Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Sports Career Development, Competitions & Injuries 2
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Balancing the Pool and the Classroom
I have been a competitive swimmer since I was ten years old. For me, nothing feels better than jumping into a cold pool and racing against the clock. However, being on the regional team means my schedule is incredibly demanding. Every weekday, my alarm rings at 4:30 AM so I can be in the water by 5:00 AM for a two-hour training session before school. At first, I was full of energy and thought I could easily handle the early mornings along with my regular classes.
But soon, the exhaustion started to catch up with me. After swimming for two hours, I would arrive at school feeling completely drained. I found it difficult to concentrate during my afternoon lessons, and I even fell asleep in the library once. Because I was so tired in the evenings, I started rushing through my homework or leaving it until the last minute. Unsurprisingly, when my mid-term school report arrived, my grades had dropped significantly, especially in maths and science.
My parents were quite worried when they saw my results. They sat me down and calmly explained that my education had to come first. They told me that if my marks didn’t improve by the end of the term, I would have to leave the swimming team. I was absolutely terrified of losing the sport I loved. I knew I couldn’t just keep complaining about being tired; I had to find a sensible way to fix the situation immediately.
I decided to learn everything I could about time management. First, I bought a weekly planner and wrote down exactly what I needed to do each day. Instead of playing games on my phone during my lunch break, I started using that hour to finish my school assignments. I also made a strict rule to go to sleep by 9:00 PM every night to make sure I got enough rest for the next day.
After a few months of following this strict routine, my life completely changed. My grades went back up, and I actually felt stronger during my swimming competitions because I was sleeping properly. Balancing school and sports is definitely not easy, but I now know that with careful planning, it is possible to succeed at both.
1 How did the writer feel about his routine when he first joined the regional team?
(A) Confident that he could manage both his sport and his studies.
(B) Worried that waking up at 4:30 AM would be too demanding.
(C) Annoyed that he had to train for two hours before school.
(D) Surprised by how much energy competitive swimming required.
2 What was the main reason the writer’s school grades dropped?
(A) He was given too much homework in maths and science.
(B) He was falling asleep during all of his morning classes.
(C) He was doing his schoolwork too quickly due to tiredness.
(D) He spent all his evening time practicing at the swimming pool.
3 What did the writer’s parents say to him?
(A) They wanted him to quit the swimming team immediately.
(B) They warned him he must get better marks to keep swimming.
(C) They promised to help him finish his homework before training.
(D) They complained about how much time he spent at the pool.
4 How did the writer improve his time management?
(A) He asked his teachers for extra time to complete his work.
(B) He downloaded a special app on his phone to plan his week.
(C) He decided to wake up slightly later to get more sleep.
(D) He began doing his homework in the middle of the school day.
5 What might the writer write in his diary at the end of the term?
(A) I am so disappointed. I tried using a planner, but it was just too hard to balance everything. I’ll have to stop swimming.
(B) Waking up at 4:30 AM is still exhausting, but getting good grades and swimming well shows that my new routine is working perfectly!
(C) My parents finally let me go back to the swimming team because my maths and science grades went up today!
(D) I really regret spending so much time on swimming. If I had focused on my studies from the start, I wouldn’t have been so tired.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – In the first paragraph, the writer states, “At first, I was full of energy and thought I could easily handle the early mornings along with my regular classes.” This matches being confident about managing both.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that because he was so tired, he “started rushing through my homework or leaving it until the last minute,” which led to his grades dropping.
3 B – In the third paragraph, his parents told him that “if my marks didn’t improve by the end of the term, I would have to leave the swimming team.”
4 D – In the fourth paragraph, the writer states that instead of playing on his phone, he “started using that hour [his lunch break] to finish my school assignments.”
5 B – This option successfully captures the global meaning and the attitude at the end of the text: acknowledging the difficulty of the schedule but feeling proud that strict time management led to success in both school and sports.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Strict Coach
I’ve been doing gymnastics since I was eight, but last year, my family moved to a new city. I immediately joined the local sports club, which was well-known for having an extremely strict instructor named Coach Reynolds. Some of the older gymnasts had warned me that he rarely smiled and always expected absolute perfection from his team. Although I had always been quite a confident athlete, I felt incredibly nervous before my very first practice, seriously wondering if I had made the right decision by signing up.
During my first few weeks, the training sessions were even harder than I had imagined. Coach Reynolds watched my every move like a hawk and immediately pointed out all my mistakes. If my toes weren’t perfectly straight or my jumps weren’t high enough, he made me repeat the exercise again and again until it was flawless. Honestly, I strongly disliked his harsh comments. I often went home feeling completely exhausted and miserable, and I even thought about leaving the team to find a much easier, more relaxing sport.
However, my attitude completely changed during a long practice session just a month before our big regional competition. I was trying to learn a complicated new jump on the floor, but I kept landing badly and falling over. Instead of complaining, Coach Reynolds walked over and spoke to me quietly. He explained that he only pushed me so hard because he could see my true potential. He then showed me a recording of my jump, carefully pointing out a tiny mistake in my footwork. Once I fixed that small detail, I landed the jump perfectly.
When the day of the regional competition finally arrived, I felt much more prepared than ever before. As I performed my routine in front of the judges, I remembered all of the coach’s strict instructions and corrections. I didn’t make a single mistake, and to my absolute amazement, I achieved my highest score ever, winning a beautiful silver medal. When I looked over at Coach Reynolds, he was actually smiling proudly. I finally understood that his tough training methods weren’t meant to upset me, but to help me become the best gymnast I could possibly be.
1 Why did the writer feel anxious about joining the new gymnastics club?
(A) She was recovering from a previous sports injury.
(B) She had heard frightening things about the instructor.
(C) She had never taken part in a gymnastics class before.
(D) She didn’t want to move away from her old friends.
2 How did the writer react to Coach Reynolds’ training style at first?
(A) She wanted to stop doing gymnastics altogether.
(B) She appreciated his attention to her small mistakes.
(C) She complained to the other gymnasts about him.
(D) She refused to repeat the exercises he gave her.
3 What happened when the writer was struggling with a new jump?
(A) Coach Reynolds shouted at her in front of the team.
(B) She decided to learn a simpler routine instead.
(C) Coach Reynolds used technology to help her improve.
(D) She got angry and walked out of the practice session.
4 What did the writer realise at the regional competition?
(A) The judges were not as strict as her coach.
(B) She still had a lot of new skills to learn.
(C) She was finally ready to beat the older gymnasts.
(D) Her coach’s strictness had actually benefited her.
5 What would the writer write in her diary after the regional competition?
(A) I can’t believe I won a silver medal! It’s a shame my coach was so angry about my performance today, though.
(B) Today was amazing! The training was incredibly tough, but I now see that my coach’s strict rules helped me reach my goals.
(C) I achieved my highest score ever today. I think I’m going to find a new coach now so I can have more fun at practice.
(D) I really wanted to win gold today, but my routine was just too difficult. I wish my coach had given me easier jumps to learn.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – Paragraph 1 states that the older gymnasts had “warned me that he rarely smiled and always expected absolute perfection,” which caused her to feel incredibly nervous.
2 A – Paragraph 2 explains that she strongly disliked his comments, felt miserable, and “even thought about leaving the team to find a much easier, more relaxing sport.”
3 C – Paragraph 3 mentions that instead of complaining, her coach “showed me a recording of my jump, carefully pointing out a tiny mistake in my footwork,” which means he used technology (a recording) to help her.
4 D – Paragraph 4 details how she achieved a personal best and “finally understood that his tough training methods weren’t meant to upset me, but to help me become the best gymnast I could possibly be.”
5 B – This option successfully captures the global narrative of the text: the writer initially disliked the harsh training, but ultimately realised that the strict coaching was exactly what she needed to achieve her personal best.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
More Than Just a Game
I’ve played football since I was seven, but nothing prepared me for the regional tournament final last month. Our team had played brilliantly all season to reach the final match against our biggest rivals. By the end of normal time, the score was 1-1. We were all completely exhausted, but we knew the winner had to be decided by penalty kicks. I was usually quite a confident player, so the coach chose me to take the final shot.
As I walked towards the goal, the noise from the crowd seemed to disappear. Suddenly, the goal looked incredibly small, and the goalkeeper looked enormous. My legs felt heavy, and my heart was beating terribly fast. I placed the ball carefully on the grass and stepped back. I had practised penalties hundreds of times in training, always aiming for the bottom right corner. However, this time, the pressure was completely different.
The referee blew his whistle. I ran forward and kicked the ball as hard as I could. To my absolute horror, the ball flew high over the top of the net. I had missed. The other team immediately started celebrating wildly. I dropped to my knees on the grass and hid my face in my hands. I felt like I had single-handedly destroyed our chances of winning the championship. I was convinced my teammates would be furious because my mistake had cost us the entire tournament.
However, what happened next completely surprised me. Instead of shouting at me, my teammates ran over and pulled me to my feet. Our captain, Mark, put his arm around my shoulder. He reminded me that we win and lose together as a team. He pointed out that we wouldn’t even be in the final if I hadn’t scored so many goals earlier in the season. His words made a huge difference to how I felt.
That experience taught me a very valuable lesson. I realised that a single mistake on the football pitch doesn’t define who you are as a player or a person. I still love playing football, and although losing the final hurt, the amazing support from my friends was actually more important than winning a shiny trophy.
1 Why was the writer chosen to take the final penalty?
(A) He had never missed a penalty during training.
(B) He was normally a self-assured player on the pitch.
(C) He was the captain of the football team.
(D) He had scored the first goal in the match.
2 How did the writer feel as he prepared to take the kick?
(A) Confident because he was aiming for his favourite corner.
(B) Annoyed by the loud noise from the watching crowd.
(C) Worried that the goalkeeper knew exactly where he would aim.
(D) Much more nervous than he usually felt during practice.
3 Immediately after missing the penalty, the writer believed that
(A) his team had lost because of his personal failure.
(B) the referee had made a wrong decision about the kick.
(C) he would be dropped from the team for the next season.
(D) the other team didn’t deserve to win the championship.
4 What did Mark say to comfort the writer?
(A) He told him that professional players also miss penalties sometimes.
(B) He promised that they would easily win the tournament next year.
(C) He said the writer’s previous performances had helped the team succeed.
(D) He blamed the bad condition of the grass for the missed penalty.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about his experience?
(A) I’m furious that I missed the kick, and I’m going to spend all summer practising so I never let the team down again.
(B) It was terrible to lose the game, but it showed me how great my teammates are. I know now that one bad moment isn’t the end of the world.
(C) I think I’ll stop playing football next season. The pressure of the final was just too much, and I don’t want to feel that awful again.
(D) I’m glad my teammates weren’t angry, but I think the coach made a big mistake by choosing me to take the penalty.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states: “I was usually quite a confident player, so the coach chose me to take the final shot.” “Self-assured” is a direct paraphrase of “confident”.
2 D – Paragraph two explains that while he had practised hundreds of times, “this time, the pressure was completely different.” His legs felt heavy and his heart was beating fast, showing extreme nervousness compared to practice.
3 A – The third paragraph describes his reaction: “I felt like I had single-handedly destroyed our chances… my mistake had cost us the entire tournament,” which matches the belief that the team lost due to his personal failure.
4 C – In paragraph four, the captain pointed out that “we wouldn’t even be in the final if I hadn’t scored so many goals earlier in the season,” which means his previous performances helped them succeed.
5 B – This option accurately captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text. It acknowledges the pain of losing (paragraph 3) but focuses heavily on the team’s support (paragraph 4) and the final realization that a single mistake doesn’t define him (paragraph 5).