IEA Reading

IELTS A - READING
Contents
UNIT 1 ...................................................................................................................................2
SENTENCE COMPLETION ..................................................................................................2

UNIT 2 .................................................................................................................................16
TABLE COMPLETION ................................................................................................. 16

UNIT 3 .................................................................................................................................37
DIAGRAM/FLOWCHART COMPLETION .................................................................... 37

UNIT 4 .................................................................................................................................56
SUMMARY COMPLETION........................................................................................... 56
UNIT 5 .................................................................................................................................69
HEADING MATCHING ................................................................................................. 69

UNIT 6 .................................................................................................................................88
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS ............................................................................... 88

UNIT 7 ...............................................................................................................................105
TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN ......................................................................................... 105
YES/NO/NOT GIVEN .................................................................................................. 105

UNIT 8 ...............................................................................................................................117
SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS ................................................................................ 117

UNIT 9 ...............................................................................................................................134
CLASSIFICATION ...................................................................................................... 134

UNIT 10 .............................................................................................................................151
PRACTICE TEST ....................................................................................................... 151
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IELTS A - READING
UNIT 1
SENTENCE COMPLETION
INTRODUCTION
TASK DESCRIPTION
In this sort of task, you have to complete sentences by choosing the best ending from a list or
finding answers in the passage.
TASK APPROACH
The questions appear in the same order as the information in the text. If you answer them in
sequence, it should be fairly easy to find the information you need.
Study each question and underline the key words or phrases.
Locate the relevant section of text and look for parallel expressions.
Choose the best answer from the list of endings or find the correct words, making sure your
answer fits both logically and grammatically.
PRACTICE
PRACTICE 1
LOCATION IS EVERYTHING
The estate agent’s advice dates back to 3500BC when the first city of trade took off.
Our distant ancestors led pretty simple lives. Until around 10,000BC, all humans were hunter-
gatherers and lived a nomadic life, searching endlessly for food. It was the development of agriculture
that enables humans to settle down and live, first as farmers and then as villagers. Around 3500BC,
small towns began appearing in Mesopotamia, surrounded by defensive high walls and irrigated fields
that fed that town’s population.
In the thousand years that followed, when agriculture had become more of a science and crop
yields had risen, fewer people were needed to produce food. People took other jobs, became
wealthier and more and more chose to live in towns close to shops and markets. This worked well for
centuries. Towns flourished and eventually one of the grandest, Rome, became the world’s first city of
more than one million people around 100AD.
Although the fertile lands surrounding Rome could have adequately fed the city, the Roman
people began importing food and became reliant on long supply chains. When Gaiseric the Vandal
began withholding vital North African grain supplies from Rome in 455AD, the city’s power went into
steep decline. The Dark Ages that ensued saw people deserting cities across Europe and returning to
the countryside.
IELTS A - READING
Make it accessible
It was not until 1200AD that people began flocking back to the cities, a trend encouraged by the
growth of iron technology and further improvements in agriculture. Cities and towns began to spring
up across Europe and Asia.
The main factor which determined where a city was founded, according to Dereck Keene,
Director of the Centre for Metropolitan History at the University for London’s Institutes of Historical
Research, was simple geography. “Was it accessible to people who wished to trade there or bring in
supplies?”
However, there were other important considerations. “A city might be successfully founded in a
desert if there was a need for a staging post or an interchange on a trade route,” he says. Then there
were the simple demands for a ruler’s ego, or a need to defend people against invaders. Finally, there
was one other major motivating force: religion. “A sacred site attracts many visitors who require
service,” Keene says.
In medieval times, cities grew to exploit trade routes Bruges in Belgium became rich by weaving
wool from Britain, Florence, too, prospered from its wool industry until banking came to dominate its
economy.
Constantinople became by far Europe’s largest city and premiere trading centre, the true heir to
the Roman legacy during the Middle Ages. The gateway between the Eastern Mediterranean, India and
Africa on one side and Europe on the other, Constantinople played a crucial role in the trade of Eastern
riches for Western wool and heavy iron products.
At the same time, Venice was prospering thanks to trade, its proximity to the sea, Africa and the
treasures of Persia. The city-sate traded luxury goods such as precious stones, spices, silks and ivory.
Cities that broke the rules
The lure of trading riches has encouraged the growth of cities in unlikely locations. When the
East India Trading Company needed a base with good access to the Ganges Valley, it founded Calcutta
on swamp land. The site was the furthest inland point that could be reached by ocean-going ships, and
the city has grown to a population of 15.5 million today.
The most ludicrously located city has to be St Petersburg, built as the capital of a vast empire by
Peter the Great. Thousands of slave labourers died during its construction, and he had to force people
to live there.
Other major world capitals had no such problems. London, founded in 50AD, grew steadily and
is the least planned world city, with snobbery playing a large part in determining its layout. Mainline
stations are dotted around the periphery the inner London, as wealthy 19th-century residents refused
construction of a giant central London rail terminal.
By the 1930s, US architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, was arguing that city size should be limited. But
as Wright’s treatise was published, New York was becoming the world’s first city with a population of
ten million, and cities have since grown at an astonishing rate – Mexico City is home to 16.5 million
people and 26.9 million now live in Tokyo.
Parallel expressions
Instead of using exactly the same words as the text, questions often substitute expressions with the
same meaning.

IELTS A - READING
The following words and phrases come from the text. Find two parallel
expressions for each in the box below.
1. Population
2. Became reliant on
3. Ensued
4. Deserting
5. Flocking back
6. Began to spring up
7. Accessible
8. Ludicrously
9. Vast
Leaving started developing enormous depended on citizens

Convenient to get to ridiculously came afterwards returning
huge
Easy to reach appeared followed foolishly
Couldn’t manage without migrating back inhabitants
abandoning
Questions 1 – 6
Complete each of the following statements with the best ending A – I from the box below.
Example: Answer:
As farming became more scientific, not so many people … F

1. As a result of the development of farming, people …
2. The design of the earliest towns was for …
3. Towns first began to grow and prosper when people …
4. Rome finally lost its power because of …
5. Cities were usually established in places which …
6. One reason for people to visit a city was …
A. were convenient for trade.

B. the growth of the population.
C. the protection of the inhabitants.
D. its dependence on imported supplies.
E. the presence of a religious site.
F. were required to work on the land.
G. made money and left to countryside.
H. were unable to grow their own food.
I. were able to live permanently in one place.

IELTS A - READING
PRACTICE 2
Lighthouses occupy a special place in the history of modern Australia. They stand as
monuments to the transformation of the nation from a colonial outpost to a prosperous society. For
millions of people, lighthouses were the first sign of civilization after a long sea voyage to a new home.
For others, they are grim reminders of the sea’s dangers. Modern technology has made many
lighthouses redundant, but the buildings still evoke a special passion. They remind us of a time when
whips ruled the world.
Lights for navigation have existed for more than 3,000 years. Their purpose has been to show
ships where they are and to guide them into safe harbours or to warn them of rocks and reefs that
could destroy them. Although preventing loss of life has always been a consideration, it is the
preservation of ships and cargoes that has been the real driving force behind lighthouse construction.
Lighthouses evolved from a fire on a hilltop to towers engineered to withstand any force the
sea could deliver, with beams of light that could be seen for 50km. they reached their zenith during the
first half of the twentieth century but by the end of the same century their future had become
uncertain. Today satellite navigation technology is taking the place of the lighthouse as the safe,
economic and reliable way to navigate the oceans of the world.
The first primitive lights were fires in bronze baskets and were used along the Nile delta as
early as 1000 BC. The oldest surviving lighthouse is the Tower of Hercules that stands on a hill on the
north west coast of Spain. Built around 29 BC by the Romans, it served as a lighthouse until the fifth
century AD when it was abandoned as the Romans left the area. It was relit by the Spanish in 1682 and
has been in service ever since.
Italy’s best-known lighthouse is in Genoa. Built during the 12th century, it was demolished in
1544 and rebuilt as a two-section brick tower. In 1449 one of the keepers was Antonio Columbus,
uncle of the more famous Christopher. The light at Meloria, also in Italy and built in 1157, was the first
rock or wave-washed lighthouse. Although it no longer exists, it was the forerunner to the many
famous rock lighthouses of Brittany in France and of Great Britain.
The next challenge in lighthouse construction was to find a way to build towers in shallow
waters on a sandy seabed. This was achieved with the development of pile lighthouses, made from
either wood or iron with the piles being driven into the seabed. The first tower of this type was built in
1841 at the mouth of London’s Thames River. But it was USA which became the largest user of this
type of lighthouse.
Accurate marine charts are now available for literally the whole of the earth’s watery surface.
These charts have also been computerized and in conjunction with GPS can display the exact position
of a ship on the screen. When connected to the controls of the ship it even allows the ship to be sailed
on automatic pilot over any predetermined course in any kind of weather. The future is here.
Questions from 1 – 7
Complete the sentences below with words taken from the reading passage. Use NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
1. For people at sea, lighthouses are a welcome sight but also remind them of the sea’s dangers.
2. The real reason for constructing lighthouses is to protect …………………
3. These days lighthouses are being replaced by …………………
4. The oldest lighthouse still in operation is in …………………
5. One of the former keepers of the lighthouse in Genoa was …………………
6. The pile lighthouse was developed for construction on …………………
IELTS A - READING
7. Today’s navigational systems rely on GPS and …………………
PRACTICE 3
DEFORESTATION AND DESERTIFICATION
The Sahel zone lies between the Sahara desert and the fertile savannahs of northern
Nigeria and southern Sudan. The word sahel comes from Arabic and mean marginal or
transitional, and this is a good description of these semi-arid lands, which occupy much of the
West Africa countries of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad.
Unfortunately, over the last century the Sahara desert has steadily crept southwards eating
into once productive Sahel lands. United Nations surveys show that over 70 per cent of the dry land
in agricultural use in Africa has deteriorated over the last 30 years. Droughts have become more
prolonged and more severe, the most recent lasting over twenty years in parts of the Sahel region.
The same process of desertification is taking place across southern Africa as the Kalahari desert
advances into Botswana and parts of South Africa.
One of the major causes of this desert advance is poor agricultural land use, driven by the
pressures of increasing population. Overgrazing – keeping too many farm animals on the land –
means that grasses and other plants cannot recover, and scarce water supplies are exhausted.
Overcultivation – trying to grow too many crops on poor land – results in the soil becoming even
less fertile and drier, and beginning to break up. Soil erosion follows, and the land turns into desert.
Another cause of desertification is loss of tree cover. Trees are cut down for use as fuel and
to clear land for agricultural use. Tree roots help to bind the soil together, to conserve moisture,
and to provide a habitat for other plants and animals. When trees are cut down, the soil begins to
dry and loosen, wind and rain erosion increase, other plant species die, and eventually the fertile
topsoil may be almost entirely lost, leaving only bare rock and dust.
The effects of loss of topsoil and increased drought are irreversible. They are, however,
preventable. Careful conservation of tree cover and sustainable agricultural land use has been
shown to halt deterioration of soils and lessen the effect of shortage of rainfall. One project in Kita
in south-west Mali funded by the UNDP has involved local communities in sustainable management
of forest, while at the same time providing a viable agricultural economy based on the production
of soaps, bee-keeping, and marketing shea nuts. This may be a model for similar projects in other
West African countries.
MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
1. The climate of the Sahel is described as …………

2. In some areas of the Sahel, there has been no rainfall for more than …………
3. Desertification is caused by overgrazing, but this in turn is due to the pressure from …………
4. When trees are cut down, the soil is affected, which leads to the death of the surrounding
…………
5. The consequences of the loss of topsoil cannot be reversed, but they are …………
6. Looking after trees reduces the consequences of a lack of …………
IELTS A - READING
VOCABULARY
Exercise 1
The following are some words and phrases, some of which are taken from the text that
follows. Decide which word or phrase should go in each gap and then write the letter in the
space provided. Note that there are more words and phrases than gaps. The suggested
time for completing this exercise is 8 minutes.
A. Standardize B. Units C. Basic unit
D. The human body E. The length F. The mile
G. The Equator H. Measuring instruments I. The width
J. Early measurements K. Diameter L. The distance from
M. One metre N. The inch O. Approximate
P. Country Q. Weight R. Standard of measurement
S. constant
STANDARDS OF MEASUREMENT
In early times, measurements were made by comparing things with parts of (example).
Early units of measurement included the distance from the elbow to the fingers, the width of the
hand and …(1)… of the fingers.
Some of these human measurements are still used. For examples, …(2)… is based on the
length of half the thumb. A foot was originally …(3)… of a man’s foot. A mile was one thousand
walking steps.
These units were only …(4)…, because their standard – the human body – was not constant.
Governments tried to …(5)… them by using rods of fixed lengths. But theses rods still varied from
…(6)… to country.
During the French Revolution, scientists looked for a …(7)… which did not change. They
chose the distance from …(8)… to the North Pole, which is one quarter of the circumference of the
Earth. One tem-millionth of this was called …(9)…
Example: D
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

IELTS A - READING
Exercise 2
A. Carbon dioxide B. Prevent C. Back
D. Fossil fuel E. Some climatic changes F. Only a small part
G. Result H. Temperature I. Transport
J. Leaving K. Make way for L. Air pollution
M. Sunlight N. In the atmosphere O. Happening
P. Balance Q. Poles R. Radiation level
S. Dust level
THE FUNCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE
Every year there are changes in climate in different parts of the world. Some of these
changes are due to natural causes. However, (example) are caused by air pollution and these
changes may increase. One kind of pollution results from burning oil and coal in ...(1)… and in
factories.
If the pollution affects the level of …(2)… in the atmosphere, the results are likely to be
serious. Carbon dioxide constitutes …(3)… of the atmosphere. But it has an important function in
maintaining the balance between radiation from the sun entering the atmosphere and radiation
…(4)… the Earth. Some of the radiation is absorbed by the earth and some is radiated back into the
atmosphere. The carbon dioxide …(5)… prevents some of the radiation from leaving the
atmosphere. Thus the heat remains in the atmosphere and carbon dioxide helps to …(6)… the
temperature of the earth from falling.
If the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increased as a …(7)… of air
pollution, the temperature of the atmosphere may rise. This might eventually cause the ice in the
north and the south …(8)… to melt. If this happened, the sea level would rise and parts of the earth
would be flooded. The likelihood of this …(9)… is remote, but the possibility exists.
There is also a fairly strong possibility that the …(10)… in the atmosphere will rise as a
result of industrial pollution. This dust pollution will reflect sunlight …(11)… into space. If this
happens, less sunlight will reach the earth and the temperature will fall.
Another danger comes from the destruction of the earth’s vegetation, such as the forests
of Brazil, which are being cleared to …(12)… farmland and cities. Trees use carbon dioxide and their
destruction may upset the …(13)… of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

IELTS A - READING
Example: E
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
Exercise 3
Read this text about development in adolescence. Then complete the following
sentences with words from the text.
The final stage before adulthood is adolescence. This is a period of transition for teenagers and
there are many crucial milestones. Socially and emotionally, teens worry that they may not be
developing at the same rate as their peers. They become extremely self-conscious and may be overly
sensitive about their appearance. Teens may rebel against their parents but are also more able to
accept the consequences of their actions.
This is also a period of enormous physical change and adolescents experience changes in their
physical development at a rate unparalleled since infancy. These changes include significant gains in
height and weight. Within a year, boys and girls can gain an average of 4.1 inches and 3.5 inches in
height respectively. This growth spurt typically occurs two years earlier for girls than for boys and can
tend to make both sexes go through a clumsy phase. In terms of their cognitive development,
adolescents have greater reasoning skills and have developed the ability to think logically and
hypothetically. They are also able to discuss more abstract concepts. They should also have developed
strategies to help them study.
1. First-year students often struggle with the............ from high school to university. 
transition
2. The ............ at which a change occurs can cause problems for both the very young and the
elderly.
3. It can be less stressful to make a presentation to your............ rather than to your
teachers.
4. The increase in violence among young people may be a .............. of watching too much
violence on TV and in video games.
5. Petrol prices are increasing at a speed that is ............ since the oil crisis of the 70s.
6. Teenagers ............ rebel against their parents between the ages of 14 and 16.
7. In part three of the speaking test you are expected to be able to talk about more ……………
topics.
8. Infinity is a very difficult ............ for children to grasp.
IELTS A - READING
HOMEWORK
Exercise 1
The greatest of Victorian engineers
A In the hundred years up to 1860, the work of a small group of construction engineers
carried forward the enormous social and economic change that we associate with the
Industrial Revolution in Britain. The most important of these engineers was Isambard
Kingdom Brunel, whose work in shipping, bridge-building, and railway construction to name
just three fields, both challenged and motivated his colleagues. He was the driving force
behind a number of hugely ambitious projects, some of which resulted in works which are
still in use today.
B The son of an engineer, Brunel apprenticed with his father at an early age on the building of
the Thames Tunnel. At the age of just twenty, he became engineer in charge of the project.
This impressive plan to bore under the Thames twice suffered two major disasters when the
river broke through into the tunnel. When the second breach occurred in 1827, Brunel was
seriously injured during rescue operations and further work was halted.
C While recovering from his injuries, Brunel entered a design competition for a new bridge
over the Avon Gorge near Clifton. The original judge of the competition was Thomas
Telford, a leading civil engineer of his day, who rejected all entries to the competition in
favour of his own design. After considerable scandal, a second contest was held and
Brunel’s design was accepted. For reasons of funding, however, exacerbated by social
unrest in Bristol, the project was abandoned in 1843 with only the towers completed. After
Brunel’s death, it was decided to begin work on it again, partly so that the bridge could form
a fitting memorial to the great engineer. The entire structure was finally completed in 1864.
Today, the well-known Clifton Suspension Bridge is a symbol of Bristol, just as the Opera
House is of Sydney. Originally intended only for horse-drawn traffic, the bridge now bears
over four million motor vehicles a year.
Questions 1 – 7
Complete each of the following statements with the best ending A – H from the box below.
1. Thomas Telford … A. symbolizes Sydney.

2. Scandal about the result of the first B. were the only parts of the bridge
competition … completed during Brunel’s lifetime
3. Brunel’s design for the bridge … C. was an important civil engineer.
4. Funding problems … D. meant the completion of the bridge was
5. The towers … delayed.
6. Work on the bridge … E. is a symbol of Bristol.
7. The Clifton Suspension Bridge … F. was recommended as a suitable
memorial to Brunel.
G. was chosen in the second competition.
H. led to a second contest to design the
bridge.
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IELTS A - READING
Exercise 2
A It's hard to defend yourself against dust. Attack it, and it scatters and escapes you,
but the moment your guard is down it silently returns - on lampshades and bookshelves, in
corners and under beds. And that's just in your home. Imagine having to look after a larger
place, somewhere packed with delicate objects, with tens of thousands of people passing
through each year. So serious is the fight against dust that those responsible for running
museums, art galleries and historic buildings have realized it can only be won by making it
the subject of systematic research.
B Cleaning exhibits in museums and historic buildings takes a lot of time and money.
But a more serious problem is that the process of removing dust can sometimes cause
damage. Morten RyhlSvendsen of the National Museum of Denmark's analytical lab in
Copenhagen is studying dust deposition on 1000-year-old Viking ships on display at a
museum in Roskilde. 'Everytime the ships are cleaned, some bits break off, ' he says.
‘Though some fragments can be retrieved from the vacuum cleaner bag and replaced,
cleaning is clearly accelerating the exhibits’ decay. And no matter how small the breakage,
each represents the disappearance of some information about the objects,’ RyhlSvendsen
says.
C Several studies have Ьееn launched in the past few years, attempting to put the
study of dust on a scientific footing. Researchers have been investigating where it comes
from, and the best way of keeping it under control. 'The conventional view is that dust
comes from outside the building,' says Peter Brimblecombe, an atmospheric chemist and
dust expert at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK. He is involved in a study at
London’s Tate Gallery which is beginning to overturn that idea. In the study, microscope
slides were placed on top of the frames of several paintings and left there for seven days.
Some were in older galleries, where ventilation was mainly through open doors and
windows; others were in newer areas where the air within the room was continually
recirculated by air conditioners. The amount of dust that had collected was measured and
analysed, and it was found that the air-conditioned areas still had considerable amounts of
dust.
D Ryhl-Svendsen and a colleague used a similar technique to study the dust on the
Viking ships in Roskilde. They positioned sticky patches at various locations in and around
the open ships. When they analysed the dust they had collected, they discovered a toxic
plasticizer believed to come from floor tiles elsewhere in the museum, together with textile
fibres, skin flakes and hair.
E Both studies indicated the same culprits: people like you and me visiting the
exhibitions. Where there were large numbers, dust levels were high. And the objects that
visitors got nearest to were the ones that were most densely shrouded in fluff. Skin flakes
and strands of hair contribute to the problem, but the biggest menace turns out to be
clothes. We are surrounded by an invisible cloud of fibres coming from the things we wear –
woolen sweaters, coats, scarves and so on. In the case of the Viking ships, a noticeable
proportion of the fibres were thin strands of blue denim from visitors' jeans.
F So what is the answer? The electronics and pharmaceutical industries have already
developed sophisticated devices such as air showers to clean anyone who sets foot inside
their premises. They're effective, but not exactly what a tourist might expect on a visit to a
historical building.
G It turns out that much of the dust causing the problem is shed from our clothes
11
IELTS A - READING
between the shoulders and the waist. Dust kicked up by feet is heavier and usually falls back
to the ground. So clear plastic barriers up to shoulder level could cut out a good deal of the
dustiness, say the researchers.
H They also discovered that the more vigorously people move, the more fibres their
clothes shed, which suggests there might be some benefit in changing the way visitors are
directed past exhibits. People tend to be most active at the beginning of their visit –
adjusting rucksacks, taking off jackets and coats – so the most precious exhibits should be
displayed last. This would have the added advantage, from a conservation point of view,
that visitors will be getting tired by then and may spend less time admiring the exhibits. And
no twists and turns, advises Brimblecombe: 'Design routes so people don't turn corners
sharply or walk back and forth.'
I Brimblecombe has also found that for each additional metre people are kept back
from furniture or pictures, the quantity of dust they deposit is halved. At least two metres
should separate a piece of antique furniture, for example, from a visitor's woolen jacket. It
seems that the best way to protect museums and their contents for future generations to
enjoy is to keep the current generation as far away as possible.
Question 1 – 9
Complete the sentences below with words taken from the Reading Passage. Use NO
1. The authorities are aware that ......... is needed to solve the problem of dust in buildings
containing historical items.
2. Keeping historical items clean is difficult because of the time, expense and potential
………… that is involved.
3. Small pieces broken from ancient ........... exhibited in Roskilde have later been rescued
from vacuum cleaner bags.
4. Ryhl-Svendsen says that even small breakages are serious as they mean .......... is lost.
5. Brimblecombe's research at London's Tate Gallery does not support the idea that dust
enters the building from …………
6. Brimblecombe and Ryhl-Svendsen used microscope slides ........... and to collect dust
samples for analysis.
7. Their research findings suggest that levels of dust depend both on visitor ...........and on
their closeness to the exhibits.
8. The researchers found that the most serious threat came from the .......... of visitors.
9. It was found that a significant component of the dust on the Viking ships consisted of
………… from visitors' jeans.
Questions 10 – 13
Choose FOUR letters A – H. Which FOUR of the solutions below are recommended by
the researchers to prevent exhibits from being damaged?
A. wide space between people and exhibits

B. restrictions on visitor numbers
12
IELTS A - READING
C. location of most valuable exhibits at end of route

D. no rucksacks in exhibition rooms
E. visitors use air showers before entry
F. transparent walls between visitors and exhibits
G. no sudden changes of direction for visitors
H. coats and jackets to be left at entrance
Exercise 3
BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
When addressing the issue of global access to information technology, some people claim that
the world's poor are more concerned about having enough to eat than about using e-mail or
surfing the World Wide Web.
A In what concrete ways can information and communication technologies (ICTs) benefit the
two –thirds of humanity who are more concerned about their next meal than about e-mail or
eBay?
B First, there are the economic advantages of these technologies. Besides providing business
with the opportunity to access real-time market information and complete business
transactions electronically, ICTs can reduce costs and provide a channel to market goods and
services. One small company from Tanzania replaced $20 faxes with 10 cent e-mails and saw
its telecommunications bill go from over $500 per month to $45 per month. In the business-
to-consumer segment you will find examples like EthioGift.com which sells gifts, including
sheep and goats, over the Internet. And in India, which is fast becoming a global centre for
telemarketing, customer support and other call centre services, ICTs are transforming the
economy. With the legalization of Internet telephony, India has captured an even bigger
chunk of the global outsourcing market, with calls from the US accounting for 80 per cent of
call centre business. Schools are even training young men and women to speak in an
American accent in order to handle the calls.
C Health services also benefit from ICTs .Using the Internet, doctors in poor countries can keep
up to speed with the latest developments in their field as well as see help from their peers.
This technology can also facilitate the control of diseases. Throughout Africa, for instance,
individual cases of meningitis are tracked over the Internet so that epidemics can be stopped
early. In addition, ICTs can assist in allowing health care professionals to extend their reach
through telemedicine into the remotest and most underserved areas.
D ICTs can make it easier to reach a broad segment of the population in education too. The
African Virtual University is a distance learning project which is partly financed by the World
Bank, and which serves the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The Virtual University uses
satellites to broadcast televised courses to students who communicate with teachers by e-
mail and telephone.
E Finally, we come to what has been dubbed 'e-government'. E-government initiatives focus on
making government transparent and accountable by providing citizens with direct access to
information. Critics might argue that when you're being stalked by war, hunger and disease,
this may not be a priority. But e-government is about more than just the ability to pay your
taxes online or apply for a driving licence over the Internet. It is about giving citizens access to
information which allows them to make informed decisions on subjects that affect their lives.
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IELTS A - READING
F But how can those people who need ICT capabilities most, be best helped to bridge the
Digital Divide? Throwing computers and modems at people (as someone colourfully put it)
will not in itself help much. Other important issues that need to be addressed include
improving computer and keyboarding skills and increasing people's confidence in their ability
to use the new technology.
G A good example of how this can be done is the Information Village Project, a computer
intranet linking ten villages near Pondicherry, India. The project, started with a $120,000
grant from the International Development Research Centre, Canada, provides locally relevant
information on product prices, healthcare, weather and fishing conditions. A team of
volunteers from each village gathers up the information and feed it into the computer in the
local language (Tamil). It is then available to all users of the intranet. There is also a
multimedia component to make the information accessible to illiterate users. Most of the
operators and volunteers providing the primary information are women, and their role in the
project raises their status in the community. Since most of the villages experience erratic
power supply, the project can run on solar power as well as mains electricity.
H Another Indian creation, the Simputer (short for Simple, Inexpensive, Multilingual computer)
was conceived by a team of computer scientists at the Indian Institute of Science in
Bangalore. It is a small, hand-held, battery-powered computer about 12 cm by 7cm that has a
touch-sensitive screen. You use a stylus to tap on icons and to input information. Because
each display page shows only a few possible commands, even illiterate users should be able
to learn by trial and error the purpose of the icons and buttons on each page. The Simputer
also has software that can turn text into speech. This works for various Indian languages and
allows the Simputer to read the text aloud on its tiny built-in speakers. It also has a slot for
'smart' cards, a feature that its makers see as crucial. Because the device lacks a hard drive,
smart cards act as the device's portable storage units. In this way, many people can use one
Simputer without having to share their private information with one another. The Simputer
costs $200 a sizable chunk of the yearly per capita income for many of its users. But one
Simputer can enable an entire village to access the Internet, perform transactions, keep track
of agricultural prices and educate its children.
I So bridging the Digital Divide is not something that happens after addressing the 'core'
development challenges; it is a key component of addressing those challenges in the 21st
century. Failure to address the Digital Divide will only exacerbate the existing social and
economic inequalities between countries and communities.
Questions 1 -5
Complete the sentences below with words taken from the Reading Passage. Use NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
1. The example of the Tanzanian company’s telecommunication bill demonstrates how

information and communication technology can cut ………………
2. In Africa, use of the Internet enables............... of diseases such as meningitis to be
controlled.
3. An international organization has subsidized a ................ scheme in Africa which depends
on ICTs.
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IELTS A - READING
4. E-government provides people with a source of ................ so they can make their own
choices in life.
5. In order to allow global use of ICTs, people need to have the skill and .............. to use
this technology.
Questions 6 – 11
Classify the following features according to whether they apply to
A. The Information Village Project only

B. The Simputer only
C. Both the Information Village Project and the Simputer
D. Neither the Information Village Project nor the Simputer
6. Use of the technology is not limited to individuals

7. Information can be kept secure and private by individual users
8. Must have a mains electricity supply
9. Initially supported by an overseas agency
10. Can only be used by people who can read and write
11. Knowledge of English not required
Questions 12 – 14
Choose the best answer A, B, C or D.
12. What reason is given for the increasing importance of call centres to the Indian economy?
A. The availability of workers with the right accent
B. A change in the legal system
C. Local familiarity with outsourcing techniques
D. The country’s geographical position
13. The writer says that in both health and education
A. More training is needed in the use of ICTs
B. International organizations need to provide more support with ICTs
C. Ordinary people are gaining more skill in the use of ICTs
D. ICTs can help to provide services to more people than before
14. Overall the writer’s claim argument in this passage is that
A. ICT access is a basic need for a fairer world.
B. The digital divide is the cause of our present inequalities
C. The developed world should do more to provide ICT training
D. The digital divide may never be successfully bridged
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IELTS A - READING
UNIT 2
TABLE COMPLETION
INTRODUCTION
TASK DESCRIPTION
In this sort of task, you have to complete a table by choosing correct words from the passage.
TASK APPROACH
Study the instructions and the table. Read any headings and make sure you understand the
organization.
Notice what kind of information is needed.
Scan the text until you find the first key topic. Highlight it and read the information
Make sure you use words from the passage in your answers.
PRACTICE
Practice 1
THE FUTURE OF ENERGY SOURCES
A The future for petroleum use at the moment looks rather uncertain, despite enjoying the
major benefit if a very advanced infrastructure already in place. The downsides from the
environmental point of view are patently obvious: harm to public health through carbon
dioxide emissions in exhaust fumes, which are linked to respiratory problems, and to precious
ecosystems from oil spills and seepage. But the most significant weakness is that oil is a finite
resource.
B The picture for natural gas is similarly mixed. While its main strength lies in its being a
relatively clean fuel involving little processing and being easily transportable via pipelines,
natural gas requires compression or low temperatures if it is to be used for cars or other
vehicles. Thus, it has not previously been a serious contender to provide private
transportation. There are now signs, however, that this obstacle may have been overcome.
C Yet there is another problem with natural gas. It may produce less carbon dioxide than other
fossil fuels, but the major stumbling block to its use is that the methane released lives for a
long time in the atmosphere. In addition, as it is a non-renewable energy source like
petroleum, in coming years natural gas will not be in use. But in the short term at least, the
situation looks rosy.
D Ethanol, despite the drawback of a dearth of commercial outlets, heralds a new dawn for the
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IELTS A - READING
energy market. But, before we consider ethanol in depth, let us look at hydrogen. It is perhaps
the most attractive of all renewable fuels. Its greatest appeal is that it Is readily available
everywhere in the form of water (H2O). Solar energy is used to split the water into hydrogen
and oxygen and then recombine it, with water being the waste by-product in the form of
steam in vehicles. Perhaps its main drawback is marking the hydrogen production units small
enough to fit cars. But once this happens, the future of hydrogen is bright indeed.
Decide which of the following words are associated with advantage and which
with disadvantage?
Downside
Benefit
Drawback
Stumbling block
Problem
Upside
Plus
Handicap
Look at the headings at the top and side of the table. Which headings give you the topic of
the passage? Which help you with the organization? Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
from the text above to complete the table.
Types of fuel Main advantage Main disadvantage Future

Petroleum Very advance …(1)… Uncertain
infrastructure
Natural Gas Relatively clean Produces …(2)… …(3)…
Ethanol None given Lack of …(4)… Signals a …(5)…
Hydrogen …(6)… Hydrogen production …(7)…
units for cars not small
enough
Practice 2
THE ECOLOGY OF HOLLYWOOD
1 Los Angeles is an unlikely city. Built over a major seismic fault, on the edge of one of the
world’s most inhospitable deserts, the city has developed like the extension of a Hollywood
movie set, a sprawling urban fantasy which many people feel should not really exist.
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IELTS A - READING
Scientists have estimated that the land and water in the area could naturally support 200,000
people, not the 15 million that live there.
2 Since the 1880s, Los Angeles has been transformed from a sleepy cattle town with a
population of 4,000, to a seething metropolis that now accounts for nearly one per cent of
global greenhouse emissions. It is the car culture par excellence, with nine million cars
contributing to the ubiquitous smog and air pollution and 40 per cent of the population
suffering from respiratory problems due to vehicle emissions. Surprisingly, LA is now
becoming the forum for some of the most progressive environmental thought in the USA.
3 The city is full of contradictions. Often regarded as the apotheosis of consumerism and
material extravagance, it is seen as the essence of anti-nature. Paradoxically, people often
move to Los Angeles because of nature; attracted by its climate, the snow-capped mountains,
the ocean and the beaches. The movie industry came here because of the clarity of the light,
the 270 days of sunshine per year and the diversity of location close by.
4 The fantasy has always depended on one fundamental resource – water. No metropolis on
the planet has looked farther afield for its supply than LA has, and the fact that there are “no
more rivers to bring to the desert” is a cause of much concern. The natural water table was
exhausted after four decades in the 1890s. In 1913, when the controversial Los Angeles
Aqueduct was first opened, diverting water over 350 kilometres from Owens Valley, chief
engineer William Mulholland proclaimed that it would supply Hollywood’s lawns and
swimming pools forever.
5 Within ten years, the city needed more. In 1940, the aqueduct was extended 168 kilometres
north to Mono Lake, while the following year southern California was able to tap into Arizona
via the Colorado River Aqueduct. However, neither supply has been without problems. In
1964, the US Supreme Court settled in favour of Arizona’s claim to supply from the Colorado
River, and LA’s entitlement was reduced by about 50 per cent. And in the 90s, with the water
level in Mono Lake falling to dangerously low levels, LA was ordered to reduce its water
intake from this source as well. The city is also dependent on the State Water Project, which
brings more than a trillion gallons of water per year along the 720-kilometre Californian
Aqueduct, supplying irrigation systems for the vast agricultural base of the San Joaquin
Valley. This effectively removes half the water that would otherwise flow into the San
Francisco Bay area, altering the flow of fresh and saltwater in the Sacramento Delta, with
inevitably harmful consequences for fish and wildlife.
6 Almost a third of the water feeding Los Angeles is now obtained by extraction from
underground aquifers. However, a combination of illegal dumping, run-off from commercial
fertilizers and leakage from garbage landfills has left some 40 per cent of the wells in
southern California contaminated above federal limits. To compound the problem, half of the
considerable winter rainfall, which would permeate the soil and recharge the aquifers, is
swallowed by concrete drainage systems and diverted into the Pacific. Since intensive farming
methods require around 200,000 litres of water to produce what an average Californian eats
in a day, the issue of water supply is never far away. Desperation has led to some ambitious
proposals, ranging from a plastic pipeline from Alaska to towing icebergs from Antarctica.
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IELTS A - READING
7 What few Angelinos are aware of today is that the city is actually built on a river. The so-
called LA river, which stretches 92 kilometres from the Valley down Long Beach, passing
through Hollywood studios and Chinatown, is the central natural feature of the city. At one
time, it was shaded by sycamores, oaks and willows. However, as the city was paved over, the
winter floods created a threat to economic expansion and, in the 1930s, work began to erase
the river altogether. “The Army Corps of Engineers built a concrete trough, put the river
inside it and fenced it off with barbed wire,” explains Jennifer Price, an environmental writer.
“The river became the ultimate symbol of LA’s destruction of nature.”
8 Inevitably, the concrete flood – control system had disastrous ecological consequences,
destroying wetland areas which provided an important staging area for migratory birds on
the Great Pacific Flyway. The empty concrete channel is now used as an area for training
municipal bus drivers to turn around, and it has been suggested that it be used as a freeway
during the dry season. Fittingly, it is best known today as the location for Hollywood car
chases.
9 However, plans are now underway to restore the river, recreate wetland area to attract birds,
and establish nature walks, cycle paths and equestrian trails. Led by the Friends of the LA
River, a pressure group formed by poet and filmmaker Lewis McAdams, the project has pulled
people together from government agencies, environmental groups and neighborhood
associations, all working together in what is being seen as a symbolic attempt to heal the split
between the population and the landscape of the city.
10 Being a prime example of nature’s confluence with human culture, Los Angeles clearly
provides the perfect platform to examine this interaction and make progress towards a
sustainable urban environment. “If we actually rethought how to retain the water that falls
from the sky, we wouldn’t be so dependent on water sources hundreds of miles away,” says
Price. Various initiatives have now been implemented in this vein: a huge waste-water
recycling plant has been built in Santa Monica while environmental groups like The Tree
People are redesigning drainage systems to collect run-off rainwater from buildings, and
redirect it into underground aquifers.
11 There is a feeling of optimism about the future of nature in a city which has always been
regarded as being in fundamental opposition to it, leading to a more integrated vision of
environmentalism in the 21th century. Those involved with the restoration of LA rivers see it
as not only important for ecological sustainability and a way of linking disparate communities
but also as being of tremendous significance symbolically. “There is a feeling that if you can
fix the LA river, you can fix the city,” believes Price. “And if you can fix this city, it seems
possible that you can fix any city.”
Questions 1 – 4
Complete the table by filling in the missing information or writing “not given”.
The table below summarises information about four methods of obtaining water in California.
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IELTS A - READING
Project Los Angeles Extension to Los Colorado River Californian

Aqueduct Angeles Aqueduct Aqueduct
Aqueduct
Year completed 1913 1940 …(1)… Not given
Length …(2)… 168km …(3)… 720km
Source Owens Valley …(4)… Colorado River Not given
Questions 5 – 10
Classify the following methods of obtaining water according to the problem(s) connected with them.
Method of Problem List of problems

obtaining water
Los Angeles …(5)… A. Too much water has been taken from this
Aqueduct source.
Extension to Los …(6)… …(7)… B. Taking water from this source has had
Angeles Aqueduct adverse effects on the environment.
Colorado River …(8)… C. The supply from this source proved

Aqueduct inadequate.
Californian …(9)… D. Much of the water from this source is

Aqueduct impure.
Extraction …(10)… E. The amount of water which can be drawn

from this source is now restricted.
Questions 11 – 16
Complete each of the following statements with one of the phrases A – J from the box below
11. Los Angeles is described as an unlikely city because of its

12. Many LA citizens have health problems caused by
13. LA is unique in the distances from which it brings its
14. Farms in the San Joaquim Valley benefit greatly from
15. The water shortage could ne believed by utilizing more
16. The LA river was destroyed in the interests of the city’s
LIST OF PHRASES
A. Water supply F. Drainage systems
B. Trade and industry G. Winter rainfall
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IELTS A - READING
C. Global warming H. Unpromising location

D. The good weather I. Irrigation systems
E. Saltwater J. Exhaust fumes
Questions 17 – 20
The list below gives some of the developments planned for, or recently introduced in, Los
Angeles. Which FOUR of these developments are mentioned by the writer of the text?
The four developments are:

17. …………….
18. …………….
19. …………….
20. …………….
A. Recycling solid waste

B. Creating paths for walkers and horse riders
C. Collecting and storing rainwater
D. Converting the river bed into a freeway
E. Forming government agencies
F. Allowing the LA river to flow again
G. Providing suitable habitats for birds
H. Planting a variety of trees
Practice 3
FACE
By Daniel McNeil
A We rely on facial signals constantly, yet we cannot define them. We are reading a language
we cannot articulate and may not consciously notice. Good face-reading can provide an
insight into a person’s true feelings. As always, real skill demands practice but anyone can
learn a few basics.
B We have twenty-two facial muscles on each side, more than any animal on earth. in
common with most muscles, they anchor in bone. Unlike most, they attach to skin, making
the face more mobile than the skin on other parts of the body. These muscles form a
complex skein, as shown in Figure 1, but some stand out in particular. The zygomatic
major is the smile-maker. It runs across the cheek to the corner of the mouth, which it
pulls upwards. The corrugator knits the eyebrows together, causing vertical furrows in
between. Most pleasant expressions involve the zygomatic major, most
unpleasant ones the
corrugator.
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IELTS A - READING
C Other muscles also play important roles. The busiest is the frontalis, the curtain-like
muscle of the forehead, which causes the eyebrows to rise in expressions of fear or for
emphasis. Its opposite number, the procerus, causes the eyebrows to descend in
sadness. When the mouth is retracted horizontally in fear, we employ the risorius.
These signals emerge in infancy and on a reliable timetable. The smile and surprise
appear at birth, disgust and distress (sadness) between zero and three months, the
‘social smile’ at one and a half to
three months, anger at three to seven months, and fear at five to nine months.
D Anger is a dark look of concentration. The eyebrows descend and the lips tighten. An angry
face is a warning. Fear has almost the opposite characteristics. The eyes widen and the
eyebrows rise. Surprise resembles fear and often precedes it. Both the eyes and mouth fly
open and the eyebrows rise and arch. Disgust centres on the nose, not otherwise a very
expressive facial feature. It may partly turn up, wrinkle and contract, as when we sense a
bad smell.
E What about telling lies? On the whole we are not very good at detecting lies. Even
individuals one would expect to be skilled – judges, policemen and psychiatrists – fail here
and score only slightly above average. Prisoners spot lies fairly well, possibly because they
live in a world of deceit and must become adroit. What is the secret? In the eighteenth
century, Gottfried Leibnitz suggested that studying the face and voice could improve lie
detection – and he was right.
F First, a warning: there is no sure giveaway of a lie. Anyone who relies on a lone cue will often
be misled, so good lie-spotters seek out several. One key involves smiling. The liar shows
fewer genuine smiles and more masking or cover-up smiles and these, along with higher
vocal pitch, are the best evidence of deception. True smiles make little starburst crinkles in
the skin near the eyes; false smiles tend not to. The phoney smiles may occur too early or
too late for the context, halt instantly instead of dying away or show a slight asymmetry.
G Honest expressions do not linger. Any expressions that are more than ten seconds long, and
most that last longer than five, are probably fake. Intense displays – rage, ecstasy,
depression – are exceptions, but even they usually appear as a series of short bursts.
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IELTS A - READING
Surprise is especially brief. It always lasts less than a second; if it goes on longer, the person
is counterfeiting. Unlike other expressions, it also begins and ends abruptly. Many people
can mimic the look of surprise, but few capture its flick-switch start and end.
H According to fold wisdom, rapid blinking is a key to lying. While this is true of some lies,
unfortunately blinking is a general response to arousal. It can signal excitement, anxiety or
other strong emotions. What about averted eyes? We do tend to look down and away out of
guilt or shame – as we look straight down with sadness and to the side with disgust. But the
eye gaze is an unreliable clue. Liars know some people rely on it and exploit the fact.
Curiously, probing for truth can actually blind us to lies. When pressed, some liars increase
eye contact and facial animation, convincing questioners of their honesty.
I One secret of facial truth, known to few people, is the micro expression. For an instant or
two, the face flashes the emotion it is hiding. Unstrained people rarely notice micro
expressions, although they spot them on slow-motion videotape. But clinicians detect them
readily, and most individuals can learn to recognize them with an hour of training. While the
micro is fairly rare, a messier phenomenon, known as the squelch, is much more common. A
damning expression starts to emerge, the person senses it and covers it rapidly, usually with
a smile. A squelch can occur quickly enough to hide the underlying emotion, but it usually
lasts longer than the micro, and even when we cannot see the emotion, we often sense the
squelch itself.
J Scientists have now identified six basic expressions – enjoyment, anger, fear, surprise,
disgust and sadness. By ‘basic expressions’, scientists mean expressions that people all over
the world can identify from photographs. Movement signals, like those of the eyes, are more
difficult to study and have tended to elude research. Even so, numerous expressions spin off
from the basic models. Some are matters of degree, like annoyance, which is mild anger.
Others are fusions, like contemptuous enjoyment.
K Practice enhances face-reading, and a person may attain varying levels of success with it. But
there is one sure path to error: the pseudo-science called physiognomy, which purports to
divine character from large chins, long noses and the alike. No evidence supports it, modern
experts laugh at it. So watch the play of expressions on the face, not the structure. It is a lot
more interesting.
Questions 1 – 5
Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
1. How does facial skin differ from other human skin? ……………………………………
2. Which TWO facial muscles are employed when we are afraid? …………………………………
3. When can human beings first show an expression of happiness? ……………………………………
4. Which part of the face has a limited role as an indicator of mood? ……………………………………
5. Which subject did Gottfried Leibnitz have an important insight into?
……………………………………..
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IELTS A - READING
Questions 6 – 10
Complete the table below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Sadness Fear Anger Surprise

Eyebrows …(6)… Rise Descend …(7)…
Mouth/lips …(8)… …(9)… Open
Eyes Look …(10)… Widen Open
Questions 11 – 13
Which THREE of the following signals are considered to be unreliable as signs of lying?
A. Cover-up smiles
B. Higher vocal pitch
C. Rapid blinking
D. Averted eyes
E. Intense displays of emotion
F. Facial animation
11. …………………
12. …………………
13. …………………
Questions 14 – 16
Choose the appropriate letter A – D to answer the following questions.
14. One way in which an expression of surprise differs from other emotions is that …
A. It often appears in short bursts.
B. It disappears suddenly.
C. It lasts a short time.
D. It is easy to imitate.
15. What do micro expressions and squelches have in common?
A. They are both equally difficult to detect.
B. They are both unusual occurrences.
C. They are both connected with concealing an emotion.
D. They are both the subject of current research.
16. Which aspect of the subject have scientists not yet been able to study in detail?
A. Face-reading
B. Physiognomy
C. Basic expressions
D. Movement signals
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IELTS A - READING
VOCABULARY
Exercise 1
A. Into the blood B. For example
C. Digests protein D. The function of the brain
E. The circulatory system F. Needed for growth
G. As a support for the body H. In turn
I. Sexual activities J. A separate function
K. Consists of various glands L. Which includes the skin
M. Connective tissue N. To support the body
O. Known as hormones P. Storing glycogen
Q. So small that R. Holds together
S. Covered with a thin membrane
THE PROPERTIES OF SYSTEMS IN THE HUMAN BODY
The human body is made up of a number of different systems. Each system has (example),
but some work together. One system if the skeleton, which serves …(1)… and protect the internal
organs. The respiratory system enables us to breathe and take oxygen …(2)… , which moves around
the body by means of the circulatory system. The digestive system enables us to take in food …(3)…
Waste matter is ejected from the body by means of the urinary system.
The endocrine system …(4)…, such as the thyroid, sex and adrenal glands. The function of
these glands is to secrete chemicals, …(5)…, into the blood. These hormones control various
processes in the body, such as growth, …(6)… and digestion. The nervous system controls the other
systems and enables human beings to think.
Each system is made up of organs. The lungs, …(7)…, are part of the respiratory system. The
heart is an organ in …(8)… The liver functions as part of the digestive system and other systems.
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IELTS A - READING
Every organ is composed of several kinds of tissue. Epithelial tissue, …(9)…, forms a
covering over organs. Connective tissue supports and …(10)… parts of the body and includes bone
and cartilage. Other types of tissue include nerve tissue and blood tissue.
All tissue consists of cells. These are …(11)… they are measured in thousandths of a
millimeter and can only be seen with a microscope. Each cell is …(12)… which surrounds a nucleus,
and a jelly-like substance, called cytoplasm. This …(13)… contains minute particles, each with its
own special function.
Example: J
7.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
13.
8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Exercise 2
T. Consists of U. Complex materials V. Disappear
W. The solvent X. Engine oil Y. Evaporate
Z. Finding out AA. Plastics BB. A soluble one
CC. Provided that DD. The separating process EE. Synthesis
FF. Water GG. The filter HH. At the lowest temperature
II. Separated JJ. Analytical KK. So that
LL. A solution
ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS
Two of the main procedures carried out by chemists are analysis and synthesis. Analysis is
(example) exactly what a substance consists of in terms of mixtures, compounds and elements.
Synthesis is making …(1)… from simpler ones. Such complex materials include …(2)… and ‘synthetic’
fibres.
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IELTS A - READING
In both analysis and …(3)…, it is often necessary to separate solids from liquids. Some solid
substances seem to …(4)… when they are mixed with a liquid. They dissolve to form a solution, as
when salt dissolves in …(5)… to form a salt solution. An insoluble substance can be separated from
…(6)… by filtration. The insoluble substance remains on …(7)… while the liquid, or filtrate, passes
through.
A dissolved substance, or solute, can be …(8)… from the liquid in which it is dissolved by
boiling away the solvent. This process is evaporation. Alternatively, …(9)… can be separated by
distillation. In this process, the liquid is boiled …(10)… it evaporates. The vapour is then cooled so
that it condenses again.
Two or more liquids together can be separated by fractional distillation, …(11)… they boil at
different temperatures. The liquid which boils …(12)… is separated first, then the one with the next
lowest boiling point, and so on. This process is used for separating petrol, paraffin and …(13)… from
crude oil in refineries.
Example: E
7.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
13.
8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Exercise 3
Read the text and then answer the questions.
SIGNS OF SUCCESS
Deaf people are making a profound contribution to the study of language.
Just as biologists rarely see a new species arise, linguists rarely get to discover an unknown dialect
or even better, to see a new language being born. But the past few decades have seen an
exception. Academics have been able to follow the formation of a new language in Nicaragua. The
catch is that it is not a spoken language but, rather, a sign language which arose spontaneously in
deaf children.
The thing that makes language different from other means of communication is that it is made of
units that can be combined in different ways to create different meanings. In a spoken language
these units are words; in a sign language these units are gestures. Ann Senghas, of Columbia
University, in New York, is one of the linguists who have been studying the way these have
gradually evolved in Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL).
The language emerged in the late 1970s, at a new school for deaf children. Initially, the children
were instructed by teachers who could hear. No one taught them how to sign; they simply worked
it out for themselves. By conducting experiments on people who attended the school at various
points in its history, Dr Senghas has shown how NSL has become more sophisticated over time.
For example, concepts that an older signer uses a single sign for, such as rolling and falling, have
been unpacked into separate signs by youngsters. Early users, too, did not develop a way of
distinguishing left from right. Dr Senghas showed this by asking signers of different ages to
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IELTS A - READING
converse about a set of photographs that each could see. One signer had to pick a photograph
and describe it. The other had to guess which photograph he was referring to.
When all the photographs contained the same elements, merely arranged differently, older
people, who had learned the early form of the language, could neither signal which photo they
meant, nor understand the signals of their younger partners. Nor could their younger partners
teach them the signs that indicate left and right. The older people clearly understood the concept
of left and right, they just could not express it. What intrigues the linguists is that, for a sign
language to emerge spontaneously, deaf children must have some inherent tendency to link
gestures to meaning.
Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Ann Senghas studies languages.

2. Teachers taught the Nicaraguan deaf children how to use sign language.
3. The earliest form of the sign language was very basic.
4. The older signers were able to show the difference between left and right.
5. Linguists believe that deaf children are born with the ability to link gestures to meaning.
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IELTS A - READING
HOMEWORK
Exercise 1
THE BEAUTY OF CATS

For most people, a domestic cat is s more or less beautiful, usually affectionate but rarely useful
member of the family. However, for the people who breed, show, or simply admire them, the
pefigree aristocrats of the cat world can easily become an obsession. As yet, there is a very much
smaller range in the sizes and shapes of cats compared with dogs, which is not surprising when we
consider that dogs have been selectively bred for hundreds, if not thousands, of years to develop
physical and temperamental characteristics that can be put to work for man as well admired. By
contrast, all breading of pedigree cats is for purely aesthetic reasons.
Only a few pedigree cat breeds date back beyond the late nineteenth century, and most have been
developed since the 1950s. To achieve acceptance, any new breed must be officially recognized by
the national and international organizations of ‘cat fanciers’ that regulate the breeding and
showing of pedigree cats. To date, official recognition has been given worldwide to more than 100
different breeds. A fairly small number of these are what might be called ‘natural’ breeds, with
distinctive characteristics that appeared spontaneously, and then became established in the cat
population of a particular country or region. Examples include what is popularly known as the
Persian, with its long-haired coat; the Russian Blue, with its plush grey ‘double’ coat; the Siamese,
with its slender body, long, narrow face and distinctive colouring; and the Manx cat, with either no
tail (a ‘rumpy’_ or a small stump of a tail (a ‘stumpy’).
More usually, new pedigree cat breeds are the result of meticulously planned breeding
programmes designed to establish or enhance attractive or unusual features occurring in non-
pedigree cats. Without the intervention of the cat breeder, many of these features would occur
only rarely or would have simply disappeared through natural selection. Even the so-called natural
breeds have been considerably modified over the years by professional cat breeders striving to
match or improve on the breed ‘standard’, a detailed description of the various points (length and
colour of coat, body and head shape, etc.) according to which a particular breed is judged in
competition.
The majority of cats, both wild and domestic, have fur that is of short or medium length. Long fur in
cats can occur either as the result of a ‘one-off’ genetic mutation, or through the inheritance of the
recessive gene for long hair. Long-haired cats were well-established in Persia (now Iran) and Turkey
long before the ancestors of most modern long-haired show cats were taken to Europe and
America towards the end of the nineteenth century. Today’s pedigree longhairs of Persian type
have a cobby (sturdy and rounded) body, a very luxuriant long coat, short, thick legs, a round head,
round face, very short nose, and large round, orange or blue eyes. There are separate show classes
for Persians of different colours. Also shown in their own classes are various non-Persian longhairs,
including Chinchillas, Himalayans (also called Colourpoint Longhairs), and the Turkish Van.
Short-haired pedigree cats can be divided into three main categories: the British Shorthair, the
American Shorthair, and the Foreign or Oriental Shorthair. To the ununitiated, British and American
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IELTS A - READING
Shorthairs appear to be no more than particularly fine examples of the non-pedigree family cat. The
reality is that selective breeding programes have achieved a consistency of conformation and coat
characteristics in the different pedigree lines that could never be achieved by change. Pedigree
British Shorthairs have a cobby body, a dense, plush coat of a specified colour, short legs, round
head, a somewhat short nose, and large round eyes of a designated colour. By comparison,
pedigree Ameican Shorthairs have larger and less rounded bodies, slightly longer legs, and a less
round head with a square muzzle and medium-length nose.
The third main group of pedigree cats are the Foreign or Oriental Shorthairs. Some of these breeds,
notably the Siamese, Korat, and Burmese, did indeed originate in the East, but today these terms
are used to describe any breed, of whatever origin, that displays a range of certain specified
physical characteristics. Foreign and Oriental cats have a slim, supple body, a fine, short coat, long
legs, a wedge-shaped head, long nose, large, pointed ears, and slanting eyes. Final, also included
within the pedigree short-hairs, are various miscellaneous breeds which have been developed to
satisfy a perhaps misplaced delight in the unusual. Examples include the Scottish Fold, with its
forward-folded ears, the Munchkin, with its short, Dachshund-like legs, and the apparently hairless
Sphinx.
Questions 1 – 6
Complete the table below
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the reading passage for each answer.
FEATURES COAT BODY LEGS HEAD NOSE EYES

Persian Luxuriant Cobby …(1)… Round Very short Round
longhairs and long
British Dense and …(2)… Short Round Rather Round
shorthairs plush short
American Dense and Less Slightly Less round …(3)…
shorthairs plush rounded longer
Foreign …(4)… Slim and Lonbg …(5)… Long …(6)…
shorthairs supple
Questions 7 – 11
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage
for each answer.
7. What name does the writer give to breeds such as Russian blue and Siamese? ………………
8. What is the name given to the description of physical features by which a pedigree cat is
judged? ………………
9. In which century were long-haired cats first exported from Persia? ………………
10. What class of cat does the Chinchilla belong to? ………………
11. What remarkable characteristic do Scottish Fold cats have? ………………
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IELTS A - READING
Questions 12 and 13
Choose the correct letters A, B, C or D.
12. The distinctive features of most pedigree cats are the result of
A. Enhancing characteristics that appear naturally in cats from a particular region.
B. Using breeding schemes to promote features which are found in non-pedigree cats.
C. Genetic changes which occurred spontaneously in some cats in the late nineteenth
century.
D. A misplaced pleasure in producing unusual looking cats.
13. The writer’s main purpose in this article is
A. To outline the history of breeding pedigree cats
B. To criticize the practice of producing odd characteristics in cats
C. To classify the different breeds of pedigree cats
D. To compare the respective practices of cat and dog breeders
Exercise 2
EATING UP THE TITANIC

Colonies of iron-loving bacteria are eating up the most famous shipwreck in the
world. But the news isn't all bad.
A In 1985, seventy-three years after it had sunk on its maiden voyage from Southampton to
New York, the Titanic was discovered lying 3,800metres below the surface of the sea. The first
images the world saw of the wreck showed the metal hull or body of the ship, draped in what
look like strange underwater icicles. These structures are called 'rusticles' from rust (the
reddish brown substance that forms on iron when it is in contact with water) and icicle.
B A decade later, microbial ecologist Roy Cullimore was called on to investigate biological
activity on the Titanic after the salvage company recovering objects from the wreck noticed it
seemed to be deteriorating. By carefully guiding the robotic claws of the French submarine
Nautile, Cullimore was able to collect some rusticles to bring back to his laboratory for
analysis. Gathering them was a tricky business – rusticles are brittle and have a tendency to
snap in the fast water flow created by the propellers of the submarine. A second expedition
brought up more rusticles when a large section of hull was lifted from the sea bed. The largest
of these, measuring 45 centimetres long, now hangs on Cullimore's office wall.
C Each rusticle is made up of communities of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that have
joined forces to build a sort of rusting tower block to sustain them and protect them from the
outside world. The outer walls have a layered appearance, much like the annular growth rings
in trees. Inside, each rusticle seems to contain at least five distinct communities of bacteria,
or 'consorms', that live in harmony, with each type of consorm performing a specific task.
They are mostly clustered around water channels that run through the structure. There are
also fungal growths towards the outside of the structure where the channels meet the
surface. Along with the microbes, rusticles contain up to 35 per cent iron compounds in the
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IELTS A - READING
form of ribbons that permeate the entire structure, in much the same way that nerves or
blood vessels do in an animal. Chemically, these compounds are dominated by various ferric
oxides, hydroxides and carbonates.
D Cullimore's work has revealed that the microbial communities work together to 'feed' on the
ship, actively removing iron from it. And the effects can be dramatic. In1996, he estimated
that they were removing 100kilograms of iron a day. As the rusticles grow, the decay rate
accelerates, and Cullimore predicts that the wreck will be unrecognizable within 100years or
so.
E However, the rusticles colonise some parts of the ship but leave others alone. To find out
why, Cullimore has placed various steel samples on the Titanic's deck. His findings suggest
that the most susceptible areas are where the steel was ripped or twisted when the ship sank,
because the fractures allow microbes to get in more easily. The rusticles also seem to
consume the parts of the ship made of wrought iron, such as the rivets, more easily than
steel. This is bad news not just for the Titanic, but for other ships and undersea structures
such as oilrigs, because it is the rivets which hold the whole thing together. 'When you
destroy a rivet, you're weakening the whole section,' says Cullimore.
F Iron-loving bacteria such as those found in rusticles can also be useful, however. Sean Tyrrel
from Cranfield University has worked on projects to design iron filters for wells in developing
countries, to prevent problems caused by iron-rich water. There's been a great interest in
using groundwater to provide drinking water because it is generally regarded as unpolluted
and can be safely consumed without the need for treatment. But iron-bearing groundwaters
are often noticeably orange in colour, causing discoloration of laundry, and have an
unpleasant taste which is apparent when the water is drunk or used for food preparation. 'If
there's a lot of iron in the water, people reject it, 'Tyrrel says. He and his colleagues have
found that under the right conditions, certain bacteria will take up the iron from the water
and consume it, leaving it clear. The rusticles research should provide more clues about how
to harness these bacteria for good.
G And the reach of rusticles doesn't end there. Cullimore's research has convinced him that
iron-loving bacteria could be harnessed for all sorts of industrial uses. He sees rusticles as a
sort of biological concrete, which has given him the idea that microbes could be added to
normal concrete to improve its performance. Such bioconcrete might even be grown using
microbes, instead of being mixed and allowed to harden as it is at present, before being used
for buildings.
H Scientists still have much to learn about the specific types of microbes present in rusticles and
how they interact with each other. But what is certain is that the various consorms must use a
common language to successfully build and sustain their mutual community. Cullimore
ultimately hopes to begin to understand this language. 'If we could learn how they
communicate, then we could say "Hey, you shouldn't be growing here, wouldn't you rather
be growing over there?"
Questions 1 – 5
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IELTS A - READING
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading
passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the
information FALSE if the statement contradicts
the information NOTGIVEN if there is no
information on this
1. Underwater photographs of the Titanic show that the wreck is covered in rusticles.
2. Rusticles were first discovered on the wreck of the Titanic.
3. Roy Cullimore investigated whether rusticles were involved in the sinking of the Titanic.
4. Rusticles are difficult to collect because they break easily.
5. The rusticle in Cullimore's office is the largest one in existence.
Questions 6 – 10
Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Structure of a rusticle
Component Description Location

Walls Appear …(6)… Outer surface of rustile
Consorms Bacterial …(7)… Mainly near water channels
Work together
Each does a different
…(8)…
Water channels Throughout the rusticle

Fungal growths At junction of water channels
and …(9)… of rusticle
…(10)… Ribbons Throughout the rusticle
Questions 11 – 12
Choose TWO letters A – G
The microbes found in rusticles …………
A. Are unable to consume steel sections of boats.

B. May live for over 100 years.
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IELTS A - READING
C. Could affect a range of underwater metal structures.

D. Avoid structures made of wrought iron.
E. Are destroyed if the rusticle grows too big.
F. Cause fractures and rips in steel plates.
G. Use iron from the ship as a source of food.
Questions 13 – 14
Choose TWO letters A – G
Bacteria similar to those found in rusticles could ………
A. Make better concrete for use in building.

B. Remove harmful microbes from polluted water.
C. Help locate sources of groundwater.
D. Remove iron from water used for drinking and washing.
E. Remove traces of iron from concrete.
F. Convert harmful microbes to useful ones.
G. Improve communication systems.
Exercise 3
WHAT DO WHALES FEEL?
An examination of the functioning of the senses in cetaceans, the group of mammals

comprising whales, dolphins and porpoises
Some of the senses that we and other terrestrial mammals take for granted are either reduced or
absent in cetaceans or fail to function well in water. For example, it appears from their brain
structure that toothed species are unable to smell. Baleen species, on the other hand, appear to
have some related brain structures but it is not known whether these are functional. It has been
speculated that, as the blowholes evolved and migrated to the top of the head, the neural
pathways serving sense of smell may have been nearly all sacrificed. Similarly, although at least
some cetaceans have taste buds, the nerves serving these have degenerated or are rudimentary.
The sense of touch has sometimes been described as weak too, but this view is probably mistaken.
Trainers of captive dolphins and small whales often remark on their animals’ responsiveness to
being touched or rubbed, and both captive and free-ranging cetacean individuals of all species
(particularly adults and calves, or members of the same subgroup) appear to make frequent
contact. This contact may help to maintain order within a group, and stroking or touching are part
of the courtship ritual in most species. The area around the blowhole is also particularly sensitive
and captive animals often object strongly to being touched there.
The sense of vision is developed to different degrees in different species. Baleen species studied at
close quarters underwater – specifically a grey whale calf in captivity for a year, and free-ranging
right whales and humpback whales studied and filmed off Argentina and Hawaii – have obviously
tracked objects with vision underwater, and they can apparently see moderately well both in water
and in air. However, the position of the eyes so restricts the field of vision in baleen whales that
they probably do not have stereoscopic vision.
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IELTS A - READING
On the other hand, the position of the eyes in most dolphins and porpoises suggests that they have
stereoscopic vision forward and downward. Eye position in freshwater dolphins, which often swim
on their side or upside down while feeding, suggests that what vision they have is stereoscopic
forward and upward. By comparison, the bottlenose dolphin has extremely keen vision in water.
Judging from the way it watches and tracks airborne flying fish, it can apparently see fairly well
through the air–water interface as well. And although preliminary experimental evidence suggests
that their in-air vision is poor, the accuracy with which dolphins leap high to take small fish out of a
trainer’s hand provides anecdotal evidence to the contrary.
Such variation can no doubt be explained with reference to the habitats in which individual species
have developed. For example, vision is obviously more useful to species inhabiting clear open
waters than to those living in turbid rivers and flooded plains. The South American boutu and
Chinese beiji, for instance, appear to have very limited vision, and the Indian susus are blind, their
eyes reduced to slits that probably allow them to sense only the direction and intensity of light.
Although the senses of taste and smell appear to have deteriorated, and vision in water appears to
be uncertain, such weaknesses are more than compensated for by cetaceans’ well-developed
acoustic sense. Most species are highly vocal, although they vary in the range of sounds they
produce, and many forage for food using echolocation. Large baleen whales primarily use the lower
frequencies and are often limited in their repertoire. Notable exceptions are the nearly song-like
choruses of bowhead whales in summer and the complex, haunting utterances of the humpback
whales. Toothed species in general employ more of the frequency spectrum, and produce a wider
variety of sounds, than baleen species (though the sperm whale apparently produces a
monotonous series of high-energy clicks and little else). Some of the more complicated sounds are
clearly communicative, although what role they may play in the social life and ‘culture’ of cetaceans
has been more the subject of wild speculation than of solid science.
Questions 15–21
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from Reading Passage for
each answer. Write your answers in boxes 15–21 on your answer sheet.
SENSE SPECIES ABILITY COMMENTS

Toothed No evidence from brain structure
Smell
Baleen Not certain related brain structures are present
Some types Poor nerves linked to their …(15)… are
Taste
underdeveloped
Touch All Yes region around the blowhole very sensitive
…(16)… Yes probably do not have stereoscopic vision
Dolphins, Yes probably have stereoscopic vision
porpoises ………(17)………… and …………
Vision …(18)… Yes probably have stereoscopic vision forward
and upward
Bottlenose Yes exceptional in ……..(19) .......... and good in
dolphin air–water interface
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IELTS A - READING
Boutu and beiji Poor have limited vision

Indian susu No probably only sense direction and intensity
of light
Most large baleen Yes usually use 20 ........ ; repertoire limited
…(21)… whales Yes Song-like
Hearing and …… whales
Toothed Yes use more of frequency spectrum; have
wider repertoire
Questions 22–26
for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 22–26 on your answer sheet.
22 Which of the senses is described here as being involved in mating?

23 Which species swims upside down while eating?
24 What can bottlenose dolphins follow from under the water?
25 Which type of habitat is related to good visual ability?
26 Which of the senses is best developed in cetaceans?
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IELTS A - READING
UNIT 3
DIAGRAM/FLOWCHART COMPLETION
INTRODUCTION
TASK DESCRIPTION
In this sort of task, you have to complete a diagram / flowchart by choosing correct words from the
passage.
TASK APPROACH
Study the instructions and the diagram / flowchart, including any labels that are given.
Think about the information which is missing.
Scan the text until you find each topic, and study the information carefully.
Make sure you use exact words from the passage in your answers.
PRACTICE
Practice 1
Label the diagram using NO MORE THAN

TWO WORDS from the passage below to
each blank space.
Thomas Newcommen’s steam engine

was one of the first devices to use the power of
steam for mechanical work. It was originally used
to pump water from mines. A boiler, encased in
brick and sitting over a coal fire, generated
steam, which drove the piston in the open top
cylinder above the boiler. When the steam built
up, the pressure opened a valve allowing the
steam to fill the cylinder, the first valve was
closed and the second valve opened. This second
valve sprayed cold water into the cylinder from a
cistern, condensing the steam and creating a
vacuum. The air pressure from the open-top
cylinder pushed the piston down again, thus
pulling the rod down with it. The cycle ten
repeated itself all over again.
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IELTS A - READING
Practice 2
The production of fuel-ethanol or ‘grain spirit’ from grain is relatively straightforward. It is

made from harvested crops. As the demand for alternative ‘clean’ fuels increases, farmers are
switching from planting crops for consumption to fuel crops like corn, barley, wheat, or others that
produce oil like palm oil and rape seed. The growing process is no different from that of any crop. A
farmer simply plants a field of corn, which is then harvested. Instead of being taken to a mill to
produce flour, the corn is delivered by lorry to a distillery where it goes through four main stages
before it can be used as fuel. First, during a preparation phase, the grain is ground and then cooked
prior to the fermentation process commencing. Then, before the distillation of the liquid to
produce the ethanol takes place, solid matter has to be removed by filtration. At a fuel-ethanol
plant, the blending of ethanol and petroleum is carried out to produce E-10, a mix of 10 per cent
ethanol and 90 percent petroleum, or E-15, which is 15 per cent ethanol and 85 per cent
petroleum. The liquid is then put into storage and the distribution process is ready to begin.
Complete the chart using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage below.
Practice 3
COFFEE RUST
IELTS A - READING
Why do the British drink so much tea? The answer to this question can be traced back,
unexpectedly, to a humble fungus, HEMILEIA vastatrix, which attacks the leaves of coffee plants
causing a disease popularly known as coffee rust. The appearance of this disease was first reported
in the British colony of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1867. Over the next twenty years, coffee
production in Asia and Africa was virtually wiped out. Following a period of severe economic and
social upheaval, planters in British colonies shifted to planting tea, and the British were gradually
transformed into a nation of tea drinkers.
Under British rule, the island of Ceylon was stripped of its forests to turn over every
available acre to coffee production. By the 1870s, Ceylon was exporting nearly 100 million pounds
of coffee a year, much of it to England. This empire, however, was swiftly devastated by the arrival
of the coffee rust fungus. The rust organism can be recognized by the presence of yellowish
powdery lesions on the undersides of the leaves of the coffee plant. Occasionally green shoots and
even the green coffee berries can be infected. The infected leaves drop prematurely, leaving long
expanses of bare twigs. This defoliation causes shoots and roots to starve and consequently to die
back, reducing the number of nodes on which coffee can be produced the following season.
The rust fungus is dispersed by both wind and rain. By observing the patterns of infection
on individual leaves, it can be deduced that splashing rain is the most important means of local, or
short-range dispersal. Dispersal over wider areas is primarily by wind, although insects such as flies
and wasps may also play a small part. How the fungus first made its way from its native Ethiopia to
Ceylon is unknown, but human intervention seems to be the only plausible explanation. Insects as
carriers can be ruled out, and it is doubtful whether the fungus could have been blown so far.
The coffee growers probably hoped at first that the disease would disappear as quickly and
unaccountably as it had begun. By 1879, however, it was clear that it was not going away, and the
Ceylon government made an appeal for someone to be sent to help. The British Government
responded by sending Harry Marshall Ward, whose brief was to investigate the coffee rust
phenomenon and hopefully come up with a cure.
Ward recommended that to effectively protect the plant from invasion, the leaves should
be treated with a coating of fungicide (lime-sulphur). Unfortunately in the case of the Ceylon
plantations, the rust epidemic was too well established for this protective measure to save the
coffee trees. He also pointed out the risks of intensive monoculture. The continuous planting of
coffee trees over the island, without even the benefit of windbreaks, had created a perfect
environment for a fungus epidemic to spread. Despite Ward’s warning, when the coffee trees were
replaced with tea brushes, they were planted at the same density. It was only by good fortune that
no similar fungus arrived to invade the tea bushes and that improved fungicides were soon
available to protect the crop.
With the destruction of the coffee plantations in Ceylon and subsequent arrival of coffee
rust in Java and Sumatra, the world’s coffee production shifted to the Americas. Plantations were
swiftly established in the tropical highlands of Brazil, Colombia, and Central America, and Brazil
soon became the world’s major coffee supplier, closely followed by Colombia.
Coffee rust was successfully excluded from the Americas for over 100 years by careful
quarantine measures. However, in 1970, the fungus was discovered in Brazil, again probably
brought in accidentally by humans. Once the barrier of the oceans had been breached, wind
dispersal came into play. Infected trees were isolated by creating an 80 km coffeeless ‘safety zone’
around the infected area, but within eighteen months the rust had jumped the gap in the direction
of the prevailing winds. Today, the fungus has spread throughout all the coffee-growing areas,
including Colombia and the countries of Central America.
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IELTS A - READING
Fungicide applications are now part of the routine production practices on coffee
plantations, despite the expense for small growers. Good cultural management, taking into account
the density of planting and the climate, is also paramount. Rust-resistant strains of coffee have also
been developed but the crop is of poorer quality. Unless a truly rust-resistant variety with more
desirable generic traits can be produced, coffee rust will have to be managed as a continuous
epidemic on a perennial crop.
Questions 1 – 7
Complete the chart below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from Reading
Passage 3 for each answer.
Questions 8 and 9
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
1. The most important means of long-range dispersal is
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IELTS A - READING
a. Rain
b. Wind
c. Wasps
d. Flies
2. Coffee rust spread easily in Ceylon
a. Due to the density of the coffee trees
b. Due to the windbreaks
c. Because the fungicide didn’t work
d. Because it was well established
Questions 10 – 14
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-G from the box below.
1. The move of coffee production to the Americas was triggered by

2. Before 1970, American plantations were protected through
3. Attempts in the Americas to isolate the infected trees failed due to
4. The coffee trees now have to be protected continuously by
5. In the management of the coffee crops, it is also important to consider
A. The density of planting and the climate
B. The application of fungicide
C. The coffee rust devastation in Ceylon
D. The increased demand for coffee in Europe
E. Careful quarantine measures
F. The genetic traits of the coffee tree
G. The prevailing winds
VOCABULARY
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IELTS A - READING
Exercise 1
T. From liquid to gas U. On the other hand
V. A colourless liquid W. Such as
X. Will dissolve Y. Two or more
Z. Sodium and chlorine AA. Reacts violently
BB. A mixture of CC. A harmless solution
DD. Form compounds EE. A colourless gas
FF. During the chemical reaction GG. The melting point
HH. Sodium chloride II. An element and a compound
JJ. When it changes its state KK. A melting point
LL. From solid to liquid
THE PROPERTIES OF ELEMENTS, COMPOUNDS AND MIXTURES
A substance may be an element, a compound or a mixture. An element, (example)

nitrogen or iron, cannot be broken down into simpler substances. When …(1)… elements combine,
they form a compound.
When elements combine to …(2)…, there is a chemical reaction. Some properties of the
elements change …(3)… For example, the element chlorine (Cl) is a poisonous yellow gas. Sodium
(Na), …(4)…, is a soft silvery-white metal which …(5)… with water. However, if these elements
combine, they form …(6)…, or salt. This is a harmless white substance.
When substances are mixed without a chemical reaction, they do not change their
properties. Thus …(7)… san and salt is yellowish-white in colour. It tastes both salty and gritty. If we
put the mixture in water, the salt …(8)…, because it is soluble. But the sand will not.
Every substance has …(9)… and a boiling point. The former is the temperature at which it
changes …(10)… The latter is the temperature at which it changes …(11)… These changes are called
changes of state. Sometimes the properties of a substance change …(12)… For example, if the
temperature of oxygen falls below -183oC, it changes from …(13)… to a bluish liquid, which is highly
magnetic.
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IELTS A - READING
Example: D
20.
14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.
26.
21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
Exercise 2
A. Under the ocean B. About 10% nickel
C. Made up of D. Causes solidification
E. Outer core F. Consist of iron
G. A lot of H. Spherical in shape
I. 2,800 km in diameter J. Outermost
K. Molten iron L. The composition of the crust
M. Surrounded by a gaseous sphere N. Much thicker than
O. At the centre P. Containing sulphur
Q. Temperature and pressure R. And therefore solid
S. Inside the mantle
THE STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH
The Earth is a solid sphere. It is (example) three concentric spheres or layers. These are
called the core, the mantle, and the crust. The solid sphere is …(1)…, which is called atmosphere.
We know most about the crust of the Earth which is the …(2)… sphere. This layer is very
thin compared with the diameter of the whole Earth. it is only about 10 km thick …(3)… and about
30 km thick on land. It consists of rock which contains …(4)… minerals. These are usually in
compounds called oxides, containing oxygen, or sulphides, …(5)…
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IELTS A - READING
The mantle is …(6)… the crust. It is about 300 km thick. It consists mainly of rocks, but we
do not know much about their composition.
The core, which is situated …(7)… , seems to be divided into two parts. The inner core is
about …(8)… We believe that it is mainly composed of iron, but it also contains …(9)… The layer
surrounding the inner core is called the …(10)… and is approximately 2,000 km thick. It is probably
composed of …(11)… and nickel. However, the metals in the inner core seem to be rigid, …(12)…
This is because they are under very high pressure, which …(13)… in spite of the high temperatures
at the centre of the Earth.
Example: C
20.
14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.
26.
21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
Exercise 3
Read the text and then decide if the statements below are true or false. Find words in
the text which mean the same or the opposite of the words in bold.
INTRODUCED SPECIES
Since the birth of agriculture, farmers have tried to avoid using pesticides by employing various
biological methods to control nature. The first method involved introducing a predator that would
control pests by eating them. This was used successfully in 1925 to control the prickly pear
population in Australia. The prickly pear had originally been used as a divider between paddocks.
However, it eventually spread from a few farms to 4 million hectares of farming land, rendering
them unusable. The Cactoblastis moth larvae was introduced to help control the situation and
within ten years, the prickly pear was virtually eradicated. Further attempts at biological control
weren’t so successful. When farmers tried to eliminate the cane beetle and the toad population
spread rapidly leading to the decline of native species of mammals and reptiles.
1. Farmers do not like using chemicals to kill pests. ….

2. The prickly pear was planted as a type of barrier between fields. …
3. The Cactoblastis moth killed off nearly all prickly pear plants. …
4. The cane toad was a native species to Australia. …
5. Using the cane toad was very successful. …
Read the rest of the text and match the underlined italic words to the definitions below.
Other introduced species have proved similarly disastrous among native Australian animals.
Since the introduction of the cat, the fox and the rabbit from Europe, 19 species of native
animals have become extinct and a further 250 species are considered to be either
endangered or vulnerable. The modern-day approach to the biological control of pests is
through genetically modified crops. It
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IELTS A - READING
remains to be seen whether this controversial method will have any long-term
repercussions, particularly in regards to the ecological balance of the environment where they
are grown. Some fear that insects may become resistant to these new crops and therefore
become even more difficult to control.
1. At risk ……………………………..
2. Negative effects ……………………………..
3. To stop being affected by something ……………………………..
4. At risk of dying out ……………………………..
5. No longer existing ……………………………..
6. Crops whose genes have been scientifically changed ……………………………..
7. Extremely bad or unsuccessful ……………………………..
8. The relationship between plants, animals, land, air, and water ……………………………..
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IELTS A - READING
HOMEWORK
Exercise 1
CUTE BUSES: A NEW DIRECTION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT
It seems like a normal bus, except that it moves almost silently, and it does not give off any
exhaust fumes. Instead, a small cloud of white steam emerges from the roof. But this is no
ordinary vehicle. It is part of an experiment that could revolutionize public transport in our
cities, providing sustainable, non-polluting transport from renewable energy resources.
A Urban transport is a major problem in the countries of the European Union, where over 75%
of the population lives in towns and cities. It is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile
individual needs and expectations of personal mobility with the preservation of the fabric of
our cities and with the quality of life of their inhabitants. Transport is already one of the chief
contributors to health and environmental problems in urban regions, and increasing levels of
congestion mean that in some cities the average speed of traffic at peak times is slower than
it was in the days of the horse and cart. In addition, exhaust fumes are a major contributor to
rising levels of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, as well as being a source of carbon
monoxide and particulate matter. With experts forecasting an increase of 30% in the total
number of kilometres travelled by 2030, urban transport systems have to face the challenge
of meeting citizens' needs for mobility through the development of innovative and
sustainable methods of transport.
B To address this problem, the European Commission has allocated €18.5m to a project entitled
CUTE (Clean Urban Transport for Europe), one of the most ambitious experiments in energy
and transport taking place today. The aim of the project is to investigate the role that
hydrogen and fuel cells could play in providing a safe, clean and efficient means of public
transport. In order to do this, the nine participating cities have each been supplied with three
buses which are powered by hydrogen rather than by diesel fuel. The buses, produced by
Mercedes Benz Citaro, contain tanks of compressed hydrogen in the roof, which supply fuel
cells. Here, the hydrogen molecules are split and electricity is produced to power the
bus, together with pure water which escapes into the atmosphere as steam. The buses only
need
refuelling once a-day and can travel at speeds of up to 100kph.
C The nine participating cities vary widely in their local conditions and the type of operating
systems they use allowing data to be collected and comparisons to be made between the
different systems. One decision the transport authorities in each city have to make is the
source of the hydrogen they use for fuel. This may be produced either from renewable
resources, or from fossil fuels. At present only around 40% of the energy required for the
production of hydrogen on the project comes from renewable resources such as wind power.
Amsterdam and Hamburg both use energy from this source to produce the hydrogen for their
buses. Stockholm also uses a renewable resource, in this case hydro power, while Barcelona
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IELTS A - READING
profits from its high number of hours of sunshine to make use of solar power. In cases such as
these it may be possible to have a zero emission system, with no harmful by-products given
off at any stage of the project. However, other cities such as Porto and London use natural
gas or other non-renewable resources to produce the hydrogen.
D In addition to deciding on the means of production, the cities also have to decide on the
location where the production of hydrogen is to take place. The on-site production of
hydrogen removes the need for its transportation by truck in liquid or gas form, which is
again an advantage in ecological and financial terms; this solution is used by several cities
including Madrid. In London, however, in order to make the hydrogen available to other
users, the authorities decided against on-site production, so the hydrogen production plant is
some way from the bus depot.
E The varying geographical and climatic conditions of each city also allow information to be
collected on a range of operating conditions for the buses. In some cities, such as London,
buses have to be-able to perform in congested traffic, while in Madrid and Porto in summer
they have to be able to contend with the hot climate in addition to this. Bus transport in
Porto also has to cope with extreme geographical conditions since the city is built on a steep
hillside, and the same is true of Luxembourg and Barcelona. In Stuttgart, on the other hand,
which has a widespread population, the buses' ability to travel long distances is tested.
F The overall remit of the project therefore involves comparison of performance and costs
involved in three main areas: the production of hydrogen, the organisation of infrastructure
(for example, the location of hydrogen refilling stations), and the use of the buses in varying
operational conditions. There is still some way to go before hydrogen buses will be replacing
ordinary public transport on a large scale - at present running costs are ten times higher,
which does not make them a commercial proposition - but it is beginning to look as if the
days of the diesel driven bus are numbered.
Questions 1-5
passage? Write
information FALSE if the statement
contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if
there is no information on this
1. Traffic may cause problems both to city buildings and to residents.

2. The most efficient way to solve urban transport problems is to increase the use of public
transport.
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IELTS A - READING
3. The chemical reaction which produces power for the hydrogen bus takes place in the fuel
cell.
4. The authorities in each city are responsible for the initial collection and analysis of the data.
5. The nine cities in the CUTE project have zero emission systems for their hydrogen buses.
Questions 6-9
The reading passage has six paragraphs labelled A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
NB You may use any letter more than once
6. a contrast between the two main methods of hydrogen production

7. a reason why hydrogen powered buses may not be widely used for some time
8. a comparison of traffic conditions in the past and present
9. a justification for the transportation of hydrogen by road to refuel London buses
Questions 10-14
Complete the labels on the diagram.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS FROM THE PASSAGE for each answer.

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IELTS A - READING
Exercise 2
GETTING THE PICTURE FROM DNA
Working out what someone looks like from only a DNA sample is no longer science fiction.
You'd be surprised what forensics experts can already do, says Clare Wilson.
A At present, if police find DNA which could be that of the criminal at the scene of a crime (for
example in blood or hair), standard forensic techniques can help in two ways. If there's a
suspect in custody, the police can see if their DNA matches the 'crime stain', as it is called. Or
in the absence of a suspect, they can see if it matches the DNA of any known criminal held in
their archives.
B Both techniques have proved their worth in criminal investigations. But what if there's no
suspect and no match in the archive? Ever since DNA testing was introduced, forensic
scientists have wondered how much a DNA sample on its own could tell them about what a
criminal might look like.
C Scientists have already had some success with predicting hair colour from DNA samples. For
example, researchers at Britain's Forensic Science Service (FSS) have developed a DNA test
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IELTS A - READING
which will tell with 98% accuracy whether or not someone has red hair. However, the red-hair
test is of limited use in Britain, where only 6% of the population is red-headed. What about
blonde, brown and black-haired criminals? Hair colour is usually determined by the
cumulative effect of several genes, so unfortunately there's no such thing as a single gene for
blonde hair that could be turned into a simple test, for example. It's the same with eye
colour.
D But biotechnology firm DNA Print Genomics of Florida, USA, is having a crack at both
problems. As a starting point, research was carried out using mice to discover the genes that
controlled eye colour. Similar sequences in human DNA were then investigated, and ten
possible genes were found. Next, the DNAPrint researchers took DNA samples from 500
volunteers and recorded their eye colours. They then applied a technique called SNP mapping
to see if they could discover any correlations between the two. (SNP stands for 'single
nucleotide polymorphism' - a single 'letter' change in the genetic code. These variations
account for most of the genetic differences between individuals.) The researchers sequenced
the ten possible genes from each volunteer, then sifted through the sequences looking for
SNPs. They found 50 in total. Then they set computers to work out how the SNPs correlated
with eye colour. Of the ten genes, they found that only four, really matter. By looking at
these, they can classify someone as having dark eyes (black and brown), light coloured eyes
(blue and grey), or hazel eyes (greenish-brown) - with 97% certainty.
E DNA Print is now applying exactly the same technique to hair colour, identifying possible
genes and looking for SNPs. Representatives say they have made some headway and can
classify people into one of three groups- blonde, brown or black-haired – with some accuracy,
from their DNA alone.
F Back in Britain, the Forensic Science Service has also been pursuing the genetic basis of facial
features. A few years ago it helped fund a major project carried out by scientists at University
College London (UCL). Over several months, an exhibit at a London museum invited visitors to
leave DNA samples and have their faces scanned using 3Dsurface mapping. About 600 people
volunteered. The UCL researchers tried to break down this data on overall facial shape into
distinct features such as nose curvature or chin clefts, and correlate them to DNA sequences.
But they made little progress. Just as with eye colour, there is no one gene for a big nose, so
the enormous complexity of the task defeated the researchers. When the lead scientist
retired, the project was wound down without drawing any firm conclusions.
G But the idea of finding genes for facial features isn't dead. Many of the genes involved are
common to most mammals. So a gene for a large jaw in mice, for example, might very well be
found in humans, too. One promising project has found that mice show significant variation in
jaw shape and size, and has begun to unravel the genetics behind the variation. Project leader
Chris Klingenberg of the University of Konstanz in Germany cautions that, as with humans,
the genetics controlling jaw shape in mice is horribly complicated, but the project is making
some progress. In one study of 535 mice, it has identified genes for jaw shape, jaw size and
jaw symmetry and found two basic patterns resulting from the combination of these genes.
H The UK-based human rights group known as 'Liberty' has concerns, saying that the existing
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IELTS A - READING
tests are not yet sufficiently conclusive to be used as a basis for arresting suspects. Certainly,
genes never tell the whole story with physical characteristics – environment plays a key role
too. Kevin Sullivan, from the Forensic Science Service, points out that when it comes to
someone's facial characteristics,' playing rugby might have more of an effect on your ear and
nose shape than your genes.' But he is optimistic about the future of the research. 'Law-
abiding citizens don't have anything to worry about,' he says. 'But criminals do.
Questions 1-3
Choose the correct letter А, В, С or D.
1. What is meant by a 'crime stain'?

A. traces of blood left at the scene of a crime
B. DNA belonging to known criminals
C. samples of blood or hair in criminal archives
D. DNA samples left at the scene of a crime
2. Forensic scientists are interested in finding out
A. if the genes responsible for criminal tendencies can be identified.
B. how far personal appearance can be predicted from DNA.
C. if hair colour could be linked to criminal behaviour.
D. whether or not DNA can he used to identify a suspected criminal.
3. What problem do scientists face in developing DNA tests for hair and eye colour?
A. the fact that these characteristics are not generally determined by one gene
B. the variation in test procedures required for these characteristics
C. the fact that these characteristics are not necessarily related
D. the variation in distribution of these characteristics from one country to another
Questions 4-7
Complete the flow chart below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the text for each answer.
Research into the genetic basis of eye colour
Identification of genes determining eye colour in …(4)…
Identification of ten possible genes in humans
SNP mapping of these ten genes to find …(5)… between eye colour and DNA
Identification of …(6)… SNPs
Analysis of relationship between SNPs and eye colour
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IELTS A - READING
Identification of the …(7)… genes that determine eye colour

Questions 8-13
Answer the questions below using NO MORETHAN THREE WORDS AND/OR ANUMBER
for each answer.
8. Which American company is doing research on the genetic basis of hair and eye colour?
9. How many groups of eye colour can now be identified through SNP mapping?
10. Which British institution unsuccessfully researched data from humans on the genetic basis
of facial features?
11. In which country is research being done on mice to find out about genes for facial features?
12. Which association is concerned about the possible applications of the research described in
this text?
13. Which environmental factor could be important in determining your facial characteristics,
according to Kevin Sullivan?
Exercise 3
TELEVISION ADDICTION IS NO MERE METAPHOR
A The term “TV addiction” is imprecise, but it captures the essence of a very real phenomenon.
Psychologists formally define addiction as a disorder characterized by criteria that include
spending a great deal of time using the thing; using it more often than one intends; thinking
about reducing use or making repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce use; giving up
important activities to use it; and reporting withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it.
B All these criteria can apply to people who watch a lot of television. That does not mean that
watching television, in itself, is problematic. Television can teach and amuse it; it can be
highly artistic; it can provide much needed distraction and escape. The difficulty arises when
people strongly sense that they ought not to watch as much as they do and yet find they are
unable to reduce their viewing. Some knowledge of how television becomes so addictive may
help heavy viewers gain better control over their lives.
C The amount of time people spend watching television is astonishing. On average, individuals
in the industrialized world devote three hours a day to the activity – fully half of their leisure
time, and more than on any single activity except work and sleep. At this rate, someone who
lives to 75 would spend nine years in front of the television. Possibly, this devotion means
simply that people enjoy TV and make a conscious decision to watch it. But if that is the
whole story, why do so many people worry about how much they view? In surveys in 1992
and 1999, two out of give adults and seven out of ten teenagers said they spent too much
time watching TV. Other surveys have consistently shown that roughly ten per cent of adults
call themselves TV addicts.
D To study people’s reactions to TV, researchers have undertaken laboratory experiments in
which they have monitored the brain waves, skin resistance or heart rate of people watching
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IELTS A - READING
television. To study behaviour and emotion in the normal course of life, as opposed to the
artificial conditions of the laboratory, we have used the Experiences Sampling Method (ESM).
Participants carried a beeper, and we signaled them six to eight times a day, at random, over
the period of a week; whenever they heard the beep, they wrote down what they were doing
and how they were feeling.
E As one might expect, people who were watching TV when we beeped them reported feeling
relaxed and passive. The laboratory studies similarly show less mental stimulation, as
measured by brain-wave production, during viewing than during reading.
F What is more surprising is that the sense of relaxation ends when the TV is turned off, but the
feelings of passivity and lowered alertness continue. Viewers commonly report that television
has somehow absorbed or sucked out their energy, leaving them exhausted. They say they
have more difficulty concentrating after viewing than before. In contrast, they rarely report
such difficulty after reading. After playing sports or doing hobbies, people report
improvements in mood. After watching TV, people’s moods are about the same or worse
than before.
G Within moments of sitting or lying down and pushing the ‘power’ button, viewers report
feeling more relaxed. Because the relaxation occurs quickly, people are conditioned to
associate viewing with rest and lack of stress. The association is positively reinforced because
viewers remain relaxed throughout viewing.
H Thus, the irony of TV: people watch a great deal longer than they plan to, even though
prolonged viewing is less rewarding. In our ESM studies the longer people sat in front of the
set, the less satisfaction they said they obtained from it. When signaled, heavy viewers (those
who consistently watch more than four hours a day) tended to report on their ESM sheets
that they enjoy TV less than light viewers did (less than two hours a day). For some, a feeling
of guilt that they are not doing something more productive may also accompany and reduce
the enjoyment of prolonged viewing. Researchers in Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. have found
that this guilt occurs much more among middle-class viewers than among less affluent ones.
I What is it about TV that has such a hold on us? In part, the attraction seems to arise from out
biological ‘orienting response’. First described by Ivan Pavlove in 1927, the orienting response
is an instinctive reaction to anything sudden or new, such as, movement or possible attack by
a predator. Typical orienting reactions include the following: the arteries to the brain grow
wider allowing more blood to reach it, the heart slows down and arteries to the large muscles
become narrower so as to reduce blood supply to them. Brain waves are also interrupted for
a few seconds. These changes allow the brain to focus its attention on gathering more
information and becoming more alert while the rest of the body becomes quieter.
Questions 1 – 3
The list below gives some characteristics of addiction. Which THREE of the following are
mentioned as characteristics of addiction to television? Circle the appropriate letters A – F
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IELTS A - READING
A. Harmful physical effects

B. Loss of control over time
C. Destruction of relationships
D. Reduced intellectual performance
E. Discomfort when attempting to give up
F. Dishonesty about the extent of the addiction
Questions 4 – 8
passage? Choose
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.
4. One purpose of the research is to help people to manage their lives better.
5. Watching television has reduced the amount of time people spend sleeping.
6. People’s brains show less activity while watching television than when reading.
7. There is a relationship between the length of time spent watching TV and economic status.
8. Pleasure increases in proportion to the length of time spent watching TV.
Questions 9 – 13
Write the appropriate letters A – D. Classify the following feelings or mental states as
generally occurring:
A. Before watching television

B. While watching television
C. After watching television
D. Both while and after watching television
9. Reduced anxiety and stress

10. Increased fatigue
11. Higher levels of concentration
12. Less mental activity
13. Worry about time wasted
Questions 14 – 17
Complete the labels on the diagram
Choose your answers from the box beside the diagram.

IELTS A - READING
NB: There are more words / phrases than spaces, so you will not use them all.
A. Relaxed
B. Accelerated
C. Increased
D. Lengthened
E. Reduced
F. Stopped momentarily
G. Widened
H. Regulated
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IELTS A - READING
UNIT 4
SUMMARY COMPLETION
INTRODUCTION
TASK DESCRIPTION
In this task you have to complete a short summary of the text. There are two versions:
- In one you choose words or phrases from a list

- In the other you use words from the text
TASK APPROACH
Study the example and read through the summary quickly for general understanding
Read it again carefully, studying the words before and after each gap. Consider the general
meaning and also the kind of word needed to fill the gap
To decide between them, find the relevant section of text and re-read it carefully to check
meaning
PRACTICE
Practice 1
MEKONG MAGIC
A JOURNEY UP THE MEKONG RIVER
By Brett Blanchard
By the time the Mekong River

flows into the South China Sea, it has
crossed six countries. In the process it
has been worshipped, polluted,
purified and used for legitimate as
well as illegal commerce along the
way. The Mekong has its beginnings
in the Tibetan Himalayas and ends in
the delta to the south of Ho Chi Minh
City in Vietnam, which is where our
journey began. We were headed first
for a town called Can Tho, the biggest
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IELTS A - READING
city in the delta area.

The get there, our car had to cross the Mekong at a place called Binh Minh, where a line of
vehicles a kilometer long waited to squeeze on board one of four Scandinavian-built ferries. The
river was perhaps 800 metres wide at this point and alive with traffic. On the advice of our driver,
we decided to leave the car behind and cross on the first available ferry and then wait for the car
on the other side.
We spend most of the 10-minute journey gently trying to avoid the people selling chewing
gum, drinks, fruit and other snacks. The ferry docked on the outskirts of the town, and as there was
no sign of the car, we set off for our hotel on foot.
In the morning, we headed off for Chau Doc, the last major town before the Cambodian
border. The delta had once been part of the great Khmer Empire, and the last portion of Indochina
to be incorporated into Vietnam. By mid morning the streets of every town were crammed with
schoolchildren returning home – primary students in their white and blue uniforms, secondary
schoolgirls in their elegant traditional Vietnamese costume riding bicycles in stately fashion. This
was Teachers’ Day throughout Vietnam, when students attend school to thank their teachers with
presents and festivities and then head home again. The major effect was to produce a huge blue
and white traffic jam.
Chau Doc appeared to be a model town. Situated among vividly coloured rice fields with
the Sam Mountain in the background, it was the perfect market with the perfect produce in this
amazing land.
Buddhism is one of the great religions of Vietnam and the Sam Mountain is a major
pilgrimage centre. The road to the top of the mountain with its spectacular view over the fields to
the Cambodian border is steep and winding, but always busy with pedestrians. We sat on the wall
of a pavilion at the summit, 260 metres above the plain and enjoyed the sunset over the flooded
rice fields below, listening to the distant sounds of life from a village at the foot of the mountain.
When it was time to join the river again for the journey to Phnom Penh, there were only
four passengers so instead of the leisurely ride I’d imagined, we climbed onto a speedboat and took
out seats. At first we went slowly along the canals and there was time to enjoy the view of houses
on stilts, sitting high and dry above the mud, but as soon as we entered the Mekong again, the
driver turned up the speed. No matter how wide the river – and in places it was more than a
kilometer – we rushed headlong towards any oncoming vessel and then, at the last moment,
veered to one side or the other! We were all very relieved to reach the border post at Vinh Xuong,
where we were able to disembark.
Questions 1 – 9
Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the
passage for each answer.
The Mekong River runs through …(1)… countries before it finally reaches the sea. The writer
describes his journey up the river, starting out from the city of …(2)… in the south of Vietnam. At
first, they went by …(3)… before catching a ferry across the river. From there they travelled …(4)…
and spent the night in a hotel before heading out the next morning for Chau Doc.
The next day turned out to be a special day for …(5)… in Vietnam, so the town was full of
…(6)… Not far from Chau Doc is the …(7)…, which is a major centre for Buddhist pilgrims. The view
from the top of the mountain was …(8)… and they could see the Cambodian border in the distance.
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IELTS A - READING
The last leg of their river journey proved quite frightening because of the …(9)… of the boat, so
everyone was very relieved when they disembarked at Vinh Xuong.
Practice 2
ON THE MOVE
Getting from A to B as quickly and easily as possible is one of the pre-requisites of
modern life. But how can this be reconciled with our need to give the planet a rest?
Clunk, click, vroom – and away we go. Every day millions of us climb into our cars and set
off on journeys to work, the shops and just to enjoy ourselves. And once inside our cars, few of us
are inclined to spare a thought for the environmental impacts of driving. Advertising consistently
portrays cars as symbols of personal status and freedom and sources of comfort and convenience.
But behind the shiny commercials, the costs of our car-borne lifestyles are becoming
increasingly serious. The lengthening traffic jams, demands for new roads, increasing air pollution
and threat of climate change are all issues we must tackle sooner rather than later.
Emissions from transport are the fastest-growing source of greenhouse-gas pollution –
mainly in the form of CO2 arising from the combustion of petrol and diesel. About a fifth of UK
greenhouse gases now comes from road transport, with the proportion set to rise as road traffic
does (currently growing by about one per cent a year). The economic impact of congestion is
costing us billions, while transport pollution is estimated to lead annually to the premature death of
more than 20,000 people. Controversial new road schemes, though fewer in number than during
the 1990s, are still an issue, with some threatening nationally important wildlife areas.
But what about the solution? The top priority in the short term is to avoid as much non-
essential car use as we can. At the same time, we need to introduce new technologies that will
reduce the impact of car use. And we need to introduce them soon – not least to assist those
countries where road traffic is rapidly increasing. For example, if China was to have one or two cars
in most households and was to consume fuel at the rate of US drivers, then there would be an
additional demand for oil of some 80 million barrels a day – more than the present total global
output. With these kinds of projections in mind, it is clear that new vehicle technology is vital.
Vehicle designers are well aware that they need to come up with cars that have a low
environmental impact. This won’t solve congestion or lesson the pressure traffic creates for new
roads, but new transport technologies could make car use sustainable and non-polluting and
become important new industries. And as in the case of electricity generation, it is not a question of
if we will make such a transition, it is more a question of how.
The best solution is not to drive at all. Walking and cycling can be perfectly viable
alternatives in many situations. Public transport is another option, and again results in clearer roads
and cleaner air. But for those journeys where a car is indispensable, what are the options?
Questions 1 – 8
Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading
passage? Write
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IELTS A - READING
information FALSE if the statement
contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if
there is no information on this
1. People use cars for a variety of purposes.

2. Advertisers prefer promoting cars to other products.
3. People have stopped asking for new roads.
4. Cars produce fifty per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gases.
5. More people are learning to drive every year.
6. There were more controversial plans to build new roads in the 1990s than now.
7. The Chinese use as much petrol as the Americans.
8. At present the world uses 80 million barrels of oil a day.
Questions 9 – 13
Complete the summary using words from the box.
There is now an …(9)… among car designers of the need to reduce the …(10)… problems caused by
cars. The technologies required to do this could lead to the creation of new …(11)… However, one
solution is to use …(12)…, as this would cut down on traffic and also result in cleaner …(13)…
buses agreement congestion lives

damage bicycles pollution awareness
solution industries roads air
arrangement transport lifestyles
Practice 3
THE LITTLE ICE AGE
Western Europe experienced a general cooling of the climate after the year 1150 and a
very cold climate between 1560 and 1850 that brought dire consequences to its peoples. The
period from 1150 to 1850 is sometimes called the Little Ice Age.
During this time, the cooler air of the Arctic began to spread southward. Together with
other changes in the atmosphere over the North Atlantic, this directed a higher number of storms
into northern Europe. The sea level seems to have been increased by ice melt during the preceding
Medieval Warm Period (from about 900 to 1150), contributing to the flooding which caused the
loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. Additionally, hail wiped out farmland and killed great
numbers of livestock over much of Europe, due to very cold air during the warmer months. Glaciers
in many parts of Europe began to advance, destroying farmland and causing massive flooding.
The climate change of the Little Ice Age had a serious impact on agriculture, as it reduced
the growing season by up to two months. That is enough to affect almost any type of food
production, especially crops highly adapted to use the full-season warm climatic periods. Varieties
59
of seeds that can withstand extreme cold or warmth, wetness or dryness, were not available in the

IELTS A - READING
past. The impact on agricultural output was significant, with poor harvests leading to high food
prices and famines. In one of the worst famines, millions of people died in France and neighbouring
countries in 1693. Food prices reached a peak in the year 1816 – ‘the year without a summer’.
The cooler climate during the Little Ice Age had a huge impact on the health of Europeans.
Malnutrition led to a weakened immunity to a variety of illness, including bubonic plague – the
Black Death – which killed a third of the population of Europe in the late 1340s. Cool, wet summers
led to outbreaks of an illness called St Anthony’s Fire, which caused terrible suffering, hallucinations
and even death. This was due to a fungus which develops in grain stored in cool, damp conditions.
Used to make bread, the grain passed the illness to whole villages.
Questions 1 – 11
Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage
for each answer.
THE IMPACT OF THE LITTLE ICE AGE
The increase in cold air affecting Europe led to more frequent storms in the north of the continent.
The sea level rose because of …(1)… caused earlier, and this led to …(2)… in which many people
died. Animals and crops were destroyed by …(3)… in the summer. As the climate cooled, …(4)…
spread, causing great destruction.
In agriculture, the Little Ice Age led to a shorter …(5)…, which had a particular impact on …(6)… that
need long periods of warmth. A further problem was that …(7)… were more vulnerable than those
of today. In consequence, …(8)… were poor. Large numbers of people died in the …(9)… that
occurred in several countries. In addition, …(10)… reduced many people’s immunity to diseases.
One illness, St Anthony’s Fire, was caused by a …(11)… that could grow in bread.
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IELTS A - READING
VOCABULARY
Exercise 1
MM. Give it out NN. From the body OO.The body tissue
PP. Wear away QQ.The growth of roots RR. In the form of
SS. Take in and give out TT. Calcium carbonate UU. In small amounts
VV. During photosynthesis WW. Broken XX. Carbon

down
YY. Subsequently ZZ. Buried plants AAA. The pressure
BBB. The formation CCC. Give up DDD. Returned to the

carbon atmosphere
EEE. release
THE CARBON CYCLE
All plants and animals need carbon for growth. Carbon is present in the atmosphere
(example) carbon dioxide gas. But it is present only …(1)… . This means it has to be used again
and again. Animals and plants continually …(2)… carbon during respiration. They also take it in
when they feed, and …(3)… when they die. This continual process is called the carbon cycle.
Plants take in carbon from the air …(4)… . In this process, plants use energy from the sun
together with carbon dioxide from the air. They then make sugars, and other carbohydrates. The
carbohydrates are needed for …(5)…, stems and leaves.
The leaves may …(6)… be eaten by animals, which digest the carbohydrates. The carbon is
then used for building muscles and bones. Some of the carbon, however, is …(7)… after respiration,
when carbon dioxide is released from the body.
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When an animal eventually dies, decomposition of …(8)… takes place. Though the action of
bacteria and other organisms, the chemicals are …(9)…, or decomposed, and carbon dioxide is
released.
Some dead plants are buried under earth. Over millions of years, …(10)… of the earth turns
them into coal. When coal is burned to produce heat, carbon dioxide is released.
Many tiny animals living in the sea have …(11)… in their shells, in the form of calcium
carbonate. When these animals die, their shells form layers of …(12)… at the bottom of the sea.
These eventually turn into a rock, called limestone. After movements of the earth, the limestone
may read the surface. The wind and rain then …(13)… the limestone, and some of its carbon is once
more released into the atmosphere.
Example: F
33.
27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
39.
34. 35. 36. 37. 38.
Exercise 2
MM. For itself NN. A whole life
OO.The skin PP. Lead to
QQ.An inadequate amount of RR. Result
SS. A diet of TT. The nervous system
UU. Well-balanced VV. Overcooked
WW. A deficiency XX. A considerable amount of
YY. Pellagra ZZ. Found in eggs
AAA. From milk BBB. The growth of bones
CCC. An adequate amount of DDD. Three quarters of
EEE. Vitamin C
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VITAMINS
Food contains only minute quantities of the substances called vitamins, but they are vital
for good health. For example, if you eat (example) meat, bread, sugar and fat, you may become
ill with a disease called scurvy. This is caused by …(1)… in vitamin C, which is found in fruit
and vegetables.
About fifty different vitamins have been identified, and a deficiency in many of these can
…(2)…illness. Vitamin A is most important for good eyesight, but is also important for general good
health. Liver contains …(3)…vitamin A, but vitamin A is also found in fish, meat, milk, butter, some
fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin B, in fact, consists of twelve different chemicals, which are …(4)…, cheese, butter,
whole-wheat flour and vegetables. If a person has …(5)…vitamin B in his diet, this may affect his
whole body, particularly the skin, …(6)…and the heart. Deficiency in vitamin B results in a disease
called beriberi.
Vitamin C perverts scurvy and helps to heal injuries. Some doctors believe that large
quantities of …(7)…help people to avoid colds. Fruits and uncooked vegetables are rich in vitamin C,
but when they are …(8)…, or left for a long time, they lose most of their vitamins.
Vitamin D is essential for …(9)…and teeth and is found in fish, liver, oil and milk. Vitamin D
is the only vitamin which the body can make …(10)…, but it can only do this if there is sufficient
sunlight. A lack of both sunlight and vitamin D can …(11)…in a disease called rickets, which causes
bones to soften and to be deformed.
Vitamins are only needed in very small quantities. A quantity sufficient for …(12)… would
weigh only a quarter of a kilogram. Vitamins can be manufactured and are sold as additions to our
food, but a well-balanced diet will provide …(13)… vitamins.
Example: G
33.
27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
39.
34. 35. 36. 37. 38.
Exercise 3
Read this article and then look at the statements below. Write YES if the statement
agrees with the opinions in the text and NO if it contradicts them.
Has the present lived up to the expectations of the past? Throughout the ages people
have tried to predict what life in the twenty-first century would be like. Many science-fiction
writers did manage to predict the influence the computer would have on our world. Some even
imagined that it would take over our lives, develop a personality, and turn on its creators. To
some extent they were right, especially when it comes to children and cyber addiction. One
constant prediction was that, thanks to computers and machines, the time devoted to labour
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would diminish. Even in 1971, in his book Future Shock, Alvin Toffler envisaged a society awash
with ‘free time’. The author noted that time at work had been cut in half since the turn of the
previous century and wrongly speculated that it would be cut in half again by 2000.
However, our gadget-filled homes are a tribute to the various visions of the future: the
microwave oven, internet fridges with ice-cube dispensers, freezers, video monitors, climate
control, dishwashers, washing machines, personal computers, wireless connections and
cupboards full of instant food. These may no longer be considered cutting-edge but they have
matched, if not surpassed, visions of how we would live. The domestic robot never quite
happened, but if you can phone ahead to set the heating and use a remote control to operate the
garage door, they may as well be redundant.
The car, of course, has failed to live up to our expectations. It has been given turbo
engines, DVD players and automatic windows, but its tyres stick stubbornly to the road. Why
doesn’t it take off? The past promised us a flying car in various guises. In 1947 a prototype circled
San Diego for more than an hour but later crashed in the desert. Some 30 patents for flying cars
were registered in the US patent office last century but none of these ideas has been transformed
into a commercially available vehicle.
At least communication technology in this digital age hasn’t let us down. Even in the most
remote areas people have access to some form of communication device. The introduction of the
telephone last century changed our world, but today’s mobile phones and the virtual world of the
Internet have revolutionized it.
1. A modern problem proves that computers are dominating our lives in some way.
2. Alan Toffler’s predictions have been proven true.
3. Household gadgets today have been a disappointment.
4. We have enough gadgets now to make robots unnecessary in the home.
5. Today’s cars have fulfilled all predictions.
6. The mobile phone and the Internet have changed our world for the better.
Now match the words in bold in the text with these definitions.
1. Guessed
2. A machine invented for a specific purpose (x2)
3. The first working example of a machine
4. Almost real
5. Very modern
6. Be greater than expected
7. Relating to computers
8. A screen that images can be seen on
9. An adjective used to describe anything related to computers
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HOMEWORK
Exercise 1
A Patterns of food consumption in Britain are changing rapidly. A major survey by research
group Mintel shows that, for the first time, convenience meals account for the largest slice of
all consumers spending on food - 30.1 per cent of the market. Over the past decade, pizza
sales have risen by 98 per cent. Sales of pasta products have enjoyed a similar increase.
B But the trend has resulted in profound changes to eating habits. The proportion of adults who
say they regularly eat a traditional Sunday dinner, with roast meat and vegetables, has fallen
by ten per cent over the same period. Now less than half say they usually have a roast each
week. Meat and fish account for a fifth of the UK's total food market, but the sector has
shown no growth over the past decade. Spending on fruit and vegetables, meanwhile, has
gone up by only six percent – despite a huge government education campaign to get people
eating more healthily.
C However, the Miniel survey found that 40 per cent of the population still consider themselves
as 'traditionalist’ diners. In contrast, 27 per cent are 'convenience seekers', who are happy
heating up meals in the microwave. A growing proportion of consumers – 31 per cent – are
classed as casual diners', people who skip breakfast and eat out most nights, not for pleasure
but because they can't be bothered to cook.
D It is predicted that more people will become casual diners as changes in society see the size
of households declining. This development, added to the increasing number of childless
households, means that the pressure to cook a balanced meal has declined, Mintel suggests.
Questions 1 – 8
Complete the summary of the reading passage below using words from the box.
In Britain, convenience meals are now the most popular type of food. Fruit and vegetable
consumption has …(1)…, and consumption of meat and fish has …(2)…, but the traditional Sunday
dinner is eaten by …(3)… people. Despite this, almost …(4)… the population are ‘traditionalists’ in
their food habits. Just over …(5)… are ‘convenience seekers’, while almost …(6)… are ‘casual diners’.
The number of causal diners is likely to …(7)… as households become …(8)… .
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smaller more older

fewer a third half
fallen increase risen
remained constant decrease fluctuate
healthier larger a quarter
Exercise 2
A 19TH CENTURY KILLER DISEASE: TUBERCULOSIS

In 1882, Robert Koch, a German country doctor, succeeded in isolating the bacillus of
tuberculosis. This discovery came at a time when this disease was the greatest single killer of the
human race.
All during the 19th century, it had spread remorselessly with the growth of cities, until it had
reached epidemic proportions throughout the industrialized world.
Its record in the United States was one of the frightful devastation. Immigrants from
Europe, many of them debilitated from famines at home, flooded into the poorest and dirtiest
sections of cities, there to die of the disease by the thousand. Working children were infected in
staggering numbers. Hundreds of thousands of children worked twelve hours a day, six days a
week. Chronically exhausted and undernourished, they made particularly susceptible victims. Since
tuberculosis was not considered contagious, its victims spread the disease amongst those about
them as they coughed, spat and drank from communal cups.
It is now known that tuberculosis is chiefly spread by droplet infection. It can also occur as a
result of drinking unpasteurised milk from tubercular cows, where the pathogen penetrates the
body through the alimentary canal. However, entry of the bacillus into the body is not necessarily
followed by a clinical illness, the development of which depends on several other factors. Many
people, for instance, seem to have a high natural resistance and although the acquired immunity is
not fully understood, it has been proved that if a person contracts and recovers from a primary
tuberculosis infection, he is less likely to develop active tuberculosis on subsequent exposure to the
tubercle bacillus than a patient who has not previously been infected.
Tuberculosis has notoriously been associated with poverty, with its accompany
malnutrition, overcrowding and stress, and while the exact role of nutrition is uncertain, it seems
that a diet based on cheap carbohydrate and a lack of protein and vitamins is another contributing
factor.
In addition, a condition such as diabetes mellitus also leads to increased risk of developing
the disease, and statistics from certain mining areas in Africa show that sufferers of respiratory
disorders, such as silicosis, are especially vulnerable to attacks of pulmonary tuberculosis.
The introduction of mass immunization against TB by the use of BCG vaccine, and of mass
radiography, where it is possible to screen large numbers of people for early signs of tuberculosis,
has dramatically reduced the incidence of the disease in the last few decades.
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Questions 1 – 12
Complete the summary of the above reading passage.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Despite the fact that tuberculosis was the number one ...(1)... in the 19th century, it was not
proved that the disease was ...(2)... until 1882 when Robert Koch succeeded in isolating the
tubercle bacillus. While it is now well known that tuberculosis is spread by ...(3)... infection, it is
also evident that entry of the tubercle bacillus does not ...(4)... lead to development of the disease.
Although we do not yet fully understand ...(5)..., there is evidence to show that a person who has
contracted and recovered from the disease is ...(6)... likely to develop active tuberculosis on
subsequent exposure to the bacillus than a patient who has not been ...(7)... infected. As with all
diseases spread by droplet infection, living in overcrowded insanitary conditions greatly increases
the risk of ...(8). It is obvious, therefore, that in crowded cities the risk of contracting tuberculosis
is far higher than in rural areas. Inadequate diet also seems to be a ...(9)..., and sufferers of
conditions such as diabetes mellitus or ...(10)... appear to have a lower effective degree of ...(11)...
. In the last thirty years or so, many thousands of people throughout the world have been
substantially protected from developing tuberculosis largely as a result of ...(12). programmes.
Exercise 3
THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

The greenhouse effect is not a new phenomenon. Scientists have known for centuries that
a layer of gases naturally surrounds the earth like an insulating blanket, trapping the reflected
energy of the sun and preventing it from escaping into space. That is what makes the earth warm
enough for people, plants and animals. However, recent human activity has boosted concentrations
of greenhouse gases and enhanced their heat-trapping ability. The main culprit is carbon dioxide
(CO2), which scientists estimate accounts for nearly half of global warming. CO2 is released from
burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) and from clearing and burning forests.
There are other important greenhouse gases too and they cannot be ignored – CFCs for
example may account for 25 per cent of global warming in the next century if their production is
not scaled back. But carbon dioxide is the pivotal one. The UN International Panel on Climatic
Change now says that CO2 levels could double within 40 years if present rates of fossil-fuel burning
and deforestation continue. That could mean an average temperature increase between two and
four degrees centigrade and a sea-level rise of perhaps a foot by 2050.
No-one knows for certain how local weather will change as a result of this warming. But
one thing is clear – it will be no picnic. Indications are that the earth will be warmer than at any
time since the start of the last ice age nearly 100 000 years ago. But there's one major difference.
This temperature increase will take place not over thousands of years, but over decades. And it is
the speed of the change which makes the precise impact so difficult to predict.
The most sophisticated computerized climate models, in the US and Britain, agree that
weather around the world will become more erratic and more extreme. In general, temperatures
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will rise more towards the poles than at the equator. Overall rainfall will also increase as higher
temperatures boost evaporation from the seas. But the distribution of precipitation will shift. Some
areas will become wetter, others will be drier. In middle latitudes, climate zones will march pole-
wards, Saskatchewan may become like southern France. In tropical and subtropical parts of the
Third World warming will be less but the impact on a relatively stable climate will be greater.
Tropical storms and droughts could both increase. The pattern of the monsoons may shift.
Global warming will also cause ocean levels to rise – thought not, as popular wisdom has it,
due to the Antarctic ice cap melting. If this catastrophe occurs it will not be for at least another
century. Instead sea levels will rise simply because water expands as it warms. People living in low-
lying coastal regions from New York and London to Jakarta and Dacca will be in danger. The world's
great river deltas, home to millions in Asia and Latin America and containing some of the Third
World's richest food-growing land, could become brackish grave-yards.
Questions 1 – 12
Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the
passage for each answer.
It has long been known that earth is (0) warm enough to support life because of an ...(1)... layer
of greenhouse gases which trap the sun's ...(2)... . Recently, increased production of one of
these gases, ...(3)... by mankind's ...(4)... of wood and fossil fuels, has been the main cause of
...(5). If
the ...(6)... of CO2 continue to increase both temperature and ...(7)... could rise significantly by
2050. The ...(8)... of this change has made predictions about the effect on the world's ...(9)...
uncertain. However, computers forecast greater unpredictability and a more ...(10). .. climate. And
with the temperature rise will come a corresponding expansion of ...(11). . and rising sea-levels,
threatening ...(12). cities and fertile land alike.
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UNIT 5
HEADING MATCHING
INTRODUCTION
TASK DESCRIPTION
In this task you may be tested on your understanding of the main topics, themes and ideas in
paragraphs.
NB:
There are always more headings supplied than there are paragraphs or sections.
Some of the headings may be given as examples.
Each heading should be used once only.
TASK APPROACH
Study the example to help guide your approach, either looking for the main idea in each
section or scanning for specific detail
Read the first section carefully and try to say what it’s about in a few words in your mind,
before looking at the headings.
Choose the best answer from the list of headings. Make sure the one you choose sums up
the section as a whole.
PRACTICE
Practice 1
Questions 1 – 5
The reading passage has six sections A – F.
Choose the correct headings for sections A – D and F from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
i. The probable effects of the new international trade agreement

ii. The environmental impact of modern farming
iii. Farming and soil erosion
iv. The effects of government policy in rich countries
v. Governments and management of the environment
vi. The effects of government policy in poor countries
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vii. Farming and food output

viii. The effects of government policy on food output
ix. The new prospects for world trade
1. Section A
2. Section B
3. Section C
4. Section D
Example: Section E: vi
5. Section F
Section A
The role of governments in environmental management is difficult but inescapable. Sometimes, the
state tries to manage the resources it owns, and does so badly. Often, however, governments act in
an even more harmful way. They actually subsidise the exploitation and consumption of natural
resources. A whole range of policies, from farm price support to protection for coal mining, do
environmental damage and (often) make no economic sense. Scrapping them offers a twofold
bonus: a cleaner environment and a more efficient economy. Growth and environmentalism can
actually go hand in hand, if politicians have the courage to confront the vested interest that
subsidies create.
Section B
No activity affects more of the earth's surface than farming. It shapes a third of the planet's land
area, not counting Antarctica, and the proportion is rising. World food output per head has risen by
4 per cent between the 1970s and 1980s mainly as a result of increases in yields from land already
in cultivation, but also because more land has been brought under the plough. Higher yields have
been achieved by increased irrigation, better crop breeding, and a doubling in the use of pesticides
and chemical fertilisers in the 1970s and 1980s.
Section C
All these activities may have damaging environmental impacts. For example, land clearing for
agriculture is the largest single cause of deforestation; chemical fertilisers and pesticides may
contaminate water supplies; more intensive farming and the abandonment of fallow periods tend
to exacerbate soil erosion; and the spread of mono culture and use of high yielding varieties of
crops have been accompanied by the disappearance of old varieties of food plants which might
have provided some insurance against pests or diseases in future. Soil erosion threatens the
productivity of land in both rich and poor countries. The United States, where the most careful
measurements have been done, discovered in 1982 that about one fifth of its farmland was losing
topsoil at a rate likely to diminish the soil's productivity. The country subsequently embarked upon
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a program to convert 11 per cent of its cropped land to meadow or forest. Topsoil in India and
China is vanishing much faster than in America.
Section D
Government policies have frequently compounded the environmental damage that farming can
cause. In the rich countries, subsidies for growing crops and price supports for farm output drive up
the price of land. The annual value of these subsidies is immense: about $250 billion, or more than
all World Bank lending in the 1980s. To increase the output of crops per acre, a farmer's easiest
option is to use more of the most readily available inputs: fertilisers and pesticides. Fertiliser use
doubled in Denmark in the period 19601985 and increased in The Netherlands by 150 per cent. The
quantity of pesticides applied has risen too: by 69 per cent in 1975-1984 in Denmark, for example,
with a rise of 115 per cent in the frequency of application in the three years from 1981. In the late
1980s and early 1990s some efforts were made to reduce farm subsidies. The most dramatic
example was that of New Zealand, which scrapped most farm support in 1984. A study of the
environmental effects, conducted in 1993, found that the end of fertiliser subsidies had been
followed by a fall in fertiliser use (a fall compounded by the decline in world commodity prices,
which cut farm incomes). The removal of subsidies also stopped land clearing and overstocking,
which in the past had been the principal causes of erosion. Farms began to diversify. The one kind
of subsidy whose removal appeared to have been bad for the environment was the subsidy to
manage soil erosion. In less enlightened countries, and in the European Union, the trend has been
to reduce rather than eliminate subsidies, and to introduce new payments to encourage farmers to
treat their land in environmentally friendlier ways, or to leave it fallow. It may sound strange but
such payments need to be higher than the existing incentives for farmers to grow food crops.
Farmers, however, dislike being paid to do nothing. In several countries they have become
interested in the possibility of using fuel produced from crop residues either as a replacement for
petrol (as ethanol) or as fuel for power stations (as biomass). Such fuels produce far less carbon
dioxide than coal or oil, and absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. They are therefore less likely to
contribute to the greenhouse effect. But they are rarely competitive with fossil fuels unless
subsidised and growing them does no less environmental harm than other crops.
Section E
In poor countries, governments aggravate other sorts of damage. Subsidies for pesticides and
artificial fertilisers encourage farmers to use greater quantities than are needed to get the highest
economic crop yield. A study by the International Rice Research Institute of pesticide use by
farmers in South East Asia found that, with pest resistant varieties of rice, even moderate
applications of pesticide frequently cost farmers more than they saved. Such waste puts farmers on
a chemical treadmill: bugs and weeds become resistant to poisons, so next year's poisons must be
more lethal. One cost is to human health. Every year some 10,000 people die from pesticide
poisoning, almost all of them in the developing countries, and another 400,000 become seriously ill.
As for artificial fertilisers, their use worldwide increased by 40 per cent per unit of farmed land
between the mid 1970s and late 1980s, mostly in the developing countries. Overuse of fertilisers
may cause farmers to stop rotating crops or leaving their land fallow. That, in turn, may make soil
erosion worse.
Section F
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A result of the Uruguay Round of world trade negotiations is likely to be a reduction of 36 per cent
in the average levels of farm subsidies paid by the rich countries in 1986-1990. Some of the world's
food production will move from Western Europe to regions where subsidies are lower or
nonexistent, such as the former communist countries and parts of the developing world. Some
environmentalists worry about this outcome. It will undoubtedly mean more pressure to convert
natural habitat into farmland. But it will also have many desirable environmental effects. The
intensity of farming in the rich world should decline, and the use of chemical inputs will diminish.
Crops are more likely to be grown in the environments to which they are naturally suited. And more
farmers in poor countries will have the money and the incentive to manage their land in ways that
are sustainable in the long run. That is important. To feed an increasingly hungry world, farmers
need every incentive to use their soil and water effectively and efficiently.
Practice 2
Questions 1 – 5
The reading passage has six paragraphs A – F.
Choose the correct headings for sections B – F from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
i. Insufficient access to education

ii. Rural poverty
iii. Rural populations of developing countries
iv. Realistic aims
v. Education in developing countries
vi. Rural primary education for the few
vii. Educational ideas
viii. Financing education
ix. A view of the future
Example: Section A: iii
1. Section B
2. Section C
3. Section D
4. Section E
5. Section F
EDUCATION FOR THE RURAL DISADVANTAGED

A The vast majority of people in the developing countries live in rural areas, on farms, in
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IELTS A - READING
villages or in rural market towns. In some countries, such as Rwanda, Burkina Faso and
Malawi more than 90 per cent of the total population lives in rural areas.
The projections are that the rural populations of the less-developed countries will increase
substantially in the decades to come. The UN predicts these will increase from 1.9 billion in
B 1970 to 2.6 billion by 1990. Thailand's rural population alone will increase from 30.6 million
in 1970 to 570 million by the year 2000. Furthermore, because of high birth rates and
declining infant mortality rates, more than half of the rural population of developing
countries is under 20 years of age. This raises serious implications for education.
The main purpose of education is to provide everybody (not only those in urban areas) with
relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes and ideas which will enable them to lead more
fulfilling, productive and satisfying lives. To assert that everyone has a 'right' to education
has little practical meaning unless this 'right' is translated into terms of some minimum
C package of attitudes, knowledge and skills for all people in a given society. To do otherwise
is to create a privileged class at the expense of everyone else. Vague objectives such as
'giving every child a good basic education' (often defined as four to six or more years of
formal schooling) are meaningless when huge sections of the population are getting little
or no education at all.
People in rural areas suffer from inadequate educational facilities and opportunities. In
most rural areas in developing countries the out-of-school group constitutes a vast majority
D of the whole population from, say, 10 to 20 years old. For all practical purposes, they are
beyond the reach of formal education. But no section of the community should be
shortchanged by its educational system.
Where there are rural primary schools they benefit far fewer rural young people than
educational statistics often imply. Primary schools, instead of being the great equalizers of
E educational opportunity they were meant to be, are the great discriminators. In the rural
areas they equip only a small minority of the young for effective and satisfying adulthood.
The great majority of rural youngsters are destined to live out the all-too-familiar grind of
ignorance and poverty.
This vicious circle has to be broken; the goal must be to provide everybody with basic
knowledge and skills. Rather than attempt to enrol every child for a seven or-eight-year
cycle of primary schooling, which is not financially feasible anyway for many countries for
F many years to come, the strategy should be shorter four to five-year primacy cycle to
provide every child with the minimum educational needs – literacy, numeracy, health
education and those technical and entrepreneurial skills needed to make a decent living.
This primary education should be geared for the large majority who will not continue their
studies beyond this stage, who will enter straight into productive life.
Practice 3
Questions 1 – 6
The reading passage has seven paragraphs A – G.

Choose the correct headings for sections B – G from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
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IELTS A - READING
i. The spreading tea vi. A woman's opinion of tea

ii. The history of tea growing vii. Where to find it
iii. Changes of tastes for drinks viii. Japanese tea
iv. Reducing cancer risks ix. More varieties to choose from
v. The plant Camellia sinensis
Example: Section A: iii
1. Section B
2. Section C
3. Section D
4. Section E
5. Section F
6. Section G
MORE THAN SYMPATHY

Americans are far more sophisticated about beverages than they were 20 years ago.
Witness the Starbucks revolution and you'll know where the trend goes. Now, spurred on
A by recent studies suggesting that it can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease and retard
the aging process, tea is enjoying a similar jolt. Enough chic tea salons are springing up to
make even die-hard coffee drinkers consider switching beverages.
Tea is available in more places than ever. “Tea was one of the most prolific beverage
categories in 1999,” with 24 per cent more products offered over the previous year,
reports Tom Vierhile of Marketing Intelligence Service, which tracks food and beverage
B trends. And the Tea Association of the United States reports that from 1990 to 1999,
annual sales of the drink grew to $4.6 billion from $1.8 billion. “Green tea is seen by
consumers as a 'functional food' – delivering health benefits beyond sustenance, “says
Vierhile.
Recently published studies point out that not all brews are created equal. Only teas that
come from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinesis – which, in their raw state are brewed to
make green tea, and, with curing, can be turned into oolong and black tea leaves – have
been shown to contain health benefits. Other herbals teas and infusions may taste good,
C yet they do little more than warm up the drinker. But for Camellia sinensis, the evidence is
powerful. In a 1998 study, Harvard University researchers found that drinking one cup of
black tea a day lowered the risk of heart attack by as much as 44 per cent compared with
non-tea drinkers, and other studies have suggested that the antioxidants in these so-called
real teas can also prevent cancer.
One such antioxidant in green tea is ECGC, a compound 20 times as powerful as vitamin E
D and 200 times as powerful as vitamin C. “When people ask me for something good and
cheap they can do to reduce their cancer risk, I tell them drink real tea,” says Mitchell
Gaynor, director of medical oncology at New York City's Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention
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Center.
Among those inspired to become a green-tea drinker is Tess Ghilaga, a New York writer
who took it up after consulting a nutritionist six years ago. “I've never been a coffee
E drinker,” says Ghilaga, 33. “She told me to start drinking green tea for the antioxidant
properties.” Now Ghilaga and her husband routinely brew tea – they order theirs from
InPursuitofTea.com, an Internet tea company. And although tea contains about half the
amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee, “you still get a nice buzz from it,” says Ghilaga.
Restaurants and coffee bars are also getting in on the act. “In restaurants nowadays, you're
a lot less likely to be offered a pitcher of hot water and a tea bag if you order tea after a
meal,” says Sebastian Beckwith of InPursuitofTea.com. At a Los Angeles coffee bar Urth
Café, customers can select from 65 varieties of tea, coming from countries as diverse as
F China, Japan, India, and Iran, and enjoy a pot of tea for about the price of a gourmet coffee
- $2.50 for a small pot and $3.50 for a large. “The tea experience is the exact opposite of
the coffee experience,” says Urth Caffé co-founder Shallom Berkman, explaining the
beverage's newfound popularity. “Coffee jars you with its caffeine; tea is more nurturing
and soothing, and people seem to be looking for that now.” That could add up to lots of
green for those who make their living in tea.
www.alitea.com. Along with green, black, and oolong teas, this company sells a wide
variety of herbal teas – and offers a “Tea of the Month” club. www.teasofgreen.com This
G site sells higher-end green, black, and oolong teas and has good tips on proper storage and
preparation of tea. www.tea.com Tea drinkers can find links to sites offering tea lore, such
as articles about tea ceremonies in foreign lands. As exhaustive “frequently asked
questions” file rounds out the site.
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IELTS A - READING
VOCABULARY
Exercise 1
FFF.switches off GGG. a thermostat HHH. switching

off
III. central heating JJJ. about 90% KKK. molecules
LLL. expansion and MMM. heating and cooling NNN. one fifty-
contraction systems thousandth
OOO. cooled by one PPP. liquids QQQ. oil

degree Celsius
RRR. slow down SSS.switch on TTT. expand
UUU. a bimetallic trip VVV. the strip WWW. heated
XXX. bend
THERMOSTATS
Heat causes substances to expand. This is because heat causes the atoms and (example)
in the substance to move more quickly. As a consequence, they take up more space. This is true
for gases, …(1)… and solids, but gases expand much more than liquids, and liquids much more
than solids. When a substance is cooled, the molecules …(2)… and as a result the substance
contracts.
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IELTS A - READING
Thermostats make used of the principle of expansion. The function of …(3)…is to maintain a
constant temperature over a period of time. They are used in refrigerators, …(4)… and many
industrial processes.
When different materials are heated, some …(5)… more than others. For example, if brass
is heated by one degree Celsius, it will expand by …(6)… of its length. Heating copper, on the other
hand, will cause it to expand by …(7)… of this. One kind of thermostat contains a strip of brass and a
strip of copper which are joined to form a ‘bimetallic strip’. When the strip is …(8)…, the different
metals expand by different amounts. As a result, the strip is forced to …(9)… towards the side which
expands less. This bending can be used to operate a valve or open and close an electrical circuit.
Such a bimetallic strip is used in central heating systems. It …(10)… the heaters when the air
reaches a certain temperature, and switches them on when the temperature falls. One end of
…(11)… can move while the other is fixed. The free end completes an electrical circuit which
controls the gas or …(12)… burner. The strip bends as it is heated. At a certain temperature, the
strip bends sufficiently to break the contact, thereby …(13)… the burner. When the air cools, the
strip contracts until it makes contract and switches the burner on again.
Example: F
46.
40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.
52.
47. 48. 49. 50. 51.
Exercise 2
A. Eventually B. Increases C. Constantly
D. Car braking system E. Compressed F. Transmitting
G. Rapid H. Compressions of a gas I. Resistance
J. The pressure K. Pressure L. Depend
M. In inverse proportion N. Into a smaller space O. Difficult
P. Change in volume Q. Gas pressure R. In direct proportion
S. Increase in temperature
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IELTS A - READING
PRESSURE
Gases are made up of atoms and molecules, which are in constant and (example)
motion. The atoms and molecules are …(1)… hitting the walls of the gas container. In doing so
they exert pressure on the walls.
Gases have no definite shape or volume. The shape and volume of a gas …(2)… on its
container. Compared with solids and liquids, the molecules of a gas are relatively far apart. Hence
they can be compressed, or forced into a smaller space. But if the volume of a gas is decreased, its
pressure …(3)…, because the molecules hit the walls more often and more rapidly. Thus pressure is
…(4)… to volume.
A liquid, on the other hand, cannot be compressed. If we try to force a liquid …(5)…, it seeks
a way out of the container. The pressure which a liquid exerts on the walls of a container is equal in
all directions. This is why liquids are used for …(6)… power in different directions, in hydraulic
brakes and lifts.
The more a gas is compressed, the greater its …(7)… to compressions. If a large amount of
gas is forced into a small space, it becomes …(8)… to compress further. Under very high pressure,
compressed gas can be used for transmitting power.
As …(9)… is increased, the molecules are forced closer together. If this continues, the
molecules …(10)… become attached to one another. At this point, the gas changes into a liquid.
The pressure of a gas varies with temperature. Pressure is …(10)… to absolute temperature,
since the higher the temperature, the more rapid the motion of the molecules, and consequently
the greater …(12)… exerted on the walls of the container. Conversely, the higher the pressure of a
gas, the higher its temperature. When a gas is …(13)…, it becomes hotter.
Example: G
46.
40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.
52.
47. 48. 49. 50. 51.
Exercise 3
Read this article and then look at the statements below. Write YES if the statement
agrees with the opinions in the text and NO if it contradicts them.
The past 40 years have seen astounding developments: globalization, the end of the Cold
War, the Internet. The next 40 years may bring even more profound changes. In order to predict
the future we must first examine the past. Historians see history as being driven by a combination
of cumulative long-term trends and short to mid-term cycles, each of which contains the seeds of
a subsequent but familiar situation. There have been many projections about the future which,
with the benefit of hindsight, seem rather ridiculous. Who can forget the predictions about the
Y2K bug when commentators believed that societies would collapse and satellites would fall from
the sky? Unfortunately, as a result, many people today are more skeptical about current
predictions concerning global warming.
One of the few areas in which long-term trends can be clearly seen is demographic
statistics. These indicate that the population of the world will increase to about eight billion in
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IELTS A - READING
2006 and continue to rise to nine billion by 2050, after which it will flatten out. Some societies
have birth rates that are already locking their populations into absolute decline. Not only will the
populations of each of these societies dwindle, but an increasing proportion will be moving into
old age, when they are less productive and use more health resources. However, the weakness of
all such predictions is that humans meddle with their own history. Predictions about the future
affect how humans act or plan today and ultimately how events unfold. The challenge is to pick
the trends that are likely to be prolonged but to also factor in human influence.
1. A cycle is usually repeated at some time in the future.

2. We can look back and understand past predictions.
3. Past predictions have caused people to firmly believe in current predictions.
4. Population figures can be predicted quite accurately.
5. Some countries are predicted to experience a total decline in population.
6. The percentage of elderly people will dwindle in some countries.
7. Elderly people work less.
8. To make accurate predictions we need to take into account the effect people have on their
environment.
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IELTS A - READING
HOMEWORK
Exercise 1
Questions 1 – 6
The reading passage has five paragraphs A – E.
Choose the correct headings for sections B – E from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
i. Looking at young drivers

ii. Do driving courses prevent accidents?
iii. Results of safety campaigns
iv. A United States study
v. Defensive driving – fewer traffic fines
vi. Male and female drivers
vii. The Monash University report
viii. An international review
ix. The situation in the United States
Example: Section A: vii
1. Section B
2. Section C
3. Section D
4. Section E
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IELTS A - READING
THE VALUE OF DRIVER TRAINING

Most fatal accidents involve a disproportionately high number of men under the age of 25.
A report on young driver research prepared last year by Monash University's accident
research centre found that in 1990 and 1991, almost a third of the people killed in road
A crashes were drivers under 25, yet this age group represents only 14 per cent of the
population. The report, which also updated a review of international literature about,
among other things, driver training, also reached what many would consider a startling
conclusion: training and education where they occur – principally in the US – do not appear
to reduce younger drivers' risk of crashing.
The Monash University researchers looked at crash information from New South Wales for
1986 to 1990, from Victoria for 1984 to 1990 and from South Australia for 1986 to 1990.
The Australian evidence which possibly indicates that counter-measures targeted
B specifically at young / novice drivers have been effective comes from evaluations of zero
blood alcohol concentration legislation. (In 1989, all Australian governments agreed from
1991 on, to ban provisional drivers from drink-driving at any-level, and to extend the
provisional licence to three years).
The Monash researchers also looked at United States road-crash information for 1989 on
6.6 million police-reported crashes involving fatalities, injuries and motor vehicle damage.
The researchers looked at a sample of 44,000 crashes. The conclusion was that the
available literature gives a pessimistic view of the efficacy of driver training and education,
reflected in the inability to produce drivers safer than those who have not been trained.
C One study on driver training in the US was conducted in DeKalb county, Georgia between
1977 and 1981. 16,000 school students were split into three groups: one group received 70
hours practical driver education training, another brief, school based course and the third
no school-based driver education. Those comprehensively trained were 16 per cent more
likely to get their licences, but 11 per cent more likely to crash and eight per cent more
likely to get traffic fines.
In 1985, the researchers who conducted that study then reviewed 14 studies of defensive-
driver training courses and concluded that though people who attended such courses
D received fewer traffic fines, they did not have fewer crashes. Despite the intuitive
conclusion that safe driving should be teachable (like many practical skills), there is
insufficient evidence about the ability of practical driver-training to reduce crashes for the
general driving population.
The Monash University report into young drivers concluded that younger drivers were
more likely to take risks at night, younger men were more likely to take risks than younger
E women, but younger women appeared to have 'greater skills deficiency'. Overall, the
researchers concluded that it appears that vehicle-control skills improve rapidly with
increasing experience but that their development is still incomplete after one or two years
and possibly after considerably longer periods.
Exercise 2
Questions 1 – 7
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IELTS A - READING
The reading passage has nine paragraphs A – I
Choose the correct headings for paragraphs B – H from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
i. The effect of emphasis on short-term vii. A playwright’s perception of music

educational goals viii. Early exposure to music in the USA
ii. The limited effects of music ix. Music without instruments
iii. The future of music x. The ‘Mozart effect’
iv. Benefits for health xi. Order or chaos?
v. The effects of early exposure to music xii. The creation of The Voices Foundation
vi. The skills involved in musical activity xiii. A method for training singers
xiv. The use of music in Shakespeare’s plays
Example: Paragraph A: xi
1. Paragraph B
2. Paragraph C
3. Paragraph D
4. Paragraph E
5. Paragraph F
6. Paragraph G
7. Paragraph H
Example: Paragraph I: iii
Even the Greeks couldn’t agree about it. Was music a source or order and proportion in
society, regulating its innate chaos in ways similar to the disciplines of geometry and
A architecture? Or did its ability to express passionate emotions beyond the read of words
create the potential or disorder and anarchy? Compare the behaviour of an audience
listening to classical string quartets with headbangers at a rave, and the age-old conflict
between Apollo and Dionysius is made manifest all over again in our own time.
Shakespeare, though, came clean. For him, ‘the man who hath no music in himself, Nor is
B not mov’ d with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, strategems and spoils; The
motions of his spirit are dull as night …’ Throughout his plays, Shakespeare perceives music
as a healing force, an art whose practice makes man whole.
Yet, despite the growth of the science of music therapy within the last two centuries, and
despite the huge weight of books published on the miraculous ‘Mozart effect’, our schools
and colleges have fallen strangely silent. The so-called ‘Mozart effect’ presents anecdotal
C and statistical evidence for advances in both social and academic skills in those children
exposed in their formative years to the music of Mozart. But, in an age obsessed by
pragmatism and by short-term vocational learning, music has been marginalized in both
primary and secondary education. Compared with the holy trinity of reading, writing, and
arithmetic, music is regarded as a luxury pastime. As a result, children are leaving school
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IELTS A - READING
not only totally ignorant of their own musical heritage, but lacking in social, physical, and
mental skills which musical performance can uniquely promote.
Playing an instrument requires a degree of concentration and coordination which brings
into play a plethora of mental and physical skills which are being eroded in our push-button
D world. Socialization and team-work are also involved. Schools with wind bands, string
ensembles, jazz groups, and orchestras are right up there at the top of the league tables. In
excelling in musical activity, the students’ performance in many other fields of learning is
refocused and radically improved.
There are medical aspects too. Long before British primary schools discovered the recorder
– that most basic of all modern woodwind instruments – Australian Aborigines had
developed the didgeridoo. Like the clarinet and the flute, this haunting and beautiful
E instrument helped to overcome both upper and lower respiratory tract problems and
encouraged better sleep. In playing a wind instrument, abdominal muscles are used to
support the breathing system. And these are the very muscles which come into play when
an asthmatic is experiencing an attack.
But what of those individuals and schools which simply cannot afford a musical
instrument? What of those institutions where not a single member of staff can read music?
F This is where the human being’s most primitive form of music-making comes into its own.
Singing is free. Everyone possesses a voice. And, with it, the body expresses itself in the
most fundamental and organic way.
The Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly knew this, and developed his own system of
training ear and voice within a simple yet comprehensive system of body language. Today,
an organization called The Voices Foundation adapts and applies Kodaly’s methods, aiming
G to give children back their singing voices, and to make our schools ring with music-making
once again. Their advisors and teachers have already achieved extraordinary turn-around
effects the length and breadth of Britain and in schools in the troubled areas of South
Africa.
Important work is currently being done in Finland, Israel, and the United States on pre-
school, even pre-birth, musical education. Music in the womb is very much part of the life
H of the unborn future citizens of Finland. And one has only to look at the educational
standards, health records, and professional musical activity in this small nation to see what
dividends music in education pays from the earliest days of human life.
Mozart has been celebrated in his anniversary years of 1991 and again in 2006. By the time
I of the next Mozart-Year, shall we have allowed music to conjure a better society for us all?
Or, relegated to the ranks of mere entertainment, will music be eroded of its unique power
to heal and to make whole?
Questions 8 – 10
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the reading passage?
Write
YES if the statement agrees with the writer’s claims
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IELTS A - READING
NO if the statement contradicts with the writer’s claims
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.
8. In Shakespeare’s dramas, music is seen in a positive light.

9. Schools lack the funds to buy luxury items like musical instruments.
10. Musical activity can only lead to a slight improvement in children’s social, physical, and
mental skills.
Questions 11 – 13
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
11. According to the writer, studying music

A. may not help all students to improve in other areas of their studies.
B. mean that students spend less time on reading, writing, and arithmetic.
C. helps students to improve enormously in other areas of their studies.
D. mean that students will excel as professional musician.
12. The didgeridoo is an instrument that
A. has a negative effect on those suffering with breathing problems.
B. benefits those suffering with breathing problems.
C. tends to send those who listen to it to sleep.
D. sounds sad to most people.
13. Which of the following is the most suitable heading for the reading passage?
A. the growth of music in the school curriculum
B. music throughout the ages
C. music for everyone
D. the beneficial effects of a musical education
Exercise 3
Questions 1 – 4
The reading passage has 5 sections A – E
Choose the correct headings for paragraphs B – E from the list of headings below.
List of headings
i. Research into African community life

ii. Views about intelligence in African societies
iii. The limitations of Western intelligence tests
iv. The Chinese concept of intelligence
v. The importance of cultural context in test design
vi. The disadvantages of nonverbal intelligence tests
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IELTS A - READING
vii. A comparison between eastern and western understanding of intelligence

viii. Words for ‘intelligence’ in African languages
ix. The impossibility of a universal intelligence test
Example: Paragraph A: iii
1. Paragraph B
2. Paragraph C
3. Paragraph D
4. Paragraph E
VIEWS OF INTELLIGENCE AROSS CULTURES

In recent years, researchers have found that people in non-Western cultures often have
ideas about intelligence that are considerably different from those that have shaped
A Western intelligence tests. This cultural bias may therefore work against certain groups of
people. Researchers in cultural differences in intelligence, however, face a major dilemma,
namely: how can the need to compare people according to a standard measure be
balanced with the need to assess them in the light of their own values and concepts?
For example, Richard Nesbitt of the University of Michigan concludes that East Asian and
Western cultures have developed cognitive styles that differ in fundamental ways,
including how intelligence is understood. People in Western cultures tend to view
intelligence as a means for individuals to devise categories and engage in rational debate,
B whereas Eastern cultures see it as a way for members of a community to recognize
contradiction and complexity and to play their social roles successfully. This view is backed
up by Sternberg and Shih-Ying, from the University of Taiwan, whose research shows that
Chinese conceptions of intelligence emphasize understanding and relating to others, and
knowing when to show or not show one’s intelligence.
The distinction between East Asia and the West is just one of many distinctions that
separate different ways of thinking about intelligence. Robert Serpell spent a number of
years studying concepts of intelligence in rural African communities. He found that people
in many African communities, especially in those where Western-style schooling is still
uncommon, tend to blur the distinction between intelligence and social competence. In
C rural Zambia, for instance, the concept of nzelu includes both cleverness and responsibility.
Likewise, among the Luo people in rural Kenya, it has been found that ideas about
intelligence consist of four broad concepts. These are named paro or practical thinking,
luoro, which includes social qualities like respect and responsibility, winjo or
comprehension, and rieko. Only the fourth corresponds more or less to the Western idea
of intelligence.
In another study in the same community, Sternberg and Grogorenko have found that
children who score highly on a test of knowledge about medicinal herbs, a test of practical
D intelligence, often score poorly on tests of academic intelligence. This suggests that
practical and academic intelligence can develop independently of each other, and the
values of a culture may shape the direction in which a child’s intelligence develops.
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IELTS A - READING
It also tends to support a number of other studies which suggest that people who are
unable to solve complex problems in the abstract can often solve them when they are
presented in a familiar context. Ashley Maynard, for instance, now professor of psychology
at the University of Hawaii, conducted studies of cognitive development among children in
a Mayan village in Mexico using toy looms, spools of thread, and other materials drawn
from the local environment. The research suggested that the children’s development could
be validly compared to the progression described by Western theories of development, but
only by using materials and experimental designs based on their own culture.
The original hope of many cognitive psychologists was that a test could be developed that
was absent of cultural bias. However, there seems to be an increasing weight of evidence
to suggest that this is unlikely. Raven’s Progressive Matrices, for example, were originally
advertised as ‘culture free’ but are now recognized as culturally loaded. Such non-verbal
intelligence tests are based on cultural constructs which may not appear in a particular
culture. It is doubtful whether cultural comparisons of concepts of intelligence will ever
E
enable us to move towards creating a test which encompasses all aspects of intelligence as
understood by all cultures. It seems even less likely that such a test could be totally free of
cultural imbalance somewhere.
The solution to the dilemma seems to lie more in accepting that cultural neutrality is
unattainable and that administering any valid intelligence test requires a deep familiarity
with the relevant culture’s values and practices.
Questions 5 – 9
Look at the researchers in 5 – 9 and the list of findings below. Match each researcher
with the correct finding.
5. Ashley Maynard
6. Richard Nesbitt
7. Sternberg and Grogorenko
8. Sternberg and Shih-Ying
9. Robert Serpell
List of Findings
A. There is a clear relationship between intelligence and relationships with others in Chinese
culture.
B. Children frequently scoring well in academic tests score better in practical tests.
C. The difference between intelligence and social competence is not distinct in many African
communities.
D. Children frequently scoring well in practical tests score less well in academic tests.
E. In experiments to measure cognitive development, there is a link between the materials
used and the test results.
F. The connection between intelligence and social competence in many African communities
is not clear.
G. The way cognition is viewed in East Asian cultures differs fundamentally from those in
Western cultures.
H. Chinese culture sees revelations about one’s intelligence as part of intelligence.
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IELTS A - READING
Questions 10 – 12
Choose three letters, A – F.
The list below gives statements about non-verbal intelligence tests.
Which THREE statements are mentioned by the writer of the passage?
A. Raven’s Progressive Matrices are widely considered to be culturally free.

B. Cultural comparisons will allow the development of culturally neutral tests.
C. The development of culturally neutral tests is unlikely.
D. Raven’s progressive Matrices are culturally specific.
E. The creation of culturally-free tests is sometimes possible.
F. Many cognitive psychologists originally hoped tests could be developed free of cultural
bias.
Question 13
Which of the following is the main argument of the article?
A. Intelligence tests should include tests of social skills and responsibility.

B. Test takers from any culture can learn the cognitive style required by Western intelligence
tests.
C. Intelligence tests cannot be free of cultural bias.
D. More research is needed to develop an intelligence test which is valid for all cultures.
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IELTS A - READING
UNIT 6
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
INTRODUCTION
TASK DESCRIPTION
There are several types of multiple-choice questions. You may have to choose one answer from
four options, or more than one answer from a longer list of options. The approach, however, is the
same.
TASK APPROACH
Study the options first and ask yourself which seem(s) likely to be correct.
Find the relevant section of text and read it very carefully.
For each option, ask yourself these key questions:
o Is it mentioned in the article?
It may look true or logical but make sure the idea actually comes from the text.
o Is it true?
The article may contain words like this, but check to see if this is the real meaning.
o Is it relevant?
It may be mentioned in the article, and true, but not answer the question.
PRACTICE
Practice 1
Read the following paragraphs then answer the questions below.
All these activities may have damaging environmental impacts. For example, land
clearing for agriculture is the largest single cause of deforestation; chemical fertilisers and
pesticides may contaminate water supplies; more intensive farming and the abandonment of
fallow periods tend to exacerbate soil erosion; and the spread of monoculture and use of high
yielding varieties of crops have been accompanied by the disappearance of old varieties of food
plants which might have provided some insurance against pests or diseases in future. Soil
erosion threatens the productivity of land in both rich and poor countries. The United States,
where the most careful measurements have been done, discovered in 1982 that about one fifth
of its farmland was losing topsoil at a rate likely to diminish the soil's productivity. The country
subsequently embarked upon a program to convert 11 per cent of its cropped land to meadow
or forest. Topsoil in India and China is vanishing much faster than in America.
Government policies have frequently compounded the environmental damage that
farming can cause. In the rich countries, subsidies for growing crops and price supports for farm
output drive up the price of land. The annual value of these subsidies is immense: about $250
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IELTS A - READING
billion, or more than all World Bank lending in the 1980s. To increase the output of crops per
acre, a farmer's easiest option is to use more of the most readily available inputs: fertilisers and
pesticides. Fertiliser use doubled in Denmark in the period 1960-1985 and increased in The
Netherlands by 150 per cent. The quantity of pesticides applied has risen too: by 69 per cent in
1975-1984 in Denmark, for example, with a rise of 115 per cent in the frequency of application
in the three years from 1981.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s some efforts were made to reduce farm subsidies. The
most dramatic example was that of New Zealand, which scrapped most farm support in 1984. A
study of the environmental effects, conducted in 1993, found that the end of fertiliser subsidies
had been followed by a fall in fertiliser use (a fall compounded by the decline in world
commodity prices, which cut farm incomes). The removal of subsidies also stopped landclearing
and overstocking, which in the past had been the principal causes of erosion. Farms began to
diversify. The one kind of subsidy whose removal appeared to have been bad for the
environment was the subsidy to manage soil erosion. In less enlightened countries, and in the
European Union, the trend has been to reduce rather than eliminate subsidies, and to introduce
new payments to encourage farmers to treat their land in environmentally friendlier ways, or to
leave it fallow. It may sound strange but such payments need to be higher than the existing
incentives for farmers to grow food crops. Farmers, however, dislike being paid to do nothing. In
several countries they have become interested in the possibility of using fuel produced from
crop residues either as a replacement for petrol (as ethanol) or as fuel for power stations (as
biomass). Such fuels produce far less carbon dioxide than coal or oil, and absorb carbon dioxide
as they grow.
They are therefore less likely to contribute to the greenhouse effect. But they are rarely
competitive with fossil fuels unless subsidised and growing them does no less environmental
harm than other crops.
Questions 1 – 3
Choose the appropriate letters A, B, C or D.
1. Research completed in 1982 found that in the United States soil erosion
A. reduced the productivity of farmland by 20 per cent.
B. was almost as severe as in India and China.
C. was causing significant damage to 20 per cent of farmland.
D. could be reduced by converting cultivated land to meadow or forest.
2. By the mid1980s, farmers in Denmark
A. used 50 per cent less fertiliser than Dutch farmers.
B. used twice as much fertiliser as they had in 1960.
C. applied fertiliser much more frequently than in 1960.
D. more than doubled the amount of pesticide they used in just 3 years.
3. Which one of the following increased in New Zealand after 1984?
A. farm incomes
B. use of fertiliser
C. overstocking
D. farm diversification
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IELTS A - READING
Practice 2
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

All along the Queensland coast, inshore coral reefs, smothered by silt and algae, are
dying. Some lagoons and reefs, once pristine examples of a tropical paradise, now consist of
broken skeletons of dead coral, buried in layers of silt. Even the most remote reefs are at
risk of pollution from tourist resorts releasing sewage and ships dumping their rubbish.
Tourists too are so numerous that at one popular reef, urine from swimmers, and droppings
from fish they feed, have increased the nutrient level in the water so much that algal blooms
flourish and threaten the very existence of the colourful corals.
Marine experts say about 70% of coral reefs around the world are dead or severely
degraded. Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the globe's largest reef system, stretching 2300
kilometres and comprising 2900 separate reefs, is in better shape than most. But experts
warn that it requires concerted effort and diligence to keep it that way and in some places it
is already too late. The Great Barrier Reef is internationally renowned for its spectacular
marine life and the tourist and fishing industries are economically important. Reef-based
tourism and fishing have a combined economic worth of more than $1 billion a year. Reef
tourism is now more valuable than sugar exports and tourist numbers are forecast to
quadruple within eight years. The industry depends on protecting a spectacular marine
environment that is home to at least 10,000 species of animals (including 400 varieties of
coral) and plants. They include such endangered creatures as the dugong, the giant clam
and the humpback whale. It is an environment so little known that thousands more species
almost certainly await discovery; during one recent 12 month field study, 200,000 new
biological records, information not previously known to science, were made. Many
promising compounds for new medical treatments and other products are being discovered
on the reef. Compounds derived from sponges and other reef organisms are being
evaluated in the United States for possible use in drugs to fight cancer and AIDS. Through
newly developing technology, corals are giving us an extraordinary insight into past weather
patterns.
Scientists have discovered that long-lived on the Great Barrier Reef are vast
storehouses weather information. Over the centuries, corals have absorbed humid acid
from plant material washed into the reef from mainland rivers. By examining bands in coral
skeletons (analogous to tree rings) under ultraviolet light, scientists have been able to trace
rainfalls levels back to 1640s; eventually, they will know what the rainfall was at least 1000
years ago.
Sadly, after several years of research, marine experts agree those inshore reefs are
being devastated by a vast deluge of sediment and nutrients washed into the sea as a result
of development on the mainland. Some claim that outer reefs will eventually meet the same
fate. As internationally renowned marine scientist Leon Zann sums it up: 'It's not the waste
on the beaches we have to worry about, it's what we can't see below the surface'.
The reef is being assaulted on other fronts:
Research suggests that a new invasion of crown-of-thorns starfish, a coral devouring
creature, may be imminent. Authorities believe that human activities are implicated in such
population explosions.
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IELTS A - READING
Fresh outbreaks of coral bleaching – which occurs when rising temperatures cause
polyps to discard the tiny algae that give reefs their colours and which is linked by some
scientists to the greenhouse effect, are being recorded.
Catches of reef fish by commercial and recreational fishermen are falling.
Ships are illegally discharging oil and dumping garbage; with only one ranger per
5200 square kilometres of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, it is difficult to stop them.
In a controversial move, the oil industry – with the government's blessing – plans to
explore waters off the reef for petroleum within the next decade.
Australia is regarded internationally as being in the forefront of reef management
and research and is providing $2 million worth of advice on marine issues this year to other
countries. Australian scientists have advised Ecuador on Galapagos Islands and are helping
the Association of South-East Asian Nations to monitor their marine environment, where
80% of reefs are ruined and fish stocks are close to collapse. The hope is that the Great
Barrier Reef will avoid a similar fate.
Answer the following questions, using information from the Reading passage. Select A, B, C or
D as the best answer and write your answer in the spaces numbered 1 – 4.
Example:
Queensland is in:
A. Ecuador C. Australia
B. Australia D. The United States
1. The Great Barrier Reef
A. has mostly been destroyed
B. could die in the next decade
C. is healthier than most other reef systems
D. is in good condition
2. Corals are scientifically valued because
A. they can be made into medicine
B. they provide shelter for plants
C. fish feed on them
D. climatic change is recorded in them
3. Dangers to the marine environment include
A. warmer water C. new fish species
B. coral skeletons D. high rainfall levels
4. Oil exploration
A. has provided an income to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
B. will continue for 10 years
C. although supported by the government, is not popular
D. can help scientists monitor marine life
Practice 3
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IELTS A - READING
Nowadays, you not only are what you eat; you R&D* what you eat.
To cajole nervous students into the chemistry laboratory, teachers used to say that
the subject was like cooking. These days, it is truer to say that cooking is like chemistry. In a
cut-throat market, food companies are unwilling to leave anything to chance. They must
constantly formulate new flavours, ingredients and processing methods if they are to keep
abreast of their competitors.
As a result, their research laboratories have never been busier. A study published in
November by a trade magazine showed that 42% of the 331 food manufacturers surveyed
had plans to increase their R&D budgets by at least 15% in the coming year; only 3% said
that their R&D budgets would drop. This money has spurred the development of new ideas
in food technology.
To lower cost or improve texture, food manufacturers often have to replace one
substance by another that tastes nothing like it. One popular substitution is soya protein for
meat. In addition to being cheaper than meat, soya has (at least in America) the added
advantage of being marketable. The country's Food and Drug Administration, which
regulates such matters, has recently decided that if a foodstuff contains more than 6.25g of
soya per serving, manufacturers can state on its label that eating soya may reduce the risk of
heart disease.
That is a nice bonus. Unclogged arteries are not, however, the main point of eating
hamburgers. Flavour is. So, to find out how far hamburgers can be 'extended' with soya,
Keith Cadwallader of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign analysed differences
between the aromas of pure beef hamburgers and those containing 25% soya protein.
Surprisingly (and gratifying), adding a bit of soya to a hamburger may actually improve its
flavour. The mixed burgers had higher levels of certain sulfur-containing compounds that
are believed to augment the meaty 'notes' in a burger's aroma.
On the other hand, the research of Margaret Hinds at Oklahoma State University
shows what a fine line is between temptation and disdain. Using a group of 81 untrained
testers, she conducted a comparison of five commercially available burgers made from soya
(and one made from beef, as a control). The hue, the firmness and the chewiness of the
burgers correlated with how acceptable they were to consumers. Not surprisingly,
consumers preferred burgers that had characteristics close to those of beef. Only one soya-
based burger was close enough to pass muster.
Food, and its consumers, is notoriously subject to fads. This year, flavour makers are
insisting that bolder tasted are in fashion. Frito-Lay, a snack-food maker, has recently
launched a line of 'gourmet' crisps designed to appeal to the more discerning consumer. The
company's laboratory started by generating 300 flavours, including Thai curry, blue cheese,
lemongrass and tandoori chicken. Eight of these flavours made it to the final round and,
after getting 400 consumers to sample them, Frito-Lay decided to mass-produce only four:
cheddar and jalapeno; garlic and herb; barbecue; and something referred to as 'classic'. This
quarter seemed to please the American palate most.
That sort of market research, though, is both time-consuming and expensive. It
would speed things up, and probably cut costs, if it could be merchandised. To a certain
extent, it can be. Cheddar cheese, coffee and tea researchers are all exploring the use of
electronic noses to rate their foodstuffs. Simple versions of such devices employ a set of
sensors made of special polymers to change shape, which alters the resistance to the
current passing through the electrodes. The result is an electrical 'fingerprint' of an aroma.
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So far, the electronic noses developed by firms such as Alpha MOS, of Toulouse,
France, have worked best for quality-control purposes. These machines compare products'
aroma-fingerprints with pre-programmed standards that are known to correspond with
what people have said that they like. And the range of senses that can be substituted
electronically has now been extended to include taste as well as smell. Recently, Alpha MOS
has launched a second analyser – an electronic 'tongue' that can fingerprint the compounds
dissolved in a sample of liquid. The machine is accurate enough to work out, for example,
whether the vanilla extract in a sample originated in India or in Malaysia.
Even in culinary matters, however, the proof of the pudding is not always in the
eating. The success of a food product also depends on the cleverness of its marketing. To
this end McCormick, a flavouring company based in Maryland, has commissioned a 'crave
ability' study from Moskowitz and Jacobs, a market-research firm in White Plains, New York.
The intention is to discover which descriptions of particular foods most induce craving in
consumers. The preliminary results show that for fast-food hamburgers, the descriptions
rated as most enticing were 'a grilled aroma that surrounds a thick burger on a toasted bun'
and 'lots of grilled bacon and cheese covering on a lightly toasted bun'. Other blurbs, such as
'with horseradish sauce' and 'when it's cold outside and the burger is warm and inviting'
actually put people off hamburgers. And that was before they knew what was in them.
* short for Research and Development (normally a company department)

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
1. What did the trade magazine study show about research into food?
A. It costs more than it used to.
B. It is more important than it used to be.
C. It helps food manufacturers save money.
D. It is the most important area of food production.
2. Keith Cadwallader's research indicated that people
A. welcome a healthier type of burger.
B. have become used to eating less meat.
C. cannot tell the differences between soya and meat.
D. prefer the smell of burgers that contain some soya.
3. Which aspect of burgers did Margaret Hinds ask her testers to compare?
A. their size C. the benefits on health
B. their texture D. the ingredients used
4. What does the writer say about Frito-Lay's new types of crisp?
A. Each type appeals to different people.
B. Each type includes a mix of flavours.
C. They have a more unusual taste than other crisps.
D. They have replaced other, less popular crisps.
5. The company McCormick are most interested in
A. ways of describing food. C. producing more hamburgers.
B. popular types of food. D. winning more customers.
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VOCABULARY
Exercise 1
YYY. go away ZZZ. the facial nonverbal AAAA. words
BBBB. effective CCCC. face to face DDDD. communicate
EEEE. nonverbal FFFF. nonverbal GGGG. tone of voice

signals communication
HHHH. as well as IIII. critical JJJJ. nonverbal responses
KKKK. societal LLLL. perceptions MMMM. body language
NNNN. nonverbally OOOO. difficult PPPP. sensitive
QQQQ. channels
IMPORTANCE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
Do you realize that only 35 per cent of communication may be verbal? When you speak
(example) with a person, that person may be receiving 65 per cent of your message by means
other than the words you use – by your …(1)…, your gestures, even by the way you stand and are
dressed. In one view, the relative ability or impact of …(2)… may read 55 per cent and the
vocal nonverbal 38 per cent. It may be that the blending of …(3)… has more to do with meaning
than the simple summing of all the channels. In other words, the verbal is still …(4)… to how we
interpret the
nonverbal.
When we find that a gesture that means ‘come here’ in America means ‘…(5)…’ in Itatly, we
begin in sense the problem. There is evidence that in our own culture, black and white job
applicants behave quite differently …(6)…, even though their intent is the same. One writer
suggests that white people ‘run white’ and blacks ‘run black’. Perhaps a culture or subculture
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IELTS A - READING
creates its own system of …(7)… . There is also evidence that the sexes differ in their nonverbal
behaviours, and that they are in line with …(8)… role expectations.
When combined with the verbal message, nonverbal signal are quite …(9)… in conveying
ideas, particularly emotional concepts such as love and hate. People display quite different …(10)…
to various emotional situations. One study found that some people are more …(11)… than others to
nonverbal signals, and that such individuals tend to function better socially and intellectually. The
same study also found that young people are less sensitive to …(12)… than older people are. No
wonder that in some speech communications, our voices and our actions speak so loudly that our
…(13)… are often unheard or are not very persuasive.
Example: E
59.
53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58.
65.
60. 61. 62. 63. 64.
Exercise 2
T. send a message U. fifteen minutes V. easily
W. appropriate X. of course Y. person to person
Z. at times AA. differently BB. translates
CC. interpersonal relations DD. nonverbal EE. different
FF. discuss GG. occasionally HH. together
II. a small audience JJ. intimate KK. stand
LL. by a news special
SPACE AND DISTANCE
Each of us carries a kind of space bubble around us to mark off our personal territory. It
varies in size from (example) and according to the culture from which we come. More hostile
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IELTS A - READING
people are thought to have larger bubbles. They are more …(1)… angered and upset because it is
easier to bruise their larger bubbles. People also have different bubbles for …(2)… situations. We
‘occupy’ a certain room of the house: my room, Dad’s den, and Mom’s living room are pretty
special …(3)… . Invasions into another’s room often make us quite unpopular.
Cultural influence is considerable. Latin Americans and Arabs tend to stand close …(4)…
when they talk. Most North Americans like to talk at arm’s length. What is normal distance for Latin
Americans and Arabs is considered …(5)… by most of us. The possibility of poor or at least confused
interpersonal communication is obvious! Within our own culture these …(6)… distances change
according to the message and how well we know the listeners. We tend to …(7)… father away from
strangers than from friends. Of course, we are apt to stand closer when saying ‘I love you” than
“Hello there!” We also use our voices …(8)… according to distance, message, and mood.
Time is another element over which you have some control. Seldom are you in trouble for
being early, but …(9)… you may get in trouble for being late! One famous American general who
had risen from the ranks claimed that one of the secrets of his success was always being …(10)…
early for appointments. Almost every interview form includes an evaluation of the subject’s
dependability, which often …(11)… into his or her attitude toward being on time. Our general
culture tends to stress promptness. Television viewers complain by the thousands when a
scheduled programme is delayed …(12)… or a game that runs into overtime. Lateness suggests low
regard for the sender, the situation, or the message. We can often save strained …(13)… by giving
good reasons when we are late.
Example: F
59.
53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58.
65.
60. 61. 62. 63. 64.
Exercise 3
The following words occur in the text in Exercise 1 - Homework. Study the context and
choose the correct meaning from the list.
9. … fast food outlets are proliferating (Section A)

10. … a modern epidemic called ‘hurry sickness’ (section B)
11. The term was coined nearly 40 years …(B)
12. The primary culprit …is the increasing prevalence of technology …(C)
13. The primary culprit …is the increasing prevalence of technology …(C)
14. This breakdown came before technology, but the technology has exacerbated it. (D)
15. … conversations about their spouses … (D)
16. Full loads of extracurricular activities …(F)
17. The greatest paradox … is that, even when people are ready to change their
behavior, they are in a hurry to do so. (G)
18. … all the techniques and technology … may … be counterproductive (H)
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IELTS A - READING
A. (n) widespread existence

B. (n) statement which seems to be impossible because it says two opposite things
C. (v) made worse
D. (adj) having the opposite effect to that intended
E. (n) something which develops and spreads quickly (e.g. an infectious disease)
F. (n) husbands or wives
G. (adj) outside the regular course of work in a school or college
H. (v) invented
I. (v) rapidly increase in numbers
J. (n) person or thing guilty of a crime or offence
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IELTS A - READING
HOMEWORK
Exercise 1
Questions 1 – 6
The reading passage has eight sections A-H.
From the list of headings below, choose the most suitable headings for each section.
List of Headings
i. The effects of social change

ii. How do we begin to tackle the problem?
iii. What are the effects on our health and why are we so susceptible?
iv. Who is responsible for the problem?
v. Danger signs
vi. A disease with no age limits
vii. What is ‘hurry sickness’?
viii. A treatment for heart disease
ix. What is the cause?
x. Is there a cure?
Example: Section A: v
1. Section B
2. Section C
Example: Section D: i
3. Section E
4. Section F
5. Section G
6. Section H
HURRY SICKNESS
By Alyson Geller, MPH
A According to statistics, it is becoming increasingly rare in many Western countries for

families to eat together. It seems that people no longer have time to enjoy an meal, let along
buy and prepare the ingredients. Meanwhile, fast food outlets are proliferating. Further
evidence of the effects of the increasing pace of life can be seen on all sides. Motorists drum
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IELTS A - READING
their fingers impatiently at stop lights. Tempers flare in supermarket queues. Saddest of all is
the success of an American series of books called ‘One Minute Bedtime Stories’. What, one
has to ask, do parents do with the time thus saved?
B According to Barton Sparagon, M.D., medical director of the Meyer Friedman Institute in
San Francisco, and an expert on stress-related illness, the above are all symptoms of a
modern epidemic called ‘hurry sickness’. The term was coined nearly 40 years ago by a
prominent cardiologist, who noticed that all of his heart disease patients had common
behavioural characteristics, the most obvious being that they were in a chronic rush. Hurry
sickness has been an issue in our culture ever since, but the problem is escalating in degree
and intensity, leading to rudeness, short-tempered behavior and even violence, alongside a
range of physical ills.
C The primary culprit, according to Sparagon, is the increasing prevalence of technology –
like e-mail, cell phones, pagers and laptop computers. We can bring work home, into our
bedrooms and on our vacations. Time has sped up for many people, and there is increased
pressure to do more in the same number of hours, says Sparagon.
Jill Stein, a sociologist at the University of California at Los Angeles, agrees that time is
being more compressed than ever. ‘In the past, an overnight letter used to be a big deal. Now
if you can’t send an e-mail attachment, there’s something wrong. Because the technology is
available to us, there is an irresistible urge to use it.’
D What about those annoying people who shout into their cell phones, oblivious to those
around them? Stein says that self-centred behavior is related to larger social trends as well as
technology. ‘There is a breakdown of the nuclear family, of community, of belonging; and an
increased alienation and sense that we’re all disconnected from one another. This breakdown
came before the technology, but the technology has exacerbated it.’ Now we connect
through this technology, says Stein, and we don’t have face-to-face interaction.
Ironically, as people pull their cell phones out in the most unlikely venues, our personal
lives are available on a public level as never before. People are having work meetings and
conversations about their spouses and their therapy sessions with complete impunity.
Ordinarily we’d never be exposed to this information, says Stein.
E Sparagon claims that there is more a sense of entitlement now than ever (“Why should
anyone slow me down?”). but he warns that there is more than civility at stake. “This chronic
impatience is damaging not only to our social environment, but to our physical health. It
builds, and then it doesn’t take much to explode. And for those who repress it, it’s equally
damaging.”
The high-tech revolution and the lifestyle it has spawned have brought with them a rash of
serious health problems, including heart attacks, palpitations, depression, anxiety, immune
disorders, digestive ills, insomnia and migraines. Sparagon says that human beings are not
designed for prolonged, high-speed activity. ‘When you look at our heart rates, brain-wave
patterns – our basic physiology has not evolved to keep pace with the technology – we are
hard-wired to be able to handle a ‘fight-flight’ response where the stress ends within five to
ten minutes. In our current culture, though, we struggle for hours on end.”
F Even children are not spared the ills of modern-day overload. There’s a hidden epidemic of
symptoms like hypertension, migraines and digestive problems among children as young as
ten – disorders never before seen in children, says Sparagon. Whether these problems result
from being swept into the maelstrom of their parents’ lives, or from full loads of
extracurricular activities and unprecedented homework requirements – up to five hours a
night for some – children are experiencing the same sense of overload, time pressure and
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IELTS A - READING
demands that their parents experience, says Sparagon, ‘and they don’t have coping
mechanisms to deal with it.’
G Recovery is possible, but Sparagon emphasizes that there is no quick fix. Many of these
stress-related behaviours have become deeply ingrained to the point where people are
hardly aware of them. The greatest paradox, he says, is that even when people are ready to
change their behavior, they are in a hurry to do so.
H Sparagon works with people to become aware of their stress and the impact it’s having on
their lives. They examine their belief systems (What is really important? What can they let go
of?) and they learn to challenge their behaviours. One popular exercise is to assign a
chronically impatient person to stand in the longest line in the grocery store.
The only answer is to take it one day at a time. The irony is that all the techniques and
technology designed to streamline our lives may ultimately be counterproductive. As
Sparagon says, ‘People are finding that all of this multi-tasking, rushing and worrying is not
only making life intolerable, but actually making them less efficient than they could otherwise
be.”
Question 7
Choose the appropriate letter A-D.
7. One result of technology and the increased pace of life is that people
A. frequently meet work colleagues in public places.
B. have personal telephone conversations in public.
C. need to visit therapists on a regular basis.
D. no longer have offices to work from.
Questions 8 – 11
The article mentions a number of factors that contribute to ‘hurry sickness’. Which FOUR of
the following (A-H) are mentioned?
List of factors
A. Jobs are less secure and people must work harder to keep them.
B. Our bodies are not designed to cope with stress for long periods.
C. People are becoming more short-tempered and violent.
D. People are expected to try and achieve more in the time available.
E. Communications have become faster.
F. Too much stress can lead to physical disease.
G. Globalization has led to 24-hour trading.
H. People want to use the new technology which is available.
The four factors which contribute to ‘hurry sickness’ are:
8. …………………..
9. …………………..
10. …………………..
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IELTS A - READING
11. …………………..
Questions 12 – 16
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Hurry sickness is not a new condition but it has increased both in …(12)… in recent years, mainly
as a result of the rapid development of …(13)… . Typical symptoms include chronic impatience,
which experts believe can have potentially serious effect not only on those around us but also on
our …(14)… . The fact that children are also beginning to suffer from a variety of …(15)… suggests
that they are as vulnerable to the pressures of modern life as their parents. Curing the condition is
a slow process, which requires the sufferer to …(16)… the stress in their lives, and try to change
their behavior patterns.
Exercise 2
Read the following paragraphs then answer these questions.
NO WORD FOR ANXIETY

Psychologists Aruna Mahtani and Afreen Huq look back with mixed feelings on
their special project for Bangladeshi women in Britain.
Our training as mental-health professionals is supposed to be 'colour blind'. That sounds fine
but in practice it means that people from black and ethnic groups get a raw deal because their
1
particular problems are seldom acknowledged. Even when they are provided for it usually
amounts to their being dumped on the few professionals from black and ethnic groups.
So we decided to pilot a project involving Bangladeshi women from Tower Hamlets in the
East end of London. The largest Bangladeshi community in Britain lives in Tower Hamlets – at
2 least 40, 000 people. Most migrated in the 1960s and 1970s. Adjustment was difficult and the
transition from rural to an inner-city setting was hardest for women. They found themselves
confined indoors, isolated and without the networks of social support they were used to in
Bangladesh.
Many of these women turned to their doctors with common symptoms of anxiety, such as
palpitations, headaches, tearfulness, sleeping difficulties, chest pains, loss of appetite and lack
3 of energy. They were usually prescribed tranquilizers of even placebos like ascorbic acid
(vitamin C). Since the underlying causes remained, the women visited their doctors with
increasing frequency. And some were referred on to mental-health professionals like us.
We wanted to see how normal Western work when applied across cultures. Our first step
4 was to get an anxiety-management package translated. No easy task: there is no colloquial
expression in Bangla for 'anxiety'. We used two approximations, dushchinta ('undue worries')
and udhbeg (a word generally used only in its written form.)
5 We knew we had to have a women-only group. A mixed one would have been unacceptable
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IELTS A - READING
to both the women and their families. Their cultural background is that of a small rural
community where women tend to go out with family members or neighbours. In Britain they
are even less likely to go out due to fear of racist abuse and harassment, as well as language
difficulties.
So many things in the standard approach had to be changed. We had to translate many of
the usual examples – we would normally compare learning to relax with learning to drive, for
instance, which would not have been culturally appropriate. At first we asked the women to
6
rate, on a scale one to ten, the effect of relaxation on their level of anxiety. They found numbers
an odd way of expressing how they were feeling. So we shifted our focus to words and talked of
five stages from 'very good’ to 'very good'.
It was a pilot project, so there were shortcomings. We looked for too little back-up, naively
taking on too much, like driving the women to and from the centre. We did not collect as much
7 objective data as we might have done with a white group. We fell into the white stereotype of
assuming that Bangladeshi women would find the use of various check lists and written records
foreign. Perhaps racism has conditioned us to a greater extent than we expected.
But the rapport between us and the women in the group was instantaneous, probably
8 because we share not just a language and culture but a common experience of racism. The
importance of having bilingual and ethnic staff is clear.
We found that using a Western model across cultures has potential. But it needs political,
9 financial and personal commitment. And the lack of response by the authorities in Tower
Hamlets leads us to conclude that 'institutional’ racism is very much alive and kicking.
Choose which of the alternatives is the correct answer and put the appropriate
letter in the space provided.
1. What is meant in paragraph 1 by 'colour blind'?

A. Not liking people from ethnic groups.
B. Giving specialised treatment to ethnic groups.
C. Unable to distinguish certain colours.
D. Not treating ethnic groups differently.
2. The Bangladeshi women continued to visit their doctors because
A. they were lonely and isolated.
B. the reasons for their problems were still there.
C. they were being prescribed drugs.
D. they were referred to mental health professionals.
3. The standard approach to treating anxiety had to be changed because
A. the cultural background of the women was very different from the standard one.
B. the Bangladeshis were asked to racist harassment and language difficulties.
C. the Bangladeshi women asked them to change it.
D. the women could not relax.
4. It is important to have bilingual ethnic staff because
A. they can protect the people from racism.
B. people relate better to people of similar backgrounds.
C. of language problems.
D. they do not fall into the stereotype of assuming ethnic groups do not understand.
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IELTS A - READING
Exercise 3
Read the following passage then answer these questions.
IMPACT OF GLOBAL
WARMING ON CLIMATE
But there are also hidden factors which scientists

call 'feedback mechanisms'. No-one knows quite how
they will interact with the changing climate. Here's one
example: plants and animals adapt to climate change
over centuries. At the current estimate of half a degree
centigrade of warming per decade, vegetation may not
keep up. Climatologist James Hansen of the US space
agency NASA predicts climate zones will shift toward the
poles by 50 to 75 kilometres a year faster than trees can
naturally migrate. Species that find themselves in an
unfamiliar environment will die. The 1000 kilometres-
wide strip of coniferous forest running through Canada,
Russia and Scandinavia could be cut by half, setting in
motion a chain reaction. Millions of dying and diseased trees would soon lead to massive
forest fires, releasing tons of CO2 and further boosting global warming.
There are dozens of other possible 'feedback mechanisms'. Highest temperatures
will fuel condensation and increase cloudiness, which may actually damp down global
warming. Others, like the 'albedo' effect, will do the opposite. The 'albedo' effect is the
amount of solar energy reflected by the earth's surface. As northern ice and snow melts and
the darker sea and land pokes through, more heat will be absorbed, adding inexorably to
the global temperature increase.
Scientists continue to tinker away with their computer models, but the bare-bones
facts are clear. Even if we were to magically stop all greenhouse-gas emissions tomorrow the
impact on global climate would continue for decades. Delay, any delay, will simply make the
problem worse. The fact is that some of us are doing quite well the way things are. In the
developed world prosperity has been built on 150 years of cheap fossil fuels. Oil fires cars
and powers industry, coal generates electricity and indirectly runs TVs, dishwashers and
VCRs. Gas heats water and warms homes and factories.
Material progress has been linked to energy consumption. Today 75 per cent of the
entire world's energy is consumed by a quarter of the world's population. The average rich-
world resident adds about 3.2 tons of CO2 yearly to the atmosphere, more than four times
the level added by each Third World citizen. India, China and Brazil, which make up nearly
half the world's population, accounted for barely 15 per cent of global warming during the
1980s, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The US, with just seven per
cent of the global population, is responsible for 22 per cent.
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IELTS A - READING
Choose which of the alternatives is the correct answer and put the appropriate
letter in the space provided.
1. Feedback mechanisms are

A. statistics.
B. concealed causes.
C. known results.
D. scientific methods.
2. In paragraph 1 the writer is:
A. rejecting a scientific belief.
B. giving an example.
C. reaching a conclusion.
D. defending a theory.
3. If greenhouse gas emissions were stopped immediately, the world's climate:
A. would soon regain its balance.
B. would continue to be affected but without serious consequences.
C. would continue to be affected for many years to come.
D. would be affected for another 10 years.
4. According to the writer cheap fossil fuels have:
A. formed the basis of the developed world's success.
B. contributed to the developed world's success.
C. aided the developed world's building trade.
D. caused 150 years of global warming.
5. A person from a developing country:
A. adds more than 3 tons of CO2 yearly to the atmosphere.
B. adds about 12.8 tons of CO2 yearly to the atmosphere.
C. adds 4 tons of CO2 yearly to the atmosphere.
D. adds less than a ton of CO2 yearly to the atmosphere.
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IELTS A - READING
UNIT 7
TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
YES/NO/NOT GIVEN
INTRODUCTION
TASK DESCRIPTION
This is s very common task in the exam. The only difference between the two versions is that
True/False/Not Given concentrates on facts, while Yes/No/Not Given concentrates on opinions.
TASK APPROACH
Read each statement and locate the section of the text which deals with the topic.
Study the relevant section carefully to see if the statement matches the information.
Look for expressions which mean the same as the words in the question.
o True/Yes: if the statement exactly matches information in the text.
o False/No: if the statement says the opposite to information in the text.
o Not Given: if the information isn’t mentioned in the text or you think it is likely to
be True/Yes or False/No.
PRACTICE
Practice 1
DEFORESTATION AND DESERTIFICATION
The Sahel zone lies between the Sahara desert and the fertile savannahs of northern
Nigeria and southern Sudan. The word sahel comes from Arabic and mean marginal or
transitional, and this is a good description of these semi-arid lands, which occupy much of the
West Africa countries of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad.
Unfortunately, over the last century the Sahara desert has steadily crept southwards eating
into once productive Sahel lands. United Nations surveys show that over 70 per cent of the dry land
in agricultural use in Africa has deteriorated over the last 30 years. Droughts have become more
prolonged and more severe, the most recent lasting over twenty years in parts of the Sahel region.
The same process of desertification is taking place across southern Africa as the Kalahari desert
advances into Botswana and parts of South Africa.
One of the major causes of this desert advance is poor agricultural land use, driven by the
pressures of increasing population. Overgrazing – keeping too many farm animals on the land –
means that grasses and other plants cannot recover, and scarce water supplies are exhausted.
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Overcultivation – trying to grow too many crops on poor land – results in the soil becoming even
less fertile and drier, and beginning to break up. Soil erosion follows, and the land turns into desert.
Another cause of desertification is loss of tree cover. Trees are cut down for use as fuel and
to clear land for agricultural use. Tree roots help to bind the soil together, to conserve moisture,
and to provide a habitat for other plants and animals. When trees are cut down, the soil begins to
dry and loosen, wind and rain erosion increase, other plant species die, and eventually the fertile
topsoil may be almost entirely lost, leaving only bare rock and dust.
The effects of loss of topsoil and increased drought are irreversible. They are, however,
preventable. Careful conservation of tree cover and sustainable agricultural land use has been
shown to halt deterioration of soils and lessen the effect of shortage of rainfall. One project in Kita
in south-west Mali funded by the UNDP has involved local communities in sustainable management
of forest, while at the same time providing a viable agricultural economy based on the production
of soaps, bee-keeping, and marketing shea nuts. This may be a model for similar projects in other
West African countries.
Questions 1 – 7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the

passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts with the
information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. The Sahara has spread slowly northwards into the Sahel region.
2. Just over 70 per cent of the dry land in agricultural use in Africa has deteriorated over the
last 30 years.
3. Desertification is taking place faster in southern Africa than in the Sahel.
4. The advance of the desert is not the result of poor agricultural land use.
5. The loss of tree cover is a minor cause of desertification.
6. If there is a loss of tree cover, the deterioration in the soil is halted.
7. Tree conservation is more effective than sustainable agricultural land use in reducing the
consequences of lack of rain.
Practice 2
T H E G R E A T E S T O F V I C T O RI A N E N G I N E E R S
A In the hundred years up to 1860, the work of a small group of construction engineers
carried forward the enormous social and economic change that we associate with the
Industrial Revolution in Britain. The most important of these engineers was Isambard
Kingdom Brunel, whose work in shipping, bridge-building, and railway construction to name
just three fields, both challenged and motivated his colleagues. He was the driving force
behind a number of hugely ambitious projects, some of which resulted in works which are
still in use today.
B The son of an engineer, Brunel apprenticed with his father at an early age on the building of
the Thames Tunnel. At the age of just twenty, he became engineer in charge of the project.
This impressive plan to bore under the Thames twice suffered two major disasters when the
river broke through into the tunnel. When the second breach occurred in 1827, Brunel was
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IELTS A - READING
seriously injured during rescue operations and further work was halted.
C While recovering from his injuries, Brunel entered a design competition for a new bridge
over the Avon Gorge near Clifton. The original judge of the competition was Thomas
Telford, a leading civil engineer of his day, who rejected all entries to the competition in
favour of his own design. After considerable scandal, a second contest was held and
Brunel’s design was accepted. For reasons of funding, however, exacerbated by social
unrest in Bristol, the project was abandoned in 1843 with only the towers completed. After
Brunel’s death, it was decided to begin work on it again, partly so that the bridge could form
a fitting memorial to the great engineer. The entire structure was finally completed in 1864.
Today, the well-known Clifton Suspension Bridge is a symbol of Bristol, just as the Opera
House is of Sydney. Originally intended only for horse-drawn traffic, the bridge now bears
over four million motor vehicles a year.
Questions 1 – 7

passage? Write
1. Brunel was less important than the other construction engineers in Britain during the
Industrial Revolution.
2. Brunel was less involved in railway construction than other engineering fields.
3. Brunel worked only on shipping, bridge-building and railway construction.
4. Brunel’s work was largely ignored by his colleagues.
5. All projects Brunel contributed to are still used today.
6. Brunel became an apprentice with his father at the same age as other engineers.
7. The Thames Tunnel Project was more difficult than any previous construction venture
undertaken in Britain.
The flowchart below shoes how to decide between True, False and Not Given in comparison
statements. Complete the flowchart by inserting True, False or Not Given into
the appropriate gaps a – c
Practice 3
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IELTS A - READING
Born in Geneva in 1857, Ferdinand de Saussure is often referred to as the father of modern
linguistics. With his contemporaries, Durkheim and Freud, he helped to set the study of human
behaviour on a new footing. He recognized that we cannot study human beings and their
institutions in the same way we might study a series of events in the physical world. For instance, a
scientist can study the behaviour of objects under certain conditions, such as the reactions of a
chemical substance to a variety of temperatures, but human behaviour requires a different
approach. Saussure’s treatment of language focuses on problems which are central to the relation
between language and the human mind. If we are to believe that man is indeed the ‘language
animal’, a creature whose dealings with the world are characterised by human language, then it is
Saussure who set us on this track.
Read the paragraph and then look at the three statements below which illustrate the Yes /
No / Not Given question format.
1. Saussure and his colleagues changes the way we investigate how people interact.
 Yes – this statement agrees with the writer’s claims about Saussure. (“he helped to set
the study of human behaviour on a new footing”)
2. Research into language follows the same methods as traditional scientific research.
 No – this statement contradicts with the writer’s view. He makes a clear distinction
between the methods used to study language and those used to study the physical
world. (“but human behaviour requires a different approach”)
3. Humans are the only animals to have developed language.
 Not Given – he says that language characterises humans but does not claim that
humans are the only animals to have language. (“If we are to believe that man is indeed
the ‘language animal’, a creature whose dealings with the world are characterised by
human language, then it is Saussure who set us on this track.”)
Questions 1 – 8
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the reading
passage? Write
1. There is little agreement on exactly how to define a language.

2. It is difficult to distinguish between a language and a dialect.
3. The fact that English has a standard written form makes it easy to learn.
4. It is inaccurate to describe to major varieties of Chinese as dialects.
5. Foreign languages should be taught in secondary schools.
6. Governments should avoid interfering in the way language is used.
7. Many people have tried to discover the origins of language.
8. Evidence shows that language dates back at least 3,000 years.
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VOCABULARY
Exercise 1
RRRR. significantly SSSS. poker-faced TTTT. interesting

UUUU. the impact VVVV. more recent WWWW. try it on
XXXX. as well as YYYY. makes no ZZZZ. ratings
difference
AAAAA. told BBBBB. confidentially CCCCC. perfectly
balanced
DDDDD. socialized EEEEE. vary FFFFF. retention
medicine
GGGGG. professional HHHHH. create IIIII. realize
JJJJJ. the subject
HUMOUR
If you feel you do not tell a joke well or if you find it difficult to be a humourous speaker,
perhaps you need not be too concerned. The limited speech research on (example) of humour
on an audience seems to indicate that at least in persuasive speeches it …(1)… . A study by P.E.
Lull found that audiences listening to humourous and nonhumourous speeches on …(2)… were
equally persuaded by both speeches. Donald Kilpela obtained the same results in a …(3)… study
which used government health insurance as the topic. Both methods were effective, but they did
not …(4)… significantly in effectiveness. A series of studies by Charles Gruner produced similar
results, except that humour seemed to improve the character …(5)… of the speaker. A study by
Allan Kennedy found that ‘subjects viewed the humourous introductory speech as …(6)…
more effective, enjoyable, and interesting’. A study by J. Douglas Gibb comparing humourous
and nonhumourous information lectures did show significantly better student …(7)… of the
humourous lecture. Lull and Kilpela were quick to point out, however, that the type of humour in
their studies may not have been very …(8)… In other words, a Don Rickles or a Bill Cosby
might have produces significant persuasive results. In any event, funny anecdotes (if …(9)…
well and in good taste) have probably helped many an otherwise dull speaker, subject, or
audience.
If you decide to try humour in the form of anecdotes in order to …(10)… interest, make the
humour as professional as possible. There is no feeling quite as desperate as the one that results
from viewing a …(11)… audience after you have told your best joke. Make sure that the anecdote is
related to either …(12)… or the occasion; make sure you can tell it fluently; make sure you
remember the punch line; and make sure that it will not offend your audience. The best advice of
all …(13)… on a small group of friends first. In other words, practice and polish!
Example: D
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IELTS A - READING
66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72.

73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78.
Exercise 2
MM. practical NN. on the contrary OO.in an instant

PP. aware of QQ.occur RR. controversy
SS. nonscientific TT. breathing UU. fear
VV. critically WW. frightens XX. perception
YY. automatically ZZ. control AAA. eliminate the
fear
BBB. latter CCC. frightening DDD. trembling
EEE. emotional fright
control
THE THEORY OF EMOTION
In 1884, the famous philosopher and psychologist William James presented a relatively
simple and extremely useful theory of emotion. Although there is (example) over this theory
in some academic circles, the theory has great …(1)… value for many of us.
‘Our natural way of thinking about emotions is that the mental …(2)… of some fact excites
the mental affection called the emotion (for example, fear) and that this …(3)… state of mind gives
rise to the bodily expression. My thesis …(4)… is that the bodily changes follow directly the
perception of the exciting fact (stimulus) and that our feeling (awareness) of the same changes as
they …(5)… is the emotion’.
This gist of these words is that our awareness of our reactions to a …(6)… situation is the
real emotion. James’s favourite illustration of this theory was that of a man coming upon a bear in
the woods. In a …(7)… way, we might say the bear triggers the emotion of fear in us. Not so, for
according to James, our body reacts almost …(8)… to the bear. Our natural survival devices take
over to prepare us for an emergency. Our muscles tense for better agility, our heartbeat and …(9)…
quicken to provide larger supplies of fuel, our glands secrete fluids to sharpen our senses and give
emergency energy. All of this happens …(10)…. Then we become aware of our bodily reactions. We
sense our heavy breathing, our muscles tense to the point of …(11)…, perhaps even adrenalin
surges into our system. It is this awareness of our reactions that …(12)… us; in other words, the
awareness is the emotion. This knowledge and understanding, other things being equal, will help
you better …(13)… what action you take and thereby improve your chance for survival.
Example: F
66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72.

73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78.
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Exercise 3
Complete the text with words from the box.
alternative converting eco-friendly emit engine

fuel fumes greenhouse gases plant solar
FUELING OUR CARS
Our love of the fuel-burning car with its poisonous exhaust …(1)… has had a devastating
effect both on our environment and on oil supplies. It is unlikely we will abandon our cars in large
enough numbers to resolve this problem, so there is a pressing need to find an …(2)… fuel. Many
car companies are exploring …(3)… energy sources. Hybrid cars were first developed in 1997 and
these are likely to become more commonplace in the future. Hydrogen vehicles that use …(4)…
panels to extract hydrogen from water are also likely to be readily available in the near future.
These vehicles …(5)… only water vapour and so do not contribute to …(6)… However, critics say that
building a network of fuelling stations and …(7)… existing petrol stations to hydrogen will prove too
costly and will limit this vehicle’s potential. Nevertheless, countries such as the US, Germany, Japan
and Iceland already have ambitious hydrogen plans.
Others believe that biofuels are the future. These fuels are based on …(8)… oils and so can
be grown. The concept of using vegetable oil as a …(9)… dates back to 1895 when Dr Rudolf Diesel
developed the first diesel …(10)… to run on vegetable oil. He demonstrated his engine at the World
Exhibition in Paris in 1900 and described an experiment using peanut oil as fuel in his engine. In
1912, Diesel said, ‘The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such
oils may become in the course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the
present time’.
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HOMEWORK
Exercise 1
SPOILT FOR CHOICE
A Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. In daily life, people have come to expect endless
situations about which they are required to make decisions one way or another. In the main,
these are just irksome moments at work which demand some extra energy or brainpower, or
during lunch breaks like choosing which type of coffee to order or indeed which coffee shop
to go to. But sometimes selecting one option as opposed to another can have serious or
lifelong repercussions. More complex decision-making is then either avoided, postponed, or
put into the hands of the army of professionals, lifestyle coaches, lawyers, advisors, and the
like, waiting to lighten the emotional burden for a fee. But for a good many people in the
world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, not a right. And for those who think they
are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, created by
companies and advertisers wanting to sell their wares.
B The main impact of endless choice in people’s lives is anxiety. Buying something as basic as
a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of consumer goods induces a
sense of powerlessness, even paralysis, in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and
walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted in order to solve the
problem and reduce the unease. Recent surveys in the United Kingdom have shown that a
sizeable proportion of electrical goods bought per household are not really needed. The
advertisers and the shareholders of the manufacturers are, nonetheless, satisfied.
C It is not just their availability that is the problem, but the speed with which new versions of
products come on the market. Advances in design and production mean that new items are
almost ready by the time that goods hit the shelves. Products also need to have a short
lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The classic
example is computers, which are almost obsolete once they are bought. At first, there were
only one or two available from a limited number of manufacturers, but now there are many
companies all with not only their own products but different versions of the same machine.
This makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a
shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.
D The plethora of choice is not limited to consumer items. With the greater mobility of
people around the world, people have more choice about where they want to live and work –
a fairly recent phenomenon. In the past, nations migrated across huge swathes of the earth in
search of food, adventure, and more hospitable environments. Whole nations crossed
continents and changes the face of history. So the mobility of people is nothing new. The
creation of nation states and borders effectively slowed this process down. But what is
different now is the speed at which migration is happening.
Questions 1 – 6
passage? Write
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IELTS A - READING
1. Having more choice is good because it helps the economy to grow.

2. Making decisions about minor issues is irritating.
3. People seek the help of professionals when making a decision which can have adverse
consequences.
4. If people in poor countries had the same range of choices as those in rich countries, their
lives would be easier.
5. Only people in poor countries do not have any real choices.
6. Advertisers ignore the law when persuading people to buy goods.
Exercise 2
SWALLOWS IN MIGRATION
Every April, along with many other species of birds, the swallow arrives to spend the
summer months in northern Europe, in Russia, Iran, and parts of Siberia. Here it will breed and raise
its young.
The swallow is well known throughout its range for several reasons. Firstly, it is very
distinctive, with its forked tail and characteristic acrobatic swooping flight. Secondly, it is very
common, and, like its near relative the house martin, lives in close proximity to human habitation,
at least in rural areas. It is, however, rarely to be encountered in towns or cities.
For centuries, people have observed swallows, noted their arrival and their patterns of
feeding. In several countries, these observations have passed into the language as proverbs or
sayings. In England, people comment on unpredictable late spring weather by saying, ‘one swallow
does not a summer make’. Similarly, if ‘the swallows are flying low’, this was held to predict rainy,
even stormy weather. There may be some truth in this observation, though it is the insects the
swallows feed on that seem to be more susceptible to the fall in barometric pressure that heralds a
storm. Insects keep low in these conditions, and so do the swallows that hunt them. At the end of
the summer season, when the swallows are about to leave, they frequently flock together in large
numbers on convenient high open perches, like roof ridges and telegraph wires. When people
remark that ‘the swallows are gathering’, they mean that autumn has arrived.
At some point in mid-September the swallows leave together, usually all on the same day.
One day there are thousands, the next there are none, and none will be seen again until the
following spring. For centuries, this was a complete mystery to people. The Hampshire naturalist
Gilbert White, writing in the late eighteenth century, believed that the swallows dived into ponds
and rivers in autumn and remained in the bottom mud the whole winter, re-emerging the following
spring. This idea seems extraordinary to us, but White was not a stupid man: many of his other
observations of natural life were informed and accurate. In this case, however, he simply had no
means of determining the truth and was forced to make a random guess. The idea that swallows
migrate to central or southern Africa would have seemed as fanciful to him as his theory seems to
us.
Although we now know that swallows migrate, there are still unanswered questions. Why
do they go so far? Why not stay on the shores of the Mediterranean? The majority continue to
equatorial Africa, and some even further south. Also it appears that populations of swallows that
have bred in different countries also spend the winter in different areas. Those from France,
Germany, and much of Western Europe have mostly been traced to Ease Africa, Kenya, or Tanzania
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for example. Above all, how does a bird weighing approximately twenty grammes find its way
across mountain ranges, ocean, and desert to winter in the south, and then return the following
year to the very location it was born, in some cases to the very same nest?
Birds can navigate by the sun, and are also able to detect the magnetic field of the earth.
Species that migrate at night are also able to navigate by the stars. By these means, they travel long
distances. The close navigation that brings them back to the same field or nest appears to be
related to memory of local landmarks imprinted on the minds of young birds as they crisscross the
area in the weeks before departure.
Nevertheless, the journey is very dangerous. Long sea crossings, where there is little
available food or water, are generally avoided. In Western Europe, most swallows cross to Africa via
the Straits of Gibraltar, or fly the length of Italy before tackling the relatively short crossing to
Tunisia in North Africa. However, in storms they may be blown hundreds of kilometers off course.
Exhausted swallows sometimes come to rest on ships way out in the Atlantic Ocean. They have to
cross mountain ranges too, where again the weather may be unpredictable and food scarce. Along
the coast of North Africa, many young swallows become the prey of Eleonora’s falcons, which time
their breeding to coincide with the migration of young birds southwards. But the most dangerous
part of the journey is the crossing of the Sahara desert. Here, there is little food or water,
sandstorms may delay and exhaust the already weakened birds, and many die. It is estimated that
around 50 per cent of adult birds die, and up to 80 per cent of young birds, but enough survive to
ensure the continuation of the species.
Questions 1 – 6
passage? Write
1. The swallow is the only species of bird that migrates to spend the summer in northern
Europe.
2. The swallow is easily noticeable because of its tail and the way it flies.
3. The swallow is frequently seen in cities.
4. The insects not the swallows themselves appear to predict stormy weather.
5. Swallows form larger flocks than other birds when they depart in the autumn.
6. White’s theory seems strange to people now.
Questions 7 – 12
Complete the sentences.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
7. In the past, the destination of the swallows in the autumn was a ……………..
8. As White could not verify what happened to the swallows, he made a ……………..
9. Despite knowing that swallows migrate, we are still left with ……………..
10. Sometimes, swallows have been known to return not just to the same area, but even to the
……………..
11. Birds that travel by night can find their way using the ……………..
12. Bird navigation appears to be connected with the memory of ……………..
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IELTS A - READING
Questions 13 and 14
Choose TWO letters, A – F
Which TWO of the following dangers faced by swallows during migration are mentioned in the text?
A. The Sahara desert
B. Long sea crossings
C. Lack of nesting places
D. Hungry sailors
E. Eleanora’s falcons
F. The crossing to Tunisia
Exercise 3
A N A N S W E R T O T H E B E L I E F T H A T B R IT I S H P E O P L E C A N N O T L E A R N L A N G U A G E S
A Every so often, the educational supplements of our broadsheets devote an entire issue to
the danger the British face of falling behind in Europe because so few of our schoolkids take
up the study of foreign languages. Most recently, the German ambassador lambasted us for
only ever speaking English, a rebuke echoed by his French and Spanish counterparts.
B The truth is that foreign languages are phenomenally unpopular in secondary schools. Poor
teaching and the late introduction of the subject are often cited as the main reasons
youngsters are so loath to study them. Another factor for our notorious laziness vis-à-vis
other tongues has to be that we are brought up to believe that the whole world speaks
English, so why bother? Why indeed? Struggling to communicate in another language is, for
all but the committed and enthusiastic linguist, a frustrating experience, which, if not
necessary, is best avoided. And yes, when millions of Brits take their annual holidays
abroad, local tourism, travel, catering, and retail staff are all trained in at least rudimentary
English. So, again, there is little motivation to learn more than a couple of words for a few
days’ stay.
All this is true, and yet illuminates only part of the picture. British teenagers are generally
bored by French or German verbs, but the underlying reasons are more complex than a
vague assumption that they only need to speak English because everyone else does. Their
leisure activities revolve around pop music, sport, computers, television, and films. These
things are already in English; translations and subtitles are the exception. Furthermore, the
most powerful country in the world happens to speak our language, and we absorb its
cultural exports easily and readily. So, for us, language is not a major issue.
C Of course, should the world situation change, and the United States become a Hispanic
country, as some boffins have predicted, the British would see the benefit of learning
Spanish and do so. Not so long ago, knowledge of French was more widespread here, and
eagerly acquired, when that language was of paramount international importance.
D The belief that we will lag behind our European business partners also needs to be
dissected. The canard here is that we lose out because our businessmen and women can’t
keep up with the local lingo. But surely, it’s competitiveness and the attraction of lucrative
offers that count. After all, American executives don’t wring their hands at their lack of
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linguistic skills.
Questions 1 – 7
passage? Write
1. Some journalists take the view that more British schoolchildren should study languages.
2. The number of English speakers worldwide makes it unnecessary for British tourists to
learn languages.
3. Only British teenagers find languages boring.
4. British teenagers’ reluctance to learn languages is linked to the availability of films and
music in English.
5. In the past, studying French made it easier for British people to learn further languages.
6. The lack of linguistic skills within British companies has resulted in business being lost.
7. American business people are less interested in learning languages than British business
people.
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UNIT 8
SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS
INTRODUCTION
TASK DESCRIPTION
These are generally straightforward questions requiring short factual answers taken from the text.
You may have to give a year or quantity, or to write up to three words. For some questions, you
may need to write more than one answer to get a mark.
TASK APPROACH
Check the instructions to see exactly what kind of answer is required.

Use skimming skills to find the relevant section and then scan the text to find the
information you need.
PRACTICE
Practice 1
FOOD TRIVIA
Do you ever wonder why an apple goes brown if you leave it half eaten? Or why
some eggs are brown and some are white? And why can’t you taste garlic when you have a
cold? Well, read on
…
A Brown or white?
Many people think that eggs with brown shells are better for you than
those with white shells. Actually, there is no difference inside the egg,
whatever the colour. The colour of the egg shell depends on the kind of
hen that laid the egg. Rhode Island Read, for instance, lay brown-shelled
eggs, while Leghorns lay white-shelled eggs. All eggs are good for you,
whatever the colour of their shells.
B A fishy story
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People who live within the Arctic Circle eat about 160 kilograms of fish a
year! People in Norway eat about 45 kilograms. Even though Australia is
surrounded by sea, Australians do not eat as much fish. They only eat
about seven kilograms a year.
C Vitamin C
When Scott set off on his expedition to the South Pole in 1902, he took
plenty of rations to stop his party becoming hungry, but forgot to take
anything which provided vitamin C. the men developed frostbite because
of the extremely cold weather, but the frostbite did not heal. It actually
became much worse because they had no vitamin C in their diets.
D Beefing it up
The amount of beef used in McDonald’s hamburgers each year
throughout the world is about three times the weight of the giant cruise
ship Queen Elizabeth II. If all the hamburgers sold in the world each year
were lined up end to end, they would go from the Earth to the moon and
back more than 30 times.
E Sniff sniff
We can smell far more substances than we can taste. If you have a cold
with a blocked nose, there are some foods which you cannot taste
because you cannot smell them. For example, in a series of experiments,
people were blindfolded and had their noses completely blocked. They
were given coffee, chocolate and garlic, and had no idea what they were
eating!
F Busy bees
Honey tastes nice to us but it is really a food for bees. For every kilogram
of honey which is taken from commercial bee hives, about eight
kilograms are used by the bees in the hive. The total distance a bee flies
to gather enough nectar for the extra kilogram of honey taken by humans
is equal to flying about six times round the earth. No wonder they are
called ‘busy little bees’!
G An apple a day …
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Apples (and lots of other fruit and vegetables) go brown to the air. This is
because they contain an enzyme which is affected by the oxygen in the
air. It turns the flesh of the apple yellowy brown and then brown. If you
brush the cut surface of an apple with lemon juice (which is acidic), the
enzyme will not be able to work as well and the apple will not go brown
for several hours
H Bread
Wholemeal bread is made from the whole of the wheatgrain and is a
light-brown colour. White bread I made from wheat which has some of
the outer brown layers removed. Brown bread is somewhere in-between
because it is made from a mixture of wholemeal and white flour. In some
countries, colourings can be added to make bread look brown, but other
countries do not permit any colourings to be added to bread. All bread is
good for you but wholemeal is best of all because it has more fibre, more
vitamins and more minerals than brown or white bread.
Questions 1 – 5
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.
1. When did Scott go to the South Pole? …………………………………………………………………………….

2. How much fish do Norwegians eat in a year? …………………………………………………………………
3. What colour are the shells of Leghorn eggs? …………………………………………………………………
4. What type of injury did Scott’s men suffer from? ……………………………………………………………
5. What three important things does wholemeal bread contain? ………………………………………
Questions 6 – 14
Look at the 8 extracts A-H about food. Which extract mentions the following? Write the
correct letter A-H
6. Something that happened during a famous trip

7. The amounts of a certain food that are eaten by people from different countries
8. How the air affects a certain food item
9. A product that has a sweet taste
10. Some research that took place
11. A belief that some people have about food
Which TWO extracts mention the following?
12. Different types of the same food product

13. An unusual way of measuring what humans consume
14. More than one type of food
Practice 2
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NATURE, GODS, AND MAN IN HARMONY

Discovered in 1914 by Hiram Bingham with partial backing from The US Geographic Society,
Machu Picchu is situated in a natural reserve famed as much for its spectacular flora and fauna as
the majesty of its buildings in perfect harmony with its natural surroundings.
The complex stands more than two thousand metres above sea level, 120 kilometres from
Cuzco, in Peru. On the terraces above and to the west of the Main Lawn stand three temples. On
the left, just north of the Quarry stands the Temple of the Three Windows. This three-walled
structure commands a spectacular view down across the Main Lawn to the mountain peaks in the
east. Just north-west of this building is situated the Principal Temple with Intihuatana (the sun’s
hitching stone) at the top of a flight of steps beyond the Temple. The purpose of this stone was
principally astronomical. East of the Lawn and on the same level are the ruins of the Common
District where the workers who looked after the complex for the Emperor lived. Other notable
locations at Machu Picchu are the Royal Sector, which is situated on the same level as the Main
Lawn to the south and just east of the Quarry. Just south of this sector stands the Temple of the
Sun, Machu Picchu’s only circular building. Inside there is an altar and a trapezoidal window known
as the Serpent Window. At the south-east corner of the Main Lawn, just south of the Common
District, is the Temple of the Condor, with a prison complex directly behind it.
Questions 1 – 7
Label the diagram using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage below to
each blank space.
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Questions 8 – 13
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
8. What kind of purpose did the Intihuatana serve? …………………………

9. Which area is found on the east side of the Main Lawn? …………………………
10. What shape is the Temple of the Sun? …………………………
11. How many walls does the Temple of the Three Windows have? …………………………
12. What lies behind the Temple of the Condor? …………………………
13. What is the name of the window in the Temple of the Sun? …………………………
Practice 3
Nowadays, you not only are what you eat; you

R&D* what you eat.
To cajole nervous students into the chemistry

laboratory, teachers used to say that the subject was
like cooking. These days, it is truer to say that cooking
is like chemistry. In a cut-throat market, food companies are unwilling to leave anything to
chance. They must constantly formulate new flavours, ingredients and processing methods
if they are to keep abreast of their competitors.
As a result, their research laboratories have never been busier. A study published in
November by a trade magazine showed that 42% of the 331 food manufacturers surveyed
had plans to increase their R&D budgets by at least 15% in the coming year; only 3% said
that their R&D budgets would drop. This money has spurred the development of new ideas
in food technology.
To lower cost or improve texture, food manufacturers often have to replace one
substance by another that tastes nothing like it. One popular substitution is soya protein for
meat. In addition to being cheaper than meat, soya has (at least in America) the added
advantage of being marketable. The country's Food and Drug Administration, which
regulates such matters, has recently decided that if a foodstuff contains more than 6.25g of
soya per serving, manufacturers can state on its label that eating soya may reduce the risk of
heart disease.
That is a nice bonus. Unclogged arteries are not, however, the main point of eating
hamburgers. Flavour is. So, to find out how far hamburgers can be 'extended' with soya,
Keith Cadwallader of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign analysed differences
between the aromas of pure beef hamburgers and those containing 25% soya protein.
Surprisingly (and gratifying), adding a bit of soya to a hamburger may actually improve its
flavour. The mixed burgers had higher levels of certain sulfur-containing compounds that
are believed to augment the meaty 'notes' in a burger's aroma.
On the other hand, the research of Margaret Hinds at Oklahoma State University
shows what a fine line is between temptation and disdain. Using a group of 81 untrained
testers, she conducted a comparison of five commercially available burgers made from soya
(and one made from beef, as a control). The hue, the firmness and the chewiness of the
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burgers correlated with how acceptable they were to consumers. Not surprisingly,
consumers preferred burgers that had characteristics close to those of beef. Only one soya-
based burger was close enough to pass muster.
Food, and its consumers, is notoriously subject to fads. This year, flavour makers are
insisting that bolder tasted are in fashion. Frito-Lay, a snack-food maker, has recently
launched a line of 'gourmet' crisps designed to appeal to the more discerning consumer. The
company's laboratory started by generating 300 flavours, including Thai curry, blue cheese,
lemongrass and tandoori chicken. Eight of these flavours made it to the final round and,
after getting 400 consumers to sample them, Frito-Lay decided to mass-produce only four:
cheddar and jalapeno; garlic and herb; barbecue; and something referred to as 'classic'. This
quarter seemed to please the American palate most.
That sort of market research, though, is both time-consuming and expensive. It
would speed things up, and probably cut costs, if it could be merchandised. To a certain
extent, it can be. Cheddar cheese, coffee and tea researchers are all exploring the use of
electronic noses to rate their foodstuffs. Simple versions of such devices employ a set of
sensors made of special polymers to change shape, which alters the resistance to the
current passing through the electrodes. The result is an electrical 'fingerprint' of an aroma.
So far, the electronic noses developed by firms such as Alpha MOS, of Toulouse,
France, have worked best for quality-control purposes. These machines compare products'
aroma-fingerprints with pre-programmed standards that are known to correspond with
what people have said that they like. And the range of senses that can be substituted
electronically has now been extended to include taste as well as smell. Recently, Alpha MOS
has launched a second analyser – an electronic 'tongue' that can fingerprint the compounds
dissolved in a sample of liquid. The machine is accurate enough to work out, for example,
whether the vanilla extract in a sample originated in India or in Malaysia.
Even in culinary matters, however, the proof of the pudding is not always in the
eating. The success of a food product also depends on the cleverness of its marketing. To
this end McCormick, a flavouring company based in Maryland, has commissioned a 'crave
ability' study from Moskowitz and Jacobs, a market-research firm in White Plains, New York.
The intention is to discover which descriptions of particular foods most induce craving in
consumers. The preliminary results show that for fast-food hamburgers, the descriptions
rated as most enticing were 'a grilled aroma that surrounds a thick burger on a toasted bun'
and 'lots of grilled bacon and cheese covering on a lightly toasted bun'. Other blurbs, such as
'with horseradish sauce' and 'when it's cold outside and the burger is warm and inviting'
actually put people off hamburgers. And that was before they knew what was in them.
* short for Research and Development (normally a company department)
Questions 1 – 3
The writer compares food production to …(1)… . Two of the aspects of food production that
are regularly updated by food companies are …(2)… and …(3)… .
Questions 4 – 8
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Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
4. What food products are being explored using an electronic nose? ………………….
5. Which quality of a food product does the nose respond to? ………………….
6. In which area of food production has Alpha MOS used electronic noses most successfully?
………………….
7. Which other mechanical aid has Alpha MOS developed? ………………….
8. What food product has been successfully tested using this aid? ………………….
VOCABULARY
Exercise 1
KKKKK. characteristics LLLLL. improving MMMMM. about speech
NNNNN. handsome OOOOO. climate PPPPP. superficial
QQQQQ. well-adjusted RRRRR. vice versa SSSSS. sense of

beauty
TTTTT. functional UUUUU. more than VVVVV. else
WWWWW. total personality XXXXX. make-up YYYYY. accommodat

e
ZZZZZ. evidence AAAAAA. natural BBBBBB. energy level
CCCCCC. communication
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
When we first see another person, we are affected by what we see, even before we
communicate orally. Large, fat, sloppy, (example), cool, or whatever – each characteristic
will attract or repel us. Physical characteristics are …(1)… just physical attractiveness, although
in an initial meeting we often have little …(2)…to judge.
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By physical characteristic we mean the total physical …(3)…of an individual. This includes
environmental causes of appearance, such as diet, drugs, and …(4)…, as well as hereditary factors.
People vary physically in their reaction time, …(5)…, and rate of learning. They also vary in hearing,
sight, colour, size, shape, and so on – all of which add up to and influence …(6)…as well as physical
attractiveness. After all, beauty is skin deep only in the …(7)…sense. The feedback we decode from
society about our physical make-up and the way we …(8)…that feedback probably affect our
attractiveness more than our superficial physical …(9)…do.
Other things being equal, …(10)…, smart young people are perceived as more attractive
than those not as smart. There is some …(11)… that physical attractiveness is more important
between than within the sexes. That is, girls tend to care more about what their boyfriends look like
than what their girlfriends look like (and …(12)… ). The role of clothing, cosmetics, calorie counting,
surgery, and other possible means of …(13)… our appearance becomes critical when added to what
nature gave us.
Example: D
85.
79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84.
91.
86. 87. 88. 89. 90.
Exercise 2
FFF.completely or partly GGG. understanding HHH. even
III. the attitudes JJJ. protect KKK. objective

solutions
LLL. penalties MMM. favourable NNN. hold
OOO. attitudes PPP. acquire QQQ. attitude
RRR. value systems SSS.temporarily TTT. combination
UUU. reference points VVV. sometimes WWW. high grades
XXX. and so forth
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ATTITUDE FUNCTIONS
One theory is that attitudes have different functions for our different personalities. If we
understand why people have (example) they do, then we are better prepared to predict how
and when they might change. People may …(1)… similar attitudes but for quite different reasons.
One person’s attitude toward liberalizing marijuana …(2)… might be based on the practical
problems of enforcing the current law; another’s on a difference in lifestyle. The same …(3)…
might serve an ego-defensive function for a user. Another person might arrive at the same attitude
for some …(4)… of the above reasons. Here are three general functions of attitudes:
1. A referencing function. People need standards or frames of reference for …(5)… their world,
and attitudes help to supply such standards. We derive prepackaged norms and attitudes from
our larger value systems and culture. These supply …(6)… for better comprehension of a very
complex world. When we are exposed to new knowledge which affects us, we often find our
…(7)… a handy frame of reference for categorizing and understanding it.
2. A self-identification function. Our attitudes help us define and know who we are. Some
attitudes express our …(8)… positively. We gain identity as well as satisfaction from the
expression of some cherished attitudes. Our prayers in church, our oath of office or allegiance,
…(9)… the clothes we wear – all help us assert and identity ourselves. When our feelings do not
agree with our beliefs, we …(10)… have trouble with this function.
3. An ego-defensive function. We often develop attitudes thought to …(11)… our egos from
conflict and frustration. These attitudes help us reduce anxieties and adjust to threats. They can
help us survive …(12)… difficult times by removing the heat from conflict, the pain from
frustration. When totally unrealistic and persistent, they can hurt us by delaying …(13)… to the
problems and delaying our social adjustment to the real world.
Example: D
85.
79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84.
91.
86. 87. 88. 89. 90.
Exercise 3
Correct the mistakes in the text.
There is little that parents and teachers can do to help young adults to prepare themselves for
the workforce. Do you agree?
The number of (1) unemployment seems to increase each year and the competition
for each (2) work is also increasing. Consequently, young adults need to do as much as they
can to prepare to enter the (3) working place. There are several things that children can do at
school and at home to help them.
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Firstly, once they read 15 or 16 years of age, children should be encouraged to plant their
(4) profession. No matter what (5) work they choose, choosing early will help them to make
sure they learn the appropriate (6) knowledge during their studies. For example, if they
choose a (7) work in the (8) advertisement industry, it can help if they study the arts. Teachers
can also help by showing children the best way to respond to an (9) advertising for a job.
At home, parents can teach children how to stick to a budget. If a country experiences an
(10) economical crisis, these skills are invaluable. They can begin by making children (11) gain
their pocket money by doing (12) job in the home. They could even be paid more or less (13)
earnings based on the quality of their (14) job. If children develop a strong work ethic from an
early age then this should ensure that they have enough money when they reach (15) retire
age.
HOMEWORK
Exercise 1
INDIVIDUALISM OR SOCIETY?
The human trait known as individualism can be understood in two distinct ways. The first
implies an individual’s aspiration to self-reliance or independence, and the need to exist as
individual human beings. The second, by contrast, is understood as a social theory which prioritizes
freedom of action by individuals over the authority of an all-powerful state. As far as the second
conception is concerned, individualism as a discrete construct of Western thought really came to
the fore with the onset of capitalism in the late seventeenth century. The two most influential
English political philosophers of that period – and since – Hobbes and Locke, outlined ideal models
of government of a distinctly individualist hue. In their view, the state’s function was to protect a
citizen’s individual liberties and interfere with any citizen’s actions only when those actions violated
another individual’s right to act freely. For both, society is nothing more than an agglomeration of
individuals” it has no reality independent of the individuals that make it up.
In practice, in the context of late twentieth and early twenty-first century developed
societies, the term ‘individualism’ is generally congruent with a world view whose adherents wage
a metaphorical low-level war against what they perceive to be the incessant and incremental
growth in the power of the state. True individualists would undoubtedly argue that society’s
attempts to regulate the individualist’s two most closely guarded spheres of personal liberty –
economic and civil – will always represent individualism’s most keenly fought over battlegrounds.
This strongly individualistic view of the role of society is often referred to as ‘libertarianism’.
An intriguing characteristic of those professing to be libertarians is that they can happily
disagree, equally vehemently, with a government policy on, say, education, from either a distinctly
‘left’ or a distinctly ‘right’ libertarian perspective. Indeed, commentators and opinion formers in the
mass media readily admit that one of the most fascinating aspects of these manifestations of
modern individualism of either kind is just how frequently both claim to be the authentic standard
bearers of libertarianism. Thus anarchists arguing for their particular vision of libertarianism would
never be seen dead breaking bread with right wing neo-liberal libertarians – or vice versa.
In the 1980s, champions of ‘deregulation’ announced their mission to ‘set the people free’
from the suffocating yoke of ‘big government’ or the ‘stranglehold of regulation’. So it was that in
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Britain enterprises once state-owned were privatized and public utilities such as telecoms, gas,
electricity, and water were rapidly sold off. Moreover, unified transport systems took on multiple
identities when the networks of trains and buses, most of which had previously been owned by the
state, were put up for sale and then snapped up by a host of individual private companies.
It is fair to say that notwithstanding the social and political manifestations of individualism,
which are still pillars of orthodoxy in many developed western countries – such as the USA and
Britain – probably the most striking evidence of the enduring strength of individualism, and just
how deeply this view of society has permeated all fields and forms of the contemporary arts, is the
celebrity culture that surrounds us nowadays. Being famous, or better, being famous for just being
famous, has become almost an article of faith for wannabes everywhere. The seemingly insatiable
public appetite for reality TV and tabloid newspapers, in addition to the all-pervasive celebrity
photo journalism that fills a plethora of ubiquitous glossy magazines, are living testimony to Andy
Warhol’s dictum that anyone ‘can be famous for fifteen minutes’ these days.
But the cult of celebrity alone does not convey the enduring power of individualism. Pause
to reflect for a moment, and try to think of one truly great film, play, or popular song that could
ever have achieved such universal acclaim without an individual voice at its narrative core. Surely,
this is why Frank Sinatra timelessly strikes a chord with the individualist in all of us when he sings ‘I
did it my way’.
Questions 1 – 6
passage? Write
1. There are two discrete interpretations of the term individualism.

2. The rise of individualism caused disquiet among governments in Europe.
3. The prominence of individualism as a concept coincided with the rise of capitalism.
4. Hobbes and Locke had little impact in the late 1700s.
5. Hobbes and Locke’s ideas about the state were not pro-individualist.
6. Individual liberties must be preserved because they guarantee protection against the state.
Questions 7 – 11
for each answer.
7. According to individualists, which two areas of personal freedom must be protected from
state regulation? ……………….
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8. What name is given to the view that society should not limit individuals’ rights to do as they
wish? ……………….
9. Before the 1980s, who owned most of the transport networks in Britain? ……………….
10. According to the writer, what is the clearest evidence of the continuing importance of
individualism in society? ……………….
11. According to the writer, what feature must a film or song have to make it popular?
……………….
Questions 12 and 13
12. What strange trait does the writer mention about individualists?
A. They can hold completely opposite political positions.
B. They do not often disagree with government policy.
C. Their options are shaped by the mass media.
D. They have different views on the role of the government in education.
13. Which of the following statements best summarizes the writer’s view of individualism?
A. Individualism has become less important since its conception in the late
seventeenth century.
B. The adherents of individualism disagree over how much the government should
regulate personal liberty.
C. The strength of individualism is reflected in many aspects of contemporary politics
and culture.
D. Individualism is the cause of most conflicts in society today.
Exercise 2
Questions 1 – 6
The reading passage has seven paragraphs A – G.
Choose the correct headings for paragraphs B – G from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
x. Better area distribution of medicines

xi. Time for a change
xii. Research uncovers useful information
xiii. A checklist of procedures introduced
xiv. Tackling the problem through local enquiry
xv. Excellent outcome gives hope to others
xvi. Tanzania gripped by disease
xvii. Immunisation programmes lack effect
xviii. Aid package comes with conditions
xix. The vicious cycle of poverty and illness
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Example: Section A: x
7. Paragraph B
8. Paragraph C
9. Paragraph D
10. Paragraph E
11. Paragraph F
12. Paragraph G
FOR 80 CENTS MORE

Even a tiny health budget, if spent well, can make a difference
A Delivering medicine to the world’s poorest people is a challenge. Hot, poor places such as
Tanzania have many microbes but microscopic health budgets. Dangerous myths deter many
sick rural folk from seeking medical help. Even if they do seek help, it is often unavailable, for
they do not have the money to pay for it, and their government rarely has the money to give
it to them for free. Because they cannot afford adequate health care, poor people are sick a
lot of the time. And because they are sick a lot of the time, they find it hard to put in the long
hours of productive labour that might make them less poor.
B All hope is not lost, however. A recent experiment in Tanzania has shown that a small health
budget can go a long way, provided that the money is spend with care. With the help of a
Canadian charity called the International Development Research Center (IDRC), the Tanzanian
health ministry set up a health project in two rural districts, to the west of the capital Dar es
Salaam, with a combined population of about 700,000. Five years ago, annual health spending
in Tanzania was about $8 a head. This figure included an estimate for the annual cost of
trained staff and buildings devoted to health care. The IDRC added $2 a head to the pot, on
condition that it was spent rationally. By this, the donors meant that the amount of money
spent on fighting a particular disease should reflect the burden that disease imposed on the
local population.
C This may sound obvious; however, in this region, no one had a clue which diseases caused the
most trouble, so the first task was to find out. Researchers were sent out on bicycles to carry
out a door-to-door survey, asking representative households whether anyone had been ill or
died recently, and if so with what symptoms. These raw numbers were then crunched to
produce a ‘burden of disease’ profile for the two districts. In other words, researchers sought
to measure how many years of life were being lost to each disease, including the damage
done to families when breadwinners die.
D They then compared their results with the amount spent by the local health authorities on
each disease and found that it bore no relation whatsoever to the harm which the disease
inflicted on local people. Some diseases were horribly neglected, such as malaria, which
accounted for 30% of the years of life lost but only 5% of the health budget. A cluster of
childhood problems, including pneumonia, diarrhea, malnutrition and measles, constituted
28% of the disease burden, but received only 13% of the budget. Other conditions,
meanwhile, attracted more than their fair share of cash. Tuberculosis, which accounted for
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less than 4% of years of life lost, received 22% of the budget. Vaccinations also appeared to
be over-emphasised though the low incidence of vaccine-preventable disease was probably a
result of successful vaccination.
E This tiny infusion of cash from the Canadians, in the form of an extra $2 a head, was enough
to allow the district health authorities to make their spending reflect the disease burden and
smoothed the transition to a more effective approach to health care. Health workers, mostly
nurses or paramedic rather than doctors, were given a set of rules on how to treat common
symptoms. For example, if a child arrives coughing, and with and running nose and a hot
brow, the nurse is instructed to work through the checklist of other symptoms to determine
whether it is merely a cold or something worse. If the child is breathing more than 50 times a
minute, for example, he is assumed to have pneumonia, given an antibiotic and checked
again after two days. In most cases, the cheapest treatments are offered first. Children with
diarrhea are given oral re-hydration salts, which cost a few cents. If the salts fail to work, the
child is referred to a clinic for treatment.
F Drugs are ordered according to what is needed; previously, the government had sent out the
same package of pills to all areas. Non-malarial mountain villages received as many malaria
drugs as mosquito-infected lowland ones, and areas where no one had over suffered from
asthma received asthma pills. In addition to the improved drug allocation, people are now
encouraged to use bednets impregnated with insecticide as protection from mosquitoes and
even the Masai, a fiercely conservative tribe of nomadic cattle-herders, have started draping
themselves in insecticide-soaked bednets.
G The results of all this were stunning. Infant mortality fell by 28% between 1999 and 2000 and
the proportion of children dying before their fifth birthday dropped by 14%. In nearby
districts and in Tanzania as a whole, there is no evidence of a similar improvement over the
same period, and anecdotal evidence suggests that better health has made the districts less
poor. Could this success be repeated elsewhere?
The government is keen that the lessons learned be applied in other parts of the country. So
keen, in fact, that it is pushing the organizers to move faster than they would prefer. Other
countries could also copy the Tanzanian model and donors should pay heed that, while more
money is certainly needed to tackle poor countries’ health problems, how it is spent is more
important than how much is spent.
Questions 7 – 11
Complete the summary below with words taken from the reading passage. Use NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
SUMMARY
Citizens of developing countries are often not wealthy enough to pay for medical
treatment. In addition, …(7)… may prevent people from seeing a doctor. When they do, there is
limited money available for treatment. The $8 a head formerly spent in Tanzania included an
allocation for trained staff as well as for …(8)…. The IDRC offered to increase this by …(9)… as long
as the money was allocated appropriately.
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Research showed that the …(10)… in Tanzania had been unevenly distributed in previous
years so strategies were implemented to help redress this. The project has shown that
improvements in …(11)… appear to have brought improved prosperity to the districts where it took
place.
Questions 12 – 14
Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER from the reading passage.
12. What term is used to compare the relative effects of different diseases on a society?
13. Which areas of the country suffer most from malaria?
14. By what percentage did childhood deaths decline during the project?
Exercise 3
THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

A A century ago, the overwhelming majority of people in developed countries worked with
their hands: on farms, in domestic service, in small craft shops and in factories. There was not
even a word for people who made their living other than by manual work. These days, the
fastest-growing group in the developed world are ‘knowledge workers’ – people whose jobs
require formal and advanced schooling.
B At present, this term is widely used to describe people with considerable theoretical
knowledge and learning: doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants, chemical engineers. But the
most striking growth in the coming years will be in ‘knowledge technologists’: computer
technicians, software designers, analyst in clinical labs, manufacturing technologists, and so
on. These people are as much manual workers as they are knowledge workers; in fact, they
usually spend far more time working with their hands than with their brains. But their manual
work is based on a substantial amount of theoretical knowledge which can be acquired only
through formal education. They are not, as a rule, much better paid than traditional skilled
workers, but they see themselves as professionals. Just as unskilled manual workers in
manufacturing were the dominant social and political force in the twentieth century,
knowledge technologists are likely to become the dominant social – and perhaps also political
– force over the next decades.
C Such workers have two main needs: formal education that enables them to enter knowledge
work in the first place, and continuing education throughout their working lives to keep their
knowledge up to date. For the old high-knowledge professionals such as doctors, clerics and
lawyers, formal education has been available for many centuries. But for knowledge
technologists, only a few countries so far provide systematic and organized preparation. Over
the next few decades, educational institutions to prepare knowledge technologists will grow
rapidly in all developed and emerging countries, just as new institutions to meet new
requirements have always appeared in the past..
D What is different this time is the need for the continuing education of already well-trained
and highly knowledgeable adults. Schooling traditionally stopped when work began. In the
knowledge society it never stops. Continuing education of already highly educated adults will
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therefore become a big growth area in the next society. But most of it will be delivered in
non-traditional ways, ranging from weekend seminars to online training programmes, and in
any number of places, from a traditional university to the student’s home. The information
revolution, which is expected to have an enormous impact on education and on traditional
schools and universities, will probably have an even greater effect on the continuing
education of knowledge workers, allowing knowledge to spread near-instantly, and making it
accessible to everyone.
E All this has implications for the role of women in the labour force. Although women have
always worked, since time immemorial the jobs they have done have been different from
men’s. Knowledge work, on the other hand, is ‘unisex’, not because of feminist pressure, but
because it can be done equally well by both sexes. Knowledge workers, whatever their sex,
are professionals, applying the same knowledge, doing the same work, governed by the same
standards and judged by the same results.
F The knowledge society is the first human society where upward mobility is potentially
unlimited. Knowledge differs from all other means of production in that it cannot be inherited
or bequeathed from one generation to another. It has to be acquired anew by every
individual, and everyone starts out with the same total ignorance. And nowadays it is
assumed that everybody will be a ‘success’ – an idea that would have seemed ludicrous to
earlier generations. Naturally, only a tiny number of people can reach outstanding levels of
achievement, but a very large number of people assume they will reach adequate levels.
G The upward mobility of the knowledge society, however, comes at a high price: the
psychological pressures and emotional traumas of the rat race. Schoolchildren in some
countries may suffer sleep deprivation because they spend their evenings at a crammer to
help them pass their exams. Otherwise they will not get into the prestige university of their
choice, and thus into a good job. In many different parts of the world, schools are becoming
viciously competitive. That this has happened over such a short time – no more than 30 or 40
years – indicates how much the fear of failure has already permeated the knowledge society.
H Given this competitive struggle, a growing number of highly successful knowledge workers of
both sexes – business managers, university teachers, museum directors, doctors – ‘plateau’ in
their 40s. They know they have achieved al they will achieve. If their work is all they have,
they are in trouble. Knowledge workers therefore need to develop, preferably while they are
still young, a non-competitive life and community of their own, and some serious outside
interest – be it working as a volunteer in the community, playing in a local orchestra or taking
an active part in a small town’s local government. This outside interest will give them the
opportunity for personal contribution and achievement.
Questions 1 – 5
1. According to the writer, a hundred years ago in the developed world, manual workers
A. were mainly located in rural areas.
B. were not provided with sufficient education.
C. were the largest single group of workers.
D. were the fastest growing group in society.
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2. The writer suggests that the most significant difference between knowledge technologists
and manual workers is
A. their educational background.
B. they pay they can expect.
C. their skill with their hands.
D. their attitudes to society.
3. He predicts that in the coming years, knowledge technologists
A. will have access to the same educational facilities as professional people.
B. will have more employment opportunities in educational institutions.
C. will require increasing mobility in order to find suitable education.
D. will be provided with appropriate education for their needs.
4. According to the writer, the most important change in education this century will be
A. the way in which people learn.
B. the sorts of things people learn about.
C. the use people make of their education.
D. the type of people who provide education.
5. The writer says that changes in women’s roles
A. mean women are now judged by higher standards.
B. have led to greater equality with men in the workplace.
C. are allowing women to use their traditional skills in new ways.
D. may allow women to out-perform men for the first time.
Questions 6 – 13
passage? Write
6. In the knowledge society, knowledge can be passed down from parents to children.
7. Everyone is expected to be successful in the knowledge society.
8. The knowledge society means that some people may become successful by accident.
9. The knowledge society has both good and bad points.
10. Schoolchildren should not study so hard that they risk becoming ill.
11. It is right for schools to encourage a high degree of competition between their students.
12. When choosing outside interests, knowledge workers should avoid the need to try to be
better than other people.
13. Outside interests are more fulfilling if they involve helping other people.
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UNIT 9
CLASSIFICATION
INTRODUCTION
TASK DESCRIPTION
You may be asked to classify several pieces of information from the passage, choosing among the
same options (normally three) in each case. The options are all the same type, for example, three
time periods, three countries, three options, and so on. They could also be, for example, before
1950 / after 1950 / both or satisfied / dissatisfied / neither.
TASK APPROACH
Skim the whole passage before you start working on any of the tasks.
Read the instructions carefully and think about the meaning of the three options. Check
what letters you should use for your answers: they may be A, B and C, or three other
letters.
Read the first questions, and underline the key words. Find the relevant part of the
passage. Read it carefully and consider all three options before choosing the correct one.
Read the next question and find the relevant part of the passage. Remember that it might
be anywhere in the passage.
Always give an answer – you won’t lose any marks if it’s wrong.
PRACTICE
Practice 1
HOW ENGLISH FAMILY LIFE HAS EVOLVED SINCE THE EIGHTEENTH

CENTURY
The majority of English families of the pre-industrial age – roughly until the mid-eighteenth
century – lived in a rural location. Many of them owned, or had the use of, a small piece of land,
and virtually all family members were engaged in agricultural work in one form or another, usually
growing food for their own consumption and sometimes also producing food or other goods for
sale.
The labour was controlled by the husband, the undisputed master of the household, even
though his wife and children, too, had an economic value as their contributions to the family
income were likely to make the difference between starvation and survival.
Children worked from an early age, girls helping their mothers, and boys their fathers.
School was an occasional or irrelevant factor in their lives. Instead, children learned by doing what
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their parents showed them. Knowledge of caring for animals, growing vegetables, sewing – was
handed down from parent to child.
Most people also engaged in handicraft production in the home, the family being paid by a
company to work with cloth, wood or leather. In general, this work could be put aside and taken up
again when there was a break from household chores or agricultural work.
The process of industrialization in the second half of the eighteenth century and during the
nineteenth transformed life for the majority of the population. The use of steam to power
machinery required large buildings, and this resulted in the construction of numerous factories in
many towns and cities. These in turn encouraged migration from the countryside in search of work.
If electricity had preceded steam, domestic industry might have survived more fully.
The new economic forces had a series of effects on the family. One of the vital economic
ties holding it together was removed when it ceased to be a business partnership. Men, women
and children were employed as individuals for a wage, often by different employers. When home
and workplace were physically separated, husbands, wives and children were also physically
separated for a good part of their time, especially as working hours were generally very long.
Despite this, men were still regarded as the head of the household.
Few children now worked with their parents at home, and so could not learn by watching
them at work. They had generally become greater economic assets than before, often taking jobs
which were open to children rather than to adults, such as sweeping chimneys. Gradually the
already bad economic situation of families worsened, as children’s working hours were limited and
their employment prohibited. Worst of all, from the family’s economic perspective, education
became compulsory before it became free.
Questions 1 – 9
Classify the following situations as being said to occur
A in the pre-industrial period

B in the industrial period
C in both periods
Exampl
e:
Workers were attracted to urban centres. B

(The relevant part of the passage is underlined.)
1. People carried out work for a company in their own home.

2. Most incomes were low.
3. Children worked with their parents.
4. Husbands and wives worked apart.
5. School attendance was irregular.
6. Children were placed on children’s work.
7. Restrictions were placed on children’s work.
8. People were likely to live in the countryside.
9. Families were dominated by men.
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Practice 2
A VARIETY OF WRITING SYSTEMS

Writing is something we do every day, and we rarely give it a second thought. Yet linguists
disagree about how to define the activity, and how best to describe some of the world’s writing
systems.
Writing appears to have developed independently at different times in several parts of the
world, among them Mexico and Central America, China, and Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). One
of the earliest writing systems evolved to record ancient Egyptian around 5,000 years ago. The signs
are called hieroglyphs, and are the three types. Some represent ideas or objects from the real
world, such as beetle (a type of insect) and swallow (a type of bird), others indicate sounds, and the
third group are used to distinguish between two words that are otherwise identical: carve and
retreat are represented by the same hieroglyph, but a knife symbol is added to show when the
former meaning is intended, and a pair of legs to indicate the latter. Some hieroglyphs are pictures,
such as a drawing of a beetle or swallow; some were originally pictures and became more abstract;
and the Egyptian system was much more suitable for communication than earlier systems, which
could express only a limited range of meanings. Hieroglyphs remained in used in Egypt for about
3,000 years – for some of the time used alongside alternative writing systems – before being
replaced by an alphabetical system.
Chinese has been written for nearly 4,000 years. Like many Egyptian hieroglyphs, the signs
were originally pictures, and gradually became more abstract. The writing system consists of
characters representing words, sections of words, or ideas. Chinese characters are used throughout
the country, as well as in the unrelated languages of Japanese, Korean and, until the twentieth
century, Vietnamese. They can be compared with mathematical symbols, such as = or + , which
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have the same meaning in all languages but represent different words. There are thousands of
Chinese characters to learn, and they take a considerable time to draw and to type: a traditional
Chinese typewriter can contain over a thousand keys, and even a skilled typist is only expected to
type about eleven words per minute.
A totally new development in writing appeared in the Middle East about 3,700 years ago,
when Egyptian hieroglyphs were well established. This was the North Semitic alphabet, which
evolved in Palestine and Syria. The Phoenicians, a trading nation living on the coast of modern
Lebanon, adapted it to form their own alphabet. This in turn spread into northern Africa to become
the writing system of the Arabs, and northwest to Greece. The Greek letters were further modified
to become the Cyrillic alphabets of Russia and part of the Balkans. The Romans adapted the letters
into the alphabet still used for many languages, including all those of Western Europe and the
written languages of North and South America, which are, of course, European in origin.
Alphabets are the most adaptable of all writing systems. A small number of symbols
representing significant sounds in a language, not pictures or ideas, can be combined in different
ways to represent all the words of the language. While most alphabets contain between 20 and 30
letters, the smallest, used in the Solomon Islands, contains only 11. Khmer, the official language of
Cambodia, has the largest alphabet, with 74 letters. Alphabetical systems are very flexible, and can
easily be used in computers, and so the Latin alphabet is used in both China and Japan alongside
the traditional writing systems.
Although alphabets are based on sound, there is rarely great consistency between spelling
and pronunciation. Finnish and Macedonian are among the most regular. English, however, is far
more irregular, in part because the writing system has not kept pace with changes in pronunciation
over the centuries.
Questions 1 – 6
Classify the following statements as referring to
A Egyptian hieroglyphs
B Chinese characters
C both
D neither
Example: Producing the signs is a slow process.
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Answer: B
1. Pictures developed into abstract symbols.

2. This system has been used by more than one language.
3. Some of the signs represent sounds.
4. Signs may refer to all or part of a word.
5. The system was introduced from another country.
6. In this system, some words require two signs to make the meaning clear.
Questions 7 – 13
passage? Write
7. Alphabets developed later than Egyptian hieroglyphs.

8. The first alphabet was created by the Phoenicians.
9. The Arab and Greek alphabets developed from the same writing system.
10. The Greek and Russian languages have the same origin.
11. The more words there are in a language, the more letters there are in its alphabets.
12. In most languages, spelling closely represents pronunciation.
13. English pronunciation has changed more than spelling.
Practice 3
PENGUINS SHOW SIGNS OF STRESS
Previous research by scientists from Keil University in Germany monitored Adelie penguins
and noted that the birds’ heart rates increased dramatically at the sight of a human as far as 30
metres away. But new research using an artificial egg, which is equipped to measure heart rates,
disputes this scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge say that a slow-moving
human who does not approach the nest too closely is not perceived as a threat by penguins.
The earlier findings have been used to partly explain the 20 per cent drop in populations of
certain types of penguin near tourist sites. However, tour operators have continued to insist that
their activities do not adversely affect wildlife in Antarctica, saying they encourage non-disruptive
behavior in tourists, and that the decline in penguin numbers is caused by other factors.
Amanda Nimon of the Scott Polar Research Institute spent three southern hemisphere
summers at Cuverville Island in Antarctica studying penguin behavior towards humans. ‘A nesting
penguin will react very differently to a person rapidly and closely approaching the nest,’ says
Nimon. ‘First they exhibit large and prolonged heart rate changes and then they often flee the nest
leaving it open for predators to fly in and remove eggs or chicks.’
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The artificial egg, specially developed for the project, monitored both the parent who had
been ‘disturbed’ when the egg was placed in the nest and the other parent as they both took it in
turns to guard to nest.
However, Boris Culik, who monitored the Adelie penguins, believes that Nimon’s findings
do not invalidate his own research. He points out that species behave differently – and Nimon’s
work was with Gentoo penguins. Nimon and her colleagues believe that Culik’s research was
methodologically flawed because the monitoring of penguins’ responses entailed capturing and
restraining the birds and fitting them with heart-rate transmitters. Therefore, argues Nimon, it
would not be surprising if they became stressed on seeing a human subsequently.
Questions 1 – 5
Classify the following statements as being true of
A the research on Adelie

penguins B the research on
Gentoo penguins C both
research projects
D neither research
project Write the correct letter, A,
B, C or D.
1. An individual species of penguin was tested.

2. Penguins were caught for the experiment.
3. Physical changes occurred when a human was nearby.
4. Tourists were permitted to observe the experiments.
5. Heart rates were measured by an item manufactured for the experiment.
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VOCABULARY
Exercise 1
DDDDDD. forms EEEEEE. pursuing FFFFFF. one another
GGGGGG. the power to HHHHHH. spontaneous IIIIII. interaction

recommend
JJJJJJ. different KKKKKK. unavoidable LLLLLL. the audience
aspects
MMMMMM. an NNNNNN. depend OOOOOO. discussion
audience
PPPPPP. information- QQQQQQ. procedural RRRRRR. audience
sharing
SSSSSS. include TTTTTT. in a group UUUUUU. instructional
VVVVVV. cooperative
CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF DISCUSSION
In this context, the word form refers to the type of format of discussion. In its most
general sense, group discussion is a (example) thinking effort, usually among twenty persons or
less. The basic …(1)… of group discussion are dialogue, panel, and symposium.
A dialogue is a two-person …(2)… that may be a simple conversation, an interview, or
counseling. If a dialogue is held before an audience and …(3)… is invited to participate, the
interaction becomes a dialogue forum.
The panel discussion is most often composed of three to seven persons …(4)… a common
goal in an informal climate that aids spontaneous interaction. An audience may or may not be
present. A panel discussion generally calls for a …(5)… leader, one who plans, starts, and ends the
meeting, and some agenda.
A symposium is a small group (three to five) that has special knowledge of …(6)… of a broad
topic. Each individual makes uninterrupted speeches before an audience. A procedural leader
controls the order of speakers and the time limits. A forum usually follows, except when …(7)… is
not physically present (as with radio or TV broadcasts). Frequently, the symposium speakers then
relate to …(8)… more informally in a panel discussion.
These forms of …(9)… may be used for information-sharing, problem-solving, or decision-
making, as well as for instructional purposes. Examples of …(10)… groups are staff meeting, study
groups and workshops. The overlap among these groups is evident and probably …(11)…. A
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workshop, for example, may be thought of as a study group that concentrated its work into a
couple of days, or even a few hours. Problem-solving groups …(1)… committees, conferences, and
governing boards or councils. These discussion groups have the power of decision or at least
…(12)… action …(13)… based on their collective problem-solving. Their group discussions are usually
closed to non-members.
Example: S
98.
92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97.
104.
99. 100. 101. 102. 103.
Exercise 2
Find words or phrases in the passage (Homework/Exercise 2) which mean the same as
the words listed below.
Paragraph A:
1. Ridiculous, absurd
2. Old and in poor condition
3. A few
Paragraph B:
4. Different, varied
Paragraph C:
5. Fight
6. Has produced
Paragraph D:
7. Asked for
Paragraph E:
8. Worrying, frightening
9. Result
10. Not working properly, faulty
Paragraph G:
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11. Advantages
12. Lengthen
Paragraph H:
13. Medical care
Exercise 3
Scan the passage (Homework/Exercise 3) again to find these words and try to guess
their meanings from the context. Then use the words to complete the sentences below.
comprises high-tech
formerly outcome
feedback monitoring
1. I’m pessimistic about the .............. of these negotiations.

2. It’s difficult to improve your service if you get no ............... from your clients.
3. People flood to this region in search of jobs in ............... industries.
4. Tax .............. over 50% of the price of fuel.
5. This area was .............. a desert, but now it has been converted to rich agricultural land.
6. We’ve been carefully...............your progress and you should be ready to leave hospital
shortly.
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HOMEWORK
Exercise 1
G E OT H E R M A L E N E R G Y
Since heat naturally moves from hotter regions to cooler ones, the heat from the earth’s
centre (over 7000o Fahrenheit) flows outwards towards the surface. In this way, it transfers to the
next layer of rock or mantle. If the temperature is high enough, some of this mantle rock melts and
forms magma. The magma ascends in its turn towards the earth’s crust. At times it forces itself up
to the actual surface where it builds volcanoes. More often it remains well below the earth’s crust,
creating vast subterranean areas of hot rock. In such regions, there are deep cracks, which allow
rainwater to percolate underground. This water is heated by the hot rock to a high temperature.
Some of this water travels back up to the earth’s surface where it will appear as a hot spring or a
geyser. However, if this ascending hot water reaches a layer of impermeable rock, it remains
trapped, forming a geothermal reservoir. Much hotter than surface hot springs, such reservoirs can
reach temperatures of 700o Fahrenheit and are a rich source of energy. If geothermal reservoirs are
close enough to the surface, they can be reached by drilling wells. Hot water and steam shoot up
the wells naturally, and can be used to produce electricity in geothermal power plants. Unlike fossil
fuels, geothermal energy produces relatively little greenhouse gas.
A few geothermal power plants depend on dry-steam reservoirs which produce steam but
little or no water. In these cases, the steam is piped up directly to provide the power to spin a
turbine generator. The first geothermal power plant, constructed at Lardarello in Italy, was of this
type, and is still producing electricity today.
Most currently operating geothermal power plants are either ‘flash’ steam plants or binary
plants. Flash plants produce mainly hot water ranging in temperature from 300o to 700o Fahrenheit.
This water is passed through one or two separators where, released from the pressure of the
underground reservoir, it ‘flashes’ or explosively boils into steam. Again, the force of this steam
provides the energy to spin the turbine and produce electricity. The geothermal water and steam
are then reinjected directly back down into the earth to maintain the volume and pressure of the
reservoir. Gradually they will be reheated and can then be used again.
A reservoir with temperatures below 300o Fahrenheit is not hot enough to flash steam but
it can still be used to generate electricity in a binary plant. In these plants, the heat of the
geothermal water is transferred to a second or binary fluid, such as isopentane, which boils at a
lower temperature than water. The steam from this is used to power the turbines. As in the flash
steam plant, the geothermal water is recycled back into the reservoir.
Questions 1 – 5
Label the diagram using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage below to
each blank space.
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Questions 6 – 10
Sentences 6 – 10 are taken from a classifying information task. Classify the features described in 6 –
10 according to which type of geothermal plant they characterize.
A dry steam
plants B flash
steam plants C
binary plants
D all of them
6. There are examples which are in used today.

7. They use geothermal reservoirs with temperatures over 300o F.
8. They use steam from the earth, and not water.
9. The vapour which spins the turbines is not produced from water.
10. They are relatively easy on the environment.
Exercise 2
LIFE WITHOUT DEATH
By Duncan Turner
A Until recently, the thought that there might ever be a cure for ageing seemed preposterous.
Growing older and more decrepit appeared to be an inevitable and necessary part of being
human. Over the last decade, however, scientists have begun to see ageing differently. Some
now believe that the average life-expectancy may soon be pushed up to 160 years; others
think that it may be extended to 200 or 300 years. A handful even wonder whether we might
one day live for a millennium or more.
B Behind this new excitement is the theory that the primary cause of ageing lies in highly
reactive molecules called free radicals, left behind by the oxygen we breathe. Free radicals
reacts with the molecules in our bodies, damaging DNA, proteins and other cell tissues, and
are known to be implicated in diseases as diverse as cataracts, cancer and Alzheimer’s. The
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body does its best to protect itself against free radicals by producing its own chemicals to
prevent ageing, such as vitamins E and C, but it is always fighting a losing battle.
C A year ago Gordon Lithgow of the University of Manchester discovered a way to help combat
free radicals. Using one of these anti-ageing chemicals, he managed to increase the lifespan
of one species of earthworm by 50 per cent. Despite cautionary words from the scientists,
many welcomed this as the first step towards a drug which would extend life. Research
involving the mutation of genes that appear to control how long the earthworm lives, similar
genes were found in organisms as various as fruit-flies, mice and human beings. When one
considers the vast evolutionary distances that separate these species, it suggests that we may
have discovered a key to how ageing is regulated throughout the entire animal kingdom.
D In June last year a small American company called Eukarion sought permission to carry out
the first trials of an anti-ageing drug, SCS, on human beings. Although it will initially be used
to treat diseases associated with old age, Eukarion said, that ‘if the effect of treating diseases
of old age is to extend life, everyone’s going to be happy’.
E Some scientists, however, are quick to discourage extravagant speculation. ‘There is no
evidence whatsoever that swallowing any chemical would have an effect on mammals’, says
Rich Miller of the University of Michigan. ‘And those people who claim it might need to go out
and do some experimenting’. Some research, moreover, has produced alarming results. As
well as controlling ageing, these genes also partly control the hormones which regulate
growth. The upshot of this is that although the lives of mutant mice can be extended be up to
80 per cent, they remain smaller than normal.
F Quite apart from these sorts of horrors, the ethical implications of extending human lifespan
are likely to worry many people. Even if the falling birth-rates reported in the world’s
developed nations were to be repeated throughout the world, would this be sufficient to
compensate for massively extended life-expectancy, and would we be willing to see the
demographic balance of our society change out of all recognition? David Gems, the head of
the Centre for Research into Ageing at University College, London, is enthusiastic about the
opportunities opened up by extended life, but even he observes, ‘If people live much longer,
the proportion of children would, of course, be very small. It strikes me that it might feel
rather claustrophobic: all those middle-aged people and very few children or young people.’
G The philosopher John Polkinghorne emphasizes that any discussion of the merits of life-
extending therapies must take into account the quality of the life that is lived: ‘One would not
wish to prolong life beyond the point it had ceased to be creative and fulfilling and
meaningful,’ he says. ‘Presumably, there would have to come a point at which life ceased to
be creative and became just repetition. Clearly, there are only so many rounds of golf one
would want to play.’
H But Polkinghorne, a member of the Human Genetics Commission, also observes that so far
our experience of extended life-expectancy has not resulted in world-weariness. Throughout
the last century, life-expectancy rose consistently, thanks to improved diet, better hygiene,
continuous medical innovation and the provision of free or subsidised healthcare. In 1952 the
Queen sent out 225 telegrams to people on their 100th birthday; in 1996 she sent out 5,218,
‘Consider also, the lives of our Roman and Anglo-Saxon ancestors,’ he says. ‘By and large, the
doubling of human lifespan we have seen since then has not been a bad thing. Life has not
become frustrating and boring. For example, we now live to see our children’s children, and
this is good.’
Source: The spectator, 9th February,

2002.
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Questions 1 – 5
passage? Write
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts with the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
9. Scientific predictions about how much it will be possible to lengthen human life vary
greatly.
10. Research into extending life involves both new drugs and changes to genes.
11. Scientific experiments have not succeeded in making any animals live longer.
12. Most people in the future will decide not to have children.
13. Life expectancy has improved partly because people eat better.
Questions 6 – 9
Look at the following names of people or organizations and the list of
opinions. Match each name with the opinion which the person or
organization expressed. NB: There are more opinions than names, so
you will not use them all.
14. Eukarion
15. Rich Miller
16. David Gems
17. John Polkinghorne
A. Increases in longevity may cause unwelcome changes in society.

B. People will live longer but become tired of life.
C. Past experiences shows that people do not lose interests in life as a result of living
longer.
D. There is no scientific proof that any drug can prolong human life expectancy.
E. One medicine we are developing may have a welcome benefit apart from its original
purpose.
F. Using drugs to treat the diseases of old age is only the beginning.
Question 10
Which TWO of the following are characteristics of free radicals? Choose TWO letters A-E.
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A. They are a partial cause of certain diseases.

B. They escape into the atmosphere when we breathe.
C. They are present in two vitamins.
D. They harm our body chemistry.
E. They are produced by our bodies.
Questions 11 – 14
Complete the following summary of the scientific progress towards extending life
expectancy. Choose your answers from the box below the summary.
NB: There are more words than spaces, so you will not use them all.
In one experiment using anti-ageing chemicals, the life of …(11)… was extended by
half. …(12)… like the ones which control the aging process in these animals have also
been found in other species. Unfortunately, however, experiments on …(13)… have
been less successful: while they live longer, the …(14)… controlling their growth are
also affected with the result that they grow less.
A. chemicals E. hormones
B. earthworms F. human beings
C. fruit flies G. mice
D. genes H. organisms
Exercise 3
MAPPING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
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A We all were taught: the map is not the territory. However, recent attempts to secure land for
indigenous peoples find the entanglement of maps and territories to be more complex. The
map – or control of the map – sometimes makes the territory, especially when indigenous
people have been invaded by map-makers. ‘More indigenous territory has been claimed by
maps than by guns,’ University of California geographer Bernard Nietschmann concludes from
his field experience. “And more indigenous territory can be reclaimed and defended by maps
than by guns.”
B Mapping of common land – mapping of, by, and for the people – has been called ‘counter-
mapping’, ‘community-based mapping’ or ‘participatory mapping’. The mapping toolkit
comprises everything from maps scratched on the ground to high-tech GPS,* and often
assistance by outside NGOs* or universities. Affordable equipment and access to a network or
expertise provide communities with map-making capacities comparable to those formerly
enjoyed only by nation-states and wealthy corporations.
C Official maps frequently misrepresent indigenous land, treat it as uninhabited, or reveal
ambiguous borders. Definite boundaries become the first line of defense against encroaching
cattle farmers, timber companies, miners, road builders, and land speculators. But the mapping
process also changes people’s perceptions of themselves and their territory, their resources,
and their history. It can help political organizing and give them greater control of the resources
on their land.
D Current projects range from making small maps of single communities to the Oxfam-sponsored
effort to map all 1300 of Peru’s Native Amazonian communities. Most projects work on a
number of different levels – simultaneously applying inhabitants’ terms, using their names,
symbols, scales, an priorities (sometimes called ‘folkori’ maps), and converting these into
conventional maps that will be recognized by officials, accepted in court, and usable in
negotiations. Neither folkloric nor orthodox maps are more ‘correct’. Each represents a cultural
interpretation of territory; each changes how residents and non-residents view their
geography.
E A key, says Mac Chapin of the Center for the Support of Native Lands, is the level of local
participation: the higher the level, the richer and more beneficial the outcome. Take a 1995-96
Native Lands project in Izoceno communities in Bolivia. Trained Izoceno surveyors armed with
paper, colored pencils, and notebooks, conducted village censuses and – working with village
leaders – drew sketch maps showing land-use activities (where people live, farm, hunt, practice
ritual, gather medicinal plants and construction materials), as well as structures, resources,
relationships, and physical landmarks.
F Cartographers used these maps to produce new 1:50,000 maps based on available military
maps. Then the surveyors took the draft maps back to the communities for feedback and
correction, while draftsmen checked exact locations using GPS and compass readings. Finally,
the team produces a 1:250,000 map of the region and 1:75,000 zone maps.
G Some governments now accept many of these home-grown maps, acknowledging them as
more accurate than their own. In Panama, government cartographers have participated from
the beginning in recent projects. The maps legitimize boundaries for protecting areas and
document land use and occupancy for land-rights negotiations. They permit boundary
monitoring with aerial or satellite photography, and setting priorities for managing and
conserving the land.
H Just putting their own traditional name son folkloric maps gives people a spiritual ownership of
the things named, says Mac Chapin. These maps also give birth to a sense of region. The
Honduran Mosquitia, for instance, includes 174 communities; before mapping, each dealt
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IELTS A - READING
individually with cattle farmers and timber companies, unaware of others’ arrangements.
Mapping created a feeling of territory, leading to the organization of seven regional Miskito
federations for collective action. Since most place names have historical origins, the mapping
process also became the occasion for communities to gather across generations, share stories
and songs, and recollect their identity.
*GPS – Global Positioning Satellites
*NGOs – Non-governmental organizations
Questions 1 – 5
Complete the summary below. Choose ONE or TWO WORDS from the reading passage
for each answer.
Nowadays maps are a more effective way of protecting native lands than …(1). .... Moreover,
because …(2). . is available it has become possible for small communities to make their own maps
with help from outside experts.
On official maps, native territory is often shown to be …(3). . or its frontiers are not clearly defined.
Maps showing …(4). . can help to protect indigenous areas from outside exploitation. Also, map-
making can alter the inhabitants’ …(5). ..of their identity, their land and their culture.
Questions 6 – 9
Look at the following countries and the list of characteristics of mapping projects.
Match each country with the characteristic of the mapping projects which is mentioned in
the passage.
NB: There are more characteristics than countries, so you will not need to use them all.
6. Peru
7. Bolivia
8. Panama
9. Honduras
A. Every indigenous village in the region will be represented.

B. Indigenous communities make better use of the region where they live.
C. Local people have stopped using weapons to defend their territory.
D. Communities have become more aware of their culture as a result of mapping.
E. People from the local community were responsible for gathering the basic information.
F. The mapping received official support from the start.
G. The maps were made entirely by people from the community.
Questions 10 – 14
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IELTS A - READING
Complete the diagram on the right to show the process used for making maps in Bolivia. Use
NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
…(10)... are carried out before drawing rough maps.
Large-scale maps are made by …(11)... using sketch maps and army maps.
These maps are then shown to villagers for …(12)...
Meanwhile …(13)... are confirmed by professional map-makers.
Lastly, regional and …(14)... are issued.
Questions 15 -17
The list below gives some uses of maps. Which THREE of these are mentioned as uses of
folkloric maps?
A. They are suitable for use in legal battles.

B. They enable local people to exploit their resources more efficiently.
C. They enable communities to remember their past.
D. They help outsides find their way in the region.
E. They help people in the area to unite politically.
F. They show where local people carry out various activities.
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IELTS A - READING
UNIT 10
PRACTICE TEST
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 – 13, which are based on Reading
Passage 1 below.
A According to archaeological evidence, at least 5,000 years ago, and long before the advent of
the Roman Empire, the Babylonians began to measure time, introducing calendars to co-
ordinate communal activities, to plan the shipment of goods and, in particular, to regulate
planting and harvesting. They based their calendars on three natural cycles: the solar day,
marked by the successive periods of light and darkness as the earth rotates on its axis; the
lunar month, the following the phases of the moon as it orbits the earth; and the solar year,
defined by the changing seasons that accompany our planet’s revolution around the sun.
B Before the invention of artificial light, the moon had greater social impact. And, for those
living near the equator in particular, its waxing and waning was more conspicuous than the
passing of the seasons. Hence, the calendars that were developed at the lower latitudes were
influenced more by the lunar cycle than the solar year. In more northern climes, however,
where seasonal agriculture was practiced, the solar year became more crucial. As the Roman
Empire expanded northward, it organized its activity chart for the most part around the solar
year.
C Centuries before the Roman Empire, the Egyptians had formulated a municipal calendar
having 12 months of 30 days, with five days added to approximate the solar year. Each period
of ten days was marked by the appearance of special groups of stars called decans. At the rise
of the star Sirius just before sunrise, which occurred around the all-important annual flooding
of the Nile, 12 decans could be seen spanning the heavens. The cosmic significance the
Egyptians placed in the 12 decans led them to develop a system in which each interval of
darkness (and later, each interval of daylight) was divided into a dozen equal parts. These
periods became known as temporal hours because their duration varied according to the
changing length of days and nights with the passing of the seasons. Summer hours were long,
winter ones short; only at the spring and autumn equinoxes were the hours of daylight and
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IELTS A - READING
darkness equal. Temporal hours, which were first adopted by the Greeks and then the
Romans, the disseminated them through Europe, remained in use for more than 2,500 years.
D In order to track temporal hours during the day, inventors created sundials, which indicate
time by the length or direction of the sun’s shadow. The sundial’s counterpart, the water
clock, was designed to measure temporal hours at night. One of the first water clocks was a
basin with a small hole near the bottom through which the water dripped out. The falling
water level denoted the passing hour as it dipped below hour lines inscribed on the inner
surface. Although these devices performed satisfactorily around the Mediterranean, they
could not always be depended on in the cloudy and often freezing weather of northern
Europe.
E The advent of the mechanical clock meant that although it could be adjusted to maintain
temporal hours, it was naturally suited to keeping equal ones. With these, however, arose the
question of when to begin counting, and so, in the early 14th century, a number of systems
evolved. The schemes that divided the day into 24 equal parts varied according to the start of
the count: Italian hours began at sunset, Babylonian hours at sunrise, astronomical hours at
midday and ‘great clock’ hours, used for some large public clocks in Germany, at midnight.
Eventually these were superseded by ‘small clock’, or French, hours, which split the day into
two 12-hour periods commencing at midnight.
F The earliest recorded weight-driven mechanical clock was built in 1283 in Bedfordshire in
England. The revolutionary aspect of this new timekeeper was neither the descending weight
that provided its motive force nor the gear wheels (which had been around for at least 1,300
years) that transferred the power; it was the part called the escapement. In the early 1400s
came the invention of the coiled spring or fuse which maintained constant force to the gear
wheels of the timekeeper despite the changing tension of its mainspring. By the 16th century,
a pendulum clock had been devised, but the pendulum swung in a large arc and thus was not
very efficient.
G To address this, a variation on the original escapement was invented in 1670, in England. It
was called the anchor escapement, which was a lever-based device shaped like a ship’s
anchor. The motion of a pendulum rocks this device so that it catches and them releases each
tooth of the escape wheel, in turn allowing it to turn a precise amount. Unlike the original
form used in early pendulum clocks, the anchor escapement permitted the pendulum to
travel in a very small arc. Moreover, this invention allowed the use of a long pendulum which
could beat once a second and thus led to the development of a new floor-standing case
design, which became known as the grandfather clock.
H Today, highly accurate timekeeping instruments set the beat for most electronic devices.
Nearly all computers contain a quartz-crystal clock to regulate their operation. Moreover, not
only do time signals beamed down from Global Positioning System satellites calibrate the
functions of precision navigation equipment, they do so as well for mobile phones, instant
stock-trading systems and nationwide power-distribution grids. So integral have these time-
based technologies become to day-to-day existence that our dependency on them is
recognized only when they fail to work.
Questions 1 – 4
Reading Passage 1 has eight paragraphs, A-H.

Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
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IELTS A - READING
1. A description of an early timekeeping invention affected by cold temperatures

2. An explanation of the importance of geography in the development of the calendar in
farming communities
3. A description of the origins of the pendulum clock
4. Details of the simultaneous efforts of different societies to calculate time using uniform
hours
Questions 5 – 8
List of Nationalities
A. Babylonians Look at the following events (Questions 5-8) and the list
B. Egyptians of nationalities below.
C. Greeks Match each event with the correct nationality, A-F.
D. English Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet.
E. Germans
F. French 5. They devised a civil calendar in which the months were
equal in length.
6. They divided the day into two equal halves.
7. They developed a new cabinet shape for a type of timekeeper.
8. They created a calendar to organize public events and work schedules.
Questions 9 – 13
Label the diagram below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for
each answer. Write your answers in boxes 9 – 13 on your answer
sheet.
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IELTS A - READING
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IELTS A - READING
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14 – 26, which are based on Reading
Passage 2 on the following pages.
Questions 14 – 19
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A and C-G from the list
below. Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 14 -19 on your
answer sheet.
List of Headings
xx. Disobeying FAA regulations
xxi. Aviation disaster prompts action
xxii. Two coincidental developments
xxiii. Setting altitude zones
xxiv. An oversimplified view
xxv. Controlling pilots’ licences
xxvi. Defining airspace categories
xxvii. Setting rules to weather conditions
xxviii. Taking off safely
xxix. First steps towards ATC
14. Paragraph A
Example: Answer
Paragraph B x
15. Paragraph C
16. Paragraph D
17. Paragraph E
18. Paragraph F
19. Paragraph G
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL IN THE USA

A An accident that occurred in the skies over the Grand Canyon in 1956 resulted in the
establishment of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to regulate and oversee
the operation of aircraft in the skies over the United States, which were becoming
quite congested. The resulting structure of air traffic control has greatly increased the
safety of flight in the United States, and similar air traffic control procedures are also
in place over much of the rest of the world.
B Rudimentary air traffic control (ATC) existed well before the Grand Canyon disaster.
As early as the 1920s, the earliest air traffic controllers manually guided aircraft in the
vicinity of the airports, using lights and flags, while beacons and flashing lights were
placed along cross-country routes to establish the earliest airways. However, this
purely visual system was useless in bad weather, and, by the 1930s, radio
communication was coming into use for ATC. The first region to have something
approximating today’s ATC was New York City, with other major metropolitan areas
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IELTS A - READING
following soon after.

C In the 1940s, ATC centres could and did take advantage of the newly developed radar
and improved radio communication brought about by the Second World War, but the
system remained rudimentary. It was only after the creation of the FAA that full-scale
regulation of America’s airspace took place, and this was fortuitous, for the advent of
the jet engine suddenly resulted in a large number of very fast planes, reducing pilots’
margin of error and practically demanding some set of rules to keep everyone well
separated and operating safely in the air.
D Many people think that ATC consists of a row of controllers sitting in front of their
radar screens at the nation’s airports, telling arriving and departing traffic what to do.
This is a very incomplete part of the picture. The FAA realized that the airspace over
the United States would at any time have many different kinds of planes, flying for
many different purposes, in a variety of weather conditions, and the same kind of
structure was needed to accommodate all of them.
E To meet this challenge, the following elements were put into effect. First, ATC
extends over virtually the entire United States. In general, from 365m above the
ground and higher, the entire country is blanketed by controlled airspace. In certain
areas, mainly near airports, controlled airspace extends down to 215m above the
ground, and, in the immediate vicinity of an airport, all the way down to the surface.
Controlled airspace is that airspace in which FAA regulations apply. Elsewhere, in
uncontrolled airspace, pilots are bound by fewer regulations. In this way, the
recreational pilot who simply wishes to go flying for a while without all the
restrictions imposed by the FAA has only to stay in uncontrolled airspace, below
365m, while the pilot who does want the protection afforded by ATC can easily enter
the controlled airspace.
F The FAA then recognized two types of operating environments. In good
meteorological conditions, flying would be permitted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR),
which suggests a strong reliance on visual cues to maintain an acceptable level of
safety. Poor visibility necessitated a set of Instrumental Flight Rules (IFR), under which
the pilot relied on altitude and navigational information provided by the plane’s
instrument panel to fly safely. On a clear day, a pilot in controlled airspace can choose
a VFR or IFR flight plan, and the FAA regulations were devised in a way which
accommodates both VFR and IFR operations in the same airspace. However, a pilot
can only choose to fly IFR if they possess an instrument rating which is above and
beyond the basic pilot’s license that must also be held.
G Controlled airspace is divided into several different types, designated by letters of the
alphabet. Uncontrolled airspace is designated Class F, while controlled airspace below
5,490m above sea level and not in the vicinity of an airport is Class E. All airspace
above 5,490m is designated Class A. The reason for the division of Class E and Class A
airspace is where one finds general aviation aircraft (few of which can climb above
5,490m anyway), and commercial turboprop aircraft. Above 5,490m is the realm of
the heavy jest, since jet engines operate more efficiently at higher altitudes. The
difference between Class E and A airspace is that in Class A, all operations are IFR, and
pilots must be instrument-rated, that is, skilled and licensed in aircraft
instrumentation. This is because ATC control of the entire space is essential. Three
other types of airspace, Classes D, C and B, govern the vicinity of airports. These
correspond roughly to small municicpal, medium-sized metropolitan and major
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IELTS A - READING
metropolitan airports respectively, and encompass an increasingly rigorous set of

regulations. For example, all a VFR pilot has to do to enter Class C airspace is establish
two-way radio contract with ATC. No explicit permission from ATC to enter is needed,
although the pilot must continue to obey all regulations governing VFR flight. To enter
Class B airspace, such as on approach to a major metropolitan airport, an explicit ATC
clearance is required. The private pilot who cruises without permission into this
airspace risks losing their license.
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

information FALSE if the statement contradicts the
information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on
this
20. The FAA was created as a result of the introduction of the jet engine.
21. Air Traffic Control started after the Grand Canyon crash in 1956.
22. Beacons and flashing lights are still used by ATC today.
23. Some improvements were made in radio communication during World War II.
24. Class F airspace is airspace which is below 365m and not near airports.
25. All aircraft in Class E airspace must use IFR.
26. A pilot entering Class C airspace is flying over an average-sized city.
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IELTS A - READING
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27 – 40, which are based on
Reading Passage 3 below.
Can human beings communicate by thought alone? For more than a century the
issue of telepathy has divided the scientific community, and even today it still
sparks bitter controversy among top academics.
Since the 1970s, parapsychologists at leading universities and research institutes

around the world have risked the derision of skeptical colleagues by putting the various claims
for telepathy to the test in dozens of rigorous scientific studies. The results and their
implications are dividing even the researchers who uncovered them.
Some researchers say the results constitute compelling evidence that telepathy is
genuine. Other parapsychologists believe the field is on the brink of collapse, having tried to
produce definitive scientific proof and failed. Sceptics and advocates alike do concur on one
issue, however: that the most impressive evidence so far has come from the so-called ‘ganzfeld’
experiments, a German term that means ‘whole field’. Reports of telepathic experiences had by
people during meditation led parapsychologists to suspect that telepathy might involve ‘signals’
passing between people that were so faint that they were usually swamped by normal brain
activity. In this case, such signals might be more easily detected by those experiencing
meditation-like tranquility in a relaxing ‘whole field’ of light, sound and warmth.
The ganzfeld experiment tries to recreate these conditions with participants sitting in
soft reclining chairs in a sealed room, listening to relaxing sounds while their eyes are covered
with special filters letting in only soft pink light. In early ganzfeld experiments, the telepathy
test involved identification of a picture chosen from a random selection of four taken from a
large image bank. The idea was that a person acting as a ‘sender’ would attempt the beam the
over to the ‘receiver’ relaxing in the sealed room. Once the session was over, this person was
asked to identify which of the four images had been used. Random guessing would give a hit-
rate of 25 per cent; if telepathy is real, however, the hit-rate would be higher. In 1982, the
results from the first ganzfeld studies were analysed by one of its pioneers, the American
parapsychologist Charles Honorton. They pointed to typical hit-rates of better than 30 per cent
– a small effect, but one which statistical tests suggested could not be put down to chance.
The implication was that the ganzfeld method had revealed real evidence for telepathy.
But there was a crucial flaw in this argument – one routinely overlooked in more conventional
areas of science. Just because chance had been ruled out as an explanation did not prove
telepathy must exist; there were many other ways of getting positive results. These ranged
from ‘sensory leakage’ – where clues about the pictures accidentally reach the receiver – to
outright fraud. In response, the researchers issued a review of all the ganzfeld studies done up
to 1985 to show that 80 per cent had found statistically significant evidence. However, they
also agreed that there were still too many problems in the experiments which could lead to
positive results, and they drew up a list demanding new standards for future research.
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IELTS A - READING
After this, many researchers switched to autoganzfeld tests – an automated variant of

the technique which used computers to perform many of the key tasks such as the random
selection of images. By minimizing human involvement, the idea was to minimize the risk of
flawed results. In 1987, results from hundreds of autoganzfeld tests were studied by Honorton
in a ‘meta-analysis’, a statistical technique for finding the overall results from a set of studies.
though less compelling than before, the outcome was still impressive.
Yet some parapsychologists remain disturbed by the lack of consistency between
individual ganzfeld studies. Defenders of telepathy point out that demanding impressive
evidence from every study ignores one basic statistical fact: it takes large samples to detect
small effects. If, as current results suggest, telepathy procedures hit-rates only marginally
above the 25 per cent expected by chance, it’s unlikely to be detected by a typical ganzfeld
study involving around 40 people: the group is just not big enough. Only when many studies are
combined in a meta-analysis will the faint signal of telepathy really become apparent. And that
is what researchers do seem to be finding.
What they are certainly not finding, however, is any change in attitude of mainstream
scientists: most still totally reject the very idea of telepathy. The problem stems at least in part
from the lack of any plausible mechanism for telepathy.
Various theories have been put forward, many focusing on esoteric ideas from
theoretical physics. They include ‘quantum entanglement’, in which events affecting one group
of atoms instantly affect another group, no matter how far apart they may be. While physicists
have demonstrated entanglement with specially prepared atoms, no one knows if it also exists
between atoms making up human minds. Answering such questions would transform
parapsychology. This has prompted some researchers to argue that the future lies not in
collecting more evidence for telepathy, but in probing possible mechanisms. Some work has
begun already, with researchers trying to identify people who are particularly successful in
autoganzfeld trials. Early results show that creative and artistic people do much better than
average: in one study at the University of Edinburgh, musicians achieved a hit-rate of 56 per
cent. Perhaps more tests like these will eventually give the researchers the evidence they are
seeking and strengthen the case for the existence of telepathy.
Questions 27 – 30
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-G,

below. Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 27-30 on your
answer sheet.
27. Researchers with differing attitudes towards telepathy agree on

28. Reports of experiences during meditation indicated
29. Attitudes to parapsychology would alter drastically with
30. Recent autoganzfeld trials suggest that success rates will improve with
A. The discovery of a mechanism for telepathy.

B. The need to create a suitable environment for telepathy.
C. Their claims of a high success rate.
D. A solution to the problem posed by random guessing.
E. The significance of the gansfeld experiments.
F. A more careful selection of subjects.
G. A need to keep altering conditions.
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IELTS A - READING
Questions 31 – 40
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for
each answer. Write your answers in boxes 31 – 40 on your answer
sheet.
TELEPATHY EXPERIMENTS
Name/Date Description Result Flaw
Ganzfeld studies 1982 Involved a person Hit-rates were Positive results could
acting as a 31 higher than with be produced by
…………..…, who random guessing. factors such as 34
picked out one 32 …………..…or 35
…………..…from a …………..…
random selection of
four, and a 33
…………..…, who then
tried to identify it.
Autoganzfeld studies 36 .............. were The results were The 39
1987 used for key tasks to then subjected to a …………..…between
limit the amount of 38 …………..… different test results
37 .............. in was put down to the
carrying out the tests. fact that sample
groups were not 40
…………..… (as with
most ganzfeld
studies).
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IELTS A - READING
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IELTS A - READING

SENTENCE COMPLETION ..................................................................................................2

TABLE COMPLETION ................................................................................................. 16

DIAGRAM/FLOWCHART COMPLETION .................................................................... 37

HEADING MATCHING ................................................................................................. 69

MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS ............................................................................... 88

TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN ......................................................................................... 105

YES/NO/NOT GIVEN .................................................................................................. 105

SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS ................................................................................ 117

CLASSIFICATION ...................................................................................................... 134

PRACTICE TEST ....................................................................................................... 151

EQuest Academy http:www.equest.edu.vn 1

Cities that broke the rules

EQuest Academy http:www.equest.edu.vn 3

Leaving started developing enormous depended on citizens

As farming became more scientific, not so many people … F

A. were convenient for trade.

EQuest Academy http:www.equest.edu.vn 4

7. Today’s navigational systems rely on GPS and …………………

DEFORESTATION AND DESERTIFICATION

1. The climate of the Sahel is described as …………

A. Standardize B. Units C. Basic unit

D. The human body E. The length F. The mile

G. The Equator H. Measuring instruments I. The width

J. Early measurements K. Diameter L. The distance from

M. One metre N. The inch O. Approximate

P. Country Q. Weight R. Standard of measurement

EQuest Academy http:www.equest.edu.vn 7

A. Carbon dioxide B. Prevent C. Back

D. Fossil fuel E. Some climatic changes F. Only a small part

G. Result H. Temperature I. Transport

J. Leaving K. Make way for L. Air pollution

M. Sunlight N. In the atmosphere O. Happening

P. Balance Q. Poles R. Radiation level

THE FUNCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE

EQuest Academy http:www.equest.edu.vn 8

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

The greatest of Victorian engineers

1. Thomas Telford … A. symbolizes Sydney.

A. wide space between people and exhibits

C. location of most valuable exhibits at end of route

BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

1. The example of the Tanzanian company’s telecommunication bill demonstrates how

Classify the following features according to whether they apply to

A. The Information Village Project only

6. Use of the technology is not limited to individuals

Choose the best answer A, B, C or D.

THE FUTURE OF ENERGY SOURCES

Types of fuel Main advantage Main disadvantage Future

THE ECOLOGY OF HOLLYWOOD

Project Los Angeles Extension to Los Colorado River Californian

Method of Problem List of problems

Colorado River …(8)… C. The supply from this source proved

Californian …(9)… D. Much of the water from this source is

Extraction …(10)… E. The amount of water which can be drawn

11. Los Angeles is described as an unlikely city because of its

C. Global warming H. Unpromising location

The four developments are:

A. Recycling solid waste

Sadness Fear Anger Surprise

Choose the appropriate letter A – D to answer the following questions.

A. Into the blood B. For example