[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"external-lt-1540":3},{"payload":4,"id":45,"user":46,"level":52,"course":53,"activity":54,"activity_slug":55,"title":6,"topic":56,"tone":57,"stats":58,"created":61,"score":62,"is_favorite":63,"public":64,"is_external":63},{"text":5,"title":6,"answers":7,"questions":38},"On a rainy Saturday morning, the community hall in my neighbourhood looks unusually busy. People arrive carrying lamps with loose wires, jackets with broken zips and toasters that have stopped working for no clear reason. They are not here to buy anything. Instead, they queue for a table where volunteers with toolboxes and sewing kits are waiting. A hand-written sign reads: “Repair Café — learn, fix, don’t bin.”\n\nRepair cafés began as small local projects, but in the last few years they have spread rapidly across many European towns. The idea is simple: rather than throwing away a damaged item, you bring it to a free session where someone helps you repair it. The volunteer doesn’t usually do the job silently while you watch. The point is that you take part, ask questions and leave with the confidence to try again at home.\n\nAt first, I assumed the people who came were mainly those trying to save money. That is certainly part of the story; replacing a kettle can be cheap, but replacing a winter coat or a laptop is not. Yet, after speaking to several visitors, I realised the motivation often goes beyond the price tag. Many were frustrated by products that seem designed to fail quickly, or by brands that make spare parts difficult to obtain. Others simply disliked the feeling of throwing away something that could still be useful.\n\nThe volunteers, meanwhile, are not professional repair workers in most cases. Some have technical jobs, but many are retired engineers, hobbyists or people who learned basic skills from family members. One woman told me she comes every month because she enjoys the problem-solving: “It’s like a puzzle, but you get a real-life reward.” The atmosphere is surprisingly social — strangers swap stories while waiting, and children watch with the kind of curiosity that rarely appears when a new gadget is unboxed.\n\nHowever, repair cafés are not a magic solution to modern waste. They cannot always fix complex electronics, and they depend on donated time and materials. There is also a legal grey area: if a repaired item breaks later and causes damage, who is responsible? Organisers usually ask visitors to sign a form accepting the risk, but the question shows that even a friendly local initiative has to fit into a complicated world.\n\nStill, it is hard not to see repair cafés as a quiet protest against a culture of constant replacement. They offer something practical — a working lamp, a stitched sleeve — but also something less measurable: a reminder that everyday objects are not automatically disposable. In a society that often treats convenience as the highest value, the simple act of taking an hour to fix a toaster can feel strangely radical.","The Quiet Return of Repair Cafés",{"1":8,"2":13,"3":18,"4":23,"5":28,"6":33},[9,10,11,12],"They are bringing items to be donated to charity.","They are mostly volunteers who have come to offer help.","They are attending a market to find second-hand goods.","They come to fix items rather than purchase replacements.",[14,15,16,17],"They aim to raise money for community projects through repairs.","They encourage people to buy higher-quality products.","They mainly exist to provide cheap replacement parts.","Visitors are expected to learn by taking part in the repair process.",[19,20,21,22],"Many people are motivated by more than just saving money.","Most visitors prefer repairing because it is faster than shopping.","People mainly bring expensive items like laptops and phones.","Visitors usually blame themselves for damaging products.",[24,25,26,27],"They are paid professionals hired by the local council.","They prefer to work alone without talking to visitors.","They are often skilled amateurs who enjoy the challenge and social side.","They are trained to repair only electronic devices.",[29,30,31,32],"They cannot always deal with complicated electronics and face questions about responsibility.","They are unable to repair clothing because sewing is too specialised.","They are unpopular with children, who find them boring.","They refuse to repair items unless the owner provides brand-new parts.",[34,35,36,37],"Supportive: the writer sees them as practical and meaningful, even if limited.","Critical: the writer thinks they are pointless in a modern economy.","Uncertain: the writer cannot decide whether they are helpful or not.","Negative: the writer believes they encourage people to keep broken items.",{"1":39,"2":40,"3":41,"4":42,"5":43,"6":44},"What does the writer emphasise about the people arriving at the community hall?","What is presented as a key aim of repair cafés in the second paragraph?","What did the writer realise after talking to visitors?","What does the writer suggest about the volunteers?","What difficulty is mentioned regarding repair cafés?","Overall, what is the writer’s attitude towards repair cafés?",1540,{"id":47,"username":48,"first_name":49,"last_name":50,"image":51},28678,"keren-valdes","Keren","Valdés","https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocIb0GJK0tDBStq2uIajak3FKB_j60Gly8IPBhPUKkw_2RxhFg=s96-c","B2","Reading","Long Text","long-text","Produce a Reading & Use of English long-text exercise for B2 level that mimics the Cambridge English exam as accurately as possible.","Standard",{"times_played":59,"num_favorites":60},1,0,"2026-09-23T02:32:12",null,false,true]