Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Impact of Tech & Social Media
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Fear of Missing Out
Last Friday evening started out like any other normal day. I had finally finished all my school homework and I was really looking forward to a quiet, relaxing weekend. I lay down on my bed and casually opened a social media app on my mobile phone. Almost immediately, my screen was filled with bright photos of my classmates laughing, dancing, and eating pizza. They were at a big party at my friend Jake’s house. The problem was, I wasn’t invited.
Suddenly, my relaxing evening was ruined. I experienced a terrible feeling that people call FOMO – the fear of missing out. My mind raced with questions. Why hadn’t Jake asked me to come? Did I do something to upset him? As I kept looking at the pictures, I felt completely crushed and lonely. It seemed like everyone in the world was having a fantastic time together, while I was stuck in my bedroom with absolutely nothing to do.
After about an hour of feeling sorry for myself, I realised that staring at the screen was only making things worse. If I wanted to feel better, I had to stop looking at what other people were doing. So, I made a brave decision. I completely switched off my mobile phone and threw it into my desk drawer. Then, I went down to the kitchen, made a huge bowl of popcorn, and decided to watch my favourite comedy movie on television.
At first, I found it difficult to concentrate on the film. My mind kept returning to the party. However, as the movie got funnier, I started laughing and forgot all about my phone. By the end of the evening, I felt incredibly calm. I realised something surprising: I don’t actually like loud, crowded parties very much. I am much happier spending a quiet night in.
That experience taught me an important lesson about social media. People only post the best moments of their lives online, which can easily make you feel bad about your own. Since that night, I’ve stopped worrying about what I’m missing out on. I’ve discovered that I actually really enjoy my own company, and that’s perfectly fine.
1 What ruined the writer’s relaxing Friday evening?
(A) He had too much homework to finish.
(B) He found out about an event he wasn’t asked to attend.
(C) His friend Jake sent him some unpleasant messages.
(D) He broke his mobile phone while lying on his bed.
2 How did the writer react to the photos at first?
(A) He felt anxious that he had offended his friend.
(B) He decided to message Jake to ask why he wasn’t there.
(C) He was angry that his friends were eating pizza without him.
(D) He was happy that his classmates were having a good time.
3 To improve his mood, the writer decided to
(A) invite some other friends over to watch a movie.
(B) put his phone away and entertain himself.
(C) go to the kitchen to cook a healthy meal.
(D) watch a comedy video on his mobile phone.
4 What did the writer discover while watching the film?
(A) He prefers staying at home to attending busy parties.
(B) The comedy movie wasn’t as funny as he remembered.
(C) He still felt lonely without having his phone nearby.
(D) He wanted to go to the party after the movie finished.
5 What would the writer say about his experience?
(A) It’s terrible when your friends forget about you. I don’t think I can ever forgive Jake for not inviting me to his house.
(B) I’ve decided to delete all my social media accounts because they only cause arguments between friends.
(C) Seeing photos of the party hurt at first, but it helped me understand that I don’t need to be at every social event to be happy.
(D) I’m going to make sure I get invited to the next party. Being alone on a Friday night is the worst feeling in the world.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states the writer saw photos of classmates at a party at Jake’s house, and “The problem was, I wasn’t invited.” Option B correctly paraphrases this.
2 A – In paragraph 2, the writer’s mind “raced with questions” including “Did I do something to upset him?”. This matches the anxiety of having offended a friend.
3 B – Paragraph 3 explains that the writer “completely switched off my mobile phone and threw it into my desk drawer,” then made popcorn and watched a movie. Option B summarizes this action.
4 A – In paragraph 4, the writer realizes, “I don’t actually like loud, crowded parties very much. I am much happier spending a quiet night in.” Option A captures this preference for staying home.
5 C – This option captures the global meaning and the writer’s emotional journey. He felt crushed initially (FOMO), but eventually realized he enjoys his own company and doesn’t need to worry about missing out.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Breaking the “Doomscrolling” Habit
A few months ago, I developed a terrible habit. Every night, when I got into bed, I picked up my smartphone to read the news. I told myself I just wanted to see what was happening in the world for five minutes. However, those five minutes usually turned into two hours. I would read one negative story after another, from natural disasters to economic problems. By the time I finally put my phone down, my heart was beating fast and I felt incredibly anxious.
Because of this, my sleep suffered badly. I would lie in the dark for hours, unable to relax my mind. When my alarm rang in the morning, I always felt exhausted. It was hard to concentrate during my lessons at school, and my teachers started to notice that I was lacking energy. I recently learned that there is actually a word for what I was doing: “doomscrolling”. It means spending an excessive amount of time reading negative news online. I knew I had to do something about it.
One evening, I made a strict decision. I completely deleted the main news app from my phone so that I wouldn’t be tempted to open it. The first few nights were unexpectedly difficult. My hands automatically reached for my phone, and my brain missed the constant stream of information. To stop myself from downloading the app again, I placed a fiction book on my bedside table. Whenever I felt the urge to scroll, I picked up the book instead.
After about a week, I started to notice a massive difference. Reading a few chapters of a novel took my mind away from the real world’s problems. Instead of feeling worried and stressed, I felt calm and sleepy. I began falling asleep within twenty minutes of turning off my light, and I didn’t wake up at all during the night. The dark circles under my eyes disappeared, and I finally had enough energy for my daily activities.
Looking back, I can’t believe I allowed a simple app to affect my health and happiness so much. Now, my bedroom is a quiet, peaceful place where technology isn’t allowed. I still keep up with the news, but I only read it during the daytime. Taking control of my nighttime routine was the best choice I could have made.
1 Why did the writer originally start looking at her phone in bed?
(A) She wanted to catch up on global events briefly.
(B) She needed to research a topic for a school project.
(C) She was already feeling anxious and couldn’t sleep.
(D) She enjoyed reading stories about natural disasters.
2 What was the result of the writer’s “doomscrolling”?
(A) She started writing articles about negative news.
(B) Her teachers gave her less work to do.
(C) She struggled to pay attention in her classes.
(D) She began to wake up earlier than her alarm.
3 How did the writer feel during the first few nights without the app?
(A) She found it surprisingly easy to fall asleep.
(B) She felt a strong desire to check her phone.
(C) She was angry that she had deleted her favourite game.
(D) She didn’t enjoy the fiction book she had chosen.
4 What changed after the writer started reading books in bed?
(A) She learned a lot about real-world problems.
(B) She woke up several times during the night.
(C) She needed less sleep than she did before.
(D) She felt more relaxed and slept much better.
5 What would the writer write in her diary today?
(A) Deleting the app was a mistake because now I have no idea what is happening in the world.
(B) It was hard to change my habits, but reading a book instead of the news has improved my life.
(C) I think everyone should read the news before bed so they are prepared for the next day.
(D) Fiction books are much more exciting than the news, so I stay awake even later now.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – The text states in the first paragraph: “I told myself I just wanted to see what was happening in the world for five minutes.”
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains the impact on her daily life, saying: “It was hard to concentrate during my lessons at school”.
3 B – The third paragraph describes the difficulty of breaking the habit, noting: “My hands automatically reached for my phone, and my brain missed the constant stream of information.”
4 D – The fourth paragraph details the positive results: “Instead of feeling worried and stressed, I felt calm and sleepy. I began falling asleep within twenty minutes…”
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and the writer’s overall attitude. She acknowledges that the change was initially difficult but ultimately brought her peace, better sleep, and more energy.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Dark Side of a Joke
I have always loved making my friends laugh. During our history lessons, my teacher, Mr Harrison, had a habit of waving his arms around when he got excited about a topic, sometimes dropping his books. One afternoon, I secretly recorded him doing exactly this. Thinking it would be hilarious, I added some silly music and posted the short video on my social media account. I didn’t think about the consequences; I just wanted to get a few likes from my classmates.
When I woke up the next morning, my phone was full of notifications. To my amazement, the video had gone completely viral. It had been shared thousands of times, and students from other schools were leaving laughing emojis in the comments section. Walking through the school gates, I felt like a celebrity. Several older students even gave me high-fives in the corridor. For the first few hours, I absolutely loved the attention and felt incredibly proud of my clever joke.
However, my excitement disappeared quickly during our next history lesson. Mr Harrison walked into the classroom looking deeply upset. He quietly explained that he had seen the video and read the cruel comments from strangers. He wasn’t angry, but he looked genuinely hurt. Suddenly, my clever joke didn’t seem funny at all. I felt a heavy knot of guilt in my stomach. I realised that I had treated a kind, hardworking person as a target for cheap entertainment.
I immediately took my phone out of my pocket and deleted the video, although I knew people had already saved it. After the lesson finished, I waited until everyone left and nervously went to Mr Harrison’s desk. I apologised for causing him so much embarrassment. Fortunately, he appreciated my honesty and accepted my apology, but the difficult conversation still made me feel terrible.
This experience taught me a very important lesson. Getting thousands of views online might seem exciting, but internet fame has a dark side. I now understand that a five-second video can cause lasting damage to someone’s confidence. If I ever post anything in the future, I will definitely make sure that it doesn’t harm another person’s feelings.
1 Why did the writer post the video of Mr Harrison online?
(A) To complain about the way his history teacher behaved in class.
(B) To entertain his friends and get a small amount of attention.
(C) To show students at other schools how exciting the lessons were.
(D) To become a famous celebrity in his local area.
2 How did the writer feel the morning after posting the video?
(A) Worried about the high number of notifications on his phone.
(B) Surprised that older students were laughing at him in the corridor.
(C) Proud of the joke and pleased with his sudden popularity.
(D) Annoyed that people from other schools left cruel comments.
3 What caused the writer’s attitude to change?
(A) Mr Harrison shouted at the class about the cruel online comments.
(B) He saw the negative effect his joke had on the teacher’s feelings.
(C) He realised that he would be in serious trouble with the school.
(D) He started feeling sick with a stomach problem during history class.
4 What does the writer promise to do in the future?
(A) Try to delete the videos that other people have already saved.
(B) Stop using social media completely to avoid making mistakes.
(C) Talk to Mr Harrison before posting any more funny videos.
(D) Make sure that his online actions do not upset anyone else.
5 What would the writer write in his diary today?
(A) The video I posted of Mr Harrison went completely viral! I’m so glad I deleted it before he could find out about it.
(B) Being popular online was fun, but I regret hurting my teacher’s feelings. I’ve learned that getting likes isn’t worth making someone sad.
(C) Mr Harrison gave me a really hard time today because of my video. I apologised, but I still think it was actually a great joke.
(D) I can’t believe how many followers I gained today! Next time, I just need to make sure I don’t film teachers in the classroom.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph that the writer thought it would be “hilarious” and that he “just wanted to get a few likes from my classmates,” which matches wanting to entertain friends and get a small amount of attention.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that he felt “like a celebrity” and that he “absolutely loved the attention and felt incredibly proud of my clever joke.”
3 B – The third paragraph describes the teacher looking “deeply upset” and “genuinely hurt,” which caused the writer to feel a “heavy knot of guilt.” The teacher was quiet, not shouting.
4 D – In the final paragraph, the writer states, “If I ever post anything in the future, I will definitely make sure that it doesn’t harm another person’s feelings.”
5 B – This option accurately captures the global meaning and narrative arc of the text: acknowledging the initial excitement of going viral, the deep regret of hurting a kind person, and the valuable lesson learned about the consequences of internet fame.