Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Everyday Social Responsibility & Sustainable Living
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Sweeter Choice
I have always been a huge fan of chocolate. Until recently, my afternoon routine was exactly the same every day. When the school bell rang, I would walk to the local shop and buy two large bars of the cheapest milk chocolate they had. I used to eat them mindlessly on my way home, barely even tasting them. I never thought about how the chocolate was made or where the ingredients came from. It was just a sweet, cheap snack that I enjoyed.
However, my attitude completely changed a few months ago. Our geography teacher asked us to do a project on farming, and I decided to research where cocoa beans come from. While I was looking for information online, I watched a short documentary about the chocolate industry. I was shocked to find out that many cheap brands rely on unfair labour. Some farmers work incredibly long hours in dangerous conditions, but they earn hardly any money. After learning this, I felt guilty about my daily chocolate habit.
I immediately decided that I needed to change my shopping habits. The next time I went to the supermarket, I looked for chocolate with a ‘Fairtrade’ label. This label means that the farmers are paid a fair price for their hard work and work in safe environments. However, when I checked the price, I was surprised. The Fairtrade chocolate was much more expensive than my usual brand. If I bought it, I could only afford to buy half as much chocolate as before. Despite the cost, I bought it anyway.
At first, my friends thought I was crazy for spending so much of my pocket money on just one small bar of chocolate a week. But my new habit has actually taught me a valuable lesson. Because I have less chocolate now, I don’t eat it quickly on the walk home anymore. Instead, I eat just one or two squares after dinner and really focus on the taste. The high-quality chocolate is absolutely delicious. I have learned to savour every bite, and I feel proud knowing my choice is helping farmers on the other side of the world.
1 What was the writer’s attitude towards chocolate in the past?
(A) She only bought it when she had extra money.
(B) She preferred high-quality chocolate to cheap brands.
(C) She ate it without considering its origins.
(D) She shared her daily snack with her school friends.
2 Why did the writer feel guilty about her chocolate habit?
(A) Her geography teacher told her it was unhealthy.
(B) She discovered that the people who grow cocoa are treated badly.
(C) She realised she was spending too much time researching online.
(D) She found out that farming cocoa beans damages the environment.
3 What problem did the writer face when she found the Fairtrade chocolate?
(A) It was difficult to find in her local supermarket.
(B) It tasted completely different from her usual brand.
(C) It didn’t have the correct label on the packaging.
(D) It cost a lot more than the chocolate she usually bought.
4 How has the writer’s behaviour changed since buying the new chocolate?
(A) She encourages her friends to spend their pocket money on it.
(B) She eats it more slowly and appreciates the flavour.
(C) She has stopped eating chocolate after dinner completely.
(D) She buys small bars of chocolate on her walk home.
5 What would the writer say about her experience?
(A) “Fairtrade chocolate is great, but I wish it was cheap enough so I could still eat two large bars every single day.”
(B) “I’ve stopped eating chocolate completely because it’s impossible to know if the farmers are being treated fairly.”
(C) “Paying more for chocolate means I eat less of it, but the quality is better and it’s the right thing to do.”
(D) “My friends were right; it’s silly to spend so much money on one small bar of chocolate when the cheap ones taste the same.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – The text states in the first paragraph that she “used to eat them mindlessly” and “never thought about how the chocolate was made or where the ingredients came from”. This paraphrases eating it without considering its origins.
2 B – The second paragraph explains that she watched a documentary and learned that cheap brands rely on “unfair labour” where farmers work in dangerous conditions and “earn hardly any money”. This matches the idea that the people who grow cocoa are treated badly.
3 D – In paragraph three, the writer notes that she was surprised because the Fairtrade chocolate “was much more expensive than my usual brand,” meaning it cost a lot more.
4 B – Paragraph four describes how she doesn’t eat it quickly anymore, but instead eats just one or two squares, really focuses on the taste, and has “learned to savour every bite.” This paraphrases eating more slowly and appreciating the flavour.
5 C – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and the writer’s attitude. She acknowledges the higher price and reduced quantity (“Paying more… means I eat less”), but appreciates the “high-quality” taste and feels proud that her choice helps farmers (“it’s the right thing to do”).
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My First Day at the Repair Café
I’ve always hated throwing things away, especially when they could easily be saved. So, when I saw an advertisement for a local ‘Repair Café’, I immediately signed up to volunteer. The idea was simple: instead of throwing broken household items into the rubbish, people could bring them to our pop-up event, and volunteers would try to fix them for free. On my first Saturday, the room was full of people carrying broken toasters, lamps, and even old toys. I felt excited and ready to help out.
After successfully repairing a basic table lamp, I felt quite confident. Then, a woman walked in carrying a beautiful, heavy vintage radio that had stopped working years ago. Because I was usually the person my family asked to fix computer issues or set up new mobile phones, I assumed this would be an easy challenge. I eagerly took the back off the radio and looked inside. However, I quickly realised my mistake. There were dozens of complicated wires and strange parts I had never seen before. After an hour of trying, I was completely confused and had failed miserably.
Feeling embarrassed, I was about to tell the woman that her radio was impossible to repair. Just then, Arthur, an eighty-year-old volunteer who had been fixing items all morning, walked over. He gently pushed me aside and looked inside the wooden box. He didn’t use a laptop or a manual to find the problem. Instead, he just carefully touched a few wires, listened to the sound the buttons made, and smiled. Within five minutes, he had replaced a single tiny part, and music suddenly started playing perfectly from the speaker.
Watching Arthur work was an incredible experience. It made me realise that while my generation might be great at writing software or using apps, the older generation has an amazing mechanical understanding of how things are actually built. They grew up in a time when you had to repair things yourself if they broke. I went home that day with a deep respect for their traditional skills. If I want to become a truly good engineer one day, I know I need to spend much more time watching and learning from experts like Arthur.
1 Why did the writer want to volunteer at the Repair Café?
(A) He wanted to save money on fixing his own electrical items.
(B) He disliked the idea of wasting things that could be fixed.
(C) He wanted to learn how to fix toasters and lamps for his family.
(D) He was asked to help organise the pop-up event by his friends.
2 How did the writer feel when he first looked inside the vintage radio?
(A) He was certain he could fix it quickly because he was good with computers.
(B) He felt annoyed that the parts were broken and impossible to replace.
(C) He discovered the repair was much more difficult than he had imagined.
(D) He was surprised by how similar it was to a modern mobile phone.
3 What impressed the writer about Arthur?
(A) He used a special computer programme to find the problem.
(B) He spent a long time carefully explaining the repair to the customer.
(C) He managed to build a completely new radio from broken parts.
(D) He knew exactly what was wrong without needing instructions.
4 What did the writer learn from his experience at the Repair Café?
(A) Young people should stop using apps and software to fix things.
(B) Traditional mechanical skills are still highly valuable today.
(C) Older people need more help with modern technology.
(D) Volunteering is the only way to become a successful engineer.
5 What would the writer write in his blog after his first day at the Repair Café?
(A) I failed to fix an old radio today, but watching an older volunteer repair it so easily gave me huge respect for their practical skills.
(B) Today I proved that being good with computers makes you good at fixing anything. I successfully repaired a vintage radio in just five minutes!
(C) I felt quite embarrassed today when I couldn’t fix a customer’s radio. I’ve decided to stop volunteering and focus on my computer skills instead.
(D) The Repair Café was really busy today. It’s a shame that older people bring in so much rubbish that can never be fixed by the volunteers.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in paragraph 1 that the writer “hated throwing things away, especially when they could easily be saved.”
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer says, “However, I quickly realised my mistake” and describes seeing “complicated wires and strange parts” that left him “completely confused.”
3 D – Paragraph 3 explains that Arthur “didn’t use a laptop or a manual to find the problem” but simply touched wires and listened to the buttons to fix it in five minutes.
4 B – In paragraph 4, the writer reflects that “the older generation has an amazing mechanical understanding” and expresses a “deep respect for their traditional skills.”
5 A – This accurately synthesizes the writer’s failure to fix the radio, the rescue by the older volunteer, and the global takeaway of gaining a deep respect for the older generation’s mechanical abilities.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Power of Sharing
Last month, my teacher asked my class to start a project that would help our local community. I’ve always been worried about the environment and how much rubbish we produce, so I decided to set up a ‘Buy Nothing’ group on social media for our town. The idea was simple: a place where people could offer things they no longer needed for free, rather than throwing them away. I wasn’t sure if anyone would actually join, but I hoped it would encourage people to share.
To my surprise, the group grew extremely quickly. Within a week, there were over five hundred members offering all sorts of items, from old books to kitchen equipment. However, managing the page soon became quite stressful. I noticed that a few specific people were commenting on almost every post, trying to take absolutely everything that was offered. It was really frustrating because the goal was to share things fairly, not to let a small number of members take all the free items for themselves.
I realised I had to do something, so I introduced a new rule. I asked people offering items to wait a day before choosing who to give their things to, giving everyone a fair chance to see the post. Some of the greedy members complained and even left the group, which actually made things much easier to manage. Soon after that, a young woman posted explaining that she was having a baby and couldn’t afford to buy furniture. She asked if anyone had a spare baby bed.
I was worried no one would reply, but less than an hour later, another member offered her a beautiful, nearly new wooden crib. They even offered to drive across town to deliver it to her. When the young mother posted a picture of the crib in her room, thanking everyone for their kindness, I felt incredibly moved. Seeing her get exactly what she needed proved to me how wonderful the gift economy can be.
Running the group still takes up a lot of my free time, and dealing with online complaints isn’t always fun. However, seeing the community come together to support each other makes all the hard work completely worth it. Even when my school project officially finishes next month, I have definitely decided to keep the page going.
1 Why did the writer start the ‘Buy Nothing’ group?
(A) To complete an assignment for school and reduce waste.
(B) To make money by selling old things on social media.
(C) To find a place to throw away her own rubbish.
(D) To help her teacher clean up the local community.
2 What annoyed the writer about the group after it grew?
(A) People were offering items that were broken and useless.
(B) A few members were trying to claim every free item.
(C) Nobody wanted the kitchen equipment or old books.
(D) The number of members stopped increasing after a week.
3 What was the result of the new rule the writer introduced?
(A) Everyone in the group got an equal number of free items.
(B) People had to pay a small fee to join the group.
(C) The young mother had to wait a week for her baby bed.
(D) Certain members were unhappy and decided to leave the page.
4 How did the writer feel when the young mother received the crib?
(A) Surprised that the wooden crib was nearly new.
(B) Relieved because she no longer had to deliver it herself.
(C) Touched by the generosity of the community.
(D) Anxious that other people would ask for expensive furniture.
5 What might the writer write in her blog about the project?
(A) I’m closing the group soon because people are just too greedy. It takes up too much of my time and isn’t worth the stress.
(B) Starting this group was for a school project, but it has taught me so much about sharing. I’m going to continue running it in the future.
(C) I managed to get so much free stuff for myself through this group! I never need to go shopping for furniture or books again.
(D) The group is a nice idea, but unfortunately, nobody actually wants to give away things that are valuable, like baby beds.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – The first paragraph states the teacher “asked my class to start a project” and the writer was “worried about the environment and how much rubbish we produce.”
2 B – The text in paragraph two mentions that “a few specific people were commenting on almost every post, trying to take absolutely everything that was offered”, which the writer found “really frustrating.”
3 D – In the third paragraph, the text explains that after introducing the rule, “Some of the greedy members complained and even left the group”.
4 C – Paragraph four shows the writer’s emotional reaction, stating “I felt incredibly moved” and that it “proved to me how wonderful the gift economy can be.”
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and the writer’s final attitude. It acknowledges the school project origin, the positive lesson learned about sharing, and confirms the final paragraph’s statement: “I have definitely decided to keep the page going.”