Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Academic Projects & Field Trips 1
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Voice from the Past
When our history teacher announced that we had to do a project on the school’s 100-year history, I wasn’t excited at all. I have never been very good at history. To my mind, it just meant memorising long lists of boring dates, old buildings, and the names of strict headteachers. My friends were planning to look up basic facts on the internet, but I decided to go to the local library. I was just hoping to find a quick way to finish the homework so I could go out and play football with my team.
However, my afternoon at the library changed everything. I was looking through some heavy, dusty books when the librarian noticed me. She smiled and brought over a small wooden box. “You might find this a bit more interesting,” she said. Inside the box, there was an old, leather notebook. It was a personal diary written by a fourteen-year-old boy named Arthur, who attended my school in 1920. As I carefully turned the fragile yellow pages, I immediately felt curious to find out who Arthur was and what his life was like.
I spent the next two hours reading the diary, and I was completely amazed. I had expected people from the past to be entirely different from us, but Arthur was surprisingly just like me. He wrote about his terrible fear of failing his mathematics exams, his annoying younger brother, and how much he loved playing sports in the school yard. He even complained about the awful school food! Reading his daily thoughts made the past feel incredibly real and alive. It wasn’t just a collection of boring facts anymore; it was a fascinating story about a normal teenager.
The following week, I presented my project to the class. Instead of reading out a long list of dates, I read some of the funniest and most relatable pages from Arthur’s diary. Everyone in the classroom was fascinated, and my teacher gave me the highest mark. The experience has completely transformed my attitude towards history. I finally understand that history is actually just a huge collection of human stories, and I am already looking forward to starting my next research assignment.
1 What was the writer’s initial attitude toward the history project?
(A) He wanted to work with his friends on the internet.
(B) He believed it would involve learning uninteresting facts.
(C) He was worried about failing the history assignment.
(D) He was excited to learn about old school buildings.
2 What happened while the writer was in the library?
(A) He was given a special item by the person working there.
(B) He discovered a wooden box hidden behind some heavy books.
(C) He accidentally broke the yellow pages of an old notebook.
(D) He asked the librarian to help him search the internet.
3 What surprised the writer most about Arthur?
(A) Arthur was excellent at passing his mathematics exams.
(B) Arthur enjoyed eating the meals provided at the school.
(C) Arthur experienced similar problems and feelings to him.
(D) Arthur was completely different from modern teenagers.
4 How does the writer feel about history now?
(A) He wishes he had studied more dates for his presentation.
(B) He prefers giving presentations to writing long essays.
(C) He thinks history is only interesting if it is about famous people.
(D) He realises it is about real people and their everyday experiences.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about the project?
(A) I was right to think history is boring. Next time, I will just use the internet like my friends did to save time.
(B) Reading Arthur’s diary was amazing, but my teacher was angry that I didn’t include enough dates in my presentation.
(C) I used to hate history, but discovering a 1920s diary showed me that teenagers from the past were just like us!
(D) The library didn’t have any useful information, so I had to make up a story about a boy named Arthur to pass.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states that to his mind, the project just meant “memorising long lists of boring dates, old buildings, and the names of strict headteachers.”
2 A – The second paragraph explains that the librarian noticed him, smiled, and “brought over a small wooden box” containing the diary, which means he was given a special item by the library staff.
3 C – In the third paragraph, the writer notes that he “expected people from the past to be entirely different” but found that Arthur wrote about fearing exams, annoying siblings, and bad food, meaning he was “surprisingly just like me.”
4 D – The final paragraph highlights that the writer’s attitude has transformed and he now understands that history is “just a huge collection of human stories.”
5 C – This option captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from expecting a boring, fact-based project to finding a personal connection to the past through a historical diary.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Finding My Future on Screen
When my teacher announced a school trip to a local university’s media department, I immediately signed up. I have always enjoyed watching documentaries and making short videos on my mobile phone, so I thought it would be an entertaining day out. However, as we travelled there on the bus, I started to feel quite anxious. I wondered if the university students would be much smarter than us and whether I would actually understand any of the technical things they were going to talk about.
As soon as we walked into the main television studio, I felt completely overwhelmed. The room was freezing cold and much darker than I had expected. Everywhere I looked, there were huge, expensive cameras, hundreds of thick black cables, and complicated lighting boards. A few university students were pressing buttons on massive screens covered in numbers and colourful graphs. I suddenly felt very small and decided that working in television was far too difficult for someone like me. I quietly stood at the back of our group, hoping no one would notice me.
After a short tour, a friendly professor gathered us around a news desk. He explained how a live news broadcast works and then asked for volunteers to sit in the presenter’s chair. My friends pushed me forward, so I nervously sat down. The professor pointed to a piece of glass in front of the camera called a teleprompter. He explained that the daily news script would scroll down the screen so I could read it easily while looking directly at the audience.
When the red camera light turned on, my heart beat quickly, but I took a deep breath and started speaking. The words moved at the perfect speed, and my voice sounded loud and clear through the studio speakers. I actually managed to read the whole report without making a single mistake. The professor and my classmates clapped loudly, and a huge smile appeared on my face.
That brief moment in front of the camera completely changed my plans for the future. The intimidating equipment didn’t scare me anymore; instead, it felt like an exciting puzzle I wanted to solve. I realised that presenting and producing television programmes is exactly what I want to do. I am definitely going to apply to study media there next year!
1 What worried the writer during the journey to the university?
(A) He feared his own video-making skills were not good enough.
(B) He expected the university students to be unfriendly towards him.
(C) He thought the information on the trip might be too complex for him.
(D) He was nervous about taking part in a long television broadcast.
2 How did the writer react when he first saw the television studio?
(A) He was eager to press the buttons on the massive screens.
(B) He felt frightened because the equipment seemed so complicated.
(C) He was impressed by how bright and warm the room was.
(D) He felt angry because the university students ignored him.
3 What happened when the professor asked for volunteers?
(A) The writer eagerly asked to be the first one to try the activity.
(B) The professor forced the writer to read a very difficult script.
(C) The writer struggled to see the words clearly on the glass screen.
(D) The writer’s classmates encouraged him to take part in the activity.
4 How did the writer feel after reading the news?
(A) He decided that a career in television was the right choice for him.
(B) He was embarrassed because his voice sounded too loud in the studio.
(C) He wanted to learn how to fix the broken cameras and cables.
(D) He realised that writing news reports is his ultimate dream job.
5 What would the writer write in his diary that evening?
(A) Today was fun, but TV studios are too cold and complicated for me. I think I’ll just stick to making short videos on my mobile phone.
(B) The university students showed us how to use the cameras today. I made a huge mistake on the news, but they were very supportive.
(C) I felt so nervous looking at all those cameras today, but reading the news made me realise I definitely want to study media at university!
(D) I was so excited to present the news today! The professor said I was the best student and offered me a place on the university course.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – In paragraph 1, the writer states that he wondered “whether I would actually understand any of the technical things they were going to talk about,” which means he thought the information might be too complex.
2 B – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that he felt “completely overwhelmed” by the “complicated lighting boards” and decided that working in television was “far too difficult for someone like me.”
3 D – In paragraph 3, the writer states that his “friends pushed me forward” when the professor asked for volunteers, meaning his classmates encouraged him to take part.
4 A – In paragraph 5, the writer concludes that “presenting and producing television programmes is exactly what I want to do,” showing he decided a career in television was the right choice.
5 C – This option successfully captures the global narrative and emotional arc of the text: transitioning from feeling intimidated and nervous around the complicated studio equipment to discovering a genuine passion for media after successfully reading the teleprompter.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Egg Drop Challenge
When my science teacher announced our new project, the famous ‘egg drop challenge’, I was absolutely thrilled. The goal was to build a protective container so that a raw egg could survive a drop from the school roof. I have always loved building things, and I immediately decided to create the most impressive and complicated machine my school had ever seen. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was a brilliant scientist.
For the next three days, I spent hours working on my design. I used dozens of plastic straws, hundreds of rubber bands, thick layers of cotton, and even attached a small plastic parachute to the top. It looked like a very advanced spaceship. Meanwhile, my classmate Leo finished his project in about ten minutes. He simply took a small cardboard box, placed two soft kitchen sponges inside, and put his egg in the middle. I secretly laughed at his design, completely certain that his egg would break instantly.
On Friday afternoon, we all climbed up to the school roof. I was the first person to drop my container. As I let it go, the wind caught the plastic parachute, causing the heavy machine to spin wildly in the air. Instead of landing gently, it crashed violently against the hard concrete wall before hitting the ground. When I went downstairs to check inside, I wasn’t surprised to find that my egg was completely broken. I felt terribly disappointed and embarrassed.
A few minutes later, it was Leo’s turn. He stepped up to the edge and dropped his ordinary-looking box. It fell straight down through the air and hit the ground with a soft thud, bouncing just once. When the teacher opened it, Leo’s egg was in perfect condition. I was absolutely shocked. I couldn’t understand how his basic idea had beaten my advanced spaceship.
However, that physics experiment taught me a highly valuable lesson about problem-solving. I realised that I had spent too much time trying to look clever, instead of just solving the actual problem. In science, and in life, making things unnecessarily complicated is often a mistake. Sometimes, the simplest approach is actually the smartest one.
1 Why did the writer want to build a complicated container?
(A) Because he wanted to show off his scientific skills to others.
(B) Because the teacher told him to make an impressive machine.
(C) Because he wanted to protect the egg from the strong wind.
(D) Because he wanted to get the highest mark in the science class.
2 What did the writer think about Leo’s project?
(A) He was worried that it was better than his own spaceship.
(B) He thought the cardboard box was too small to hold the egg.
(C) He believed the simple design was definitely going to fail.
(D) He admired how quickly Leo had finished the work.
3 What happened when the writer dropped his container?
(A) The plastic parachute failed to open because of the wind.
(B) It hit the side of the building before reaching the floor.
(C) It landed too gently to break the raw egg inside.
(D) The rubber bands broke when it hit the hard concrete.
4 How did the writer feel when Leo’s egg survived?
(A) He was angry that the science teacher had helped Leo.
(B) He felt embarrassed because everyone laughed at him.
(C) He was extremely surprised that such a basic design worked.
(D) He was happy that at least one egg didn’t break on the ground.
5 What would the writer write in his science diary?
(A) My complex spaceship design was great, but the wind ruined the experiment. I’ll make the parachute bigger next time.
(B) Leo’s sponge box was a clever idea, but I still think my complicated design would have worked on a less windy day.
(C) The egg drop was a terrible experiment. It taught me that building things is a waste of time if you aren’t naturally clever.
(D) I felt embarrassed when my project failed, but I learned that the best solutions to problems are often the least complicated ones.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – In paragraph 1, the writer states that he decided to create the most impressive machine because “I wanted to prove to everyone that I was a brilliant scientist.”
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer mentions that he secretly laughed at Leo’s design and was “completely certain that his egg would break instantly.”
3 B – In paragraph 3, the text describes how the container spun wildly and “crashed violently against the hard concrete wall before hitting the ground.”
4 C – In paragraph 4, after seeing Leo’s egg survive, the writer says, “I was absolutely shocked. I couldn’t understand how his basic idea had beaten my advanced spaceship.”
5 D – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from the embarrassment of a failed, overcomplicated design to realising that keeping things simple is often the smartest approach in science.