Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Digital Detox, Gadgets & Innovation 2
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Phone Basket Rule
I have always loved dinnertime with my family. When I was younger, we used to sit around the kitchen table for hours, sharing stories and laughing about our day. However, recently, things changed completely. Our evening meals became absolutely silent. My parents, my older sister, and I were all guilty of bringing our smartphones to the table. Instead of talking to each other, we stared at our screens, scrolling through social media or reading news. I suddenly realised how lonely and disconnected our house felt, and I knew I had to do something about it.
One evening last month, I found a small wooden basket and placed it right in the middle of the dining table. When my family sat down to eat, I announced a strict new rule: absolutely no phones were allowed during dinner. I told everyone they had to leave their devices in the basket until we had all finished eating. My parents looked completely shocked, and my sister immediately complained that it was an incredibly unfair idea.
The first few days of the new rule were extremely difficult. My sister argued that she desperately needed to reply to her friends’ messages, and my dad nervously checked the basket in case he missed an important work email. Because we were so used to being distracted by our screens, nobody knew what to say. The meals were still very quiet, but this time it was an awkward, uncomfortable silence. I honestly started to wonder if my ‘phone basket’ idea was a terrible mistake.
Fortunately, things slowly began to improve. After about a week, we stopped thinking about the basket. My mum started asking questions about our school projects, and my dad told us funny jokes about his colleagues. Soon, we were having proper conversations and making exciting plans for the weekend. The dining room was finally filled with loud, happy laughter again.
Now, the phone basket is a permanent part of our evening routine, and nobody complains about it anymore. Although smartphones are useful tools, I have learned that looking at a screen should never replace real human connection. I am incredibly proud that I found the courage to speak up and bring my family back together.
1 Why did the writer want to change dinnertimes?
(A) He was annoyed that his sister was always talking on her phone.
(B) He felt sad because his family was no longer communicating.
(C) He wanted to spend more time reading the news online.
(D) He was tired of his parents asking him questions about school.
2 How did the writer’s family react to the new rule?
(A) They were pleased that someone had finally suggested it.
(B) They were angry because they had to buy a wooden basket.
(C) They were surprised and unhappy about his suggestion.
(D) They decided to stop eating dinner in the dining room.
3 What happened during the first few days of the experiment?
(A) The family found it easy to discover new topics to discuss.
(B) The dad missed several important emails from his boss.
(C) The writer’s sister sent secret messages to her friends under the table.
(D) The dinners were quiet because people felt unsure of how to behave.
4 How does the writer feel about the situation now?
(A) He believes that smartphones are not useful tools at all.
(B) He regrets starting the rule because it caused so many arguments.
(C) He is glad that he took action to improve his family’s relationship.
(D) He hopes his parents will let him use his phone at the table soon.
5 What would the writer write in his diary today?
(A) The phone basket was a good idea at first, but now my parents talk too much at dinner. I wish we could have silent meals again.
(B) Forcing everyone to put their phones away was stressful at first, but I am so happy that my family is finally talking and laughing together again!
(C) I got into a massive argument with my sister today because she broke my wooden basket. Now she is never allowed to eat with us.
(D) Even though my dad keeps checking his work emails during dinner, at least my sister has learned to stop using social media.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph that because everyone was staring at their screens instead of talking, the writer realised how “lonely and disconnected our house felt,” which maps to feeling sad about the lack of communication.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that when he announced the rule, his parents “looked completely shocked” and his sister “immediately complained,” showing they were surprised and unhappy.
3 D – The third paragraph describes the first few days as having an “awkward, uncomfortable silence” because “nobody knew what to say” without their screens to distract them.
4 C – In the final paragraph, the writer states, “I am incredibly proud that I found the courage to speak up and bring my family back together.”
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from the difficult, conflict-filled early days of the experiment to the joyful, connected reality of their new family routine.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Magic of Printed Pages
For my fourteenth birthday, my parents bought me a digital e-reader. At first, I honestly thought it was the best present ever. I could carry hundreds of exciting stories in my school backpack, and I spent hours reading on my screen every evening in bed. However, after a few months, I started getting terrible headaches. My eyes felt extremely tired, sore, and dry from staring at the bright digital display for so long. I realised I needed to take a long break from screens if I wanted to continue enjoying my favourite hobby without feeling uncomfortable.
One rainy Saturday afternoon, I was walking through the town centre when I noticed a small, old shop hidden down a quiet, narrow street. I had never seen it before, even though I live nearby. It was a second-hand bookstore called ‘The Page Turner’. As soon as I pushed the heavy wooden door open, I stepped into a completely different world. The shop was quiet, peaceful, and full of tall shelves packed with thousands of books of all sizes. It felt like a secret treasure cave waiting to be explored.
I walked slowly down the narrow aisles and picked up an old, hardback adventure novel from the bottom shelf. Immediately, I noticed the physical weight of it in my hands. It felt much more satisfying and real than holding a thin, light piece of plastic. As I turned the thick pages, I breathed in the familiar, comforting smell of old paper and ink. It was a wonderful sensory experience that my modern e-reader simply couldn’t give me. I spent over an hour just sitting in a comfortable armchair in the corner of the shop, completely lost in the first few chapters.
When I finally left the shop, I excitedly bought three physical books using my pocket money. Since that day, my reading habits have changed completely. My headaches have entirely disappeared, and my eyes no longer hurt in the evenings. I still use my e-reader occasionally when I go on long summer holidays because it’s incredibly convenient for travel. However, whenever I am at home, I always choose a real, printed book. I’ve discovered that turning actual pages makes the whole story feel much more magical and immersive.
1 What problem did the writer have with his birthday present?
(A) It was too heavy to carry in his school backpack.
(B) It caused him to experience physical pain.
(C) He couldn’t find any exciting stories to download.
(D) He broke the digital screen after a few months.
2 How did the writer feel when he entered ‘The Page Turner’?
(A) He was surprised that the books were so disorganised.
(B) He was annoyed that the heavy wooden door was difficult to open.
(C) He felt like he had discovered a special, hidden place.
(D) He was worried because the street was too quiet.
3 What did the writer enjoy most about the hardback novel?
(A) The adventure story was better than the ones on his e-reader.
(B) The armchair he sat in made him feel very comfortable.
(C) He found it easier to read because the text was large.
(D) Holding and smelling it was a pleasant physical experience.
4 What does the writer say about his reading habits now?
(A) He chooses to read printed books when he is not travelling.
(B) He has completely stopped using his digital e-reader.
(C) He spends all his pocket money on buying printed books.
(D) He prefers to read physical books only when he is on holiday.
5 What would the writer say about his experience?
(A) I’m so glad my parents bought me an e-reader because second-hand books are too heavy and smell strange.
(B) I wish I had never visited that old bookshop. Now I have to spend all my pocket money on expensive printed books.
(C) Going to that bookstore helped me realise that reading a physical book is a much more enjoyable experience than staring at a screen.
(D) Digital e-readers are completely useless and nobody should ever buy them, even if they are going on a long holiday.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, the writer explains that using the e-reader gave him “terrible headaches” and made his eyes feel “tired, sore, and dry.” This matches experiencing physical pain.
2 C – Paragraph 2 states that stepping into the shop felt like entering “a completely different world” and “like a secret treasure cave waiting to be explored,” capturing the feeling of discovering a special place.
3 D – In paragraph 3, the writer focuses on the “physical weight,” the “comforting smell of old paper and ink,” and calls it a “wonderful sensory experience.” Option D correctly paraphrases this.
4 A – Paragraph 4 explains that he uses the e-reader for holidays, but “whenever I am at home, I always choose a real, printed book,” meaning he reads physical books when not traveling.
5 C – This option best captures the global meaning and the writer’s attitude. He transitioned from painful screen reading to discovering that the physical aspects of printed books make reading much more magical and immersive.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Taking a Break from the Screen
My name is Maya, and for my fifteenth birthday, I received a smartwatch. I had asked my parents for one because I wanted to count my daily steps and receive messages without taking my smartphone out of my bag. However, when I set it up, I discovered a feature I hadn’t thought much about: a sleep tracker. It promised to analyse my sleep quality and give me a score every morning. Since I often felt tired at school, I thought this would be the perfect way to improve my energy levels.
For the first few weeks, I wore the watch to bed every single night. As soon as I woke up, before even getting out of bed, I opened the app on my phone to check my sleep score. At first, it was interesting to see how many hours I spent in deep or light sleep. But then, the app started giving me scores like “Fair” or “Poor”. It told me I wasn’t getting enough rest. Instead of helping me, seeing these low numbers made me feel quite upset and worried.
Soon, the situation became much worse. Because I wanted to get an “Excellent” sleep score, I started going to bed feeling incredibly stressed. I would lie in the dark, unable to relax, worrying that the watch was recording my lack of sleep. Ironically, my desire to achieve a perfect score was keeping me completely awake. I was exhausted during my morning classes, and I realised the technology was actually creating the problem it was supposed to solve.
One evening, I finally decided I’d had enough. Instead of wearing the watch to bed, I took it off and left it on my desk to charge. The first night without it felt a bit strange, but I closed my eyes and simply focused on relaxing. When I woke up the next morning, the sun was shining, and I felt surprisingly refreshed. I didn’t need an app to tell me how I had slept because my body already knew.
Now, I still love my smartwatch, but I only wear it during the day. It is a fantastic gadget for recording my afternoon runs and keeping me active. However, I have learned that when it comes to resting at night, it is much better to listen to your own body rather than trusting a screen.
1 Why was Maya originally excited about the sleep tracking feature?
(A) She wanted to share her sleep scores with her school friends.
(B) She hoped it would help her feel less tired during the day.
(C) She needed to use it for a science project about sleeping habits.
(D) She bought the watch specifically to monitor her health at night.
2 What happened after Maya started checking the app every morning?
(A) She was pleased to learn she was getting plenty of deep sleep.
(B) She immediately stopped using her smartphone in bed.
(C) She became anxious because of the negative results it showed.
(D) She discovered that the watch was recording her steps incorrectly.
3 Why did Maya find it difficult to fall asleep?
(A) The screen of her new smartwatch was too bright in the dark.
(B) She felt nervous about the app recording her lying awake.
(C) She was exhausted from concentrating too hard in her morning classes.
(D) The watch kept sending her loud notifications during the night.
4 Taking off the watch at night made Maya realise that
(A) her smartwatch needed charging much more often than she thought.
(B) she had been waking up early simply because of the bright sunshine.
(C) her bedroom was a much better place to sleep without electronics.
(D) she could judge her sleep quality without relying on technology.
5 What would Maya write in her diary now?
(A) I finally threw my smartwatch away today. Technology is terrible for teenagers and causes too much unnecessary stress.
(B) The sleep tracker is actually a great tool. If I keep using it, I’m sure my score will eventually reach ‘Excellent’.
(C) I’m so glad I stopped wearing my watch to bed. I feel much more relaxed now that I’m not worrying about my sleep score.
(D) My parents were right about my daily habits. I need to spend less time running in the afternoon so I can sleep better.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in paragraph 1, “Since I often felt tired at school, I thought this would be the perfect way to improve my energy levels,” which paraphrases hoping to feel less tired during the day.
2 C – In paragraph 2, Maya mentions that the app gave her “Poor” scores and that “seeing these low numbers made me feel quite upset and worried,” which matches becoming anxious over negative results.
3 B – Paragraph 3 explains that Maya “started going to bed feeling incredibly stressed” and was “worrying that the watch was recording my lack of sleep.”
4 D – In paragraph 4, after waking up without the watch, Maya says, “I didn’t need an app to tell me how I had slept because my body already knew,” showing she could rely on her own judgment rather than technology.
5 C – This option accurately captures the global meaning and the lesson Maya learned. She still likes her watch for daytime activities but realised that taking it off at night removed her stress and allowed her to sleep naturally again.