Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Targeted Fitness, Health and Dance 6
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Bouncing Away the Stress
For the last few weeks, my life has been incredibly stressful. With my final school exams coming up, I was spending every evening worrying about history dates and maths formulas. I felt anxious and was sleeping badly. My best friend, Maya, suggested we take a break and go to a new trampoline fitness class at the local sports centre. At first, I laughed at the idea. I thought jumping on a trampoline was just a silly game for children, but I desperately needed to get out of the house, so I agreed to go.
When we arrived at the sports centre, the large studio was filled with rows of mini-trampolines. The instructor was playing loud, energetic music, and everyone looked very excited. We found our trampolines and stood on them. Initially, we just did some gentle bouncing to warm up. I felt quite confident and smiled at Maya. It seemed like this was going to be an easy, relaxing hour, exactly as I had imagined.
However, that feeling did not last very long. After five minutes, the instructor told us to jump higher and bring our knees up to our chests. We also had to do fast running movements and deep squats on the soft surface. Keeping my balance on the moving trampoline was surprisingly tricky. Within fifteen minutes, my leg muscles were burning, and I was sweating heavily. I quickly realised that this was a serious workout, not just a child’s game.
Despite my tired legs, something amazing happened. As I focused on the rhythm of the music and the physical effort of jumping, I completely forgot about my schoolwork. The physical activity required so much concentration that there was simply no room in my brain for exam worries. With every high bounce, I felt like my stress was flying away into the air. I actually found myself laughing out loud.
When the class finally ended, I stepped off the trampoline and my legs felt like jelly. I was physically exhausted, but mentally, I felt fantastic. My mind was clearer than it had been for a month. I’ve already booked my trampoline for next week, and I finally feel ready to face my exams.
1 Why did the writer go to the trampoline class?
(A) She wanted to help her friend prepare for a sports exam.
(B) She was looking for a fun activity to do with young children.
(C) She needed a break from the intense pressure of studying.
(D) She wanted to improve her skills in gymnastics.
2 How did the writer feel at the very beginning of the class?
(A) annoyed that the music in the room was too loud
(B) certain that the exercises would be simple to do
(C) worried about standing on the equipment safely
(D) embarrassed that she had laughed at her best friend
3 What did the writer discover as the lesson continued?
(A) The soft surface made her feet hurt too much to jump.
(B) The instructor was asking them to do dangerous movements.
(C) She needed to sit down and rest after just fifteen minutes.
(D) The activity demanded much more physical effort than she expected.
4 During the hard workout, the writer found that she
(A) managed to solve some difficult maths problems in her head.
(B) stopped thinking about the things that made her anxious.
(C) was able to jump much higher than anyone else in the room.
(D) wanted to talk to her friend about her history homework.
5 What would the writer write in her diary that evening?
(A) Today I learned that trampolines are definitely just for kids! I didn’t get a good workout, and I’m still feeling terrible about my history exam.
(B) Maya and I had a fun time relaxing on the trampolines. The music was a bit annoying, but at least I didn’t have to work my leg muscles too hard.
(C) I was so exhausted by the end of the lesson that I couldn’t stop worrying about my schoolwork. I definitely won’t be returning to that studio!
(D) I thought the class would be easy, but it was a tough workout! Best of all, jumping to the music totally cleared my mind of exam stress.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – In the first paragraph, the writer states that her life was “incredibly stressful” due to exams and she “desperately needed to get out of the house,” mapping to needing a break from the intense pressure of studying.
2 B – The second paragraph says that after doing some gentle bouncing, she “felt quite confident” and thought it was “going to be an easy, relaxing hour,” meaning she was certain the exercises would be simple.
3 D – The third paragraph describes her leg muscles burning and sweating heavily, leading to the realization that “this was a serious workout, not just a child’s game,” which means it demanded more physical effort than she expected.
4 B – In the fourth paragraph, the writer notes that she “completely forgot about my schoolwork” and there was “no room in my brain for exam worries,” which means she stopped thinking about the things that made her anxious.
5 D – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text. It acknowledges her initial false assumption (thinking it would be easy), the reality of the physical challenge (a tough workout), and the ultimate mental benefit (clearing her mind of stress).
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
More Than Just a Silly Game
I have always enjoyed playing traditional sports like football and tennis. Whenever I saw people playing mini-golf, I thought it was just a silly game for young children. With its brightly coloured windmills, plastic castles, and funny clown faces, it certainly didn’t look like a serious sport. However, when my local sports centre announced a summer mini-golf tournament for teenagers, my best friend challenged me to enter. Because I am a very competitive person, I immediately agreed, expecting to win easily.
When the tournament began, I quickly realised how completely wrong I was. Mini-golf might look like a joke, but it actually requires a lot of skill. You have to understand geometry and angles to get the ball past the crazy obstacles. Furthermore, you need to have the perfect ‘touch’. On the very first hole, I hit the ball much too hard. It bounced off a plastic elephant, flew off the green carpet, and landed in some bushes. I felt extremely embarrassed as the other players laughed.
Despite my terrible start, I managed to calm down and focus. I started playing much more carefully, paying close attention to the shape of each hole. To my surprise, I actually played brilliantly. By the time we reached the eighteenth and final hole, I was tied for first place with a boy named Leo. The last hole was incredibly difficult. The target itself was hidden behind a solid wooden wall, making it absolutely impossible to hit the ball straight towards it.
I stood there for a few minutes, trying to figure out a solution. Then, I remembered what I had learned in my school maths lessons. Instead of aiming anywhere near the hole, I aimed my golf club at a red brick on the side wall. I hit the ball gently. It rolled forward, hit the brick, bounced off at the perfect angle, and dropped straight into the hole! The crowd watching us clapped loudly, and I was announced as the tournament champion.
Winning that plastic gold trophy is one of my proudest moments. The experience taught me a valuable lesson: you should never judge something by how it looks. Behind the silly windmills and clown faces, mini-golf is a highly challenging game that requires a lot of clever thinking. I am already practising for next year’s tournament!
1 Why did the writer decide to enter the mini-golf tournament?
(A) He wanted to prove that it was just a silly game.
(B) His best friend encouraged him to take part in it.
(C) He was getting bored of playing football and tennis.
(D) He wanted to win the plastic gold trophy for his school.
2 What problem did the writer have on the first hole?
(A) He used the wrong type of golf club to hit the ball.
(B) He didn’t understand the rules of the competition.
(C) He used too much power when taking his shot.
(D) He accidentally broke a plastic elephant on the course.
3 What made the eighteenth hole so challenging?
(A) The players had to hit the ball over a very high wall.
(B) There was no direct path to reach the target.
(C) Leo was playing much better than the writer was.
(D) The hole was placed on a steep and slippery hill.
4 How did the writer manage to win the competition?
(A) He bounced the ball off another object.
(B) He hit the ball much harder than he usually did.
(C) He closed his eyes and guessed the correct angle.
(D) He asked his maths teacher for some helpful advice.
5 What would the writer text to a friend after the tournament?
(A) I won the tournament today! It was really easy, just as I expected. I don’t understand why people think this sport is difficult.
(B) I came first in the competition! But I’m annoyed because the obstacles were too silly and ruined what could be a serious sport.
(C) I finally won a golf tournament today. I’m going to stop playing tennis and football so I can practice every single day.
(D) I’m so happy I won the trophy! I thought mini-golf was just for kids, but it actually takes a lot of skill and careful thought.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states, “…my best friend challenged me to enter. Because I am a very competitive person, I immediately agreed…” This perfectly paraphrases to his best friend encouraging him to take part.
2 C – Paragraph two explains that “On the very first hole, I hit the ball much too hard,” causing it to fly off the carpet. This matches using too much power when taking his shot.
3 B – In the third paragraph, the text states that the target was “hidden behind a solid wooden wall, making it absolutely impossible to hit the ball straight towards it.” This means there was no direct path.
4 A – Paragraph four describes his winning shot: he aimed at a red brick and the ball “hit the brick, bounced off at the perfect angle, and dropped straight into the hole!” This means he bounced the ball off another object.
5 D – This option successfully synthesizes the global meaning of the text. It captures the writer’s initial, incorrect assumption (“thought mini-golf was just for kids” from paragraph 1) and his final realization after winning (“it actually takes a lot of skill and careful thought” from paragraphs 2 and 5).
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Practising with the robot
by Leo Evans
I’ve always enjoyed playing table tennis with my friends in the park, but we never took it very seriously. A few months ago, I decided I wanted to improve my skills, so I joined a local indoor table tennis club. I was really excited, but also a bit nervous. When I went to my first practice session, I quickly realised that playing competitively was completely different from playing for fun. The other teenagers at the club were incredibly fast and hit the ball with so much power.
During my first few matches, I noticed a major problem with my technique. While my forehand – hitting the ball with the front of the bat – was actually quite strong, my backhand shot was a complete disaster. Whenever my opponents realised this weakness, they deliberately hit the ball to my left side. I missed almost every single shot, sending the ball off the table or into the net. I felt incredibly frustrated and embarrassed. I even started to wonder if I was just not talented enough to play at a serious level.
Fortunately, instead of giving up, I asked the club coach for some advice. He explained that I just needed to build my muscle memory through repetition. He introduced me to the club’s table tennis robot, a machine that shoots balls at you automatically. For the next three weeks, I spent hours alone with the machine. I programmed it to shoot fast balls only to my backhand side. It was physically exhausting and quite boring sometimes, but I focused entirely on my footwork and getting the angle of my bat exactly right.
Eventually, all that hard work really paid off. During a club tournament last weekend, I played against one of the most experienced players. As usual, he immediately tried to attack my weaker side to get easy points. However, this time I was ready for it. I confidently stepped into position and hit a perfect backhand shot straight past him. He looked completely shocked! I didn’t win the tournament that day, but my overall game has improved significantly. I finally feel like a true competitor, and I can’t wait to see how much better I can get.
1 What did Leo discover during his first session at the club?
(A) He was already fast enough to beat the other teenagers.
(B) The equipment used inside the club was very heavy.
(C) Playing the sport seriously was not the same as playing casually.
(D) He preferred playing outdoors in the park with his friends.
2 Why did Leo feel frustrated during his first few matches?
(A) His opponents discovered his weakness and took advantage of it.
(B) He had to play against people who used a different type of bat.
(C) He realised his forehand technique was completely wrong.
(D) His coach told him he lacked the talent to play at the club.
3 What does Leo say about practising with the robot?
(A) It was a relaxing way to learn the basic rules of the game.
(B) It required a lot of energy and wasn’t always very interesting.
(C) It was difficult to program the machine to shoot fast balls.
(D) It helped him improve his forehand shot as well as his backhand.
4 What happened during the tournament last weekend?
(A) Leo easily won the entire competition.
(B) The experienced player avoided hitting the ball to Leo’s left.
(C) The other player was shocked because Leo made a terrible mistake.
(D) Leo successfully defended an attack on his weak side.
5 What would Leo write in a blog post about his table tennis experience?
(A) Joining a club was a big mistake. The other players are too fast, and practising with a machine is a complete waste of time.
(B) My backhand is finally perfect, which means I never lose a match anymore. I’m definitely the best player in my club now!
(C) I almost quit because I had a major weakness, but spending hours training to fix it has made me a much better and more confident player.
(D) The robot is a fun machine to play against, but it doesn’t really help you prepare for a real match against an experienced opponent.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – In paragraph 1, Leo says “I quickly realised that playing competitively was completely different from playing for fun.” This paraphrases playing the sport seriously not being the same as playing casually.
2 A – In paragraph 2, Leo explains that “Whenever my opponents realised this weakness, they deliberately hit the ball to my left side,” causing him to miss and feel frustrated. This maps to opponents discovering his weakness and taking advantage of it.
3 B – In paragraph 3, Leo describes the training with the robot as “physically exhausting and quite boring sometimes,” which matches requiring a lot of energy and not always being very interesting.
4 D – In paragraph 4, Leo notes that when his opponent tried to attack his weaker side, he was ready and “hit a perfect backhand shot straight past him.” This directly matches successfully defending an attack on his weak side.
5 C – This option successfully captures the global narrative arc of the text: Leo’s initial struggle with his weak backhand (almost quitting/wondering if he lacked talent), his decision to practice hard against the robot, and his resulting confidence and overall improvement.