Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – First Part-Time Jobs 9
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Running with the Challenge
Ever since I was seven years old, football has been my absolute favourite thing in the world. I play for a local team every weekend and watch every professional match on television. So, when I was offered a weekend job at ‘City Sports’, a large sports equipment store, I was extremely excited. I imagined spending all day in the football section, happily advising customers about the newest boots and my favourite team’s shirts. Because I already knew so much about the sport, I felt completely confident that the job would be incredibly easy for me.
However, on my very first Saturday morning, my manager gave me quite a shock. He explained that the football section already had enough staff, so he was putting me in charge of the running shoes department instead. I felt a sudden drop in my stomach. I knew absolutely nothing about running. I didn’t know the difference between trail shoes and track shoes, and I had never thought about how different people need different types of sole support. My dream job suddenly felt like a terrible mistake.
My lack of knowledge became a real problem when my first customer arrived. A woman came in asking for advice on the best trainers for her first marathon. I stood there feeling completely embarrassed as I stared blankly at the wall of shoes. I had to ask a senior staff member, David, to come over and help her. As David confidently explained the benefits of extra cushioning and lightweight materials, I realised that my football knowledge was completely useless in this situation.
Instead of complaining or asking to change departments, I decided I had to adapt. That week, I took several product magazines home and spent hours watching videos about running biomechanics. By the following weekend, I knew exactly which shoes to recommend for flat feet and long-distance jogging. When I successfully helped my next customer find the perfect pair of running shoes, I felt a massive sense of achievement. I learned that in any job, being adaptable and willing to learn new things is much more valuable than what you already know.
1 Why did the writer think the job at ‘City Sports’ would be easy?
(A) He had previously worked in a specialist running shoe store.
(B) He thought he would be selling products he already knew a lot about.
(C) His manager was the coach of his local football team.
(D) He knew that the store was usually very quiet at the weekends.
2 How did the writer feel when he was assigned to the running department?
(A) Excited to finally learn about a brand new sport.
(B) Annoyed that he had to work with a senior staff member.
(C) Anxious and disappointed because he lacked knowledge about running.
(D) Angry because he had brought his own football boots to sell.
3 What happened with the writer’s first customer?
(A) He successfully sold her a pair of lightweight marathon trainers.
(B) He had to get assistance because he didn’t know how to advise her.
(C) He accidentally gave her the wrong size of running shoes.
(D) She decided to buy football boots instead of running shoes.
4 What did the writer do to solve his problem?
(A) He asked his manager to move him back to the football section.
(B) He asked David to handle all of the marathon customers.
(C) He started running marathons to test the shoes himself.
(D) He spent his free time educating himself about running footwear.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about his new job?
(A) I’m glad I changed departments because football is actually a really boring sport compared to running.
(B) I was really upset at first, but I’ve discovered that learning to adapt to a new situation is a great skill to have.
(C) Selling running shoes is impossible without David’s help, so I’m going to look for a job at a football club instead.
(D) Reading magazines about shoes is a waste of time. Customers usually know exactly what they want to buy anyway.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, the writer explains his initial confidence: “I imagined spending all day in the football section… Because I already knew so much about the sport, I felt completely confident that the job would be incredibly easy for me.”
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer states, “I felt a sudden drop in my stomach. I knew absolutely nothing about running… My dream job suddenly felt like a terrible mistake.”
3 B – In paragraph 3, when the customer asks for advice, the writer says, “I stood there feeling completely embarrassed as I stared blankly at the wall of shoes. I had to ask a senior staff member, David, to come over and help her.”
4 D – In paragraph 4, the writer explains his solution: “That week, I took several product magazines home and spent hours watching videos about running biomechanics.”
5 B – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and the overall narrative of the text. It summarizes the writer’s initial disappointment about missing out on the football section and his ultimate realization that being adaptable and learning new things is highly valuable.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Finding the Perfect Match
I started working at ‘Paws and Claws’, our local pet store, last month. Because I have always loved animals, I honestly imagined my weekends would be spent happily playing with cute puppies and feeding rabbits. However, the reality of the job was actually quite different. My manager decided that my main responsibility would be cleaning out the large birdcages at the back of the shop. It was incredibly tiring work, and the smell was absolutely terrible. After a few weeks of doing this, I began to seriously wonder if taking the job had been a massive mistake.
My opinion completely changed during a very busy shift one Saturday morning. A family with two young children walked into the shop, looking to adopt one of our rescue kittens. The kids were extremely excited and immediately ran towards a cage containing a very energetic, noisy orange cat. While the children were thrilled by how much it was jumping around, the parents looked rather anxious. I heard them discussing whether such a wild animal would really be a good choice for their small city apartment.
Seeing their hesitation, I decided to walk over and offer some advice. Instead of letting them take the energetic cat, I gently guided the family to a quieter area of the store. I introduced them to a shy, gentle black kitten named Bella. I explained that because Bella was calm and loved being held, she would be absolutely perfect for indoor living. I asked the children to sit quietly on the floor, and Bella immediately climbed into the little girl’s lap and began to purr happily.
The parents looked incredibly relieved, and they confidently decided to adopt Bella right away. Watching the family walk out of the store with huge smiles on their faces gave me a fantastic feeling of pride. Later that afternoon, as I went back to washing the dirty birdcages, I noticed that the awful smell didn’t bother me quite as much. I finally understood that making sure rescue animals find the right, loving homes makes all the unpleasant parts of the job completely worthwhile. I am actually looking forward to my next shift.
1 How did the writer feel about her job during the first few weeks?
(A) She was delighted because she got to play with puppies.
(B) She was disappointed by the unpleasant tasks she had to do.
(C) She was angry with her manager for giving her too many hours.
(D) She was amazed by how easy it was to feed the rabbits.
2 What did the writer notice about the parents who came into the shop?
(A) They were worried that the orange kitten was too active for their home.
(B) They were annoyed because their children were making too much noise.
(C) They were excited to buy a large cage for their new rescue cat.
(D) They were disappointed that the orange kitten didn’t want to play.
3 Why did the writer suggest that the family should look at Bella?
(A) Because Bella was the most playful and energetic kitten in the store.
(B) Because she wanted the children to learn how to hold a wild animal.
(C) Because Bella’s relaxed personality was suitable for living in a flat.
(D) Because she was trying to keep the children away from the other cats.
4 How did the writer’s attitude change by the end of the day?
(A) She decided to ask her manager if she could stop cleaning cages.
(B) She realised that helping animals made the bad parts of the job acceptable.
(C) She wished she had adopted the gentle black kitten herself.
(D) She felt proud that she had learned how to wash birdcages quickly.
5 What would the writer write in her diary that evening?
(A) The awful smell of the birdcages is finally gone! I convinced my manager to let me spend my weekends matching kittens with families instead.
(B) A family adopted a crazy orange cat today. I tried to offer them advice, but they ignored me and took it to their small apartment anyway.
(C) Working at the pet store isn’t exactly what I expected, but finding the perfect family for Bella today made me see why my job matters so much.
(D) I made a huge mistake taking this weekend job. No matter how many cute puppies I play with, the dirty work just isn’t worth my time.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states that her main job was cleaning birdcages, the smell was terrible, and she began to “seriously wonder if taking the job had been a massive mistake,” showing her disappointment with the unpleasant tasks.
2 A – The second paragraph explains that the parents looked “rather anxious” and were discussing “whether such a wild animal would really be a good choice for their small city apartment.”
3 C – In the third paragraph, the writer explains she showed them Bella because the kitten was “calm” and “would be absolutely perfect for indoor living” (living in a flat).
4 B – The fourth paragraph details that the awful smell didn’t bother her as much because she finally understood that helping rescue animals find loving homes “makes all the unpleasant parts of the job completely worthwhile.”
5 C – This option accurately captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from initial disappointment about the reality of the dirty work to realizing the true value and reward of helping the rescue animals.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Sweet Lesson
When I saw a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in the window of ‘Sugar Rush’, the most popular sweet shop in town, I applied instantly. I have always had a massive sweet tooth, so working surrounded by jars of colorful candies and rich chocolates seemed like an absolute dream. When the manager offered me the weekend job, I was incredibly excited. I figured I would spend my days happily snacking while serving equally happy customers.
On my very first Saturday, the manager told me I was allowed to try a few samples so I could properly recommend them to people. However, I took his permission a bit too far. Throughout the afternoon, every time the shop was empty, I popped a sour gummy, a piece of chocolate, or a fruit lollipop into my mouth. Instead of focusing on my actual duties, I spent hours secretly enjoying the seemingly endless supply of free sugary treats.
Unsurprisingly, my poor decision quickly caught up with me. By the end of my five-hour shift, my stomach was aching terribly, and I felt incredibly nauseous. I could barely even look at a chocolate bar without feeling worse. Walking home that evening, I realized that having unlimited access to something you love requires a lot of strict self-control. I knew that if I continued eating like that, I wouldn’t last another week at the job.
During my next shift, I promised myself I wouldn’t eat a single sweet. To keep my mind completely distracted from the temptation, I looked around for something productive to do. I noticed that the glass jars on the shelves were quite messy. I decided to empty them and rearrange the candies by color, creating stunning rainbow patterns. Then, I carefully built a beautiful, eye-catching tower of chocolate boxes in the front window.
To my surprise, my creative distraction had a fantastic impact. People walking down the street actually stopped to admire the colorful window display, and several of them came inside to buy something. My manager was extremely impressed with the increased sales and praised my hard work. I learned that day that using my creativity to make the shop successful was actually much sweeter and more rewarding than just eating the inventory.
1 Why was the writer so excited to get the job at ‘Sugar Rush’?
(A) He wanted to learn how to make chocolates from scratch.
(B) He had always loved sweets and thought it was a dream environment.
(C) He needed the money to buy sweets for his friends.
(D) His friends already worked at the popular sweet shop.
2 What mistake did the writer make on his first day?
(A) He gave away too many free samples to the customers.
(B) He spent the whole afternoon playing with the window display.
(C) He ate far too much candy instead of focusing on his work.
(D) He accidentally broke several large glass jars on the shelves.
3 How did the writer feel at the end of his first shift?
(A) Very ill and aware that he needed better self-control.
(B) Annoyed that the manager had tricked him into eating candy.
(C) Hungry because he hadn’t had a proper meal all day.
(D) Proud that he had managed to try every single sweet in the shop.
4 What did the writer do to avoid eating candy on his next shift?
(A) He asked his manager to give him jobs outside the shop.
(B) He brought his own healthy snacks to eat during his break.
(C) He kept himself busy by beautifully organizing the products.
(D) He refused to look at the colorful glass jars on the shelves.
5 What would the writer write in his diary that evening?
(A) I’m definitely going to quit my job. Being surrounded by sweets all day just makes me feel sick, and it’s too hard to resist them.
(B) Making the shop look beautiful brought in a lot of new customers, and I realized that doing a good job is actually better than eating free candy!
(C) I got in trouble today for touching the chocolate boxes in the window. Tomorrow, I’ll just go back to quietly eating gummies when the shop is empty.
(D) The manager should never let employees try the candy. It was a terrible idea, and now I completely hate chocolate.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, the writer explains his excitement by stating, “I have always had a massive sweet tooth, so working surrounded by jars of colorful candies and rich chocolates seemed like an absolute dream.”
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that he “took his permission a bit too far” and “spent hours secretly enjoying the seemingly endless supply of free sugary treats” instead of focusing on his duties.
3 A – In paragraph 3, the writer says his “stomach was aching terribly, and I felt incredibly nauseous,” realizing that “having unlimited access to something you love requires a lot of strict self-control.”
4 C – In paragraph 4, to keep his mind distracted from the temptation, he “rearrange[d] the candies by color” and “built a beautiful, eye-catching tower of chocolate boxes.”
5 B – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and the overall narrative of the text. It summarizes the writer’s shift in focus from giving into temptation to finding genuine satisfaction in creativity and hard work.