Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Office, Tech & Creative Roles
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My indoor climbing experience
A few months ago, I was looking for a new sport to try. Most of my friends play football or basketball, but I’ve never really enjoyed team sports because of the pressure to win. I prefer doing things where I can improve at my own speed. Then, my older sister suggested indoor rock climbing. I agreed to go with her to the local climbing centre, although when we walked in and I saw the massive 15-metre walls, I immediately wondered if I’d made a mistake. It looked completely terrifying and I felt like leaving right away.
During my first lesson, I was introduced to my instructor, Mark. He was very friendly and helped me put on the special safety equipment, which felt quite heavy. I’d always imagined that climbing required huge arm muscles to pull yourself up. However, Mark explained that the secret is actually using your legs. He said that if you push up with your feet instead of pulling with your hands, you won’t get exhausted so quickly. I followed his advice carefully and, surprisingly, managed to reach the top of the beginners’ wall on my first try.
However, as the weeks passed, the routes became much more challenging. One Saturday, I attempted a difficult path on the wall marked with small red stones. About halfway up, I couldn’t find anywhere to put my hands. I made the mistake of looking down, and I suddenly felt extremely frightened. My hands were sweating, and I almost told Mark to lower me back to the ground. But then I heard the other climbers shouting encouraging words from the floor. I took a deep breath, stretched up to my left, and finally found the next stone.
Now, I go climbing twice a week and I absolutely love it. I feel so much fitter, and it has definitely made me more confident in my daily life, too. Next month, the climbing centre is holding a friendly competition for teenagers. I’ve decided to enter, not because I expect to get a prize, but simply to see how much I’ve improved. If I keep making progress, I might even join a group going outdoor climbing in the mountains next summer. That would be the ultimate adventure for me!
1 Why did Leo decide to try indoor climbing?
(A) He wanted to find a new activity to do with his friends.
(B) He was looking for a sport without the pressure of a team.
(C) He wanted to learn how to climb massive outdoor walls.
(D) He wanted to become as brave as his older sister.
2 What did Leo learn during his first climbing lesson?
(A) The safety equipment was too uncomfortable to wear.
(B) You need strong arm muscles to be a successful climber.
(C) It is better to use your leg strength to move upwards.
(D) The beginners’ wall is much harder than it looks.
3 How did Leo feel when he was halfway up the red route?
(A) Embarrassed that he had to ask Mark for his help.
(B) Annoyed by the loud noise the other climbers were making.
(C) Scared because he realized how high above the ground he was.
(D) Disappointed that he had chosen the wrong path to climb.
4 Why is Leo entering the climbing competition?
(A) He hopes to win the first prize.
(B) He wants to test his own progress.
(C) He needs to practise for a mountain trip.
(D) He was told to do it by his instructor.
5 What would Leo write in a text message to a friend?
(A) I’m doing a new sport, but my arms hurt so much because you have to use them to pull yourself up the wall!
(B) I was really nervous when I first started climbing, but now I’m feeling great and I am even entering a competition!
(C) I’m enjoying climbing, but I’m going to stop indoor climbing soon so I can start climbing mountains instead.
(D) Climbing is great fun, and I’ve finally found a team sport that I actually enjoy doing with my older sister!
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states that Leo has “never really enjoyed team sports because of the pressure to win” and prefers to “improve at my own speed,” perfectly mapping to option B.
2 C – In paragraph 2, Mark explains that “the secret is actually using your legs” and tells Leo to “push up with your feet”, which paraphrases option C.
3 C – Paragraph 3 details that Leo “made the mistake of looking down,” and suddenly felt “extremely frightened,” which aligns with being scared of the height.
4 B – Paragraph 4 clearly notes he is entering “not because I expect to get a prize, but simply to see how much I’ve improved,” which matches testing his own progress.
5 B – This option captures the global narrative arc: starting out terrified (nervous) but becoming confident enough to love the sport and enter a local competition.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Menu Mistake
I’ve always loved languages, so when I started university, I decided to work as a freelance translator to earn some extra money. My first few jobs were small, like translating short emails and basic instructions for local businesses. But last month, a popular British restaurant in my city asked me to translate their new menu into Spanish. I was thrilled. It felt like a real opportunity to show my skills, and the pay was quite good, too.
I started working on it immediately. At first, it seemed like an incredibly easy task. I was just changing lists of ingredients and simple descriptions from one language to another. I typed quickly, translating word by word, feeling very confident. Then, I reached the main courses and saw a traditional British dish called “Toad in the Hole”. Without thinking much about it, I translated it exactly as it was written. In my language, it meant an actual frog hiding inside a hole.
Before sending the final document to the restaurant manager, I asked my older sister, Maria, to read it. I wanted to make sure there were no spelling mistakes. As she was reading, she suddenly burst out laughing. She pointed at the main course section and asked me why the restaurant was serving reptiles for dinner. I was confused until she explained how disgusting the literal translation sounded. I felt my face go red. I had nearly sent the menu to be printed with that terrible mistake!
I quickly went online to research the dish. I discovered that “Toad in the Hole” has nothing to do with frogs at all. It is actually a delicious meal made of sausages cooked in a type of pancake batter. Instead of translating the strange name, I changed my text to describe the ingredients so the local customers would understand exactly what they were ordering.
The restaurant owner was delighted with the final menu, and they even invited me for a free meal. The experience taught me a very important lesson. Being a good translator isn’t just about knowing how to change words from one language to another. You really have to understand the culture and the actual meaning behind those words.
1 How did the writer feel about his new translation job?
(A) He saw it as a chance to prove his abilities.
(B) He thought it would lead to a full-time career.
(C) He was worried because it was his very first translation job.
(D) He was glad he could finally practise his Spanish.
2 What happened when the writer translated “Toad in the Hole”?
(A) He found the recipe very complicated to explain.
(B) He wrote something that sounded completely wrong for a menu.
(C) He spent a long time trying to find the perfect words.
(D) He decided to leave it in English because it was too difficult.
3 Why did Maria laugh at the menu?
(A) She found a lot of spelling mistakes in the text.
(B) She thought the writer’s Spanish was very unnatural.
(C) She imagined how angry the restaurant manager would be.
(D) She realised the name of the meal sounded awful.
4 How did the writer solve the problem with the menu?
(A) He explained what the food was actually made of.
(B) He gave the dish a completely new, funny name.
(C) He asked the restaurant owner for advice on the translation.
(D) He replaced it with a similar traditional Spanish dish.
5 What would the writer say about his experience?
(A) “I realised that translating menus is too stressful, so I’m going to stick to doing emails for local companies.”
(B) “I’ve learned that a successful translation requires you to think about the ideas and culture, not just the individual words.”
(C) “I’m proud that my sister helped me understand that I need to study harder if I want to be a professional translator.”
(D) “I made a terrible mistake on a menu, and unfortunately, the restaurant printed it and the customers were disgusted.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – The text states in the first paragraph, “It felt like a real opportunity to show my skills,” which directly paraphrases to proving his abilities.
2 B – In the second paragraph, he translates the dish literally, which meant “an actual frog hiding inside a hole.” This is a factually correct paraphrase for writing something that sounds completely wrong for a food menu.
3 D – Paragraph three explains that Maria laughed because she noticed the menu seemed to be “serving reptiles for dinner” and explained “how disgusting the literal translation sounded.”
4 A – The fourth paragraph states that instead of translating the strange name, he “changed my text to describe the ingredients” so customers would know what they were ordering.
5 B – This option successfully captures the global meaning and the specific moral in the final paragraph: “Being a good translator isn’t just about knowing how to change words… You really have to understand the culture and the actual meaning behind those words.”
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Reality of Testing Games
My name is Sam, and a few months ago, I landed what I thought was the absolute perfect weekend job: a mobile app tester. Since I spend most of my free time playing video games on my phone anyway, the idea of getting paid to do exactly that seemed like a dream come true. When I told my classmates, they were incredibly jealous. I imagined myself sitting comfortably on my sofa, enjoying the latest exciting games for hours before anyone else even knew about them.
However, on my very first day, I quickly realised that testing games is completely different from playing them for fun. Firstly, you don’t always get to choose what you play. Instead of action-packed adventures, I was given a really boring educational game about spelling. I had to tap every single button on the screen, read all the instructions carefully, and check that the menus worked correctly. It wasn’t about winning or having a good time; it was about paying close attention to the smallest details, which actually required a lot of concentration.
The most frustrating moment happened during my second week. I was testing a simple puzzle game when the screen suddenly froze and the app closed. At first, I was pleased that I had found a real problem, but then my manager told me I had to write a detailed report explaining exactly how it happened. To do this, I had to play the exact same terrible level over fifty times until the glitch finally happened again. It was exhausting and showed me just how tedious and repetitive software development can actually be.
Despite the difficulties, this job has completely changed how I look at mobile apps and technology. I used to get so annoyed when a game crashed on my phone, but now I understand the huge amount of hard work that goes into finding and fixing those mistakes. I am not sure if I want to be a professional software developer in the future, mainly because I still prefer playing games just for fun. However, the experience has been incredibly useful, and I am definitely proud of the small part I play in making games better for everyone.
1 Why did Sam think being an app tester would be a dream job?
(A) He wanted to make his classmates jealous.
(B) He hoped to design his own exciting games.
(C) He believed he would get paid for doing his favourite hobby.
(D) He wanted to spend more time relaxing on his sofa.
2 What surprised Sam on his first day of work?
(A) He was allowed to choose which games he played.
(B) He found out the educational games were too difficult to win.
(C) He discovered that the spelling game had a lot of mistakes.
(D) He had to concentrate on the game instead of just enjoying it.
3 How did Sam feel about finding a glitch in the puzzle game?
(A) Annoyed because it took him fifty attempts to notice the problem.
(B) Glad at first, until he realised how much extra work it involved.
(C) Worried that his manager would make him write a report about it.
(D) Exhausted because the puzzle level was extremely difficult to pass.
4 What does Sam say about his future plans?
(A) He hopes to get a full-time job as a software developer.
(B) He probably won’t choose a career in software development.
(C) He plans to stop playing mobile games in his free time.
(D) He wants to design an app that never crashes.
5 What would Sam text in a message to a friend about his job?
(A) I’m making lots of money playing all the best new action games. It’s the easiest job in the world!
(B) Testing games is much harder than it looks, but it’s definitely given me more respect for the people who make them.
(C) I finally found a bug today, and it was so easy to fix! I think I might become a professional game designer.
(D) The worst part of the job is that my manager never tells me what to do when an app stops working.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – The text states that Sam spends most of his free time playing games, and “the idea of getting paid to do exactly that seemed like a dream come true.”
2 D – In paragraph 2, Sam explains that testing games “wasn’t about winning or having a good time; it was about paying close attention to the smallest details,” which contrasts with just enjoying the game.
3 B – Sam mentions he was initially “pleased that I had found a real problem,” but this changed when he learned he had to write a report and play the “terrible level over fifty times.”
4 B – Sam says, “I am not sure if I want to be a professional software developer in the future, mainly because I still prefer playing games just for fun.”
5 B – This option accurately captures Sam’s overall attitude. He acknowledges the job is tedious and frustrating at times (playing a game 50 times), but he values the experience and now understands “the huge amount of hard work” developers do.