Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Documentaries & Educational Media 1

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a daily nature and wildlife documentary series to watch.

There are descriptions of eight documentary series.

Decide which documentary series would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Lucas wants to watch a series about unusual, hard-to-find creatures. He loves seeing fast actions captured in beautiful, slow detail. Since he has no money, the videos must be completely free to stream on the internet.

2   Emma is interested in creatures living deep in the ocean. She prefers programmes that show animals in their completely untouched wild environments. Because she is busy, each part of the series must last less than half an hour.

3   Oliver loves learning about large mammals that live in freezing mountain areas. He enjoys series that feature soundtracks composed by well-known musical stars. He needs to save the episodes to his laptop to view without internet.

4   Sophia wants to watch a programme about various types of birds. She prefers series presented by a highly respected, famous expert of biology. She can only watch television during the weekend due to her school schedule.

5   Jack wants to watch a documentary about lizards and snakes in dry, sandy places. He likes when series include helpful digital maps and clear data diagrams. Finally, he prefers a humorous style with plenty of funny moments.

Documentary Series

A Scarce Species

This excellent online series explores extraordinary, hard-to-find species across the globe. By using special digital cameras that slow down rapid movements, viewers can enjoy seeing every magnificent detail of a wild hunter’s jump. This beautiful production can be streamed immediately on our open web platform at zero cost for everyone.

B Deep Blue Worlds

Dive into the deepest parts of the sea to discover amazing colorful creatures. The filmmakers focus heavily on completely natural, human-free habitats where these animals survive. Because these brilliant episodes are split into short twenty-five-minute parts, it is a perfect watch for individuals who do not have much free time.

C Snowy Peaks

This spectacular programme follows the daily lives of massive bears and wolves surviving around icy snowy peaks. The beautiful soundtrack is created entirely by award-winning pop artists, adding incredible emotional quality. Best of all, the application offers an offline saving option, allowing you to enjoy the show anywhere without any connection.

D Winged Wonders

Learn about the fascinating behavior of eagles, owls, and other magnificent flying creatures. This serious project is presented by the legendary science researcher Dr. Angel, who shares her incredible knowledge. Tune in to Channel 5 every Saturday afternoon to watch the live broadcast with your family after a busy week.

E Desert Life

Explore how various reptiles thrive in the world’s hottest deserts. To help you understand their environment, the episodes include animated computer graphics and clear geographical charts. The script is absolutely a laugh-a-minute, full of witty jokes and funny conversations that make learning about nature highly entertaining for students.

F Hidden Creatures

Discover extraordinary, scarce creatures that hide from human eyes in remote forests. This open-access show costs nothing to stream online and features a highly entertaining, witty presenter who tells funny jokes throughout the film. However, the camera crew used standard, traditional lenses, filming all the rapid animal action at completely normal speeds.

G Ocean Centers

This popular television series takes viewers on a tour of massive public aquariums and city zoos to look at magnificent marine life and exotic fish. Each part lasts just twenty minutes, making it a quick watch. Dr. Angel presents the show every Sunday, providing expert biology commentary about these captive animals.

H Extreme Heights

Travel to the highest freezing peaks to witness how wild mountain goats and leopards live in the snow. Our mobile application allows you to save the entire series directly onto your device to view later while travelling offline. Please note that this experimental documentary contains absolutely no music or background songs whatsoever.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find an ocean exploration series to watch.

There are descriptions of eight ocean exploration programmes.

Decide which programme would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Sara wants to see strange animals living in the deepest parts of the ocean. She only has time for brief, ten-minute episodes. She doesn’t want to spend any money, so the series must be available online completely free.

2   Tom is fascinated by how camera operators shoot video underwater. He wants a single, long movie rather than a series with many parts. He is watching with his eight-year-old son, so it must be safe for young kids.

3   Maria loves learning about the brightly coloured coral reefs. She wants the programme to be hosted by a well-known, famous scientist. Because her internet is terrible, she needs to buy the series on a physical DVD.

4   David wants to see brave divers exploring historical sunken ships. He is deaf, so the programme must have English words on the screen to read. He prefers fast-paced, exciting adventures rather than slow, relaxing nature programmes.

5   Elena is interested in learning how human rubbish and pollution damage the oceans. She wants a series featuring beautiful classical music. She needs to save the episodes directly to her tablet to watch on an aeroplane.

Ocean Exploration Series

A Into the Dark

Discover the bizarre, glowing monsters that survive at the very bottom of the sea. This web series is absolutely fantastic for busy people, as each part finishes in exactly ten minutes. Best of all, you won’t pay a penny because the entire collection is uploaded to our website without charge.

B The Lens Below

Have you ever wondered how directors capture such amazing aquatic footage? This fantastic two-hour feature explains exactly how the experts use waterproof equipment to record marine life. There are absolutely no scary sharks or dangerous moments, making this single, continuous educational documentary a perfectly safe choice for primary school viewers.

C The Colourful Coast

Explore the spectacular, bright underwater cities built by tiny marine organisms. Guided by the world’s most celebrated marine biologist, Professor James, you will discover an incredible tropical universe. While it isn’t available to stream over Wi-Fi, you can order the complete boxset as a hard plastic disc delivered to your door.

D Lost Treasures

Follow a brave team of underwater explorers as they discover ruined vessels resting on the seabed. This thrilling, high-energy journey is packed with danger and fast-moving swimming. For those who cannot hear, the producers have included helpful text at the bottom of the screen showing exactly what everyone is saying.

E Troubled Waters

This important programme explains exactly how dangerous plastics and chemicals are destroying our marine environments. While learning about these serious problems, viewers can relax to gorgeous, traditional orchestral symphonies playing softly. The application allows you to easily store every episode straight onto your personal device for viewing without internet access.

F The Deepest Dive

Travel thousands of metres down to meet the weirdest glowing fish in the blackest waters. The photography is stunning, accompanied by brilliant violin and piano pieces. However, access to these wonderful thirty-minute television broadcasts requires a monthly premium subscription fee, meaning it is certainly not a cheap option for viewers.

G Pirates of the Deep

This spectacular feature-length film takes you on a brilliant ninety-minute journey to explore old wooden boats destroyed by storms centuries ago. It is an incredibly fast-moving aquatic adventure. Unfortunately, due to technical issues, there is no written dialogue provided on screen, and the frightening shark attacks aren’t suitable for kids.

H Tropical Wonders

Join international celebrity scientist Dr Sarah Jenkins as she swims through the most beautiful, brightly coloured underwater environments on Earth. You will learn all about the fragile ecosystems of the warm shallows. The show is exclusively broadcast through our online streaming platform, so a very strong internet connection is essential.

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a historical battles documentary to watch.

There are descriptions of eight historical documentaries.

Decide which documentary would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Liam is doing a school project about the First World War. He wants to watch a documentary that includes spoken memories from real soldiers who fought in it. He needs a short film that finishes in less than fifty minutes.

2   Sophia is fascinated by World War Two history. She prefers watching documentaries that use original black-and-white film from that era instead of modern reconstructions. She doesn’t want to pay anything and needs to stream it online for free.

3   Noah wants to learn more about the 1940s conflict. He would like a program featuring interviews with people who lived through the battles, and he needs clear animated maps to help him understand where the armies moved.

4   Mia loves early twentieth-century history and wants a documentary about the Great War. She is looking for a production that uses authentic black-and-white film from the battlefields and has recently won awards for its excellent directing.

5   Oliver wants to see a detailed documentary comparing the technology used in both world wars. He wants to hear real soldiers talking about their experiences, and he prefers a long, thorough film that lasts over two hours.

Historical Battles Documentaries

A Voices from the Trenches

Travel back to the 1914-1918 conflict with this unique series. The program features emotional audio recordings of the brave men who actually fought on the front lines, sharing their personal stories. Best of all, each bite-sized episode is just forty minutes long, perfect for anyone looking for a brief but deeply educational historical overview.

B Europe in Flames

This outstanding documentary looks at the major events of the 1939-1945 war. The directors used only original monochrome video clips from national libraries, allowing viewers to see the real past. You can stream this brilliant historical production on our open-access website right now without paying a single penny.

C The Global Conflict

Discover the reality of World War Two through the eyes of the troops who were there. This series balances spoken accounts from veterans with highly detailed digital diagrams that show the exact strategy and movements of the ships and tanks. It provides a brilliantly clear explanation of how these famous historical events unfolded.

D 1914: The Great War

This spectacular masterpiece explores the early twentieth-century battlefields using exclusively restored non-colour camera footage captured by journalists at the time. The visual experience is absolutely incredible. It recently collected the top prize at an international television festival, specifically celebrating the director’s creative approach to presenting history.

E A Century of Warfare

This massive, exhaustive film offers a comprehensive look at the differences between the two global conflicts of the last century. Featuring dozens of spoken interviews with surviving soldiers from various nations, it provides a deeply thorough historical study. Make sure you have enough time, as this epic production runs for a full two and a half hours.

F The Western Front

This incredibly lengthy film provides a deep look into the tragic events of the First World War. It relies completely on rare, silent non-colour film loops to show the muddy fields and trenches. While it is perfect for serious history students, the epic three-hour running time requires a lot of patience from the audience.

G 1945: Echoes of Victory

Hear firsthand from the men who served during the final months of World War Two in this high-energy series. The producers have combined these modern, full-colour video interviews with actors rebuilding the famous scenes. Please note that this exclusive premium content is only available to users with a paid television network subscription.

H Generals and Tactics

This quick, fifty-minute program looks at the military decisions made during both the First and Second World War. Using professional actors who read out the famous letters and battle plans written by the officers, it explains the clever strategies used. It is a fast-paced summary that avoids personal stories from the actual troops.

Exercises:   123456