Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Entrepreneurship & Hustle
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My Online Jewellery Shop
For as long as I can remember, I have loved making colourful beaded bracelets. I used to give them to my friends at school, and they always told me how beautiful my designs were. After hearing so many positive comments, I decided it was time to share my creations with the world. During the summer holidays, I used my savings to buy materials and set up my own online jewellery shop. I felt incredibly excited and imagined that I would be packing dozens of orders by the end of the first week.
Unfortunately, the reality of running a business was a massive disappointment. I proudly opened my shop and told all my family, but after that, nothing happened. For three whole months, I checked my phone every single morning, hoping to see a notification for a new sale. There was absolutely zero interest from buyers. I started to feel very miserable and wondered if I should just close the website. I thought that perhaps my bracelets were simply not attractive enough for strangers to spend their money on.
Before giving up completely, I decided to look closely at other successful jewellery shops online. I quickly noticed a major difference between their websites and mine. Their bracelets weren’t necessarily better than mine, but their photographs were bright, clear, and looked highly professional. My pictures, on the other hand, were dark and blurry because I had just taken them quickly on my bedroom floor. I spent the next weekend watching videos about lighting, arranged a clean white background, and took completely new photos of my entire collection.
Just a few days after I uploaded the new images, my phone suddenly beeped. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the message: I had received my very first order! What made it even more thrilling was that the customer was from Australia, which is thousands of miles away from my home in the UK. That single sale completely changed my attitude. I now understand that creating a great product is only half the job; presenting it properly is just as important. I finally feel confident about my little business and its future.
1 Why did the writer decide to open an online jewellery shop?
(A) She wanted to earn enough money to buy more craft materials.
(B) Her friends encouraged her to start a professional career in business.
(C) She was inspired by the compliments she received about her work.
(D) She had a lot of free time to fill during the long summer holidays.
2 How did the writer feel during the first three months of her business?
(A) Annoyed because her family did not buy any of her bracelets.
(B) Upset because she began to doubt the quality of her designs.
(C) Surprised that the website was so expensive to keep running.
(D) Relieved that she didn’t have to pack dozens of daily orders.
3 What did the writer realise after looking at other online shops?
(A) Her competitors were making much better jewellery than her.
(B) She needed to buy a completely new and expensive camera.
(C) Her bedroom floor was the best place to take professional photos.
(D) The way she was displaying her products was the main problem.
4 What has the writer learned from her overall experience?
(A) Running a successful business requires good presentation skills.
(B) It is impossible to sell handmade items to international customers.
(C) She needs to invent a new product to keep her customers happy.
(D) Making jewellery is much more difficult than selling it online.
5 What would the writer write in her diary today?
(A) I’m so excited! A customer in Australia just bought a bracelet, but I still think I should close my shop because taking photos is too hard.
(B) I finally got my first sale! It took a long time and some website changes, but it proves that my designs are actually good enough to sell.
(C) My friends were right about my jewellery, but I’ve realised I prefer just making bracelets for them instead of trying to run a business.
(D) I’m making a lot of money from my shop now, but I regret spending all my summer savings on materials that I can’t even use.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – Paragraph 1 states that she decided to share her creations with the world “after hearing so many positive comments” from her friends about how beautiful her designs were.
2 B – In paragraph 2, the writer mentions she felt “very miserable” and thought “perhaps my bracelets were simply not attractive enough,” indicating that the lack of sales made her doubt her own work.
3 D – Paragraph 3 explains she noticed her pictures “were dark and blurry” compared to the bright and clear photos of successful shops, matching the idea that her product presentation was the issue.
4 A – Paragraph 4 details her realization that “creating a great product is only half the job; presenting it properly is just as important,” which means that good presentation/marketing skills are essential.
5 B – This option captures the global narrative arc: starting with a frustrating lack of sales, changing the photos to improve the website, achieving an international sale, and finally gaining confidence in her products and business.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Summer of the Broken Engine
Last summer, I wanted to earn some extra money, so I decided to start my own lawn mowing business. I borrowed my dad’s old lawnmower and printed some simple advertisements. I posted them through the letterboxes in my neighbourhood, hoping to get a few replies. To my surprise, a lot of people called me. Within a week, I had five regular customers, and I felt incredibly proud of my new business.
Everything was going perfectly until the middle of July. One hot afternoon, while I was cutting Mrs Smith’s grass, the lawnmower made a terrible noise and suddenly stopped working. I didn’t know anything about machines, so I had to take it to a professional repair shop in town. When I finally got it back, the mechanic’s bill was extremely expensive. It took almost all the profit I had made that month just to pay him. I was deeply disappointed.
I thought my problems were over, but just two weeks later, the exact same thing happened again. The engine completely died. This time, I knew I couldn’t afford to take it back to the repair shop. If I paid the mechanic again, my business would lose money. I seriously considered giving up and finding a normal summer job in a shop instead. However, I didn’t want to let my regular customers down.
Instead of giving up, I decided to try and fix it myself. I sat in my garage and watched several online videos about how small engines work. It looked very complicated at first, and my hands got completely covered in thick black oil. But after a few hours of hard work, I managed to clean the engine and replace a broken part. When I finally pulled the starting handle, the engine roared to life. I was absolutely amazed!
Fixing that machine saved my summer business, and I continued cutting grass until September. Looking back, I’m actually glad the lawnmower broke down. Of course, I enjoyed earning my own money, but the best part of the summer was discovering that I could solve mechanical problems by myself. I learned a completely new skill that will definitely be useful in the future.
1 How did the writer feel when he started his business?
(A) Pleased because his father gave him a brand new machine.
(B) Surprised by how many people wanted to hire him.
(C) Worried that his printed advertisements were too simple.
(D) Proud that he was finally able to buy his own lawnmower.
2 What was the result of taking the lawnmower to the repair shop?
(A) He spent almost all the money he had earned.
(B) He had to stop working for Mrs Smith completely.
(C) The mechanic offered to help him with his business.
(D) The machine worked perfectly for the rest of the summer.
3 When the engine stopped working the second time, the writer
(A) asked his customers to pay him more money.
(B) took it back to the exact same mechanic in town.
(C) thought about getting a different kind of summer job.
(D) decided to buy a better machine with his profits.
4 What did the writer do to solve his problem?
(A) He asked his father to help him clean the dirty oil.
(B) He watched online videos to learn how to fix the engine.
(C) He borrowed a book about small machines from the library.
(D) He apologised to his customers and stopped cutting grass.
5 What would the writer say about his summer experience?
(A) “Starting a business is too expensive, so I’m just going to work in a shop next year.”
(B) “Although the mechanical problems were annoying, learning how to repair the engine made it a great summer.”
(C) “I’m glad my dad taught me how to fix machines, because it saved my business from failing.”
(D) “Cutting grass is a very easy way to make money, and I’m glad nothing went wrong.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph, “To my surprise, a lot of people called me,” which directly paraphrases to being surprised by how many people wanted to hire him.
2 A – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that the mechanic’s bill was expensive and “took almost all the profit I had made.” This is a factually correct paraphrase for spending almost all the money he had earned.
3 C – Paragraph three explains that when the mower died again, the writer “seriously considered giving up and finding a normal summer job in a shop instead.” This maps perfectly to thinking about getting a different summer job.
4 B – The fourth paragraph states that the writer “sat in my garage and watched several online videos about how small engines work” and managed to repair it.
5 B – This option successfully captures the global meaning and the specific lesson in the final paragraph: the writer is glad the machine broke because overcoming the problem and discovering he could “solve mechanical problems by myself” was the best part of the summer.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Learning from Mistakes
My name is Maya, and I have always been fascinated by computers and foreign languages. Last year, I decided to combine these two interests and program my own mobile app. I wanted to create a simple, fun tool to help teenagers learn vocabulary. Because I had already taken a few coding classes at school, I thought it would be a quick and easy project. I spent a month designing the menus and adding words, feeling incredibly proud of my work.
When I finally uploaded the app to the internet, I excitedly waited for people to download it. I expected everyone to love it immediately. However, within a few days, the reality of software development hit me hard. Instead of five-star ratings, my app received a lot of terrible reviews. Users complained that the screen froze constantly and the app crashed right in the middle of their vocabulary games. I felt completely embarrassed and wanted to delete the program forever.
Despite my initial disappointment, I knew I couldn’t just give up. I sat down at my computer and began the difficult process of rewriting the broken code. For three long weeks, I spent all my free time staring at the screen, searching for the mistakes that were causing the app to crash. It was exhausting work, and I often got frustrated when I couldn’t understand why a certain feature wasn’t working properly.
Eventually, I managed to find and fix the major bugs. I cautiously uploaded the new, improved version of the app and waited. To my great relief, the new reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Users praised the app for being fast, helpful, and easy to use. Reading those comments made me realise something surprising: those early, angry reviews had actually been incredibly useful. Without them, I would never have known how to make my app better.
This experience completely changed my attitude towards criticism. I learned that customer feedback, even when it is difficult to read, is a vital part of improving any product. I am still updating my vocabulary app today, and I always pay close attention to what my users say. I am now absolutely certain that I want to become a professional software developer when I finish school.
1 Why did Maya decide to create the language app?
(A) She wanted to combine her favourite hobbies.
(B) She needed to pass a coding class at school.
(C) She wanted to help her classmates pass their exams.
(D) She was asked to do it by her language teacher.
2 How did Maya feel when she read the first reviews?
(A) Confused because she couldn’t see any problems with the app.
(B) Angry at the users for complaining about a free program.
(C) Ashamed and ready to remove the app from the internet.
(D) Unsurprised because she knew the code was already broken.
3 What does Maya say about the process of fixing the app?
(A) She had to ask a teacher to help her find the bugs.
(B) It took a lot of effort and sometimes made her feel annoyed.
(C) She found the mistakes much faster than she expected.
(D) It was impossible to fix all the problems with the code.
4 What important lesson did Maya learn from her experience?
(A) Negative comments are essential for making things better.
(B) Creating mobile apps is much too stressful for her.
(C) People on the internet are rarely satisfied with new apps.
(D) She prefers learning languages to programming computers.
5 What would Maya write in a blog post about her app?
(A) I am so glad everyone loved my app immediately. It proves that programming is actually very easy!
(B) The bad reviews made me delete my app, but at least I learned that I shouldn’t try to be a developer.
(C) Getting bad reviews was hard, but listening to the users helped me fix the app and made me a better programmer.
(D) I finally fixed my app, but I have decided to ignore customer feedback from now on because it is too stressful to read.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – In paragraph 1, Maya states she was fascinated by computers and foreign languages, and “decided to combine these two interests and program my own mobile app.”
2 C – In paragraph 2, Maya explains that after seeing the terrible reviews, “I felt completely embarrassed and wanted to delete the program forever,” which maps to feeling ashamed and ready to remove the app.
3 B – In paragraph 3, Maya describes the process as “exhausting work” and mentions that she “often got frustrated,” which matches taking a lot of effort and feeling annoyed.
4 A – In paragraph 5, Maya reflects on her experience and states, “I learned that customer feedback, even when it is difficult to read, is a vital part of improving any product.”
5 C – This option captures the global meaning and narrative arc of the text. Maya acknowledges the difficulty of the bad reviews, but highlights that paying attention to them allowed her to improve her app and confirm her desire to be a software developer.