Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Physical Education & Extracurriculars 7

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

You are going to read an article about four teenagers sharing their experiences of mentoring younger pupils in an after-school reading program.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   admits their initial motivation for volunteering was purely self-serving?

2   sought out specialised knowledge to help their mentee overcome a specific hurdle?

3   integrated physical movement into the lessons to prevent their pupil from losing focus?

4   realised that they needed to establish a personal connection before learning could happen?

5   was caught off guard by the difficulty of teaching a skill they personally take for granted?

6   mentions that their participation was prompted by a suggestion from school staff?

7   noticed an unexpected improvement in their own grasp of the English language?

8   swapped traditional texts for a more visual format to spark their mentee’s interest?

9   felt an overwhelming sense of pride when their pupil achieved a significant milestone?

10   acknowledges that the mentoring process changed their attitude towards a certain type of literature?

Turning the Page: Teenagers as Reading Mentors

A Liam

I won’t pretend my reasons for signing up were entirely noble. I’m applying for a highly competitive law degree next year, and adding volunteer work to my personal statement seemed like a strategic move to stand out. At first, my ten-year-old mentee, Toby, was completely disengaged. The head teacher had given us a stack of classic children’s novels, but whenever I opened one, Toby would just gaze out of the window. I soon realised that forcing conventional chapter books on him was a lost cause. In a desperate bid to catch his eye, I brought in a graphic novel. The transformation was instantaneous! He was captivated by the illustrations, which actually helped him decode the trickier words. Before this, I’d always looked down on comic books as being somewhat intellectually inferior, but witnessing how they unlocked Toby’s imagination completely changed my tune. It was a steep learning curve, but it certainly taught me to be adaptable.

B Chloe

As an avid bookworm, reading has always been second nature to me. Consequently, I naively assumed that helping a younger student would be an absolute walk in the park. However, my mentee, Sarah, suffered from mild dyslexia, making the letters appear jumbled on the page. I was completely out of my depth and quickly realised that my passion for literature wasn’t enough to help her on its own. I had to spend my evenings poring over educational blogs to research effective strategies, such as using coloured overlays to reduce visual stress. Implementing these tailored techniques required an immense amount of patience, but the payoff was phenomenal. I’ll never forget the afternoon she read a whole paragraph aloud without stumbling over a single syllable. Seeing her face light up with sheer joy brought a lump to my throat. It made me realise just how complex the mechanics of reading truly are.

C Marcus

I initially had absolutely no intention of becoming a mentor. However, my form tutor pulled me aside one afternoon and suggested that taking on some responsibility might help channel my excess energy in a positive direction. I reluctantly agreed, only to be paired with Leo, an eight-year-old who simply could not sit still. For the first few weeks, getting him to focus on the text for more than five minutes felt like an uphill battle. Sitting at a desk in a quiet library was clearly driving him up the wall. To counter this, I decided to turn our sessions into mini theatrical productions. We started acting out the dialogues, using exaggerated voices and leaping around the room to represent the characters’ actions. By turning the stories into physical games, his concentration skyrocketed. It was exhausting, but it proved that learning doesn’t always have to be a stationary activity.

D Aisha

My mentee, Mateo, had recently relocated from Spain, and English was his second language. During our initial meetings, he was incredibly withdrawn and barely spoke a word, let alone read. I tried everything to get him to look at the books, but it was clear he felt deeply insecure about his accent. It slowly dawned on me that before we could tackle phonics or grammar, I needed to gain his trust. We spent a whole session just chatting about football and our favourite foods, finding common ground despite our different backgrounds. Once he realised I was a friend rather than a strict authority figure, his defensive walls came down. Interestingly, explaining the nuances of English vocabulary to him forced me to think critically about my own mother tongue. Breaking down idioms and complex sentence structures actually broadened my own vocabulary and made me a far more articulate communicator.

Reading 2

You are going to read an article about four students talking about dealing with a sports injury that temporarily prevented them from participating in school athletics.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   admits they exacerbated their problem by ignoring early symptoms?

2   struggled the most with the sudden lack of interaction with their peers?

3   caused a delay in their healing by attempting to resume training prematurely?

4   found it surprising how swiftly their athletic stamina decreased?

5   took on an alternative responsibility to remain involved with their squad?

6   realised that their personal identity was not solely tied to being an athlete?

7   started a completely different hobby to maintain their mental well-being?

8   appreciates how the absence from sport positively impacted their schoolwork?

9   felt a profound sense of letting others down when they were ruled out?

10   mentions having to accept that returning to full fitness would be a lengthy process?

Sidelined: Coping with a Sports Injury

A Jake

I always thought playing through the pain was what true athletes did, so when my knee started aching during football practice, I simply brushed it off. Looking back, I bitterly regret not listening to my body; pushing myself only resulted in a torn ligament that sidelined me for the entire season. The moment the doctor delivered the news, I was overwhelmed by a crushing sense of guilt. Knowing I wouldn’t be on the pitch to support my teammates when they needed me most was a tough pill to swallow. My teachers assumed I’d use the downtime to catch up on my assignments, but to stop myself from going crazy with boredom, I asked our coach if I could assist on the sidelines. He agreed, and I’ve been analysing match footage and helping design training drills ever since. While I’d swap the clipboard for a pair of football boots in a heartbeat, contributing strategically has really kept my spirits up.

B Mia

For me, the hardest part of fracturing my ankle wasn’t the physical pain, but the sudden isolation. When you train with the track squad five days a week, they quickly become your second family. Being stuck at home on the sofa while they were at the stadium left me feeling completely cut off and miserable. My friends frequently sent me messages to cheer me up, but it simply wasn’t the same as being part of the post-training banter. Since I couldn’t expend my energy physically, I had to find a way to stop overthinking everything and feeling sorry for myself. That’s when I took up learning the acoustic guitar. It was incredibly frustrating initially, but mastering a few chords gave me a much-needed sense of achievement. I even brought it to a team gathering recently, and everyone loved it. My ankle is slowly mending, but I’ll definitely stick with the music even after I’m fully recovered.

C Toby

I’ve never been someone who handles inactivity well, which ultimately proved to be my downfall. A month after spraining my shoulder in a basketball tournament, I convinced myself I was perfectly fine to start shooting hoops again. If I had just listened to the physiotherapist initially, I wouldn’t have ended up wearing a sling for an extra month. That careless mistake forced me to come to terms with the fact that healing isn’t something you can speed up just because you’re impatient. What genuinely shocked me during this extended break was the speed at which I lost my physical conditioning. Even after doing some light exercises at home, my overall endurance plummeted in a matter of weeks. I used to be able to run up and down the court tirelessly, but now just jogging up the stairs leaves me out of breath. It’s been a harsh lesson, but I’ve finally accepted that regaining my former strength will be a marathon, not a sprint.

D Lara

When I broke my wrist and was told I couldn’t compete in gymnastics for at least three months, my world completely collapsed. Up until that point, my entire life revolved around the gym. If I wasn’t training, I was sleeping or thinking about my routines. Without my sport, I felt completely lost and unsure of who I was. However, this enforced break eventually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Having all these free evenings meant I could finally dedicate proper time to my academics. Previously, I was barely scraping by in subjects like Chemistry and History, but my grades have absolutely soared since my accident. More importantly, hanging out with classmates who have no interest in gymnastics helped me realise that there is far more to my personality than just being an athlete. While I am eager to get back to the vault, I’ll never let sport consume my entire existence again.

Exercises:   123456