Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Streaming, Netflix & YouTube 5

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a foreign language series to watch.

There are descriptions of eight television series.

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

1   Maria is looking for a funny series to make her laugh. She specifically wants a show from Spain, but she prefers listening to English voice-overs because she doesn’t like reading translations on the screen.

2   Tom enjoys stories set in the future with advanced technology. He is looking for a popular Asian series, like a Japanese or Korean show. He insists on hearing the actors’ real voices, so he only watches with subtitles.

3   Sarah and Jane love stories about life in the past, especially in the 19th century. They want to watch a French series, but they need an English audio option so they can understand it easily.

4   Lucas is fascinated by police detectives catching criminals. He wants to watch a German show to help him learn the language, so it must have the original audio and definitely no English voice-overs.

5   Aisha loves romantic shows about couples falling in love. She wants to watch a famous Italian series. Because she often watches while doing other things, she needs a show with English voice-actors instead of just screen text.

Foreign Language Series

A Madrid Smiles

This hilarious global hit from Spain’s capital will keep you giggling for hours. It follows a crazy family running a restaurant. You can enjoy the excellent English audio track, meaning you won’t have to read any text while you enjoy all the fantastic jokes and silly situations.

B Seoul 3050

Set in South Korea a thousand years from now, this thrilling hit features flying cars and robots. It is available exclusively with the original Korean audio and English text at the bottom. The incredible digital effects and future world will keep you glued to your seat!

C The Paris Queen

Travel back to the 1800s with this beautiful drama from France. Follow the lives of wealthy families in old castles. Luckily for international viewers, professional British actors recorded all the dialogue, so you can just listen to the historical story without needing to read anything at all.

D Berlin Shadows

Follow an intelligent inspector as he solves difficult mysteries in the dark streets of Germany’s capital. To help you experience the real culture, this tense thriller offers no foreign language audio. You must listen to the actual actors speaking their native tongue while reading the translations.

E Rome Hearts

This beautiful series follows two young students who meet and share a passionate relationship in Italy. It has become a worldwide success! The entire story features fantastic English voice-overs, making it perfect for anyone who wants to hear the sweet dialogue while doing other daily activities.

F Pizza and Jokes

This amusing show about a group of friends in Rome will definitely make you smile. However, fans of voice-overs might be disappointed. It is only available with its original Italian soundtrack, so you have to read the English text to understand the brilliant comedy and fun.

G The Berlin Wall

Discover what life was like for normal people during the 1960s in Germany. This historical drama is deeply moving. It provides several international audio tracks, including fantastic English voice-actors, so you can easily follow the events without keeping your eyes on the screen all the time.

H Tokyo Detective

A brave Japanese police officer chases dangerous thieves across the city. This fast-paced mystery is extremely popular worldwide. It comes with a complete English voice-over, making it incredibly simple to enjoy the action-packed chases and clever puzzles without missing a single detail of the thrilling investigation.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find an interactive choose-your-own-path episode to watch.

There are descriptions of eight interactive episodes.

Decide which interactive episode would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Sam loves space adventures and wants an interactive episode where he selects what happens next. He expects lots of different final results depending on his choices, and he prefers to watch on his smartphone screen while traveling.

2   Jessica and her brother want a funny interactive comedy to watch together on their television. They want to use their remote control to choose the actions, and the whole episode must finish in less than half an hour.

3   Oliver wants a scary interactive horror episode where he decides the path for the main character. He is on a tight student budget, so the video platform must be completely free to use without any monthly costs.

4   Chloe loves detective mysteries and wants an interactive show where she uses her TV remote control to pick clues. She wants the story to have exactly two different outcomes so she can easily compare them both.

5   Jon is looking for an educational interactive series about real historical events. He enjoys making major decisions that alter the past, and he prefers a long, detailed film that takes more than sixty minutes to complete.

Interactive Episodes

A Galaxy Shift

Take control of a rocket ship in this incredible outer-space journey. Watchers must tap their mobile screens to navigate through dangerous alien fields. Depending on your quick decisions, the story can conclude in dozens of completely unique ways. It is a fantastic option for travelers looking for multiple exciting conclusions on their phone.

B Laugh Out Loud

This brilliant interactive show focuses on a hilarious family dinner party where everything goes wrong. Audiences can use their television controller to click on different silly actions for the characters. The entire comedy runs for just twenty-five minutes, making it an excellent, fast-paced choice for a quick family laugh in the living room.

C Midnight Woods

Step into a frightening dark forest in this terrifying horror adventure. You have the power to select every single path for the main characters as they run from a strange monster. This spooky episode is published on an open-access website at zero cost, so you can enjoy the full mystery without paying any fees.

D The Crime Scene

Become a clever investigator in this brilliant crime drama. As you search for clues, you will be prompted to select your next move by pressing buttons on your TV handset. The writers carefully designed this mystery to feature just two final conclusions, allowing you to easily discover and contrast both storylines.

E Ancient Empires

This educational interactive series brings real-world history to life. Viewers are invited to make critical decisions for famous ancient kings, completely changing the course of past events. Please prepare for a long evening, as this deeply detailed, serious documentary film takes ninety minutes to complete from start to finish.

F Star Base

This high-tech space adventure lets you explore distant planets and futuristic cities. It is designed perfectly for smartphones, allowing you to interact easily by touching your screen while on the train. However, parents should note that all pathways eventually lead to the exact same final scene, with no alternative conclusions available.

G Funny Detectives

This energetic show combines a clever crime mystery with brilliant comedy moments that will make you smile. You can decide what happens next by pointing your television remote control at the screen. However, this full-length feature film lasts for eighty minutes and contains over ten different secret endings to unlock.

H Haunted Mansion

Enter a terrifying old house in this spooky interactive thriller. The project features incredible sound effects as you direct the main character through dark rooms and hidden doors. While the plot is deeply frightening, you must purchase a very expensive monthly subscription package to access the video platform.

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a wildlife live webcam to watch.

There are descriptions of eight live webcams.

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

1   Anna wants to observe African animals like elephants. Because she works during the day, the camera must show clear pictures at night. She also strongly prefers streams with relaxing natural background noises to help her sleep.

2   Tom is looking for a live video of birds feeding their new babies. He enjoys typing messages to discuss the video with other watchers online. He needs the stream to be completely silent with zero noise.

3   Maria and John want to watch ocean life swimming around. They specifically need a camera that moves rather than staying in one fixed position. They also want spectacular, high-quality colourful video to test their new television.

4   David loves watching everyday farm animals. He dislikes hearing people speak but wants to read typed facts about the animals on his screen. He is busy, so he needs the ability to rewind the video backwards.

5   Elena wants to watch wild forest creatures living in thick snow. It is very important that absolutely no fences or human buildings are visible. She needs a special mobile application to watch the video on her smartphone.

Wildlife Live Webcams

A Savannah Shadows

Enjoy a live view of the grassy plains! You will spot huge grey mammals and tall giraffes drinking water. Using special dark-vision technology, the feed remains bright even after sunset. There is absolutely no talking, just the peaceful, calming noises of the wind and insects to help you rest.

B The Barnyard Stream

Watch sheep and horses go about their daily routines. You can easily scroll back through the day’s footage if you missed anything exciting. However, the camera is pointed directly at a large wooden barn and metal gates, and there is no written information provided to explain what you are seeing.

C Meadow Life

Observe pigs and cows relaxing in the grass. While there is absolutely no spoken audio, knowledgeable keepers regularly update a text box at the bottom of the feed with fascinating details. Additionally, the player lets you skip backwards up to twelve hours, so you never miss any of the action.

D The Coral Reef

Discover beautiful tropical fish and turtles swimming along the seabed. Broadcast in spectacular high-definition resolution, the bright shades of the marine plants look incredibly realistic. Please note that the lens is permanently attached to a heavy rock, meaning it cannot turn to follow creatures that swim out of the frame.

E The High Nest

Look closely at a family of wild eagles bringing food to their newly hatched chicks. There is a fantastic community forum right next to the video where users discuss the action. Because the microphone broke last week, the feed is currently broadcast without any volume, making it an entirely quiet experience.

F Winter Woods

Download our brilliant free software to your handheld device to access this amazing stream anywhere! Set deep in a freezing, white landscape, you can spot bears and wolves among the trees. The lens is hidden miles away from any towns or roads, ensuring a completely wild, unspoilt view of the environment.

G Deep Sea Journey

Explore the magnificent underwater world from your living room! This lens is attached to a robotic submarine, constantly travelling around to follow dolphins and whales. The picture is broadcast in the highest possible visual quality, ensuring you experience the incredibly bright, dazzling shades of the marine environment perfectly today.

H Desert Waterhole

Watch lions and rhinos visiting a popular drinking spot. It uses excellent dark-vision lenses, allowing viewers to see everything perfectly during the midnight hours. Instead of quiet background noises, a knowledgeable presenter talks constantly over the microphone, explaining exactly what the creatures are doing to the thousands of people watching.

Exercises:   123456