Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Music, Singing & Audio Production
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Campfire Harmonica
Last month, my friends and I decided to go on a weekend camping trip in the mountains. I wanted to do something special for our evenings around the campfire, so I bought a small harmonica. I’d seen musicians in films playing beautiful melodies on them, and it looked incredibly easy. I imagined myself entertaining everyone under the stars, so I packed the shiny instrument in my bag without practising at all.
On our first night, after we had finished eating, I proudly took the harmonica out of my pocket. I took a deep breath and blew into it as hard as I could. The result was absolutely terrible. Instead of a relaxing song, it just sounded like heavy, annoying breathing. One of my friends actually asked if I had a cold! Everyone started laughing, and my face went red. I quickly hid the harmonica away, feeling extremely embarrassed about my performance.
The following morning, my friends went for a long hike, but I decided to stay at the campsite. I was determined to improve, so I used the little internet connection I had to watch a video lesson for beginners. I discovered that I was doing it completely wrong. The teacher explained that you shouldn’t blow into all the holes at once. Instead, you have to change the shape of your mouth to play single notes. I also learned how to ‘bend’ the notes to make them sound sad and emotional. I spent the whole afternoon practising these new techniques.
By the time my friends returned, I felt much more confident. When darkness fell and we gathered around the fire again, I quietly took out my harmonica. I started to play a slow, bluesy melody, carefully choosing each single note. This time, nobody laughed. In fact, everyone sat in complete silence, listening to the soulful music echoing through the trees. When I finished, they all clapped and asked me to play another one.
Looking back, bringing that harmonica was the best decision I made for the trip. It taught me that you can’t just expect an instrument to sound good without understanding how it works. If I keep practising, I might even join a band one day!
1 Why did the writer bring a harmonica on the camping trip?
(A) He wanted to learn how to play it with his friends.
(B) He thought it would be a simple way to entertain his group.
(C) He was asked to play music by the campfire.
(D) He had seen a friend play one in a film.
2 How did the writer feel after playing the harmonica on the first night?
(A) Annoyed that his friends were talking loudly.
(B) Ashamed because his friends made fun of the noise.
(C) Worried because he thought he was getting a cold.
(D) Upset that his friends didn’t recognise his song.
3 What did the writer learn to do the next day?
(A) Blow as much air as possible into the instrument.
(B) Play the harmonica while hiking in the mountains.
(C) Use his mouth to control exactly which sounds he made.
(D) Find better internet connections in the forest.
4 How did the writer’s friends react to his second performance?
(A) They sang along to the music.
(B) They asked him to teach them how to play.
(C) They listened quietly and wanted to hear more.
(D) They were too tired to pay attention to him.
5 What would the writer say about his experience with the harmonica?
(A) I’m glad I took the time to learn the proper techniques, because playing the harmonica is much more rewarding now.
(B) The harmonica is a great instrument for camping, but I wish my friends hadn’t laughed at me so much on our last night.
(C) It was a mistake to bring an instrument I didn’t know how to play, so I don’t think I’ll ever play the harmonica again.
(D) Watching videos online is the only way to become a professional musician, so I will spend all my time doing that from now on.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states he “wanted to do something special for our evenings” and that playing the instrument “looked incredibly easy”, so he “imagined myself entertaining everyone”.
2 B – In the second paragraph, he says “Everyone started laughing, and my face went red” and that he felt “extremely embarrassed”.
3 C – The text mentions he learned to “change the shape of your mouth to play single notes”, which matches using his mouth to control the exact sounds.
4 C – In the fourth paragraph, it says “everyone sat in complete silence, listening” and then “they all clapped and asked me to play another one”.
5 A – This option captures the overall journey of the writer: starting with a poor performance, taking the time to learn the techniques (isolating holes and bending notes), and ultimately finding the instrument rewarding and enjoyable.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Restoring My First Piano
I’ve always wanted to learn to play the piano, but brand-new ones are incredibly expensive. My parents said we couldn’t afford one, which made me feel quite disappointed. Last month, however, while looking at a second-hand website, I found a beautiful, old wooden piano for sale at a very low price. The owner warned me it hadn’t been played in years and was completely out of tune, but I didn’t care. I thought it would be a fun weekend project to restore it myself, so I used my savings to buy it and had it delivered to my bedroom.
Once it arrived, I immediately decided to tune it. I watched a few tutorials on the internet and ordered some basic tuning tools. The people in the videos made it look quite simple: you just use a special hammer to turn the metal pins until the musical note is correct. However, while I was confidently tightening one of the higher strings, I suddenly heard a terrifying ‘bang’. The thick wire had snapped completely! I froze in panic, staring at the broken pieces, terrified that I had completely ruined my beautiful instrument before I had even played a single song.
I quickly realised that fixing the complicated inside of a piano was much more difficult than I had originally expected. Instead of risking further damage, I accepted that I needed to hire a professional piano tuner. When Mr Davies arrived the next day, he easily replaced the broken string and spent two hours carefully adjusting the rest of the notes. Watching him work with such skill, I completely understood why people must train for several years to do this job properly. It certainly wasn’t something you could master from a ten-minute video.
Although I couldn’t do the mechanical work, I still wanted to contribute to the piano’s restoration. So, after Mr Davies left, I spent the whole weekend focusing on the outside of the instrument. I carefully washed the dirty, yellowing keys and polished the dark wood until it shone brilliantly in the sunlight. Now, the piano looks and sounds absolutely wonderful. I have already started my first playing lessons. The experience taught me a valuable lesson: while doing things yourself is rewarding, it’s equally important to know when to respect a professional’s skills.
1 Why did the writer buy the old piano?
(A) She wanted a cheap instrument to learn on.
(B) Her parents suggested it would be a fun project.
(C) She was looking for a beautiful piece of wooden furniture.
(D) The previous owner offered to tune it for free.
2 What happened when the writer tried to tune the piano?
(A) The tools she bought online did not fit the metal pins.
(B) She realised the internet videos were too complicated to follow.
(C) A part of the piano broke and made her feel extremely frightened.
(D) She successfully tuned the higher notes before stopping.
3 How did the writer feel after watching Mr Davies work?
(A) Annoyed that he took two hours to replace one string.
(B) Surprised by how much a professional tuner charges.
(C) Impressed by the high level of skill required for the job.
(D) Disappointed that she hadn’t been able to fix the wire herself.
4 What did the writer do to finish the restoration?
(A) She hired someone to clean the outside of the piano.
(B) She improved the physical appearance of the instrument.
(C) She asked Mr Davies to show her how to clean the yellow keys.
(D) She started taking piano lessons at the weekends.
5 What would the writer write in her blog about the piano?
(A) “I regret buying such an old, broken instrument. It cost too much to hire a professional to fix the inside and clean the outside.”
(B) “Trying to fix my piano was a disaster from start to finish. I recommend never buying second-hand musical instruments on the internet.”
(C) “I managed to tune my old piano perfectly using internet videos! It just proves that you don’t need to pay for experts if you have patience.”
(D) “I couldn’t fix the musical parts of my cheap piano myself, but making it look beautiful again still gave me a great sense of achievement.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – The first paragraph explains that she wanted to learn to play but new ones were “incredibly expensive,” so she bought an old one because it was at “a very low price” (cheap).
2 C – In the second paragraph, while she was tightening a string, she heard a “terrifying ‘bang'” because the wire snapped (broke), causing her to freeze “in panic” (frightened).
3 C – In the third paragraph, the writer states that watching his skill made her understand “why people must train for several years to do this job properly,” showing her admiration and respect for his expertise.
4 B – The fourth paragraph details how she focused on the “outside of the instrument” by washing the keys and polishing the wood, which means she improved its physical appearance.
5 D – This option accurately synthesizes the global narrative: she failed at the mechanical tuning and had to hire a professional, but she still successfully completed the cosmetic DIY restoration (cleaning the keys and wood) and feels rewarded by the final result.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Making Magic on the Bus
I have always been a huge fan of hip-hop music, and I’ve spent years dreaming about producing my own tracks. The problem was that I thought I needed a professional studio and expensive equipment to do it. Because I am just a student, I couldn’t afford any of those things. Then, a few weeks ago, I found a free beatmaking app for my smartphone. I decided to download it so I could practice making music during my long, boring bus commute to school every morning.
At first, making music on my phone was an incredibly frustrating experience. The screen was so tiny, and the app was full of small buttons. My fingers always felt too big, and I kept deleting parts of my song by accident. To make matters worse, the bus was always bumpy, which caused me to press the wrong keys all the time. Several times, I got so annoyed that I almost deleted the app completely. However, I reminded myself that every beginner struggles, so I kept trying.
After about a week of practicing on the bus, I finally managed to put together a complete beat. It wasn’t anything complicated. I just programmed a heavy drum pattern, added a deep bassline, and played a simple, catchy piano melody over the top. When I listened to the finished track through my headphones, I couldn’t believe it. Despite all the clumsy mistakes and the bumpy rides, it actually sounded like a real hip-hop beat.
The next day at school, I exported the audio file and played it for my best friend, Marcus, who is a very talented rapper. I was quite nervous, but as soon as the beat dropped, Marcus smiled. He immediately started rapping his own lyrics over my music. Our friends gathered around, clapping to the rhythm. The combination of my beat and his voice sounded fantastic.
That afternoon changed my whole perspective on creating music. I used to believe that you needed a fancy studio to be a real producer. Now I know that great art doesn’t require a lot of money or expensive tools. If you have passion and a bit of creativity, you can make magic anywhere, even on a bumpy bus ride.
1 Why did the writer download the beatmaking app?
(A) Because his friend recommended it to him.
(B) Because he wanted something to do on his journey to school.
(C) Because he needed to complete a school music project.
(D) Because he wanted to become a famous rapper.
2 What made the app difficult for the writer to use at first?
(A) The app kept deleting his songs automatically.
(B) The instructions were too difficult to understand.
(C) The movement of the bus made him make mistakes.
(D) The screen was too dark to see properly.
3 How did the writer feel about his first finished beat?
(A) He thought the piano melody was too complicated.
(B) He was surprised that it sounded so professional.
(C) He wished he had added more instruments to it.
(D) He felt it was ruined by the mistakes he had made.
4 When Marcus heard the new beat, he
(A) offered to help the writer improve it.
(B) asked the writer to make a beat for his new song.
(C) nervously started singing to the music.
(D) began performing to the track straight away.
5 What would the writer say about his experience?
(A) I’m proud of my first beat, but I won’t make another one until I can afford professional equipment.
(B) Making music on a phone is impossible, so I advise people to save their money for a real studio.
(C) I learned that you can produce great music anywhere if you use your imagination and don’t give up.
(D) The best part of this experience was realizing that I am much better at rapping than I thought.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 (B) – The text states in the first paragraph that he downloaded it so he could “practice making music during my long, boring bus commute to school,” which matches wanting something to do on his journey.
2 (C) – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that “the bus was always bumpy, which caused me to press the wrong keys all the time.”
3 (B) – Paragraph 3 mentions that when he listened to the track, he “couldn’t believe it” and that “it actually sounded like a real hip-hop beat,” showing his surprise at the professional sound.
4 (D) – The text says that as soon as he heard the beat, Marcus “immediately started rapping his own lyrics over my music,” which means he began performing straight away.
5 (C) – This captures the global meaning and the writer’s reflection in the final paragraph: “great art doesn’t require a lot of money” and “If you have passion and a bit of creativity, you can make magic anywhere”.