Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Targeted Fitness, Health and Dance 10
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A night at the roller rink
by Maya Jones
I’ve always loved the idea of a retro roller skating rink, with the flashing disco lights, loud pop music, and bright neon colours. So, when my friends organised a trip to the local rink for a Friday night out, I was incredibly excited. My excitement was mostly because Liam, a boy from my class who I had a huge crush on, was also invited. I had spent all week imagining myself gliding elegantly around the rink, impressing him with my smooth and effortless skating skills.
However, as soon as I tied the laces on my heavy, four-wheeled boots and stood up, the fantasy completely disappeared. The smooth wooden floor felt like pure ice. My legs were shaking, and my arms were waving wildly in the air just to keep me upright. While some of my friends immediately sped off to the centre of the rink, I had to hold tightly onto the side wall. It took all my concentration just to move forward a few metres without losing my balance.
After about twenty minutes, I finally started to feel a bit more confident and decided to let go of the wall. I saw Liam skating towards me, smiling, and I tried to wave back looking relaxed. Suddenly, my left foot slipped awkwardly, and my wheels went completely out of control. I crashed heavily onto the floor, landing right on my bottom in front of him. The music was loud, but it felt like the entire rink was staring at me. My face burned bright red, and my first instinct was to cover my eyes and crawl away in pure humiliation.
Instead of hiding, I took a deep breath, looked up at Liam, and burst out laughing at how ridiculous I must have looked. To my relief, he didn’t laugh at me; he smiled warmly, reached out his hand, and helped me back onto my feet. He admitted that he had fallen twice before I even arrived. We spent the rest of the evening skating together slowly, holding onto the wall and laughing every time one of us almost slipped again.
I certainly didn’t look like a professional skater that night, but the experience taught me a valuable lesson. Trying to be perfect all the time is exhausting and unrealistic. Falling down in front of everyone was embarrassing, but choosing to laugh and get back up showed true resilience. It turned a humiliating disaster into one of the best nights of my life.
1 Why was Maya particularly excited about the roller skating trip?
(A) She wanted to show off her new retro skating clothes.
(B) A boy she really liked was going to be there.
(C) She had always been an elegant and effortless skater.
(D) She wanted to listen to the loud pop music at the rink.
2 How did Maya feel when she first put her skates on?
(A) Confident because she could skate faster than her friends.
(B) Disappointed that the music wasn’t loud enough.
(C) Unsteady because the wooden floor was incredibly slippery.
(D) Annoyed that she had to hold onto the wall to rest.
3 What caused Maya to fall over?
(A) She tried to do a complicated spin to impress a boy.
(B) Another skater crashed into her from behind.
(C) She lost control of her wheels while trying to wave.
(D) She let go of the wall before her laces were tied properly.
4 When Maya fell down, Liam
(A) laughed loudly at her embarrassing mistake.
(B) helped her up and confessed that he was also struggling.
(C) skated away because he didn’t know what to say to her.
(D) offered to teach her how to skate perfectly without falling.
5 What would Maya write in her diary that night?
(A) I’m never going roller skating again. Falling in front of Liam was so humiliating that I couldn’t even look at him.
(B) I thought I needed to be a perfect skater to impress Liam, but laughing at my own mistakes ended up being much better.
(C) It was a fun night, but I’m annoyed that Liam laughed at me when I slipped on the wooden floor.
(D) Next time I go to the rink, I will make sure I hold onto the wall the entire time so I don’t embarrass myself.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, Maya states, “My excitement was mostly because Liam, a boy from my class who I had a huge crush on, was also invited.” This perfectly matches being excited because a boy she liked was going to be there.
2 C – In paragraph 2, Maya explains that the “smooth wooden floor felt like pure ice,” her legs were shaking, and she “had to hold tightly onto the side wall.” This maps to feeling unsteady because the floor was incredibly slippery.
3 C – In paragraph 3, Maya mentions that she “tried to wave back looking relaxed. Suddenly, my left foot slipped awkwardly, and my wheels went completely out of control.” This directly paraphrases losing control of her wheels while trying to wave.
4 B – In paragraph 4, Maya notes that Liam “reached out his hand, and helped me back onto my feet. He admitted that he had fallen twice before I even arrived.” This matches helping her up and confessing that he was also struggling.
5 B – This option successfully captures the global narrative arc of the text: Maya’s initial desire to be perfect and effortless to impress her crush, the embarrassing reality of falling, and her realization that laughing at herself and showing resilience was actually the best way to handle the situation.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Finding My Balance
For years, I had comfortably ridden my normal bicycle to school and around the local park. However, last month, everything changed when I saw a teenager riding a unicycle – a bike with only one wheel. He was confidently making his way along the path, and it looked so impressive. I instantly decided I wanted to learn how to do it, too. I found a cheap, second-hand unicycle online and bought it, assuming it would just be like riding my normal bike but slightly harder.
When my unicycle arrived, I took it straight out to my driveway. I quickly discovered that my assumption was completely wrong. Sitting on a seat with no handlebars in front of me was absolutely terrifying. On a regular bike, you have something to hold on to, which gives you a sense of security. Without that, my balance was awful. The moment I lifted both feet off the ground to push the pedals, the wheel shot out from under me, and I fell onto the grass.
I realised I needed a proper strategy. For the next three weeks, I spent every afternoon practising next to the brick wall of my house. I held onto the wall tightly with one hand while trying to move the wheel slowly forward. It was incredibly frustrating, and my legs ached from the unusual effort. However, my older brother reminded me that I had to sit completely straight and look ahead, rather than staring down at my feet.
Taking his advice, I took a deep breath and prepared for my next attempt. I moved away from the wall, kept my back straight, and focused on the end of the driveway. Suddenly, everything felt right. I pushed the pedals in a smooth circle and rode in a completely straight line for about ten metres before losing my balance. I had finally done it!
I am still a beginner, and I fall off more often than I manage to ride successfully. However, that first successful ride across the driveway was one of the proudest moments of my life. Unicycling has taught me that with enough patience and practice, even the most terrifying challenges can become fun. I’m already dreaming about learning some simple tricks!
1 Why did the writer buy a unicycle?
(A) He wanted to cycle to school more quickly.
(B) He was inspired by someone he saw in the park.
(C) He needed to replace his broken normal bicycle.
(D) He wanted to impress his friends with a new trick.
2 How did the writer feel when he first tried to ride it?
(A) frightened because there was nothing for him to grip
(B) angry because the unicycle seat was uncomfortable
(C) confident because it was exactly like his old bike
(D) disappointed because the wheel of the bike was broken
3 What helped the writer improve his technique?
(A) watching online videos about unicycling
(B) holding onto his older brother for support
(C) resting his aching legs for three weeks
(D) paying attention to his posture and where he was looking
4 During his successful attempt, the writer
(A) managed to ride perfectly all the way to the park.
(B) rode a short distance before falling over again.
(C) stayed close to the brick wall for safety.
(D) realised he was moving too fast down the driveway.
5 What would the writer write in his diary that evening?
(A) I can’t believe how easy it was to learn! Because it’s just like a normal bike, I didn’t need much practice to ride it perfectly.
(B) I finally rode in a straight line today! The lack of handlebars was scary at first, but all those frustrating weeks by the wall were worth it.
(C) The unicycle is just too terrifying to use. Even with my brother’s help, I couldn’t move away from the wall, so I’m giving up.
(D) Today showed me that unicycling is quite boring. I rode across the driveway easily, but now I think I’ll go back to my old bicycle.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states that he decided he wanted to learn how to do it after he “saw a teenager riding a unicycle” in the local park, matching the idea that he was inspired by someone he saw.
2 A – The second paragraph explains that sitting on the unicycle was “absolutely terrifying” because there were “no handlebars in front of me” and nothing “to hold on to,” which paraphrases to feeling frightened because there was nothing to grip.
3 D – The third paragraph describes the writer taking his brother’s advice to “sit completely straight and look ahead, rather than staring down at my feet,” which maps to paying attention to his posture and where he was looking.
4 B – In the fourth paragraph, the writer notes that he “rode in a completely straight line for about ten metres before losing my balance,” meaning he rode a short distance before falling over again.
5 B – This option accurately captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text. It acknowledges his initial fear of having no handlebars, the frustrating practice period, and his ultimate sense of pride in riding successfully in a straight line.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Finding My Feet at the Skatepark
I’ve spent the last two years riding my kick scooter around the quiet streets near my house. It was a fun way to get around, but recently, I started watching online videos of professionals performing amazing tricks. I decided it was time to push myself, so last Saturday, I finally visited our local skatepark. Because I had never ridden on wooden ramps before, I felt quite anxious, although I was also excited to try something new.
When I arrived, the park was full of talented teenagers on skateboards and BMX bikes. After warming up, I decided to attempt a trick called a ‘tailwhip’. This involves jumping into the air and kicking the base of the scooter so it spins completely around before you land. In the videos, it looked incredibly smooth and easy. However, on my first few attempts, I couldn’t get my feet back onto the board in time. The heavy metal deck swung around and crashed painfully into my shins. After suffering several dark bruises, I felt completely defeated.
I sat down on a bench, rubbing my aching legs and seriously considering going home. I assumed the older, more experienced riders were secretly laughing at my terrible attempts. To my surprise, a tall skater named Marcus rode over to me. Instead of making fun of me, he kindly offered some advice. He explained that I was trying to spin the scooter using only my feet, but the secret was actually using my arms to guide the handlebars in a circular motion. Several other riders also smiled and encouraged me to try just one more time.
Feeling much more confident, I picked up my scooter and pushed myself up the ramp again. I jumped as high as I could, kicked the board, and focused entirely on moving my hands exactly as Marcus had suggested. Suddenly, the deck spun perfectly beneath me, and my feet landed firmly back on the grip tape. I rolled smoothly away, and the group of riders clapped loudly. It was the most satisfying feeling I’ve ever experienced.
Landing my first tailwhip was amazing, but discovering the welcoming skatepark community was the real highlight. I realised that everyone there knows how much it hurts to learn a new trick, so they support each other instead of judging. I’m definitely going back next weekend to learn even more tricks.
1 Why did the writer go to the skatepark?
(A) He wanted a faster way to travel around his neighbourhood.
(B) He was inspired to challenge himself after watching videos.
(C) He wanted to buy a new kick scooter for the wooden ramps.
(D) His friends invited him to come and learn some amazing tricks.
2 What happened when the writer tried to do a ‘tailwhip’?
(A) He spun the scooter perfectly but landed on the wrong ramp.
(B) He broke his scooter when it hit the heavy metal ramps.
(C) He jumped too high and lost his balance in the air.
(D) He injured his legs because he missed the board.
3 How did the older riders react to the writer’s mistakes?
(A) They laughed at him for making silly mistakes.
(B) They were supportive and told him how to improve his technique.
(C) They told him to rest his aching legs and go home.
(D) They explained that he should only use his feet to spin the board.
4 What helped the writer to finally land the trick?
(A) He paid close attention to how he moved his hands.
(B) He pushed himself much faster up the wooden ramp.
(C) He asked the group of older riders to clap for him.
(D) He bought a new scooter with better grip tape.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about his day at the skatepark?
(A) I finally landed the tailwhip today! The older skaters are a bit annoying, but I’m glad I showed them I can ride just as well as they can.
(B) The skatepark was full of great riders, but I’m never going back. Bruising my legs really wasn’t worth the effort to learn one silly trick.
(C) I landed an awesome trick today! The best part was how helpful the other riders were when I was struggling. It’s a fantastic place to ride.
(D) I’m upset that my scooter crashed and hit my legs today. Next time, I’m just going to ride around the quiet streets near my house where it’s safer.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states that after “watching online videos of professionals… I decided it was time to push myself,” which paraphrases to being inspired to challenge himself after watching videos.
2 D – Paragraph two explains that he “couldn’t get my feet back onto the board in time,” resulting in the heavy deck crashing “painfully into my shins,” giving him “several dark bruises.” This matches injuring his legs because he missed the board.
3 B – In the third paragraph, the older skater Marcus “kindly offered some advice” and explained “the secret was actually using my arms.” Other riders also “smiled and encouraged me.” This means they were supportive and told him how to improve.
4 A – Paragraph four states that when he tried again, he “focused entirely on moving my hands exactly as Marcus had suggested,” which perfectly paraphrases to paying close attention to how he moved his hands.
5 C – This option successfully synthesizes the global meaning of the text. It captures both his success with the difficult physical skill (“landed an awesome trick” from paragraph 4) and his highly positive realization about the supportive environment (“helpful the other riders were” from paragraphs 3 and 5).