Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Extreme and Water Sports 1
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My Indoor Climbing Challenge
by Leo, 15
I’ve never been a fan of high places. Even looking out of a second-floor window used to make me dizzy. So, when my best friend Mark invited me to an indoor rock climbing centre for his fifteenth birthday, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. However, I didn’t want to let him down, and I thought it might be a good opportunity to finally face my fear. I agreed to go, although I secretly hoped I could just stay on the ground and take photos of everyone else.
When we arrived, the climbing walls looked like colourful mountains reaching up to the ceiling. After putting on our safety equipment, the instructor showed us the basics. Mark and the others immediately started climbing, but I hesitated. Eventually, I took a deep breath and started to pull myself up. For the first few metres, I was actually doing quite well. Then, I made the mistake of looking down. Suddenly, my hands and legs wouldn’t move. I was frozen halfway up the wall, completely terrified.
I was ready to shout for help and ask to be lowered back down, but then our instructor, Sarah, noticed I was in trouble. She didn’t make a fuss or make me feel silly in front of my friends. Instead, she stood right below me and called out calmly. She told me to forget about the ground and just focus on the wall. “Don’t think about how high you are,” she said. “Just find the next blue rock for your right hand.”
Her calm voice was exactly what I needed. I stopped looking down and focused entirely on the rough plastic rock she was pointing at. I reached out, grabbed it, and pulled myself up. From then on, I just took it one step at a time. It felt like it took forever, but finally, my hand touched the top edge of the wall. I hit the buzzer, and my friends cheered.
When Sarah lowered me to the ground, my arms were aching and my legs were shaking, but I had a huge smile on my face. Although I am still not completely comfortable with heights, the experience taught me that I can overcome difficult challenges. In fact, Mark and I are going back to the climbing centre next weekend, and I am quite looking forward to trying a slightly harder route.
1 Why did the writer agree to go to the indoor climbing centre?
(A) He was eager to try an exciting new sport.
(B) He wanted to take some pictures for a project.
(C) He thought it would be a good chance to deal with his fear.
(D) He wanted to prove to his friends that he was brave.
2 What happened when the writer was halfway up the wall?
(A) He realized he wasn’t wearing his safety equipment properly.
(B) He looked at the floor and suddenly became too scared to move.
(C) He got tired and couldn’t pull himself up anymore.
(D) He decided to climb down because the wall was too difficult.
3 What did the instructor do to help the writer?
(A) She climbed up the wall to rescue him.
(B) She asked the other teenagers to encourage him.
(C) She quickly lowered him back down to the ground.
(D) She told him to pay attention to where he was putting his hands.
4 How does the writer feel about his climbing experience now?
(A) He is proud of himself for achieving something difficult.
(B) He is surprised by how easy it was to reach the top.
(C) He is embarrassed that his legs were shaking at the end.
(D) He is still too frightened of heights to ever climb again.
5 What would the writer write in his diary that evening?
(A) I can’t believe I let Mark persuade me to go climbing. I spent the whole time on the ground taking photos and felt so silly.
(B) I was so terrified on the wall today that I had to be rescued by the instructor. I am definitely never doing that again.
(C) Today was tough, but I managed to reach the top of the climbing wall! The instructor’s advice really helped me keep going.
(D) The climbing centre was great fun. I raced Mark to the top of the wall and beat him, even though my arms were aching!
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – The text states in the first paragraph that the writer thought the invitation “might be a good opportunity to finally face my fear” of high places.
2 B – In the second paragraph, the writer says, “I made the mistake of looking down,” which resulted in him being “frozen halfway up the wall, completely terrified” and unable to move.
3 D – In the third paragraph, the instructor helps him by telling him to focus on the wall and “find the next blue rock for your right hand,” directing his attention to his hand placement rather than the height.
4 A – In the final paragraph, the writer mentions having a “huge smile” on his face and realizing that “the experience taught me that I can overcome difficult challenges,” which shows his pride in his achievement.
5 C – This option captures the global meaning of the text perfectly. It summarizes the difficulty of the experience (being terrified halfway up), the successful outcome (reaching the top), and the crucial role the instructor played in helping him achieve it.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My First Surfing Lesson
by Jamie, 15
My family goes to Cornwall in the UK every summer for our holidays. This year, I decided I finally wanted to learn how to surf. A lot of my friends back home have been surfing for years, and they always talk about how amazing it is. I felt like I was missing out on the fun, so I booked a lesson at a local surf school. When I arrived at the beach and put on my thick winter wetsuit, I felt quite nervous. I’d never done any water sports before, but I was also really excited to get into the sea.
The lesson started safely on the sand. Our instructor, Ben, showed us how to lie on the board and jump up onto our feet. It looked incredibly easy when he did it. However, doing it in the ocean was a completely different story. As soon as I tried to stand up on a moving wave, I lost my balance and crashed into the freezing water. This happened again and again. Every time I tried to stand, the board slipped away from under me. If I had known how tiring it was, I might have done some fitness training first!
After an hour of crashing into the sea, I was absolutely exhausted. My arms hurt from swimming, and I had swallowed quite a lot of salty water. I started to feel incredibly frustrated with myself. Some of the other teenagers in my group were already standing up and riding waves all the way to the beach. I seriously thought about getting out of the water, returning my board, and just lying on the beach. But Ben noticed I was upset. He swam over and told me to stop rushing and just focus on keeping my feet perfectly straight.
I decided to try one last time before giving up. I waited for a strong wave, paddled as hard as I could, and then jumped up just like Ben had taught us. Suddenly, I wasn’t falling. I was actually standing! I rode the wave for only a few seconds before I fell again, but it was the most amazing feeling in the world. It felt like I was flying across the water. All my previous frustration completely disappeared in that moment. I haven’t stopped thinking about surfing since, and I am already saving up money to buy my own surfboard.
1 Why did Jamie decide to take surfing lessons?
(A) He wanted to enter a local surfing competition in Cornwall.
(B) He was inspired by hearing his friends talk about it.
(C) He wanted to try a variety of new water sports.
(D) He thought it would be a good way to stay fit on holiday.
2 What did Jamie discover when he went into the water?
(A) The water was much warmer than he had expected.
(B) Ben’s instructions on the beach were completely wrong.
(C) Standing up on the board was much harder than it appeared.
(D) The surfboard was too heavy for him to control.
3 How did Jamie feel after an hour of the lesson?
(A) Annoyed because he was not doing as well as others.
(B) Relieved that the lesson was finally coming to an end.
(C) Angry with the instructor for not helping him enough.
(D) Glad that he could stop to have a rest on the beach.
4 Catching his first wave made Jamie feel
(A) disappointed that the ride only lasted for a few seconds.
(B) surprised that he didn’t fall off the board at all.
(C) proud that he remembered all of the instructor’s rules.
(D) so excited that he forgot how difficult the lesson had been.
5 What would Jamie text to a friend after the lesson?
(A) I finally had my first surfing lesson! I was terrible at it, so I don’t think I’ll be getting back in the water anytime soon.
(B) Surfing is brilliant! It was really hard work at first, but standing up on the board was definitely worth the effort.
(C) I managed to stand up on my surfboard quite easily, but I was so cold that I didn’t really enjoy the experience.
(D) Our instructor Ben was great, but the other teenagers in my group kept getting in my way while I was trying to surf.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states, “A lot of my friends back home have been surfing for years, and they always talk about how amazing it is. I felt like I was missing out,” which matches option B.
2 C – The text contrasts how standing up “looked incredibly easy” on the sand but doing it in the ocean “was a completely different story,” meaning it was much harder than it appeared.
3 A – Jamie states he felt “incredibly frustrated with myself” because “Some of the other teenagers in my group were already standing up and riding waves.”
4 D – The text says it was “the most amazing feeling in the world” and that “All my previous frustration completely disappeared,” meaning the excitement made him forget the struggle.
5 B – This option successfully captures the global meaning of the text: the initial difficulty and frustration, followed by the immense reward and excitement of finally catching a wave.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My First Scuba Dive
by Chloe, 15
Last summer, my family decided to spend our holidays in Greece. My older brother, Mark, had always wanted to try scuba diving, and he finally persuaded my parents to book a beginner’s course for us. I was completely against the idea at first. Although I am a good swimmer, the thought of going deep underwater made me feel incredibly anxious. However, I didn’t want to be the only one left on the beach, so I agreed to give it a go.
On the first day, we met our instructor, David, at a local swimming pool. He spent an hour explaining all the safety rules before handing out the heavy wetsuits and diving equipment. When I put the breathing mask over my face and went underwater, it felt completely unnatural. I couldn’t breathe through my nose, and the air tank on my back was so heavy. I remember panicking slightly and coming back up to the surface. David was very patient, though. He told me to relax and practice breathing slowly, which actually helped a lot.
The next day, it was time for our first real dive in the sea. We took a small boat out to a quiet bay. As I sat on the edge of the boat, looking down into the dark blue water, my heart started beating fast again. I really wanted to change my mind and stay on the boat! But I jumped in after Mark. As we went further down, it suddenly felt very cold and quiet. For a moment, I forgot everything David had taught us and wanted to swim straight back up.
But just as I was about to signal to David that I wanted to stop, Mark pointed at something in the distance. Out of the shadows, a huge sea turtle swam slowly towards us. It was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. It moved so gracefully through the water, coming quite close to us before swimming away. At that moment, I completely forgot about my fear and the strange breathing apparatus. I felt like I was exploring a whole new magical world.
After that, the rest of the dive was fantastic. We saw hundreds of colourful fish and even some strange plants. When we finally returned to the boat, I couldn’t stop smiling. The experience was totally different from what I had expected. Now, I have my own diving certificate, and I am already planning my next underwater adventure.
1 Why did the writer agree to try scuba diving?
(A) She wanted to copy her older brother.
(B) She didn’t want to stay on the beach alone.
(C) Her parents forced her to take the course.
(D) She had always loved swimming underwater.
2 How did the writer feel during the pool training?
(A) worried because the equipment was broken
(B) annoyed that the instructor talked for too long
(C) uncomfortable with the way she had to breathe
(D) surprised by how light the air tank was
3 What happened just before the writer jumped into the sea?
(A) She wished she hadn’t decided to do the dive.
(B) She forgot everything her instructor had told her.
(C) She asked her brother to go in first.
(D) She complained about the temperature of the water.
4 What effect did the sea turtle have on the writer?
(A) It made her realize she needed a better breathing mask.
(B) It stopped her from feeling afraid of the situation.
(C) It made her want to follow it into the deep water.
(D) It reminded her of something she had seen on TV.
5 What would the writer write in her diary about her experience?
(A) The training in the pool was really easy, but the actual sea dive was frightening from beginning to end.
(B) I think everyone should try scuba diving, but they must make sure they don’t use the heavy equipment I had.
(C) It was great to learn how to dive, but I don’t think I’ll do it again because I still find it too scary.
(D) I was terrified at first, but seeing such amazing wildlife underwater made me realize how wonderful diving can be.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in paragraph 1, “I didn’t want to be the only one left on the beach, so I agreed to give it a go.”
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer says, “it felt completely unnatural. I couldn’t breathe through my nose…” which paraphrases being uncomfortable with the breathing.
3 A – In paragraph 3, while sitting on the edge of the boat looking at the water, she says, “I really wanted to change my mind and stay on the boat!”
4 B – Paragraph 4 explains that after seeing the turtle, “I completely forgot about my fear and the strange breathing apparatus.”
5 D – This option accurately captures the writer’s global journey from initial anxiety and panic to amazement, and matches her positive feelings at the end of the text where she plans her next adventure.