Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Collections & Niche Hobbies
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Patient Art of Bonsai
I have always loved having plants in my bedroom, but I usually prefer things that grow quickly, like sunflowers or tomatoes. However, a few months ago, I saw a documentary about the Japanese art of bonsai. I was amazed by how these miniature trees looked exactly like huge, ancient trees in the forest. I immediately decided I wanted to create my own. I went to a local garden centre, spent my pocket money on a small starter tree and some special tools, and felt excited to begin my new hobby.
When I got home, I placed the little tree on my desk and looked at it closely. In the documentary, the artists carefully cut their trees into beautiful shapes. Because I am not a very patient person, I wanted my tree to look like a professional masterpiece straight away. I took my new scissors and started cutting off branches and leaves. I thought that if I removed enough of the plant, it would immediately look like the perfect miniature trees I had admired on television.
Unfortunately, my quick actions were a terrible mistake. A few days later, I noticed that the remaining leaves were turning brown and falling onto my desk. My beautiful little tree looked completely sick, and I panicked. I realised that I had cut off far too much and had nearly killed the plant. Desperate to save it, I visited a gardening website to ask for advice. An expert explained that a bonsai tree is a living thing, not a piece of wood you can force into a shape in one afternoon.
The expert told me that true bonsai artists wait months or even years between cuts. They slowly guide the tree’s natural growth instead of trying to control it completely. I felt foolish, but I followed the advice. I gave my tree a little water, moved it to a sunnier spot, and promised to leave it alone. After several anxious weeks, I finally saw a tiny new green leaf appear. My tree was surviving! This experience has taught me that nature takes its own time, and I am slowly learning to enjoy the quiet, patient art of waiting.
1 Why did the writer buy a starter tree?
(A) He wanted to grow a plant that would grow very quickly.
(B) He was inspired by a television programme about the hobby.
(C) He needed a way to spend his extra pocket money.
(D) He wanted a large, ancient tree to put in his bedroom.
2 What was the writer’s reason for cutting off so many leaves?
(A) He was trying to follow the instructions from a gardening website.
(B) He noticed that the branches were already turning brown and dying.
(C) He wanted to practice using the expensive new scissors he had bought.
(D) He was impatient and wanted the tree to look perfect immediately.
3 What did the writer learn from the gardening expert?
(A) That the tree was already dead and could no longer be saved.
(B) That a bonsai tree takes a very long time to be shaped.
(C) That he needed to buy stronger tools to cut the hard wood.
(D) That he should have bought a different kind of starter plant.
4 How does the writer feel about his bonsai tree now?
(A) He is annoyed because the tree requires too much daily watering.
(B) He is disappointed that the tree only has one green leaf left.
(C) He is glad it survived and accepts the slow process of growing it.
(D) He is confident he can now cut the tree into a perfect shape.
5 What would the writer write in his diary today?
(A) My bonsai tree is completely dead because I cut it too much. I think I’ll stick to growing sunflowers from now on!
(B) I finally managed to make my tree look exactly like the ones on TV! It only took a few quick cuts with my new scissors.
(C) Seeing that tiny new leaf today made me so happy. I’ve realised that you can’t rush nature, and true art requires a lot of patience.
(D) The plant expert told me I have a real talent for bonsai. Tomorrow, I’m going to trim the branches again to finish the beautiful design.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The first paragraph states that the writer saw a documentary about bonsai, was amazed by it, and “immediately decided I wanted to create my own.”
2 D – In the second paragraph, the writer explains, “Because I am not a very patient person, I wanted my tree to look like a professional masterpiece straight away.”
3 B – The third paragraph describes the expert explaining that “a bonsai tree is a living thing, not a piece of wood you can force into a shape in one afternoon,” meaning it takes a long time.
4 C – In the fourth paragraph, the writer expresses happiness that the tree is surviving and notes, “I am slowly learning to enjoy the quiet, patient art of waiting.”
5 C – This option successfully captures the global narrative: it mentions his relief at seeing the new leaf, acknowledges his earlier mistake of rushing, and highlights the central lesson of patience and respecting nature’s pace.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A World in a Jar
I have always loved nature, but because I live in a small apartment without a garden, I can’t easily grow my own plants. A few months ago, while I was looking for indoor gardening ideas on the internet, I discovered terrariums. A terrarium is basically a miniature ecosystem grown inside a closed glass container. It sounded like a fantastic and completely original project, so I immediately decided to build one for my desk.
The next day, I bought a large glass jar with a heavy lid, some dark soil, and three tiny plants. I carefully arranged everything inside the glass and thought it looked absolutely beautiful. Because I wanted my new plants to grow quickly, I poured a large cup of water into the soil before closing the jar tightly. I was incredibly proud of my little indoor garden and expected it to stay green forever.
However, about a week later, I noticed a serious problem. The glass was so cloudy that I could barely see inside. When I opened the lid, there was a terrible smell. Instead of healthy plants, the soil and leaves were completely covered in thick white mould. The plants were dying because I had added far too much moisture. I felt deeply disappointed as I threw the dead plants into the rubbish bin, realising my new hobby wasn’t as simple as I had originally thought.
Instead of giving up, I spent hours reading books about how terrariums actually work. I learned that because the jar is closed, the water has nowhere to escape to. I decided to try again, but this time I was much more careful. I put small stones at the bottom for drainage, added a little bit of special charcoal to stop the mould, and used much less soil. Most importantly, I only added a few drops of water.
Now, six months later, my terrarium looks absolutely perfect. The plants are healthy, and the mini-environment naturally waters itself without my help. That messy first attempt taught me a very important lesson about nature. I finally understand that real ecosystems are incredibly fragile, and everything must be in the exact right balance for life to survive.
1 Why did the writer decide to make a terrarium?
(A) He wanted a hobby that he could enjoy outdoors.
(B) He was looking for a way to have plants in his flat.
(C) He had to complete a science project for school.
(D) He wanted to give his friend an original present.
2 What mistake did the writer make with his first terrarium?
(A) He used the wrong kind of soil for indoor plants.
(B) He bought a glass jar that was too small.
(C) He gave the plants far more water than they needed.
(D) He forgot to close the lid of the jar completely.
3 How did the writer feel when he looked at the jar a week later?
(A) Upset because his mini-ecosystem had failed.
(B) Surprised that the plants had grown so quickly.
(C) Worried that the white mould was dangerous to touch.
(D) Annoyed that the glass was too difficult to clean.
4 When the writer built his second terrarium, he
(A) asked a gardening expert for some better advice.
(B) left the lid off the jar so the water could escape.
(C) used completely different plants from the first time.
(D) included extra materials to keep the environment healthy.
5 What would the writer write in a blog post about his experience?
(A) “Building a terrarium is an incredibly easy hobby, and you don’t even need to water the plants at all.”
(B) “I realised that making an indoor garden is too expensive, so I’ve decided to buy plastic plants instead.”
(C) “My failure taught me that nature is very delicate, and you need the perfect balance to make things grow.”
(D) “I’m so glad I read all those books before I started, because it helped me avoid making a terrible mess.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph, “because I live in a small apartment without a garden, I can’t easily grow my own plants… I was looking for indoor gardening ideas”. This matches looking for a way to have plants in his flat.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that he “poured a large cup of water into the soil”. Paragraph three confirms this was a mistake, saying “The plants were dying because I had added far too much moisture.” This is a factually correct paraphrase for giving them far more water than they needed.
3 A – Paragraph three explains that he found the plants covered in mould and dying, and “felt deeply disappointed as I threw the dead plants into the rubbish bin”. This maps perfectly to being upset because his mini-ecosystem had failed.
4 D – The fourth paragraph states that the writer “put small stones at the bottom… added a little bit of special charcoal to stop the mould”. This matches including extra materials to keep the environment healthy.
5 C – This option successfully captures the global meaning and the specific lesson in the final paragraph: “That messy first attempt taught me a very important lesson about nature. I finally understand that real ecosystems are incredibly fragile, and everything must be in the exact right balance for life to survive.”
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My First Metal Detecting Adventure
I’ve always been fascinated by history and the hidden treasures that might be buried right under our feet. For my fifteenth birthday, my parents bought me my very own metal detector. I had watched dozens of online videos showing people uncovering ancient coins and valuable gold rings in ordinary places. So, I was absolutely convinced that I would find something amazing on my very first trip. I chose a large field near my house, which used to be a busy market hundreds of years ago, and started my adventure.
At first, sweeping the heavy metal detector back and forth across the grass was really exciting. However, that excitement didn’t last very long. Every time the machine made a loud beeping sound, I quickly got my small spade and started digging. But instead of finding gold, I only found pieces of rubbish. After two hours of walking and digging in the cold wind, my pockets were just full of rusty nails, an empty tin can, and several old bottle caps. My arms were aching, and I was feeling quite foolish for believing it would be so easy.
I was just about to give up and go home for lunch when the machine made a very different, high-pitched noise. I didn’t want to dig another hole for no reason, but I decided to try one last time. I pushed the spade into the soft earth and pulled up a large chunk of mud. As I carefully broke the dirt apart with my fingers, I saw something round and dark green. I cleaned it with a bit of water from my bottle and realised it wasn’t rubbish. It was a beautiful, heavy metal button with a picture of a horse on it.
When I took the button home, my grandad looked at it and told me it was probably an antique from a nineteenth-century soldier’s uniform. Suddenly, those long hours of walking in the freezing field felt completely thrilling. Even though I hadn’t found the valuable gold I originally dreamt of, holding a real piece of history in my hand was an incredible reward. I am already planning to go back to the same field next weekend, and this time, I won’t mind if I have to dig up a few more rusty nails first!
1 Why did the writer choose the field near his house?
(A) He saw someone find a gold ring there in an online video.
(B) He knew it was an important location in the past.
(C) He wanted to stay close to home in case he got lost.
(D) His parents suggested it was a good place for beginners.
2 How did the writer feel after two hours of metal detecting?
(A) He was annoyed that his metal detector was broken.
(B) He was upset because he had lost some of his equipment.
(C) He felt silly for expecting to find treasure quickly.
(D) He was worried about the freezing weather conditions.
3 What happened right before the writer found the button?
(A) He almost stopped looking for the day.
(B) He decided to dig a hole where the machine was quiet.
(C) He washed a piece of rubbish to see what it was.
(D) He heard the same noise the machine had made before.
4 What does the writer think about his hobby now?
(A) He only wants to search for gold items from now on.
(B) He is happy to search even if he finds useless things.
(C) He plans to give his new discoveries to his grandad.
(D) He thinks metal detecting is too difficult in winter.
5 What would the writer write in his diary that evening?
(A) I can’t believe how much money my first discovery is worth! I’m going to sell this antique button tomorrow.
(B) Metal detecting is just too tiring for me. I spent the whole morning digging up rubbish and I’m never doing it again.
(C) The videos I watched were completely wrong. You can never find anything interesting if you just search in ordinary fields.
(D) It took a lot of hard work and patience, but finding something from the past made the whole experience amazing.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states he chose the field because it “used to be a busy market hundreds of years ago,” meaning he knew of its historical importance.
2 C – The writer states that he was “feeling quite foolish for believing it would be so easy” after only finding rusty nails and rubbish.
3 A – Right before the machine beeped for the button, the writer mentions he “was just about to give up and go home for lunch,” which means he almost stopped looking.
4 B – At the end of the text, the writer says, “this time, I won’t mind if I have to dig up a few more rusty nails first,” showing he accepts finding useless things as part of the process.
5 D – This option best captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the story: acknowledging the difficult, unrewarding start but concluding that holding a piece of history made the effort completely worthwhile.