Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Charity Events, Fundraising & Activism
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Day to Breathe
Last year, I found myself feeling completely overwhelmed by my school life. Between studying for important exams, playing for the school football team, and working a part-time weekend job, I was exhausted. One morning, I felt so stressed that I couldn’t get out of bed, but because I didn’t have a physical illness like a cold or a fever, my absence wasn’t excused. That experience made me realise something important. If we can stay home to rest our bodies, we should be allowed to stay home to rest our minds. I decided to try and introduce “mental health days” at my school.
I arranged to speak at the next school board meeting. Standing in front of the headteacher and the governors, I nervously explained my idea. I suggested that every student should get three excused absences a year specifically for mental wellbeing. Unfortunately, their initial reaction was quite negative. Several board members argued that the system would easily be abused. They believed that lazy students would simply use the excuse to skip difficult lessons or stay at home playing video games, rather than genuinely taking care of themselves.
I felt disappointed, but I refused to give up. I knew that sharing my personal feelings wouldn’t be enough to change their minds, so I decided to look for solid facts. I spent the next few weeks visiting the local library and searching online for official research. Eventually, I collected statistics from other schools across the country that had already introduced similar policies. I presented this new information to the board, proving that mental health days actually reduced student burnout and resulted in better overall grades.
When the board saw the clear evidence, their attitude changed completely. They were so impressed by my research that they immediately voted to test the policy for one term. It was a historic moment for our school! Now, a few months later, the results are fantastic. Students feel much more supported, and teachers have noticed that teenagers are actually missing fewer days than before. I am incredibly proud that I stood up for my classmates, and it shows that you can achieve great things if you are prepared to work hard.
1 Why did the writer want to introduce mental health days?
(A) He wanted to have more time for his part-time job.
(B) He believed mental exhaustion was just as important as physical sickness.
(C) He frequently caught colds and fevers because of his busy schedule.
(D) He was asked by his football team to speak to the teachers.
2 What was the school board’s main concern about the idea?
(A) They worried that parents would complain about the new rule.
(B) They thought three days a year was not enough time to rest.
(C) They felt students would take advantage of the policy to avoid schoolwork.
(D) They believed that teenagers shouldn’t play video games during the week.
3 How did the writer successfully change the board’s opinion?
(A) He explained how much stress he was feeling personally.
(B) He invited students from other schools to speak at the meeting.
(C) He provided official data showing the positive effects of the policy.
(D) He spent weeks studying in the local library to get better grades.
4 How does the writer feel about the situation now?
(A) Proud that he made a positive impact on his school community.
(B) Surprised that his teachers are still complaining about absent students.
(C) Relieved that the difficult trial period has finally finished.
(D) Worried that he will have to work harder to pass his exams.
5 What would the writer write in his diary today?
(A) The board finally listened to me! I’m so glad I just complained about my feelings until they agreed to let us skip lessons.
(B) Today was amazing. Proving my point with real facts was tough, but winning this policy change for everyone makes all the hard work worth it.
(C) I’m really disappointed that the school board thinks we are all just lazy. I guess I’ll never be able to change their minds about mental health.
(D) Collecting those statistics took weeks, but it was useless. Even though they saw the facts, the school still refused to give us a day off.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states, “If we can stay home to rest our bodies, we should be allowed to stay home to rest our minds,” which shows he valued mental exhaustion equally to physical illness.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the board members argued that “the system would easily be abused” and that lazy students would use it “to skip difficult lessons.”
3 C – The third paragraph explains that the writer searched for official research and “collected statistics from other schools,” presenting “new information to the board, proving that mental health days actually reduced student burnout.”
4 A – In the final paragraph, the writer states, “I am incredibly proud that I stood up for my classmates,” demonstrating his pride in creating a positive impact.
5 B – This option successfully captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from the difficult challenge of proving his point with solid statistics to the joy and pride of winning a historic policy change for the benefit of all students.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Different Kind of Calendar
Every December, I usually have a traditional advent calendar. I love opening a tiny cardboard door each morning to find a piece of chocolate. However, this year, I decided to do something completely different. I read an article about families in our town who couldn’t afford to buy meals. It made me realise how lucky I am. So, instead of taking a gift for myself, I chose to create a “reverse advent calendar” to help people in need.
The idea of the project was very simple but required a lot of discipline. Starting on the first day of December, I placed a large, empty box in the corner of my bedroom. My goal was to put one item of food into the box every single day until Christmas. At first, it was easy to grab an extra packet of rice or a tin of beans from the kitchen cupboards. But after a week, I sometimes forgot, and I had to set an alarm on my mobile phone to remind myself to keep my daily promise.
As the month went on, the project became more challenging but also more exciting. The box was slowly filling up, and it was getting incredibly heavy. I soon ran out of spare items at home, so I had to use some of my own pocket money to buy things from the local supermarket. My parents were so impressed by my effort that they eventually offered to help me carry the items and buy special holiday treats, like fancy biscuits and fruit cake, to add to the collection.
Finally, Christmas Eve arrived, and my reverse advent calendar was completely full. My dad drove me to the neighbourhood food bank so I could deliver the donation. The volunteers there were absolutely amazed by how much food we had managed to collect in just twenty-four days. Handing over that heavy box felt more festive and magical than opening any presents. Giving something back to the community was the best gift I could have received, and I definitely plan to make this a new holiday tradition every winter.
1 Why did the writer change her advent calendar habit?
(A) She read about local people who didn’t have enough food.
(B) She wanted to stop eating so much chocolate before Christmas.
(C) She received an empty cardboard box as a surprising gift.
(D) She was asked by a neighbourhood charity to collect meals.
2 What was difficult about the project for the writer?
(A) Finding an empty box that was big enough for all the food.
(B) Remembering to add a food item to the box every day.
(C) Asking her parents to buy tins of beans and packets of rice.
(D) Keeping the heavy box hidden in the corner of her bedroom.
3 What happened as the month progressed?
(A) The writer decided to stop using her own pocket money.
(B) Her parents decided to give her a larger amount of pocket money.
(C) The writer’s parents got involved and bought extra food.
(D) The box became too heavy for her parents to carry to the shop.
4 How did the writer feel on Christmas Eve?
(A) Disappointed that she didn’t get any traditional presents herself.
(B) Annoyed that her dad had to drive her to the charity.
(C) Surprised that the food bank volunteers weren’t there to meet her.
(D) Thrilled because donating the food felt incredibly rewarding.
5 What would the writer write in her diary on Christmas Eve?
(A) The reverse advent calendar was a great idea, but buying food was too expensive. I’ll just eat chocolate next year instead.
(B) I’m so happy I managed to fill the box for the food bank! It took daily effort, but helping others was the best Christmas experience ever.
(C) Delivering the box was nice, but I really wish my parents hadn’t forced me to give away my favourite holiday treats.
(D) The volunteers were pleased with the food, though I felt a bit sad that I forgot to put items in the box on most days.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – In paragraph 1, the writer states she decided to do something different because “I read an article about families in our town who couldn’t afford to buy meals.”
2 B – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that after a week, she “sometimes forgot, and I had to set an alarm on my mobile phone to remind myself to keep my daily promise.”
3 C – In paragraph 3, the text notes that her parents were impressed and “eventually offered to help me carry the items and buy special holiday treats… to add to the collection.”
4 D – In paragraph 4, she describes handing over the box as feeling “more festive and magical than opening any presents” and calls it “the best gift I could have received.”
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: it acknowledges the discipline required to fill the box daily and highlights the immense satisfaction of giving back to the community during Christmas.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Unexpected Dance
My younger brother, Leo, is on the autism spectrum. While many people know the word “autism,” I often noticed that people in our community didn’t truly understand what it meant. I wanted to raise awareness, but I wanted to do it in a joyful and attention-grabbing way. After talking with my friends, I decided to organize a flash mob—a sudden, synchronized dance routine—in the middle of our local shopping mall. We spent weeks secretly practicing the choreography in my garage.
On a busy Saturday afternoon, we casually walked into the crowded mall and blended in with the shoppers. At exactly two o’clock, my friend pressed play on a large portable speaker. As an energetic pop song blasted through the hall, twenty of us suddenly dropped our shopping bags and started dancing perfectly in time. Shoppers stopped in their tracks, forming a large circle around us. Many were smiling, clapping, and recording videos on their phones.
However, midway through our routine, I noticed two mall security guards pushing through the crowd. They looked highly annoyed and started waving their hands, shouting that we needed to stop the music immediately because we didn’t have an official permit to perform. My heart started racing, and a few of my friends hesitated, looking at me to see what to do. I knew we were technically breaking the rules, but I desperately wanted to finish what we had started. I gave my friends a confident nod, signalling them to keep dancing for the final thirty seconds of the song.
When we hit our final pose, the crowd erupted into loud cheers. The security guards looked angry but paused because the audience was so supportive. Before the guards could escort us out, we quickly reached into our backpacks and pulled out hundreds of bright blue flyers containing facts about autism and local support resources. We handed them out to the clapping shoppers and even offered them to the confused guards.
Walking out of the mall that afternoon, I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment. What could have been seen as just a rebellious, rule-breaking stunt had transformed into a powerful educational moment. I learned that sometimes you have to disrupt people’s normal routines to capture their attention, but providing clear, helpful information is what truly turns a surprising act into meaningful advocacy.
1 Why did the writer organize the flash mob?
(A) To practice a dance routine for a school talent show.
(B) To raise awareness about autism in a joyful and surprising way.
(C) To earn money for a local autism charity.
(D) To protest against the shopping mall’s strict rules.
2 What problem occurred during the performance?
(A) The portable speaker ran out of battery midway through the song.
(B) The shoppers complained that the music was too loud.
(C) The dancers forgot the choreography they had practiced in the garage.
(D) Mall security guards tried to stop them for performing without a permit.
3 How did the writer react when the security guards intervened?
(A) She panicked and immediately turned off the portable speaker.
(B) She encouraged her friends to keep going and finish the routine.
(C) She started arguing loudly with the guards about her brother’s autism.
(D) She ran out of the shopping mall to avoid getting into trouble.
4 What did the group do immediately after the dance ended?
(A) They distributed educational flyers to the audience and the guards.
(B) They asked the supportive crowd to donate money to their cause.
(C) They apologized to the security guards and asked for a permit.
(D) They started a second dance routine to a different pop song.
5 What is the main lesson the writer learned from this experience?
(A) “It is never acceptable to break the rules, no matter how important your cause is.”
(B) “Shopping malls are not effective places to hold charity events because people are too busy.”
(C) “Disrupting people’s routines to get attention can be a powerful tool for meaningful advocacy if you provide clear information.”
(D) “Flash mobs are a fun activity, but they are too stressful to organize without adult supervision.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph that she wanted to raise awareness about autism, noting: “I wanted to do it in a joyful and attention-grabbing way… I decided to organize a flash mob”.
2 D – In the third paragraph, the writer explains that two mall security guards pushed through the crowd, “shouting that we needed to stop the music immediately because we didn’t have an official permit to perform.”
3 B – The third paragraph mentions that despite her heart racing, she “gave my friends a confident nod, signalling them to keep dancing for the final thirty seconds of the song.”
4 A – In the fourth paragraph, the text says that right after the final pose, “we quickly reached into our backpacks and pulled out hundreds of bright blue flyers… We handed them out to the clapping shoppers and even offered them to the confused guards.”
5 C – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph: the writer realizes that “sometimes you have to disrupt people’s normal routines to capture their attention, but providing clear, helpful information is what truly turns a surprising act into meaningful advocacy.”