The Repair Café
Do more with this exercise
Read how a neighbourhood gives old devices another chance. Then answer the questions.
Reading text
tablet
a small flat computer with a touch screentablet
a small flat computer with a touch screenbattery
the part that gives a device powertablet
a small flat computer with a touch screendevice
a piece of electronic equipmenttablet
a small flat computer with a touch screentablet
a small flat computer with a touch screenbattery
the part that gives a device powertablet
a small flat computer with a touch screenreplacement
a new thing used instead of an old onebattery
the part that gives a device powerspare parts
extra pieces kept for repairsdevice
a piece of electronic equipmentfiles
saved information on a computer or devicenoticeboard
a board for public messagesPractice exercises
Choose the correct answer
Read the story and choose the best answer.
1.Where does the repair café meet?
2.Why was Mia’s tablet important to her?
3.What was still stored inside the tablet?
4.What did Mia want to do on her second visit?
Right or wrong?
Decide whether each statement agrees with the text.
5.Mia bought the tablet herself a few days earlier.
6.The repair café offers a free online guide.
7.Every device was repaired on Mia’s first visit.
Complete the sentence
Use a word or phrase from the story.
Listen and choose
Listen to each sentence and choose the answer.
11.Who gave Mia the tablet?
12.Where was the new battery found?
13.What did every owner receive?
Listen and write
Listen and type the sentence you hear.
14.Listen and write the sentence.
15.Listen and write the sentence.
16.Listen and write the sentence.
Frequently asked questions
What level is this story?
It is written for B1 learners and uses passive forms to describe how devices were checked and repaired.
How can I practise with the story?
Read it, answer the questions, listen to individual sentences and then try the dictations.
Can I slow down the audio?
Yes. Play the whole story at 0.75× speed or replay one sentence.
Answer key
1. Where does the repair café meet?
Answer: In a library
The library becomes a repair café every Saturday.
2. Why was Mia’s tablet important to her?
Answer: It held family photographs
Her grandfather gave Mia the tablet, and it held family photographs.
3. What was still stored inside the tablet?
Answer: Safely stored photographs
The battery failed, but the photographs were still stored safely.
4. What did Mia want to do on her second visit?
Answer: Learn the steps of a repair
She hoped to learn the steps of a repair rather than only watch.
5. Mia bought the tablet herself a few days earlier.
Answer: False
Her grandfather had given it to her several years earlier.
6. The repair café offers a free online guide.
Answer: True
Its website has a guide written by volunteers that can be read for free.
7. Every device was repaired on Mia’s first visit.
Answer: False
Some parts needed ordering, and some devices were too badly damaged.
8. Each device ___ a number at the entrance.
Answer: was given
The device receives the number, so the past passive is was given.
9. The guide ___ by volunteers.
Answer: was written
The volunteers wrote the guide; the guide was written by them.
10. The photographs were still ___ safely inside.
Answer: stored
The story says the photographs were stored safely inside.
11. Listening question 11: The tablet had been given to her by her grandfather several years earlier.
Answer: Her grandfather
The tablet had been given to Mia by her grandfather.
12. Listening question 12: A replacement battery was found in a box of spare parts.
Answer: In a box of spare parts
The replacement battery came from the box of spare parts.
13. Listening question 13: Not every item could be repaired that morning, but every owner received advice.
Answer: Advice
Every owner received advice, even when an item could not be repaired.
14. Dictation 14
Answer: At the entrance, each device was given a number and a short description.
The passive form focuses on what happened to each device.
15. Dictation 15
Answer: The guide was written by volunteers and can be read for free.
The guide receives both passive actions: writing and reading.
16. Dictation 16
Answer: Some parts had to be ordered, and a few devices were too badly damaged.
Some repairs needed more parts; others were not possible.