allowing you to enjoy the passion anywhere without an internet connection.

F Classroom Laughs

This hilarious comedy follows a group of secondary school pupils trying to pass their exams. The jokes are brilliant and the young characters are incredibly relatable. However, it is only broadcast once a week on Friday nights, so fans must wait patiently for seven days between each funny installment.

G Emergency Room

Step into the action-packed world of city surgeons saving lives. This modern medical hit is extremely popular right now. You can easily get our special application to keep episodes on your phone for journeys. Be aware that each thrilling part lasts a full sixty minutes, requiring plenty of free time.

H Millionaire Farm

This glamorous drama focuses on extremely wealthy landowners running a massive, beautiful countryside farm. There is no crime or mystery here, just constant arguments about money. Fans can tune in every single evening of the week to watch these rich, unhappy characters argue about their luxurious and expensive daily lifestyles.

Exercises:   123456