Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Music, Singing & Audio Production
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My Acoustic Guitar Journey
I’ve always loved listening to pop music. Whenever my favourite artists performed on television, I would imagine myself on stage with them. A few months ago, I finally saved up enough money from my weekend job to buy a beautiful acoustic guitar. Walking out of the music shop, I was absolutely convinced that I would be playing all the latest hit songs by the end of the week. After all, the musicians in the videos always made it look so completely effortless.
However, reality hit me as soon as I sat down to practise that evening. Pressing the metal strings down against the wood was incredibly difficult. Within just half an hour, my fingertips were bright red and burning with pain. By the third day, I had developed painful blisters on my fingers. I was shocked to discover that playing a musical instrument was not just a mental challenge, but a physical one too. I couldn’t even press the strings down properly to make a clear sound.
For the next few weeks, my guitar sat in the corner of my bedroom. I almost gave up completely. I kept thinking about how easy it was supposed to be and felt frustrated by my lack of progress. But then, I found some online video tutorials specifically designed for beginners. The teacher in the video explained that finger pain was completely normal and advised practising for just ten minutes a day until the skin became tougher. I decided to give it one more try and followed his advice, practising a few basic chords every afternoon.
Slowly but surely, the pain began to fade, and my fingers grew stronger. Then, exactly two months after I bought the guitar, the magic happened. I sat on my bed and played my very first complete pop song from beginning to end, without stopping or making a single mistake. As the final note rang out, I suddenly felt tears of joy running down my face. All the pain and frustration had been worth it. I know I have a long way to go before I can perform on stage, but I am finally a real guitar player!
1 What did the writer expect when she first bought the guitar?
(A) She thought it would take months to learn properly.
(B) She believed she would be able to play popular music very quickly.
(C) She was worried that it would be too difficult to hold.
(D) She hoped she could start her own pop band immediately.
2 How did the writer feel after her first few practice sessions?
(A) Surprised by the amount of physical pain the strings caused.
(B) Disappointed that her guitar didn’t sound like a professional one.
(C) Angry that the music shop had given her the wrong strings.
(D) Worried that her hands were too small to play the instrument.
3 What encouraged the writer to start practising again?
(A) A friend showed her how to play some basic chords.
(B) She realised she had spent too much money to just give up.
(C) She watched a lesson on the internet that made her feel better.
(D) She wanted to learn a specific song for a school performance.
4 When she finally played a complete song, the writer
(A) decided to start performing in front of a live audience.
(B) realised she preferred writing her own music.
(C) experienced a strong emotional reaction to her success.
(D) felt disappointed that the song was so simple.
5 What would the writer say in her online blog today?
(A) I really wish I hadn’t spent all my savings on an acoustic guitar. It’s too painful to play and I’m going to sell it.
(B) If you want to learn the guitar, be prepared for some hard work. It might hurt at first, but the results are amazing.
(C) You don’t need to practise every day to be a good musician. Just buy a nice guitar and the music will come naturally.
(D) I’m starting my own band next week! Learning the guitar was so much easier than anyone ever told me it would be.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states she was “absolutely convinced that I would be playing all the latest hit songs by the end of the week,” meaning she expected to play quickly.
2 A – She was “shocked to discover that playing a musical instrument was not just a mental challenge, but a physical one” and mentions her fingers burning with pain and developing blisters.
3 C – She found “online video tutorials” where a teacher explained the pain was normal, which prompted her to “give it one more try and followed his advice”.
4 C – The text says “I suddenly felt tears of joy running down my face,” which describes a strong emotional reaction.
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and attitude of the text: she acknowledges the initial pain and hard work but reflects positively on the final, rewarding outcome of being able to play.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Finding the Harmony
I have been playing the violin since I was seven. After years of daily practice, I had become quite confident, frequently winning local competitions as a soloist. So, when my teacher suggested I join the school orchestra, I wasn’t worried. I thought that because I could play difficult pieces perfectly by myself, being part of a group would be incredibly easy. I expected to just show up, play my notes, and leave.
However, my first rehearsal was a disaster. We were playing a piece I had already practised, so I knew every note. As soon as we started, I glued my eyes to the sheet music and played exactly as I normally did. But something was terribly wrong. Instead of a beautiful sound, the music was a confusing mess. Even though my playing was correct, I was completely out of time with everyone else. I felt embarrassed and confused.
Mr. Harrison, our conductor, tapped his baton to stop us. He looked at me and smiled gently. “Leo,” he said, “you are a wonderful violinist, but you are playing on an island. You must look up from the page.” He explained that if I only focused on my own notes, I would never match the group. He advised me to watch his hands to follow the rhythm, and most importantly, to listen carefully to the cellos playing the background melody.
At first, doing all these things at once was a huge challenge. If I looked at the conductor, I lost my place on the page; if I listened to the cellos, I forgot my own notes. But as the weeks passed, I slowly began to understand what he meant. I learned to use my ears just as much as my eyes. When I finally matched my playing with the cellos, the result was incredible. I wasn’t just playing an instrument; I was part of a musical team.
Now, the orchestra is the best part of my week. I still enjoy solos, but there is a special beauty in playing together. It has taught me that to make something truly great, you sometimes have to stop trying to be the star and learn to listen to the people around you.
1 Why was Leo confident about joining the orchestra?
(A) He had already played in many other musical groups.
(B) He believed his individual skills would make it simple.
(C) His teacher had promised to give him easy music.
(D) He wanted to spend less time practising at home.
2 What was the problem during Leo’s first rehearsal?
(A) He forgot the notes on his sheet music.
(B) He was playing much too quietly for the piece.
(C) He wasn’t playing at the same speed as the rest of the orchestra.
(D) He found the classical piece too difficult to understand.
3 What did the conductor tell Leo to do?
(A) Pay more attention to what the other musicians were doing.
(B) Practise his solo parts more carefully at home.
(C) Stop looking at the conductor and focus entirely on the notes.
(D) Try to play his violin louder than the cellos.
4 How did Leo feel as he continued attending rehearsals?
(A) Annoyed that the cellos were making him forget his notes.
(B) Frustrated that he couldn’t see the conductor properly.
(C) Disappointed that he had to share the music with others.
(D) Amazed by the sound they could produce together.
5 What would Leo write in his diary about his orchestra experience?
(A) “I’ve finally quit my solo competitions. The orchestra is the only thing I want to do now, as playing alone is quite boring.”
(B) “The conductor was rather unhelpful during my first practice, but I managed to figure out how to play the piece on my own.”
(C) “I realised that playing well in an orchestra isn’t just about reading your own music perfectly; it’s about paying attention to the whole group.”
(D) “I’m still struggling to keep up with the cellos, but I’m hoping that if I practise staring at my sheet music more, I’ll get better.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph that Leo thought because he could play difficult pieces perfectly by himself, being part of a group would be “incredibly easy.”
2 C – In paragraph two, Leo notes that even though his playing was correct, he was “completely out of time with everyone else.”
3 A – In the third paragraph, the conductor tells Leo to look up from the page, watch his hands for the rhythm, and listen to the cellos, which means paying attention to the others.
4 D – Paragraph four describes how Leo learned to match his playing with the cellos and thought “the result was incredible,” realizing he was part of a musical team.
5 C – This option correctly synthesizes the global meaning of the text. Leo learns that being in an orchestra requires teamwork and listening to others, not just perfectly executing his individual sheet music.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Finding the Right Words
Ever since I got my first guitar, I’ve dreamed of writing a song. Last weekend, I decided it was finally time. I sat at my desk with my guitar and a blank notebook. I tried to think of topics that popular singers write about, like romantic love or traveling the world. I spent two hours staring at the paper, but everything I wrote sounded completely fake. I felt so disappointed that I almost threw the notebook in the bin.
The following day, I had a silly argument with my best friend, Sam. We were supposed to go to the cinema, but he forgot and made plans with someone else. It wasn’t a huge problem, but when I reminded him, he didn’t seem to care at all. We ended up shouting at each other, and I walked home feeling incredibly frustrated and angry. I just wanted him to understand why I was so annoyed.
When I got to my bedroom, I grabbed my guitar. I wasn’t trying to write a song anymore; I just wanted to make some noise to calm down. I started playing some loud chords. Suddenly, a melody popped into my head. Without even thinking, I started singing about what had just happened. The words weren’t about beautiful beaches or perfect relationships. They were about bad communication, feeling ignored, and wishing a friend would listen.
I grabbed my pen and started writing down the words. In less than ten minutes, the whole song was finished. I played it through from beginning to end and couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t perfect, and the music was quite simple, but it was completely honest. It was the best thing I had ever created because it came from a real, strong emotion.
The next morning, I sent a recording of the song to Sam. He called me immediately to apologize, and he even said the song was great. We are friends again now, and I’ve learned a valuable lesson. You can’t force inspiration by staring at a blank page. You have to write about what you actually feel.
1 Why was the writer disappointed when he first tried to write a song?
(A) He realized he wasn’t very good at playing the guitar.
(B) He couldn’t think of any topics that popular singers use.
(C) He felt that the words he was writing were not genuine.
(D) He didn’t have enough time to finish what he started.
2 How did the writer feel after the argument with Sam?
(A) upset because his friend hadn’t apologized
(B) annoyed that his friend didn’t take his feelings seriously
(C) worried that they wouldn’t be friends anymore
(D) sorry that he had shouted at his best friend
3 When the writer picked up his guitar in his bedroom, he wanted to
(A) relax by playing some quiet music.
(B) try to write a song about his friend.
(C) express his angry feelings through music.
(D) practice the chords he had learned earlier.
4 What does the writer say about his finished song?
(A) He was proud of it because it was so truthful.
(B) He wished he had spent more than ten minutes on it.
(C) He thought the music was too complicated.
(D) He knew it was the perfect pop song.
5 What would the writer say in his blog about his experience?
(A) I’ve finally written my first song, but I had to lose my best friend to get the inspiration for it.
(B) Writing my first song taught me that the best music comes from experiencing real and powerful emotions.
(C) If you want to write a successful song, you should research what popular musicians are writing about.
(D) I spent hours staring at a blank page, but it was worth it because it helped me write a great song.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – The text states that “everything I wrote sounded completely fake,” which matches the idea that his words were not genuine.
2 B – The writer says the argument wasn’t a huge problem, but he became “incredibly frustrated and angry” because his friend “didn’t seem to care at all” and he “wanted him to understand why I was so annoyed.”
3 C – The writer mentions, “I wasn’t trying to write a song anymore; I just wanted to make some noise to calm down. I started playing some loud chords,” indicating he was using the guitar to release his frustration.
4 A – He states that the song “wasn’t perfect” but “it was completely honest” and “the best thing I had ever created,” showing his pride in its truthfulness.
5 B – This captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph: “You can’t force inspiration… You have to write about what you actually feel.”