Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Impact of Tech & Social Media
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Magical Connection
Last winter was an incredibly difficult time for my grandmother. She lives on her own in a small village, and because the weather was freezing and icy for months, she couldn’t go out for her usual walks or visit her friends. Whenever I went to see her after school, she seemed unusually quiet and lonely. She missed our extended family, especially my aunt and cousins who live far away in Australia. I really wanted to find a way to make her feel happier and more connected to the people she loved during those dark evenings.
I realised that modern technology could be the perfect solution, so I bought her a simple tablet with a large screen for her birthday. When I first gave it to her, she was quite nervous. She had never used a touchscreen device before and was worried she might break it or delete something important. During our first few lessons, she found it hard to remember how to unlock the screen or find the video calling app. Sometimes, she would accidentally turn the tablet off completely, which made her feel very frustrated and ready to quit.
Despite these early challenges, we promised each other we wouldn’t give up. I decided to write down the instructions step-by-step in a small notebook, using large letters and drawing little pictures of the app icons. This simple idea helped her feel much more confident. We spent every Saturday afternoon practising together. I would go to the kitchen and call her while she sat in the living room. After a few weeks of patient practice, she finally managed to answer a call and turn on her camera without any help from me.
The real magic happened the following weekend. I helped her set up a long-distance video call with my aunt and cousins in Australia. When their faces suddenly appeared on the screen, my grandmother gasped in surprise. Then, her face lit up with the biggest, warmest smile I had seen in months. They talked for over an hour, laughing and sharing family stories. Seeing her so incredibly happy completely changed my opinion of technology. I used to think it was just for playing games or wasting time, but now I know it has the power to bring humans closer together.
1 Why did the writer want to help her grandmother last winter?
(A) She asked the writer to find a way to contact Australia.
(B) She was unable to leave her house and missed her relatives.
(C) She was feeling ill because of the freezing weather.
(D) She wanted to move to a different village to be with friends.
2 How did the grandmother feel when she first started using the tablet?
(A) Annoyed because the screen was too small to see properly.
(B) Confident because she had used similar technology before.
(C) Upset because her granddaughter wasn’t explaining things clearly.
(D) Worried that she might do something to damage the device.
3 What did the writer do to make learning easier for her grandmother?
(A) She created a helpful written guide with images for her to follow.
(B) She bought her a completely different type of tablet.
(C) She practised calling her from a different house every Saturday.
(D) She told her to practice calling her friends in the village.
4 Seeing the video call made the writer realise that technology…
(A) should only be used for educational purposes instead of games.
(B) is much more complicated than she originally thought.
(C) can be a wonderful tool for uniting people.
(D) is mainly useful for communicating with people in Australia.
5 What would the writer write in her diary today?
(A) I’m glad my grandmother finally learned to use the tablet, even though I got very angry with her while teaching her.
(B) Seeing my grandmother smile when she saw our family on the screen made all those weeks of patient practice completely worth it.
(C) I really regret buying that tablet. It caused so much stress and my grandmother still doesn’t know how to use it properly.
(D) Technology is a waste of time. My grandmother prefers going for walks and visiting her friends in the village anyway.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph that “she couldn’t go out for her usual walks” and she “missed our extended family”.
2 D – The second paragraph explicitly says she was “nervous” and “worried she might break it or delete something important.”
3 A – The third paragraph describes how the writer decided to “write down the instructions step-by-step in a small notebook… drawing little pictures of the app icons.”
4 C – In the final paragraph, the writer reflects on the experience, stating that technology “has the power to bring humans closer together.”
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and emotional tone of the text. It summarizes the effort of teaching her grandmother and the rewarding payoff of seeing her happily connected with family.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Myth of Multitasking
I have always believed that I was excellent at doing several things at once. Like many teenagers, my usual evening routine involved sitting at my bedroom desk with my laptop open, my smartphone constantly buzzing with messages, and a popular comedy show playing loudly on the television. Last Tuesday, my history teacher gave us a short essay to write about the daily lives of the ancient Egyptians. Because it was a topic I found quite interesting, I was extremely confident I could easily finish the assignment while chatting with my friends online and watching my favourite actors on screen.
At first, everything seemed to be going perfectly. I typed a few sentences about the pyramids, paused to laugh at a funny joke on the television, and then quickly replied to a message in my school group chat. However, after a while, my brain started to feel completely overloaded. Every time I looked away from my laptop to read a text message, I forgot what I was trying to write. I had to keep re-reading the same history paragraph again and again just to understand the basic facts. Instead of feeling relaxed by the entertainment, I was actually getting incredibly stressed.
Eventually, I typed the final full stop and proudly looked at the clock on my bedroom wall. To my absolute horror, it was almost midnight! A simple piece of homework that should have taken exactly thirty minutes had stolen three whole hours of my evening. Furthermore, when I checked my essay the next morning, I noticed several silly spelling mistakes and confusing sentences. It was definitely not my best work. I suddenly realised that multitasking wasn’t a clever skill; it was actually a terrible waste of time.
Determined to improve my habits, I decided to try a completely different approach for my geography project on Thursday. I turned off my television, put my smartphone in another room, and only opened the internet tabs I absolutely needed for my research. The silence felt a bit strange and uncomfortable at first, but the results were amazing. By focusing on just one single task, I finished the entire project in forty minutes. I have learned the hard way that ‘monotasking’ is far superior, and my mobile phone is now strictly banned from my desk during study time.
1 Why was the writer confident about doing his history homework?
(A) He had already learned a lot about the ancient Egyptians.
(B) He thought he was very good at managing multiple activities at once.
(C) He knew his friends would help him with the assignment online.
(D) He wanted to finish quickly so he could watch a new comedy show.
2 How did the writer’s feelings change while writing the essay?
(A) He became confused because the history facts were too difficult.
(B) He got bored with the television show he was watching.
(C) He felt annoyed because his friends kept sending him messages.
(D) He started to feel anxious because his mind felt too busy.
3 What did the writer discover when he finally finished his essay?
(A) He had taken much longer to complete the work than necessary.
(B) He had forgotten to include some important facts about the topic.
(C) He had accidentally deleted a large part of his homework.
(D) He had broken his wall clock without realising it.
4 What was the result of the writer’s new approach to studying?
(A) He found the silence in his bedroom too strange to work properly.
(B) He realized that geography was his favourite school subject.
(C) He managed to complete his school project much faster.
(D) He decided to use his smartphone only for research purposes.
5 What would the writer write in his diary today?
(A) I still think multitasking is a useful skill, but I will only do it when I am watching television and not doing my schoolwork.
(B) The silence in my room was terrible today. I need to find a better way to do my homework without getting so bored.
(C) I can’t believe how long my history essay took. From now on, my phone is staying in another room while I study!
(D) My history teacher was very angry about all the spelling mistakes in my essay. Next time, I will ask my friends to check my work.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph that the writer believed he was “excellent at doing several things at once” and therefore was “extremely confident” he could finish the assignment while chatting and watching TV.
2 D – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that his “brain started to feel completely overloaded” and that instead of feeling relaxed, he was “getting incredibly stressed.”
3 A – The third paragraph describes how the writer was horrified to see it was midnight, realizing a “thirty minutes” task had “stolen three whole hours.”
4 C – In the fourth paragraph, the writer notes that by “focusing on just one single task” (monotasking), he “finished the entire project in forty minutes,” which is a much faster and better result.
5 C – This option captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: acknowledging the shocking amount of time wasted due to distraction and implementing the strict solution of removing the smartphone during study sessions.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Hard Lesson Online
I have been playing “Galaxy Explorers” for almost two years. It is my favourite online game, and I have spent hundreds of hours building my spaceship and chatting with my online friends. Last month, a special spaceship design appeared in the game’s shop. I really wanted it, but it cost a lot of in-game coins, which I didn’t have. While I was watching a video about the game online, I noticed a link in the comments section. It promised thousands of free coins to anyone who clicked on it.
I knew I should be careful on the internet, but the website looked completely official. It used the exact same colours, logos, and images as the real game. The site asked me to enter my email address and my game password so they could send me the coins. Without thinking too much about it, I typed in my private details and pressed enter. The screen loaded for a moment, but nothing happened. No coins appeared. A few minutes later, the game suddenly closed and I was logged out.
I tried to log back in, but a message on the screen said my password was incorrect. I tried again, but it still didn’t work. Then I checked my email account, and I couldn’t access that either. Suddenly, I felt a terrible sense of panic. I realised that a hacker had stolen my details. I was terrified that I would lose all the hard work I had put into the game, along with my friends list and my rare items.
Fortunately, my older brother knows a lot about computers. He helped me contact the game’s support team and my email provider. It took three stressful days, but I finally managed to prove my identity and get my accounts back. Since then, my cybersecurity habits have completely changed. I now use long, complicated passwords and I never use the same password for different websites. I have also turned on extra security settings for all my apps.
This frightening experience taught me a very valuable lesson about the internet. I now understand that hackers are clever and can make fake websites look incredibly real. Most importantly, I have become much more suspicious of amazing internet offers. I now know that if a promise online seems too good to be true, it usually is.
1 Why did the writer click on the link in the video comments?
(A) He wanted to buy a new spaceship but didn’t have enough money.
(B) He was looking for advice on how to play the game better.
(C) He wanted to make some new friends who played the game.
(D) He was asked to do it by another player in the game.
2 What made the writer trust the fake website?
(A) It was recommended by a famous video maker.
(B) It promised to give him his coins immediately.
(C) It looked very similar to the real game’s website.
(D) It did not ask him for any personal information.
3 How did the writer feel when he couldn’t access his accounts?
(A) Annoyed that the game was having technical problems.
(B) Frightened that his gaming progress was gone forever.
(C) Surprised that he had forgotten his email password.
(D) Disappointed that he didn’t get the rare items.
4 What does the writer do differently now to protect his accounts?
(A) He only plays online games with his older brother.
(B) He uses different passwords for every site he visits.
(C) He changes his passwords every three days.
(D) He refuses to use his email address for online games.
5 What would the writer say about his experience?
(A) I’m never playing online games again. It’s just not safe when there are so many hackers waiting to steal your information.
(B) Losing my account was awful, but at least I finally got the free coins I needed for my new spaceship.
(C) If you forget your password, the game’s support team is always very quick and helpful at getting it back for you.
(D) I was foolish to trust that link, but the situation forced me to take my online security much more seriously.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – Paragraph 1 explains that he wanted a special spaceship design that cost a lot of coins, which he didn’t have, leading him to click the link for free coins.
2 C – Paragraph 2 states that the writer thought the website looked completely official because “It used the exact same colours, logos, and images as the real game.”
3 B – In Paragraph 3, the writer felt a “terrible sense of panic” and was “terrified that I would lose all the hard work” he had put into the game.
4 B – Paragraph 4 details his new cybersecurity habits, specifically mentioning: “I never use the same password for different websites.”
5 D – This captures the global meaning and the writer’s reflection. He realizes clicking the link was a mistake (too good to be true) but the experience successfully taught him to improve his cybersecurity habits.