Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Sleep, Dreams & Mental Well-being 3

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

You are going to read an article about four people sharing their weirdest, highly symbolic recurring dreams and trying to analyze what their subconscious mind is trying to tell them.

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 that their nighttime visions reflected a fear of being revealed as a fraud?

2   initially felt frightened by their dream before viewing it as a positive sign of personal growth?

3   believes their dream is a direct result of feeling unable to advance in their current circumstances?

4   mentions that a specific physical sensation in the dream leads to a feeling of utter helplessness?

5   attributes their recurring nightmare to a deep-seated anxiety about losing their ability to influence others?

6   sought professional guidance to help make sense of the bizarre scenarios they were experiencing?

7   points out that their dream usually occurs when they are faced with a daunting new responsibility?

8   notes that the setting of their dream is a place they know intimately, yet it behaves strangely?

9   resolved their underlying issue by actively taking steps to change their waking life?

10   states that a particular recurring element in their dream serves as a reminder to explore unfulfilled talents?

Messages in the Dark: Decoding Our Subconscious

A Alex

I have been plagued by a bizarre recurring dream where my teeth suddenly crumble and fall out into my hands. At first, I was terrified it was a grim premonition about my physical health. Had I not eventually brought it up with a counsellor, I would never have realised that it is actually a remarkably common phenomenon. According to the experts, this distressing imagery has absolutely nothing to do with dental hygiene. Instead, it symbolises a profound fear of losing authority or feeling unheard in waking life. Looking back, I usually experience this nightmare when I am struggling to assert myself at work or when my opinions are being disregarded during team meetings. It makes perfect sense; teeth represent our ability to communicate and chew over complex ideas. Knowing this hasn’t entirely stopped the dreams, but I have finally come to terms with the fact that my subconscious is simply prompting me to speak up and reclaim my personal power.

B Bella

Despite having graduated from university over a decade ago, my subconscious frequently drags me back to a high school examination hall. In the dream, I am staring blankly at a test paper, completely oblivious to the answers, while the clock ticks down unforgivingly. It usually strikes right before I am about to take on a major project or deliver a high-stakes presentation at my marketing firm. For a long time, I couldn’t wrap my head around why I was reliving my teenage academic anxieties. Eventually, it dawned on me that this scenario is the ultimate manifestation of ‘imposter syndrome’. My mind is projecting my deep-seated worry that I am underqualified and that my colleagues will suddenly uncover my supposed incompetence. Although these nocturnal panics are incredibly stressful, I’ve learned to interpret them as a quirky coping mechanism. They remind me to prepare thoroughly, ensuring that when the real-world challenge arrives, I am never caught off guard.

C Charlie

Whenever I find myself going through a monotonous phase in life, my brain treats me to a highly frustrating nocturnal experience. I am being chased by an unseen threat, but no matter how hard I push myself, my legs feel like they are submerged in thick mud. The overwhelming physical sensation of sluggishness inevitably leads to an intense feeling of vulnerability and despair. Initially, I thought it was just a standard nightmare, but upon closer reflection, the symbolism is undeniably clear. The slow-motion running perfectly mirrors moments when I feel trapped in a rut, particularly when I was stuck in a dead-end corporate job last year. My subconscious was literally shouting that I was putting in a massive amount of effort but getting absolutely nowhere. Taking this psychological hint to heart, I finally handed in my notice and switched career paths. Since making that leap, the heavy-legged dreams have miraculously vanished altogether.

D Diana

My most frequent dream is set inside the childhood home I grew up in, a place I know like the back of my hand. Yet, as I wander through the familiar hallways, I inevitably stumble upon a door I have never noticed before. Initially, pushing the handle open filled me with a creeping sense of dread, as I expected to find something sinister lurking in the shadows. Now, however, the narrative has shifted, and these undiscovered spaces are filled with brilliant light and fascinating objects. Psychologists often suggest that houses in dreams represent the self. Therefore, uncovering new, expansive areas signifies stumbling upon dormant abilities or unexplored facets of my personality. Whenever I have this dream now, I wake up feeling incredibly inspired rather than anxious. It serves as a gentle, subconscious nudge to step outside my comfort zone and cultivate hobbies I’ve neglected, reminding me that I still have plenty of room to grow and reinvent myself.

Reading 2

You are going to read an article about four teenagers talking about how reading about circadian rhythms convinced them to finally abandon their toxic habit of late-night “doomscrolling” on phones.

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

Which person/section

1   credits a family member with introducing them to the science of sleep?

2   replaced their screen time with a traditional, non-digital activity?

3   removed a device from their sleeping environment entirely?

4   mentions a specific chemical that regulates our sleep cycle?

5   realised their habit was severely impacting their mood and anxiety levels?

6   researched the topic as part of a school assignment?

7   points out that technology is deliberately engineered to keep us hooked?

8   initially experienced a fear of being excluded from social circles?

9   states that their focus at school had deteriorated significantly?

10   implements a specific time restriction on their technology use?

Waking Up to Sleep: How Science Stopped Our Doomscrolling

A Liam

I used to be hopelessly addicted to my phone at night. I convinced myself that if I wasn’t constantly refreshing my social feeds, I’d be completely left out of the loop with my friends. This fear of missing out meant I was regularly up until 2 a.m., mindlessly scrolling. Unsurprisingly, I felt like a zombie during the day. The turning point came when I stumbled across an online article about circadian rhythms. It fascinated me to learn how the harsh blue light emitted by our screens effectively tricks the brain into thinking it’s still daytime, which completely halts the production of melatonin—the hormone responsible for making us tired. Although I briefly considered deleting all my apps, I knew I wouldn’t last a day. Instead, I simply accepted the biology. Understanding the actual chemistry of why I couldn’t drift off was a massive wake-up call. Now, I put the phone away early, and my body naturally knows when it’s time to shut down.

B Chloe

For me, late-night scrolling wasn’t about chatting with peers; it was purely about consuming endless streams of negative news. I was a classic ‘doomscroller’, absorbing global disasters while lying in the dark. Consequently, my heart would be racing, and my stress levels would go through the roof, making sleep impossible. I only realised the damage I was doing when my biology teacher gave a lesson on the body’s internal clock. She explained that our circadian rhythms require a calm, dark environment to transition into rest mode, and flooding my brain with alarming information was triggering stress hormones instead. Hearing that scientific explanation finally motivated me to break the vicious cycle. Now, rather than relying on a screen, I always reach for a physical paperback before bed. While some classmates use expensive sleep-tracking gadgets to monitor their rest, I’ve found that simply losing myself in a fictional story is the ultimate way to quiet my mind.

C Noah

My issue was watching endless streams of short, funny videos. I would tell myself I’d only watch for five minutes, but suddenly two hours would have vanished. As a result, my concentration in class plummeted, and my grades started to suffer due to the constant brain fog. I had tried swapping the videos for a novel, but I couldn’t even focus on the words. I was eventually saved when my parents, tired of seeing me exhausted, forwarded me a fascinating podcast by a neuroscientist. It explained how irregular sleep patterns destroy your circadian rhythm, severely impacting your memory and focus the next day. Hearing an expert break it down so logically was exactly what I needed. To fix the problem, I took drastic measures. I bought a cheap, old-school alarm clock and now leave my smartphone charging in the kitchen overnight. Physically removing the temptation from my bedroom was the only way to successfully break the habit.

D Maya

I was researching topics for a school science fair when I stumbled upon the concept of circadian rhythms, and it completely changed my perspective on my evening routine. I hadn’t realised that human beings are essentially programmed to rise with the sun and wind down as it gets dark. Our devices, however, are deliberately programmed to hijack our attention and keep us engaged for as long as possible, completely disrupting that natural cycle. I used to keep my phone on my bedside table, telling myself I needed it for the morning, but I would inevitably end up scrolling for hours. Once I understood how I was fighting my own biology, I established a strict ‘digital sunset’. Every evening at exactly 9 p.m., all my screens are switched off. It was tough initially, and I sometimes still struggle to drag myself out of bed early, but aligning my habits with my body’s natural clock has been profoundly beneficial.

Exercises:   123456