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DIABETES IELTS READING

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Reading passage 1

Here are some facts that you probably didn’t know about diabetes. It is the world’s fastest growing disease. It is Australia’s 6th leading cause of death. Over 1 million Australians have it though 50% of those are as yet unaware. Every 10 minutes someone is diagnosed with diabetes. So much for the facts but what exactly is diabetes?

Diabetes is the name given to a group of different conditions in which there is too much glucose in the blood. Here’s what happens: the body needs glucose as its main source of fuel or energy. The body makes glucose from foods containing carbohydrate such as vegetables containing carbohydrate (like potatoes or corn) and cereal foods (like bread, pasta and rice) as well as fruit and milk. Glucose is carried around the body in the blood and the glucose level is called glycaemia. Glycaemia (blood sugar levels) in humans and animals must be neither too high nor too low, but just right. The glucose running around in the blood stream now has to get out of the blood and into the body tissues. This is where insulin enters the story. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas, a gland sitting just below the stomach. Insulin opens the doors that let glucose go from the blood to the body cells where energy is made. This process is called glucose metabolism. In diabetes, the pancreas either cannot make insulin or the insulin it does make is not enough and cannot work properly. Without insulin doing its job, the glucose channels are shut. Glucose builds up in the blood leading to high blood glucose levels, which causes the health problems linked to diabetes.

People refer to the disease as diabetes but there are actually two distinctive types of the disease. Type 1 diabetes is a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by a total lack of insulin. It occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them. The pancreas then produces little or no insulin. Type 1 diabetes develops most often in young people but can appear in adults. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use sugar. Sugar is the basic fuel for the cells in the body, and insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells.

The diagnosis of diabetes often depends on what type the patient is suffering from. In Type 1 diabetes, symptoms are usually sudden and sometimes even life threatening – hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar levels) can lead to comas – and therefore it is mostly diagnosed quite quickly. In Type 2 diabetes, many people have no symptoms at all, while other signs can go unnoticed, being seen as part of ‘getting older’.

Therefore, by the time symptoms are noticed, the blood glucose level for many people can be very high. Common symptoms include: being more thirsty than usual, passing more urine, feeling lethargic, always feeling hungry, having cuts that heal slowly, itching, skin infections, bad breath, blurred vision, unexplained weight change, mood swings, headaches, feeling dizzy and leg cramps.

At present there is no cure for diabetes, but there is a huge amount of research looking for a cure and to provide superior management techniques and products until a cure is found. Whether it’s Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, the aim of any diabetes treatment is to get your blood glucose levels as close to the non-diabetic range as often as possible. For people with Type 1 diabetes, this will mean insulin injections every day plus leading a healthy lifestyle. For people with Type 2 diabetes, healthy eating and regular physical activity may be all that is required at first:

Sometimes tablets and/or insulin may be needed later on. Ideally blood glucose levels are kept as close to the non- diabetic range as possible so frequent self-testing is a good idea. This will help prevent the short-term effects of very low or very high blood glucose levels as well as the possible long-term problems. If someone is dependent on insulin, it has to be injected into the body. Insulin cannot be taken as a pill. The insulin would be broken down during digestion just like the protein in food. Insulin must be injected into the fat under your skin for it to get into your blood. Diabetes can cause serious complications for patients. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause problems. Short term problems are similar to the symptoms but long term high blood sugar levels can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, amputations and blindness. Having your blood pressure and cholesterol outside recommended ranges can also lead to problems like heart attack and stroke and in fact 2 out of 3 people with diabetes eventually die of these complications. Young adults age 18 – 44 who get type 2 diabetes are 14 times more likely to suffer a heart attack, and are up to 30 times more likely to have a stroke than their peers without diabetes. Young women account for almost all the increase in heart attack risk, while young men are twice as likely to suffer a stroke as young women. This means that huge numbers of people are going to get heart disease, heart attacks and strokes years, sometimes even decades, before they should.

Questions 1 – 7. Do the following statements reflect the views of the writer in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1 – 7 on your answer sheet write:

YES       if the statement agrees with the information
NO         if the statement contradicts the statement
NOT GIVEN    if there is no information on this in the passage

  1. Carbohydrate foods are the body’s source of glucose.
  2. Diabetics cannot produce insulin.
  3. Some patients develop diabetes due to faults in their own immune systems
  4. Hyperglycaemia leads to type 1 diabetes being diagnosed quite quickly.
  5. Artificial insulin is the most effective treatment for those patients requiring insulin.
  6. Frequent check ups at the doctor can drastically reduce the chances of suffering from problems related to diabetes.
  7. The majority of diabetics develop heart problems or suffer strokes.

Questions 8-11

Complete the following statements with the best ending from the box below. Write the appropriate letters A – H in boxes 8 – 11 on your answer sheet.

8 Bizarre as it may seem, many people with diabetes…

9 Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose to be absorbed by…

10 Non severe type 2 diabetes can be solely treated by…

11 Increases in diabetes related heart problems are mainly seen in…

A. a healthy lifestyle
B. never suffer any ill effects
C. women
D. people also suffering strokes
E. body cells
F. the pancreas
G. do not realise the fact
H. injections

Questions12-14

According to the text which of the following are symptoms of diabetes?

Choose THREE letters (A – G) and write them in boxes 12 – 14 on your answer sheet.

A hot flushes

B muscle pains

C nausea

D losing consciousness

E tiredness

F bleeding gums

G dilation of the eyes

Reading passage 2

Contaminating the Arctic

Our perception of the Arctic region is that its distance from industrial centers keeps it pristine and clear from the impact of pollution. However, through a process known as transboundary pollution, the Arctic is the recipient of contaminants whose sources are thousands of miles away. Large quantities of pollutants pour into our atmosphere, as well as our lakes, rivers, and oceans on a daily basis. In the last 20 years, scientists have detected an increasing variety of toxic contaminants in the North, including pesticides from agriculture, chemicals and heavy metals from industry, and even radioactive fall-out from Chernobyl. These are substances that have invaded ecosystems virtually worldwide, but they are especially worrisome in the Arctic.

Originally, Arctic contamination was largely blamed on chemical leaks, and these leaks were thought to be “small and localized.” The consensus now is that pollutants from around the world are being carried north by rivers, ocean currents, and atmospheric circulation. Due to extreme conditions in the Arctic, including reduced sunlight, extensive ice cover and cold temperatures, contaminants break down much more slowly than in warmer climates. Contaminants can also become highly concentrated due to their significantly lengthened life span in the Arctic.

Problems of spring run-off into coastal waters during the growth period of marine life are of critical concern. Spring algae blooms easily, absorbing the concentrated contaminants released by spring melting. These algae are in turn eaten by zooplankton and a wide variety of marine life. The accumulation of these contaminants increases with each step of the food chain or web and can potentially affect northerners who eat marine mammals near the top of the food chain. Pollutants respect no borders; transboundary pollution is the movement of contaminants across political borders, whether by air, rivers, or ocean currents. The eight circumpolar nations, led by the Finnish Initiative of 1989, established the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS) in which participants have agreed to develop an Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP). AMAP establishes an international scientific network to monitor the current condition of the Arctic with respect to specific contaminants. This monitoring program is extremely important because it will give a scientific basis for understanding the scope of the problem.

In the 1950’s, pilots traveling on weather reconnaissance flights in the Canadian high Arctic reported seeing bands of haze in the springtime in the Arctic region. It was during this time that the term “Arctic haze” was first used, referring to this smog of unknown origin. But it was not until 1972, that Dr. Glenn Shaw of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska first put forth ideas of the nature and long-range origin of Arctic haze. The idea that the source was long range was very difficult for many to support. Each winter, cold, dense air settles over the Arctic. In the darkness, the Arctic seems to become more and more polluted by a buildup of mid-latitude emissions from fossil fuel combustion, smelting and other industrial processes. By late winter, the Arctic is covered by a layer of this haze the size of the continent of Africa. When the spring light arrives in the Arctic, there is a smog-like haze, which makes the region, at times, looks like pollution over such cities as Los Angeles.

This polluted air is a well-known and well-characterized feature of the late winter Arctic environment. In the North American Arctic, episodes of brown or black snow have been traced to continental storm tracks that deliver gaseous and particulate-associated contaminants from Asian deserts and agricultural areas. It is now known that the contaminants originate largely from Europe and Asia.

Arctic haze has been studied most extensively in Point Barrow, Alaska, across the Canadian Arctic and in Svalbard (Norway). Evidence from ice cores drilled from the ice sheet of Greenland indicates that these haze particles were not always present in the Arctic, but began to appear only in the last century. The Arctic haze particles appear to be similar to smog particles observed in industrial areas farther south, consisting mostly of sulfates mixed with particles of carbon. It is believed the particles are formed when gaseous sulfur dioxide produced by burning sulfur- bearing coal is irradiated by sunlight and oxidized to sulfate, a process catalyzed by trace elements in the air. These sulfate particles or droplets of sulfuric acid quickly capture the carbon particles, which are also floating in the air. Pure sulfate particles or droplets are colourless, so it is believed the darkness of the haze is caused by the mixed-in carbon particles.

The impact of the haze on Arctic ecosystems, as well as the global environment, has not been adequately researched. The pollutants have only been studied in their aerosol form over the Arctic. However, little is known about what eventually happens to them. It is known that they are removed somehow. There is a good degree of likelihood that the contaminants end up in the ocean, likely into the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea and possibly the Bering Sea — all three very important fisheries.

Currently, the major issue among researchers is to understand the impact of Arctic haze on global climate change. The contaminants absorb sunlight and, in turn, heat up the atmosphere. The global impact of this is currently unknown but the implications are quite powerful.

Questions 15-21

Read passage 2and look at the statements below. In boxes 15 – 21 on your answer sheet write:

TRUE    if the statement is true
FALSE    if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN  if the information is not given in the passage

15 Industry in the Arctic has increased over the last 20 years.

16 Arctic conditions mean that the break down of pollutants is much accelerated

17 Pollution absorbed by arctic algae can eventually affect humans.

18 The AEPS has set up scientific stations in the Arctic to monitor pollution.

19 Arctic pollution can sometimes resemble US urban pollution.

20 Evidence that this smog has only occurred in the 20th Century has been found in the ice on the polar ice cap.

21 Research has shown that aerosol arctic pollutants remain the air indefinitely.

Questions 22-27. Complete the summary relating to Arctic Haze below.

Choose your answers from the box below the summary and write them in boxes 22 – 27 on your answer sheet. NB There are more words than spaces, so you will not use them at all.

Theories that the origins of spring, arctic haze, first seen over the ice cap in the 1950s, came from far away were at first not (22) …………………….. This haze is a smog formed in the dark, arctic winter by pollution delivered to the Arctic by storms (23)… …………………….. in Europe and Asia. It is known to be a recent phenomenon as proof from (24) ……………………… shows it only starting to occur in the 20th Century. The smog consists of sulphates and carbon, the latter creating the (25)…………………………. of the haze. Due to lack of research, the final destination of the pollution is unknown but it probably ends up in the (26)……………………………. and therefore into the food chain. Scientists are presently more worried about the (27) ……………………….effect it has on climate change.

Reading passage 3

The Story of Coffee

A. Coffee was first discovered in Eastern Africa in an area we know today as Ethiopia. A popular legend refers to a goat herder by the name of Kaldi, who observed his goats acting unusually friskily after eating berries from a bush. Curious about this phenomenon, Kaldi tried eating the berries himself. He found that these berries gave him renewed energy.

B. The news of this energy laden fruit quickly moved throughout the region. Coffee berries were transported from Ethiopia to the Arabian Peninsula, and were first cultivated in what today is the country of Yemen. Coffee remained a secret in Arabia before spreading to Turkey and then to the European continent by means of Venetian trade merchants.

C. Coffee was first eaten as a food though later people in Arabia would make a drink out of boiling the beans for its narcotic effects and medicinal value. Coffee for a time was known as Arabian wine to Muslims who were banned from alcohol by Islam. It was not until after coffee had been eaten as a food product, a wine and a medicine that it was discovered, probably by complete accident in Turkey, that by roasting the beans a delicious drink could be made. The roasted beans were first crushed, and then boiled in water, creating a crude version of the beverage we enjoy today. The first coffee houses were opened in Europe in the 17th Century and in 1675, the Viennese established the habit of refining the brew by filtering out the grounds, sweetening it, and adding a dash of milk.

D. If you were to explore the planet for coffee, you would find about 60 species of coffee plants growing wild in Africa, Malaysia, and other regions. But only about ten of them are actually cultivated. Of these ten, two species are responsible for almost all the coffee produced in the world: Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora (usually known as Robusta). Because of ecological differences existing among the various coffee producing countries, both types have undergone many mutations and now exist in many sub species.

E. Although wild plants can reach 10 – 12 metres in height, the plantation one reaches a height of around four metres. This makes the harvest and flowering easier, and cultivation more economical. The flowers are white and sweet-scented like the Spanish jasmine. Flowers give way to a red, darkish berry. At first sight, the fruit is like a big cherry both in size and in colour. The berry is coated with a thin, red film (epicarp) containing a white, sugary mucilaginous flesh (mesocarp). Inside the pulp there are the seeds in the form of two beans coupled at their flat surface. Beans are in turn coated with a kind of resistant, golden yellow parchment, (called endocarp). When peeled, the real bean appears with another very thin silvery film. The bean is bluish green verging on bronze, and is at the most 11 millimetres long and 8 millimetres wide.

F. Coffee plants need special conditions to give a satisfactory crop. The climate needs to be hot-wet or hot temperate, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, with frequent rains and temperatures varying from 15 to 25 Degrees C. The soil should be deep, hard, permeable, well irrigated, with well-drained subsoil. The best lands are the hilly ones or from just-tilled woods. The perfect altitude is between 600 and 1200 metres, though some varieties thrive at 2000-2200 metres. Cultivation aimed at protecting the plants at every stage of growth is needed. Sowing should be in sheltered nurseries from which, after about six months, the seedlings should be moved to plantations in the rainy season where they are usually alternated with other plants to shield them from wind and excessive sunlight. Only when the plant is five years old can it be counted upon to give a regular yield. This is between 400 grams and two kilos of arabica beans for each plant, and 600 grams and two kilos for robusta beans.

G. Harvesting time depends on the geographic situation and it can vary greatly therefore according to the various producing countries. First the ripe beans are picked from the branches. Pickers can selectively pick approximately 250 to 300 pounds of coffee cherry a day. At the end of the day, the pickers bring their heavy burlap bags to pulping mills where the cherry coffee can be pulped (or wet milled). The pulped beans then rest, covered in pure rainwater to ferment overnight. The next day the wet beans are hand-distributed upon the drying floor to be sun dried. This drying process takes from one to two weeks depending on the amount of sunny days available. To make sure they dry evenly, the beans need to be raked many times during this drying time. Two weeks later the sun dried beans, now called parchment, are scooped up, bagged and taken to be milled. Huge milling machines then remove the parchment and silver skin, which renders a green bean suitable for roasting. The green beans are roasted according to the customers’ specifications and, after cooling, the beans are then packaged and mailed to customers.

Questions 28-33. The reading passage on The Story of Coffee has 7 paragraphs A – G. From the list of headings below choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs B – G.

List of headings

i Growing Coffee

ii Problems with Manufacture

iii Processing the Bean

iv First Contact

v Arabian Coffee

vi Coffee Varieties

vii Modern Coffee

viii The Spread of Coffee

ix Consuming Coffee

x Climates for Coffee

xi The Coffee Plant

Example: Paragraph A iv

28 Paragraph B

29 Paragraph C

30 Paragraph D

31 Paragraph E

32 Paragraph F

33 Paragraph G

Questions 34-36. Complete the labels on the diagram of a coffee bean below. Choose your answers from the text and write them in boxes 34 – 36 on your answer sheet.

Questions 37-40
Using the information in the passage, complete the flow chart below. Write your answers in boxes 37 – 40 on your answer sheet. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

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Daydreaming IELTS Reading

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Reading passage 1

Everyone daydreams sometimes. We sit or lie down, close our eyes and use our imagination to think about something that might happen in the future or could have happened in the past. Most daydreaming is pleasant. We would like the daydream to happen and we would be very happy if it did actually happen. We might daydream that we are in another person’s place, or doing something that we have always wanted to do, or that other people like or admire us much more than they normally do.

Daydreams are not dreams, because we can only daydream if we are awake. Also, we choose what our daydreams will be about, which we cannot usually do with dreams. With many daydreams, we know that what we imagine is unlikely to happen. At least, if it does happen, it probably will not do so in the way we want it to. However, some daydreams are about things that are likely to happen. With these, our daydreams often help us to work out what we want to do, or how to do it to get the best results. So, these daydreams are helpful. We use our imagination to help us understand the world and other people.

Daydreams can help people to be creative. People in creative or artistic careers, such as composers, novelists and filmmakers, develop new ideas through daydreaming. This is also true of research scientists and mathematicians. In fact, Albert Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited whereas imagination is not.

Research in the 1980s showed that most daydreams are about ordinary, everyday events. It also showed that over 75% of workers in so-called ‘boring jobs’, such as lorry drivers and security guards, spend a lot of time daydreaming in order to make their time at work more interesting. Recent research has also shown that daydreaming has a positive effect on the brain. Experiments with MRI brain scans show that the parts of the brain linked with complex problem-solving are more active during daydreaming. Researchers conclude that daydreaming is an activity in which the brain consolidates learning. In this respect, daydreaming is the same as dreaming during sleep.

Although there do seem to be many advantages with daydreaming, in many cultures it is considered a bad thing to do. One reason for this is that when you are daydreaming, you are not working. In the 19th century, for example, people who daydreamed a lot were judged to be lazy. This happened in particular when people started working in factories on assembly lines. When you work on an assembly line, all you do is one small task again and again, every time exactly the same. It is rather repetitive and, obviously, you cannot be creative. So many people decided that there was no benefit in daydreaming.

Other people have said that daydreaming leads to ‘escapism’ and that this is not healthy, either. Escapist people spend a lot of time living in a dream world in which they are successful and popular, instead of trying to deal with the problems they face in the real world. Such people often seem to be unhappy and are unable or unwilling to improve their daily lives. Indeed, recent studies show that people who often daydream have fewer close friends than other people. In fact, they often do not have any close friends at all.

Questions1-8

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? For questions 1-8, write

TRUE     if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE    if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN  if there is no information on this

 1.People usually daydream when they are walking around.

2.Some people can daydream when they are asleep.

3.Some daydreams help us to be more successful in our lives.

4.Most lorry drivers daydream in their jobs to make them more interesting.

5.Factory workers daydream more than lorry drivers.

6.Daydreaming helps people to be creative.

7.Old people daydream more than young people.

8.Escapist people are generally very happy.

Questions9-10. Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.

Writers, artists and other creative people use daydreaming to (9)……………….

The areas of the brain used in daydreaming are also used for complicated (10)…………..

Questions11-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

11. Daydreamsare

A dreams that we have when we fall asleep in daytime.

B about things that happened that make us sad.

C often about things that we would like to happen.

D activities that only a few people are able to do.

12. In the nineteenth century, many people believed that daydreaming was

A helpful in factory work.

B a way of avoiding work.

C something that few people did.

D a healthy activity.

13. People who day dream a lot

A usually have creative jobs.

B are much happier than other people.

C are less intelligent than other people.

D do not have as many friends as other people.



Reading passage 2

TRICKY SUMS AND PSYCHOLOGY

A In their first years of studying mathematics at school, children all over the world usually have to learn the times table, also known as the multiplication table, which shows what you get when you multiply numbers together. Children have traditionally learned their times table by going from ‘1 times 1 is 1′ all the way up to ’12 times 12 is 144’.

B Times tables have been around for a very long time now. The oldest known tables using base 10 numbers, the base that is now used everywhere in the world, are written on bamboo strips dating from 305 BC, found in China. However, in many European cultures the times table is named after the Ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras (570-495 BC). And so it is called the Table of Pythagoras in many languages, including French and Italian.

C In 1820, in his book The Philosophy of Arithmetic, the mathematician John Leslie recommended that young pupils memories the times table up to 25 x 25. Nowadays, however, educators generally believe it is important for children to memorise the table up to 9 x 9, 10 x 10 or 12 x12.

D The current aim in the UK is for school pupils to know all their times tables up to 12 x 12 by the age of nine. However, many people do not know them, even as adults. Recently, some politicians have been asked arithmetical questions of this kind. For example, in 1998, the schools minister Stephen Byers was asked the answer to 7 x 8. He got the answer wrong, saying 54 rather than 56, and everyone laughed at him.

E In 2014, a young boy asked the UK Chancellor George Osborne the exact same question. As he had passed A- level maths and was in charge of the UK’s economic policies at the time, you would expect him to know the answer. However, he simply said, ‘I’ve made it a rule in life not to answer such questions.’

F Why would a politician refuse to answer such a question? It is certainly true that some sums are much harder than others. Research has shown that learning and remembering sums involving 6,7,8 and 9 tends to be harder than remembering sums involving other numbers. And it is even harder when 6,7,8 and 9 are multiplied by each other. Studies often find that the hardest sum is 6×8, with 7×8 not far behind. However, even though 7×8 is a relatively difficult sum, it is unlikely that George Osborne did not know the answer. So there must be some other reason why he refused to answer the question.

G The answer is that Osborne was being ‘put on the spot’ and he didn’t like it. It is well known that when there is a lot of pressure to do something right, people often have difficulty doing something that they normally find easy. When you put someone on the spot and ask such a question, it causes stress. The person’s heart beats faster and their adrenalin levels go up. As a result, people will often make mistakes that they would not normally make. This is called ‘choking’. Choking often happens in sport, such as when a footballer takes a crucial penalty. In the same way, the boy’s question put Osborne under great pressure. He knew it would be a disaster for him if he got the answer to such a simple question wrong and feared that he might choke. And that is why he refused to answer the question.

Questions 14-19 The text has seven paragraphs, A-G. 

Which paragraph contains the following information? 

14.a 19th-century opinion of what children should learn

15.the most difficult sums

16.the effect of pressure on doing something

17.how children learn the times table

18.a politician who got a sum wrong

19.a history of the times table

Questions20-25

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? For questions 20-25, write

TRUE    if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE    if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN  if there is no information on this

20.Pythagoras invented the times table in China.
21.Stephen Byers and George Osborne were asked the same question.
22.All children in the UK have to learn the multiplication table.
23.George Osborne did not know the answer to 7 X 8.
24.7 X 8 is the hardest sum that children have to learn.
25.Stephen Byers got the sum wrong because he choked

Reading passage 3

Care in the Community

‘Bedlam’ is a word that has become synonymous in the English language with chaos and disorder. The term itself derives from the shortened name for a former 16th century London institution for the mentally ill, known as St. Mary of Bethlehem. This institution was so notorious that its name was to become a byword for mayhem. Patient ‘treatment’ amounted to little more than legitimised abuse. Inmates were beaten and forced to live in unsanitary

conditions, whilst others were placed on display to a curious public as a side-show. There is little indication to suggest that other institutions founded at around the same time in other European countries were much better.

Even up until the mid-twentieth century, institutions for the mentally ill were regarded as being more places of isolation and punishment than healing and solace. In popular literature of the Victorian era that reflected true-life events, individuals were frequently sent to the ‘madhouse’ as a legal means of permanently disposing of an unwanted heir or spouse. Later, in the mid-twentieth century, institutes for the mentally ill regularly carried out invasive brain surgery known as a ‘lobotomy’ on violent patients without their consent. The aim was to ‘calm’ the patient but ended up producing a patient that was little more than a zombie. Such a procedure is well documented to devastating effect in the film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’. Little wonder then that the appalling catalogue of treatment of the mentally ill led to a call for change from social activists and psychologists alike.

Improvements began to be seen in institutions from the mid-50s onwards, along with the introduction of care in the community for less severely ill patients. Community care was seen as a more humane and purposeful approach to dealing with the mentally ill. Whereas institutionalised patients lived out their existence in confinement, forced to obey institutional regulations, patients in the community were free to live a relatively independent life. The patient was never left purely to their own devices as a variety of services could theoretically be accessed by the individual. In its early stages, however, community care consisted primarily of help from the patient’s extended family network. In more recent years, such care has extended to the provision of specialist community mental health teams (CMHTs) in the UK. Such teams cover a wide range of services from rehabilitation to home treatment and assessment. In addition, psychiatric nurses are on hand to administer prescription medication and give injections. The patient is therefore provided with the necessary help that they need to survive in the everyday world whilst maintaining a degree of autonomy.

Often, though, when a policy is put into practice, its failings become apparent. This is true for the policy of care in the community. Whilst back-up services may exist, an individual may not call upon them when needed, due to reluctance or inability to assess their own condition. As a result, such an individual may be alone during a critical phase of their illness, which could lead them to self-harm or even become a threat to other members of their community. Whilst this might be an extreme-case scenario, there is also the issue of social alienation that needs to be considered. Integration into the community may not be sufficient to allow the individual to find work, leading to poverty and isolation. Social exclusion could then cause a relapse as the individual is left to battle mental health problems alone. The solution, therefore, is to ensure that the patient is always in touch with professional helpers and not left alone to fend for themselves. It should always be remembered that whilst you can take the patient out of the institution, you can’t take the institution out of the patient.

When questioned about care in the community, there seems to be a division of opinion amongst members of the public and within the mental healthcare profession itself. Dr. Mayalla, practising clinical psychologist, is inclined to believe that whilst certain patients may benefit from care in the community, the scheme isn’t for everyone. ‘Those suffering moderate cases of mental illness stand to gain more from care in the community than those with more pronounced mental illness. I don’t think it’s a one-size-fits-all policy. But I also think that there is a far better infrastructure of helpers and social workers in place now than previously and the scheme stands a greater chance of success than in the past.’

Anita Brown, mother of three, takes a different view. ‘As a mother, I’m very protective towards my children. As a result, I would not put my support behind any scheme that I felt might put my children in danger… I guess there must be assessment methods in place to ensure that dangerous individuals are not let loose amongst the public but I’m not for it at all. I like to feel secure where I live, but more to the point, that my children are not under any threat.’

Bob Ratchett, a former mental health nurse, takes a more positive view on community care projects. ‘Having worked in the field myself, I’ve seen how a patient can benefit from living an independent life, away from an institution. Obviously, only individuals well on their way to recovery would be suitable for consideration as

participants in such a scheme. If you think about it, is it really fair to condemn an individual to a lifetime in an institution when they could be living a fairly fulfilled and independent life outside the institution?’

Questions26-31

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

26. Which of the following statements is accurate?

A In the 20th century, illegal surgical procedures were carried out on the mentally ill.

B The Victorian era saw an increase in mental illness amongst married couples.

C Mental institutions of the past were better-equipped for dealing with the mentally ill.

D In the past, others often benefitted when a patient was sent to a mental asylum.

27. What does the writer mean by patient treatment being ‘legitimised abuse’?

A There were proper guidelines for the punishment of mentally ill patients.

B Maltreatment of mentally ill patients was not illegal and so was tolerated.

C Only those who were legally entitled to do so could punish mentally ill patients.

D Physical abuse of mentally ill patients was a legal requirement of mental institutions.

28. What brought about changes in the treatment of mentally ill patients?

A A radio documentary exposed patient maltreatment.

B People rebelled against the consistent abuse of mentally ill patients.

C Previous treatments of mentally ill patients were proved to be ineffective.

D The maltreatment of mentally ill patients could never be revealed.

29. What was a feature of early care in the community schemes?

A Patient support was the responsibility more of relatives than professionals.

B Advanced professional help was available to patients.

C All mentally ill patients could benefit from the scheme.

D Patients were allowed to enjoy full independence.

30. What is true of care in the community schemes today?

A They permit greater patient autonomy.

B More professional services are available to patients.

C Family support networks have become unnecessary.

D All patients can now become part of these schemes.

31.What can be said of the writer’s attitude towards care in the community?

A He believes that the scheme has proved to be a failure.

B He believes that it can only work under certain circumstances.

C He believes that it will never work as mentally ill patients will always be disadvantaged.

D He believes it has failed due to patient neglect by professional helpers.

Questions32-36. Look at the following statements, 32-36, and the list of people, A-C. Match each statement to the correct person.

A Dr. Mayalla

B Anita Brown

C Bob Ratchett

32.This person acknowledges certain inadequacies in the concept of care in the community, butrecognises that attempts have been made to improve on existing schemes.

33.This person whilst emphasising the benefits to the patient from care in the community schemesis critical of traditional care methods.

34.This person’s views have been moderated by their professional contact with the mentally ill.

35.This person places the welfare of others above that of the mentally ill.

36.This person acknowledges that a mistrust of care in the community schemes may be unfounded.

Questions37-40

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? For questions 37-40, write

TRUE    if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE    if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN  if there is no information on this

37.There is a better understanding of the dynamics of mental illness today.

38.Community care schemes do not provide adequate psychological support for patients.

39.Dr. Mayalla believes that the scheme is less successful than in the past.

40.The goal of community care schemes is to make patients less dependent on the system.

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IELTS ACADEMIC READING IELTS AC WRITING TASK 1 IETLS AC WRITING TASK 2 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 1 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 2 IELTS LISTENING TESTS

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Crop-growing skyscrapers IELTS Reading

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Reading Passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

A. By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the Earth‟s population will live in urban centres. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about three billion people by then. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% larger than Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them if traditional farming methods continue as they are practised today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to ensure enough food for the world‟s population to live on?

B. The concept of indoor farming is not new since hothouse production of tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another three billion people. Many believe an entirely new approach to indoor farming is needed, employing cutting-edge technologies. One such proposal is for the “Vertical Farm”. These are multi-storey buildings in which food crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the heart of urban centres, they would drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to bring food to consumers. Vertical farms would need to be efficient, cheap to construct and safe to operate. If successfully implemented, proponents, claim, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

C. It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of the crops we now take for granted. Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts. Within that same time frame, weevolved into an urban species, in which 60% of the human population now lives vertically in cities. This means that, for the majority, we humans have shelter from the elements, yet we subject our food-bearing plants to the rigours of the great outdoors and can do no more than hope for a good weather year. However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate, that is not what happens. Massive floods, long droughts, hurricanes and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops.

D. The supporters of vertical farming claim many potential advantages for the system. For instance, crops would be produced all year round, as they would be kept in artificially controlled, optimum growing conditions. There would be no weather- related crop failures due to droughts, floods or pests. All the food could be grown organically, eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. The system would greatly reduce the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at the agricultural interface. Although the system would consume energy, it would return energy to the grid via methane generation from composting nonedible parts of plants. It would also dramatically reduce fossil fuel use, by cutting out the need for tractors, ploughs and shipping.

E. A major drawback of vertical farming, however, is that the plants would require artificial light. Without it, those plants nearest the windows would be exposed to more sunlight and grow more quickly, reducing the efficiency of the system. Single-storey greenhouses have the benefit of natural overhead light: even so, many still need artificial lighting. A multi-storey facility with no natural overhead light would require far more. Generating enough light could be prohibitively expensive unless cheap, renewable energy is available, and this appears to be rather a future aspiration than a likelihood for the near future.

F. One variation on vertical farming that has been developed is to grow plants in stacked trays that move on rails. Moving the trays allows the plants to get enough sunlight. This system is already in operation, and works well within a single-storey greenhouse with light reaching it from above: it is not certain, however, that it can be made to work without that overhead natural light.

G. Vertical farming is an attempt to address the undoubted problems that we face in producing enough food for a growing population. At the moment, though, more needs to be done to reduce the detrimental impact it would have on the environment, particularly as regards the use of energy. While it is possible that much of our food will be grown in skyscrapers in future, most experts currently believe it is far more likely that we will simply use the space available on urban rooftops.

Questions 1-7. Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.

Indoor farming

  1. Some food plants, including , are already grown indoors.
  2. Vertical farms would be located in , meaning that there would be lessneed to take them long distances to customers
  3. Vertical farms could use methane from plants and animals to produce…………..
  4. The consumption of would be cut because agricultural vehicles would beunnecessary
  5. The fact that vertical farms would need light is a disadvantage
  6. One form of vertical farming involves planting in which are not fixed.
  7. The most probable development is that food will be grown on in towns and cities.

    Questions 8-13. Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet, write
    TRUE, if the statement agrees with the information
    FALSE, if the statement contradicts the information
    NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this
  8. Methods for predicting the Earth‟s population have recently changed
  9. Human beings are responsible for some of the destruction of food-producing land
  10. The crops produced in vertical farms will depend on the season
  11. Some damage to food crops is caused by climate change
  12. Fertilizers will be needed for certain crops in vertical farms.
  13. Vertical filing will make plants less likely to be affected by infectious diseases.


    Reading Passage 2

    You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

    The Falkirk Wheel. A unique engineering achievement

    A. The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland is the world‟s first and only rotating boat lift. Opened in 2002, it is central to the ambitious £84.5m Millennium Link project to restore navigability across Scotland by reconnecting the historic waterways of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals.

    B.     The major challenge of the project lay in the fact that the Forth & Clyde Canal is situated 35 metres below the level of the Union Canal. Historically, the two canals had been joined near the town of Falkirk by a sequence of 11 locks – enclosed sections of canal in which the water level could be raised or lowered – that stepped down across a distance of 1.5 km. This had been dismantled in 1933, thereby breaking the link. When the project was launched in 1994, the British Waterways authority were keen to create a dramatic twenty-first- century landmark which would not only be a fittingcommemoration of the Millennium, but also a lasting symbol of the economic regeneration of the region.

    C. Numerous ideas were submitted for the project, including concepts ranging from rolling eggs to tilting tanks, from giant seesaws to overhead monorails. The eventual winner was a plan for the huge rotating steel boat lift which was to become The Falkirk Wheel. The unique shape of the structure is claimed to have been inspired by various sources, both manmade and natural, most notably a Celtic double-headed axe, but also the vast turning propeller of a ship, the ribcage of a whale or the spine of a fish.

    D. The various parts of The Falkirk Wheel were all constructed and assembled, like one giant toy building set, at Butterley Engineerings Steelworks in Derbyshire, some 400 km from Falkirk. A team there carefully assembled the 1,200 tonnes of steel, painstakingly fitting the pieces together to an accuracy of just 10 mm to ensure a perfect final fit. In the summer of 2001, the structure was then dismantled and transported on 35 lorries to Falkirk, before all being bolted back together again on the ground, and finally lifted into position in five large sections by crane. The Wheel would need to withstand immense and constantly changing stresses as it rotated, so to make the structure more robust, the steel sections were bolted rather than welded together. Over 45,000 bolt holes were matched with their bolts, and each bolt was hand-tightened.

    E. The Wheel consists of two sets of opposing axe-shaped arms, attached about 25 metres apart to a fixed central spine. Two diametrically opposed water-filled„gondolas‟, each with a capacity of 360,000 litres, are fitted between the ends of the arms. These gondolas always weigh the same, whether or not they are carrying boats. This is because, according to Archimedes principle of displacement, floating objects displace their own weight in water. So when a boat enters a gondola, the amount of water leaving the gondola weighs exactly the same as the boat. This keeps the Wheel balanced and so, despite its enormous mass, it rotates through 180° in five and a half minutes while using very little power. It takes just 1.5 kilowatt-hours (5.4 MJ) of energy to rotate the Wheel – roughly the same as boiling eight small domestic kettles of water.

    F. Boats needing to be lifted up enter the canal basin at the level of the Forth & Clyde Canal and then enter the lower gondola of the Wheel. Two hydraulic steel gates are raised, so as to seal the gondola off from the water in the canal basin. The water between the gates is then pumped out. A hydraulic clamp, which prevents the arms of the Wheel moving while the gondola is docked, is removed, allowing the Wheel to turn. In the central machine room an array often hydraulic motors then begins to rotate the central axle.

    G. The axle connects to the outer arms of theWheel, which begins to rotate at a speed of 1/8 of a revolution per minute. As the wheel rotates, the gondolas are kept in the upright position by a simple gearing system. Two eight-metre-wide cogs orbit a fixed inner cog of the same width, connected by two smaller cogs travelling in the opposite direction to the outer cogs – so ensuring that the gondolas always remain level. When the gondola reaches the top, the boat passes straight onto the aqueduct situated 24 metres above the canal basin.

    H. The remaining 11 metres of lift needed to reach the Union Canal is achieved by means of a pair of locks. The Wheel could not be constructed to elevate boats over the full 35-metre difference between the two canals, owing to the presence of the historically important Antonine Wall, which was built by the Romans in the second century AD. Boats travel under this wall via a tunnel, then through the locks, and finally on to the Union Canal.

    Questions 14-19. Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet, write
    TRUE, if the statement agrees with the information 
    FALSE, if the statement contradicts the information 
    NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this
  14. The Falkirk Wheel has linked the Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal for the first time in their history.
  15. There was some opposition to the design of the Falkirk Wheel at first.
  16. The Falkirk Wheel was initially put together at the location where its components were manufactured.
  17. The Falkirk Wheel is the only boat lift in the world which has steel sections bolted together by hand.
  18. The weight of the gondolas varies according to the size of the boat being carried.
  19. The construction of the Falkirk Wheel site took into account the presence of a nearby ancient monument.

Questions 20-26. Label the diagram below.

Choose ONE WORD from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 20-26 on your answer sheet.

How a boat is lifted on the Falkirk Wheel

Reading Passage 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

Reducing the Effects of Climate Change

Mark Rowe reports on the increasingly ambitious geoengineering projects being explored by scientists

A. Such is our dependence on fossil fuels, and such is the volume of carbon dioxide already released into the atmosphere, that many experts agree that significant global warming is now inevitable. They believe that the best we can do is keep it at a reasonable level, and at present, the only serious option for doing this is cutting back on our carbon emissions. But while a few countries are making major strides in this regard, the majority arc having great difficulty even stemming the rate of increase, let alone reversing it. Consequently, an increasing number of scientists are beginning to explore the alternative of geo-engineering – a term which generally refers to the intentional large-scale manipulation of the environment. According to its proponents, geo-engineering is the equivalent of a backup generator: if Plan A – reducing our dependency on fossil fuels – fails, we require a Plan B, employing grand schemes to slow down or reverse the process of global warming.

B. Geo-engineering has been shown to work, at least on a small localised scale. For decades, May Day parades in Moscow have taken place under clear blue skies, aircraft having deposited dry ice, silver iodide and cement powder to disperse clouds. Many of the schemes now suggested look to do the opposite, and reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the planet. The most eye-catching idea of all is suggested by Professor Roger Angel of the University of Arizona. His scheme would employ up to 16 trillion minute spacecraft, each weighing about one gram, to form a transparent, sunlight-refracting sunshade in an orbit 1.5 million km above the Earth. This could, argues Angel, reduce the amount of light reaching the Earth by two per cent.

C. The majority of geoengineering projects so far carried out – which include planting forests in deserts and depositing iron in the ocean to stimulate the growth of algae – have focused on achieving a general cooling of the Earth. But some look specificallyat reversing the melting at the poles, particularly the Arctic. The reasoning is that if you replenish the ice sheets and frozen waters of the high latitudes, more light will be reflected back into space, so reducing the warming of the oceans and atmosphere.

D. The concept of releasing aerosol sprays into the stratosphere above the Arctic has been proposed by several scientists. This would involve using sulphur or hydrogen sulphide aerosols so that sulphur dioxide would form clouds, which would, in turn, lead to global dimming. The idea is modelled on historic volcanic explosions, such as that of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, which led to a short-term cooling of global temperatures by 0.5 °C. Scientists have also scrutinised whether it‟s possible to preserve the ice sheets of Greenland with reinforced high-tension cables, preventing icebergs from moving into the sea. Meanwhile, in the Russian Arctic, geoengineering plans include the planting of millions of birch trees. Whereas the regions native evergreen pines shade the snow and absorb radiation, birches would shed their leaves in winter, thus enabling radiation to be reflected by the snow. Re-routing Russian rivers to increase cold water flow to ice-forming areas could also be used to slow down warming, say some climate scientists.

E. But will such schemes ever be implemented? Generally speaking, those who are most cautious about geoengineering are the scientists involved in the research. Angel says that his plan is „no substitute for developing renewable energy: the only permanent solution‟. And Dr Phil Rasch of the US-based Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is equally guarded about the role of geoengineering: „I think all of us agree that if we were to end geoengineering on a given day, then the planet would return to its pre-engineered condition very rapidly, and probably within ten to twenty years. That‟s certainly something to worry about.‟

F. The US National Center for Atmospheric Research has already suggested that the proposal to inject sulphur into the atmosphere might affect rainfall patterns across the tropics and the Southern Ocean. „Geo-engineering plans to inject stratospheric aerosols or to seed clouds would act to cool the planet, and act to increase the extent of sea ice,‟ says Rasch. „But all the models suggest some impact on the distribution of precipitation.‟

G. A further risk with geoengineering projects is that you can “overshoot”,‟ says Dr Dan Lunt, from the University of Bristol‟s School of Geophysical Sciences, who hasstudied the likely impacts of the sunshade and aerosol schemes on the climate. „You may bring global temperatures back to pre-industrial levels, but the risk is that the poles will still be warmer than they should be and the tropics will be cooler than before industrialisation.‟ To avoid such a scenario, Lunt says Angel‟s project would have to operate at half strength; all of which reinforces his view that the best option is to avoid the need for geoengineering altogether.

H. “The main reason why geo-engineering is supported by many in the scientific community is that most researchers have little faith in the ability of politicians to agree – and then bring in – the necessary carbon cuts. Even leading conservation organisations see the value of investigating the potential of geoengineering. According to Dr Martin Sommerkorn, climate change advisor for the World Wildlife Fund‟s International Arctic Programme, „Human-induced climate change has brought humanity to a position where we shouldn‟t exclude thinking thoroughly about these topics and its possibilities.

Questions 27-29. Reading Passage 3 has eight paragraphs A-H.

Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 27-29 on your answer sheet.

27. mention of a geoengineering project based on an earlier natural phenomenon
28. an example of the successful use of geo-engineering
29. a common definition of geo-engineering

Questions 30-36. Complete the table below.

Choose ONE WORD from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 30-36 on your answer sheet.

Geo-Engineering Projects

ProcedureAim
put a large number of tiny spacecraft into orbit far above Earthto create a 30………………… that would reduce
the amount of light reaching Earth
place 31 ………………..in the seato encourage 32……………….. to form

release aerosol sprays into the stratosphere		to create 33……………….. that would reduce
the amount of light reaching Earth
fix strong 34……………….. to Greenland ice
sheets
to prevent icebergs from moving into the sea
plant trees in the Russian Arctic that would lose their leaves in winterto allow the 35 ………………..to reflect radiation

change the direction of 36……………		to bring more cold water into ice-forming areas

Questions 37-40. Look at the following statements (Questions 37-40) and the list of scientists below.

Match each statement with the correct scientist, A-D. Write the correct letter, A-D, in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.

37. The effects of geoengineering may not be long-lasting
38. Geo-engineering is a topic worth exploring.
39. It may be necessary to limit the effectiveness of geoengineering projects.
40. Research into non-fossil-based fuels cannot be replaced by geo-engineering.

List of Scientists
ARoger Angel
BPhil Rasch
CDan Lunt
DMartin Sommerkorn
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 Communicating in colour IELTS reading

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Reading passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below. 

A.There are more than 160 known species of chameleons. The main distribution is in Africa andMadagascar, and other tropical regions, although some species are also found in parts of southern Europe and Asia. There are introduced populations in Hawaii and probably in California and Florida too. 

B.New species are still discovered quite frequently. Dr. Andrew Marshall, a conservationist from York University, was surveying monkeys in Tanzania. Accidently, he stumbled across a twig snake in the Magombera forest, which, frightened, coughed up a chameleon and fled. Though a colleague persuaded him not to touch it because of the venom‟s risk, Marshall suspected it might be a new species and took a photograph to send to colleagues, who confirmed his suspicions. Kinyongia Magombera, literally “the chameleon from Magombera,” is the result, and the fact it was not easy to identify is precisely what made it unique. The most remarkable features of chameleons are their ability to change colour and ability rivalled only by cuttlefish and octopi in the animal kingdom. Because of this, colour is not the best thing for telling chameleons apart, and different species are usually identified based on the patterning and shape of the head, and the arrangement of scales. In this case, it was the bulge of scales on the chameleon‟s nose. 

C.Chameleons can use colour for both communication and camouflage by switching frombright, showy colours to the exact colour of a twig within seconds. They show an extraordinary range of colours, from nearly black to bright blues, oranges, pinks, and greens, even several at once. A popular misconception is that chameleons can match whatever background they are placed on, whether a chequered red and yellow shirt or a Smartie box. But each species has a characteristic set of cells containing pigment distributed over their bodies in a specific pattern, which determines the range of colours and patterns they can show. To the great disappointment of many children, placing a chameleon on a Smartie box generally results in a stressed, confused, dark grey or mottled chameleon. 

D.Chameleons are visual animals with excellent eyesight, and they communicate with colour. When two male dwarf chameleons encounter each other, each shows its brightest colours. They puff out their throats and present themselves side-on with their bodies flattened to appear as large  as possible and show off their colours. This enables them to assess each other from a distance. If one is clearly superior, the other quickly changes to submissive colouration, usually a dull combination of greys or browns. If the opponents are closely matched and both maintain their bright colours, the contest can escalate to physical fighting and jaw-locking, each trying to push each other along the branch in a contest of strength. Eventually, the loser will signal his defeat with submissive colouration. 

E.Females also have aggressive displays used to repel male attempts at courtship. When courting a female, males display the same bright colours that they use during contests. Most of the time, females are unreceptive and aggressively reject males by displaying a contrasting light and dark colour pattern, with their mouths open and moving their bodies rapidly from side to side. If the male continues to court a female, she often chases and bites him until he retreats. The range of colour-change during female displays, although impressive, is not as great as that shown by males. 

F.Many people assume that colour change evolved to enable chameleons to match a greater variety of backgrounds in their environment. If this was the case, then chameleons‟ ability to change colours should be associated with the range of background colours in the chameleon‟s habitat, but there is no evidence for such a pattern. For example, forest habitats might have a greater range of brown and green background colours than grasslands, so forest-dwelling species might be expected to have higher colour change powers. Instead, the males whose display colours are the most eye-catching, show the greatest colour change. Their displays are composed of colours that contrast highly with each other and the background vegetation. This suggests that the species that evolved the most impressive capacities for colour change did so to enable them to intimidate rivals or attract mates rather than to facilitate camouflage. 

G.How do we know that chameleon display colours are eye-catching to another chameleon – or, for that matter, to a predatory bird? Getting a view from the perspective of chameleons or their bird predators requires information on the chameleon‟s or bird‟s visual system and how their brains might process visual information. This is because the perceived colours of an object depend on the brain‟s wiring as on the physical properties of the object itself. Luckily, recent scientific advances have made it possible to obtain such measurements in the field, and information on visual systems of a variety of animals is becoming increasingly available. 

H.The spectacular diversity of colours and ornaments in nature has inspired biologists for centuries. But if we want to understand the function and evolution of animal colour patterns, we  need to know how they are perceived by the animals themselves – or their predators. After all, camouflage and conspicuousness are in the eye of the beholder. 

Questions 1-4 Answer the questions below. 

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. 

Write your answers in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet. 

1. What kind of climate do most chameleons live in? ………………………. 

2. Which animal caught a chameleon from an undiscovered species? …………………….. 

3. What was the new species named after? ………………………… 

4. Which part of the body is unique to the species Kinyongia Magombera? ……………………….. 

Questions 5-13 

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? 

TRUE, if the statement agrees with the information 

FALSE, if the statement contradicts the information 

NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this 

5.Few creatures can change colour as effectively as cuttlefish.

6.Chameleons can imitate a pattern provided there are only two colours.

7.Chameleons appear to enjoy trying out new colours.

8.Size matters more than colour when male chameleons compete.

9.After a fight, the defeated male hides among branches of a tree.

10.Females use colour and movement to discourage males.

11.The popular explanation of why chameleons change colour has been proved wrong.

12.There are more predators of chameleons in grassland habitats than In others.

13.Measuring animals’ visual systems necessitates removing them from their habitat.

Reading Passage 2 

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 13-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. 

The Pursuit Of Happiness 

A.In late 1990, psychologist Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania urged colleagues to observe optimal moods with the same kind of focus with which they had for so long studied illnesses: we would never learn about the full range of human functions unless we knew as much about mental wellness as we do about mental illness. A new generation of psychologists built up a respectable body of research on positive character traits and happiness-boosting practices. At the same time, developments in neuroscience provided new clues to what makes us happy and what that looks like in the brain. Self-appointed experts took advantage of the trend with guarantees to eliminate worry, stress, dejection and even boredom. This happiness movement has provoked a great deal of opposition among psychologists who observe that the preoccupation with happiness has come at the cost of sadness, an important feeling that people have tried to banish from their emotional repertoire. Allan Horwitz of Rutgers laments that young people who are naturally weepy after breakups are often urged to medicate themselves instead of working through their sadness. Wake Forest University‟s Eric Wilson fumes that the obsession with happiness amounts to a „craven disregard” for the melancholic perspective that has given rise to the greatest works of art. “The happy man,” he writes, „is a hollow man.‟ 

B. After all, people are remarkably adaptable. Following a variable period of adjustment, we bounce back to our previous level of happiness, no matter what happens to us. (There are some scientifically proven exceptions, notably suffering the unexpected loss of a job or a partner. The events tend to permanently knock people back a step.) Our adaptability works in two directions. Because we are so adaptable, points out Professor Sonja J.yubomirsky of the University of California, we quickly get used to many of the accomplishments we strive for in life, such as landing the big job or getting married. Soon after we reach a milestone, we start to feel that something is missing. We begin coveting another worldly possession or eyeing a social advancement. But such an approach keeps us tethered to a treadmill where happiness is always just out of reach, one toy or one step away. It‟s possible to get off the treadmill entirely by focusing on activities that are dynamic, surprising, and attention-absorbing. and thus less likely to bore us than, say, acquiring shiny new toys. 

C. Moreover, happiness is not a reward for escaping pain. Russ Harris, the author of The Happiness Trap, calls popular conceptions of happiness dangerous because they set people up for a „struggle against reality‟. They don‟t acknowledge that real life is full of disappointments, loss, and inconveniences.”If you‟re going to live a rich and meaningful life.* Harris says, “you‟re going to feel a full range of emotions.” Action toward goals other than happiness makes people happy. It is not crossing the most rewarding finish line, it is anticipating achieving the goal. University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Richard Davidson has found that working hard toward a goal, and making progress to the point of expecting a goal to be realized, activates not only positive feelings but also suppresses negative emotions such as fear and depression. 

D. We are constantly making decisions, ranging from what clothes to put on to whom we should marry, not to mention all those flavours of ice cream. We base many of our decisions on whether we think a particular preference will increase our well-being. Intuitively, we seem convinced that the more choices we have, the better off we will ultimately be. But our world of unlimited opportunity imprisons us more  than it makes us happy. In what Swarthmore psychologist Barrs-Schwartz calls “the paradox of choice.” lacing many possibilities leaves us stressed out – and less satisfied with whatever we do decide. Having too many choices keeps us wondering about all the opportunities missed. 

E.Besides, not everyone can put on a happy face. Rirlxira Held, a professor of psychology at Bowdoin College, rails against “the tyranny of the positive attitude”. „Looking on the bright side isn‟t possible for some people and is even counterproductive,” she insists. „When you put pressure on people to cope in a way that doesn’t fit them, it not only doesn’t work, it makes them feel like a failure on top of already feeling bad.” The one-size-fits-all approach to managing emotional life is misguided, agrees Professor Julie Norem, author of The Positive Power of Negative Thinking. In her research, she has shown that the defensive pessimism that anxious people feel can be harnessed to help them get things done, which in turn makes them happier. A naturally pessimistic architect, for example, can set low expectations for an upcoming presentation and review all of the bad outcomes that she‟s imagining so that she can prepare carefully and increase her chances of success. 

F.By contrast, an individual who is not living according to their values, will not be happy, no matter how much they achieve. Some people, however, are not sure what their values are. In that case, Harris has a great question: „Imagine I could wave a magic wand to ensure that you would have the approval and admiration of everyone on the planet, forever. What, in that case, would you choose to do with your life?” Once this has been answered honestly, you can start taking steps toward your ideal vision of yourself. The actual answer is unimportant, as long as you‟re living consciously. The state of happiness is not really a state at all. It‟s an ongoing personal experiment. 

Questions 14-19 Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs A-F. 

Which paragraph mentions the following? 

Write the correct letter A-F in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once. 

14.the need for individuals to understand what really matters to them

15.tension resulting from a wide variety of alternatives

16.the hope of success as a means of overcoming unhappy feelings

17.people who call themselves specialists

18.human beings’ capacity for coping with change

19.doing things which are interesting in themselves

Questions 20 and 21: Choose TWO letters A-E.

Write the correct letters in boxes 20 and 21 on your answer sheet 

Which TWO of the following people argue against aiming for constant happiness? 

A.Martin Seligman

B.Eric Wilson

C.Sonja Lyubomirsky

D.Russ Harris

E.Barry Schwartz

Questions 22 and 23: 

Choose TWO letters A-E. 

Write the correct letters in boxes 22 and 23 on your answer sheet. 

Which TWO of the following beliefs are identified as mistaken in the text? 

A. Inherited wealth brings less happiness than earned wealth.

B. Social status affects our perception of how happy we are.

C. An optimistic outlook ensures success.

D. Unhappiness can and should be avoided.

E. Extremes of emotion are normal in the young.

Questions 24-26 Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer. 

24.In order to have a complete understanding of how people’s minds work, Martin Seligman suggestedthat research should examine our most positive ……………………. as closely as it does our psychological problems. 

25. Soon after arriving at a …………………… in their lives, people become accustomed to what they have achieved and have a sense that they are lacking something. 

26. People who are ………………….. by nature are more likely to succeed if they make a thorough preparation for a presentation. 

Reading Passage 3.

The Deep Sea You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below. 

A.At a time when most think of outer space as the final frontier, we must remember that a great deal of unfinished business remains here on earth. Robots crawl on the surface of Mars, and spacecraft exit our solar system, but most of our planet has still never been seen by human eyes. It seems ironic that we know more about impact craters on the far side of the moon than about the longest and largest mountain  range on earth. It is incredible that human beings crossed a quarter of a million miles of space to visit our nearest celestial neighbour before penetrating just two miles deep into the earth own waters to explore the Midocean Ridge. And it would be hard to imagine a more significant part of our planet to investigate – a chain of volcanic mountains 42,000 miles long where most of the earth‟s solid surface was born, and where vast volcanoes continue to create new submarine landscapes. 

B.The figure we so often see quoted 71% of the earth‟s surface – understates the oceans‟ importance. If you consider three-dimensional volumes instead, the land dwellers‟ share of the planet shrinks even more toward insignificance: less than 1% of the total. Most of dying oceans‟ enormous volume, lies deep below the familiar surface. The upper sunlit layer, by one estimate, contains only 2 or 3% of the total space available to life. The other 97% of the earth‟s biosphere lies deep beneath the water‟s surface, where sunlight never penetrates. Until recently, it was impossible to study the deep ocean directly. By the sixteenth century, diving bells allowed people to stay underwater for a short time: they could swim to the bell to breathe air trapped underneath it rather than return to the surface. Later, other devices, including pressurized or armoured suits, heavy‟ metal helmets, and compressed air supplied through hoses from dying surface, allowed at least one diver to reach 500 feet or so. It was 1930 when a biologist named William Beebe and his engineering colleague Otis Barton sealed themselves into a new kind of diving craft, an invention that finally allowed humans to penetrate beyond the shallow sunlit layer of the sea and the history of deep-sea exploration began. Science then was largely incidental – something that happened along the way. In terms of technical ingenuity and human bravery, this part of the story is every bit as amazing as the history of early aviation. Yet many of these individuals, and the deep-diving vehicles that they built and tested, are not well known. 

C.It was not until the 1970s that deep-diving manned submersibles were able to reach the Midocean Ridge and begin making major contributions to a wide range of scientific questions. A burst of discoveries followed in short order. Several of these profoundly changed the whole fields of science and their implications are still not fully understood. For example, biologists may now be seeing – in the strange communities of microbes and animals that live around deep volcanic vents – clues to the origin of life on earth. No one even knew that these communities existed before explorers began diving to the bottom in a submersible. Entering the deep, black abyss presents unique challenges for which humans must carefully prepare if they wish to survive. It is an unforgiving environment, both harsh and strangely beautiful, that few who have not experienced it firsthand can fully appreciate. Even the most powerful searchlights penetrate the only lens of feet. Suspended particles scatter tile light and water itself is for less transparent than air; it absorbs and scatters light. The ocean also swallows other types of electromagnetic radiation, including radio signals. That is why many deep-sea vehicles dangle from tethers. Inside those  tethers, copper wires or fibre optic strands transmit signals that would dissipate and die if broadcast into open water. 

D.Another challenge is that the temperature near the bottom in very deep water typically hovers just four degrees above freezing, and submersibles rarely have much insulation. Since water absorbs heat more quickly than air, the cold down below seems to penetrate a diving capsule far more quickly than it would penetrate, say, a control van up above, on the deck of the mother ship. And finally, the abyss clamps down with crushing pressure on anything that enters it. „This force is like air pressure on land, except that water is much heavier than air. At sea level on land, we don‟t even notice 1 atmosphere of pressure, about 15 pounds per square inch, the weight of the earth‟s blanket of air. In the deepest part of die ocean, nearly seven miles down, it‟s about 1,200 atmospheres, 18,000 pounds per square inch. A square-inch column of lead would crush down on your body with equal force if it were 3,600 feet tall. 

E.Fish that live in the deep don‟t feel the pressure, because they are filled with water from their environment. It has already been compressed by abyssal pressure as much as water can be (which is not much). A diving craft, however, is a hollow chamber, rudely displacing the water around it. That chamber must withstand the full brunt of deep-sea pressure – thousands of pounds per square inch. If seawater with that much pressure behind it ever finds a way to break inside, it explodes through the hole with laser like intensity. It was into such a terrifying environment that the first twentieth-century explorers ventured. 

Questions 27-30: Write the correct letter. A, B, C or D, in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet. 

27. In the first paragraph, the writer finds it surprising that ……………………. 

A.we send robots to Mars rather than to the sea bed.

B.we choose to explore the least accessible side of the moon.

C.people reached the moon before they explored the deepest parts of the earth’s oceans.

D.spaceships are sent beyond our solar system instead of exploring it.

28.The writer argues that saying 71 % of the earth’s surface is the ocean is not accurate because of it…………………. 

A.ignores the depth of the world’s oceans.

B.is based on an estimated volume.

C.overlooks the significance of landscape features.

D.refers to the proportion of water in which life is possible.

29.How did the diving bell help divers?

A.It allowed each diver to carry a supply of air underwater.

B.It enabled piped air to reach deep below the surface.

C.It offered access to a reservoir of air below the surface.

D.It meant that they could dive as deep as 500 feet.

30.What point does the writer make about scientific discoveries between 1930 and 1970?

A.They were rarely the primary purpose of deep-sea exploration.

B.The people who conducted experiments were not professional scientists.

C.Many people refused to believe the discoveries that were made.

D.They involved the use of technologies from other disciplines.

Questions 31-36 Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 31-36 on your answer sheet, write 

YES, if the statement agrees with the views of the writer 

NO, if the statement contradicts the views of the writer NOT GIVEN, if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this 

31.The Mid-ocean Ridge is largely the same as when the continents emerged.

32.We can make an approximate calculation of the percentage of the ocean which sunlight penetrates.

33.Many unexpected scientific phenomena came to light when exploration of the Mid-ocean Ridge began.

34.The number of people exploring the abyss has risen sharply in the 21st century.

35.One danger of the darkness is that deep-sea vehicles become entangled in vegetation.

36.The construction of submersibles offers little protection from the cold at great depths.

Questions 37-40: Complete the summary using the list of words A-I below. 

Deep diving craft 

A diving craft has to be 37 ……………… enough to cope with the enormous pressure of the abyss, which is capable of crushing almost anything. Unlike creatures that live there, which are not 38 ……………… because they contain compressed water, a submersible is filled with 39…………………… If it has a weak spot in its construction, there will be a 40…………………….. explosion of water into the craft. 

A.ocean

B.air

C.deep

D.hollow

E.sturdy

F.atmosphere

G.energetic

H.violent

I.heavy

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IELTS ACADEMIC READING IELTS AC WRITING TASK 1 IETLS AC WRITING TASK 2 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 1 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 2 IELTS LISTENING TESTS

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IELTS ACADEMIC READING

Cleaner, Abundant Fuels Attracting Record Investment IELTS READING

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Reading Passage 1


You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 -13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

A. Renewable energy captured from the wind, sun, Earth’s heat, tides, and from small dams is drawing record levels of investment as poor villagers and entire nations alike seek clean, abundant ways to fuel economic growth. Global investment in renewable energy set a new record of $30 billion in 2004, according to a new report from the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21). Technologies such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and small hydro now provide 160 gigawatts of electricity generating capacity – about four per cent of the world total – the report said. They are growing at rates of around 20-30 per cent per year, however, compared to two or three per cent for oil and gas.

B. “Renewable energy has become big business,” said Eric Martinot, lead author of the study, “Renewables 2005: Global Status Report”. Martinot, a senior fellow at the Washington, DC-based think tank Worldwatch Institute and a lecturer at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said renewable energy has attracted some of the world’s largest companies, including General Electric, Siemens, Sharp, and Royal Dutch Shell. The report estimated that nearly 40 million households worldwide heat their water with solar collectors, most of them installed in the last five years. Altogether, renewable energy industries provide 1.7 million jobs, most of them skilled and well paid.

C. Martinot and 100-plus researchers in more than 20 countries assessed several renewable technologies: small hydro (meaning small dams), modem biomass (agricultural waste, for example), wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. These technologies now compete with conventional fuels in four distinct markets: power generation, hot water and space heating, transportation fuels, and rural (off-grid) energy supplies.

D. Renewable energy is gaining in popularity because it is considered to be in infinite supply – unlike oil, coal, and gas – and because it involves little or no pollution compared to those fossil fuels. Scientists blame the burning of fossil fuels for the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that stoke global climate changes, which in turn are intensifying droughts in some parts of the world, floods and storms in others, and the spread of tropical diseases to temperate zones.

E. Additionally, renewable energy could empower millions of poor and vulnerable people who lack access to reliable, affordable, and clean modem energy services, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message to the Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference, which opened Monday. Annan said that rising oil prices have hit oil-importing developing countries especially hard and underscore the need for alternative energy supplies. According to the REN21 report, government support for renewable energy is growing rapidly. At least 48 countries now have some type of renewable energy promotion policy, including 14 developing countries. Typically, they include targets to ensure that renewable sources generate 5-30 per cent of energy use in a given country by around 2010-2012.

F. The renewable sector’s prospects appeared to receive a further boost Monday when China announced it was raising its target for reliance on renewable energy even as it acknowledged that coal would remain its primary source for electricity for decades to come. Renewable energy should account for 15 per cent of national consumption by 2020. China had previously aimed to get 10 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

G. Mandates for blending biofuels into vehicle fuels have been enacted in 20-plus states and provinces worldwide as well as in three key countries – Brazil, China, and India – the report said. Government leadership has ensured market success, according to REN21, which is composed of representatives of governments and non-governmental organisations. Market leaders in renewable energy in 2004 included Brawl in biofuels, China in solar hot water, Germany in solar electricity, and Spain in wind power, the report said.

H. The fastest-growing energy technology in the world is grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV), existing capacity of which blossomed by sixty per cent per year from 2000-2004, to cover more than 400,000 rooftops in Japan, Germany, and the United States, it found. Wind power came second, with generating capacity growing by 28 per cent last year with almost seventeen gigawatts installed as of 2004. Production of ethanol, biodiesel, and other biofuels exceeded 33 billion litres in 2004 when ethanol displaced about three per cent of the 1,200 billion litres of gasoline produced globally.

I. An estimated $500 million goes to developing countries each year as development assistance for renewable energy projects, training, and market support, with the German Development Finance Group (GDFG), the World Bank Group, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) providing the majority of these funds, and dozens of other donors and programmes providing the rest, the report said. More than 4.5 million “green” power consumers in Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan purchased renewable electricity in 2004, it added. Asia is seen as a vast market for renewable energy as it seeks to meet the growing demand for power to feed rapid economic expansion amid runaway oil prices.



Questions 1-4. The text has 9 paragraphs (A – I).
Which paragraph contains each of the following pieces of information?

1. Cases where the use of renewable fuels is in competition with non-renewable ones

2. The membership of REN21

3. The rates at which the use of renewable fuels is growing faster than the use of nonrenewable ones in the world

4. The sources of funding for renewable fuels in developing countries

Questions 5-8

Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each gap.

5. Biomass technology can use ____________________

6. Governments with renewable energy policies usually set ____________________ for renewable energy use.

7. The most important source of energy for China in 2020 is expected to be ____________________

8. Economic expansion and high oil prices mean that Asian countries are ____________________ for renewable sources of energy.

Questions 9-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 9 -13 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE, if the information in the text agrees with the statement
FALSE, if the information in the text contradicts with the statement
NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this

9. Eric Martinot advises large companies on investing in renewable energy.

10. Eric Martinot has over 100 people working in his team.

11. Increases in oil prices hurt developing economies more than developed ones.

12. The use of solar power grew by 60% between the year 2000 and the year 2004.

13. “Green” power consumers only get part of their electricity from alternative energy sources.


Reading Passage 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

A guide to womenomics

A. In rich countries, girls now do better at school than boys, more women are getting university degrees than men arc, and females are filling most new jobs. Arguably, women are now the most powerful engine of global growth. In 1950, only one-third of American women of working age had a paid job. Today two-thirds do, and women make up almost half of America’s workforce. Since 1950, men’s employment rate has slid by 12 percentage points, to 77%. In fact, almost everywhere more women are employed and the percentage of men with jobs has fallen – although in some countries, the feminisation of the workplace still has far to go: in Italy and Japan, women’s share of jobs is still 40% or less.

B. The increase in female employment in developed countries has been aided by a big shift in the type of jobs on offer. Manufacturing work, traditionally a male preserve, has declined, while jobs in services have expanded. This has reduced the demand for manual labour and put the sexes on a more equal footing. In the developing world, too, more women now have paid jobs. In the emerging East Asian economics, forever)’ 100 men in the labour force there are now 83 women, higher even than the average in OECD countries. Women have been particularly important to the success of Asia’s export industries, typically accounting for 60- 80% of jobs in many export sectors, such as textiles and clothing.

C. Of course, it is misleading to talk of women’s “entry” into the workforce. Besides formal employment, women have always worked in the home, looking after children, cleaning or cooking, but because this is unpaid, it is not counted in the official statistics. To some extent, the increase in female paid employment has meant fewer hours of unpaid housework. However, the value of housework has fallen by much less than the time spent on it, because of the increased productivity afforded by dishwashers, washing machines and so forth. Paid nannies and cleaners employed by working women now also do some work that used to belong in the non-market economy.

D. The increase in female employment has also accounted for a big chunk of global growth in recent decades. GDP growth can come from three sources: employing more people; using more capital per worker, or an increase in the productivity of labour and capital due to new technology’. Since 1970, women have filled two new jobs for every’ one taken by a man. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that the employment of extra women has not only added more to GDP than new jobs for men but has also chipped in more than either capital investment or increased productivity. Carve up the world’s economic growth a different way and another surprising conclusion emerges: over the past decade or so, the increased employment of women in developed economies has contributed much more to global growth. Women are becoming more important in the global marketplace not just as workers, but also as consumers, entrepreneurs, managers and investors. Women have traditionally done most of the household shopping, but now they have more money of their own to spend. Surveys suggest that women make perhaps 80% of consumers’ buying decisions – from health care and homes to furniture and food.

E. Women’s share of the workforce has a limit. In America, it has already stalled. However, there will still be a lot of scopes for women to become more productive as they make better use of their qualifications. At school, girls consistently get better grades and in most developed countries, well over half of all university degrees are now being awarded to women. In America 140 women enroll in higher education each year for every 100 men; in Sweden, the number is as high as 150. (There are, however, only 90 female Japanese students for every 100 males.) In years to come, better-educated women will take more of the top jobs. At present, for example, in Britain, more women than men train as doctors and lawyers, but relatively few are leading surgeons or partners in law firms. The main reason why women still get paid less on average than men is not that they are paid less for the same occupations, such as nursing and teaching. This pattern is likely to change.

F. Making better use of women’s skills is not just a matter of fairness. Plenty of studies suggest that it is good for business, too. Women account for only 7% of directors on the worlds corporate boards – 15% in America, but less than 1% in Japan. Yet a study by Catalyst, a consultancy, found that American companies with more women in senior management jobs earned a higher return on equity than those with fewer women at the top. This might be because mixed teams of men and women are better than single-sex groups at solving problems and spotting external threats. Studies have also suggested that women are often better than men at building teams and communicating.

G. In poor countries too, the underutilization of women stunts economic growth. A study last year by the World Economic Forum found a clear correlation between sex equality (measured by economic participation, education, health and political empowerment) and GDP per head. Correlation does not prove the direction of causation. However, other studies also suggest that inequality between the sexes harms long-term growth. In particular, there is strong evidence that educating girls boosts prosperity. It is probably the single best investment that can be made in the developing world. Not only are better-educated women more productive, but they raise healthier, better-educated children. There is huge potential to raise income per head in developing countries, where fewer girls go to school than boys. More than two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults are women.

H. It is sometimes argued that it is short-sighted to get more women into paid employment. The more women go out to work, it is said, the fewer children there will be and the lower growth will be in the long run. Yet the facts suggest otherwise. Data shows that countries with high female labour participation rates, such as Sweden, tend to have a decline in fertility has been greatest in several countries where female employment is low.



Questions 14-17. The text has 8 paragraphs (A-H).

Which paragraph does each of the following headings best fit?

14. New producers, new consumers

15. More work, fewer children?

16. A better-educated workforce

17. Women in new, expanding industries

Questions 18-22

According to the text, FIVE of the following statements are TRUE

Write the corresponding letters in answer boxes 18 to 22 in any order.

A. A higher percentage of Italian women have jobs than Japanese women.

B. More women than men work in Asia’s textile industries.

C. The value of housework is not included in official statistics.

D. Research shows that men make more purchasing decisions than women.

E. Most surgeons in Britain are women.

F. Firms with more women in senior management offer higher investment returns.

G. Most illiterate people in the world are women.

H. Some people think that lower birth rates lead to lower economic growth.

Questions 23-26

According to the information given in the text, choose the correct answer or answers from the choices given.

23. Since 1950, the percentage of

A. American women with jobs have increased.

B. American men with jobs have decreased.

C. Japanese and Italian women with jobs have remained stable.

24. Economics can get bigger by

A. increasing the size of the workforce.

B. giving shares to workers.

C. using more advanced technology.

25. Mixed teams of male and female managers are thought to be better at

A. building teams.

B. solving problems.

C. communicating.

26. Research by the World Economic Forum shows that

A. sex equality leads to higher GDP.

B. there is a connection between sex equality and GDP.

C. higher education leads to higher GDP.



Reading Passage 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

A Library At Your Fingertips

A. A few years ago, at the height of the dotcom boom, it was widely assumed that a publishing revolution, in which the printed word would be supplanted by the computer screen, was just around the corner. It wasn’t: for many, there is still little to match the joy of cracking the spine of a good book and settling down for an hour or two of reading. A recent flurry of activity by big technology companies – including Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo! – suggests that the dream of bringing books online is still very much alive.

B. The digitizing of thousands of volumes of print is not without controversy. On Thursday, November 3, Google, the world’s most popular search engine, posted the first instalment of books on Google Print, an initiative first mooted a year ago. This collaborative effort between Google and several of the world’s leading research libraries aims to make many thousands of books available to be searched and read online free of charge. Although the books included so far are not covered by copyright, the plan has attracted the ire of publishers.

C. Five large book firms are suing Google for violating copyright on material that it has scanned and, although out of print, is still protected by law. Google has said that it will only publish short extracts from the material under copyright unless given express permission to publish more, but publishers are unconvinced. Ironically, many publishers are collaborating with Google on a separate venture, Google Print Publisher, which aims to give readers an online taste of books that are commercially available. The searchable collection of extracts and book information is intended to tempt readers to buy complete books online or in print form.

D. Not to be outdone, Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, has unveiled plans for its own foray into the mass e-book market. The firm, which began ten years ago as an online book retailer, now sells a vast array of goods. No doubt piqued that Google, a relative newcomer, should impinge upon its central territory, Amazon revealed on Thursday that it would introduce two new services. Amazon Pages will allow customers to search for key terms in selected books and then buy and read online whatever part they wish, from individual pages to chapters or complete works. Amazon Upgrade will give customers online access to books they have already purchased as hard copies. Customers are likely to have to pay around five cents a page, with the bulk going to the publisher.

E. Microsoft, too, has joined the online-book bandwagon. At the end of October, the software giant said it would spend around $200 million to digitize texts, starting with 150,000 that are in the public domain, to avoid legal problems. It will do so in collaboration with the Open Content Alliance, a consortium of libraries and universities. (Yahoo! has pledged to make 18,000 books available online in conjunction with the same organisation.) On Thursday, coincidentally the same day as Google and Amazon announced their initiatives, Microsoft released details of a deal with the British Library, the country’s main reference library, to digitize some 25 million pages; these will be made available through MSN Book Search, which will be launched next year.

F. These companies are hoping for a return to the levels of interest in e-books seen when Stephen King, a best- selling horror writer, published “Riding the Bullet” exclusively on the Internet in 2000. Half a million copies were downloaded in the first 48 hours after publication. This proved to be a high-water mark rather than a taste of things to come. While buyers were reluctant to sit in front of a computer screen to read the latest novels, dedicated e-book reading gadgets failed to catch on. Barnes and Noble, a leading American bookshop chain, began selling e-books with fanfare in 2000 but quietly pulled the plugin 2003 as interest faded.

G. The market for e-books is growing again, though from a tiny base. According to the International Digital Publishing Forum, which collates figures from many of the world’s top publishers, in the third quarter of 2004, worldwide sales were 25% higher than the year before. Unfortunately, this only amounted to a paltry $3.2 million split between 23 publishers in an industry that made sales worth over $100 billion that year.

H. Both retailers and publishers reckon they will eventually be able to persuade consumers to do a lot more of their reading on the web. Some even hope they can become to online books what Apple’s iTunes is to online music. There are crucial differences between downloading fiction and downloading funk. Online music was driven from the bottom up: illegal filesharing services became wildly popular, and legal firms later took over when the pirates were forced (by a wave of lawsuits) to retreat; the legal providers are confident that more and more consumers will pay small sums for music rather than remain beyond the law. The iPod music player and it’s like have proved a fashionable and popular new way to listen to songs. The book world has no equivalent.

I. So the commercial prospects for sellers of online books do not yet look very bright. They may get a lift from some novel innovations. The ability to download mere parts of books could help, for instance: sections of manuals, textbooks or cookery books may tempt some customers; students may wish to download the relevant sections of course books, or readers may want a taste of a book that they subsequently buy in hard copy. The ability to download reading matter onto increasingly ubiquitous hand-held electronic devices and 3G phones may further encourage uptake. In Japan, the value of e-books (mainly manga comic books) delivered to mobile phones has jumped, though it will be worth only around ¥6 billion ($51 million) in 2005, according to estimates.

Questions 27-30
For each question, only ONE of the choices is correct.

Write the corresponding letter in the appropriate box on your answer sheet.

27. A few years ago, it was widely thought that

A. people would read fewer ‘paper’ books.

B. companies like Amazon would go bankrupt.

C. the dotcom boom would soon end.

28. Publishers are unhappy with Google because

A. Google is only publishing extracts, not complete books.

B. they think Google is in breach of copyright.

C. Google is cooperating with leading research libraries.

29. Amazon will

A. sell books that previously only Google sold online.

B. buy the copyright for many books it sells online.

C. allow people to buy only parts that they want to read from books.

30. It is clear that most readers if given the choice, prefer

A. ‘paper’ books.

B. reading from computer screens.

C. using dedicated e-book readers.

Questions 31-35
Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each gap.

31) If companies publish books online that are not covered by copyright, they avoid __________________.
32) The _______________________ is very small but getting larger.
33) The ____________________ expect that they will be able to convince more people to read online.
34) The ___________________ has nothing similar to an iPod.
35) In Japan, most of the publications sent to mobile phones are ________________

Questions 36-40
Do the statements on the next page agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 36–40 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE, if the information in the text agrees with the statement
FALSE, if the information in the text contradicts with the statement
NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this

36. Books that are out of print are not covered by copyright law.

37. Amazon began by selling books online.

38. Microsoft signed a deal with the British Library on the same day as Google and Amazon made their announcements.

39. Barnes and Noble published Riding the Bullet online.

40. The ability to sample a book online before buying it might help sales.

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IELTS ACADEMIC READING IELTS AC WRITING TASK 1 IETLS AC WRITING TASK 2 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 1 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 2 IELTS LISTENING TESTS

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CATHY FREEMAN – AUSTRALIAN’S TRACK QUEEN 

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Reading passage 1

A. Runner Cathy Freeman is the first Aborigine, the name given to indigenous Australians, ever to compete in the Olympics, and the first to wave the Aboriginal flag at a sporting event. Freeman lit the Olympic flame at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and won a gold medal in the 400 meters at those Games.

B. Freeman’s grandmother was part of the “stolen generation” of Aboriginal people in Australia—from the early 20th century until the 1970s; many Aboriginal children were taken from their parents to be raised in state- run institutions. This practice was intended to remove the children from the poverty, disease, and addiction that plagued many aboriginal people, but it also resulted in tragically broken family ties and loss of ancient cultural traditions. Although Freeman was not taken from her family, she had a difficult childhood. Both her younger sister and her father died when she was young.

C. When Freeman was still a girl; her talent in running was obvious. Her mother, Cecilia, encouraged her to pursue her interest in athletics, and when she was ten, her stepfather told her she could win a gold medal at the Olympics if she trained properly. However, although she had the talent, she was also a member of a minority group that historically had not had access to the same resources that other athletes had. Freeman was one of only a few Aborigines who won a scholarship to a boarding school where she could learn and train.

D. At the age of 15, she competed at the National School Championships, and did well enough to be encouraged to try out for the 1990 Commonwealth Games team. She made the team as a sprinter, and was a member of the 4 X 100-meter relay team, which won gold at the Commonwealth Games. In 1990, she competed in the Australian National Championships, winning the 200 meters, and then ran in the 100, 200, and 4 X 100- meter races at the World Junior Games. During this time, she met Nick Bideau, an Australian track official who would later become her coach, manager, and boyfriend.

E. In 1992, she competed in the 400-meter relay at the Barcelona Olympics, making it to the second qualifying round. She was also a member of the 4 X 100 meter team, which ran in the final but did not win a medal. At the World Junior Championships in 1992, she won a silver medal in the 200 meters. In 1993, she made it to the semifinals in the 200 meters in the World Championships.

F. In 1994, Freeman won the 200 meters and the 400 meters at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. After winning the 400 meters, Freeman ran her victory lap, carrying not the Australian national flag, but the red, black, and yellow Aboriginal flag. She was criticised in the press, and Australian team leader Arthur Tunstall told her she should not display the flag again. Freeman used the publicity she got to publicly discuss what the flag meant to Aboriginal people, explaining its symbolism: red for earth, yellow for sun, and black for skin. Defying Tunstall’s orders, she ran with the flag again after winning the 200 meters.

G. At the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, Freeman won a silver medal in the 400 meters. After those Games, she broke off her romantic relationship with Bideau, although he continued as her manager. Freeman won the World Championships in the 400 meters in 1997 and 1998, even though she suffered a heel injury in 1998.

H. In 1999, Freeman met Alexander Bodecker, an American executive for the Nike shoe company, and the two fell in love. As a result, her relationship with Bideau became strained, and she eventually fired him. Freeman and Bodecker were married on September 19, 1999, in San Francisco. Bideau subsequently claimed that she owed him over $2 million in assets from deals he negotiated while he represented her, leading to a long court battle.

I. Freeman was, of course, Australia’s favourite to win a gold medal in the 400 meters at the 2000 Olympics, held in Sydney. Like any athlete, Freeman wanted to win in order to meet her own goals, but she also knew that she was viewed as a representative of the Aboriginal people, and she wanted to win for them. “I could feel the crowd all over me,” she told Mark Shimabukuro in the Sporting News. “I felt the emotion being absorbed into every part of my body.” When she won, with a time of 49.11 seconds, she was so relieved that she dropped to her knees on the track after completing the race.

J. Freeman’s shoes were yellow, black, and red, traditional Aboriginal colours, but after she won, she took them off and ran her victory lap, in traditional Aboriginal style, carrying both the Australian and Aboriginal flags around the track as the crowd cheered. This time, instead of being criticised for carrying the Aboriginal flag round the track; she was widely celebrated by the Australian media and public.

“Questions 1-9. The text has ten paragraphs labelled A–J. Choose the correct heading for sections B–J from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i–xii, in boxes 1-9 on your answer sheet. The first one is done for you as an example below.



Paragraph Headings

i An Australian sporting icon
ii A new love
iii Early competition
iv Winning isn’t everything
v Family support for running
vi Her first Olympics
vii Adored by her nation
viii Aboriginal identity on the track
ix Winning the top medal at home
x Second on the big stage
xi A difficult childhood
xii Losing in Sydney

e.g Paragraph A i

1 Paragraph B
2 Paragraph C
3 Paragraph D
4 Paragraph E
5 Paragraph F
6 Paragraph G
7 Paragraph H
8 Paragraph I
9 Paragraph J

Questions 10–14. Complete the notes below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 10-14 on your answer sheet.

How Cathy Freeman became a sports star

Although she had a hard upbringing she got support from her mother and 10……………….. She won a 11……………… at a young age to train and study which helped her develop as an athlete. Her first international success was in 1990 at the 12…………………… as part of the Australian sprint team. At her second Olympics in 1996 she won a silver medal for coming second in the 13…………………….In 2000, she finally won a 14………………….. at the Sydney Olympics making here one of the most loved sports star in Australia.



READING PASSAGE 2.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 15-26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

“THE WORLD’S DESIRE FOR PLASTIC IS DANGEROUS

A. A million plastic bottles are purchased around the world every minute and the number will jump another 20% by 2021, creating an environmental crisis some campaigners predict will be as serious as climate change. The demand, equivalent to about 20,000 bottles being bought every second, is driven by an apparently insatiable desire for bottled water and the spread of a western, urbanised culture to China and the Asia Pacific region.

B. More than 480 billion plastic drinking bottles were sold in 2016 across the world, up from about 300 billion a decade ago. If placed end to end, they would extend more than halfway to the sun. By 2021 this will increase to 583.3 billion, according to the most up-to-date estimates.”

C. Most plastic bottles, which are used for soft drinks and water, are made from Pet plastic, which is highly recyclable. But as their use grows rapidly across the globe, efforts to collect and recycle the bottles to keep them from polluting the oceans, are failing to keep up. For instance, fewer than half of the bottles bought in 2016 were collected for recycling and just 7% of those collected were turned into new bottles. Instead most plastic bottles produced end up in rubbish dumps or in the ocean.

D. Whilst the production of single use plastics has grown dramatically over the last 20 years, the systems to contain, control, reuse and recycle them just haven’t kept pace. In the UK 38.5 million plastic bottles are used every day – only just over half make it to recycling, while more than 16 million are put into rubbish dumps, burnt or leak into the environment and oceans each day. “Plastic production is set to double in the next 20 years and grow by 4 times that by 2050 so the time to act is now,” according to environmentalist. There has been growing concern about the impact of plastics pollution in oceans around the world. Last month scientists found nearly 18 tonnes of plastic on one of the world’s most remote islands, an uninhabited place in the South Pacific.

E. The majority of plastic bottles used across the globe are for drinking water, according to Rosemary Downey, head of packaging at Euromonitor and one of the world’s experts in plastic bottle production. China is responsible for most of the increase in demand. The Chinese public’s consumption of bottled water accounted for nearly a quarter of global demand, she said. “It is a critical country to understand when examining global sales of plastic Pet bottles, and China’s requirement for plastic bottles continues to expand,” said Downey. In 2015, consumers in China purchased 68.4 billion bottles of water and in 2016 this increased to 73.8 billion bottles, up 5.4 billion. “This increase is being driven by increased urbanisation,” said Downey. “There is a desire for healthy living and there are ongoing concerns about contamination of water and the quality of tap water, which all contribute to the increase in bottle water use,” she said. India and Southeast Asia are also witnessing strong growth, which is bound to cause problems in the future for the planet.

F. Major drinks brands produce the greatest numbers of plastic bottles. Coca-Cola produces more than 100 billion single use plastic bottles every year – or 3,400 a second, according to analysis carried out by Greenpeace after the company refused to publicly disclose its global plastic usage. The top six drinks companies in the world use a combined average of just 6.6% of recycled Pet in their products, according to Greenpeace. A third have no targets to increase their use of recycled plastic and none are aiming to use 100% across their global production.

G. Plastic drinking bottles could be made out of 100% recycled plastic, known as RPet – and campaigners are pressing big drinks companies to radically increase the amount of recycled plastic in their bottles. But brands are hostile to using RPet for cosmetic reasons because they want their products in shiny, clear plastic. The industry is also resisting any taxes or charges to reduce demand for single-use plastic bottles – like the 5p charge on plastic bags that is credited with reducing plastic bag use by 80%.

H. Coca Cola said it was still considering requests from Greenpeace to publish its global plastics usage. The company said: “Globally, we continue to increase the use of recycled plastic in countries where it is feasible and permitted. We continue to increase the use of RPet in markets where it is feasible and approved for regulatory food-grade use – 44 countries of the more than 200 we operate in.” Coca Cola agreed plastic bottles could be made out of 100 per cent recycled plastic but there was nowhere near enough high quality food grade plastic available on the scale that was needed to increase the quantity of RPet to that level. “So if we are to increase the amount of recycled plastic in our bottles even further then a new approach is needed to create a circular economy for plastic bottles,” Coca Cola said.

I. Greenpeace said the big six drinks companies had to do more to increase the recycled content of their plastic bottles. “During Greenpeace’s recent exploration of plastic pollution on remote Scottish coast, we found plastic bottles nearly everywhere we went,” said Louisa Casson, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace. “It’s clear that the soft drinks industry needs to reduce its plastic waste.”



Questions 15-20. Do the following statements agree with claims of the writer? In boxes 15-20 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
FALSE if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this”

15 Experts say that plastic waste is worse than global warming.
16 Most bottles manufactured for drinking are made from plastic that can be easily recycled.
17 In Britain, only 20% of plastic bottles are recycled and the rest is reused or thrown out.
18 By 2020, China’s use of plastic bottles will be greater than the rest of the world.
19 Major drink companies only use a small percentage of recycled plastic in their bottles.
20 A leading environmental organisation says that the oceans will be filled with plastic if big business doesn’t act.

Questions 21–26. Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter (A-D) in boxes 21-26 on your answer sheet.

21 Every second, approximately how many plastic bottles are purchased on the planet?
A twelve thousand
B twenty thousand
C fifteen million
D thirty-eight million
22 Most plastic bottles that aren’t recycled are…
A set fire to
B put into boats at sea
C put into garbage tips
D sent to companies
23 The majority of plastic bottles are used for…
A storage
B drinking water
C recycling
D Coca Cola
24 What is the percentage of drinks companies who have no plans to use more recyclable plastic in their products?
A 6.6%
B 30%
C 33%
D 100%
25 According to the article, RPet is
A a major drinks company
B an expert in plastic bottle production
C bottles made out of highly recyclable material
D bottles made out of 100% recycled plastic
26 Greenpeace thinks one way to reduce plastic waste is to…
A tax plastic manufactures
B clean the oceans
C stop drinking bottled water
D use more recycled material




READING PASSAGE 3.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

ON THE TRAIL OF AFRICA’S WILD DOGS

Just before dawn at a National Park in North Eastern South Africa, Micaela Szykman stands on a hill with a radio transmitter held in the air, listening for signals from the radio collars of African wild dogs. If the dogs are within range, Szykman jumps back into her four-wheel drive to catch up with them before they awake. Szykman, a researcher at the Smithsonian National Animal Park in Washington, D.C., is tracking the dogs for a park project.

The African wild dog, officially named Lycaon pictus, and also called the painted wolf or the Cape hunting dog is the victim mainly of human hunting. The dog is listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union. Lycaon pictus once roamed most of sub-Saharan Africa. Now only about 5,000 dogs can be found in isolated pockets of the continent.

In 1997, 2000, and 2003, wildlife managers reintroduced several packs of wild dogs from elsewhere in South Africa to this park in the hope of rebuilding the species. Wildlife officials and scientists like Szykman are watching and studying the reintroduction because such programs are integral to Lycaon’s survival.

Adult wild dogs, with round saucer-like ears and a “painted” black, white, brown, and yellow coat, weigh up to 25 kilograms and stand about 60 centimetres with a delicate build. “This is one of the most intensely social animals out there,” said Szykman, a behavioural scientist. “The entire pack, sometimes up to 20 dogs, always hunts, plays, walks, and feeds together. They never leave an animal behind and are always strengthening social bonds.” Each pack has only one breeding pair, and the rest of the pack helps raise the annual litter, up to 20 pups, one of the largest litter sizes of all African animals. Lycaon pictus hunts in packs and Szykman’s job is particularly difficult because wild dogs are tough to track. They travel up to 30 kilometres daily, with vast home ranges, 600 to 800 square kilometres on average.

As a discipline, the science of reintroduction has been poorly studied,” said Steven Monfort, a research veterinarian at the Conservation and Research Centre in Front Royal, Virginia. “Reintroduction is not easy. Governments set aside land, and other people dump animals in there, which makes them feel good. If the animals increase, the reintroduction is a big success. If numbers fall nobody knows what went wrong,” Monfort said. The dogs’ radio collars provide only limited contact. Monfort has proposed the development of a satellite- tagging system so that Szykman and Monfort can track the animals year-round and mark their range, including how close they come to humans and other threats.

The researchers also hope to expand the use of satellite collars to hyenas and lions to understand how competition with these animals affects the dogs’ reproduction and survival. These two species also play a role in reducing African wild dog numbers. “If you fence in a reserve or surround a wild area with human settlement then you need to adjust the species levels to maintain healthy populations of dogs, hyenas, and lions which are all interacting on overlapping areas of land,” said Monfort.

To Scott Creel, a behavioural scientist at Montana State University in Bozeman, reintroduction is the right approach for South Africa. “Reintroduction is exciting because it beats caged management in zoos. But in the long term, it is useless unless it results in larger, well-protected reserves or changes patterns of land use. These wild dog populations won’t be self sustaining unless the land area is large enough” said Creel, co-author of The African Wild Dog: Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation. “There’s a long history of reintroduction there. They have a good idea of what works and what doesn’t.”

Hunting drastically reduced the wild dog population in South Africa except for Kruger National Park where there are approximately 300 to 500 dogs. Though Creel is also not convinced that the reintroduced wild dog population will thrive without hands-on management, he supports the effort because reintroduction of these animals at smaller satellite parks and private reserves raises the national wild dog population and is an insurance policy if disease hits. Already the luck of African wild dogs is changing. In the past, farmers often just shot the dogs on sight. Now when somebody sees the dogs outside the reserve, Szykman gets a call about their location.



Questions 27-32. Do the following statements agree with claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 27- 32 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

27 The African wild dog has other names associated with it, often being referred to as the ‘hunting wolf’.
28 There are more African wild dogs in Sub-Saharan African than in South Africa.
29 Scientists are trying to save the African wild dog by putting them in new national parks in South Africa.
30 African wild dogs roam large areas and often travel extreme distances
31 Introducing African wild dogs into new areas is quite easy and there has been a lot of research related to this field.
32 Radio transmitters help scientist track the movements of hyenas and lions.

Questions 33-35. Choose THREE letters A-G. Write the correct letter A-G, in boxes 33-35 on your answer sheet.

Which THREE of the following are given as reasons for African wild dogs currently being endangered?

A Doing scientific tests on the wild dogs.
B The loss of habitat for the dogs.
C The building of fences to capture them.
D Hyenas and lions competing with them.
E Transporting the dogs to other areas.
F Not having enough food to eat.
G Humans killing wild dogs.

Questions 36-40. Look at the statements (Questions 36-40) and the list of scientists and researches below. Match each statement with the correct person, A-C. Write the correct letter, A-C, in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet. NB You may use some letters more than once.

This scientist or researcher…

36 is monitoring the African wild dogs’ movement and behaviour.
37 has found that African wild dogs are a family orientated species.
38 does not think current systems of tracking African wild dogs is sufficient.
39 believes repopulating areas with African wild dogs is currently the best solution for their survival.
40 thinks that local attitude towards African wild dogs is changing in a positive way.



List of People

A Micaela Szykman
B Steven Monfort
C Scott Creel”

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GLASS – Capturing The Dance of Light IELTS READING

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Reading passage 1

A Glass, in one form or another, has long been in noble service to humans. As one of the most widely used of manufactured materials, and certainly the most versatile, it can be as imposing as a telescope mirror the width of a tennis court or as small and simple as a marble rolling across dirt. The uses of this adaptable material have been broadened dramatically by new technologies glass fibre optics — more than eight million miles — carrying telephone and television signals across nations, glass ceramics serving as the nose cones of missiles and as crowns for teeth; tiny glass beads taking radiation doses inside the body to specific organs, even a new type of glass fashioned of nuclear waste in order to dispose of that unwanted material.

B On the horizon are optical computers. These could store programs and process information by means of light – pulses from tiny lasers – rather than electrons and the pulses would travel over glass fibres, not copper wire. These machines could function hundreds of times faster than today’s electronic computers and hold vastly more information. Today fibre optics viruses. A new generation of optical instruments is emerging that can provide detailed imaging of the inner workings of cells. It is the surge in fibre optic use and in liquid crystal displays that has set the U.S. glass industry (a 16 billion dollar business employing some 150,000 workers) to building new plants to meet demand.

C But it is not only in technology and commerce that glass has widened its horizons. The use of glass as art, a tradition spins back at least to Roman times, is also booming. Nearly everywhere, it seems, men and women are blowing glass and creating works of art. “I didn’t sell a piece of glass until 1975”, Dale Chihuly said, smiling, for in the 18 years since the end of the dry spell, he has become one of the most financially successful artists of the 20th century. He now has a new commission – a glass sculpture for the headquarters building of a pizza company – for which his fee is half a million dollars.

D But not all the glass technology that touches our lives is ultra-modern. Consider the simple light bulb; at the turn of the century most light bulbs were hand blown, and the cost of one was equivalent to half a day’s pay for the average worker. In effect, the invention of the ribbon machine by Corning in the 1920s lighted a nation. The price of a bulb plunged. Small wonder that the machine has been called one of the great mechanical achievements of all time. Yet it is very simple: a narrow ribbon of molten glass travels over a moving belt of steel in which there are holes. The glass sags through the holes and into waiting moulds. Puffs of compressed air then shape the glass. In this way, the envelope of a light bulb is made by a single machine at the rate of 66,000 an hour, as compared with 1,200 a day produced by a team of four glassblowers.

E The secret of the versatility of glass lies in its interior structure. Although it is rigid, and thus like a solid, the atoms are arranged in a random disordered fashion, characteristic of a liquid. In the melting process, the atoms in the raw materials are disturbed from their normal position in the molecular structure; before they can find their way back to crystalline arrangements the glass cools. This looseness in molecular structure gives the material what engineers call tremendous “formability” which allows technicians to tailor glass to whatever they need.

F Today, scientists continue to experiment with new glass mixtures and building designers test their imaginations with applications of special types of glass. A London architect, Mike Davies, sees even more dramatic buildings using molecular chemistry. “Glass is the great building material of the future, the dynamic skin,’ he said. “Think of glass that has been treated to react to electric currents going through it, glass that will change from clear to opaque at the push of a button, that gives you instant curtains. Think of how the tall buildings in New York could perform a symphony of colours as the glass in them is made to change colours instantly.” Glass as instant curtains is available now, but the cost is exorbitant. As for the glass changing colours instantly, that may come true. Mike Davies’s vision may indeed be on the way to fulfilment.

Questions 1-5. Reading Passage 1 has six paragraphs (A-F). Choose the most suitable heading/or each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (i-x) in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet. Paragraph A has been done for you as an example.

NB There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them. You may use any heading more at once.

List of Headings

i. Growth in the market for glass crafts
ii. Computers and their dependence on glass
iii. What makes glass so adaptable
iv. Historical development of glass
v. Scientists’ dreams cost millions
vi. Architectural experiments with glass
vii. Glass art galleries flourish
viii. Exciting innovations in fibre optics
ix. A former glass technology
x. Everyday uses of glass

  1. Paragraph B
  2. Paragraph C
  3. Paragraph D
  4. Paragraph E
  5. Paragraph F

Questions 6-8

The diagram below shows the principle of Corning’s ribbon machine. Label the diagram by selecting NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the Reading Passage to fill each numbered space. Write your answers in boxes 6-8 on your answer sheet.

Questions 9-13. Look at the list below of the uses of glass. According to the passage, state whether these uses exist today, will exist in the future or are not mentioned by the writer. In boxes 9-13 write

A if the uses exist today

B if the uses will exist in the future

C if the uses are not mentioned by the writer

9. dental fittings

10. optical computers

11. sculptures

12. fashions

13. curtains



Why some women cross the finish line ahead of men

A Women who apply for jobs in middle or senior management have a higher success rate than men, according to an employment survey. But of course far fewer of them apply for these positions. The study, by recruitment consultants NB Selection, shows that while one in six men who appear on interview shortlists get jobs, the figure rises to one in four for women.

B The study concentrated on applications for management positions in the $45,000 to $110,000 salary range and found that women are more successful than men in both the private and public sectors Dr Elisabeth Marx from London-based NB Selection described the findings as encouraging for women, in that they send a positive message to them to apply for interesting management positions. But she added, “We should not lose sight of the fact that significantly fewer women apply for senior positions in comparison with men.”

C Reasons for higher success rates among women are difficult to isolate. One explanation suggested is that if a woman candidate manages to get on a shortlist, then she has probably already proved herself to be an exceptional candidate. Dr Marx said that when women apply for positions they tend to be better qualified than their male counterparts but are more selective and conservative in their job search. Women tend to research thoroughly before applying for positions or attending interviews. Men, on the other hand, seem to rely on their ability to sell themselves and to convince employers that any shortcomings they have will not prevent them from doing a good job.

D Managerial and executive progress made by women is confirmed by the annual survey of boards of directors carried out by Korn/ Ferry/ Carre/ Orban International. This year the survey shows a doubling of the number of women serving as non-executive directors compared with the previous year. However, progress remains painfully slow and there were still only 18 posts filled by women out of a total of 354 nonexecutive positions surveyed.Hilary Sears, a partner with Korn/ Ferry, said, “Women have raised the level of grades we are employed in but we have still not broken through barriers to the top.”

E In Europe a recent feature of corporate life in the recession has been the delayering of management structures. Sears said that this has halted progress for women in as much as de-layering has taken place either where women are working or in layers they aspire to. Sears also noted a positive trend from the recession, which has been the growing number of women who have started up on their own.

F In business as a whole, there are a number of factors encouraging the prospect of greater equality in the workforce. Demographic trends suggest that the number of women going into employment is steadily increasing. In addition a far greater number of women are now passing through higher education, making them better qualified to move into management positions.

G Organisations such as the European Women’s Management Development Network provide a range of opportunities for women to enhance their skills and contacts. Through a series of both pan-European and national workshops and conferences the barriers to women in employment are being broken down. However, Ariane Berthoin Antal, director of the International Institute for Organisational Change of Archamps in France, said that there is only anecdotal evidence of changes in recruitment patterns. And she said, “It’s still so hard for women to even get on to shortlists -there are so many hurdles and barriers.” Antal agreed that there have been some positive signs but said “Until there is a belief among employers, until they value the difference, nothing will change.”

Questions 14-19. Reading Passage 2 has 7 paragraphs (A-G). State which paragraph discusses each of the points below. Write the appropriate letter (A-G) in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.Example: The salary range studied in the NB Selection survey. Answer B

14 The drawbacks of current company restructuring patterns.
15 Associations that provide support for professional women.
16 The success rate of female job applicants for management positions.
17 Male and female approaches to job applications.
18 Reasons why more women are being employed in the business sector.
19 The improvement in female numbers on company management structures.


Questions 20-23. The author makes reference to three consultants in the Reading Passage. Which of the list of points below do these consultants make? In boxes 20-23 write

M if the point is made by Dr Marx
S if the point is made by Hilary Sears
A if the point is made by Ariane Berthoin Antal

20 Selection procedures do not favour women.
21 The number of female-run businesses is increasing.
22 Male applicants exceed female applicants for top posts.
23 Women hold higher positions now than they used to.

Questions 24-27. Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS answer the following questions. Write your answers in boxes 24-27 on your answer sheet.

24 What change has there been in the number of women in top management positions detailed in the annual
survey?
25 What aspect of company structuring has disadvantaged women?
26 What information tells us that more women are working nowadays?
27 Which group of people should change their attitude to recruitment?

Population viability analysis

Part A.
To make political decisions about the extent and type of forestry in a region it is important to understand the consequences of those decisions. One tool for assessing the impact of forestry on the ecosystem is population viability analysis (PVA). This is a tool for predicting the probability that a species will become extinct in a particular region over a specific period. It has been successfully used in the United States to provide input into resource exploitation decisions and assist wildlife managers and there is now enormous potential for using population viability to assist wildlife management in Australia’s forests.A species becomes extinct when the last individual dies. This observation is a useful starting point for any discussion of extinction as it highlights the role of luck and chance in the extinction process. To make a prediction about extinction we need to understand the processes that can contribute to it and these fall into four broad categories which are discussed below.

Part B.
A Early attempts to predict population viability were based on demographic uncertainty Whether an individual survives from one year to the next will largely be a matter of chance. Some pairs may produce several young in a single year while others may produce none in that same year. Small populations will fluctuate enormously because of the random nature of birth and death and these chance fluctuations can cause species extinctions even if, on average, the population size should increase. Taking only this uncertainty of ability to reproduce into account, extinction is unlikely if the number of individuals in a population is above about 50 and the population is growing. 

B Small populations cannot avoid a certain amount of inbreeding. This is particularly true if there is a very small number of one sex. For example, if there are only 20 individuals of a species and only one is a male, all future individuals in the species must be descended from that one male. For most animal species such individuals are less likely to survive and reproduce. Inbreeding increases the chance of extinction.

C Variation within a species is the raw material upon which natural selection acts. Without genetic variability a species lacks the capacity to evolve and cannot adapt to changes in its environment or to new predators and newdiseases. The loss of genetic diversity associated with reductions in population size will contribute to the likelihood of extinction.

D Recent research has shown that other factors need to be considered. Australia’s environment fluctuates enormously from year to year. These fluctuations add yet another degree of uncertainty to the survival of many species. Catastrophes such as fire, flood, drought or epidemic may reduce population sizes to a small fraction of their average level. When allowance is made for these two additional elements of uncertainty the population size necessary to be confident of persistence for a few hundred years may increase to several thousand.

Part C
Beside these processes we need to bear in mind the distribution of a population. A species that occurs in five isolated places each containing 20 individuals will not have the same probability of extinction as a species with a single population of 100 individuals in a single locality.Where logging occurs (that is, the cutting down of forests for timber) forest dependent creatures in that area will be forced to leave. Ground-dwelling herbivores may return within a decade. However, arboreal marsupials (that is animals which live in trees) may not recover to pre-logging densities for over a century. As more forests are logged, animal population sizes will be reduced further. Regardless of the theory or model that we choose, a reduction in population size decreases the genetic diversity of a population and increases the probability of extinction because of any or all of the processes listed above. It is therefore a scientific fact that increasing the area that is loaded in any region will increase the probability that forest-dependent animals will become extinct.




Questions 28-31. Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Part A of Reading Passage 3? In boxes 28-31 on your answer sheet write

YES if the statement agrees with the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

28 Scientists are interested in the effect of forestry on native animals.
29 PVA has been used in Australia for many years.
30 A species is said to be extinct when only one individual exists.
31 Extinction is a naturally occurring phenomenon.

Questions 32-35. These questions are based on Part B of Reading Passage 3. In paragraphs A to D the author describes four processes which may contribute to the extinction of a species. Match the list of processes (i-vi) to the paragraphs. Write the appropriate number (i-vi) in boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet. NB There are more processes than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.

32 Paragraph A
33 Paragraph B
34 Paragraph C
35 Paragraph D

Processes

i. Loss of ability to adapt
ii. Natural disasters
iii. An imbalance of the sexes
iv. Human disasters
v. Evolution
vi. The haphazard nature of reproduction

Questions 36-39. Based on your reading of Part C, complete the sentences below with words taken from the passage. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 36-38 on your answer sheet.

While the population of a species may be on the increase, there is always a chance that small isolated groups (36)……………………….

Survival of a species depends on a balance between the size of a population and its (37)……………………. The likelihood that animals which live in forests will become extinct is increased when (38)…………………… After logging herbivores that reside on ground find it easier to return as compared to (39)……………… 



Question 40. Choose the appropriate letter A-D and write it in box 39 on your answer sheet. 40 An alternative heading for the passage could be:

A The protection of native flora and fauna

B Influential factors in assessing survival probability

C An economic rationale for the logging of forests

D Preventive measures for the extinction of a species

VIEW ANSWERS
IELTS ACADEMIC READING IELTS AC WRITING TASK 1 IETLS AC WRITING TASK 2 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 1 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 2 IELTS LISTENING TESTS

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Can animals count?

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Reading Passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

A. Brannon. Humans can do this with ease – providing the ratio is big enough – but do other animals share this ability? In one experiment, rhesus monkeys and university students examined two sets of geometrical objects that appeared briefly on a computer monitor. They had to decide which set contained more objects. Both groups performed successfully but, importantly, Brannon’s team found that monkeys, like humans. make more errors when two sets of objects are close in number. The students’ performance ends up looking just like a monkey’s. It’s practically identical.’ she says.

B. Humans and monkeys are mammals, in the animal family known as primates. These are not the only animals whose numerical capacities rely on ratio, however. The same seems to apply to some amphibians. Psychologist Claudia Uller’s team tempted salamanders with two sets of fruit flies held in clear tubes. In a series of trials, the researchers noted which tube the salamanders scampered towards, reasoning that if they could recognize the number, they would head for the larger number. The salamanders successfully discriminated between tubes containing 8 and 16 flies respectively, but not between 3 and 4. 4 and 6, or 8 and 12. So it seems that for the salamanders to discriminate between two numbers, the larger must be at least twice as big as the smaller. However, they could differentiate between 2 and 3 flies just as well as between 1 and 2 flies, suggesting they recognize small numbers differently from larger numbers.

C. Further support for this theory comes from studies of mosquitofish, which instinctively join the biggest shoal* they can. A team at the University of Padova found that while mosquito fish can tell the difference between a group containing 3 shoal-mates and a group containing 4, they did not snow a preference between groups of 4 and 5. The team also found that mosquitofish can discriminate between numbers up to 16, but only if the ratio between the fish in each shoal was greater than 2:1. This indicates that the fish, like salamanders, possess both the approximate and precise number systems found in more intelligent animals such as infant humans and other primates.

D. While these findings are highly suggestive, some critics argue that the animals might be relying on other factors to complete the tasks, without considering the number itself. ‘Any study that’s claiming an animal is capable of representing number should also be controlling for other factors,’ says Brannon.Experiments have confirmed that primates can indeed perform numerical feats without extra clues, but what about the more primitive animals? To consider this possibility, the mosquitofish tests were repeated, this time using varying geometrical shapes in place of fish. The team arranged these shapes so that they had the same overall surface area and luminance even though they contained a different number of objects. Across hundreds of trials on 14 different fish, the team found they consistently discriminated 2 objects from 3. The team is now testing whether mosquito fish can also distinguish 3 geometric objects from 4.

E. Even more primitive organisms may share this ability. Entomologist Jurgen Tautz sent a group of bees down a corridor, at the end of which lay two chambers – one which contained sugar water, which they like, while the other was empty. To test the bees’ numeracy, the team marked each chamber with a different number of geometrical shapes – between 2 and 6. The bees quickly learned to match the number of shapes with the correct chamber. Like the salamanders and fish, there was a limit to the bees’ mathematical prowess – they could differentiate up to 4 shapes, but failed with 5 or 6 shapes.

F. These studies still do not show whether animals learn to count through training, or whether they are born with the skills already intact. If the latter is true, it would suggest there was a strong evolutionary advantage to a mathematical mind. Proof that this may be the case has emerged from an experiment testing the mathematical ability of three- and four-day-old chicks. Like mosquitofish, chicks prefer to be around as many of their siblings as possible, so they will always head towards a larger number of their kin. It chicks spend their first few days surrounded by certain objects, they become attached to these objects as if they were family. Researchers placed each chick in the middle of a platform and showed it two groups of balls of paper. Next, they hid the two piles behind screens, changed the quantities and revealed them to the chick. This forced the chick to perform simple computations to decide which side now contained the biggest number of its “brothers”. Without any prior coaching, the chicks scuttled to the larger quantity at a rate well above chance. They were doing some very simple arithmetic, claim tho researchers.

G. Why these skills evolved is not hard to imagine since it would help almost any animal forage for food. Animals on the prowl for sustenance must constantly decide which tree has the most fruit, or which patch of flowers will contain the most nectar. They are also other, less obvious, advantages of numeracy. In one compelling example, researchers in America found that female coots appear to calculate how many eggs they have laid – and add any in the nest laid by an intruder – before making any decisions about adding to them. Exactly how ancient these skills are is difficult to determine, however. Only’ by studying the numerical abilities of more and more creatures using standardised procedures can we hope to understand the basic preconditions for the evolution of number.

Questions 1-7. Complete the table below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.

SubjectsExperimentResults
rhesus monkeys and humanslooked at two sets of geometrical on a computer screenperformance of two groups is almost 1 ……………….

chicks
chose between two sets of 2 ………………… which are altered
chicks can do calculations in order to choose a larger group

coots
the behaviour of 3…………………….. birds wasobserved
the bird seems to have the ability to count eggs

salamanders
offered clear tubes containing different quantities of 4………………….
salamanders distinguish between numbers over four if the bigger number is at least two times larger

5 ……………………….
shown real shoals and later artificial ones of geometrical shapes; these are used tocheck the influence of total 6………………… and brightness
subjects know the difference between two and three and possibly three and four, but not between four and five

bees
had to learn where 7……………………..  wasstored
could soon choose the correct place

Questions 8-13. Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE, if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE, if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this

8. Primates are better at identifying the larger of two numbers if one is much bigger than the other.

9. Jurgen Tautz trained the insects in his experiment to recognize the shapes of individual numbers.

10. The research involving young chicks took place over two separate days.

11. The experiment with chicks suggests that some numerical ability exists in newborn animals.

12. Researchers have experimented by altering quantities of nectar or fruit available to certain wild animals.

13. When assessing the number of eggs in their nest, coots take into account those of other birds.

Reading Passage 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. Is it time to halt the rising tide of plastic packaging?

A. Close up, plastic packaging can be a marvellous thing. Those who make a living from it call it a forgotten infrastructure that allows modem urban life to exist. Plastics have helped society defy natural limits such as the seasons, the rotting of food and the distance most of us live from where our food is produced. And yet we do not like it. Partly we do not like waste, but plastic waste, with its hydrocarbon roots and industrial manufacture, is especially galling. In 2008, the UK, for example, produced around two million tonnes of plastic waste, twice as much as in tire the early 1990s. The very qualities of plastic – its cheapness, its indestructible aura – make it a reproachful symbol of an unsustainable way of life.

B. The facts, however, do not justify our unease. All plastics are, at least theoretically, recyclable. Plastic packaging makes up just 6 to 7 per cent of the contents of British dustbins by weight and less than 3 per cent of landfills. Supermarkets and brands, which are under pressure to reduce the quantity of packaging of all types that they use, are finding good environmental reasons to turn to plastic: it is lighter, so requires less energy for transportation than glass, for example; it requires relatively little energy to produce, and it is often re-usable. An Austrian study found that if plastic packaging were removed from the tire supply chain, another packaging would have to increase fourfold to make up for it. So are we just wrong about plastic packaging?

C. Is it time to stop worrying and learn to love the disposable plastic wrapping around sandwiches? Certainly, there are bigger targets for environmental savings such as improving household insulation and energy emissions. Naturally, the tire plastics industry is keen to point them out. What’s more, concern over plastic packaging has produced a squall of conflicting initiatives from retailers, manufacturers, and local authorities. It’s a squall that dies down and then blows harder from one month to the next. ‘It is being left to the individual conscience and supermarkets playing the market,’ says Tim Lang, a professor specializing in food polio’. ‘It’s a mess.’

D. Dick Scarle of the Packaging Federation points out that societies without sophisticated packaging lose hall their food before it reaches consumers and that in the UK, waste in supply chains is about 3 per cent. In India, it is more titan 50 per cent. The difference comes later: the British throw out 30 per cent of the food they buy – an environmental cost in terms of emissions equivalent to a fifth of the cars ontheir roads. Packagers agree that cardboard, metals, and glass all have their good points, but there’s nothing quite like plastic. With more than 20 families of polymers to choose from and then sometimes blend, packaging designers and manufacturers have a limitless variety of qualities to play with.

E. But if there is one law of plastic that, in environmental terms at least, prevails over all others, it is this: a little goes a long way. This means, first, that plastic is relatively cheap to use – it represents just over one-third of the UK packaging market by value but it wraps more than half the total number of items bought. Second, it means that even though plastic encases about 53 per cent of products bought, it only makes up 20 per cent by weight of the packaging consumed. And in the packaging equation, weight isthe main issue because the heavier something is, the more energy you expend moving it around. Because of this, righteous indignation against plastic can look foolish.

F. One store commissioned a study to find precise data on which had a less environmental impact: selling apples lose or ready-wrapped. Helene Roberts, head of packaging, explains that in fact, they found apples in fours on a tray covered by plastic film needed 27 per cent less packaging in transportation than those sold loose. Sieve Kelsey, a packaging designer, finds die debate frustrating. He argues that the hunger to do something quickly is diverting effort away from more complicated questions about how you truly alter supply chains. Rather than further reducing the weight of a plastic bottle, more thought should be given to how packaging can be recycled. Helene Roberts explains that their greatest packaging reduction came when the company switched to reusable plastic crates and stopped consuming 62,000 tonnes of cardboard boxes every year.

G. Plastic packaging is important, and it might provide a way of thinking about broader questions of sustainability. To target plastic on its own is to evade the complexity’ of the issues. There seems to be a universal eagerness to condemn plastic. Is this due to an inability to make the general changes in society that are really required? ‘Plastic as a lightweight food wrapper is now built-in as the logical thing,’ Lang says. ‘Does that make it an environmentally sound system of packaging? It only makes sense if you have a structure such as exists now. An environmentally-driven packaging system would look completely different’ Dick Scarle put the challenge another way. “The amount of packaging used today is a reflection of modern life.”

Questions 14-18. Reading Passage 2 has five paragraphs A-E.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph, A-E from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-viii in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

i. A lack of consistent policy

ii. Learning from experience

iii. The greatest advantage

iv. The role of research

v. A unique material

vi. An irrational anxiety

vii. Avoiding the real challenges

viii. A sign of things to come

Paragraph A 

Paragraph B 

Paragraph C 

Paragraph D 

Paragraph E 

Questions 19-23 Look at the following statements (Questions 19-23) and the list of people below. Match each statement to the correct person A-D. Write the correct letter, A-D in boxes 19-23 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.

19.A comparison of two approaches to packaging revealed an interesting result.
20.People are expected to do the right thing.21.Most food roaches UK shops in good condition.
22.Complex issues are ignored in the search for speedy solutions.23.It is merely because of the way societies operate that using plastic seems valid.

People

A.Tim Lang
B.Dick Seatle
C.Helene Roberts
D.Steve Kelsey

Questions 24-26 Complete the summary below. Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the text for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.

A revolutionary material

Plastic packaging has changed the way we consume food. However, we instinctively dislike it partly because it is the product of 24…………………………  processes, but also because it seems to be 25…………………………  so we feel it is wasteful. Nevertheless, it is thanks to plastic that for many people their choice of food is no longer restricted by the 26…………………………  in which it is available or the location of its source.

Reading Passage 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 26-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

The growth of intelligence

A. No one doubts that intelligence develops as children grow older. Yet the concept of intelligence has proved both quite difficult to define in unambiguous terms and unexpectedly controversial in some respects. Although at one level, there seem to be almost as many definitions of intelligence as people who have tried to define it, there is broad agreement on two key features. That is, intelligence involves the capacity not only to learn from experience but also to adapt to one’s environment. However, we cannot leave the concept there. Before turning to what is known about the development of intelligence, it is necessary to consider whether we are considering the growth of one or many skills. That question has been tackled in rather different ways by psychometricians and by developmentalism.

B. The former group has examined the issue by determining how children’s abilities on a wide range of tasks correlate or go together. Statistical techniques have been used to find out whether the pa Hems are best explained by one broad underlying capacity’, general intelligence, or by a set of multiple,relatively separate, special skills in domains such as verbal and visuospatial ability’. While it cannot be claimed that everyone agrees on what the results mean, most people now accept that for practical purposes it is reasonable to suppose that both are involved. In brief, the evidence in favour of some kind of general intellectual capacity is that people who are superior (or inferior) on one type of task tend also to be superior (or inferior) on others. Moreover, general measures of intelligence tend to have considerable powers to predict a person’s performance on a wide range of tasks requiring special skills. Nevertheless, it is plain that it is not at all uncommon for individuals to be very’ good at some sorts of a task and yet quite poor at some others. Furthermore, the influences that affect verbal skills are not quite the same as those that affect other skills.

C. This approach to investigating intelligence is based on the nature of the task involved but studies of age-related changes show that this is not the only, or necessarily the most important, approach. For instance, some decades ago, Horn and Cattell argued for differentiation between what they termed ‘fluid’ and ‘crystallized’ intelligence. Fluid abilities are best assessed by tests that require mental manipulation of abstract symbols. Crystallized abilities, by contrast, reflect knowledge of the environment in which we live and past experience of similar tasks; they may be assessed by tests of comprehension and information. It scents that fluid abilities peak in early adult life, whereas crystallized abilities increase up to advanced old age.

D. Developmental studies also show that the interconnection between different skills varies with age. Titus in the first year of a life interest in perceptual patterns is a major contributor to cognitive abilities, whereas verbal abilities are more important later on. These findings seemed to suggest a substantial lack of continuity between infancy and middle childhood. However, it is important to realize that the apparent discontinuity will vary according to which of the cognitive skills were assessed in infancy. It has been found that tests of coping with novelty do predict later intelligence. These findings reinforce theview that voting children’s intellectual performance needs to be assessed from their interest in and curiosity about the environment, and the extent to which this is applied to new situations, as well as by standardized intelligence testing.

E. These psychometric approaches have focused on children’s increase in cognitive skills as they grow older. Piaget brought about a revolution in the approach to cognitive development through his arguments (backed up by observations) that the focus should be on the thinking processes involved rather than on levels of cognitive achievement. These ideas of Piaget gave rise to an immense body of research and it would be true to say that subsequent thinking has been heavily dependent on his genius in opening up new ways of thinking about cognitive development. Nevertheless, most of his concepts have had to be so radically revised, or rejected, that his theory no longer provides an appropriate basis for thinking about cognitive development. To appreciate why that is so, we need to focus on some rather different elements of Piaget s theorizing.

F. The first element, which has stood the test of time, is his view that the child is an active agent of learning and of the importance of this activity in cognitive development. Numerous studies have shown how infants actively scan their environment; how they prefer patterned to non-patterned objects, how they choose novel over familiar stimuli, and how they explore their environment as if to see how it works. Children’s questions and comments vividly illustrate the ways in which they are constantly constructing schemes of what they know and trying out their ideas of how to fit new knowledge into those schemes or deciding that the schemes need modification. Moreover, a variety’ of studies have shown that active experiences have a greater effect on learning than comparable passive experiences. However, a second element concerns the notion that development proceeds through a series of separate stages that have to be gone through step-by-step, in a set order, each of which is characterized by a particular cognitive structure. That has thinned out to be a rather misleading way of thinking about cognitive development, although it is not wholly wrong.

Questions 27-30. Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write your answers in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.

27. Most researchers accept that one feature of intelligence is the ability to ………………………..

A.change our behaviour according to our situation.

B.reacts to others’ behaviour patterns.

C.experiment with environmental features.

D.cope with unexpected setbacks.

28. What have psychometricians used statistics for?

A.to find out if cooperative tasks are a useful tool In measuring certain skills

B.to explore whether several abilities are involved in the development of intelligence

C.to demonstrate that mathematical models can predict test results for different skills

D.to discover whether common sense is fundamental to developing children’s abilities

29. Why are Horn and Cattell mentioned?

A.They disagreed about the interpretation of different intelligence tests.

B.The research concerned both linguistic and mathematical abilities.

C.They were the first to prove that intelligence can be measured by testing a range of special skills.

D.Their work was an example of research into how people’s cognitive skills vary with age.

30. What was innovative about Piaget’s research?

A.He refused to accept that children developed according to a set pattern.

B.He emphasized the way children thought more than how well they did in tests.

C. He used visually appealing materials instead of traditional intelligence tests.

D.He studied children of all ages and levels of intelligence.

Questions 31-36 . Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 31-36 on your answer sheet, write 

YES, if the statement agrees with the views of the writer 

NO, if the statement contradicts the views of the writer 

NOT GIVEN, if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this 

31.A surprising number of academics have come to the same conclusion about what the termintelligence means.

32.A general test of intelligence is unlikely to indicate the level of performance in every type of task.

33. The elderly perform less well on comprehension tests than young adults. 

34. We must take into account which skills are tested when comparing intelligence at different ages. 

35. Piaget’s work influenced theoretical studies more than practical research. 

36. Piaget’s emphasis on active learning has been discredited by later researchers. 

Questions 37-40 

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I below.  Write the correct letter, A-l, in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet. 

Researchers investigating the development of intelligence have shown that 37……………………………… skills become more significant with age. One good predictor of 38………………………… intelligence is the degree to which small children are 39………………………. about their surroundings and how much interest they show on finding themselves in a 40…………………………. setting. 

A.adult

B.practical

C.verbal

D.spatial

E.inquisitive

F.uncertain

G.academic

H.plentiful

I.unfamiliar

ANSWERS – CAN ANIMALS COUNT?


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IELTS ACADEMIC READING IELTS AC WRITING TASK 1 IETLS AC WRITING TASK 2 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 1 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 2 IELTS LISTENING TESTS

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BIOLUMINESCENCE IELTS READING

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A. In the pitch-black waters of the ocean‘s aphotic zone-depths from 1,000m to the seafloor – Rood eyesight does not count for very much on its own. Caves, in addition, frequently present a similar problem: the complete absence of natural light at any time of the day. This has not stopped some organisms from turning these inhospitable environments into their homes, and in the process, many have created their own forms of light by developing one of the stunning visual marvels of the biological universe – bioluminescence.

B. Many people will encounter bioluminescence at some point in their life, typically in some form of a glowworm, which is found on most continents. North and South America are home to the ―firefly‖, a glowing beetle which is known as a glow-worm during its larvae stage. Flightless glowing beetles and worms are also found in Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Less common flies, centipedes, molluscs, and snails have bioluminescent qualities as well, as do some mushrooms. The most dramatic examples of bioluminescence. however, are found deep below the ocean‘s surface, where no sunlight can penetrate at all. Here, anglerfish, cookie-cutter sharks, flashlight fish, lantern fish, gulper eels, viperfish, and many other species have developed bioluminescence in unique and creative ways to facilitate their lives.

C. The natural uses of bioluminescence vary widely, and organisms have learnt to be very creative with its use. Fireflies employ bioluminescence primarily for reproductive means – their flashing patterns advertise a firefly‘s readiness to breed. Some fish use it as a handy spotlight to help them locate prey. Others use it as a lure; the anglerfish, for example, dangles a luminescent flare that draws in gullible, smaller fishes which get snapped up by the anglerfish in an automated reflex. Sometimes, bioluminescence is used to resist predators. Vampire squids eject a thick cloud of glowing liquid from the tip of its arms when threatened, which can be disorientating. Other species use a single, bright flash to temporarily blind their attacker, with an effect similar to that of an oncoming car which has not dipped its headlights.

D. Humans have captured and utilized bioluminescence by developing, over the last decade, a technology known as Bioluminescence Imaging (BLI). BU involves the extraction of a DNA protein from a bioluminescent organism, and then the integration of this protein into a laboratory animal through trans- geneticism. Researchers have been able to use luminesced pathogens and cancer cell lines to track the respective spread of infections and cancers. Through BLI, cancers and infections can be observed without intervening in a way that affects their independent development. In other words, while an ultra-sensitive camera and bioluminescent proteins add a visual element, they do not disrupt or mutate the natural processes. As a result, when testing drugs and treatments, researchers are permitted a single perspective of a therapy‘s progression.

E. Once scientists learn how to engineer bioluminescence and keep it stable in large quantities, a number of other human uses for it will become available. Glowing trees have been proposed as replacements for electric lighting along busy roads, for example, which would reduce our dependence on non-renewable energy sources. The same technology used in Christmas trees for the family home would also eliminate the fire danger from electrical fairy lights. It may also be possible for crops and plants to luminesce when they require watering, and for meat and dairy products to ―tell us‖ when they have become contaminated by bacteria. In a similar way. forensic investigators could detect bacterial species on corpses through bioluminescence. Finally, there is an element of pure novelty. Children‘s toys and stickers are often made with glow-in-the-dark qualities, and a biological form would allow rabbits, mice, fish, and other pets to glow as well.


Questions 1-5. Reading Passage 1 has five sections, A-E. Choose the correct headings for sections A-E from the list of headingsbelow. Write the correct number i-ix in boxes 1-5 on your answersheet.

LIST OF HEADINGS

ii. Mushrooms that glow in the dark
iii. Bright creatures on land and in the sea
iv. Evolution’s solution
v. Cave-dwelling organisms
vi. Future opportunities in biological engineering
vii. Nature’s gift to medicine
viii. Bioluminescence in humans
ix. Purposes of bioluminescence in the wild
x. Luminescent pet
1. Section A
2. Section B
3. Section C
4. Section D
5. Section E



Questions 6-9. Choose FOUR letters. A—G. Write the correct letters in boxes 6-9 on your answersheet.
Which FOUR uses are listed for bioluminescence in nature?
A. ways of attracting food
B. tracing the spread of diseases
C. mating signals
D. growing trees for street lighting
E. drug trials
F. defensive tactics
G. a torch to identify food

6………..

7………..

8 ………..

9 ………..

Questions 10-13. Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet


10. The luminescent fluid that a vampire squid emits has a effect on its predator.
11. In order to use bioluminescence in a trans-genetic environment, must first be removed
from a bioluminescent creature.
12. One advantage of BLI is that it could allow researchers to see how a treatment is working without altering or disturbing …………………….
13. In the future, may be able to use bioluminescence to identify evidence on dead bodies.

Reading Passage 2.

CHANGES IN MALE BODY IMAGE

A. The pressures on women to look slender, youthful, and attractive have been extensively documented, but changing expectations for women‘s bodies have varied widely. From voluptuous and curvy in the days of Marilyn Monroe to slender and androgynous when Twiggy hit the London scene in the mid- 1960s, and then on to the towering Amazonian models of the 1980s and the ―heroin chic‖ and size-zero obsession of today, it is not just clothes that go in and out of fashion for women. The prevailing notion of the perfect body for men, however, has remained remarkably static: broad shoulders, a big chest and arms, and rippling, visible abdominal muscles and powerful legs have long been the staple ingredients of a desirable male physique.

B. A growing body of evidence suggests this is changing, however. Rootsteins, a mannequin design company in Britain, has released its newest male model – the Homme nouveau – with a cinched-in 27- inch waist. “To put that into perspective,” says one female fashion reporter, “I had a 27-inch waist when I was thirteen _ and I was really skinny.” The company suggests that the Homme nouveau “redress the prevailing ‘beefcake‘ figure by carving out a far more streamlined, sinuous silhouette to match the edgier attitude of a new generation”.

C. Elsewhere in the fashion industry, the label American Apparel is releasing a line of trousers in sizes no larger than a 30-inch waist, which squeezes out most of the younger male market who have an average waistline over five inches larger. Slender young men are naturally starting to dominate the catwalks and magazine pages as well “No one wanted the big guys,” model David Gandy has said, describing how his muscled physique was losing him jobs. “It was all the skinny, androgynous look. People would look at me very, very strangely when I went to castings.”

D. Achieving such a physique can be unattainable for those without the natural genetic make-up. “I don‘t know that anyone would consider my body archetypal or as an exemplar to work towards,” notes model Davo McConville. “You couldn‘t aim for this; it‘s defined by a vacuum of flesh, by what it‘s not.” Nevertheless, statistics suggest it is not just an obsession of models, celebrities, and the media – more and more ordinary men are prepared to go to great lengths for a slender body. One indication is the growing number of men who are discovering surgical reconstruction. Male breast reduction has become especially popular, in 2009, the year-on-year growth rate for this procedure rose to 44 per cent in the United Kingdom. Liposuction also remains popular in the market for male body reconstructive surgery, with 35,000 such procedures being performed on men every year.

E. Additionally, more men now have eating disorders than ever before. These are characterized by normal eating habits, typically either the consumption of insufficient or excessive amounts of food. Eating disorders are detrimental to the physical and mental condition of people who suffer from them, and the desire to achieve unrealistic physiques has been implicated as a cause. In 1990, only 10% of people suffering from anorexia or bulimia were believed to be male, but this figure has climbed steadily to around one-quarter today. Around two in five binge eaters are men. Women still make up the majority of those afflicted by eating disorders, but the perception of it being a “girly” problem has contributed to men being less likely to pursue treatment. In 2008, male eating disorders were thrust into the spotlight when former British Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, admitted to habitually gorging on junk food and then inducing himself to vomit while in office. “I never admitted to this out of the shame and embarrassment,” he said. ―I found it difficult as a man like me to admit that I suffered from bulimia.”

F. In some respects, the slim male silhouette seems to be complementing, rather than displacing, the G. I. Joe physique. Men‘s Health, one of the only titles to weather the floundering magazine market with sales increasing to a quarter of a million per issue, has a staple diet of bulky men on the cover who entice readers with the promise of big, powerful muscles. Advertising executives and fashion editors suggest that in times of recession and political uncertainty, the more robust male body image once again becomes desirable. Academic research supports this claim, indicating that more “feminine” features are desirable for men in comfortable and secure societies, while “masculine” physical traits are more attractive where survival comes back to the individual. A University of Aberdeen study, conducted using 4,500 women from over 30 countries, found a pronounced correlation between levels of public healthcare and the amount of effeminacy women preferred in their men. In Sweden, the country considered to have the best healthcare, 68 per cent of women preferred the men who were shown with feminine facial features. In Brazil, the country with the worst healthcare in the study, only 45 per cent of women were so inclined. “The results suggest that as healthcare improves, more masculine men fall out of favour,” the researchers concluded.

G. Ultimately, columnist Polly Vernon has written, we are left with two polarized ideals of masculine beauty. One is the sleek, slender silhouette that exudes cutting-edge style and a wealthy, comfortable lifestyle. The other is the ‘strong, muscular, austerity-resistant” form that suggests a man can look after himself with his own bare hands. These ideals co-exist by pulling men in different directions and encouraging them to believe they must always be chasing physical perfection, while simultaneously destabilizing any firm notions of what physical perfection requires.

H. As a result, attaining the ideal body becomes an ever more futile and time-consuming task. Vernon concludes that this means less time for the more important things in life, and both sexes should resist the
compulsive obsession with beauty.


Questions 14-20. Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.

14. an opinion on whether body image changes have positive or negative effects
15. a historical comparison of gendered body images
16. a humiliating confession of overeating by a public figure
17. a cosmetic operation that has become increasingly popular
18. a health condition afflicting increasing numbers of men
19. the effect of changing body ideals on a male model
20. an explanation of how living standards affect the desirability of male physiques

Questions 21-26. Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 21—26 on your answer sheet, write:
YES, if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO, if the statement contradicts with the view of the writer
NOT GIVEN, if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

21. A thin body is achievable for men regardless of their genes.
22. Male liposuction is more popular than male breast-reduction.
23. Rating disorders harm the mind and body.
24. Women seek help for eating disorders more often than men.
25. Men’s Health has suffered from a downturn in magazine sales.
26. As public healthcare improves, men become more feminine.

READING PASSAGE 3. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40. which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES. A BOOK REVIEW

A. The title of Eats, Shoots and Leaves refers to a famously misplaced comma in a wildlife manual that ended up suggesting a panda rather violently ―eats, shoots and leaves‖ instead of eating shoots andleaves. The author of this book, journalist Lynne Truss, is something akin to a militant linguist, dedicating this “zero tolerance” manifesto on grammar to the striking Bolshevik printers of St. Petersburg who, in demanding the same remuneration for punctuation as they received for letters, ended up setting in motion the first Russian Revolution.

B. Some of the books involve humorous attacks on erroneous punctuation. There is the confused Shakespearian thespian who inadvertently turns a frantic plea: “Go, get him surgeons!” into the cheerful encouragement of “Go get him, surgeons!” Street and shop signs have a ubiquitous presence. A bakery declares “FRESH DONUT‘S SOLD HERE” and a florist curiously announces that “Pansy‘s here!” (Is she?). The shameless title of a Hollywood film Two Weeks Notice is reeled in for criticism – “Would they similarly call it One Weeks Notice?”, Truss enquires – and sometimes, as in the case of signs promoting “ANTIQUE‘S” and “Potatoe‘s” – one questions whether we are bearing witness to new depths of grammar ignorance, or a postmodern caricature of atrocious punctuation.

C. Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not just a piece of comedy and ridicule, however, and Truss has plenty to offer on the question of proper grammar usage. If you have ever wondered whether it is acceptable to simply use an “em dash” in place of a comma – the verdict from Truss is that you can. “The dash is less formal than the semicolon, which makes it more attractive,” she suggests. “It enhances conversational tone; and … it is capable of quite subtle effects.” The author concludes, with characteristic wry condescension, that the em dash‘s popularity largely rests on people knowing it is almost impossible to use incorrectly. A truss is a personal champion of the semicolon, a historically contentious punctuation mark elsewhere maligned by novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr., as a “transvestite hermaphrodite representing absolutely nothing”. Coming to the semicolon‘s defence. Truss suggests that while it can certainly be overused, she refers to the dying words of one 20th century writer: “I should have used fewer semicolons, the semicolon can perform the role of a kind of Special Policeman in the event of comma fights.”

D. Truss has come under criticism on two broad points. The first argument criticises the legitimacy of her authority as a punctuation autocrat. Louis Menand, writing in the New Yorker, details Eats, Shoots and Leaves‘ numerous grammatical and punctuation sins: a comma-free non-restrictive clause; a superfluous ellipsis; a misplaced apostrophe; a misused parenthesis; two misused semicolons; an erroneous hyphen in the word “abuzz”, and so on. In fact, as Menand notes, half the semicolons in the Truss book are spuriously deployed because they stem from the author‘s open flouting of the rule that semicolons must only connect two independent clauses. “Why would a person not just vague about the rules but disinclined to follow them bother to produce a guide to punctuation?” Menand inquires. Ultimately, he holds Truss accused of producing a book that pleases those who “just need to vent” and concludes that Eats, Shoots and Leaves is actually a tirade against the decline of language and print that disguises itself, thinly and poorly, as some kind of a style manual.

E. Linguist David Chrystal has criticised what he describes as a “linguistic purism” coursing through Truss‘ book. Linguistic purism is the notion that one variety of language is somehow more-pure than others, with this sense of purity often based on an idealised historical point in the language‘s development, but sometimes simply in reference to an abstract idea. In The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot and Left, Chrystal – a former colleague of Truss – condemns the no-holds- barred approach to punctuation and grammar. “Zero tolerance does not allow for flexibility,” he argues. “It is prescriptivism taken to extremes. It suggests that language is in a state where all the rules are established with 100 per cent certainty. The suggestion is false. We do not know what all the rules of punctuation are. And no rule of punctuation is followed by all of the people all of the time.”

F. Other detractors of Truss‘ “prescriptivism” are careful to disassociate needless purism from robust and sensible criticism, an oppositional stance they call descriptivism. “Don‘t ever imagine,” Geoffrey K. Pullum on the Language Log emphasises, “that I think all honest attempts at using English are just as good as any others. [ Bad writing needs to be fixed. But let‘s make sure we fix the right things.” In other words, we do not require a dogmatic approach to clean up the misused language. Charles Gaulke concurs, noting that his opposition to “prescriptivism” does not require contending with the existence of standards themselves, but questioning whether our standards should determine what works, or whether what works should determine our standards.

G. Ultimately, it is unlikely the purists and pedagogues will ever make absolute peace with those who see language as a fluid, creative process within which everyone has a role to play. Both sides can learn to live in a sort of contentious harmony, however. Creativity typically involves extending, adapting and critiquing the status quo, and revising and reviving old traditions while constructing new ones. Rules must exist in order for this process to take place, if only for them to be broken. On the flip side, rules have an important role to play in guiding our language into forms that can be accessed by people across all manner of differences, so it is vital to acknowledge the extent to which they can be democratic, rather than merely autocratic in function. Nevertheless, all the regulations in the world cannot stem the natural spring of language, which bursts through rivets and snakes around the dams that linguistic authorities may try to put in place. We should celebrate rather than curse these inevitabletensions.

Questions 27-32. Look as the following statements (Questions 27-32) and the list of people below. Match each statement with the correct person A-E. Write the correct letter A-E in boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.

27. Mistakes should be corrected on the basis of common sense.
28. No one has legitimacy as an ultimate authority on punctuation use.
29. Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not the type of book it claims to be.
30. The idea that some forms of language can be better than others is wrong.
31. The semicolon has no real purpose.
32. We can ask whether rules are helpful without undermining the need for rules.

List of people

A. Kurt Vonnegut Jr
B. Louis Menand
C. David Chrystal
D. Geoffrey K. Pullum
E. Charles Gaulke



Questions 33-37. Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 33-37 on your answersheet.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves is a book on punctuation by journalist Lynne Truss, who could be described as a 33 ……………………. She dedicates the book to the Bolshevik printers who started the 34 …………………. by protesting for better pay conditions. The book is partly a humorous criticism of incorrect punctuation. Some of the examples are so bad it is possible that they are actually a 35…………………. Truss also guides the reader on correct punctuation usage. She likes the em dash because it is not as 36 ……………………. as the semicolon, for example, but remains a 37 of the latter due to its ability to discipline areas of text that are crowded with commas.

Questions 38-40. Choose THREE letters, A—G. Write the correct letters in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet.

Which THREE of the following statements form part of the author’s conclusion?

A. Rules prevent the creation of new things.
B. A centralised point of control can effectively guide the flow of language.
C. Both the descriptivists and prescriptivists have important roles to play in language evolution.
D. Disputes over matters of language rules need not be condemned.
E. Prescriptivists and descriptivists are both wrong.
F. Rules help everyone use language and do not merely prescribe usage.
G. An essential part of creativity is the rejection of that which has come before.
38…………….
39 …………….
40 …………….

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Being Left-handed in a Right-handed World

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Reading Passage 1.

A The probability that two right-handed people would have a left-handed child is only about 9.5 percent. The chance rises to 19.5 percent if one parent is a lefty and 26 percent if both parents are left-handed. The preference, however, could also stem from an infant’s imitation of his parents. To test genetic influence, starting in the 1970s British biologist Marian Annett of the University of Leicester hypothesized that no single gene determines handedness. Rather, during fetal development, a certain molecular factor helps to strengthen the brain’s left hemisphere, which increases the probability that the right hand will be dominant, because the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa. Among the minority of people who lack this factor, handedness develops entirely by chance. Research conducted on twins complicates the theory, however. One in fivesets of identical twins involves one right-handed and one left-handed person, despite the fact that their genetic material is the same. Genes, therefore, are not solely responsible for handedness.

B Genetic theory is also undermined by results from Peter Hepper and his team at Queen’s University in Belfast, Ireland. In 2004 the psychologists used ultrasound to show that by the 15th week of pregnancy, fetuses already have a preference as to which thumb they suck. In most cases, the preference continued after birth. At 15 weeks, though, the brain does not yet have control over the body’s limbs. Hepper speculates that fetuses tend to prefer whichever side of the body is developing quicker and that their movements, in turn, influence the brain’s development. Whether this early preference is temporary or holds up throughout development and infancy is unknown. Genetic predetermination is also contradicted by the widespread observation that children do not settle on either their right or left hand until they are two or three years old.

C But even if these correlations were true, they did not explain what actually causes left-handedness. Furthermore, specialization on either side of the body is common among animals. Cats will favor one paw over another when fishing toys out from under the couch. Horses stomp more frequently with one hoof than the other. Certain crabs motion predominantly with the left or right claw. In evolutionary terms, focusing power and dexterity in one limb is more efficient than having to train two, four or even eight limbs equally. Yet for most animals, the preference for one side or the other is seemingly random. The overwhelming dominance of the right hand is associated only with humans. That fact directs attention toward the brain’s two hemispheres and perhaps toward language.

D. Interest in hemispheres dates back to at least 1836. That year, at a medical conference, French physician Marc Dax reported on an unusual commonality among his patients. During his many years as a country doctor, Dax had encountered more than 40 men and women for whom speech was difficult, the result of some kind of brain damage. What was unique was that every individual suffered damage to the left side of the brain. At the conference, Dax elaborated on his theory, stating that each half of the brain was responsible for certain functions and that the left hemisphere controlled speech. Other experts showed little interest in the Frenchman’s ideas. Over time, however, scientists found more and more evidence of peopleexperiencing speech difficulties following injury to the left brain. Patients with damage to the right hemisphere most often displayed disruptions in perception or concentration. Major advancements in understanding the brain’s asymmetry were made in the 1960s as a result of so-called split-brain surgery, developed to help patients with epilepsy. During this operation, doctors severed the corpus callosum—the nerve bundle that connects the two hemispheres. The surgical cut also stopped almost all normal communication between the two hemispheres, which offered researchers the opportunity to investigate each side’s activity.

E. In 1949 neurosurgeon Juhn Wada devised the first test to provide access to the brain’s functional organization of language. By injecting an anesthetic into the right or left carotid artery, Wada temporarily paralyzed one side of a healthy brain, enabling him to more closely study the other side’s capabilities.Based on this approach, Brenda Milner and the late Theodore Rasmussen of the Montreal Neurological
Institute published a major study in 1975 that confirmed the theory that country doctor Dax had formulated nearly 140 years earlier: in 96 percent of right-handed people, language is processed much more intensely in the left hemisphere. The correlation is not as clear in lefties, however. For two thirds of them, the left hemisphere is still the most active language processor. But for the remaining third, either the right side is dominant or both sides work equally, controlling different language functions. That last statistic has slowed acceptance of the notion that the predominance of right-handedness is driven by left- hemisphere dominance in language processing. It is not at all clear why language control should somehow have dragged the control of body movement with it. Some experts think one reason the left hemisphere reigns over language is because the organs of speech processing—the larynx and tongue— are positioned on the body’s symmetry axis. Because these structures were centered, it may have been unclear, in evolutionary terms, which side of the brain should control them, and it seems unlikely that shared operation would result in smooth motor activity. Language and handedness could have developed preferentially for very different reasons as well. For example, some researchers, including evolutionary psychologist Michael C. Corballis of the University of Auckland in New Zealand, think that the origin of human speech lies in gestures. Gestures predated words and helped language emerge. If the left hemisphere began to dominate speech, it would have dominated gestures, too, and because the left brain controls the right side of the body, the right hand developed more strongly.

F. Perhaps we will know more soon. In the meantime, we can revel in what, if any, differences handedness brings to our human talents. Popular wisdom says right-handed, left-brained people excel at logical, analytical thinking. Lefthanded, right-brained individuals are thought to possess more creative skills and may be better at combining the functional features emergent in both sides of the brain. Yet some neuroscientists see such claims as pure speculation. Fewer scientists are ready to claim that left- handedness means greater creative potential. Yet lefties are prevalent among artists, composers and the generally acknowledged great political thinkers. Possibly if these individuals are among the lefties whose language abilities are evenly distributed between hemispheres, the intense interplay required could lead to unusual mental capabilities.

G Or perhaps some lefties become highly creative simply because they must be more clever to get by in our right-handed world. This battle, which begins during the very early stages of childhood, may lay the groundwork for exceptional achievements.

Questions 1-5. Reading Passage has seven sections A-G. Which section contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

  1. Preference of using one side of the body in animal species.
  2. How likely one-handedness is born.
  3. The age when the preference of using one hand is settled.
  4. Occupations usually found in left-handed population.
  5. A reference to an early discovery of each hemisphere’s function.

    Questions 6-9. Look at the following researchers (Questions 6-9) and the list of findings below. Match each researcher with the correct finding.Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.

    List of Findings

    A Early language evolution is correlated to body movement and thus affecting the preference of use of one hand.

    B No single biological component determines the handedness of a child.

    C Each hemisphere of the brain is in charge of different body functions.

    D Language process is mainly centered in the left-hemisphere of the brain.

    E Speech difficulties are often caused by brain damage.

    F The rate of development of one side of the body has influence on hemisphere preference in fetus.

    G Brain function already matures by the end of the fetal stage.
  6. Marian Annett
  7. Peter Hepper
  8. Brenda Milner & Theodore Rasmussen
  9. Michael Corballis

    Questions 10-13. Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage? In boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet write
    YES if the sataement agrees with the information 
    NO if the statement contradicts the information 
    NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

  10. The study of twins shows that genetic determinationis not the only factor for left-. handedness
  11. Marc Dax’s report was widely accepted in his time.
  12. Juhn Wada based his findings on his research of people with language problems.
  13. There tend to be more men with left-handedness than women.

    Reading Passage 2. The Motor Car – 2

    A There are now over 700 million motor vehicles in the world – and the number is rising by more than 40 million each year. The average distance driven by car users is growing too – from 8 km a day per person in western Europe in 1965 to 25 km a day in 1995. This dependence on motor vehicles has given rise to major problems, including environmental pollution, depletion of oil resources, traffic congestion and safety.

    B While emissions from new cars are far less harmful than they used to be, city streets and motorways are becoming more crowded than ever, often with older trucks, buses and taxis, which emit excessive levels of smoke and fumes. This concentration of vehicles makes air quality in urban areas unpleasant and sometimes dangerous to breathe. Even Moscow has joined the list of capitals afflicted by congestion and traffic fumes. In Mexico City, vehicle pollution is a major health hazard.

    C Until a hundred years ago, most journeys were in the 20 km range, the distance conveniently accessible by horse. Heavy freight could only be carried by water or rail. The invention of the motor vehicle brought personal mobility to the masses and made rapid freight delivery possible over a much wider area. Today about 90 per cent of inland freight in the United Kingdom is carried by road. Clearly the world cannot revert to the horse-drawn wagon. Can it avoid being locked into congested and polluting ways of transporting people and goods?

    D In Europe most cities are still designed for the old modes of transport. Adaptation to the motor car has involved adding ring roads, one-way systems and parking lots. In the United States, more land is assigned to car use than to housing. Urban sprawl means that life without a car is next to impossible. Mass use of motor vehicles has also killed or injured millions of people. Other social effects have been blamed on the car such as alienation and aggressive human behaviour.

    E A 1993 study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment found that car transport is seven times as costly as rail travel in terms of the external social costs it entails such as congestion, accidents, pollution, loss of cropland and natural habitats, depletion of oil resources, and so on. Yet cars easily surpass trains or buses as a flexible and convenient mode of personal transport. It is unrealistic to expect people to give up private cars in favour of mass transit.

    F Technical solutions can reduce the pollution problem and increase the fuel efficiency of engines. But fuel consumption and exhaust emissions depend on which cars are preferred by customers and how they are driven. Many people buy larger cars than they need for daily purposes or waste fuel by driving aggressively. Besides, global car use is increasing at a faster rate than the improvement in emissions and fuel efficiency which technology is now making possible.

    G One solution that has been put forward is the long-term solution of designing cities and neighbourhoods so that car journeys are not necessary – all essential services being located within walking distance or easily accessible by public transport. Not only would this save energy and cut carbon dioxide emissions, it would also enhance the quality of community life, putting the emphasis on people instead of cars. Good local government is already bringing this about in some places. But few democratic communities are blessed with the vision – and the capital – to make such profound changes in modern lifestyles.

    H A more likely scenario seems to be a combination of mass transit systems for travel into and around cities, with small ‘low emission’ cars for urban use and larger hybrid or lean burn cars for use elsewhere. Electronically tolled highways might be used to ensure that drivers pay charges geared to actual road use. Better integration of transport systems is also highly desirable – and made more feasible by modern computers. But these are solutions for countries which can afford them. In most developing countries, old cars and old technologies continue to predominate.

    Questions 14-19. Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs (A-H). Which paragraphs concentrate on the following information?Write the appropriate letters (A-H) in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.NB You need only write ONE letter for each answer.
  14. a comparison of past and present transportation methods
  15. how driving habits contribute to road problems
  16. the relative merits of cars and public transport
  17. the writer’s own prediction of future solutions
  18. the increasing use of motor vehicles
  19. the impact of the car on city development

    Questions 20–26.Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 20-26 on your answer sheet write
    YES if the statement agrees with the information
    NO if the statement contradicts the information
    NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage
  20. Vehicle pollution is worse in European cities than anywhere else.
  21. Transport by horse would be a useful alternative to motor vehicles.
  22. Nowadays freight is not carried by water in the United Kingdom.
  23. Most European cities were not designed for motor vehicles.
  24. Technology alone cannot solve the problem of vehicle pollution.
  25. People’s choice of car and attitude to driving is a factor in the pollution problem.
  26. Redesigning cities would be a short-term solution.

Reading passage 3. Motivating Drives

Scientists have been researching the way to get employees motivated for many years. This research in a relational study which builds the fundamental and comprehensive model for study. This is especially true when the business goal is to turn unmotivated teams into productive ones. But their researchers have limitations. It is like studying the movements of car without taking out the engine.

Motivation is what drives people to succeed and plays a vital role in enhancing an organizational development. It is important to study the motivation of employees because it is related to the emotion and behavior of employees. Recent studies show there are four drives for motivation. They are the drive to acquire, the drive to bond, the drive to comprehend and the drive to defend.

The Drive to Acquire

The drive to acquire must be met to optimize the acquire aspect as well as the achievement element. Thus the way that outstanding performance is recognized, the type of perks that is provided to polish the career path. But sometimes a written letter of appreciation generates more motivation than a thousand dollar check, which can serve as the invisible power to boost business engagement. Successful organizations and leaders not only need to focus on the optimization of physical reward but also on moving other levers within the organization that can drive motivation.

The Drive to Bond

The drive to bond is also key to driving motivation. There are many kinds of bonds between people, like friendship, family. In company, employees also want to be an essential part of company. They want to belong to the company. Employees will be motivated if they find personal belonging to the company. In the meantime, the most commitment will be achieved by the employee on condition that the force of motivation within the employee affects the direction, intensity and persistence of decision and behavior in company.

The Drive to Comprehend

The drive to comprehend motivates many employees to higher performance. For years, it has been known that setting stretch goals can greatly impact performance. Organizations need to ensure that the various job roles provide employees with simulation that challenges them or allow them to grow. Employees don’t want to do meaningless things or monotonous job. If the job didn’t provide them with personal meaning and fulfillment, they will leave the company.

The Drive to Defend

The drive to defend is often the hardest lever to pull. This drive manifests itself as a quest to create and promote justice, fairness, and the ability to express ourselves freely. The organizational lever for this basic human motivator is resource allocation. This drive is also met through an employee feeling connection to a company. If their companies are merged with another, they will show worries.

Two studies have been done to find the relations between the four drives and motivation. The article based on two studies was finally published in Harvard Business Review. Most authors’ arguments have laid emphasis on four-drive theory and actual investigations. Using the results of the surveys which executed with employees from Fortune 500 companies and other two global businesses (P company and H company) , the article mentions about how independent drives influence employees’ behavior and how organizational levers boost employee motivation.

The studies show that the drive to bond is most related to fulfilling commitment, while the drive to comprehend is most related to how much effort employees spend on works. The drive to acquire can be satisfied by a rewarding system which ties rewards to performances, and gives the best people opportunities for advancement. For drive to defend, a study on the merging of P company and H company shows that employees in former company show an unusual cooperating attitude.

The key to successfully motivate employees is to meet all drives. Each of these drives is important if we are to understand employee motivation. These four drives, while not necessarily the only human drives, are the ones that are central to unified understanding of modern human life.

Questions 27-31. Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.

27. According to the passage, what are we told about the study of motivation?

A The theory of motivating employees is starting to catch attention in organizations in recent years.

B It is very important for managers to know how to motivate their subordinates because it is related to the salary of employees.

C Researchers have tended to be too theoretical to their study.

D The goal of employee motivation is to increase the profit of organizations.

28. What can be inferred from the passage about the study of people’s drives?

A Satisfying employees’ drives can positively lead to the change of behavior.

B Satisfying employees’ drives will negatively affect their emotions.

C Satisfying employees’ drives can increase companies’ productions.

D Satisfying employees’ drives will result in employees’ outstanding performance.

29. According to paragraph three, in order to optimize employees’ performance, are needed.

A Drive to acquire and achievement element

B Outstanding performance and recognition

C Career fulfillment and a thousand dollar check

D Financial incentive and recognition

30. According to paragraph five, how does “the drive to comprehend” help employees perform better?

A It can help employees better understand the development of their organizations.

B It can help employees feel their task in meaningful to their companies.

C It can help employees set higher goals.

D It can provide employees with repetitive tasks.

31. According to paragraph six, which of following is true about “drive to defend”?

A Organizational resource is the most difficult to allocate.

B It is more difficult to implement than the drive to comprehend.

C Employees think it is very important to voice their own opinions.

D Employees think it is very important to connect with a merged corporation.

Questions 32-34. Choose THREE letters, A-F. Write the correct letters in boxes 32-34 on your answer sheet.

Which THREE of the following statements are true of study of drives?

A Employees will be motivated if they feel belonged to the company.

B If employees get an opportunity of training and development program, their motivation will be enhanced.

C If employees’ working goals are complied with organizational objectives, their motivation will be reinforced.

D If employees’ motivation in very low, companies should find a way to increase their salary as their first priority.

E If employees find their work lacking challenging, they will leave the company.

F Employees will worry if their company is sold.

Questions 35-40. Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage? In boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agree with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

35. Increasing pay can lead to the high work motivation.
36. Local companies benefit more from global companies through the study.
37. Employees achieve the most commitment if their drive to comprehend is met.
38. The employees in former company presented unusual attitude toward the merging of two companies.
39. The two studies are done to analyze the relationship between the natural drives and the attitude of employees.
40. Rewarding system cause the company to lose profit.

View answers
IELTS ACADEMIC READING IELTS AC WRITING TASK 1 IETLS AC WRITING TASK 2 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 1 IELTS SPEAKING TASK 2 IELTS LISTENING TESTS
IELTS ACADEMIC READING

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