Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Music, Singing & Audio Production
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Magic of Tangled Tapes
Last year, I decided I needed a break from digital music. Although streaming apps are incredibly convenient, I felt like something was missing. You just click a button on a screen, and thousands of songs instantly appear. I wanted a hobby where I could actually hold the music in my hands. While exploring a local street market, I discovered a box of vintage cassette tapes. The colourful cardboard covers and the classic look of the plastic tapes fascinated me, so I bought five of them immediately.
Of course, I also needed something to play them on. I searched online and managed to buy a cheap, second-hand cassette player. When it arrived, I couldn’t wait to test it. I pushed my favourite rock tape into the machine and pressed the chunky ‘play’ button. For the first few minutes, the music sounded fantastic. But suddenly, the sound became slow and deep, followed by a terrible clicking noise. I quickly stopped the player and opened it, only to find the shiny brown tape pulled out and tangled around the machine’s wheels.
I was completely horrified. I thought I had destroyed the tape forever. I carefully pulled it out of the machine, but a long piece of the tape was hanging loosely from the plastic shell. I showed it to my dad, who just laughed. He explained that this was a normal problem in the 1980s. He handed me a simple yellow pencil and showed me how to put it into the holes of the cassette. By twisting the pencil slowly, I was able to manually wind the delicate tape safely back inside.
It took a lot of patience, but I finally fixed it. When I put the cassette back into the player, I was quite nervous. However, as the music started playing perfectly again, I felt a huge sense of achievement. Rescuing the tape made listening to the album much more rewarding. Nowadays, my cassette collection is growing fast. If a tape gets chewed up, I know exactly what to do. I have realised that taking care of my music makes the whole experience much more enjoyable than simply skipping a track on a smartphone.
1 Why did the writer start buying cassette tapes?
(A) He wanted a way to listen to music without using the internet.
(B) He was bored of how easy and digital modern music had become.
(C) He found his parents’ old box of tapes at a street market.
(D) He loved the colourful cardboard covers more than the songs.
2 What happened when the writer used the cassette player for the first time?
(A) The machine refused to play his favourite rock tape.
(B) The music immediately sounded slow and strange.
(C) The ‘play’ button broke off the old machine.
(D) The tape got caught and pulled out of its plastic shell.
3 How did the writer fix the damaged tape?
(A) His dad repaired the cassette player’s wheels.
(B) He carefully pulled the brown tape out of the machine.
(C) He used an everyday object to roll the tape back into place.
(D) He asked his dad to wind the tape for him.
4 How does the writer feel about his hobby now?
(A) He believes that fixing tapes is too much hard work.
(B) He feels proud that he can afford a fast-growing collection.
(C) He finds that putting effort into his music makes it more satisfying.
(D) He is nervous every time he puts a tape into the player.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about his cassette collection?
(A) “I’ve decided to stop using my smartphone completely. Cassettes are the only way to listen to music now because they never go wrong.”
(B) “It was annoying when my first tape got ruined, but I’m glad I learned how to fix it. Physical music requires effort, but I love it.”
(C) “My dad was so helpful when he fixed my broken cassette player. I can’t wait to go back to the market to buy some more colourful tapes.”
(D) “I bought an expensive cassette player online, but it ruined my favourite rock tape. I think I’ll just go back to listening to digital playlists.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states he wanted a break from digital music where “you just click a button” and wanted a hobby where he “could actually hold the music.”
2 D – In paragraph two, the writer explains that after a few minutes, the tape was “pulled out and tangled around the machine’s wheels,” matching the description of it being pulled out of its shell.
3 C – In paragraph three, the writer describes using a “simple yellow pencil” (an everyday object) and twisting it to manually wind the tape back inside.
4 C – In the final paragraph, the writer says that “rescuing the tape made listening… much more rewarding” and that “taking care of my music makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.”
5 B – This option captures the global narrative: the writer experienced a frustrating problem with his first tape, learned a hands-on way to fix it, and ultimately discovered that this physical effort makes listening to music more rewarding.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Filming on a Budget
My best friend, Leo, recently wrote an amazing song and asked if I could help him film a music video. I have always loved watching films, so I immediately agreed. I didn’t have any professional cameras, just my smartphone, but I was sure I could create something great. We spent hours planning the locations and the style of the video, feeling incredibly excited about our new project.
However, our first day of filming was a complete disaster. We went to a local park, and I followed Leo around while he sang, holding my phone as carefully as I could. When we watched the footage at home later, my heart sank. The video looked completely amateur. Because I was walking, the camera was shaking constantly, making it impossible to watch without getting a headache. It didn’t look like a real music video at all.
I knew we needed a way to keep the camera completely steady while moving. Professional filmmakers use expensive equipment called a dolly, which is like a camera on train tracks, but we had absolutely no money for that. I searched online for cheap solutions and then remembered something in my garage. My grandfather had left an old wheelchair there years ago. It had large, smooth wheels, and I suddenly wondered if it could solve our problem.
The next day, we returned to the park with the wheelchair. I sat in it holding my phone as still as possible, while another friend slowly pushed me along the path. Leo walked beside us, singing his song. When we checked the screen, we were amazed. The movement was perfectly smooth, and the video suddenly looked cinematic and professional, just like a real movie.
After editing the clips together, Leo uploaded the video online. It quickly got hundreds of views, and people even left comments asking what expensive camera we used! I felt so proud of what we had achieved. This experience taught me that you don’t need a huge budget to be a filmmaker. If you use your imagination to solve problems, you can create magic with whatever you have.
1 Why did the writer agree to film the music video?
(A) He wanted to become a famous filmmaker.
(B) He enjoyed watching films and wanted to help his friend.
(C) He had just bought a brand-new smartphone.
(D) He had previous experience making professional videos.
2 How did the writer feel about the first day’s filming?
(A) surprised that the phone recorded such high-quality sound
(B) annoyed that Leo forgot the words to his song
(C) disappointed because the video was too unsteady to watch
(D) worried that they had chosen the wrong location
3 The writer decided to use an old wheelchair because
(A) he wanted to film his grandfather in the video.
(B) he thought it would move the camera smoothly without costing anything.
(C) he found a video online telling him to buy one.
(D) he needed to sit down because he was tired of walking.
4 What happened after they uploaded the final video?
(A) People thought they had used high-quality equipment.
(B) A professional film company asked them to make another video.
(C) People complained that the video looked too amateur.
(D) They earned enough money to buy a real camera dolly.
5 What would the writer say about his experience?
(A) I’m glad the video was successful, but I wouldn’t do it again unless I had professional cameras.
(B) Creating this video showed me that being clever and creative is more important than having expensive gear.
(C) Making a music video is actually much easier than it looks, even if you just walk around with a phone.
(D) I regret using my smartphone for the project because the quality was never good enough for a real music video.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph, “I have always loved watching films, so I immediately agreed” when his friend asked for help.
2 C – The writer says “my heart sank” and that because he was walking, “the camera was shaking constantly, making it impossible to watch,” which matches being disappointed by the unsteady video.
3 B – The writer explains they needed to keep the camera steady but “had absolutely no money,” and the wheelchair had “large, smooth wheels” that could solve the problem.
4 A – In the final paragraph, the writer notes that “people even left comments asking what expensive camera we used,” showing that viewers believed they had professional equipment.
5 B – This captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph: “you don’t need a huge budget to be a filmmaker. If you use your imagination to solve problems, you can create magic…”
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Unlocking the Music
I have been playing the piano since I was eight years old. Because my family didn’t have much money for formal lessons, I taught myself by watching online videos and listening to my favourite pop songs. Over the years, I became quite good at playing by ear. If I heard a melody, I could usually figure out how to play it within a few minutes. However, as I got older, I realised that my lack of musical education was holding me back. I wanted to join the school orchestra, but they required everyone to read sheet music, so I finally decided it was time to learn.
When I bought my first book of sheet music, my confidence quickly disappeared. Opening the pages, it felt like I was staring at an impossible foreign language. The black dots and lines meant absolutely nothing to me. For the first few days, I sat at the piano feeling completely lost. I would slowly count up the lines to find a single note, which took so much time that it was impossible to play a continuous song. It was incredibly frustrating, and I started to believe that my brain just wasn’t designed to read music.
Fortunately, my school music teacher noticed my struggle and offered me some brilliant advice. He told me that I didn’t need to count every single line. Instead, he introduced me to some simple tricks to help me remember the notes. For example, to remember the notes on the lines of the treble clef, I just had to learn the phrase “Every Good Boy Does Fine” (E, G, B, D, F). It sounded like a silly children’s game, but it worked perfectly. Suddenly, the confusing symbols turned into clear instructions, and I felt like a detective who had finally cracked a secret code.
Now, six months later, I am completely amazed by what I can play. Understanding sheet music has opened up centuries of beautiful classical music that I never would have been able to learn just by listening. I spend my weekends exploring pieces by famous composers like Mozart and Beethoven. Although I still make mistakes when reading fast sections, I am no longer afraid of the written notes. I have even successfully auditioned for the school orchestra, and I couldn’t be happier with my progress.
1 Why did the writer decide to learn to read sheet music?
(A) He wanted to play in his school’s music group.
(B) He was tired of playing pop songs by ear.
(C) His parents finally paid for formal piano lessons.
(D) He wanted to make his own online music videos.
2 How did the writer feel when he first tried to read sheet music?
(A) Annoyed because the music books were too expensive.
(B) Confident that he could learn the new language quickly.
(C) Frustrated because finding the notes took too much time.
(D) Bored because the songs in the book were too slow.
3 What helped the writer understand the notes on the page?
(A) Playing a fun musical game with young children.
(B) Using short phrases to remember the letters.
(C) Asking a professional detective to help him.
(D) Counting the lines on the paper much faster.
4 What does the writer enjoy doing now?
(A) Writing his own classical music like Mozart.
(B) Teaching other orchestra members how to read fast sections.
(C) Listening to classical music online without making mistakes.
(D) Playing historical pieces he couldn’t learn by ear before.
5 What would the writer say about his experience?
(A) Learning to read music was a waste of time because playing by ear is a much faster way to learn classical songs.
(B) I wish I hadn’t joined the school orchestra, as reading sheet music is still too difficult and confusing for me.
(C) Although it seemed like an impossible language at first, learning some simple tricks helped me discover a whole new world of music.
(D) I am proud that I taught myself how to read notes without anyone’s help, just like I taught myself how to play the piano.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – In paragraph 1, the writer explains his motivation: “I wanted to join the school orchestra, but they required everyone to read sheet music…” The school’s music group is a paraphrase for the school orchestra.
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer says he “would slowly count up the lines to find a single note, which took so much time… It was incredibly frustrating”.
3 B – Paragraph 3 states that his teacher introduced him to simple tricks (acronyms/phrases), explaining that “to remember the notes… I just had to learn the phrase ‘Every Good Boy Does Fine'”.
4 D – In paragraph 4, the writer mentions that reading music has “opened up centuries of beautiful classical music that I never would have been able to learn just by listening”.
5 C – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the passage: the writer started out feeling like the notes were an “impossible foreign language”, used the teacher’s acronym tricks to “crack the code”, and ultimately gained access to centuries of classical music.