Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – School-based Environmental Activities 10

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

You are going to read an article about four teenagers talking about the fun and competitive nature of a month-long inter-class competition to lower carbon footprints.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   admits to adopting an overly strict attitude during the early stages of the event?

2   introduced a playful financial penalty to encourage compliance among peers?

3   had to coordinate directly with non-teaching staff to make their plan work?

4   found that the intense rivalry with another specific group was the most entertaining aspect?

5   confesses that their initial participation was entirely driven by the desire to win a prize?

6   notes that the new routines established during the event have become permanent?

7   encountered reluctance from their classmates when first introducing their rules?

8   unexpectedly developed a taste for something they hadn’t previously enjoyed?

9   points out their prior ignorance regarding the ecological cost of a daily habit?

10   successfully transformed discarded materials into something useful?

Going Green for the Win: Our Carbon Footprint Challenge

A Alex

When the ‘Green Month’ inter-class challenge was initially announced, I’ll openly admit that I wasn’t overly concerned about saving the planet. My eyes were firmly fixed on the ultimate reward: an all-expenses-paid trip to a theme park for the winning class! Determined to secure victory, I insisted our class pledge to cycle or walk to school, banning car drop-offs entirely. Looking back, I was probably a bit too dictatorial in the first week, snapping at anyone who dared to complain about the rain. Fortunately, I soon came to terms with the fact that encouragement worked much better than criticism. We set up a ‘cycle train’, where we all rode in together, making the morning commute incredibly enjoyable. Although we faced some tough weather conditions, the shared goal really brought us together as a team. We didn’t actually win the grand prize in the end, but the sense of camaraderie we built was a fantastic consolation.

B Bella

Our class decided to tackle energy consumption within the school building itself. I had read about the immense amount of power wasted by leaving appliances on standby, so we nominated ourselves as ‘energy monitors’. Getting everyone to buy into the idea was an uphill struggle at first; my classmates were constantly rolling their eyes and forgetting to switch off the lights and interactive whiteboards when leaving the room. To combat this, I came up with a mild deterrent: anyone caught leaving a device on had to put fifty pence into our ‘carbon swear jar’. Suddenly, people became remarkably attentive! The money we collected was eventually donated to a local tree-planting charity. The whole experience was brilliantly fun, and watching our weekly energy graphs plummet gave us a massive sense of achievement. Even the teachers started checking their classrooms more carefully, proving that our little initiative was having a ripple effect.

C Charlie

I honestly had absolutely no idea that our dietary choices had such a massive impact on our carbon footprint until this competition kicked off. Once I discovered the sheer volume of greenhouse gas emissions associated with meat production, I proposed that our class commit to a vegetarian diet for the entire month. To make it a reality, a few of us had to negotiate directly with the school catering manager to ensure there were enough appealing plant-based options available at lunchtime. Initially, I was dreading a month of bland, uninspiring salads, but the canteen staff really went out of their way to create delicious meat-free meals. To my absolute astonishment, I discovered a genuine love for spicy lentil curries—something I would never have willingly chosen before! While we were highly competitive about our carbon points, the most valuable takeaway for me was realising how easily we can adapt.

D Daisy

The absolute highlight of the entire month for me was the fierce but friendly feud we had with Year 10. We were neck-and-neck on the leaderboard throughout, which really pushed us to be even more innovative. Our class focused heavily on waste reduction and upcycling. Instead of throwing away old, battered revision folders and single-use plastic bottles, we held after-school workshops to transform them into quirky desk organizers and classroom decorations. It was incredibly satisfying to breathe new life into objects that were inevitably destined for landfill. The competition officially concluded weeks ago, but the craziest thing is that nobody has reverted to their old, wasteful ways. We still rigorously separate our recycling and share ideas for reusing materials online. What started as a frantic race to beat our rivals has genuinely shifted our everyday mindset, proving that healthy competition can lead to long-lasting ecological awareness.

Reading 2

You are going to read an article about four students reflecting on the profound realization that small, collective actions within a school can actually make a measurable environmental impact.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   admits to initially doubting the value of making minor behavioural adjustments?

2   was startled by the sheer quantity of a specific resource the school used to consume?

3   mentions that their project provided a tangible benefit to the surrounding neighbourhood?

4   constructed a striking visual reminder out of discarded items to raise awareness?

5   points out a significant financial saving resulting directly from the students’ efforts?

6   highlights the importance of transitioning to electronic alternatives?

7   was proud to see a specific numerical measurement that validated their hard work?

8   notes the difficulty of persuading classmates to abandon their focus on convenience?

9   mentions that official documentation was presented to confirm their success?

10   realised that a change in portion sizes was crucial to tackling the issue?

Small Steps, Giant Leaps: Greening Our School

A Liam

When our science teacher suggested we could combat climate change simply by flipping switches, I confess I took it with a pinch of salt. It seemed highly improbable that such trivial habits could make a dent in a global crisis. Nevertheless, we launched a ‘power down’ campaign, ensuring every computer monitor, smartboard, and corridor light was turned off at the end of the day. For weeks, it felt like an endless, repetitive chore with no visible outcome. However, the true revelation occurred during our morning assembly last month. The headmaster projected the school’s quarterly utility invoice on the screen, comparing it to the previous year. We had slashed our electricity expenses by a staggering fifteen percent! Seeing that official paperwork was a massive wake-up call. It proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that our seemingly insignificant actions had culminated in a massive reduction in energy consumption, and consequently, carbon emissions.

B Chloe

My environmental awakening happened when I volunteered to clear out the recycling bins in the library. I was utterly dumbfounded by the mountains of half-used printer paper being thrown away daily. I hadn’t grasped the sheer scale of our deforestation footprint until I physically carried those heavy bags. Consequently, I spearheaded a drive to make our school radically reduce its reliance on hard copies. We campaigned for teachers to accept homework via email and pushed the administration to invest in interactive tablets. Whenever printing was absolutely unavoidable, we enforced a strict double-sided rule. While some traditionalists grumbled about reading from screens, the shift to virtual documents was remarkably swift. At the end of the term, we calculated that we had saved the equivalent of twelve mature trees. It was a profound realisation: just by altering our default settings and embracing technology, our collective restraint had a phenomenal ecological outcome.

C Noah

The dining hall used to be a disaster zone of half-eaten sandwiches and untouched vegetables. It dawned on a few of us that tackling this mountain of organic waste was vital. We initiated a twofold strategy: first, we lobbied the cafeteria staff to offer flexible serving sizes, effectively preventing students from taking more than they could stomach. Secondly, we set up large composting bins by the exits. Rather than just hoping it was making a difference, we meticulously weighed the bins every Friday. Recording those declining kilograms of landfill waste was incredibly satisfying; the statistics were undeniable proof of our triumph. Furthermore, the nutrient-rich compost didn’t just sit there. We donated the soil to a nearby community allotment to help grow organic vegetables. Realising that our lunchroom leftovers were actively enriching the local ecosystem, rather than rotting in a dump, made me understand the true power of a united student body.

D Maya

Getting teenagers to give up their beloved disposable drink bottles is no walk in the park. People are incredibly attached to their routines, and carrying a reusable flask was initially dismissed by many of my peers as far too much of a hassle. To shatter this complacency, our environmental club decided to collect every single discarded plastic bottle on campus for a month. Instead of simply recycling them, we wired them together to build a massive, three-metre-tall sculpture of a sea turtle in the main reception. Seeing that colossal pile of rubbish transformed into a striking piece of artwork completely changed the atmosphere. It confronted everyone with the ugly reality of their disposable lifestyle. Almost overnight, the demand for single-use plastics plummeted, and the school vending machines eventually stopped stocking them. It taught me that sometimes, you have to hit people with a stark visual truth to break their dependency on convenience.

Exercises:   123456