Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Environmental Conservation & Climate Action
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
From Waste to Wildlife
Last year, I noticed how much food was thrown away in our school cafeteria every single day. Seeing all those half-eaten apples and leftover sandwiches go into the bin made me feel terrible about the environment. After speaking with my science teacher, I decided to start a composting project to turn our food waste into healthy soil. I presented my idea to the headteacher, who kindly gave me permission to use an empty corner of the school field. I excitedly imagined that making a compost pile would be a quick, clean, and easy way to help the planet.
However, the reality of the project was much more difficult than I had expected. Every afternoon, a small group of volunteers and I had to collect the leftover food from the cafeteria kitchens. The bins smelled absolutely awful, especially on warm days, and my friends often had to hold their noses while working. Furthermore, the compost needed to be mixed regularly to help it break down. Turning the heavy, wet dirt with large forks made our arms ache terribly. Sometimes, I honestly wondered why I had started such a disgusting and tiring hobby.
Despite the terrible smell and the physical hard work, we refused to quit. We read some articles online and learned that we needed to add dry autumn leaves and cardboard to balance the wet food. Following this advice, things slowly began to improve. Over several months, the pile stopped smelling like old rubbish and actually started to smell like a fresh pine forest. By the time spring finally arrived, our disgusting food waste had completely transformed into dark, rich compost. It was absolutely fascinating to see how nature recycles things.
With our fresh compost ready, we decided to plant a large flower garden near the main school entrance. We spent a whole weekend digging the new soil into the ground and planting bright, colourful flowers. Because the dirt was so full of nutrients, the plants grew incredibly fast. Now, whenever I walk past, the garden is completely full of beautiful butterflies and bees. Seeing the local wildlife thrive makes all those exhausting, smelly afternoons completely worth it. I am so proud that our dirty project has created something so beautiful for everyone to enjoy.
1 Why did the writer start the composting project?
(A) He wanted to do something useful with the school’s leftover food.
(B) His science teacher asked him to find a way to help the planet.
(C) He needed an outdoor project to complete his science homework.
(D) The headteacher told him to clean up the empty school field.
2 What did the writer find out about making compost?
(A) The cafeteria staff refused to give them the leftover vegetables.
(B) His friends enjoyed mixing the heavy dirt in the warm weather.
(C) The physical work was much harder and less pleasant than he thought.
(D) The bins smelled worse when they added dry leaves to them.
3 How did the group solve the problem with the smell?
(A) They stopped collecting food waste from the cafeteria.
(B) They moved the compost pile closer to a pine forest.
(C) They decided to wait until the spring weather arrived.
(D) They researched how to add different materials to the pile.
4 How does the writer feel about the garden now?
(A) Surprised that butterflies prefer bright, colourful flowers.
(B) Proud that a smelly task resulted in a wonderful wildlife area.
(C) Annoyed that he had to spend his whole weekend digging.
(D) Disappointed that the plants grew too fast to control.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about the project?
(A) “The cafeteria throws away so much food. I think I’ll ask the headteacher to let us start a vegetable garden to fix the problem.”
(B) “Reading online articles helped us a lot, but I wish we hadn’t wasted a whole year trying to make our own dirt.”
(C) “I almost gave up when the compost smelled so awful, but turning that heavy dirt into a beautiful space for nature was totally rewarding.”
(D) “The butterflies are beautiful, but mixing the dirt was too exhausting. Next year, I will just buy some compost from a garden shop.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – In the first paragraph, the writer mentions that seeing the thrown-away food made him feel terrible, so he decided to “turn our food waste into healthy soil,” which means doing something useful with the leftovers.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer states the reality was “much more difficult than I had expected,” noting the awful smell and how turning the heavy dirt made their arms ache.
3 D – In the third paragraph, the writer explains they “read some articles online and learned that we needed to add dry autumn leaves and cardboard,” which solved the smell issue.
4 B – In the final paragraph, the writer says that seeing the wildlife thrive “makes all those exhausting, smelly afternoons completely worth it” and that he is “so proud” of creating something beautiful.
5 C – This option correctly synthesizes the global narrative: the writer struggled with the initial disgusting reality of the heavy, smelly compost but ultimately felt profound pride and reward upon seeing the flowers and butterflies it created.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Making a Difference
I usually spend my Saturday mornings sleeping late and playing video games. However, last weekend was completely different. My best friend, Leo, invited me to join a local volunteer group that organizes an anti-littering patrol in our town center. I didn’t really want to spend my free time picking up other people’s rubbish, but Leo persuaded me to go with him. I thought it would just be a boring morning, but I agreed to help out.
When we arrived at the main square, the group leader gave us thick gloves, large plastic bags, and bright orange jackets to wear. As soon as we started walking around collecting empty bottles and sweet wrappers, I noticed that people were staring at us. Some teenagers walked past and whispered to each other, and I felt absolutely certain they were making fun of us. I felt incredibly embarrassed wearing the bright jacket and suddenly wished I had stayed at home in bed.
After about an hour of feeling miserable, an elderly woman carrying some shopping bags walked directly towards us. I immediately felt nervous and thought she was going to complain about something. To my surprise, she stopped and gave us a huge, warm smile. She explained that she had lived in the town for over sixty years and felt very sad about the amount of rubbish on the streets. She thanked us sincerely for our hard work and told us we were wonderful young citizens.
Her kind words completely changed my attitude. Suddenly, I didn’t care at all about the teenagers who were laughing earlier. As I continued picking up the litter, I realized that we were actually doing something highly valuable. It wasn’t a silly or embarrassing activity; it was a noble job that genuinely helped our community and protected the local environment.
By the time we finally finished the patrol at midday, my plastic bag was completely full, and I was physically exhausted. Despite being tired, I felt an enormous sense of pride about what we had achieved. I have already signed up for the next patrol, and I’ve learned an important lesson. You should never feel embarrassed about doing the right thing, no matter who is watching you.
1 Why did the writer go to the town center on Saturday?
(A) He wanted to clean up his local neighborhood.
(B) His friend convinced him to join a volunteer activity.
(C) He had to complete a project for his school.
(D) He needed to buy some new video games.
2 How did the writer feel when he was picking up the rubbish?
(A) annoyed that the plastic bags were too heavy
(B) angry because people were dropping sweet wrappers
(C) uncomfortable because he thought people were laughing at him
(D) worried that his bright orange jacket didn’t fit properly
3 When the elderly woman approached the boys, the writer expected her to
(A) ask them for directions to the shops.
(B) help them collect the empty bottles.
(C) say something negative to them.
(D) thank them for cleaning the streets.
4 What did the writer realize after speaking to the woman?
(A) He wanted to become a professional environmentalist.
(B) He had collected more rubbish than the other teenagers.
(C) He needed to ask the teenagers to help the community.
(D) He was performing an important and useful task.
5 What would the writer say in his blog about the weekend?
(A) I’m glad I helped, but I wouldn’t do it again because wearing the orange jacket was just too embarrassing.
(B) I was worried about what people thought at first, but I discovered that helping the community is a reason to be proud.
(C) Picking up litter is a great way to meet interesting new people, especially if you want to make friends with teenagers.
(D) If you want to protect the environment, you should tell people off when they drop empty bottles in the town center.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states that his best friend “invited me to join a local volunteer group” and “persuaded me to go with him,” which matches being convinced to join an activity.
2 C – Paragraph 2 explains that teenagers whispered to each other and the writer felt “absolutely certain they were making fun of us,” making him feel “incredibly embarrassed” (uncomfortable).
3 C – In paragraph 3, the writer says, “I immediately felt nervous and thought she was going to complain about something.” This matches expecting her to say something negative. Option D is what she actually did, not what he expected her to do.
4 D – Paragraph 4 states that the writer realized “we were actually doing something highly valuable” and that it was a “noble job that genuinely helped our community,” meaning he was performing an important and useful task.
5 B – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text. The writer was initially embarrassed by people staring but learned that “You should never feel embarrassed about doing the right thing,” leading to “an enormous sense of pride.”
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Winning the Plastic Battle
I have played basketball for my local club since I was just ten years old. I really love my team and we always have a great time together, but recently, I noticed something that made me quite upset. After every single practice and weekend match, our dressing room was completely full of empty plastic water bottles. We were throwing away dozens of single-use bottles every week without thinking about it. I had just watched a fascinating documentary at school about plastic pollution destroying the oceans, so I decided it was finally time for our team to change our everyday habits.
At our next practice session, I stood up and asked everyone to start bringing reusable bottles from home. I explained exactly how much plastic we were wasting. However, the reaction I got wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for. Most of my teammates agreed that protecting the environment was a good idea, but they complained about the inconvenience of my plan. My friend Tom said he would probably forget to wash a reusable bottle, and our captain, Mark, argued that metal bottles were far too heavy to carry in his sports bag along with his shoes.
I quickly realised that simply telling them to change wasn’t going to work, so I needed a much better plan. While looking on the internet one evening, I found a fantastic website selling metal flasks for a very low price. I used my own pocket money to buy fifteen of them, one for every player on the team. To make them special, I bought some colourful, waterproof stickers and put each player’s name and team number on their new flask. It took me a few hours to finish the project, but they looked absolutely brilliant.
When I handed out the personalized flasks at our following match, the whole team was absolutely delighted. Because they looked so cool and had their names on them, nobody complained about the extra weight or the washing up anymore. It has been two months now, and there is completely zero plastic waste in our dressing room after our games. I am extremely proud of my team for making this change. This experience has taught me that if you want people to change their behaviour, you sometimes have to make it fun, personal, and easy for them.
1 Why did the writer want the team to change their habits?
(A) He was asked by his school to do an environmental project.
(B) He was shocked by the number of bottles left in the dressing room.
(C) He wanted to save the team money on buying drinks.
(D) He watched a basketball game that inspired him to help the oceans.
2 How did the teammates react to the writer’s initial idea?
(A) They thought protecting the environment was a waste of time.
(B) They were angry that they had to buy their own bottles.
(C) They supported the idea but felt it was not practical for them.
(D) They promised to wash their reusable bottles after every match.
3 What did the writer do to solve the problem?
(A) He asked his parents to pay for new metal bottles.
(B) He bought expensive bottles for all the players.
(C) He spent time making the new bottles unique for each player.
(D) He painted the team’s logo onto each of the flasks.
4 What does the writer say about the team now?
(A) They still sometimes complain about washing the flasks.
(B) They have stopped leaving plastic rubbish in the dressing room.
(C) They think the metal flasks are too heavy to carry.
(D) They want to teach other basketball teams about plastic waste.
5 What would the writer write in his blog?
(A) My teammates finally agreed to stop using plastic, but it’s a pity they made me pay for all their new expensive metal bottles.
(B) I’m so happy my basketball team is plastic-free! I learned that giving people a nice, useful gift is a great way to encourage good habits.
(C) Trying to help the environment is too difficult. Even though I bought my team new bottles, they still prefer using single-use plastic.
(D) We watched a documentary at school about the oceans, and now my whole class is using the metal flasks I designed for them.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in Paragraph 1 that the writer became upset because “our dressing room was completely full of empty plastic water bottles” and they were throwing away dozens every week.
2 C – Paragraph 2 mentions that the teammates “agreed that protecting the environment was a good idea, but they complained about the inconvenience,” stating they were too heavy or hard to remember to wash.
3 C – In Paragraph 3, the writer explains that he bought cheap flasks and used waterproof stickers to put “each player’s name and team number on their new flask,” which took him a few hours.
4 B – Paragraph 4 clearly states that “there is completely zero plastic waste in our dressing room after our games” now.
5 B – This option captures the overall success of the project (becoming plastic-free) and reflects the lesson learned in the final sentence about making behavior change fun, personal, and easy for people.