Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Digital Arts, Writing & Creative Media
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Building My Digital World
I have always been passionate about photography, and I recently decided it was time to share my pictures online. Many of my friends use simple website builders to create their online portfolios in just a few hours. However, I wanted a bigger challenge. I decided to build my website completely from scratch using raw HTML. I thought learning how to write computer code would be a highly useful skill for the future, even if it took me a lot longer to finish the project.
My excitement didn’t last very long. Once I started typing the lines of code, everything seemed to go wrong. When I tested the website on my computer, the formatting was a complete disaster. The images I had carefully selected were pushed to the bottom of the screen, and the text was overlapping in messy blocks. No matter what I tried, the pictures kept moving to the wrong places. My eyes started to hurt from staring at the screen, and I seriously considered giving up and using a basic template like everyone else.
I decided to take a break and asked my older brother, who studies computer science, for some advice. He told me that computers only do exactly what you tell them, so I needed to check my work line by line. I spent the next two hours slowly reading through hundreds of words of code. Finally, I spotted the problem. I had forgotten to type a single, tiny closing symbol—an arrow-shaped bracket—at the end of an image link.
As soon as I added the missing character and saved the file, the entire website transformed. Suddenly, my photographs were perfectly organised, and the text looked beautiful. It was amazing how one invisible mistake could break the whole design. This experience taught me a huge lesson about patience and profound attention to detail. I am incredibly proud of my raw HTML portfolio, and the feeling of fixing the problem myself was fantastic. I’m now planning to learn more advanced coding languages to make my site even better.
1 Why did the writer choose to use raw HTML?
(A) He wanted to avoid paying for a website builder.
(B) He hoped to gain a valuable new ability for the future.
(C) He needed to finish his photography project quickly.
(D) He was told to do it by his friends.
2 How did the writer feel during the early stages of building the site?
(A) Confused because he didn’t know which pictures to select.
(B) Bored because typing the code was too easy.
(C) Frustrated because the page design kept falling apart.
(D) Annoyed because his computer screen was broken.
3 What did the writer discover after talking to his brother?
(A) That a very small typing error had caused the issue.
(B) That his brother had accidentally deleted some of his work.
(C) That he needed to rewrite hundreds of words of code.
(D) That a computer science student had to fix the link for him.
4 What does the writer say about his coding experience in the end?
(A) It made him realise he prefers photography to coding.
(B) It proved that using website templates is a better choice.
(C) It showed him that paying close attention is essential.
(D) It taught him how to design invisible symbols perfectly.
5 What would the writer write in his blog?
(A) Building a website from scratch was a nightmare. I wasted so much time, and I wish I had just used a template like my friends did.
(B) Learning HTML is impossible unless you study computer science. One little mistake ruined my whole site, so I’m giving up on coding.
(C) It was incredibly frustrating when my website kept breaking, but finding that one tiny error taught me so much. I’m really proud of the final result!
(D) I finally finished my photography portfolio! Thankfully, my older brother wrote all the code for me when the images wouldn’t stay in the right place.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, the writer states his motivation: “I thought learning how to write computer code would be a highly useful skill for the future,” which paraphrases as hoping to gain a valuable new ability.
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that his “formatting was a complete disaster” and that “pictures kept moving to the wrong places,” causing him to seriously consider giving up (feeling frustrated because the design fell apart).
3 A – Paragraph 3 details how the writer checked his work line by line and discovered that he “had forgotten to type a single, tiny closing symbol,” meaning a very small typing error caused the problem.
4 C – In paragraph 4, the writer reflects on the process, saying, “This experience taught me a huge lesson about patience and profound attention to detail.”
5 C – This option accurately captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the passage: the writer struggled with frustrating formatting issues initially, learned the importance of detail by finding a single tiny missing character, and ultimately felt incredibly proud of his hard work.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Writing My Own Adventures
I’ve always been a huge fan of a popular science fiction TV show called Space Explorers. When the second season ended on a cliffhanger, I couldn’t bear the thought of waiting another whole year for new episodes to come out. Because I loved the characters so much, I decided to write my own stories about their adventures, which is known as fanfiction. I created an account on a well-known writing website and uploaded my very first chapter. I felt extremely proud of my ideas and I couldn’t wait to share my imagination with a community of other fans who loved the show as much as I did.
At first, the reaction I got was absolutely amazing. Many people left lovely comments saying they really enjoyed my writing style. But a few weeks later, as my story became more popular, it attracted a different kind of reader. I started receiving mean messages from internet trolls. They didn’t just disagree with my plot choices; they wrote cruel things about my writing skills and told me that I should stop writing completely. I had never experienced anything like it before. I was so upset and embarrassed that I almost deleted my entire account and all my hard work.
Before giving up completely, I decided to talk to an older, more experienced writer on the website who had gone through similar things. She helped me understand the difference between constructive criticism and destructive hate. Constructive criticism, she explained, actually helps you improve. It involves someone politely suggesting changes, like fixing grammar mistakes or making a character’s actions more realistic. Destructive hate, on the other hand, is just angry people trying to make you feel bad about yourself for no reason. She told me that the best thing a writer can do is simply to ignore the trolls.
I decided to take her excellent advice. I changed my account settings to turn off comments from anonymous users, and I promised myself to only pay attention to readers who offered helpful, polite advice. It definitely wasn’t easy at first, but slowly, I developed a thick skin. Now, when I see a rude comment, I just laugh and delete it without a second thought. Writing fanfiction has not only improved my creative writing skills, but it has also taught me how to believe in myself, no matter what negative strangers on the internet decide to say.
1 Why did the writer start writing fanfiction?
(A) She wanted to become a famous science fiction author.
(B) She was bored of watching the same TV episodes again.
(C) She wanted to continue the story while waiting for the next season.
(D) She was asked to write it by a community of fans.
2 How did the writer react when she received mean messages?
(A) She replied to the trolls to defend her plot choices.
(B) She considered removing her profile and stories from the website.
(C) She asked her readers to report the cruel comments.
(D) She felt embarrassed because she knew her writing was bad.
3 According to the older writer, constructive criticism is useful because…
(A) it teaches you how to reply to internet trolls politely.
(B) it makes your stories more popular on the website.
(C) it comes from readers who have never written stories themselves.
(D) it gives you respectful suggestions on how to make your work better.
4 What did the writer do to solve her problem with the trolls?
(A) She stopped reading all the comments on her stories.
(B) She prevented unknown people from leaving messages.
(C) She started writing stories that the trolls would like.
(D) She asked her friends to leave more positive reviews.
5 What would the writer say about her experience of sharing her stories online?
(A) I’ve decided to stop writing because the internet is too negative, but I’m glad I tried it once.
(B) Although dealing with cruel comments was hard, it made me a more confident person and a better writer.
(C) The best way to deal with internet trolls is to argue with them until they understand your point of view.
(D) I wish I had never uploaded my stories, because the mean comments completely ruined my favourite TV show for me.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – The text states in the first paragraph that she couldn’t bear waiting another year for new episodes, so she decided to write her own stories about their adventures.
2 B – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that she was so upset by the trolls that she “almost deleted my entire account and all my hard work.”
3 D – The third paragraph mentions that constructive criticism helps you improve because it involves “someone politely suggesting changes.”
4 B – In the fourth paragraph, she says she “changed my account settings to turn off comments from anonymous users” which matches preventing unknown people from leaving messages.
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph: despite the difficulties with trolls, the experience improved her writing and taught her to believe in herself.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Mastering the Digital World
I have always been fascinated by the incredible vehicles in my favourite video games. A few months ago, I decided I wanted to design my own 3D models. I downloaded a free, popular computer programme that professionals use. I felt extremely confident and told my friends I would create a brilliant sports car by the end of the weekend. I imagined it would be as simple as drawing on a piece of paper, just using a mouse instead of a pen.
However, my excitement disappeared the moment I opened the software. The screen was covered in hundreds of confusing buttons, menus, and tools. It looked terrifyingly complex. Despite my shock, I refused to give up and started trying to build my car. Unfortunately, without knowing what any of the tools actually did, it was impossible. After two hours of clicking randomly, my sports car looked like a melted cardboard box. I felt so frustrated that I almost deleted the programme completely.
Before quitting, I decided to search for some advice online. I found a famous step-by-step video tutorial designed specifically for beginners. However, the teacher wasn’t making a sports car; he was demonstrating how to make a simple doughnut. At first, I wasn’t very keen on the idea. A piece of sweet food seemed incredibly boring compared to a fast vehicle. But I had no other options, so I patiently followed the instructor’s directions, pausing the video whenever I needed to copy his actions.
To my surprise, the tutorial was exactly what I needed. By focusing on a basic, round shape, I slowly stopped worrying about the complex interface. I learned how to move objects, change their size, and add bright colours. By the end of the afternoon, I had created a 3D doughnut that looked so realistic it actually made me hungry! This experience taught me that jumping into difficult projects too quickly usually leads to failure. You have to be patient and learn the basic skills first. I still want to design that sports car, but I am going to practise making a few more simple objects first.
1 Why did the writer download the 3D software?
(A) To complete a project for his video game club.
(B) To create vehicles like the ones in his games.
(C) To show his friends how to draw on a computer.
(D) To learn how professionals design pieces of paper.
2 What happened when the writer tried to make his first model?
(A) He deleted the programme by accident.
(B) He was surprised by how easy the buttons were to use.
(C) He produced something that looked completely wrong.
(D) He spent the whole weekend clicking randomly.
3 How did the writer feel about the online tutorial at first?
(A) Unenthusiastic because the object being made seemed unexciting.
(B) Confused because the instructor was speaking too fast.
(C) Annoyed that he had to pay for the video lessons.
(D) Delighted because he secretly wanted to make food.
4 What did the writer learn from making the doughnut?
(A) That he is naturally talented at designing fast cars.
(B) How to use the basic tools of the computer programme.
(C) That making realistic food is much harder than making cars.
(D) How to use the software without watching any videos.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about his 3D modelling experience?
(A) “I finally finished my sports car today! The interface was terrifying at first, but clicking randomly actually worked in the end.”
(B) “The video tutorial was quite boring, so I stopped watching it. I still think drawing on paper is much easier than using a mouse.”
(C) “I managed to make a realistic doughnut, but I’m going to delete the software because it’s just too complex for beginners.”
(D) “I realised that starting with something simple is the best way to learn. My first successful model wasn’t a car, but I’m proud of it.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The first paragraph states that the writer was fascinated by vehicles in video games and decided he wanted to “design my own 3D models,” meaning he wanted to create vehicles like the ones in his games.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that because he didn’t know how to use the tools, his sports car “looked like a melted cardboard box,” meaning he produced something that looked completely wrong.
3 A – The third paragraph describes the writer’s initial reaction to the tutorial as not “very keen on the idea” because a piece of food “seemed incredibly boring compared to a fast vehicle.”
4 B – In the fourth paragraph, the writer states that by making the doughnut, he “learned how to move objects, change their size, and add bright colours,” which means he learned how to use the basic tools of the software.
5 D – This option accurately captures the global meaning and the writer’s emotional arc: he failed when he tried a complex project right away, but by patiently completing a simple tutorial, he learned the basics and feels proud of his realistic doughnut.