Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Library Books & Fiction 4

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a graphic novel to read.

There are descriptions of eight graphic novels.

Decide which graphic novel would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Anna wants to read a true historical story. She prefers books with black-and-white drawings rather than colour. She has a lot of free time, so she is looking for a very long graphic novel to keep her busy.

2   David loves science fiction and stories set in the future. He is looking for a graphic novel with bright, colourful artwork. He wants a book that explores serious topics, specifically about protecting the environment and saving nature.

3   Maria wants to read a thrilling mystery about a detective. She prefers graphic novels that tell the story using only pictures, without any words. She is very busy, so she needs something she can read quickly.

4   Samuel enjoys stories about teenage life and playing in a band. He loves soft, watercolour paintings. He is also looking for a graphic novel that includes bonus materials at the end, like artist interviews or early sketches.

5   Lily is looking for a serious, emotional drama about a family. She wants a story that teaches her about Asian culture and traditions. She prefers reading collections, so she wants the first book in a new series.

Graphic Novels

A Shadows of the Past

This massive 400-page book explores actual events from the 1920s. The artist uses dark ink and absolutely no colour to create powerful, memorable images. It will take you days to finish, offering a fascinating look into real human experiences during a difficult decade. Perfect for history fans.

B Neon Planet

Travel to the year 3050 in this stunning visual tale. Every single page is filled with brilliant, vibrant paints that jump off the paper. The plot focuses on a hero trying to clean up polluted oceans and rescue dying forests, delivering a strong, serious message about caring for our planet.

C The Silent Clue

Follow a clever police inspector trying to catch a sneaky thief in this fast-paced crime tale. There is absolutely no text to read; the exciting investigation is shown completely through brilliant illustrations. With just fifty pages, you will easily reach the surprising conclusion during a very short train journey.

D Midnight Melodies

This beautiful coming-of-age tale follows young friends learning to play instruments and performing at school. The soft, painted pictures give every scene a lovely, dreamy feel. Once the main adventure finishes, readers can enjoy a special extra section filled with the creator’s early drawings and conversations with the author.

E Tokyo Rain

Discover the daily customs and traditions of a modern Japanese household in this deeply moving tale. You will certainly shed tears as the relatives deal with difficult personal losses. This is part one of an exciting ongoing collection, so you can continue following the characters’ lives in future releases.

F The Dark Crown

At over five hundred pages, this epic journey will keep you busy all weekend. The artist chose a beautiful greyscale style, using only dark ink. However, instead of factual events, this is a magical fantasy adventure featuring dangerous dragons, powerful wizards, and imaginary kingdoms that never actually existed.

G Galaxy Battles

Explore distant star systems in this incredible space adventure. The talented illustrator uses the brightest, most vibrant paints to bring the strange alien worlds to life. While it looks amazing, the serious story is purely about soldiers fighting epic laser wars, rather than protecting nature or saving the planet.

H The Stolen Diamond

You will race through this thrilling detective puzzle in under an hour. The fast-moving plot follows a clever investigator chasing international criminals. While it is incredibly brief and exciting, every page is packed with detailed conversations and long speech bubbles that you must read carefully to understand the clues.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a translated international fiction book to read.

There are descriptions of eight translated books.

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

1   Anna wants to read a highly successful, famous novel that sold millions worldwide. She is particularly interested in learning about traditional Asian culture. As she is very busy, the book must be quite short and easy to finish quickly.

2   Mark is looking for a funny story that was originally written in a European language. He spends a lot of time driving, so he absolutely must have a recorded audio version that he can listen to in his car.

3   Elena runs a reading group and wants a science fiction story about the future. It must be a completely new translation that was just published. She also needs the book to include some extra questions to help her group chat.

4   David wants to buy a beautiful, printed hardback book to give to his father. He is looking for a factual biography about a real person’s life. The story must be translated from a South American author.

5   Sarah loves exciting crime mysteries and detective stories. She wants to discover a book translated from an African language to learn about life there. Because she is still studying, she needs the English translation to be very simple.

Translated International Fiction

A The Silk Fan

A huge international success, this popular novel has been enjoyed by millions of readers. It offers a fascinating look at ancient Chinese traditions and daily village life. Containing just over one hundred pages, you can comfortably finish this beautiful, translated tale in a single quick sitting, perfect for busy workers.

B The Paris Mistake

Originally written in French, this brilliant comedy follows a confused tourist who accidentally takes a police car. You will definitely smile at his silly situations. This version is sold entirely as an MP3 voice recording, which makes it ideal for listening to during your daily drive to work.

C Mars 2099

This thrilling adventure about space travel and futuristic digital technology has just been translated into English for the very first time this week. It is incredibly exciting, though it is only available as a basic paperback novel without any extra group activities or talking points included at the back.

D A Mountain Life

Discover the amazing true history of a famous mountain climber from Peru. This factual description of his actual life was originally published in Spanish. It is sold in a gorgeous, thick edition with a beautiful, strong cover, making it an absolutely wonderful gift for a friend or relative.

E The Tokyo Secret

This incredible Japanese novel is currently one of the most successful bestsellers on the planet. It wonderfully explains the deep traditions of modern Asian society. However, because it contains almost nine hundred pages, it is a very heavy book that requires many long evenings to completely finish reading.

F The Last City

Just released in English bookshops this month, this fresh translation explores a highly advanced society surviving on another planet. It is a brilliant futuristic tale. At the back of the novel, there is a helpful printed list of talking points and topics created specially for reading groups to use.

G Shadows in the Dust

Translated directly from Swahili, this thrilling police investigation happens in a beautiful Kenyan village. Readers must figure out who the clever criminal is! The translator deliberately chose very clear, basic words, so younger readers or language learners will easily understand the exciting, fast-moving story without using a dictionary.

H The Desert Detective

This tense murder mystery follows an intelligent local police officer solving a terrible crime in North Africa. Translated from Arabic, the story provides wonderful details about the local environment. Unfortunately, the writing style is extremely traditional and includes highly advanced, difficult vocabulary that challenges even native English speakers.

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find an adventure and survival book to read.

There are descriptions of eight adventure and survival books.

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

1   Lucas is looking for a factual survival book based on a true story. He specifically wants an adventure that takes place on the ocean. He needs a book that includes a map so he can follow the journey.

2   Maya wants to read an exciting fiction story about surviving in freezing, snowy mountains. She prefers books where the main character is a teenage girl. She is very busy, so she needs a short book under 150 pages.

3   Sam and Alex want to listen to a recorded audiobook about the deep jungle. They enjoy stories where the human characters become friends with a wild animal. They are looking for a completely fictional, invented adventure.

4   Chloe wants a funny survival story about being stuck on a deserted island. She specifically wants to read detailed descriptions of how to build a safe shelter. She hopes the silly situations will make her laugh out loud.

5   Ben enjoys reading comic books with lots of drawings. He is looking for a story set in a hot, dry desert environment. He prefers plots filled with fast-paced action and non-stop thrilling situations.

Adventure and Survival Novels

A Deep Water Challenge

Discover the completely genuine history of a sailor whose boat sank in the Pacific. This factual account perfectly details his daily struggle to survive among the dangerous waves. Readers will also find a brilliant geographical drawing on the first page, allowing them to track his exact aquatic route perfectly.

B The Icy Peak

Follow a brave young woman as she gets completely lost during a winter climbing trip. Surrounded by terrifying storms and freezing temperatures, she must rely on her intelligence to stay alive. At exactly one hundred and thirty pages, this brief, brilliant novel is perfect for a quick, thrilling weekend read.

C Green Shadows

This brilliant spoken recording transports listeners directly into the humid rainforest. It tells an incredible, completely invented tale of a lost explorer who forms a close bond with a protective monkey. Put your headphones on and enjoy this beautiful fictional relationship developing among the tall trees and dangerous rivers.

D The Silly Castaway

You will definitely smile while reading this highly amusing tale of a man trapped alone on an empty tropical beach. Between the brilliant jokes, the author provides fantastic, clever instructions on exactly how to construct a strong wooden cabin from basic branches to protect yourself from the tropical rain.

E Red Sand Danger

This completely thrilling graphic novel is packed with incredible artwork and continuous danger. The high-speed plot never slows down as the heroes race across a burning, waterless wasteland to escape their enemies. The brilliant illustrations perfectly capture the terrifying heat and excitement of this incredibly fast-moving sandy adventure.

F The White Map

This exciting historical account details the factual journey of a teenage girl crossing the frozen continent. It includes a beautiful printed guide showing the exact path she took through the snow. However, this massive educational textbook is over six hundred pages long, meaning it takes weeks to finish reading.

G Jungle Run

Packed with incredible drawings on every page, this visual tale drops readers right into a humid, dangerous rainforest. The high-speed plot moves incredibly fast as the heroes run from local predators. While the action never stops, there is absolutely no spoken audio version produced for this exciting adventure.

H Ocean Tears

This deeply emotional and serious novel explores the terrifying reality of being trapped on an isolated beach. The detailed chapters explain exactly how the characters built their own wooden house to survive the harsh storms. However, it is an incredibly sad story with absolutely no jokes or light-hearted moments.

Exercises:   123456