Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Physical Health, Diet & Exercise
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The School Healthy Menu
When our school headteacher announced that the cafeteria menu was changing, nobody was particularly excited. For years, students had enjoyed eating burgers, pizza, and chips for lunch. However, the school decided that we needed to eat more nutritious meals, so they replaced all our favourite fast food with fresh salads, soups, and dishes made from vegetables. I was quite annoyed because Friday pizza day was always the highlight of my week.
The reaction from the students was completely negative. A group of older teenagers even organised a protest, telling everyone to refuse to buy anything from the cafeteria. Most people agreed, and for the first few weeks, the dining hall was almost empty. Instead of buying the new healthy options, my friends and I brought sandwiches and crisps from home. We were determined to show the school that we wouldn’t accept this new menu without a fight.
Then, one Tuesday, I woke up late and completely forgot to pack my lunch. By the time the bell rang for the lunch break, I was absolutely starving. I had no choice but to go to the cafeteria. I looked at the menu and unhappily bought a bowl of quinoa with roasted vegetables and chicken. I carried it back to my table, expecting it to taste completely flat and boring. My friends looked at me with pity as I sat down.
To my surprise, the first bite was absolutely delicious! The vegetables were perfectly cooked, and it came with a really tasty lemon sauce. Even better, I noticed a huge difference in how my body felt later that day. Normally, after eating a heavy burger and chips, I would feel incredibly tired and lazy during my afternoon maths lesson. But after eating the quinoa bowl, I had plenty of energy and could actually concentrate on what the teacher was saying.
Since that day, I have become a regular visitor to the cafeteria again. It took some time, but I have slowly persuaded most of my friends to try the new meals too. The school protest is officially over, and people have realised that healthy food doesn’t have to be terrible. If the school keeps making such great food, I think we will all be much happier and healthier.
1 Why was the writer annoyed at the beginning of the text?
(A) The cafeteria was closed on Fridays.
(B) The school stopped serving the meals he looked forward to.
(C) He had to start cooking his own healthy food at home.
(D) The headteacher forced the students to eat vegetables.
2 What did the students do to show they disliked the new menu?
(A) They stopped eating food completely during the school day.
(B) They demanded that the school lower the prices of salads.
(C) They avoided the dining hall and brought their own food.
(D) They threw away the healthy meals they were given.
3 Why did the writer buy the quinoa bowl?
(A) He wanted to prove to his friends that it tasted boring.
(B) He decided it was time to stop joining the school protest.
(C) He woke up early and wanted a quick meal before class.
(D) He had no other food to eat and was very hungry.
4 How did the new meal affect the writer in the afternoon?
(A) It helped him stay awake and focus better in class.
(B) It made him feel much heavier than a burger would.
(C) It caused him to feel quite lazy during his maths lesson.
(D) It made him realise he wanted to eat more lemon sauce.
5 What would the writer text to a friend about the school cafeteria?
(A) I can’t believe the school changed our menu. I’m going to keep bringing crisps from home until they bring back pizza!
(B) The healthy meals are quite good, but they still make me feel so tired in the afternoon.
(C) I didn’t want to try the new food, but it’s actually really tasty and makes me feel great! You should get a bowl.
(D) The quinoa bowl was delicious, but my friends are still angry with me for going to the dining hall.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in paragraph 1 that the school “replaced all our favourite fast food” and that the writer was annoyed because “Friday pizza day was the highlight of my week,” meaning he lost the meals he looked forward to.
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that the dining hall was “almost empty” and that the students “brought sandwiches and crisps from home” instead.
3 D – Paragraph 3 mentions that the writer “completely forgot to pack my lunch” and was “absolutely starving,” which left him with “no choice but to go to the cafeteria.”
4 A – In paragraph 4, the writer states that instead of feeling tired and lazy, he “had plenty of energy and could actually concentrate on what the teacher was saying.”
5 C – This option captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: the writer’s initial reluctance to try the food, his surprising discovery that it was delicious, the positive physical benefits, and his new attitude of encouraging friends to try it.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Overcoming My Gym Fear
For as long as I can remember, I have always been the thinnest boy in my year at school. Last month, I finally decided I wanted to change my appearance and build some muscle to feel healthier. I spent hours watching fitness videos online, learning about different exercises, and I even bought some new sports clothes. However, there was one huge problem stopping me. I was absolutely terrified of going to the local gym. I imagined that everyone there would be huge and incredibly strong, and I was extremely worried that they would laugh at me because I couldn’t lift heavy weights.
After weeks of making silly excuses, I finally forced myself to walk to the gym on a busy Saturday morning. When I reached the front door, I stood outside and looked through the large glass windows. I saw confident people lifting massive weights easily and running incredibly fast on the running machines. Suddenly, my heart started beating very fast, and my hands were shaking with fear. I felt so weak and out of place that I actually turned around and started walking back towards my house. I was ready to give up on my fitness goals before I had even started.
Just as I was walking away, the main glass door opened and a tall gym instructor stepped outside. He noticed that I was looking nervous and gave me a very warm, friendly smile. “Is it your first time here?” he asked kindly. Instead of running away or making an excuse, I took a deep breath and admitted exactly how frightened I felt. He laughed gently and told me a secret: every single person inside that room had started exactly where I was. He invited me in and gave me a personal tour, showing me how to use the simplest machines safely.
By the end of our short tour, my fear had completely disappeared. The instructor helped me write a basic beginner’s plan, which meant I knew exactly what I needed to do during my next visit. I also noticed that the other people in the gym were too busy looking at their own reflections in the mirror or listening to music to pay any attention to me. Nobody was judging me at all. Now, I go to the gym three times a week. I am still lifting the lightest weights, but I no longer feel embarrassed because I know I am making progress.
1 Why was the writer afraid of going to the gym?
(A) He didn’t have the right sports clothes to wear.
(B) He thought other people would make fun of his weakness.
(C) He watched online videos that showed dangerous exercises.
(D) He believed the local gym was too expensive for him.
2 What did the writer do when he arrived at the gym on Saturday?
(A) He watched people through the window and then tried to leave.
(B) He decided to go for a fast run instead of lifting weights.
(C) He confidently walked through the front doors to start.
(D) He waited outside for his friends to arrive to help him.
3 How did the gym instructor help the writer?
(A) He gave him a difficult fitness test to complete.
(B) He advised him to come back when the gym was quieter.
(C) He explained that all the members used to be beginners too.
(D) He told him a secret about the other people’s workouts.
4 What did the writer realise about the other people in the gym?
(A) They were all following the same beginner’s plan as him.
(B) They were unhappy about him using the light weights.
(C) They preferred to exercise without listening to music.
(D) They were concentrating on themselves, not on him.
5 What would the writer write in his diary?
(A) “I’m still the thinnest boy in my school, so I think I need to find a different gym with stronger instructors.”
(B) “I almost let my fear stop me, but asking for help showed me that the gym is actually a supportive place.”
(C) “The beginner’s plan is much too hard for me, but I have to pretend to be strong so people don’t laugh.”
(D) “I wish I hadn’t gone on a busy Saturday, because the instructor didn’t have any time to show me the machines.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states: “I was extremely worried that they would laugh at me because I couldn’t lift heavy weights.” This directly matches the idea that he thought others would make fun of his weakness.
2 A – Paragraph two explains that he “stood outside and looked through the large glass windows”, felt out of place, and then “actually turned around and started walking back towards my house”. This paraphrases watching through the window and trying to leave.
3 C – In paragraph three, the instructor makes him feel better by telling him that “every single person inside that room had started exactly where I was”, which means everyone there used to be a beginner.
4 D – Paragraph four states that the other people “were too busy looking at their own reflections in the mirror or listening to music to pay any attention to me. Nobody was judging me at all.” This shows they were focusing on themselves.
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text. The writer almost gave up and walked away (letting fear stop him), but talking to the instructor (asking for help) gave him a plan and proved that no one was judging him (a supportive place).
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My Step-Tracker Obsession
For my fifteenth birthday, my parents bought me a digital fitness watch. I had read online that walking ten thousand steps a day was the secret to perfect health, so I immediately set this as my daily goal. At first, it was a fantastic motivation. I started walking to school instead of taking the bus, and I felt incredibly proud whenever the watch buzzed to celebrate that I had reached my target. I thought it was the best present I had ever received.
However, after a few weeks, my healthy new habit turned into a strange obsession. I began checking my wrist every ten minutes, constantly worrying about my progress. If it was raining and I couldn’t go out, I would panic. One night, at eleven o’clock, I realised I was still five hundred steps short of my goal. Even though I was exhausted, I spent twenty minutes walking back and forth across my small bedroom just to make the numbers on the screen change.
The next morning, I woke up feeling completely tired and stressed. I realised that instead of making me feel fitter, the watch was actually controlling my life. I wasn’t walking because I wanted to enjoy the fresh air or get some exercise; I was only doing it to beat a machine. If I went for a lovely walk in the park but forgot to wear the tracker, I felt like the activity had been a complete waste of time. That was the moment I knew something had to change.
I decided to take the watch off and leave it in my desk drawer for a week. The first few days without it felt quite strange, but I soon noticed a huge difference in my mood. I started going for long walks in the countryside with my dog again. I looked at the beautiful trees and listened to the birds, rather than constantly staring down at a digital screen.
Now, I still wear the tracker occasionally, but I no longer care about hitting exactly ten thousand steps. I have learned that the real joy of walking comes from connecting with nature and relaxing your mind, not from reaching a strict mathematical target.
1 Why did the writer like the fitness watch at first?
(A) It was the exact birthday present she had asked her parents for.
(B) It gave her the motivation to reach a daily health target.
(C) It helped her to travel to school much faster than the bus.
(D) It allowed her to read more information about health online.
2 What did the writer do late one night?
(A) She spent twenty minutes trying to fix a broken digital screen.
(B) She went outside in the rain to finish her daily exercise.
(C) She walked around her room because she hadn’t reached her target.
(D) She checked her watch to see exactly how long she had slept.
3 How did the writer’s attitude towards walking change in the third paragraph?
(A) She felt angry when she had to walk in the local park.
(B) She decided to stop exercising completely because she was too tired.
(C) She only wanted to walk if she was exploring a new place.
(D) She believed walks were useless if her watch wasn’t recording them.
4 What happened when the writer stopped wearing the watch?
(A) She paid more attention to her natural surroundings.
(B) She felt strange and refused to go outside for a whole week.
(C) She bought a new dog to keep her company on her walks.
(D) She realised she preferred looking at digital screens.
5 What would the writer write in her diary now?
(A) I can’t believe I wasted so much time looking at trees. I need to put my watch back on and get back to my ten thousand steps!
(B) Taking off the watch was a huge mistake. Now I have no idea if I am healthy or not, and I really miss the buzzing sound.
(C) I finally understand that walking is about enjoying the outdoors and feeling calm, rather than just worrying about my step count.
(D) I’m going to throw my fitness tracker in the bin. Technology is completely dangerous and no one should ever use it for exercise.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer explains that she set a daily goal of ten thousand steps and the watch served as “fantastic motivation”, making her feel proud when she reached her target.
2 C – The second paragraph describes how the writer realised she was 500 steps short at 11 PM and “spent twenty minutes walking back and forth across my small bedroom” to reach her goal.
3 D – In the third paragraph, the writer admits that if she forgot to wear her tracker during a walk, she “felt like the activity had been a complete waste of time,” meaning she felt unrecorded walks were useless.
4 A – The fourth paragraph details how, without the watch, the writer started going for countryside walks where she “looked at the beautiful trees and listened to the birds,” showing she paid more attention to nature instead of a screen.
5 C – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and the writer’s new mindset in the final paragraph: she has stopped obsessing over a strict mathematical target and now focuses on the joy and relaxation of connecting with nature.