Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Charity Events, Fundraising & Activism
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Going Viral for a Good Cause
Like most teenagers, I spend quite a lot of time scrolling through social media, usually just watching funny videos or the latest dance trends. Recently, however, I noticed a worrying trend at my school. More and more of my classmates were starting to vape, thinking it was a completely harmless activity. I had read several science articles about the serious health risks of vaping for young people, and I felt I needed to do something. Instead of just complaining to my friends or doing a boring presentation for a school project, I decided to use the app we all look at every day to spread the truth.
I thought filming a short educational video would take me about ten minutes, but I was completely wrong. First, I had to choose the most important facts so that viewers wouldn’t get bored. Then, the editing process took absolutely ages. I spent hours adding music, typing text onto the screen, and using special effects to make sure the message was clear but still entertaining. By the time I finished, my eyes were aching and I was so exhausted that I almost deleted the whole thing. Making an awareness video was much harder work than learning a simple dance routine!
After uploading the video that evening, I didn’t expect much to happen. For the first few hours, it only received a couple of likes from my close friends. But when I woke up the next morning, my phone was full of notifications. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the app; the video had reached over a hundred thousand views overnight! Complete strangers were sharing it with their friends and it was spreading incredibly fast.
The best part, however, wasn’t the huge number of views, but the comments below the video. Teenagers from all over the country were writing that they had no idea how dangerous vaping actually was, and many promised to quit immediately. Reading those messages gave me a wonderful feeling of achievement. I finally realised that social media isn’t just for silly entertainment; it can be used as a powerful tool to make a profound, positive impact on society. I’m already planning my next awareness video, and I hope it will be just as successful.
1 Why did the writer decide to make the video?
(A) She was asked to complete a school project about health.
(B) She wanted to warn young people about a dangerous habit.
(C) She wanted to become famous by following a new trend.
(D) She was bored of watching her friends dance on social media.
2 How did the writer feel while making the video?
(A) Annoyed because the editing software kept crashing.
(B) Surprised by how quickly she managed to finish it.
(C) Stressed because she couldn’t find suitable music for it.
(D) Tired because the process required so much time and effort.
3 What happened the morning after she uploaded the video?
(A) She was disappointed by the small number of likes.
(B) She received hundreds of messages from her close friends.
(C) She was amazed to see that her video had become highly popular.
(D) She decided to delete the video because it was spreading too fast.
4 What did the writer learn from reading the video’s comments?
(A) That online platforms can be used to help others in a meaningful way.
(B) That creating educational videos is the only way to get lots of views.
(C) That teenagers prefer watching silly videos to learning about health.
(D) That she needs to reply to every single person who watches her videos.
5 What would the writer write in her blog today?
(A) Creating content for social media is exhausting. Even though my video went viral, I’m going back to posting simple dance routines from now on.
(B) It took hours of hard work, but reading how my video helped other teenagers makes me see the true value of social media.
(C) I am so proud that I finally managed to reach 100,000 views on my account. Next time, I will make an even funnier video to entertain my followers!
(D) My school project on vaping was a huge success online. I am so grateful to my classmates who helped me edit the video for hours!
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states she read about the “serious health risks of vaping for young people” and decided to use the app to “spread the truth” about this worrying trend.
2 D – The writer mentions that the editing process “took absolutely ages,” leaving her eyes aching and making her “so exhausted that I almost deleted the whole thing.”
3 C – The text says she “couldn’t believe my eyes” when she saw the video “had reached over a hundred thousand views overnight!” and was spreading incredibly fast.
4 A – After reading the comments, she realised that social media “can be used as a powerful tool to make a profound, positive impact on society.”
5 B – This option successfully captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from the exhaustion of hours of editing to the rewarding realization that her effort had a positive impact on other people’s lives.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Turning Junk into Joy
Last month, I decided to raise some money for a local orphanage that desperately needed new sports equipment. I was trying to think of a clever way to help when I noticed how incredibly messy our house had become. We had boxes of old clothes and games that we never used anymore. I realised that organizing a garage sale would be the perfect solution. Not only could I collect money for a good cause, but I could also create some much-needed space in our home. My parents thought it was a brilliant idea and agreed to let me sell all our unwanted items.
Preparing for the sale, however, took a lot more effort than I had originally imagined. I spent my entire weekend pulling heavy boxes out of the garage and sorting through years of forgotten memories. Finding my old childhood toys made me feel quite nostalgic, but I knew they had to go. The most difficult part was deciding how much to charge for each item. I wanted the prices to be low enough so people would buy things, but high enough to actually help the orphanage. I went to bed on Friday night feeling exhausted but confident that the next day would be a fun and relaxed experience.
When I opened the garage doors early on Saturday morning, a crowd of people was already waiting outside. At first, I was thrilled to see so many potential customers. But my excitement quickly faded when I started dealing with some very aggressive bargain hunters. Even though I had priced an old board game at just two dollars, one man spent ten minutes arguing with me to get it for a dollar and fifty cents! It was incredibly frustrating to negotiate over fifty cents, especially since I had clearly displayed a large sign explaining that all the profits were going directly to charity.
Despite those annoying moments, the afternoon ended up being a massive success. By four o’clock, the tables were almost completely empty. When I finally sat down to count the coins and notes in my cash box, I was absolutely amazed. We had made over three hundred dollars just from selling our old junk! This experience has completely changed my view on keeping unnecessary things. I have learned the real financial power of decluttering, and I am already planning to organize another sale for the orphanage next summer.
1 Why did the writer decide to organize a garage sale?
(A) To clear space in his house to buy new sports equipment.
(B) To raise money for a charity while tidying up his home.
(C) To sell his parents’ unwanted items to buy new toys.
(D) To help his parents clean the messy garage for a school project.
2 How did the writer feel about preparing for the sale?
(A) He found it surprisingly easy to price the old items.
(B) He felt sad that his parents forced him to sell his childhood toys.
(C) He realized it required more hard work than he had expected.
(D) He was disappointed that it took him a whole week to organize the boxes.
3 What annoyed the writer during the garage sale?
(A) Customers complained that his items were far too expensive.
(B) People started arriving long before he opened the doors.
(C) Buyers were demanding more items than he actually had.
(D) Some customers argued with him over very small amounts of money.
4 What did the writer learn by the end of the day?
(A) That keeping old memories is more valuable than making money.
(B) That clearing out unused items can be very profitable.
(C) That he should price his junk higher at his next garage sale.
(D) That organizing a sale takes too much time to do every summer.
5 What would the writer write in his diary that evening?
(A) I can’t believe people were arguing over fifty cents! I’m so angry that we barely made any money for the orphanage after all that hard work.
(B) Sorting through my old toys was fun, but I regret selling them now. At least my parents are happy that the garage is finally empty.
(C) Dealing with difficult customers was really frustrating, but turning our old junk into three hundred dollars for charity feels absolutely amazing!
(D) The sale was incredibly relaxing from start to finish. I really loved negotiating with the bargain hunters to get the best prices for my old games.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, the writer states he wanted to “collect money for a good cause” and also “create some much-needed space in our home,” which means raising money while tidying up.
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that preparing “took a lot more effort than I had originally imagined” and left him feeling exhausted, showing it required more hard work than expected.
3 D – In paragraph 3, the writer expresses frustration when a man spent ten minutes “arguing with me” to lower a price, finding it annoying to “negotiate over fifty cents” (very small amounts of money).
4 B – In paragraph 4, the writer states, “I have learned the real financial power of decluttering” after making three hundred dollars from old junk, meaning it can be very profitable.
5 C – This option accurately captures the global meaning and emotional journey of the text: it acknowledges the annoying negotiations with bargain hunters, while celebrating the ultimate financial success of clearing out old junk for charity.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Night in the Cold
When our school’s charity committee announced a “Sleep Out” event to raise awareness for youth homelessness, my friends and I immediately signed up. The plan was to spend a Friday night in November sleeping outside in the school yard using only sleeping bags and large cardboard boxes. I have always enjoyed camping, so I imagined it would be a fun, exciting challenge. We thought we would spend the evening chatting under the stars and eating snacks before easily falling asleep in our makeshift shelters.
However, as the sun went down, the reality of the situation quickly became apparent. November nights are bitterly cold, and the thin cardboard boxes provided absolutely no protection from the freezing wind. The concrete ground of the school yard was incredibly hard and unforgiving. I tried to make myself comfortable by rolling up my jacket to use as a pillow, but my whole body ached. Instead of chatting and laughing, my friends and I lay in our boxes shivering, desperately trying to keep warm.
As the hours dragged on, sleep was completely impossible. Every time a car drove past the school or a dog barked in the distance, I woke up with a jump. I felt incredibly exposed and vulnerable. Lying there in the dark, my perspective began to shift dramatically. I had always thought of living on the streets as something sad but manageable, perhaps even a little bit adventurous. But experiencing just a fraction of that physical pain and exhaustion shattered those romanticized ideas completely.
When the sun finally rose the next morning, we packed up our damp cardboard boxes in complete silence. I was utterly exhausted, my back was stiff, and I couldn’t wait to go home to my warm bed and a hot shower. That single night taught me a harsh and vital lesson. Homelessness is not a romantic adventure; it is a brutal, daily struggle for survival. I now have a profound respect and deep empathy for anyone who has to endure those terrible conditions every single night.
1 Why did the writer initially look forward to the “Sleep Out”?
(A) She wanted to win a school outdoor survival competition.
(B) She thought it would be an enjoyable and fun camping experience.
(C) She needed to test out her new winter sleeping bag.
(D) She wanted to prove to her friends that she wasn’t afraid of the cold.
2 What made the night so difficult for the writer?
(A) Her friends were talking and laughing too loudly for her to sleep.
(B) She forgot to bring a warm jacket and late-night snacks.
(C) The uncomfortable concrete ground and the freezing weather.
(D) The cardboard boxes blew away in the strong November wind.
3 While lying awake in the dark, the writer realised that…
(A) living on the streets was a much harsher reality than she had imagined.
(B) she needed to find a safer, quieter place to sleep in the school yard.
(C) she should have brought a proper camping tent instead of cardboard.
(D) sleeping outside in November is illegal in her local neighbourhood.
4 How did the students behave the next morning?
(A) They were excited to tell their teachers about their fun adventure.
(B) They were annoyed that they had to clean up the school yard.
(C) They were completely exhausted and quiet as they packed their things.
(D) They were disappointed that they hadn’t raised more money for charity.
5 What would the writer say about her experience?
(A) “It was a terrible idea, and the school should never allow students to sleep outside in the winter.”
(B) “I thought it would be a fun challenge, but it opened my eyes to the brutal reality that homeless people face.”
(C) “Sleeping in a cardboard box wasn’t actually that bad once I managed to block out the noise of the cars.”
(D) “I learned that homelessness is a sad issue, but I still think living on the streets would be quite an adventure.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph, “I have always enjoyed camping, so I imagined it would be a fun, exciting challenge. We thought we would spend the evening chatting… before easily falling asleep”.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that “November nights are bitterly cold, and the thin cardboard boxes provided absolutely no protection” and “The concrete ground of the school yard was incredibly hard and unforgiving.”
3 A – The third paragraph mentions that she used to think living on the streets was “manageable, perhaps even a little bit adventurous,” but the experience “shattered those romanticized ideas completely.”
4 C – In the fourth paragraph, the text says, “When the sun finally rose the next morning, we packed up our damp cardboard boxes in complete silence. I was utterly exhausted”.
5 B – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph: the writer expected a fun, camp-like challenge, but the miserable, freezing night shattered her romanticized ideas and taught her the brutal reality of homelessness.