Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Digital Arts, Writing & Creative Media
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Translating for the Fans
Growing up with a Japanese mother and a British father, I always spoke two languages at home. My biggest passion was reading Japanese comic books, known as manga. However, I soon realised that many of my friends at school couldn’t read them because they weren’t available in English. To solve this problem, I decided to start translating my favourite stories and posting them online for free. I was incredibly excited to share these amazing adventures with a much wider audience.
At first, the project was incredibly fun, but it was also a huge amount of work. Translating the jokes correctly took hours, and changing the Japanese text to English inside the tiny speech bubbles was quite difficult. As my website became more popular, thousands of people started reading my translations every week. Unfortunately, instead of being grateful, some readers became very demanding. They started leaving angry comments, complaining that I wasn’t uploading new chapters fast enough.
Reading those negative messages made me feel extremely stressed. I was spending all my free time after school working on the comics, but it was never enough for the internet audience. My fun, relaxing hobby had suddenly turned into an exhausting, unpaid job. One evening, after reading a particularly rude comment about my translation speed, I closed my laptop. I seriously considered shutting down the website completely and never translating another page. I just wanted my free time back.
Before I could delete the page the next morning, I noticed a long email in my inbox. It was from a reader who spent most of his time in a hospital bed because of a serious illness. He explained that my translations were the highlight of his week and helped him forget about his pain. He thanked me warmly for my hard work. Reading his words brought tears to my eyes. It completely changed how I felt. I realised I wasn’t translating for the angry, impatient people; I was doing it for the ones who truly appreciated the stories. I still translate manga today, but I now do it at my own speed, remembering why I started in the first place.
1 Why did the writer start translating the comics?
(A) To improve his own Japanese language skills.
(B) To allow English speakers to enjoy the stories.
(C) To make money by selling them to his friends at school.
(D) To learn how to create his own original manga.
2 What problem did the writer experience as the website grew?
(A) The tiny speech bubbles were too small for Japanese text.
(B) He had to spend hours explaining jokes to his readers.
(C) Readers were unhappy with the quality of his translations.
(D) Some fans were impatient for him to add new content.
3 How did the writer feel about his hobby before receiving the email?
(A) Relieved that he no longer had to work an unpaid job.
(B) Upset because it felt like a demanding and stressful task.
(C) Bored because translating had become too easy for him.
(D) Worried that he wouldn’t be able to delete the website.
4 The email from the sick reader made the writer realise that
(A) he should only translate stories about hospitals.
(B) he needed to translate faster for his sick fans.
(C) his efforts brought real joy to some of his readers.
(D) he should charge money for his hard work.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about his translation website?
(A) “I can’t believe how rude people are online. I’m going to stop translating completely because it just isn’t worth the stress anymore.”
(B) “My website is finally making me a lot of money. The long hours are tiring, but being popular on the internet is great.”
(C) “Even though some fans can be annoying, I’m glad I didn’t give up. Knowing my work helps people makes all the effort worthwhile.”
(D) “I regret starting this website because my Japanese isn’t good enough. I wish I had just let my friends read the original books.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer notes his friends couldn’t read the comics, so he translated them to “share these amazing adventures with a much wider audience.”
2 D – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that demanding readers left angry comments “complaining that I wasn’t uploading new chapters fast enough” (meaning they were impatient).
3 B – In the third paragraph, the writer felt “extremely stressed” because his fun hobby had “turned into an exhausting, unpaid job,” causing him to consider quitting.
4 C – In the fourth paragraph, the reader’s email explained that the comics “were the highlight of his week,” leading the writer to realise he was doing it for the people “who truly appreciated the stories.”
5 C – This option correctly synthesizes the global narrative: the writer struggled with the stress of impatient and demanding online fans, but a heartfelt message from a grateful reader convinced him to keep going at his own pace.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Making Faces
I spend a lot of time on social media, and I have always loved using augmented reality (AR) face filters. Last month, I decided it would be a fun challenge to create my own filter. Because I usually wear unusual sunglasses, I wanted to design a bright, colourful pair of 3D glasses that my friends could use online. I downloaded a free AR software program and felt extremely excited to begin my project. I honestly thought creating a filter would be quite quick and easy.
After spending a few hours designing the perfect sunglasses on my computer, I was ready to test them. I turned on my webcam, expecting to see myself looking cool. However, I immediately noticed a huge problem. The 3D glasses appeared on the screen, but they didn’t follow my movements at all. When I turned my head or walked backwards, the glasses just floated in the middle of the air. It looked completely ridiculous. I felt so frustrated that I almost closed the program and gave up.
Fortunately, I decided to search for some advice online before quitting completely. I watched a video tutorial made by a professional digital artist. The video explained that the software doesn’t automatically know where your eyes are. I had to learn about something called “facial nodes”, which are invisible tracking points on a person’s face. To make the glasses move correctly, I had to carefully link the 3D model to the specific tracking points on the nose and ears.
I went back to my project and spent another hour adjusting all the settings. When I finally turned my webcam on again, the difference was incredible. The digital glasses stayed perfectly on my face, no matter how fast I moved or jumped around. I was so proud of my work that I immediately published the filter online. By the end of the week, almost everyone at my school was using my glasses in their daily videos. It had suddenly gone viral!
This experience taught me a lot about how social media technology actually works. Creating a fun digital filter isn’t just about drawing a pretty picture. You need to have patience and understand how the software connects to the real world. I am already planning my next AR project.
1 Why did the writer want to create an AR filter?
(A) He was asked to do it for a school technology project.
(B) He wanted to design something his friends could use online.
(C) He needed to replace his own broken sunglasses.
(D) He wanted to become a famous digital artist on social media.
2 What problem did the writer have when he first tested the filter?
(A) The software couldn’t turn on his webcam.
(B) The colors of the glasses looked completely wrong on the screen.
(C) The 3D glasses did not move together with his head.
(D) The glasses disappeared when he walked backwards.
3 The writer watched an online video tutorial to find out
(A) how to connect his digital design to a human face.
(B) why the AR software was running so slowly.
(C) how to draw a more realistic pair of 3D glasses.
(D) where to download the best professional tracking programs.
4 What happened after the writer published his finished filter?
(A) He won a prize for the best digital art at his school.
(B) His design became extremely popular with his classmates.
(C) He was asked to make more filters for his friends.
(D) He realized he needed to make the glasses move faster.
5 What would the writer say about his experience?
(A) Designing an AR filter looks easy at first, but it actually requires patience and a good understanding of the software.
(B) I regret spending so much time on my filter because nobody at school actually liked my bright sunglasses.
(C) The best way to learn about technology is to stop watching video tutorials and just guess how it works.
(D) Social media filters are fun, but I think people should stop using them so much in their daily videos.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer says, “I wanted to design a bright, colourful pair of 3D glasses that my friends could use online.”
2 C – The second paragraph states that when he tested it, “The 3D glasses appeared on the screen, but they didn’t follow my movements at all. When I turned my head… the glasses just floated in the middle of the air.”
3 A – Paragraph 3 explains that he watched the tutorial and learned about “facial nodes” and that “To make the glasses move correctly, I had to carefully link the 3D model to the specific tracking points on the nose and ears.”
4 B – In the fourth paragraph, the writer mentions that after publishing it, “almost everyone at my school was using my glasses in their daily videos. It had suddenly gone viral!” This means it became extremely popular with his classmates.
5 A – This captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph. The writer thought it would be quick and easy, but realized that creating a filter “isn’t just about drawing a pretty picture. You need to have patience and understand how the software connects to the real world.”
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Perfect Gaming Guide
I have always been a huge fan of video games, especially role-playing ones. Last month, I finally finished “Knights of Eldoria”, which is famous for being incredibly difficult. Because I had spent weeks trying to complete it, I knew how frustrating it could be. So, I decided to write a detailed online guide to help other players who were stuck. I thought it would be a simple project, and I was excited to share my knowledge with the gaming community.
At first, everything went smoothly. I wrote clear instructions for the early levels and explained where to find hidden items. However, I soon reached the hardest part of the game: the final boss fight. This enemy has very complex attacks, and players have to move to specific places at exact times. I tried to describe all these movements using only words, but the result was a massive page of text. When I asked my friend Leo to read it, he told me that he was completely confused and didn’t understand my instructions at all.
I felt quite disappointed, but I knew Leo was right. I realised that trying to explain such a fast and complicated battle with just words was never going to work. I needed a different approach. So, I played the boss fight again and took several screenshots at the most important moments. Then, I used a basic drawing program on my computer to add bright red arrows and circles to the pictures. These showed exactly where the player needed to stand and when they should jump.
I deleted my long paragraphs of text, uploaded the images with short explanations, and posted the guide on a popular gaming forum. The reaction was absolutely amazing. Within a few days, hundreds of people had left comments thanking me. Many players said that the arrows made the fight so much easier to understand. My post quickly became the top-rated tutorial on the entire website.
Creating this guide taught me a very useful lesson. I discovered that no matter how good your writing is, sometimes people need to see things visually to truly understand them. I feel extremely proud that my guide has helped so many gamers achieve their goals.
1 Why did the writer decide to write the gaming guide?
(A) He wanted to prove he was the best player in the game.
(B) He wanted to make money from the gaming community.
(C) He wanted to assist other players because the game was hard.
(D) He was asked to write it by the creators of the game.
2 What problem did the writer have with the final boss fight?
(A) He couldn’t remember how to beat the boss himself.
(B) His written description of the fight was too confusing.
(C) His friend Leo refused to read his long guide.
(D) He couldn’t find all the hidden items in the level.
3 How did the writer improve his guide?
(A) He recorded a video of himself beating the boss.
(B) He added pictures with marks to show what to do.
(C) He asked his friend Leo to rewrite the difficult parts.
(D) He wrote longer paragraphs with more detailed words.
4 When the writer posted the finished guide online,
(A) people complained that there wasn’t enough text.
(B) it took a long time for anyone to notice it.
(C) players found the visual instructions very helpful.
(D) he received a prize from the website owners.
5 What would the writer say about his experience?
(A) “Writing the guide was a waste of time because everyone just watches video tutorials nowadays anyway.”
(B) “I realised that pictures are sometimes much better than words when you want to explain something complicated.”
(C) “The most important thing I learned is that you should always ignore negative feedback from your friends.”
(D) “I am going to stop playing video games and become a professional writer instead.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – The text states in the first paragraph that he “decided to write a detailed online guide to help other players who were stuck” because he “knew how frustrating it could be.”
2 B – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that he “tried to describe all these movements using only words, but the result was a massive page of text” and his friend Leo “was completely confused.”
3 B – The third paragraph mentions that he took screenshots and added “bright red arrows and circles to the pictures” to show players what to do.
4 C – In the fourth paragraph, the text says, “Many players said that the arrows made the fight so much easier to understand.”
5 B – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph: “I discovered that no matter how good your writing is, sometimes people need to see things visually to truly understand them.”