Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Career Changes & Unique Professions
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Trading the Bank for the Bakery
My name is Liam, and for ten years, I worked as a successful banker in a busy city centre. To everyone else, my life looked perfect. I had a high salary, wore expensive suits, and drove a beautiful car. However, the reality was completely different. I was working up to twelve hours a day, staring at computer screens, and dealing with angry clients. The stress was keeping me awake at night, and I eventually realised that the money simply wasn’t making me happy.
During those difficult years, my only way to relax at the weekends was baking bread. There was something very peaceful about mixing flour and water, and the smell of fresh bread always improved my mood. One Sunday, while taking a hot loaf out of the oven, I made a sudden decision. I was going to leave the corporate world and open my own small bakery. My colleagues thought I was making a terrible mistake, but my family encouraged me to follow my dream.
Starting the business was not easy. I found a small shop in my local neighbourhood and spent all my savings on professional ovens and equipment. The biggest shock, however, was the new daily routine. To make sure the bread is ready for the morning customers, I now have to wake up at 3 a.m. every single day. In the beginning, my body hurt, and I felt exhausted all the time. It is definitely much harder physical work than sitting at a desk in an air-conditioned office.
Despite the early mornings and aching arms, I have never been happier. The best part of my day is opening the shop doors at 7 a.m. and welcoming my first customers. When I see the smiles on their faces as they bite into a warm croissant or buy a fresh loaf for their family breakfast, I feel a deep sense of pride. I might not earn as much money as I used to, but I have finally found a kind of happiness that money simply cannot buy.
1 Why was Liam unhappy in his old job?
(A) He wanted to wear more comfortable clothes to work.
(B) He felt exhausted by the long hours and high level of stress.
(C) He didn’t earn enough money to buy the things he wanted.
(D) He preferred to work closer to his home in the city.
2 How did Liam’s colleagues react when he decided to leave his job?
(A) They offered to help him open his new shop.
(B) They encouraged him to bake bread at the weekends.
(C) They believed he was doing the wrong thing.
(D) They wanted to leave the corporate world with him.
3 What does Liam say about his new routine?
(A) He found the physical work very difficult at first.
(B) He enjoys waking up early to use his new equipment.
(C) He spent too much money on his professional ovens.
(D) He prefers the temperature of his bakery to his old office.
4 How does Liam feel about his life now?
(A) He is hoping to make more money from his croissants.
(B) He wishes he could open the shop later in the morning.
(C) He misses the salary he had at the bank.
(D) He gets great satisfaction from pleasing his customers.
5 What would Liam text to a friend about his career change?
(A) The bakery is doing well, but I really miss my old colleagues and the exciting life of a banker.
(B) I am earning much more money now than I did at the bank, so I am really glad I changed careers.
(C) Quitting my stressful job to bake bread was exhausting, but doing something I love is totally worth it.
(D) Waking up at 3 a.m. is terrible, so I am thinking about going back to my comfortable office job.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, Liam says he was “working up to twelve hours a day” and “The stress was keeping me awake at night,” which paraphrases as feeling exhausted by long hours and stress.
2 C – In paragraph 2, the text states that his colleagues “thought I was making a terrible mistake,” which means they believed he was doing the wrong thing.
3 A – In paragraph 3, Liam explains that waking up at 3 a.m. was a shock, and “In the beginning, my body hurt, and I felt exhausted all the time,” matching the fact that he found the physical work very difficult at first.
4 D – In paragraph 4, Liam says, “When I see the smiles on their faces… I feel a deep sense of pride,” which shows he gets great satisfaction from pleasing the customers.
5 C – This option captures the global meaning and Liam’s overall attitude. It acknowledges the difficult and exhausting parts of the change (waking up early, physical work) but highlights his conclusion that the personal happiness he found is worth more than his previous high salary.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
From Lawyer to Teacher
For almost ten years, I worked as a corporate lawyer in a busy city office. My family was proud of my career, and the salary was fantastic. I could afford a beautiful apartment and a nice car. However, despite the comfortable lifestyle, I slowly realized I was unhappy. I spent most of my days arguing with other lawyers over money. It was stressful, and I felt like my work wasn’t helping anyone. I wanted to do something useful, so I made a huge decision. I left my law firm, took a massive pay cut, and trained to become a history teacher.
My first few weeks at the school were harder than I expected. Although I prepared my lessons carefully, the teenagers in my class seemed completely unmotivated. When I talked about the past, most of them just stared out of the window. Nobody answered my questions, and the classroom was filled with a heavy silence. I started to feel anxious. I went home every evening wondering if I had made a terrible mistake. I missed my quiet office and worried about my lower income.
I knew I had to change my teaching style if I wanted to keep their attention. Instead of asking them to read long chapters from their textbooks, I organized a class debate. I divided the students into two groups and told them to argue about a famous historical event. At first, they were shy, but within ten minutes, the classroom completely transformed. The students became incredibly passionate, defending their sides and challenging each other’s opinions. They were finally arguing, but about important ideas, not just money.
Seeing the excitement in their eyes was an amazing experience. It proved that teenagers can be fascinated by history if you give them the right opportunity. Now, I look forward to going to work every morning. Although I don’t earn as much as I used to, the satisfaction I get from teaching is worth more than a high salary. If I went back to my old job now, I would miss the joy of inspiring young minds. I have never regretted my decision.
1 Why did the writer decide to stop working as a lawyer?
(A) He felt his job wasn’t useful to anyone.
(B) He wanted to have a more comfortable lifestyle.
(C) He disliked the people he worked with in the city.
(D) He found the work too difficult to understand.
2 How did the writer feel during his first few weeks as a teacher?
(A) angry because the students refused to do their homework
(B) worried that he had chosen the wrong career
(C) surprised by how quiet the school office was
(D) disappointed that his lessons took so long to prepare
3 What happened when the writer organised a class debate?
(A) The students quickly became interested in the topic.
(B) The students were too shy to speak to each other.
(C) The students complained about reading their textbooks.
(D) The students argued about money instead of history.
4 What does the writer think about his situation now?
(A) He hopes to earn a higher salary in the future.
(B) He believes history is the most important subject for teenagers.
(C) He values his happiness at work more than earning a lot of money.
(D) He wishes he could return to his old job sometimes.
5 What would the writer write in his diary at the end of the day?
(A) I finally managed to get the students interested today. It’s hard work, but I’m so glad I decided to change my career.
(B) My students argued in class again today. I miss my old office and I’m starting to think about going back to the law firm.
(C) The debate went well, but I really need to find a way to make more money. Teaching simply doesn’t pay enough for my lifestyle.
(D) I was so nervous today because the students didn’t listen. I hope they will enjoy reading the new textbooks tomorrow.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – The first paragraph states that despite the great salary, the writer “felt like my work wasn’t helping anyone” and “wanted to do something useful.”
2 B – In the second paragraph, the writer mentions feeling anxious and going home “wondering if I had made a terrible mistake” because the students were unmotivated.
3 A – The third paragraph explains that after initially being shy, the classroom “completely transformed” within ten minutes and the students became “incredibly passionate” about the historical event.
4 C – In the final paragraph, the writer notes that “the satisfaction I get from teaching is worth more than a high salary,” showing he prioritizes job satisfaction over income.
5 A – This option perfectly captures the global narrative arc: overcoming the initial struggle of unmotivated students, finding a successful teaching method, and confirming that the career change was the right choice.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Trading Numbers for Running Shoes
For a decade, I worked as an accountant in a busy city office. My daily routine involved sitting at a desk for at least nine hours, staring at a computer screen. The money was good, but the lifestyle eventually started to affect my health. I suffered from terrible backache and constantly felt exhausted. One morning, I realised I couldn’t continue living this way, so I made the brave decision to leave my comfortable job.
I wanted an active career that would keep me healthy, so I decided to train as a fitness coach. However, I didn’t realise how challenging the course would be. As an accountant, I was used to dealing with numbers and solving financial problems, which I found quite easy. But learning about the human body was a completely different story. Memorising the names of all the muscles and understanding how they work together was much harder than I had expected. There were times when I wondered if I had made a huge mistake.
Despite my doubts, I kept studying, finally passed my exams, and got a job at a local gym. It took a few weeks to build up my confidence, but then I met my first regular client, Sarah. She had never been a sporty person, but she had a clear goal: she wanted to complete a five-kilometre race. We started with gentle walks and slow jogging. It was quite difficult for her at first, but she never complained. We trained together three times a week, and her fitness improved significantly.
Three months later, the day of the race finally arrived. I stood near the finish line, feeling more nervous than Sarah probably was. When I saw her running towards me with a massive smile on her face, I felt incredibly proud. Helping someone achieve their personal goal gave me a feeling of satisfaction that I had never experienced during my ten years in an office. I knew right then that changing careers was the best decision I had ever made, and I couldn’t wait to help more people change their lives.
1 Why did the writer decide to stop working as an accountant?
(A) He wanted to earn a higher salary.
(B) His working conditions were making him feel unwell.
(C) He was bored of staring at a computer screen all day.
(D) He wanted to move out of the busy city.
2 What did the writer find difficult about his fitness course?
(A) He had to do a lot of difficult physical exercise.
(B) He struggled to remember facts about the human body.
(C) He missed working with numbers and solving problems.
(D) He had to spend a lot of money to pay for the exams.
3 What does the writer say about his first client, Sarah?
(A) She wanted to run a race even though she wasn’t very active.
(B) She complained when the training became too hard.
(C) She lost her confidence before the race started.
(D) She preferred walking to jogging slowly.
4 Watching Sarah finish the race made the writer realise that
(A) he wanted to start running in races himself.
(B) his new job was much more rewarding than his old one.
(C) he was a more successful runner than his client.
(D) he needed to find more clients exactly like Sarah.
5 What would the writer write in his diary now?
(A) The fitness course is so hard, and I’m starting to think I should just go back to my safe office job.
(B) I really enjoyed helping Sarah, but I don’t think I can deal with the stress of watching my clients race again!
(C) Quitting my comfortable job was scary, but seeing the positive difference I can make to people’s health is absolutely fantastic.
(D) I finally have a job where I don’t have to sit down all day, but I wish the salary was as good as my accountancy job.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – Paragraph 1 states that the lifestyle “started to affect my health” and that he “suffered from terrible backache and constantly felt exhausted”, which matches his working conditions making him unwell.
2 B – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that “learning about the human body was a completely different story” and that “memorising the names of all the muscles… was much harder than I had expected.”
3 A – Paragraph 3 mentions that Sarah “had never been a sporty person” but “she had a clear goal: she wanted to complete a five-kilometre race”, matching the idea of wanting to run despite not being active.
4 B – Paragraph 4 details how helping Sarah gave him “a feeling of satisfaction that I had never experienced during my ten years in an office”, showing his new career is much more rewarding.
5 C – This option perfectly captures the global narrative arc: acknowledging the risky career change, finding immense satisfaction in the work, and celebrating the positive impact he has on his clients’ health.