Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – School-based Environmental Activities 7

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

You are going to read an article about four students reflecting on a school project where they had to carry all their trash in a clear bag for a week to understand their personal waste footprint.

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 to initially attempting to bypass the strict rules of the experiment?

2   was prompted to completely alter their daily lunch purchasing habits?

3   notes that the visual evidence of their waste was far more striking than reading statistics?

4   realised they were discarding a surprisingly large amount of school-related materials?

5   was motivated to establish a permanent environmental group following the project?

6   experienced a sense of physical discomfort due to the amount of rubbish they collected?

7   was horrified to discover that supposedly sustainable goods were actually wrapped in plastic?

8   mentions feeling intensely humiliated when travelling in public with their refuse?

9   became aware that their household’s recycling practices needed major improvement?

10   acknowledges that they had previously overestimated how environmentally friendly their lifestyle was?

The Clear Bag Challenge: Facing Our Waste Footprint

A Liam

When our geography teacher announced the ‘Clear Bag Challenge’, I didn’t take it seriously at all. However, hauling around a transparent sack of my own rubbish for seven days was an incredibly humbling experience. Previously, if I’d been told about the millions of tons of waste sent to landfill annually, I would have just nodded politely; actually watching my own pile of empty crisp packets and wrappers multiply day by day drove the message home far more effectively than any chart or graph ever could. The worst part was the sheer humiliation. Commuting on the crowded bus with a see-through bag of garbage was absolutely mortifying, as passengers would constantly stare at my discarded items. Consequently, I completely changed my routine. Instead of heading to the local supermarket for a pre-packaged sandwich, I started making my own packed lunches in reusable containers to prevent my bag from filling up so rapidly.

B Maya

I’ve always considered myself somewhat eco-conscious, but this assignment was a massive wake-up call. By the time Thursday rolled around, the sheer weight of my clear plastic sack was becoming a genuine nuisance. My shoulder was aching from lugging around dozens of heavy glass bottles, tin cans, and cardboard boxes alongside my heavy schoolbooks. It wasn’t until I had to physically bear the load of my own consumption that I truly grasped the scale of the problem. What genuinely shocked me, however, was what the bag revealed about my home life. Because I was forced to scrutinise every single item before tossing it in, it dawned on me that my family had been casually throwing perfectly recyclable items into the general waste bin for years. We simply hadn’t been paying enough attention. Since the experiment concluded, I’ve taken it upon myself to set up a rigorous sorting system in our kitchen.

C Ben

I’ll be honest, when the challenge was first outlined, my immediate instinct was to find a clever loophole. I briefly considered sneaking my rubbish into the public bins on my way home so my clear sack would look impressively empty, but my guilty conscience ultimately got the better of me. Prior to this, I would have confidently claimed that I had a tiny carbon footprint. I buy organic snacks and use a bamboo toothbrush, after all. Yet, this project highlighted how deeply flawed my assumptions were. I was utterly appalled to find that the ‘eco-friendly’ organic fruit I purchased was lined with unrecyclable plastic film, which rapidly filled my bag. It turns out you can’t judge a product’s sustainability just by its green logo. The stark reality of seeing those hidden plastics accumulate forced me to accept that my lifestyle was nowhere near as green as I had proudly boasted.

D Chloe

The most surprising aspect of the clear bag experiment wasn’t the food wrappers or empty plastic bottles, but the sheer volume of paper I was throwing away. As a student who takes meticulous notes, I was horrified to see my sack overflowing with discarded draft essays, printed handouts, and half-used revision cards. I hadn’t realised how much academic waste I generated on a weekly basis! At first, I felt quite self-conscious carrying the bulky bag through the school corridors, but that awkwardness quickly transformed into a sense of purpose. Chatting with my peers, I discovered many of them were equally overwhelmed by their own findings. Instead of just returning to normal once the week was over, a few of us decided to capitalise on this momentum. We approached the head teacher and successfully founded a permanent sustainability committee, which is now working on installing comprehensive recycling stations in every single classroom.

Reading 2

You are going to read an article about four teenagers describing the community bonding that occurred when students and teachers teamed up for a weekend campus clean-up initiative.

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

Which person/section

1   confesses to having pessimistic expectations about the overall event beforehand?

2   was taken aback by the willingness of the staff to listen to their suggestions?

3   mentions a funny accident that helped to ease the tension?

4   observes that the shared experience dissolved normal authority structures?

5   points out a permanent improvement in how the student body treats the premises?

6   appreciated the opportunity to mingle with pupils they wouldn’t normally meet?

7   realised that collective achievements can be more fulfilling than personal ones?

8   was impressed by the participation of peers who usually break the rules?

9   discovered a hidden, lighthearted side to a notoriously stern individual?

10   found that getting their hands dirty was a surprisingly satisfying experience?

Rolling Up Our Sleeves: A Weekend That Changed Our School

A Liam

When the headmaster announced the mandatory weekend clean-up, I was utterly dreading it. I honestly thought giving up my Saturday to pick up litter would be an absolute nightmare. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The moment we started painting the old sports pavilion, the usual rigid boundaries between staff and students simply melted away. I ended up in a team with Mr. Harrison, our notoriously severe maths teacher who rarely cracks a smile in class. To my absolute astonishment, he spent the entire afternoon telling brilliant jokes and even let us playfully tease him when he accidentally painted his own shoes green. It was a revelation to see the human being behind the strict professional facade. By the end of the day, we were chatting away like old friends. That informal atmosphere completely levelled the playing field, making me realise that teachers are just regular people once you take them out of the classroom.

B Maya

I volunteered for the planning committee because I’m quite passionate about environmental issues, though I fully expected the teachers to make all the actual decisions. It completely blew me away when the administration actively sought out our feedback and genuinely implemented my strategy for sorting the recycling. Being treated as an equal by the adults gave my confidence a massive boost. Furthermore, the logistical work meant I was paired with people from various year groups. Typically, the older and younger kids at our school stick rigidly to their own circles, so it was incredibly refreshing to brainstorm and collaborate with students I would never cross paths with during a normal school day. Sharing a common goal bridged that age gap effortlessly. We were all pulling in the same direction, and the mutual respect that developed between the different grades has definitely lingered in the school corridors long after the weekend was over.

C Noah

My group was assigned the grueling task of clearing out the overgrown pond area at the back of the playing fields. I usually prefer quiet, academic pursuits, so the prospect of wading through thick mud didn’t appeal to me at all initially. Yet, the sheer physical exertion turned out to be incredibly rewarding. The highlight of the weekend occurred when our deputy head slipped and slid waist-deep into the muddy water. For a split second, everyone froze in horror, but then he burst out laughing, and the entire group enthusiastically joined in. That hilarious mishap instantly broke the ice and brought us all closer together. I’ve always been fiercely competitive when it comes to my grades, constantly striving to be the best. However, dragging heavy branches out of the water alongside my classmates made me realise that succeeding as a cohesive unit offers a much deeper sense of satisfaction than any solitary academic triumph.

D Chloe

The most remarkable outcome of the campus clean-up wasn’t just the freshly weeded flowerbeds or the spotless courtyard; it was the profound shift in the school’s culture. Even the most notorious troublemakers, who usually jump at any chance to flout the rules, were rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in. Seeing them actively scrubbing graffiti off the walls rather than causing trouble was a genuine shock. Since that weekend, there has been a drastic reduction in littering across the board. Because we all poured our own blood, sweat, and tears into restoring the grounds, a fierce sense of shared ownership has taken root. Nobody wants to see their hard work ruined, so students are actively calling out anyone who drops a sweet wrapper. The initiative transformed our school from a mere building we were forced to attend into a community space that we are all genuinely proud to protect and maintain.

Exercises:   123456