Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Digital Arts, Writing & Creative Media
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Mastering the Sky
I have always been amazed by the beautiful travel videos I see online. The sweeping shots of mountains and oceans look like they belong in a Hollywood film. Because of this, I spent months saving up my allowance to buy a camera drone. I live near some fantastic hills, and my plan was to film cinematic landscapes. I confidently thought that because the drone was expensive and had a great camera, the machine would do all the hard work for me.
However, my first flight was a complete disaster. I took my new drone to the highest hill and immediately sent it up into the sky. I flew it as fast as I could in every direction, trying to film everything at once. Unsurprisingly, the battery died in less than fifteen minutes, forcing me to land. Later, when I watched the video on my laptop, the footage was incredibly jerky and difficult to watch. Instead of a smooth, relaxing film, it made me feel quite dizzy. I felt so disappointed with my terrible results.
Before giving up, I went online to figure out what I was doing wrong. A professional drone pilot in a tutorial explained that flying randomly wastes a lot of battery. If I wanted to capture high-quality videos, I needed to plan my flight path carefully before even starting the motors. Furthermore, she advised moving the controller joysticks extremely slowly. Sudden, sharp movements were the reason my video looked so shaky and unprofessional.
The following weekend, I returned to the hills with a completely different approach. I drew a map of the exact route I wanted the drone to follow. Once it was in the air, I barely moved the joysticks, letting the camera gently slide across the beautiful scenery. When I got home and watched the video, I was thrilled. The sweeping nature shots were absolutely breathtaking, and the battery had lasted much longer. I have learned that owning expensive technology isn’t enough; patience and careful planning are what truly create amazing art.
1 Why did the writer buy a camera drone?
(A) He wanted to become a Hollywood film director.
(B) He was inspired to make high-quality travel videos.
(C) His parents gave him an allowance to buy one.
(D) He wanted to explore the hills near his home.
2 What was the problem with the writer’s first flight?
(A) The camera broke when it landed on the hill.
(B) He couldn’t get the drone to fly fast enough.
(C) The battery lasted much longer than he expected.
(D) The video he recorded was too shaky to enjoy.
3 What did the online tutorial teach the writer?
(A) To always buy an extra battery for long flights.
(B) To decide exactly where to fly before taking off.
(C) To move the controllers as quickly as possible.
(D) To hire a professional pilot to help him.
4 How did the writer feel after his second attempt?
(A) Proud because his planning produced beautiful results.
(B) Surprised that drawing a map was so difficult.
(C) Annoyed that the video still looked slightly unprofessional.
(D) Relieved that the expensive technology did all the work.
5 What would the writer write in his blog about his drone experience?
(A) “If you want to film cinematic landscapes, simply buy the most expensive drone you can find and it will do everything for you.”
(B) “I was ready to give up after my first dizzy video, but learning to fly smoothly and have a plan completely changed my footage.”
(C) “Flying a drone is much easier than I expected, although I wish the battery wouldn’t die so quickly when I fly fast.”
(D) “I enjoyed mapping out my flight, but unfortunately my hands are just too shaky to ever capture a smooth, relaxing video.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The first paragraph states that the writer was “amazed by the beautiful travel videos” he saw online, which motivated him to buy a drone so he could “film cinematic landscapes.”
2 D – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that the footage from his first flight was “incredibly jerky and difficult to watch” and made him feel “quite dizzy.”
3 B – The third paragraph mentions that the tutorial taught him he “needed to plan my flight path carefully before even starting the motors,” meaning he had to decide where to fly first.
4 A – In the fourth paragraph, the writer says he was “thrilled” because the sweeping nature shots were “absolutely breathtaking” after he carefully planned his route.
5 B – This option successfully captures the global narrative: the writer started with a terrible, shaky recording, but by learning to plan his route and move the joysticks slowly, he achieved excellent results.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Mixing Two Worlds
I have always loved listening to many different types of music. My two absolute favourite genres are modern rap and classical piano. Last weekend, I decided to try making a ‘mashup’, which means combining two completely different songs into one. I downloaded a free music mixing program on my laptop because I wanted to mix a fast rap vocal with a slow, traditional piano track. I felt very confident and was incredibly excited to hear the final result.
However, my excitement quickly disappeared. I put both audio files into the software and pressed the play button. Instead of sounding like a cool new song, it sounded absolutely terrible. The words and the music didn’t match at all, and it just sounded like confusing noise. The problem was that the two tracks had completely different speeds, or BPMs (beats per minute). I felt really disappointed. I started to think that combining such different styles of music was just a bad idea.
Despite feeling frustrated, I refused to give up. I searched on the internet and watched a few video tutorials about music production. I soon discovered a special tool in the software called ‘time-stretching’. The teacher in the video explained that this tool allows you to change the speed of a vocal track without making the singer’s voice sound strange or funny. Carefully, I used the tool to slow the rap vocals down until they perfectly matched the gentle speed of the classical piano.
When I finally played the two tracks together again, I couldn’t believe my ears. The rhythm of the rap matched the elegant piano notes beautifully. Because the speeds were now exactly the same, it didn’t sound like a mistake anymore. In fact, it sounded like a brilliant, original masterpiece. I was totally amazed that two completely different genres of music could work so well together to create something so powerful.
The next day, I shared the finished mashup with my friends, and they absolutely loved it. This experience taught me an important lesson about making music. Mixing different songs is a lot like solving a puzzle. If you are patient and take the time to learn how the software works, you can bring impossible things together. I can’t wait to start working on my next musical project.
1 Why did the writer download the music mixing program?
(A) Because he had to complete a project for his music class.
(B) Because he wanted to put two of his favorite music styles together.
(C) Because his friends asked him to create a modern rap song for them.
(D) Because he wanted to learn how to play the classical piano.
2 What was the problem when the writer first played the tracks together?
(A) The software stopped working because the files were too big.
(B) The piano music was much louder than the rap vocals.
(C) The singer’s voice sounded very strange and funny.
(D) The songs were playing at different speeds and didn’t fit.
3 How did the writer solve the problem with the music?
(A) He watched an online lesson and learned how to change the vocal speed.
(B) He asked his music teacher to show him how to use the new software.
(C) He decided to choose a different piano track that was much faster.
(D) He searched the internet for a tool to make the piano sound louder.
4 How did the writer feel about his finished mashup?
(A) disappointed that it still sounded a little bit like confusing noise
(B) amazed that such different types of music sounded so good together
(C) worried that people wouldn’t like the powerful piano notes
(D) proud that he had written an original masterpiece by himself
5 What would the writer say about his experience of mixing music?
(A) I’ve learned that rap and classical music should never be mixed, so I will stick to making normal pop songs.
(B) At first I thought my software was broken, but I eventually managed to fix it and finish my song.
(C) Making a mashup was frustrating at first, but with a bit of patience and the right tools, I created something amazing.
(D) The best way to create a masterpiece is to just play two songs at exactly the same time and hope for the best.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph that his two favorite genres are modern rap and classical piano, and he downloaded the program because “I wanted to mix a fast rap vocal with a slow, traditional piano track.”
2 D – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that the tracks sounded terrible because they “had completely different speeds, or BPMs (beats per minute)” and “didn’t match at all.”
3 A – Paragraph 3 states that he “watched a few video tutorials” (an online lesson) and learned to use a ‘time-stretching’ tool to “slow the rap vocals down” (change the vocal speed).
4 B – The fourth paragraph says, “I was totally amazed that two completely different genres of music could work so well together.”
5 C – This captures the global meaning and the lesson learned. He started out disappointed and frustrated by the confusing noise, but by being patient and learning to use the time-stretching tool, he was able to “bring impossible things together” and create a masterpiece.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Showing, Not Telling
I have always loved watching films, and last summer, I finally decided to write my own movie screenplay. I wanted to create an exciting action story about a teenage detective. I spent my entire holiday sitting at my desk, typing furiously on my laptop. After six weeks of hard work, I typed the final word. I had produced a massive document of exactly one hundred pages! I felt incredibly proud of my achievement and immediately printed it out to read.
However, when I sat down to read the script, my excitement quickly turned into extreme disappointment. I expected an exciting adventure, but I found ninety pages of completely boring conversations. Instead of showing my detective chasing criminals or finding clues, I had written scenes where characters just sat in a cafe discussing what had happened. There was absolutely no action taking place on the screen. I realised that nobody would ever want to watch a movie where the actors just talked for two hours.
I felt quite upset, so I asked my drama teacher, Mrs Evans, to read a few pages and give me some advice. She was very honest and explained the golden rule of writing for the screen: “Show, don’t tell.” She told me that film is a visual medium. Instead of having a character say they are furious, the writer should describe them slamming a heavy door or throwing a glass. She advised me to go through my script and replace the long speeches with physical actions.
The following weekend, I sat down with a red pen and began the difficult editing process. I brutally cut fifty pages of unnecessary dialogue. At first, it was quite painful to delete so much of my hard work. But as I changed the conversations into exciting action scenes, the story suddenly came alive. The boring cafe chats became thrilling chases through dark city streets.
Now, my screenplay is much shorter, but it is incredibly fast-paced and entertaining. I am even planning to send the finished script to a national film competition for teenagers next month. Although cutting my work was tough, I learned that a good movie needs to be seen, not just heard.
1 Why did the writer feel so pleased at the end of the holidays?
(A) He had won a national competition for teenage detectives.
(B) He had managed to write a very long movie script.
(C) He had watched more action films than anyone else.
(D) He had finally bought a new laptop for his desk.
2 What disappointed the writer when he read his finished work?
(A) The characters spent too much time talking to each other.
(B) The story was far too similar to other action movies.
(C) The cafe scenes were going to be too difficult to film.
(D) The actors didn’t like the words he had written.
3 What did Mrs Evans teach the writer to do?
(A) To write longer speeches to explain the characters’ feelings.
(B) To always use a red pen when editing a script.
(C) To describe what characters do rather than what they say.
(D) To make the characters sound more angry in his stories.
4 How did the writer feel about removing so much of his work?
(A) Relieved because the story was finally long enough.
(B) Annoyed that he had wasted his entire weekend.
(C) Upset because he preferred the cafe scenes to the chases.
(D) Sad at first, but happy when he saw the story improve.
5 What would the writer say in his blog?
(A) Writing a screenplay was easy, but editing it was a nightmare. I think I will write a book next time instead of a film.
(B) My drama teacher hated my story, so I threw away 50 pages. I’m going to start a completely new detective movie tomorrow.
(C) It was hard to delete half of my script, but learning to show the action instead of just talking about it made my movie much better.
(D) The best way to write a movie is to have your characters explain everything in long conversations. Action scenes are just too hard to write.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, the writer states that after six weeks he “had produced a massive document of exactly one hundred pages” and “felt incredibly proud of my achievement”.
2 A – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that he expected an adventure but instead found “ninety pages of completely boring conversations” where characters “just sat in a cafe discussing what had happened.”
3 C – Paragraph 3 details Mrs Evans’s advice: the “Show, don’t tell” rule. She advised him to “describe them slamming a heavy door” and “replace the long speeches with physical actions.”
4 D – In paragraph 4, the writer notes that it was “quite painful to delete so much of my hard work” (sad at first), but then “the story suddenly came alive” and became “thrilling” (happy when he saw it improve).
5 C – This option accurately captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the passage: the writer struggled to throw away 50 pages of his work, but doing so taught him the “show, don’t tell” rule and significantly improved his final script.