Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Volunteering & Community Work

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a care home to visit and volunteer at.

There are descriptions of eight care homes.

Decide which care home would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Anna wants to share her love of reading stories aloud to the elderly. Because she is a busy student, she only has one hour a week to spare. She doesn’t drive, so the care home must be near a bus stop.

2   Marc enjoys playing board games like chess with older people. He works during the week, so he needs to visit on Sunday mornings. He drives his own car and requires a care home that offers free parking.

3   Chloe loves reading stories to people. She is fascinated by the past and wants to listen to residents talk about their historical memories. She also hopes to bring her friendly pet dog with her to cheer up the elderly.

4   David is looking for an opportunity to play board games with residents. He can only volunteer for exactly one hour a week. He is learning foreign languages and wants to practice speaking Spanish with the older people there.

5   Elena wants to do art activities like painting with the residents. She only has one hour a week to volunteer. She loves the outdoors and prefers a care home with a beautiful garden where she can walk with residents.

Care Homes for the Elderly

A Silver Pines

Welcome to Silver Pines! We need friendly volunteers to share novels and poems with our residents. If you have a tight schedule, we only require sixty minutes of your time every seven days. We are conveniently located directly opposite the main town transit station, making public transport incredibly easy.

B Oakwood House

At Oakwood House, our residents absolutely love tabletop activities and puzzles. We are currently looking for cheerful weekend helpers to join us before lunch on the final day of the week. Visitors travelling by vehicle will be pleased to know we provide a large, complimentary area for your vehicle outside.

C Rose Valley Lodge

Rose Valley Lodge is a wonderful place to share classic literature and poems with our seniors. Our residents have lived fascinating lives and love chatting about their youth and twentieth-century experiences. We also warmly welcome well-behaved, four-legged animals to visit our comfortable living room and bring joy to our residents today.

D Maple Terrace

Maple Terrace needs volunteers who enjoy traditional tabletop challenges and card activities. You only need to give us sixty minutes of your time every seven days. Many of our seniors come from South America and Madrid, giving you a fantastic chance to improve your foreign language skills in a friendly environment.

E Sunflower Care

Sunflower Care is searching for creative volunteers to help our elderly guests with watercolours and drawing. We understand people are busy, so we only ask for sixty minutes of your week. Afterwards, you can enjoy a peaceful walk with our seniors through our stunning outdoor area filled with bright flowers.

F Willow House

At Willow House, our residents enjoy weekly chess and card matches to keep their minds active. We only ask volunteers for sixty minutes of their schedule every seven days. A large group of our residents grew up in Paris, making it the perfect place to improve your French conversation skills.

G Cedar Court

If you love sharing novels and reading literature aloud, join us at Cedar Court! We are located right next to the city public transport terminal, so traveling here is incredibly simple. Please note that all our volunteers must commit to spending at least four hours every week with our lovely residents.

H Elm Tree Home

Elm Tree Home features a magnificent outdoor green space where our seniors love to sit. We encourage volunteers to bring their friendly dogs to walk along the paths. We are currently looking for talented musicians to play the piano and sing traditional songs for our residents in the main hall.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a tree planting or conservation activity.

There are descriptions of eight tree planting projects.

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

1   Tom is very fit and wants to do heavy physical tasks like moving soil. He doesn’t have a waterproof coat, so he needs the organisers to give him one. He wants to help create new homes for local wildlife.

2   Elena and Marco want to spend their weekend doing something useful. They are interested in improving the environment in their city by adding more green spaces. They also hope to attend a short talk about how global warming affects nature.

3   Sarah loves gardening and wants to start her activity before breakfast. She hopes to focus on planting trees that will eventually produce things to eat. Afterwards, she would like to get a few small young trees to put in her own garden.

4   The Jenkins family is looking for an easy activity suitable for young children. Since it will be a wet day, they need a project that takes place inside. They want an educational experience about using plastic waste to grow seeds.

5   David wants to work deep in a traditional woodland area protecting the oldest types of trees. He doesn’t drive, so he needs a free bus ride from the town centre. He is happy to work outside, whatever the weather.

Tree Planting and Conservation Projects

A Wild Roots Project

Join our team to build safe environments for birds and insects! You will be using spades to make deep holes in the ground, so you must be strong and healthy. It often pours down, but don’t worry—we supply excellent water-resistant jackets and trousers for all our hardworking volunteers.

B Urban Leaf

Make our streets greener this Saturday and Sunday! We are bringing nature back to the town centre by putting young trees along the busy pavements. During the lunch break, our environmental scientists will give a fantastic presentation explaining exactly how adding plants can fight the rising temperatures of our planet.

C Sunrise Orchards

Set your alarm! Our sessions begin at 6:00 a.m., just as the sun comes up. We are expanding our farm and need help putting apple and pear trees into the ground. At the end of your shift, we will give you a beautiful little plant to grow on your own balcony!

D Eco-Sprouts

This is a perfect, simple session for parents with little ones. We know the weather is awful, so everything happens comfortably inside our large glass greenhouse. Your group will discover how to reuse empty plastic bottles by turning them into clever pots for growing our brand-new forest seeds.

E Heritage Woods

Help us save the original, historic forests of our country! We are planting rare, traditional types of trees that have grown here for centuries. There is no need to walk or drive to the site; our comfortable coach will collect everyone from the main square and bring you straight here.

F Green Giants

Get ready to sweat! We need fit people to move heavy rocks and soil in our beautiful pine forest. You will be planting trees that provide homes for many forest animals. However, you must travel here in your own car, and please bring your own umbrella in case of storms.

G City Harvest

We are adding beautiful cherry and plum plants to our city parks! Come along on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon to learn about urban farming. You can even take a free bag of seeds home with you. However, there are no educational lectures, just plenty of relaxing gardening in the sunshine.

H Little Planters

Bring your children to our lovely farm this weekend! The tasks are very light and perfect for tiny hands. We will learn all about planting beautiful flowers for bees. However, the activity takes place completely outside in the open air, so please check the weather forecast before you arrive!

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a volunteer position at a disabled sports event.

There are descriptions of eight sports events.

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

1   Tom is very strong and wants to help move athletes in their wheelchairs. He loves making a lot of noise to encourage players during the games. He dislikes bad weather, so he must volunteer indoors.

2   Sara wants to be in charge of preparing the winners’ prizes. She is free to help this Saturday afternoon. She prefers supporting older, adult competitors rather than children, and hopes to stand near the finish line.

3   Ali has a free morning and wants to assist competitors in wheelchairs on an outdoor running track. He also hopes to sort out the gold and silver awards before the final ceremony begins.

4   Chloe loves clapping and shouting loudly for the competitors from the side of the pitch. She really wants to assist disabled teenagers. Because she doesn’t drive, the sports centre must be near a bus stop.

5   Yusuf wants to prepare and hand out the prizes to the winners. He also wants to sit in the crowd and cheer enthusiastically for the teams. He is looking for a role that lasts all weekend.

Disabled Sports Events

A Indoor Wheelchair Basketball

We need physically fit volunteers to roll players onto the court between matches inside our fantastic sports hall. You will stay completely dry! We also need people with big voices to yell and scream support from the benches when the action starts. It is a highly energetic, fast-paced environment!

B Weekend Athletics Final

Join us this Saturday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. for the senior disabled athletics championships! We need organized helpers to get the ribbons and trophies ready on the tables for the presentation. You will be working directly with competitors over the age of twenty, ensuring their winning moment is absolutely perfect.

C Summer Field Games

Are you available to help outside on the grass every Sunday afternoon? We are looking for careful assistants to arrange the glass trophies and shiny rewards for our disabled champions. While you will be handling the prizes, we do not require anyone to guide chairs or assist with mobility.

D Sunrise Track Event

We are looking for early birds to help at our open-air running stadium from 8 a.m. to midday. Your job involves guiding participants’ chairs to the starting lines in the fresh air. Afterwards, you will be busy putting the first, second, and third-place necklaces in order for the champions.

E Youth Goalball Tournament

Come support our amazing disabled high-school teams! We want enthusiastic fans to applaud and roar for the players during these intense matches. The arena is incredibly easy to reach by public transport, with a main coach shelter located exactly one minute from the front doors. Come make some noise!

F Junior Tennis Championship

We urgently require strong volunteers to push the chairs of disabled athletes aged thirteen to sixteen. It takes place at the remote Valley Club, which is only accessible by car, so you must drive. Please note, audiences must remain totally silent during the matches to help the players concentrate.

G The Golden Cup

We need dedicated staff for an event taking place across both Saturday and Sunday. We want people in the stands roaring with excitement and making a massive noise for the teams! Once the games finish, you will stand by the podium to arrange the shiny rewards for the winners.

H Indoor Swimming Gala

Our disabled swimming stars need your voices! Sit in our warm, dry aquatic centre and roar your support as they race through the water. While we want plenty of volume from the crowd, we already have enough staff to arrange the prizes and move the competitors around the building.

Exercises:   12345