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The IELTS Listening Xlodulc 2 The II~LTS Rl!ading ~Iodllie J The IELTS Writing ~Iodllic -I Thl! II':LTS Speal\ing ~I()dllie 5 I ELTS test results (,

Frequently asked questions about IELTS (,

~kllts Qnd.Strcr-Te.~ues ~r ;'[;E~F

Skills ior t hc Listcuiru; ~I()dllic 7 Prnct icc ior the Listl!nillg~lodllk H Skills ior till! Ikatiing Module II,

Pruct ice ior till! lkadillg ~Iodllic I')

Skillx ior the Writing ~lodlliL: - Task I 25 Pract icc ior the Writillg ~Iodllie - Task I 2r, Skills ior the Writillg ~Iodllie - Task 2 .11) Practice Ior the Writillg ~1",llIle - Task 2 .12 Skills ior the Spe,li\illg ~Iodllie .15

lED'S xt udy hints -II)

Courudowu to the test ,11

lntcrprctiru; your practice test results Answer II<.:Ys J-1.1

l'apcr One l'npcr Two Paper Three

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IELTS to Success is designed to help you prepare for the [ELl'S (International ~~ngli, Language Testing System) examination by providing strategies and material I. practlce in all areas of the test. lEtTS (0 Success is aimed specifically at people taku the IELTS Academic Module rather than the General Training Module (for more info mution, see the Introduction, page 1),

The Introduction provides an overview of IELTS for readers not familiar with tl test. It contains a breakdown of each section of the examination, including content all procedure.

The Skills and Strategies section discusses skills that arc especially important i sitting IEI;rS. We suMcst you look through this section to help you identify any sill areas in which you may need to improve, This section will also help you becou lamiliar with the kinds of instructions and tasks found in IELI'S tests. The llsteuu tasks in this section can be heard on Audio Cassette One, Side A of the aud. cassettes that have heen developed to accompany this hook. (These cassettes al availuhle as separate sale items. They can also be obtained hy purchasing the ho.. aud cassette package, which is also available.]

Of particular importance in the Skills and Strategies section arc the pages focusu on the Speaking Xlodule. Because the actual suhtest is done as a one-to-one live inn. view, it is beyond the capabilities of a hook to provide opportunities for gellllill practice. Xoncr hclcss, we take a comprehensive look at what is expected of you in t l: interview and oft'er various language strategies and tips we have found to be useful.

The next sections are made up of practice papers for the lEU'S Listening, Readin and Writing Modules, There are three complete Practice Listening Papers, to be don while listening to the ahuvc-mcut ioncd audio cassettes that accompany this hoot They are followed hy six Practice Heading Papers and six Pructicc Writing Papers.

Finally, we provide answers lor the Practice Listening and Heading Papers ali sample answers lor the Practice Writing Papers, followed by tupescripts for t l:

Listening Papers.

.... -------- ... 11111 __ .111.1111

II1111

IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, is a test fur students who must demonstrate English language proflcicncy to gain entry to universities or training programs in English·spealiing countries. For overseas candidates wishing to study in tcrt inry institutions in the United Kingdom or Australia, in particulnr; IELTS is the most widely recognised assessment oi English language proficiency,

Candidates planning university study should take the Il~LTS Academic Module, Candidates wishing to enrol in voc.n ionnl training or secondary school should take the IELTS Geucrul Training :'.Iodule. The two modules diller only in the re:lding and writim; suhtcsts: listening and speaking subtcsts arc the same. l'leasc uore tlutt chis C(,XI docs IWI 1'1'f}·.:idt: [rrttct iv«: SIll'l'(t'it:<lllYJill' tlu: (1<:II(:ru/ TruiHiH,4 A/Oe/Il/C.

Candidates do not pass or lailIEI.TS. \\'ithin two weeks 01 sitting the II~LTS rcst.icandidates receive their results in the torm 01 'hand scores' (see page (, for more information on hand scores). The hand scores arc also sent to the learning institution to which the c.mdid.uc has applied. The relevant department or faculty determines if the candidate's hand score is 01 'In acceptable lcvc] for admission to study.

The lEU'S test is divided into four parts, callcdtmodulcs' or 'suhtcst s'. The modules, in the sequence a candidate sits them, arc shown below. The entire test rakes around ~ hours and -IS iuinut cs.

Listening Reading Writing Speaking
Module Module Module Module
I.mgl": I.('nglh: lcngtlt. (may he on a
-.l ... cctiun: x, around f-+ J section .... around ,.... 2 tasks; one of at ,.... different day)
40 question .... 40 que ... tion ... least 150 words,
one of at least 250
words
Time: Tilllc: Time: Time:
;lhOLII .\0 minutes (lO III i uurc-, 6() minutes 10-15 minutes l u t ro d u c t i o n to the II·:I.TS test 1

I

The l.ist<:lIillg ~Iodlll<: must be taken tog<:tll<:r with the I{<:ading and Writing Modules.

This m",ILlI<: cunxists oi iour taped scctions of incr<:asing difficulty, The Listcnim; ,\(odul<: typically has t w» di:dogucs and tll'O llIOllOlogu<:s, The rape is played once olll~'.

Sccrious 1 ;lIld 2 normnllv involve speakers talking ahuut social situations and needs. For example, there may he a cnnvcrs.uiou between a univcrsit v student alld a

landlord, or;1 nlllllologile ahuur a city's puhlic t rnnsport system. '

Seetions ,1 ;1I1l1 .J reflect :1 more 'edu<:atiollal' context. For example, \'11I1 mav hear a group of st udcut s diseLlssing their lecture notes. Or you may hear part o( a I~cturer's talk 011 a gil'~11 subject. (Remember that the Listclling ~Iodulc is not asscssing your IUlOwl<:dge of ;IIIY particular subject. There is no need to feel anxious if the topie o( the <:olll'crsatioll or 1I101l01ogu<: is not familiar,)

Your task is to answer questions as you listen to the tape. For each secriou, YOU will hear a (taped) nuuouncer introdu<:ing the situation, You arc then gil'ell a short period (up to .10 seconds] to read through t hc questions ior that section. As the cnnvcrsntion or mOllOlogue proceeds, work through the questions. When the section finishes, you will he gil'ell:1I1 additional.lO seconds to check your 1I'0rJc Each section (0 II Oil'S this puttcru.

III the actual lEU'S test, you arc permitted to write your answers on the question paper. At the end of Scct ion J of the Listening Module, you will he asked to transfer Your answers from the question paper to an answer sheet. \011 will he given ahout tenmin',!tes to trnnsfer your answers. (Xutc that no answer sheets for the l'rucucc Listening Suhtests arc eontained in this hoolc)

There are sevcr.rl types of questions you c.m expect in the l.istening ~Iodule. These include:

• 1<111 "<'ill/illd tip» cuul pruct icc sl'l'riolls,fi,,' the LiS(Cllill.l! ,lIodu/e Oil JlII~CS 7-16,

• l'ruct icv slIiJcl','rs,fi,,' rhl' Usrl'llill,~ Xlodul«: hc~ill Oil PtlJ~l' -/3,

• short ;IIISl\'er

• mult iph, choice

• llIat<:hing

• referring to a m.rp

• eOlllpleting sent<:n<:es

• conlpleting notes

• eOlllpleting a sununnry

• eOlllpleting a tahle

• eOlllpkting a form

• <:onlpleting:1 1101\' chart or di:I.~r'lnl.

This module consists of three rcudinj; passages of increasing difficulty, each accompanied hy questions, Eaeh rcadinj; passage is between 500 and l)OO words, You arc gil'en 6() minutes to answer questions for all three passages.

The reading passages an: on a variety of subjects and arc chosen for their suituhility for candidntcs entering uuivcrsitv, For example, H passage may discuss alternative energy projects or perhaps report on research into muuagcmeut trends, The passages iuuv contain information presented in the form of tables, diagrums, charts and so on, A short glossary of tcchuicnl words may accompany rending passages,

Questions generally follow the rending passages to which they refer, hilt occasionally questions occur before a reading pussagc, (Remember that the Reading Module is not assessing your knowledge of any particular subject. There is no need to feel anxious if the topic "f the passag<: is not familiar.)

Your tusk is to answer the questions huscd on the reading passages. You must place vour .mswcrs clircct lv on the answer sheet, although you arc free to mnke marks, such as ulld<:riilling, Oil th'<: question paper. (:\ote that a photocopyahlc answer sheet for the pract ice readillg papers can he touud OIl pag<: (,5.)

There nrc scvcr.il types 01 qucstious you cun expect in the Ikading Module. These include:

• short .1I1S\\'l"f

Sample answor-, arc sOI1l<:times provided in the IELTS Listellill,~ ~Iodllk'.

,\Ithough you should expect the types of questions listed ahol'e, this dill'S not menu you will have to answer each type. The 1I':I:rS Listenin~ ~llIdule coru.uux a cunrhi nation of some or all of t hc listed types, hut the cumhinnt iun eh'lIlges Irolll text til t<:st. In other words, you can never be sure eX:I<:tly which questioll t~·p<:s yuu will hal'l' to auswcr on any gil'<:n test lbte.

TIl<.: types of skills the Listening ~Ioduie 'ISS<:SS<.:S include:

• identifying the gist 01 a convcrsatiun or nlonolo.~ue

• extracting specific factuul information

• idelHifyillg speaker roles

• identifying relationships between ideas or pieces of information, such as: - cause and efteet

- order of events

- comparison

.• follOWing directions and instructions

• identifying numbers, dates, time, etc.

• mailing inferences

• determining when a speaker is expressing faet, assumption or opinion.

• mult iplc choice

• Illatehing

• classificatioll

• Cfllllpictill.L! ~L'lIh:IlL'l'S

• complct im; lIotes

• <:onlpll'ting a '"I1III1:lry

• eonlpietin~:I t;lhll'

• l'lIlnpl<:tin~;1 lortll

<:lIlnpieting a tlow churt or di:lgr;III1

• ,,'Ie'L't ill.~ hl'adill~s fill' par;lgr:lphs and xcct iuus

• 1\:L·CJgllisill.~:I writvrx \'jews or cluims.

2

, fEI.TS

S;llnpk :111"1'<.:1" '11'<: soruct iruus provided in the lEU'S I{eading Mudulc .

,\Ilhllu~h 1'1 III ,hllllid expect the types of questions listed above, that does not mean 1'1111 will h.rvc to answer each type. The 1I,:I:rS Ikading ~Iodule contains ,I cumhinat iun ",I "lIlIl' "I t hc listed t ypc», hut the comhuun ion ehang<:s from test to test. You can IIL'I vr l u- "11'<.: which qucxt iun typ<:s yuu will lurve to answer on any gil'en test date,

to SlIl'l'CSS

l u t ru d u ct i ou (0 the fEI.TS t c s t

The I"pe, "f ,I,ilb t hc l(c"dilig ~I"dllie ",'e"e' include:

• idL'lI( ifyillg t lit: gi~t of a passage

• (illdillg derailed ("elll,,1 iuk rrmut iou ill a passage

• idelltifyillg relaliollship' between ideas or infornuuion items, such as: - eallse alld dleet

- order 01 events

- eOlllparisoll

• Illaliing inferences

• distingllishing between laet, assumption or opinion

• understanding text org:lnisation

• sllll)lIwrisiJ1~ iuforuuuinu.

The Ikading ~Iodllie must he taken together with the Listening and \\'riting ~Iodllies.

The \\'rilillg ~I"dllk uiuxt he 1,,1,<:lllogelh<:r wit h Ihe l.i'lening and I{eading ~fodllies.

• lilll ';;'i/l/ill,[ t i p» cuul scr(lcc~ies.li)r tlu: "'ricill/.! ,llot/llle Oll/)(ll~es 25-J-I.

• l'ructicc SIl"Cl'SCS lin tlu: II'ricili/.! ,I/ot/uk he~i)j OIl p(I~e 129.

This module consists 01 a one-to-one interview lI'ith an examiner, much 01 it in the form 01 a conversation.

The interview can he divided into five phases:

I. Iut roducr iun

l lcre you will he introduced to the examiner. As a warm-up to the remainder of the interview, you nwy he asked a question or twn about your interests, family, work, etc. This phase normnlly takes I or 2 minutes.

• lim ·,<.'illfillli cips (I lit I pructit»: seeciolls.li)r tlie I<ewlill_4 Jiot/lde IiII p(l.~es 16-2-1.

• l'ruct iee sll/lCesl.'.IiJl· t lu: l<elHlill~ stodul« he~ill CJlI I)ct.~e 6-1.

2. Extended discuu rsc

In t his phase, the examiner will encourage you to talk in some detail about gcneral interest topics. These llIay range [rom deserihing aspects 01 your own culture or country to discussim; livim; or work :Irrangcments. This phase normally takesJ to -! minutes.

This module consists 01 two act ivit ics, Writing Tnsk 1 and Writing Task 2. You arc gi"cn (,0 minutes to complete both tusks,

In Writing Tusk I, you arc usked to describe information that is usually presented in the 1'01'111 of a graph, table or diagralll. You may he asked to do one 01 the lolloll'ing:

• organise uud present the information

• make a comparlson between t wu or more sets of data

• describe how somct him; works

• explain a process or procedure.

You must write a mininuun 01150 words lor Tasl: I. II is rcconuucudcd t h.u YOIl spend uhuut 20 minut cs.

In "'l'iting Task 2, you are asked to:

• put forward :1 point of dew Oil a given ropic

• argile in sllpport of or against a gil'<:n suucmcnt

• propose a sol lit ion to a gi,'<:n problem

• speculate on implicurious of a given i!,sue.

You must write a miuiuuuu of 250 words lor Task 2. It is rccouuncndcd t h.u )'011 spend about ·HI minutes.

The writing rusks are on a variety of subjects ami arc chose II lor their suitahility fill' candidates entering university. For example, you runy he asked to describe a graph comparing workiuj; hours in different countries (Task 1), or you may he asked if you agre<: that tcchnologv is destructive to traditional societies and to give your reasons (Tusl, 2).

In the acruul Il-Ll'S test, YOIl must write your answers in essay or report form on the Writing Module answer sheet. You are permitted to make marks, such as a plan or our"line, on the question paper. (Note that 110 answer sheets for the practice writing subtests arc contained in this book.)

.1. Elicitnt iou

l lcre you wil! part icipatc in a kind 01 role pia)'. You will he given a card that describes a task. The task involves getling iuformntiou ou a particulur topic hy asiling the examiner quest ions. This phnxc normall y 1:lkes .1 to .j minutes.

I Spcculut iou and attitudes

l lcrc you will h<: invited til discuss your stud)' plans :lIld flit me gllals. The cuuvcrsar ion typieally goes into slime dcpt h in this phase. and the examiner will ottcn ask questions t h.u require complex :IIISII'ers. This phase uSlIally takes ,1 III .j miuutcs.

5. Couclusiru:

The cx.unincr bl'ings t hu interview III an cnd.

\111<: t h:u t lic cx.unincr will 111>1 normallv IL'II you whci: one phusc cuclx :lnd another hL'gillS (wu h t hc cxvcpt iun IIi t hc Elicir.u iou phuxc ).

(Remember t h.u t hc Spe:lking ~llldule is not assessing your 1II1OII'Iedge 01 any part icul.rr subject. There is 1111 need 10 feel .m x ious that :I topic IIf convcrsarion will he Illif:lllliliar 10 vuu.]

YIlIIt' interview will he re<:lInled on audio cassette.

The SI'<::Iliing ~flldule need not always he taken on the same day as the Listening, Ik:lding .uul \\'riling ~I()duks.

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l . l'ruct icc tu.s): curdsfin: l'luu«: J (Elicitution i ell/I befound Oil Pll_4C .37.

l'JII icillfinci u IIlore ilctnilc«! c/es<:riplirJII r!i lite 8pClIkili/J Modlllc, lo_4etlter icitl: IiI'S 111111 scrurc.~ies, Oil 1)(I.I~es .1S--IIl.

4 I fEI.TS

10 Success

l n r ro d u c t i o u 10 t h c fEI.TS t e s t

5

••••••••••••• 111111111111

You will receive your results within t wu weeks. Results arc gh'cn in t he form 01 hand scores. ()nc h;lIld score is gi\'cn lor each 01 the lour IELT~ modules, An overall hand score is culcul.ucd from these lour hand scores.

Band scores range Iroln I to '). A hand score 1 means the caudid.rtc has essentially no nhillt y to use English. ,\ hand score () indicates the candidate is a tlucut and accurate user 01 English, much like an educated native speaker, A hand score of 0 is gi\'en only when a candidate dr rcx not attempt the test. For entrance to university in countries such as Aust rali., and the United Kingdolll, overall hand scores of between (, and 7 arc usually acceptable. SOllie university faculties require that hund scores for each of the lour I I~I:I'~ modules meet a gi\'en minimum level.

An I EI:rS test result may 10011 something like this:

o\'EI{;\LL IlA:-';J) ~

Test results
List<:ning Band (,.S
Ikauing Band (d)
Writing Band 7.0
Spe;Jiling Band (,.S • II'h((c IEIXS bcnul Sl'()1"(~ clo l nccd co ~e( inco 1lIIi'i:ersic),?

)<HI must find out what score you need from the relevant fa<:tdty or department of the universit y to which you arc applying. Do 1I0t ask IELTS test cxnmiucrs or officials as they will not he ahle to gi\'e you a precise answer,

• elm tlu: IELTS test be taken more tlian once.~

Yes, but you must wait three months before sitting the test again.

• Do I Iurc« to do allfour IEI.TS modules on (he SlIllie elay~

No. The Spcalling ~Iodule can sometimes he done on a separate day. Cheek with YOUf Ilea rest I EI:I'~ test centre. The Listening, J{eadin.~ and Writing ~1()(lules must he done together.

• Is it necessary co c/IJ ((/I.f;J1II·IEL1~<" lII()dll/es~

Yes. Univcrsit y facult ics arc often interested in how you do in cnch 01 the lour mod ulcs. Also, the overall hand score cannot he calculated unless all four suhtc~ts have hccn completed.

• II'hich Ir;L7~'i mtnlulc should I c/o, tlie .. Iewlcmic IJr tlie Genera! Tl'lIillill.~ .\J",llllc.c It depends on your study plans. If you intend to enter uuivcrsity either as au under graduate or a postgraduate student, then you must wile the Academic ~I"dulc. (}n the other hand, it' you are planning to enter a vocationul training program OJ' Sl'COII· 'dury school, the General Training Module is usually sufficient. If in doubt, cout.ict the learning institution to which you arc applying.

• llin» lOll!: 'will it cake co .!1cc m)' rcsult s?

Normally, you will receive your results within :! weeks.

6 I lELTS 10 Su c c c s s

The followinj; section of the hook tells you about the skills and strategies required to do well ill the 11,:t:rs test. There arc various exercises which help you to review the skills and offer useful strategies. The correct answers and cxplaruuions arc also given.

III the IEJ:l'~ Listening !\IOlluic, the recording is played once only. You must, therefore, usc a number of strategies to help you listen closely There are four rnnin skills you will need to do well in the IEI:rS Listening Module:

I. Understanding the instruct ions

Instructions arc hoth written on the question paper and spoken on the tape. Read and listen to every word in the instructions very carefully. Ensure that you follow them exactly and answer in the correct way,

:!. I're\'iell'illg .uul prcdictillg An announcer will hrieflv out Ii lie:

• the topic

• who is talliillg

• the situation.

Try to listcu carefully as this will help you to preview the questions.

Beforc the recording begins for each sect ion, you will he givcn up to 3() seconds to rl';,,1 nnd become lamiliar with the questions. Usc this time efficicutly so that you can prepare yuurscl! to listcu for the lnfurmat ion you need.

l lcrc .rrc SOJ1lC hints for previewing and predicting:

• Study the question curcfully and try to predict what type of answer is required. For cx.uuplc. will it be a date, a n.unc or muybc a number?

• (:hcc:I, the dit'fc:rencl's between siJ1lilar·looldng pictures or diagrams.

• 1.001, for minor dctui!s such as different numbers or omissions.

III addition to t he .1() seconds before each section, you will also he gi\'en J() seconds aflcr l'"dl section to 1001, over yOUJ' answers. If you arc satisfied with your answers in

SI,;II, au d Slr:llq!il's [o r IELTS

7

t hc :-'L'L'tioli you han . .: juxr finished, 1110\'C Oillo the next scct iuu ;1I1d usc t hc full (III secuuclx fllJ" prcvicwuul.

,1. l.istcnim; for specific iufurruut ion

lis" of prc\'ie\\'illg '1I1d pr"diclillg skills will help vou listcn for t hc specific inform.u iou YOII 1I,,(;d (0 '1I1~lI'er t hc questions ill t he l.istcnitu; ~Iodllk. Listcnuu; for kcv words and cunuuon conuccrivc words of len helps (0 signal the specific information t hat YOII IWl!L1 ill order 10 answer I he question. (Sec the lists of words provided on page I S.) ~Ial,e sure t h.u, while YOII are uct uullv II'riling your answers, YOII cont iuuc 10 listen 10 the infornuu ion giYl!1I in the rel!.mlings as there will not he a second oppurt unit y 10 hear it.

·1. Chl!e1dllg aud ,'c"Titillg

YOII arc gi\'l!1I about ,10 seconds uftcr each section 10 elwell your answers. Check I hal all your auswcrs currcspoud with the givl!1I instructions.

~Ial,e sure t hat you have answered C'VCI), question. ~Iarlls arc not deducted for incorrect auswcrs so, if you arc unsure of a particular answer; you should glll!SS hy writing dO\\,11 wluu you think is the mOSI likely answer;

Cheell ih.u you have included ollly wluu is necessary in the answer;

At till! l!1Il1 of t hc Lisll!ning Module, you arc givl!n nhout )() minutes 10 tr.uislcr your uuswcr« 1 ... 1111 the quest ion paper onto the answer sheet. Scan your answers 10 ensure t hnt you have t ruusfcrrcd them correctly so t hat the number on t hc question paper corresponds with the number Oil the answer sheet. Be especially careful whcn truusfcr rillg answers lrom tahlcs "S sometimes t he items are 1101 linearly ordered.

1J1I<'.Ili(ll/\ I ~7

Listening skills practice 1

111 1J1ll'Slioll I, dccid« , .. hid, I'i('/II/'{' bestfit» whut Hili hear Oil the WJ'I' and circle the 11'//('1' I1I1t1er that l,iclII/'{'.

EWIIII'II',' Which type of transport has caused the traffic problems?

The lollowillg two exercises are designl!d 10 help YOIl practise SOIlIl! of till! sililb required ill the Listcninj; Module. Carry 0111 the exercises Ihl!1I read the '"IS\\'l!rS .uul cxplnuutions t hnt follow them.

Iklore vou lixtcu to t hc reeordillg lor till: 'Listcuiiu; Skill» I'rnct icv' (Oil ,\lIdio (:aSSelll:

One, Side ,\),1001, over Qucst ious I -I lor Lisll:llillg Skills l'ruct icc I (pages 'I-II ). Think nhout the lollowillg poillts when previewing the questions:

• I have read t hc instructious carcfullv.

• I know what Iorru till: ;IIISWl!r must rake.

• I have a good idea 01 wh.« the rl!l!onlillg is about.

• I have predicted WIIW 01 the vocahularv Imighl hear h)' put I ill.!.\ pict urcs IlJ" diagrams into words. For example, in question I Oil pagl: 'i, I said to myself I he words, 'hus', 'double-decker hus', '{rain', 'car',

• I have predicted I Ill: {ypc 01 inforuuuton I am lookiiu; lor, For example. ill Qucstioux ~-I Oil pagl: I I:

.\

Qucsiiou ..f = number 01 people

Qucsuou S = an ndjcctivc dl!sl!rihillg injuries Question {j = name of a truusport line Qucstiun 1 = 11lI1IIhcr of hours.

• 1 have nntlcipatcd some of the answers ill the gap·fillillg qucst iunx hy lookillg .u words before and after the gaps. 1 have used other clues, such as context or gr'lIl1111:1 r, 10 help me predict IIIl! informnriou lor which 1 am Iisll!lIing.

• 1 know whut informal ion I need to listcu for.

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8 I IELTS to SIICCCSS

B

n

Skills ,",,1 Slrall:t:ies for 1I':I:rs

9

I.

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2. What signs should driver-, in the arcu look tor?

Circl« the correct (//1.11\"'1:

DERAILMENT

B

SPECIAL BUSES

.\

B

DETOUR

INTERSECTION

c

Il

10

lEU'S til SHCCC"

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Circle th« letter induutms; th» correct locution,

C

A

D

l·~ .. ~ l_~

l c- -~~J

-0

s

cc

i C -::J

-- ----.-----~ ~ ---- ---

railway line

B

E

Stantan Rood

~"I'I lor (i/ll'lli()111 -I 7'l<ilh SO ,\lOR!:' I'll/IN ON!:'\I'ORf) and/or NUMIJERji"'I'<lch g<l!'.

-I.

PL'Pple have hccn admitted to Rivcrsdule Hospital.

. \

Metra Rood

G Gotham Rood
-0
a -0
0
ex: g
" '"
0 -0
Ol
.s: (;
"5 u
0
V)
H Green Rood injuries .

l.ine.

SI,ills a u d Stratc::ics for IELTS

11

Listening skills practice 2

Questions 813

Answers and explanations

COIIII'/tle 1/11' tabl« with information /i"Ol11 II/(' conversation rOil hear Oil the 1111'<', II 'rill' 1/ NUMIJUl or NO MORE T/JAN THREE IIDRDS/ill' I'I/('h 1/11,\11'('/:

TYPE OF .JOII

S.\L.\I{Y

1I0UHS PIOl'\-FHI)

Utl.\1.1 1'1< :.\'1'1< ix OH TIUJ:\I:\(;

TEI.EPII<)i\'E i\'lIl\IBEH

-----------------------------------r---------------~

VACANCY I V,\CANCT 2

Example ... S(//I's ...

Representative

$140 per week

(8) ... ,,,

none required

(9) .. , ....

Receptionist

(10) ......

not given

-- ---------- ---,--" - -

(II) .

663 4674

(12) ......

$.150+ per week

5 a.m. - I 1'.111,

Ii
:ll'prcntice,hip I),
cOlllpkted
](I,
-- I I.
;'{42747.1 12,
l.1, 1--------+---------+---------- - -----------------

CODE

Q3497

not given

(13) .. ,

L- '--- _l_ --'- _

12

I (E LTS to Su c c e s s

Exu mplc, C. Tr.riu i:; t hc L""TL'et answer because 't hcrc hns been a minor train dcr.ul m cut.

I.

B. Double-decker huses arc buses wit h two levels. 'Spcciai double-decker buses 'Ire no'" taking passengers who were hopillg to travel ou't hut linc .. .'

C. Detour sign. detour ~iglls .. .'

pol icc .,. have also ashed mut orist s ,' .. to he aware of the

.1.

.. the accident site which is on the Greenhill Line where the railway line

c.

ucruallv crosses Got hnn: Road.'

-I.

(J. The answer '20' would not he correct as that is how man)' people were treated on the see lie, .\ further th irtccn were taken to the Riversdalc lIospital.

5.

:-'Iinor. 'Serious' is not correct because they were 'lucky to have escaped serious h.um and appear, .. to he suiiering only lIIillOl' injuries.'

(,.

( ;reenhill.

.' the Grccuhil] Line is not open at present .. .'

the line wiil he eiosed.!'''· til) (0 () hours,., 'for up to' has the

7.

(, hou rs.

s.uuc mc.mnu; as 'no more than' in this context.

\\'hen pre"ie\\'in,g Qucst iuu» Ii-I.I did you:

• note that no unswc:: may contain more than three words>

• check the dillcn:nt categories t h.rt will he disellssed'~

• t rv to predict the most likclv order t h.u the recording would take?

() p.n!.-S (1.111.

" fnllil six till eight in t hc cvcniru;'.

;:;;:;() Ti')l. The uumhcrs 1IIIIst he ill this order,

(SOllll') computer sl,ills/ahle to t)'jle/\\'ord processing (courxc], These arc three ultcru.ulvc 'IIISll'erS, .\11)' olle of these could he givell, hut 110 1I10re th;111 th rc«: ',':"m/s must he used,

Buker, ,AltlwlIgh horh 'lurker' alld 'ha];er)" arc mentioned, the word lor the tyi»: I!ijo/) is required.

H ((>-IS. The I'ro,t;ralll presenter nlcrts us to the lortheolllillg answer hy sayillg, . "'eI I 1'111 ;Iiraid we still need the cotl«: and phone number.' Be aware of key ,,'onls that an: mcnt ioncd. such as 'code', as this alerts you to the iuforrnation illr which you need [0 listen,

vuu nCL'd 11I(,re hcf p with ,the a.nswers lor\lllestions 1-1.1._ read the tupcscripts the reeorliJng tor Listening ~I\dls I'ruct icc I and :2 which are provided Oil ges I-I-fl,

SI,ills and Stratl:l~ks for lEU'S

I

1.1

Listen i IlJ': sk ills

14

PRACTICE

- TAPESCRIPT

Listen ill,t.,: skills

PRACTICE 2

TAPESCRIPT

,\\\( 11'\( :u(: III a IIIOIlI<:lll, you arc goill.~ to hear a tndfie report gh'ell hy Elaille \\'ilsoll. Ildore you lixrcu. 1001, at Qucst iou« 1-7, \ole t hc exalllpic t h.u has hccu dOllc I()r Y(HI.

I'I{()( :1<.\\1 I'HFSI',\TI'IC .vnd 1I0W a word Oil t hc t raffic. Elaillc Wilson presents the blest t rutfic report.

1-:1.,\1\1-.: Thnukyou ~Iiehacl. Traffic appears to he nowillg sleadily ill most arcas, Traffic Oil t he KillgStoll uud F(,] freeways is nlOving well, The Ast rou and Victorrn frccwnys arc also reportillg a good now, There is one major area, however, which is e;llisillg greal prohlcm« lor peak hour traffic ill the COlhaJII area, just north oi Riversdale. There has hccn a miuor train dcruihucnt on the Greenhill Line. Reports indicate that the last l'arriage oi I Ill' t rai n appears to have gone off the trucks. The extent of t hc dalliage is not 101011'11 at r his stage nor is the number of casunlt ics. Special doubledecker huscx are 11011' taldng passcnucrs who were hopillg to travel Oil that line and t raffic is heillg diverted around till: problem .ircu. The roads are verv eOllgestl'd so police are warning motorists to avoid the Gotham area if at all possihle. They have also asked motorists who must travel ill the area to he aware of the detour siglls which hnvc been erected. There is all alternative route which avnidx the uccidcnt area and which :'letropolitall Truusport officials believe will help to ease t hc problem with traffic in the area.

The mnin area of concern is around the accident site which is on the t lrccuhill Line where the r;Jilway line uctuully crosses (;othaJIII{oad, The derailed traillearri:l_~c is still hlockim; Got ham Road and the hoom ,~atl's arc down, Other roads, incluclim; St.nuou uud ~letro Rouds, have ;liso hceu closed olf to tralfie in t hc IOl'alit),.

,\\\( II '\( :I-:J{: \ow 1001, at (Jul'stiolls ·1-7. (1'(1118':)

FI.,\I\I-: \\'II.S( 1\: \011' t hcrc's just hccn all update Oil the (;rl'ellilill train dcrnilmcnt. It is believed tlwt up to twcnt y people have been trc.ucd oil the scene h)' all elllcr,~' cncy medical team .• \ further thirteen people have hccu t.rkcu 10 t hc I{il'crsd;dc l lospitnl for ohscrvut iou. Dr Rich.n«] Cross, he;ld of the elller.~cIIC)' unit, c1;lillls Ih;1I Ihosc tukcn to hospital have hccn very luckv to have escaped serious luun: alld uppc.u; .rt t hls stage, only to he sufferillg from minor injuries, ,\ spceial elllCr~ClIl'y phtollL' lillL' has been set up for enquiries relating'to the accident. It is I) 'I '1·1 J J J.

At present, t raffic is heillg diverted to all nltcrunt ivc route. The 1)()Olll .C:;IIL'S arL' st ill d01l'1I and the (ireenhill Line is not open at present because there are quire a IL'I\ prtoJ,. lcms ill the arcu. Emergl'lIcy transport workers are t ryinj; 10 rcpnir ;1 woru part tof IhL' track Oil the railway line which, at this stage, is believed to have caused I he ;IL'l'idL'IIt. Metropolitan t ransport offil'ials claim that the line will he closed lor up 10 six huurx. Sto it's a good idea to avoid t he area, There will he more details ill t hc IIl'XI Iraffic rL'porl before the six o'clock news,

,\\\( I{ '\t :I':I{: That is t hc end 01 this sect ion. You lIo\\' h;I\'c h.ilf a IIlilllllL' Ito l.'hLyl, the auswcrs lor Qucst ious 1-7,

.\\\111'\1 :I-.I{: III a IIl1Jnl<!IH, you will hear a radio program presenter tal,ing calls during a scglllCl1I 10 help listeners find jobs. Three employers, .lohu, Louise nncl .lnmie, rill,~ to talk ahout the vncnucics thcv have ill their work places.

Before you listen, 1001, at Questions H-IJ, which form part 01 ;1 table, Note the example that has been done lor YOIL

I'I,()( :I('\\II'IU',SI-:\TFI,: It's ten to three and time lor our employment segment today, \\'e have three employers on the line ready to advertise vacanclcs in their work places, If you're interested, find a pen and paper and offwe go. (HlIIse)

First on the line is .Iohn. I le 110, Thank you lor being part of our employment program, Tell us about the vucaucy you have.

,I( )j 1\. l lcllo. I have a vncnncy for ;1 sales rcprcscritauvc in the cosmetics field for work ill t hc Sout hcit y area. It's a cusunl position paying SI-lO per wcck. It involves two hours each day. ~Iollday to Frid;IY, that is, front six till eight in the evening,

I'I(()( ;I(,\,\II'J(I',SE\TFI(: Well, thank you lor that information" ,l'r,., What experience would you expect the person to have?

,J( 111\::\0 formal qunlific.u iuns would he necessary hut we would expect the person to have some undcrstanduu; of sales, It would he a good casual job for a college student.

1'1(1 It ;1(,\\1 I'IU·:SI·:\TI-.I,: \\'Iwt number should We rillg if We arc intcrcstcdr

.11111\: It's douhle::; r, double 7 (I~. I might add that the code is Q J --l () 7,

I'I{III ;1,,\,\1 I'I{I':SI':\TFI(: \\'hat lI'as that phone III II 11 he I' agaill'"

.11111\: II is dlluhle-::; h douhle- 7 I)~,

1'1(( II il,-\,\ I I'I(I.SI \ 11.1:. The next joh I hal we have avnilahlc is for a receptionist in the ccut ral husillL'S~ districI " l.ouisc. you've hccn holdillg oil vcrv palielltly, First of all, woukl )'IIU l ic nhlc til gil'e me some dClails ahout the pa)"~

1.1 II·ISI-. I'd rcally prefcr III tulk 10 t hc PL'I'S(JII about that.

1'1,< II ;1'-\\1 l'l;lsl \ 11.1: I II II lSI p(Jillt (J(II ih.u Oil this I'r(Jgralll II'c IIced 10 gil'e some idca (Ji t hc ~alary I(J (Jill' listcucr».

1.1 II'ISI" ,\11 righl IhL'II, ii iI's IIL'L'l'ssar)'. \\'L,'rc IO(Jkillg ;11 ahllut .,. cr . . S·I()(I a week. I'l:l 1<:I'-\\II'I:I.sl.\ II I: ()kIY, Ih;lIl1" fill' that. \\'ould )'(HI he uble to gil'e me some IlIlIrL' dcl;lib I'Ic-"Sl"~

I, II 1'01 Ycs, we're IltIpill.g t h.u t hc pcrsou will have some computer skills und he ahle II' I\·I'L'. II<: "I' shc rL';"I), IIcL'ds 10 have dllile a lI'ord·proeessillg course at the vcrv least. \\'1.' dllll'l rL';"ly L'"rC "1,,,uI rcccju ionist Iraillillg as we hope to train the person ourselves.

1'1;' " ,1,.\ \1 1'1; I ,'01. \ I 1.1, ,\11.1 what ahout the phone number and t he code then?

11,1 lsi TilL' 1I11111hL'r is () IJ .11 h 7·1 .uu.l the code is.,. Oh, 1'111 sorry, I don't Seem to 11;1\ L' it IIL'rc

II;, "01; \ \I 1'1;1 sl· \ III, Xcvcr mind. \\'e'll huvc to just gil'e the phouc number then. ,\11.1 1111\\' 11111' filial L'all illr t hc progralll is flir a linker ill the ~lcetoll area. The owner of I III.' ""I",'I~' i~ 1111 I Ill' lillL'. I kllll .l.unic. I hanks lor eallillg. :\011', ahuut the joh t hC11. Could ""' "I.·~ill I,,· Icllillg II~ hllw much t hc wcckl y lI'age is'~

SI;ills .i u d Slrall.'!!ics for II':LTS

15

,1,\\111', It's IISlI:llIy SJ:i() '" 'Illd more with ovcrt nuc. [I' '" :lhollt the joh 110\1' ,,\\'dl. \IT dOll't lIeed ,IIlYOIIC wit i) :I lot "I experience hilt we d" expect t h.u t hc pl'rS'''1 lias at least completed all apprcuuccship ill t hc fie"!' We really w.uit the pcrsuu to he keen .uul prepared to work h.ml.

~,llItl.,.pretillg t he iuxt ruet ious and qUl'stions (ubuut ~ minutes)

l(c"d """Ii \\'Ilrd ill t hc iusrrucriou» cardllll)' alld ensure that YOIl uudcrst.md exactly wh.u is required aud in wh.u form, For cx.uuplc. the iustructious may say, 'Choose ItrJ II "'I'l' rhllli th rc« icunl« 1'1'0111 the passagc lor each answer'. In this situution, it would not he acccptnhle to write four or more words. Of tell students find the right answer hut present it in the \lTollg 101'111 and, uufortuu.uclv, do not score any marks ior that answer. Undcrst.mdhu; what is required. therefore, is just as important as iindillg the right answer in t he passagc,

\rlicll you arc lool,ing at the questions, you need to recognise:

• what type of question you have to answer (is it gap,iilling, multiple choice, mutchuu; iuformnt iou. etc'~)

• whether or not the quest ion requires a specific or gelleral answer

• what form the answer should rake (is it a number, druc, reason, ctc'r).

I'J(()( ;1<'\,\1 I'IU',SL:\TLI{: Tll:lt sounds tnir cnouah.

,I,\\IIL: Yes, hilt the person has to be an early riser, We start bal,illg at five ill the IHorning.

I'I~II( ;IC\\I I'IU',SL:\TLH: That's prcn y early for most people. Wh.u t imc do you t'inish'~

,1.\,\111',: :\ortn;tlly uhout 1,00 p.m. unless there's overtime.

l'l~t)( ;IC\\I I'I<LSE:\TEI~: \\'ell, I'm afraid We still need the code and the phone 1IIII1Ibcr,

,1.\ \11 L: ()I,ay t he code first, , , it's I{ I (I ,I Hand t he phone 11I111Iber is H " ~ 7 " 7 .1.

.1, Sl'allllillg t he text fot· specific unswcr» (ahout 1 minute per question]

Usc your t ime \\'isel~', Spend no longer than one minute on finding each answer, Only 1001, in the gi\'cil text, table. diagram or graph for the answer required. Locate key words ill t hc qucst iuu and lind them, or svnouyrus ior them, ill the text. The sentences arouud r hcsc words arc most lih'ly to cout.rin the unswcr» you need,

If YOll arc still unxurc oi t he answer .rttcr you have spent approxinuuely one minute '"I I Ill: qucst iun, m.ikc a sensible gllcss ill t hc appropriate form, You may wish to marl, t hc ;IIIS\\'CrS you .irc unsure oi ill sonic wny so II];It, if vou do have time at t hc end of the I{eadillg \Iodule-. YOll call check these answer» again,

I'IH)( ;H.\,\J I'I~I:SE\TLH: (Jh good, t hnnks then.

,1.\.\111':: Bye,

I'I{()( ;IC\.\I I'IU':SI':\TEIC That's all we hnvc time for today, I hope that we've hccn oi nssistancc to all you listeners out there, \\'e'li tuhc so me more calls tomorrow. It's t imc now for the ,1 o'clock news,

,\\\()J :\( :1,:1(: That is the end of this scct iou. You now have half a minute to check the answers.

One of the main difficulties cxpcrlcncccl h~' students doillg t hc I{cading \Iodllle- is nol having elHllIgh time to complete t hc test. It is, therefore, esse III i,tlto rend hOI h dficicll! lv and effectively '

There arc four main skill» rhut YOIl will need in order to do well in t hc I:,:LTS Ik;ldilig ~Iodllle, It is useful to lise the follll\\'in,~-proeedlire for each leXI t h.u is gi\'ell.

-I. (:hl'el,in~ y01l1' aIlSW<.:I'S (aholll ,lll1illUIl'S)

,\flcr you have L'oilipleted YOllr .uiswcr« for each scct iun. YOIl need to check them. (:hccli th.u yflll l i.rvc lollo\\'cd t hc iust ruct ious cxact lv, If you h'I\'C t imc, return to the ;II1S\\'l'I"S yllu m.ukccl hCl':lllSl' ~'tHI were unsure .urd ScC it' t he auswcr« you have givcn arc t hc h,:sl fln.:s,

Do 1I0t leave :lny ;lnS\\'l'l'S ""'Ilk :IS vuu do not lose m.uks (or incorrect answers.

16 I

I Ic lpful hints for the Practice Readillg Xl odulc

• There IIWY he SOllie \I'ortls in t hc pass:lge with which YOIl arc uufnmiliur lise the: slr:lll'~ies c xpluinct] in t hc scct iuu, '\\'orliin~ 0111 unlamiliar vocuhulur y' (see p;l~e I 'i) 10 help yuu wurl: out t hc meanin~s 01 t hcsc words,

I. I'I'e\'ic\\'in~ (about ~ minutes for ea.ch passage) (a) Study the passage by noting:

• titles

• headillgs

• illustrations

• diagrams

• any print in hold type or italics,

(h) Study key parts of t he passagc hy skimming. Read the first para~raph which often focuses on the main idea. The first sentence of each paragraph usually expresses the key points of the paragraph, Gcncrnlly, the concluding paragraph provides a summary of the gi\'en passage, You may wish to highlight these wit l: a pen.

• lie nwarc of till' usc 01 cuuncct ivc words. These will help YOII with the general nleanin~ of rhc text. II' you arc unsure of anv auswcrs, check the ruble of couuuon cunncct ivc \I'(lflls (sec pag'" IS),

• :\ote if IIH:I'l: is a glossary accompanying the passage,

• 1-'0110\\' the instructioux carefully. " correct response will he marked wrong if it is written in t hc \\'ft)IIg iorm,

IELTS 10 SIIC<':CS,'

SI,ills nn d St ra t c ul c s for IEl.TS

I

17

.1.\,\111'" II's IIslIally S.l:ill ... uud more with ovcrrunc. ~:r, ,. uluuu t hc jllh now '. \\'<.:11. \1'1.: .1011'1 need '"1~'OII<': wit h a 1111 III experience hut we do expect t h.u t hc IK'rSOll has al leasl ClIlIlpicl<.:d all "ppr<.:lIli<.:<.:ship ill t hc ticld. \\'e really \\,;1111 t hc pcrsou 10 he keen ;111.1 pr<.:pared 10 \\'01'1, hard,

~,llIll'qlt'l'lilll! t he iuxt ruct ions and questiolls (ahollt 2 minutes}

1(C"d ,'",'h \\IIrd ill t hc iust ruci iuus c"refully "lid cnxure rh.u you uudcrstuud exactly wh.u is rcquired allel ill what Itlrlll. For cx.uuplc. the iustrucuons lIWY s"y, 'Choose III) IIlfJrv chwi three ';~'()nls (rum the p"ss"gc Itlr each answer'. ill this situation, it would not he acccpt.rhlc ttl write lour or more words. Ottcu students find tile right answer hut present it ill the \\'1'0111': forrn and, unfortunatclv, do not score allY marks lor that a IlSI\'Cr. I TlIderstandillg what is required, therefore. is just as importnut as lilldillg the right answer ill the passage.

\\'hcll you an: lool,illg ,II tile questions. you need to reeogllisc:

• what type oi quest ion you have to answer (is it gap·iilling, multiple choice, matching informution. ete'~)

• \\'1 H': t her or not t hc quest ion requires a specific or gClleral answer

• wh:u 101'111 tile answer should rake (is it a number, date, reason, ctc'r).

I'I{( H ;I(,\.\II'I(I-.SL\I'I-.I(: That sounds lair cuoujlh.

,1,\.\111-:: Yes. 11111 t lic person has to he all early riser. We start hal,ing at live ill i hc IlIol"lling.

1'1(1)1 ;1:'\\1 I'I:I·.SI-:\ll-:l(: That's prcn y early for most people. Wluu lime do you fillisll'~

.1.\.\111'.: \ol'llially about 1.001'.111. unless there's overtime.

1'1(1 H ;1(,\.\1 1'j(I-:SE\lE!:: Well, I'm airaid we still need the code alld tile phone 11I1I1I"cr.

.1.\.\111-:: <>I,ar tile code first ... ii's HI (. ·11l nncl t he phone number is S·I 27·17.1.

.1. Sl'alillillg the text 1'01' specific uuswcr» (ubout 1 minute per question)

lise your lime \\·isely. Spend 110 lougcr than one minute on lillding each answer. Only 1001, in the gil'ell rcxt, table. diagram or graph for the answer required. Locate IICY words ill the qucstiun aud find them, or svnunyrus for them, ill the text. The sentences arollild thesc words arc 1II0st lil,ely to cuntain the answers you need.

If YOIl arc st ill unsure 01 the answer alter you hnvc spent approximately one minute on the qucst iuu. make a xcusihlc gucss ill the .rppruprintc forrn. You may wish to marl, rhc answers ~'Oll arc unsure of ill some \\'ay so t h.u, il you do have time at the end of the I{cading ~1",luk. YOIl call check these uuswcr» agaill,

I'HI)( ;1(,\\1 l'I:I:SI':\lLH: Oh good, thauks then.

.1.\.\111-:: Ilyc.

I'I()( ;1(.\\1 I'I:I':SI':\TI-:I(: That's all we have time for today. I 110pC t luu we've hcen 01 nssistnnce to all YOII listeners out there. \\'c'lI tuhc some more culls tomorruw. It's t imc 1101\' for the J o'clock news,

.\\\(){ :\( :I':I\: 'l'luu is tile end of t his scct iun. You nowhuvc hali a minute to check tile answers.

One of the main diifieulties cxpcricuccd hy studcut s doin,~ t lic I{cadillg \lodul" is 1101 hal'ing enough rime to complete the test. It is, therefore, csscnt iallo read hOI it clfieicn! lv and effectively. .

There are four main skill» that you will need in order to do well in t hc I:·:I.TS Ik;ldillg ~Iodule. It is useful to usc t hc I{)lIol\'in,~.prue<.:dur<.: for c.rch ICXI 11];11 is gil·",1.

,I. Chcckiuj; y01l1' ansll'I.:rs (aholll .1millllll'S)

.vtrcr you h.ivc c'ollll'lelcd ~'ollr ;1I1Sll'crS for each scct iun, YOll need to el1<.:<.:I1 them. Chccl, i h.u YOII liuv, lollo\\'<.:d the iust ruct iuus exactly. If you have time, return to t he .mswcr» you 1I1;lrl,cd hcc;ltlsc ~'Oll were unsure .md sec it the .mxwcrs yuu have gil'cn arc the best oIlCS.

j)o not leave any ;1I1Sll'l'rS "bilk ;IS ~'(HI do not lose 111;11''''' for incorrect ;IIISI\·crs.

I Ic l pfu l h iut s for t hc Pruct icc I{l:adillg \Iodllll:

• There 111;1)' he SOIlI<.: "'ords ill t hc passage with which you are unfnmilinr; lise t hc stral<.:gies cxpluincd in the scct iun. '\\'orliing (HII unnuulliar vocuhulury' (see p;Il\C I tl) 10 h,,11' you ,,'01'1, out t hc 1I1<':;lllillgS of these words .

1. I'rnic\\'ing (ubout 2 minutes for <.:a.eh passage) ('I) Study the passagc hy noting:

• titles

• Ileadings

• illustrations

• diagrams

• any print in hold type or italics.

(h) Study key parts of the passage hy skinuning. Reud the first paragraph which often focuses (In the main idcu. The first sentence of each paragraph usually expresses the IICY points of the paragraph. Gcncmlly, the coucluding paragraph provides a summary of the gil'cn passage. You may wish to highlight these with a pen.

• Ik aware of t hl' lise 01 cunnccrivc words. These will help you with the g<.:neral 11lcalling 01 t hc text. If you arc unsure 01 ;IIIY answers, check the ruble of COIIIIIIOIiCOIlIlt:"lil'e l\'Imls (sc c pag<.: IS).

• Follo\\' the insrructionx carefully. ,\ correct response will he marked wrong if it is wriucu ill t hc \\'wllg Iorm.

16 I IEI.TS 10 Su c c c xx

17

I

Common connective words

Falllili:lrily wit l: these worJs would he usdul ill all lEU'S test modules.

Common cou ncct ivc words illdil.:atit1g:

Addit inn -- - -Se:lJUe:Ile:e: i14 oC"oI~r Consequence Contrust (C.Ott1 pQ
-_.
ill uddit iun lirsl(ly) as a result however
alld initially thus Oil the other hand
similarly Se:e:OIlJ(lYJ etc. so despite
likewise to h<.:gill with therefore ill spite 01
as well as then consequently though
besides next it follows that although
furt hcrmorc curlier/Inter thereby hut
also after this/that eventually Oil the: cuntrnry
moreover lollowillg this/t hat then ot hcrwise
and t hcn afterwards ill that case ye:t
too ndmittcdly instead 01
not only .. . but het\c..e rat her
even whereas
besides this/that nonetheless
Ccrtuiut y ( .ondit ion Dcfiuit iou even though
compared with
obviously il is ill coutrust
certainly unless refers to altcrunt ivc!v
plainly whet her means
of course provided that that is
undoubtedly I()r consists of
so that
whether
depending on t.. II
._--_
Example Reason ' I--:r''''~ Co "'~~ <J SUllllllary
1111<.:
------_-- ------,_._
for instance since before ill conclusion
011<.: example as since ill sunuu.uv
for example so as last lv
just as because (of) unt il filially
ill purticulur dU<.:to meanwhile to sum up
such as owillg (0 at the moment t() conclude
namely t hc reason why when to rccapit ul.u c
to illustrate in other words whenever ill shor:
leads to as soon as
l:allSC just as I
--~.-- - 18

r

Working out unfamiliar vocabulary

\\'hen r<.:adin,g a passag<.: in the lEU'S test, it is most likely that you will come across words with which you are: uufamiliar; II<.: prepared lor this, You may not need to understand the exact m<.:alling of all UI1II1IOWIl word, unless there is a question directly related to it.

If you til) need to IIIIOW the: meaning of an unfamiliar word, don't panic, There arc various stnit<.:gies that you can lise to work out the meaning of the unknown words,

Cheek the context

Are there uny clues ill the surrounding words or phrases? Look particularly at the words just before and just after the unfamiliar words.

I.oo], for a dcfinit ion

Sometimes the writers realise that the word is an uncommon one so they define, restate, explain or give an example of it. Woros that signal meaning often include 'is', 'means', 'refers to', 'that is', 'consists of, For example, 'Snoring is a noise generated by vihrutions of the soft parts of the throat during sleep.' The word 'is' signals a dcfinitiou.

Remember; too, to check if there is a glossary,

Ide:lltify the word's plucc and purpose

Is it a 1I0UII, adjective. verb or adverb in the: sentence? Arc there any punctuation clues, for example, scnriculons or question marks?

Look for couucct ive words

They are: ultcu ncar t hc ulIIIIWWII words and will usually help to identify the gelleral direction of t hc argulIl<.:IH which will help to gh'<': SOIll<.: undcrst.uuliuj; of the unknown word, (Refer to pag<.: IS.)

Break the word dow II into syllable»

Sometimes IlIwwkd,g<.: of <':0111111011 roots, affixes and possihl« silllil:lrity of words ill your OWII 1:lIIguag<.: can help you to id<':lItify the I1wallillg,

Treat t he unknown word as all algehrai<.: cnt it y 'X'

Observe t hc relatiollship of t hc ulIIIIWWII word, 'X', to other words and concepts with which you arc more fallliliar, Often this is enough to answer questions that include 'X',

'Ii, pruct ixc IhL' skill» rcquircd ill t he Ik:ldillg ~I()dlll<.:, read t he followillg passngc cut it led ',\slo.-i;I's priv.n c rcntul ucco mmodat iou murker' and complete Questions I -~II, (you III:IY wish to photo<.:opy and use: t he first ~() spaces of the answer sheet slIppli<.:d '"I pag<.: II:',) ,\IISW<':'-S and cxplun.u ions, ill<.:llIdillg help 011 how to fino the allswcrs, arc giH'1I :Ift<.:r t hc questions, Oil pag<.:s ~,l-~-I,

Sldll, alld Slratc~ic, for IE!.TS

19

nC(lllin~ skills IJractice

Astoria's private rental accommodation market

People spend time in private rental accommodation for a c.uicty of rcusou-. The two most common ones are while waiting for public housing allocation and while saving to move on to home ownership. However, rental accommodation is losing its transitional status in Astoria. The percentage of lung-term renters is increasing. as these people arc unable to have access to public housing or home ownership.

Many studies have shown that discrimination on the oasis of age, marital status, sex or race may affect some groups in their attempts to gain access to private rental housing. In practical terms, the significant costs associated with payments of a bond and rent in advance can be a harrier to access for lower income groups. Furthermore, many landlords and real estate agents believe that young single women, single mothers and women dependent on welfare benelits are unable to afford accommodution and, therefore, fail tenant selection criteria. Even though some of these women are not on low incomes, they experience discruuinntion. Single mothers face discrimination in greater numbers than any other group. Moreover, the rental problems faced by this gfllUp are generally worse in non-metropolitan areas.

There is a range of factors that affect the demand for private rental acconunodarion in Astoria. In the past, the 2()-2lJ year age group has had the highest rental participation rates. A continued decline over the next decade in the size of this group indicates a long-term easing of demand. Other factors Illay also have an adverse effect on rental dcmund, such as falls in the rates of ovcrscasInunignuion or high unemployment rates, especially among younger age groups. Furthermore, a decline in the participation in fulltime employment of those in the I H-24 year age group will also have a negative influence on

demand. On the other hand, a factor that may reverse these trends will be the onuuinu difficulties faced by low to moderate income ~groups in buying their own homes and the I(lnl! waiting

periods for public housing. ~

In Astoria, landlords play an imporuuu role as suppliers of housing in the private rental market. Generally, they fall into one of six categories. Firstly. the absentee landlord is an individual who. rather than making a conscious invcsuncnt decision, is forced to rent out his or her own home while away for a period of time. The absentee landlord typically holds no more than (Inc property but. as a group. they control approximately 25';" of rental properties in Astoria.

The survey found that this group rcprcvcnrs approximately .17'1, of landlords. Next. the "'I" ill" ill 1'1'.1 lor is the type of landlord whn hoi," between two and four properties over many yc.u-. with the intention of complete owner-hip to provide income in retirement. This group controls about 25'lr. of private rental properties, Similarly. the negative gcurcr owns a number of properties in the same range but only tor a medium-term period. The investment is used to reduce overall taxation and the properties generally arc sold wile II equity reaches 40-50'lc. This type or investor controls upproximutcly 20')f of all private rental properties. Another typ: of landlord is the propcrtv .I"I'I'I"/{Ialor who holds at kast live properties and is always trying to increase the number, Property speculators generally own properties ror a moderate to long period. Furthermore, they gcncrate levels of equity equal to about .'iO';' or the value or their properties. The equity is then reinvested in additional properties. Rental income approximately equals costs. The I"'ol','rll" 1)/,,1/' "gel' and the property speculator equ"lIy share 25'lr- of private rental properties ill Astoria. The [ormcr type of landlord also has large numhcrx or

A 1l)'J:; independent study on the characteristics of landlord-, in Astoria showed that their age tends to be sl ighrly higher than the uveragc age or the

pr"plTlic .... luu \\ illlcljull! lcvcl-, rhrcc-qu.utcr-, ur the value ut the pn1jlL·ni ......... A prupL'ny m.uiugcr i~ typic"lI) an incorporated cllllll'any II hose main buxinc», is in the property field. The properties arc held for I<lIIg periods and the rental income gellCf""ted sigllilicantly exceeds Cl"tS. The linal category is that or the cusual lundlon! who is typically a pcrson who informally kts a ruoru or shares the house he or she lives in. usually as a means of casing loan costs. Landlords in this group tend to own only the building they live in and arc thought to make up the remaining share of the rental market.

population. Sixty pcr cent of all landlords arc male. This pcrccnt.rge .ictuully incrcuscs with an increase in the number of properties owned by each individual. It was also found that 35'Ic of landlords arc not in the paid work force due to age. In addition, the study revealed that approximately 94'k of landlords own property in only one city and over half had owned rental property for more than ten years.

Glossary dwelling: equity:

place of residence.

the value of a property owned by a person (such as a landlord) minus the amount of existing debt.

money paid by the tenant which is held as security for any damages that may occur.

bond:

Question» 1-5

Cluios« ON I:' /,III·a.\(' :1-1./;"(//11 tlu: list below 1(1 1"(1)//'/1'11' each kov point. \\'ril(' tlu: appropriate 1('1I1'r A-I ill />0.\".1 1I/111//>l'rl'd 1-5 Oil \"0//1' (/lIll1'('/" .1//('('1. nil' infonnution in tlu: coniplrtcd .1('1/1('11("('.\ should accuratelv 1'1'//1'("/ some o] thc pnint» nuulc III" tlu: writer.

NIi: "I}'('/"(' £II'" 11101'(' 1'/11'£1.\(''\ A -l than scntcnc,» . .\(1 HI// will 11(11 IISI' them all. Yo/{ III(/Y us« auvphrase II/Ore tlutntnuc.

I.

3.

'lhc requirement of paying rent in ;"I,,"11'c .

4.

The influence of decreased over-cas immigration.

5.

c ... di.scTilllinates on the IXLSis of race.

II ... I"" the effect of .su.staillillg demand for private rental accouuuodution.

E ""'~ rc-ult ill k" dC'n\;lIld Ior priv.uc rental houving.

F rc-ulr-, tr.uu hi!,!h IIIICIIlPlll) mcnt r.uc-;

2() I IELTS to Su c c e s s

.. causes ddays in access to horne ownership.

II . could 1';111 in the future due h> the shrinking si/c "r the 20-2Y year age group.

Sid lis a n d S t ratc:l!ics for IE LTS

I 21

1j1l('I/;OIIl (I <II1t1 7

USING NO MORE TIIAN TIIR!:'/: II'()R/)S/fll" each, idcnu]» TWO /1,/'<'1 O/II"IJlII(,1I ituu rcgulur!v cxprricnrc diJcriJ1lillllljol1 \1'I1£'1I .\('liking privuu: rental accommodution. H'rill' the 1I(1l11e.\' of nile grolll' each ill boxr: () if/It! 7 (JII your (Il/SlITr stu-ct.

6.

7.

1j1l".l/ioIlS /i-/3

('0/111,/,'1" III(' table below. CiuJ(J.Il' (/ NUMBER or NO ,\[ORE TllriN THREE WORDS ./;'0111 lilt! IItISSlI8" [oreach (//1.111'1'1: \Vrile vour (/IISI'·,'f.l· ill boxes 8--13 Oil \'(JIII" (/11.111'1'1" sheet,

~-----
Landlord type Reason Number of % of intended Term of % of rental
holdings equity holdings market
f---.
casual casing loan n/a" n/u"
costs 5'1f.
property further medium to
speculator property 5+ SO'k' long ... (ll).
purchase
equity investor ... (9) ... 2-4 100% long .. (Ill) ...
property corporate 5+ . (II) .,. long 12.5';'
manager revenue
--- _- ---_------
absentee away from n/a*
landlord home n/a" 25 (,It
-.---.------ .. --
negative gearer reduce taxation ( 12) 40-50'k .. (13). 2()';;
-----~------------ * information not available from fL';I(Jing pa~~agL'

Questions /-1-17

Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer in the reading passage"

III boxes 1.J-17 Oil vour 1II1.1Wt'r sheet, write:

YES if the stutrntrnt reflects Ihe claims of th» writer

NO if the sllJ/I'IIIt'1I1 contradicts the writer :,' claims

NOT GIVEN if it is unpossihlc 10 say , .. /1111 the writer Iii ill 1..1' about this

14. Rural single mothers arc more likely to encounter housing discrimination than their urban counterparts.

15.

A decrease in the rate of employment III the 18-24 year age group will have a positive effed on rental demand.

22

J ELTS 10 SIIL'CL':-':-'

r

lb.

I.andlllr,b \\ ho arc female tend to own fewer properties than male landlords.

17.

Some -,:'i',; of l.unllurd-, do not hold a job and so survive only on income from their rental properties.

Questions 11i-?_O

C!/(!O.I"l' the 1II'/,ml'ri,J/,' letters rI-1J and write them ill boxes 18-20 Oil your IIIISlI'er sheet.

IS.

Single mothers on an average salary who rent ...

A B C ()

would not he able to pay a bond and rent in advance. an: likely to have access to public housing.

arc sometimes subjected to discrimination.

usually receive welfare assistance.

1<). The majority of landlords ill Astoria ...

A 0\1'11 lin: or more properties.

B have not increased their wealth.

C 110 longer reside in the city

J) have been landlords for over a decade.

20. The main purpose of the reading passage is ...

:\ to discuss issues uml trends in private rental accommodation.

B 10 advise people who hope to become landlord".

C to suggest changc-, to private rental acconuuod.uion policy.

D to aid people who are looking for private rental accommoduturn.

Answers and explanations

J.

II, III the third p'lra.!\raph it is stated that, 'In the past, the 2()-2') age group ... .\ cOllcilllll'cI decline over the next decade ill tlic size of chis .4roll/i indicates II /OIl!!-({',.,,, l'usitl,ti (!l ilcmu tul'

D. In the first paragraph it is stated rh.u, ' ... rental accounuodatiou is /osillg its transitional stat LIS in Astoria. The percentage of long·term renters is ;lll'I"l'((S;lll!, as these people arc u uublc to have access to public housing or 110111(' IJ:\~·lll'r .... h i p'

C. III till: second paragraph it is stated that, ' ... the sigll(ficllIlC cost« associated with pnymcnt» of a bond and rent ill advance call he II IIlIrricr (0 access

.1.

E. III the third p'lr:lgraph it is stated that, 'Other factors may also have iIIl ",f.t'l'rsl' l:(/I'CC on rental demand, such as/iills ill the races '!f o'verSI'(lS illlllli.~rClc;'iII ..

I 2.1

s.

II, l u t hc third paragraph it is st:lIl:d that, '( )lIli1l: IIth"r h.uul, a lador t h.u Illay reverse t lw-«: trend» Irdl:rrillg tot hc IIcg:Ili\'1: influence Oil demand] will he the IIl1gllilig diflk"ilil:s", and t he IIIIIg \\'aitillg pl:rillds IIIr p"hli" hOllsillg.'

.\IIY tWII "Ithe IIIIIII\\'ilig ill :111)' order: ),Olll.g sillgk \\'011'1:11 ()I( sillgk mnt hcrs ()I( I\clfarc dependent women. Answers nrc ill the ,,:I:IIlId p:II':lgr:lph, \IItl: that t lu- qucxt iuu asl\L'd IIII' T\\'() t ypcs III "'"I11t:11. II ),011 ga\'t: all three t ypcs. your ;iIIS\\'L'f is incorrect.

111'1':1,1\ I ott h« \\'ritillg ~Iod"k, vou arc gin:1I about 2() minutes to write a m ini murn 01 1'=;11 \\'ords, \,''" arL' asl\"d to 1111,1\ at a diagr:III1, t.rblc. graph or short piece of text .urd describe t hc iufurnuuiuu ill )'0111' OWIl words, There an: three important steps you should 101111\\': preparation. \\Titillg ami L'ditillg, These SkI'S will 111:11' you to write a cohcrcut .uu! \\'L'lIlIr,g:lllisL'd t:SS:lY ill the rime gin:II,

(" alld 7,

I ;'~~~~ 1:~,~;,pl<:t""1 III the table (Questions S-I.1), refer to the lo"rth and lilth ,,"agraphs as all t~.c inforuuuion dcscrihim; th~ l.uullord t,~'pes is contuiucd ill hcsc p:llagl:lphs \otl: thl: topil: Sl:lllellet: olthe lo"rth paragr:q)h,

----~-~---

1. Prcpurat iou (ahout ~ minutes)

You need til spend 2-.1 minutes workiru; (Jut cx.ictl y what you arc goillg to do, You should pa~' nucut ion to the loll(Jwilig points:

• Stlld~' the question c.ircfullv. ~Iost Tusk I \\'ritillg involves writ inj! :I report whicl: dcscrihcs sonic iufuruuuion gi\'ell. You 1I1:1~' wish to 1I0tt: the instructions wit h a high,

lightillg 1'1:11. •

• Think carcfull y ahout the topic, Out line SOI1lI: pertinent points.

• Ensure that your idL'as arc :IIT:lJIgl:d logk:dl~',

S, 12,:;')<" You arc required to look ht:!'olld the part icular I:ategor), 01 'property spccul.uor', The answer is found ill the dcscriptiou 01 'property m:II.ag"r', 'The propcrtv Illall:lgl:r aiul the prupcrt y speculator l'I/IWl/y shurl' 25"" 01 private rental properties.' Therefore, t he answer is hulf lit' 25'!,; which is 1'2,5');.,

I), IIICOIIIC ill rct ircmcut IIi( Couiplct c ownership. The kcv phrase is found ill reference to t hc cquit y investor who has 'the intcnt iou 01 com plct c (J''''lIcrship to provldc illl'(Jllle ill relirellleliC',

10, 2:;%. Till: answer is found ill reference to the cquit y investor; This group COli, trois ahout 25'!" I!i' /lri'L'UIC rental /ll'll/lertil's',

II, 7:;%, TI1I: former t),PI: of laudlord refers to till: propl:rt)' mallagl:r who has 'cqun y levels threc-ouurters 01 the value 01 t hc properties'. TI"" I:atq~or)' ill t hc tnhlc requires till: /ll'l'('('lIlu,!.!e intended cquit y so t hc answer must he ill t hc form 01 a percentage. Three-quarters is the same as 75%,

12, '1'\\'0 to four, TI"" a II S \\'1: I' is fOlilid ill reference to t hc IIl:gati\'I: gl:a 1'1: I' wh» 'O\\'IIS a 1I1111lher 01 properties ill IIIC Sllllll' 1'lIlI,!.!C', The word 'xuuil.ulv 1:(IIII'el:ts '1Il:gat ivc gearl:r' to 'cquit y investor' who holds 'hl:t\\'1:1:1I t w« .uul 1'0111' prupvrt ics'.

1.1. \Icdillm t crm , This is foulld ill reference to t hc llegati\'L'g"arL'r where it is statl:d ih.u propcrt ics arc held 'oilly for a 1I1<'diIlIlHc'/'llI pcriocl'

I-I. Yes, III the sCI:I",d par:Jgraph it is strrtcd that,'". t hc rcutu] pruhlc ms lal:~'d hy

this grollP arc ,geI1l:r:"ly '!l'lIl'Sc' ill 1I1J1I'llIelrfJ/)(J/irlill lIn'lI,", 'Rural :Irl:as' is t lic S~IIlIL' as 'J}()I)'Jlletropolit:l1l urcus';

No, III t lic third paragraph it is stated that, 'u tlcclin« ill t hc p,'rtkipatioll ill full-t inu: Clllp/O.\'IIICIlI , .. will also huvc II lIe,!.!lIli·;:<, il(fll/l'lIc'C' fJlI <1"111(1 nil',

Yes, In the Iilth paragraph it is stated that, 'si.\'cy I"'" (,<'11101' aliialldiords lire 1IIl11e, This IICrL'l'III(I,~C act uull v iIlCrCIISl',' with ((II illC'n'IIsc' ill t lu: II II III I",/, "l pl'll/lcrt ic« owncc] h!' each i;,,ii\'idual', Therefore, wurucn \\'m"d tend til IIWIl

fewer properties.

Not gi\'ell, III t hc sixth (last) paragraph it is stated t h:u. ',1'=;"" of I,uldlllrds arL'

1/111 in the /Ill it! ·;"'orR/ill'ec,,.' hut there is 110 cvidcucc for the second part 01 t hc sr.ucmcut. This group of luudlords l1Iay receive income troru tit her iuvcsr mcuis. C, III the second paragraph it is stated that, 'Even tholl,gh sonic 01 thl:sL' \\'011'1:11 arc IIliC Oil Lou: illClJIlICS, Ihey expcrienc«: discrilllill,lIlifJlI',

D, III the sixth (last) paragraph it is stated that,'". o'n!r I",/(had 1I\\'lIl:d rL',H," propl:rt)' for 11I0re thall (ell yellrs',

A, The passage docs Ilot give advice, suggl:stiolls or hclp, It simply ,gi\'L's lal:t'

, Writillg (uhout I'=; minutes)

\\'hl:ll writ inu « '!:Isk I report, include:

• int ruductury SL'IHL'IH..'L'

• hlld!' para1\r:lphs (1-.1)

• I:IJlI<:Iuding sentence (optioual ).

/lIlnll/lIc'IIII:\' .','IIC<'II(,l'

ThL' iutruducturv SL'ntL'nL'1: L'xpl:lillS wh.u YOIl are dl:sl:rihillg, for example:

'The tahlc I:III1IparCS t hc populut iou growth alld interstate l1Iigration ill each ,\uslr,"i:1I1 st.uc lor 12 nuuuhs to t lic cud 0(11)1),1.'

"The graph slulI\'s t he gro\\'t h 01 I:I""p"tl:rS ill ,\lIstr:dia bet wee» 11)75 and 11)1)5.' "l'hc pic ch.ut rcprCSL'llts t hc proportioll til g:Jsl:s contuincd ill natural g:ls.'

{Isillg t hc L'oluIIIII ,1\l':Iph oil P:J,gl: 2,'; ax an cx.uuplc. you nl:l!' choose to write, 'T11I: 1:011111111 graph ,ho\\'s t hc p<:rl:elltagL' 01 "'L'II and \\'01111:11 employed ill several e:Jlegoril:s III' executive POSilil"iS ill t hc ,\( :~IE ()il (:OIlIJ""IY hl:t\\'L'1:1I ,lilly 11)1).1 .uulJunc I I)I)~.'

IS,

/ifJdy II1Irll!.!nt/./I.'

\\'hell disellssill,g the data presented ill t hc task, idL'ntit'y sigllit'il:ant trends and give examples thai rcl.u e dirL'l:tl!' to i111: gi\'1:1l iutoruuu iou to xuppnrt your siatcmcuts. II you arc L'xplainill.1! :1 pr()L'L'SS or all o iljI...'L'l :IIId ho\\' it work«, you IH:L'd to group your iuforuuuion '" t h.n it lollll\\'s a definite logic:" order, (.\ list OII:OI1lIlI<JII sequential conncct ivcs c.m he foulld on I':!gl: IS),

HCIlIL'lllhcr that t hc USI: of vcr!», expressed in t hc present passh'c voice is of tell

:!ppropri:lle when gi\'illg:! dcscriptiou III:! process or procedure, lor cxmuplc:

'CollI:" hL':IIIS lire pul nc«! til remove t hcir I:asillg. They IIrc then soakc«! ill \\,,)[1:1'. rillsed thorllll,ghly :1I.d dried, ,\Itl'r t hc hcnns lIrc sorted, t hvy (lrc rountc«! in a kiln :lIld blcuclct], \cxt, t hcv lire' /llIcked and clcspcuclic«! to shops alld supcrmurkcts.'

17,

IS,

I I),

(:fJlldlltlill~ S<'lIlc'lIc'c' ("!,CiOlill/)

,\ sil1lpll: cOllcilldillg sta(L'Il'I:IH I:ould illl:llllk :Illy 01 (hI: followillg, \\'hl:),(: re1t:\'a11 t:

• sigllifk,"u 1:IIIIII1I1:IltS a potl:lltial solutioll

• :11111\'1:1',"1 Sllllllllar\' of thc idL':!s • Iutllrl: illlplil:ati()lls,

20,

011 prh'ate rt:lltal al:l:Ollllllodati()II,

24

IEI.TS (0 SIICC""

I

25

J. Editing (about 2 minutes)

Make sure that you have followed the instructions carefully. Be sure that you have written what you intended and that no important ideas are missing.

In the last few minutes, check for obvious errors, such as spelling or grammatical errors.

Describing graphs

Examples of phrases that may be used in describing a graph that illustrates past events are shown in the graph below.

slumped pummeled

sharply rapidly dromaticolly

~

declined

leapt soared

shot up rocketed

increased rose

dimbed

stcbilised

levelled all remained constant

When discussing the future, the following expressions would be useful:

• is projected to rise sharply • is expected to fall dramatically

• is forecast to drop slightly • is predicted to decline steadily.

Line graphs

When describing information in a line graph it is important to look at significant patterns and trends. You need to ask yourself questions that are relevant to these trends. The following steps will help you to do the fractice Writing Task 1;W page 27.

1. What relationship and projections does Figure 1 show?

2. Comment on the trends relating to energy demand. (Use appropriate phrases from the model graph above and examples with the years and units of energy to support your statements.)

J. Comment on the energy available from fossil fuels. (Support your comments in the same way as explained in point 2 above.)

4. Comment on the excess energy. Why do you think that Freedonia had more energy than it needed?

S. Comment on the energy gap. Can you offer a solution?

A model answer in the form of a report is given on page 27. The useful phrases that were noted in the graph and text above have been italicised in this model report.

IELTS to Success

Z6 I

Practice

H ''';till.~ 1ltsll 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph (Figure 1) shows the demand for energy and the energy available from fossil fuels in Freedonia from 1985 to 2005.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown in the graph. You should write at least 150 words.

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

9 8 7 6 5

Energy units: 1 unit - 100 bilion megajouIes

3 2

04-----------,----------.----------.-----------+0

1985 1990 1995 2000' 2005'

Year ('projected)

__ Energy demand __ Energy a.<lilable

Figure 1: Energy demand and energy available in Freedonia

o Model answer: describing information in a line graph

Figure 1 shows the relationship between demand for energy and the energy available from fossil fuels in Freedonia since 1985 and gives projections to the year 2005. The energy in the graph is measured in units each of which is equivalent to 100 billion megaJoules.

The demand for energy dropped steadily between 1985 and 1990 from 5 units of energy to approximately 2 units. From 1990 until about 1995. energy demand appeared to level off and remained constant at about 2 units of energy. From this time onwards. energy demand climbs dramatically from 2 units of energy in 1996 and is projected to reach 7 units in the year 2005. Furthermore. the forecast is for energy demand to continue to rise in the future.

In contrast. the amount of energy available from fossil fuels Increased quite rapidly from about 3.5 units in 1985 until it reached a peak of 6.5 in 1995. From this point onwards it is projected to decline dramatically until it remeine con6tant at an availability level of around 2.5 units from the year 2000.

The energy demand and energy available from fossil fuels resulted in an excess amount of energy available in the 1990s in Freedonia which. perhaps. was due to the availability of alternative sources of energy. On the other hand. an energy gap that continues to widen Is forecast. beginning in the late 1990s. In the future. Freedonians will have to enforce energy saving measures or look towards the use of alternative sources of energy.

(Approximately 220 words)

Skills and Strategies for IELTS I Z1

Column graphs

When describing information in a column graph, it is important, as with line graphs, to look for significant trends but also to make comparisons between categories. Another Practice Writing Task 1 is given helow. Consider the following questions. They should help you to identify some points for discussion in writing the report on the graph that we have call cd Figure 2.

• Introductory sentence. What is the graph examining?

• In which joh category arc women most represented?

• In which job category are men least represented?

• Which job category shows the least difference between the percentage of men and women employed?

., What is the overall trend shown in the graph?

• Concluding sentence. What does this trend mean? Is there a solution to the potential problem?

After you have written the Task 1 essay on the column graph, look at the model answer on page 29 which highlights some important elements.

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graph (Figure 2) shows the percentage of men and 1I'0lllell employed ill executive positions ill ACME Oil Company from July /993 to JUlie /994.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown in the graph.

You should write at least 150 words.

KEY

Officer Grade E

Officer Grade D

Officer Grade C

Officer Grade S

Officer Grade A

Job category Figure 2: Executive positions in the ACME Oil Company

18 I IELTS to Success

Model answer: describing information in a column graph

Example

Example

Example

Example showing contrast

Concludi connectiv

Contrasti connectiv

The column graph in Figure 2 compares the proportions of men and womeJ
in executive poeitions in the ACME Oil Company for 12 months to June .r-In
se
~
-G Approximately 721. of workere I' the '0=" executlve p"",,,, of 00",)
- rade E are women. This is the highest percentage of women in any exec-j a
utive job category In the ACME Oil CompanJln contrast, the lowest pro=)
--- "1fo"'O' of men " foun I, thie """oo/fA' t.he ',~,""" P""'0J:

C'~'~' to a hl,h" Officer G"',, 'h, ;,;""", of worn" M""'" !,--F
f-c
and the percentage of men increases. ~ThiS trend continues throughout'<"" ~
the graph. The least difference between the percentage of men and women
found in a job category exists in the category of Officer Grade C, which is a
middle executive position. J Here women represent 457, and men represent
--- "{ 55% of workers in this category.
/ _ ( " the hl,h'" executive p"""" of 00", G"" A, worn" "p'''''J
only about 8% of workers. This stands in marked contrast to the 92% of
men represented in this job category.
ng C-{" concluelon, ~'h' men "'"pY a ,~"" P'~""'" of hI,h ='J2:
e - Su
-m
~ositions in the ACME O~I Company. In fact, the higher the executive pos-
tion, the higher the percentage of men represented in the category.r EI
C-of
comparison. women's representation is inversely proportional to the men's
so that the higher the executive job category. the lower the percentage of
women to be found.
ng The information given in the column graph does not give reasons for thiS'
;- 1----
trend. ~ it would be interesting for the ACME Oil Company to examine
-'
why such a high percentage of their women employees occupy the lower
status positions.
-
(Approximately 230 words) Skills and Strategies for IELTS

troductary ntence

Comment boot trend

urther amments boot ends

mmaryof ain ideas

abaration summary

A potential solution

I 29

I. Prcpurnt iou

You may wish to spend about :;-7 minutes workiru; out exactly what you arc going to do. There :11"(: five steps to consider:

• St udy the question carefully. Most task statements or qucstious have a key instructional word or words tellillg you what to do, Note these words with a highlightillg pen.

There arc :tlso key topit.: words which point to the most Important parts 01 the question. Uudcr linc those words too, Ask yourself how the key words relate to the givell instruction.

FIt,'"""dIISill"

.\ ~ood cuuclusiou serves several purposes:

• It indicates the end IIi your cssuv. (For usc oi concluding connectives, see page 18.)

• It giv<.:s your final thoughts and assessments on the essay suhject.

• It wcighs up the points in your essay and should strengthen your thesis statement.

• Do not simply repeat your opening paragraph, This appears too mechanical and superficial.

.\11 too otrcn st udcut s hegin planlling or even writillg their answers ill t he IEIJ'S Writing ~I"duk hcillr<.: t hcv understand what is actually expected oi them, Followillg till: steps h<.:low will help you to pia II a well-structured and coherent essay or report

that addresscs the gi\'ell task, I

• Think carefully about the topic, lID\\' do you feel about itr

• Esrublish a point 01 view and list some points tor development. The answer normally takes the Iorrn of a short essay, The word 'essay' comes from :111 old French word e8sui which meant 'to attempt or tryout', IIr 'to test', III all IEI:rS Writing ~Iodule Task ::! answer, your purpose is to develop your point IIi view ill a convincing way,

INTRODUCTION
• General stalement
• Thesis statement
1
BODY PARAGRAPH I
• Topic sentence including connective word
• First "lPorting sentence
• Secon supporting sentence
• Th jrd supporting sentence
--- 1
[ BODY PARAGRAPH 2
~---~---- • Decide which points will hc written as topic sentences. Thin]; about how they will develop into p:lragraphs.

• Ensure that your points are arranged ill a logical order,

2, Writillg

When you nre writing a Task ::! answer, a structure based Oil the lollowillg clements could he used (xurn mnriscd in the flow chart opPosit,:,).

[---~--- BODY PARAGRAPH 3 ~

r f:HER=~PARAGRAPHS =J

]

lntrcnluetory /lum.lif<l/)It

The introduct iou of a Task 2 answer should hq~in with a gClleral stat<.:III<.:11I or id<.:a 01 your own that tukcs into account t he key topic words or their SYIIOIIYIIIS. The last sentence of the introduction should iuclude a thesis stntcmcnt which shows t hc puint of view or direction that will he taken ill the answer.

[--~~- - CONCLUSION

• Finol assessment With concluding connective

Iiru/.\' /lam.lim/)lIs

Body paragraphs each consist of several sentences that arc :Irrangcd ill 'I logi<.:,li "'ay to develop a main idea, You can expect to write ahout 2-·1 hody pamgraphs lor a '1:lsl, 2 answer, Each of these contains an appropriate connective word to ensure a snl<loth trunsition between paragmphs. (See page II-;, for a list 01 common COIIII<':Ct ivc \\'I irds.) This connective is then put in a topic sentence which is the main point of the pur.r graph clearly stated in a scutcncc. Every sentence in the pamgraph must he dircctly related to it. Try to develop every paragraph ndcquatcly This IIwy he dOIl<.:·throllgh t hc use of examples, explanations, detail, logi<.:al inference, cause and cfk<.:t or IIJ:1ldll.~ comparisons or contrasts. There are muny different ways to orgallisc your id<.:as ior body pnragraphs. Be confident of the ideas you choose,

.1. Editill.t! ('Ihollt :l-:; miruucx)

III t hc last icw nuuutcx, you should check for obvious errors, such as sp<.:llillg Or gram· m.uicul errors. He SUf<.: you have wr it tc n what YOII intended and that there arc 110 illiportallt ideas IIlissillg.

Stud,' t he chccldist for cditillg on pagc .12, It lists points to think ahout when <.:hc..,],i;lg your essay. liccomc tumiliar with the list so that you will kuow what to check lor in the actual IEI:I'S Writing Module.

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Skills u n d Stratcgks for IEl.TS

31

Checklist for editing

1. __ I have used accurate grammatical structures, for example, consistent verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, accurate word formation (especially of nouns, verbs and adjectives) and appropriate use of 'a' and 'the' as well as prepositions.

2. __ I have used a range of sentence structures. J. __ I have used appropriate vocabulary.

4. __ I have used accurate spelling.

S. __ I have stated thc main idea for each paragraph in a topic sentence and all the points are related to this topic.

6. __ I have used connective words effectively to link ideas so that the thoughts move logically and clearly from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph.

7. __ I have developed each paragraph adequately

8. __ I have supplied enough detailed information and sufficient examples or facts.

9. __ I have developed a definite point of view.

10. __ Every paragraph that I have written has' definitely helped to address thc task.

Carry out the following Practice Writing Task 2 which asks for comment and opinion on a given statement. Afterwards, study the model answer which follows it and notice:

• the use of connective words (in italics)

• the use of pronouns: they, he, she, it, these, their

• the repetition of key words and their synonyms, such as examination/assessmcnt, unfair/inaccurate

• thc use of topic sentences

• how the thesis statement shows the point of view that is later developed in the answer

• the expansion of body paragraphs through the use of explanations, examples and

contrasting viewpoints

• the strengthening of the thesis statement in the conclusion.

When you arc writing your answer, try to use some of these devices to help you write coherently.

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IELTS to Success

Praetiee ,,',.itill.t.: Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument or case to an educated non-specialist audience on the following topic.

'In the last 20 years, the assessment of students has undergone major transformation. Many educational institutions no longer use formal examinations as a means of assessment as they believe formal examination results are an unfair indication of a student's ability.'

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer.

You should write at least 250 words.

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Model Task 2 answer

•


In the past two decades, the use of formal examinations has become less)..
s
frequent in many countries. The educational systems in some societies,

however, are still dominated by formal examinations. believe that, to a
certain extent, examinations can give an unfair assessment of a student's I--
ability. Even though examination results have been used extenelvely as a
means of assessment in the past, there are times when they do not
appear to reflect a student's ability accurately. General tatement

Thesis statement

(continued)

Skills and Strategies for IELTS I JJ

Conclud connect

Final ossessm

Topic sentenc

F'~"y, =mm,,'o", can " unfair in 'M'" w'~ F~ =mp" 'hJ
e
f--
(WhOle career of a candidate depends upon what he or she does on a certain
,,' ,,' hour 0' an =m,frlf 'h, ""did", " '", or If he or ehe has h'J
tion_ K"m, ernotrona trauma ;;;'" '''W~ """ have a "',"" effect, on the
""d,",', exam reeult.e. frF""h'~O", eorne ""',," do"" perform W'J 1--,
Gnder pressure and re~uire a longer time to reach useful conclusions.

C"" ,ho"," 'h"Y rna have """,d "h"",,, "d know the '"'j'" ~'w1
horoughly, thew performance does not reftect their ability. For these
students, examinations appear to be unfair.
ting_ ~some people believe that examinations make people work hard. They
rve
assume that in order to do well, students need to work throughout the J.f--
course as they know they will have .to prove themselves at the end.
- -(Ho~", in moo, way" exame have the ope"'" effect. Som, """''':J
e
le_ ~bft'm eo that they can perform quickly foe t.he ',m"d, of the
~'h" forme of ,,,,,,m,",, euch ae '""C~ work "d oe,~ e-.
are a more accurate reflection of how hard students work. p
~ssessment of their ability, students' diligence, initiative, deductive
reasoning and organisational skills are considered, which are importan_sl. 1--.
indicators of ability but are rarp.ly tested :n a formal examinationj
ing
ive-- H In conclusion,J even though formal examinations have been used in the ~ f--
~", the ,h'Old no longer be used as the only means of assessment
eceuee they can be an unfair indication of the student's overall ability.
In the long term, other less formal means of assessment such as course
-j.. work or oral presentations are a more useful indicator of the skills required
ent
in adult life and, therefore, a more accurate indication of a student's
~
(Approximately 360 words) Explana

Cantras connect

Topic sentenc

Examp one

34 I IELTS to Succcss

Example one

Example two

Explanatian

Contrasting viewpoint

Explanation one

Explanation two

Topic sentence

Before the test begins, the examiner will check your identification. For security reasons you will be asked to bring your passport or some other photographic identification, You will be asked to sign your name, which will be matched up with the photograph and signature on your IELTS application form.

The test will then be conducted in five phases, which we will now describe in tum,

phase 1: Introduction

In Phase I, the examiner will first introduce himself or herself and will invite you to do the same. You may be asked some general questions about your background, family, home or personal interests.

SKILL Greeting the interviewer and introducing yourself, Phrases you could use:

• 'Good afternoon. My name is (name)

• 'Hello. My name is (name) but most of my friends call me _...l(.:;:s:.:ho;::_rt:..::.;:en:.:;::.ed=--' _ versioll (!f' Ilame/nickname)

Think about questions that the examiner might ask about the personal information you provided on the application form. With a partner, take turns interviewing each other with questions based on this information. Try to give full and comprehensive answers to each question.

Phase 2: Extended discourse

In Phase 2, the interviewer will encourage you to speak for a longer period of time on a familiar topic. You may be asked to speak on topics related to your country, such as eustoms or lifestyle, and your personal involvement with these, The aim of Phase 2 is to show the interviewer that you can describe something, tell a story, give information or directions or express your opinion without relying on the interviewer to help you through the task.

The idea is for you to talk and give as much information as you can. Do not simply answer 'yes' or 'no'. Remember, the interview should be like a conversation, Do not memorise responses. If you appear to be reciting from memory, the examiner will interrupt and ask a different question.

Before you begin preparing for Phase 2, you may wish to make a list of topics related to your country, culture, lifestyle, personal interests, etc. Once you have completed such a list, form questions that relate to each of the skills for this phase. Think about possible questions that could be asked,

With a speaking partner, practise interviewing and being interviewed. Try to give full and comprehensive answers to each question.

SKILL Providing general factual information. Questions you may be askcd:

• 'What are some important festivals in your country?'

• 'What kind of climate docs your country have?'

• 'What arc some of the main industries in your country?'

Skills and Strategies for IELTS I 36

36 I

SKILL Expressing your opinions and attitudes.

Qucstions you may hc asked:

• What do you enjoy about thc traditional music of your country?'

• 'What do you think arc thc positive and negative aspects of your country's education system?'

• 'Would you prefer to live in the city or in the countryside and why?'

SI{ILL Describing a place, event or situation.

Qucstions you may he asked:

• 'Could you describe thc village/town/city in which you grew up'?

.. 'What happens during (cultural coeur, such us Chillese New lear/Christmas) in your country'?

• 'Could you tcll mc how you like to spend your leisure time?'

SKILL Comparing places, events or situations.

Qucstions you may hc asked:

• 'llow is (city where candidate is stllclying) different from (cllndidate's home city)?'

• 'What is the difference between shopping in (city where canclidate is stllciying) and shopping in (candidate's home city)?'

• 'What do you like most about living in (country where cClndidate is stlldying)? 1I0w docs that compare with (candidate's home cowl(1)')?'

SIOLL You should bc able to give directions and instructions.

Questions you may bc asked.

• 'Could you tcll me, in detail, how you got from your home to the test centre this morning?'

• 'If I had to catch a train or bus in (cllnciidate's home city) what would I do?'

• 'If I were to mcct (all important older person) in your culture, how should I greet them to be polite and show respect?'

SKILL You should be able to re-tell a story or a sequence of events.

Questions you may hc asked.

• 'What happens in (an importantfesti'Val) in your country?'

• 'What is thc most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?'

• 'What did you do when you were preparing to leave (candidate's home COll1lt1)') to come to (country of study)?'

SKILL Explaining how or why something is done.

Questions you may he asked.

• 'Why do people do that?' (referring to something just mentioneci)

• 'Could you tell me more about the procedure involved in (the topic wldcr discussion) ?'

• 'How do people celebrate the New Year in (candidate's COlHlt1)')?'

IELTS to Success

phase 3: Elicitation

In Phase 3, thc interviewer wants to ascertain how competent you are at gaining information on a given topic.

You will bc given a card. On this card will be written a brief outline of a particular situation. The card will state your role and the role of the interviewer. You need to ask questions to find out more information. The card will suggest things for you to ask but these are only given to you as a guide. Do not feel compelled to follow these suggestions if you have ideas of your own.

You arc responsible for starting the conversation and, to some degree, developing and directing the flow of dialogue.

To prepare for Phase 3, select one of the exercises from the Practice work cards below Practise asking questions with a partner .

TRIP FOR OVERSEAS STUDENTS

You have been invited by your university to attend a special overnight excursion. The interviewer is the Student Activities Co-ordinator. Ask him or her for details about the trip.

FIND OUT ABOUT:

date

transport accommodation cost

clothing

food

activities registration

STUDENT IDENTITY CARD

You have just enrolled as an overseas studcnt and need to apply for your student identity card. The interviewer works at the Student Resource Centre. Ask him or hcr ahout !\etlin!\ and using the card.

FI:\!) OUT ABOUT:

applying fur thc card fees

waitin!\ period

where to use the card student discounts card renewal

what to do when the card is lost

PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFORMATION

You have just arrived in a new city and need to find out about the public transport system. The interviewer is a Public Transport Information Officer. Ask him or her details about using the system.

FIND OUT ABOUT:

types of public transport where to buy tickets fares

student discounts timetables/frequency operating hours

SPORTS FACILITIES

You arc a new student on campus and want to find out about the sporting facilities there. Thc interviewer is the Sports Services Officer. Ask him or her for information about facilities and services.

FIND OUT ABOUT:

types of sports facilities rules and regulations borrowing equipment sports teams membership fees

st udcnt sports shop opening hours changing-room facilities

Skills and Strategies for IELTS I 37

phase 4: Speculation and attitudes

In l'hnsc -I, till: interviewer will converse with you in grl::ttl:r depth on a particular topic, Topics that may he discussed include your plans for the immediate and long-term future and till: impact that these may have on you and your f:llllily. Your opinion ahout, uttitudc towards and reasons for your pnrticular future plans may also be discussed.

The interviewer may not understand or agree with some of your responses. You may be asked to expand or clahuratc on some point that you have made, so he prepared for such a response. Bl:ing prepared, however, never means memorising set responses.

During Phase -I, till: interviewer will allow the discussion to become more complex. lie or she may refer to other comments you have previously made so you may have to defend your opinion or give a more detailed explanation of an idea you have already mentioned.

Before you begin preparing for Phase -I, you may wish to make a list of your future plans under the headings of academic, professional, personal and possible conscqucnccs of these plans. Also, make a list of topies that relate to your personal interests in life as well as a wider range of topics relating to your country, profession and specific area of st ud y.

SI(ILL Diseussing your future plans.

Questions you may he asked:

• "Icll me what you plan to do when you finish your undergraduate studies.'

• 'Have you thought about which university you would like to study at and why?'

• 'liow did you come to choose (a e/lOs<:11 area (1/ swc/y)?'

• 'Would you ever like to have your OWII business? Why or why not?'

lIere are some key phrases you could use:

In the future I hope to successfully a touudnt ion
I would like to complete c..:OUi"SL'.
a nwstl:r's degree.
In a few years I intend to gr:lduatl: from the l lnivcrsity of
I'1Il planning to study at Riversdalc.
Astoria College.
In two years what I have in major in I'syt.:llOlogy.
mind is to study International
explore the area of Trade.
~Iarkcting.
Within three years I imagine I will receive a SA.
complete an ~IA.
an ~IBA.
a PhD. 38

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SKILL Expressing your feelings, opinions and attitudes.

Questions you may he asked:

• 'Whur arc your thoughts ahout (contYO-t'crsia/ issllcr~'

• 'l low would you feel if (a e(Jlltyo'Vcrsia/ issue] were to happen in the next three or four years?'

• 'You seem to support «(I colltnJ'Vcrsia/ 'Viewpoint). Why is this?'

• 'l lave you ever had to choose between (X) and (l')? Ilow did you make this decision?

II ow did you feci as a result of your choice?'

SKILL Explaining why you made certain decisions in the past and giving reasons for your plans for the future.

Questions you may he asked:

• 'How did you know that you wanted to become a (eandidatc's choice of profcssi(JIIW

• 'When did you decide to study overseas? What influenced you to make this decision?'

• 'Why have you decided to study icarulitlcttc '5 choice of study)? 1I0w will this help your future career?'

SI\II.I. Expressing a~reement and dtsugrccmcnr.

Questions you muv he asked.

• 'I agrec with you to a point on this matter, hut could you expand on it a little more, please?'

• Till not quite cunvinccd hy wh.u you arc saying. Could you develop your idea more for me, please?'

• Till sorry I don't quite undcrstnnd what you arc trying to say. Could you put it another way, please?'

Phrases you could use when agreeing:

• 'Well, of course ... :-iaturally ... I couldn't agree more .. .'

Phruscs you could usc when disagreeing:

• '1'111 sorry. I can't :Igrce with you ... I don't really think so .. .'

• "l'hut may he so but ... Unfortunately, I have a different point of view .. .'

SI\II.L Discussing hypothetical situations and speculating on future events,

Qucstions you lila), he asked.

• 'l low do you think ha\'ing a degree from an overseas university is going to help your joh prospects when you return to (cwldie/atc's hOllle COWltI)')?'

• 'Do you think that the time spent studying in a foreign country is going to benefit you personally? If so, in what ways?'

• 'Ilow do you think your country benefits when students return from studying abrond?'

Sk i l l s a u d Stratel!ies for lEf:rs

I 39

ShiLL Followiru; and responding to changes in tone and direct ion in the interview,

Quest iou« vnu nruv he asked.

o 'Ilo ),011 have :Iny regrets ahour choosing icundiitutc:« ehoicc (!( /l1'l!/i_'ssi(JII) or tccuulidcu c:« ciwiec l!(C(jIllIl1)' ill 'which {o S{IIIr.\'r~'

o 'If you could repeal t he last year of your life, what would vou do diffcrent".·~,

o '\\'h:1I advice would you give other students planning on (S{IIt/yill,1i o.t'crs~lIsr~'

Phase 5: Conclusion

This is the final section of the assessment and will naturally follow on from Phase .J. The interviewer \\'illl~t YOII know that the interview has come to an end, wish you good luck and say goodbye.

You can prepare yourself for this phase by heeoming familiar with common cxprcssions of lem'e-Ialling, noting them and praetising responses to them.

SKILLS i'\oting that the interview is finishing and saying thank you (wir h a smile'].

Phrases YOII could lise:

o 'Thnnk you very much.'

• I(ioodhye,'

• 'See you,'

Coping with the interview

There may he times in t he interview when you may not understand what the examiner is saying because he or she may be speallinl!, too softly or too quickly, Perhaps the examiner may he IIsing words or phrases YOII do not know. At these times, do not he afraid to assert yourself, Ask the examiner to speak more loudly, more slo\\'ly or 10 use other words. Also, do not hesitate to ask the examiner to repent his or her words at :lIIy time.

Phrases YOII could lise:

o 'Could I ask you to speak more loudly plcnscr'

o 'Sorry hut I didn't catch that. Would YOII please repeat what youjust said'~'

o 'I'm not quite sure whut you mean. Could you explain it to ml!'~'

TIll! following study hints will help you in the weeks leading up 10 the lEU'S.

o Become familiar with the test as early as possible, The skills being leslL'd in t hc JELl'S take a period of time to build up. Cramming is not an effective st udv tech-

nique for I EI:J'S. .

o Usc your study time efficiently Study when you are fresh and, after vou have planned a tiructnhlc, make sure that you keep to it. Set goals and ensure' I hal \'011 have adequate breaks. In the IELTS test, each of the four Band Modules - Lislcnin.l\, Heading, Writing and Spcakim; - carries the same weight. Studv each skill curcfullv and spend more time on the skills in which you feel you arc weak. .

40 I IELTS 10 SIIl:el:SS

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o lie aware of the exact procedure for the test. Be very clear on the order of each sect inn, it s lcngt h and the specific question types. (Sec pages 1-5 for information on test prucedurc.) There arc many resources availuhlc to help you practise these skills.

o lIal'ing a sludy partner or a study group is an excellent idea. Other students may raise issues rh.u you may nOI have considered.

o Seck help from teachers, friends and nurive English speakers.

Days before the test

This is nOI a time for intensive study, It is a time to review skills and your test technique. II is important to exercise, cat, rest and sleep well during the week in which you will take the lest.

Leave nor hlnj; 10 chance. If you do nOI know how to get to the lest centre, try going there .11 a similar lime one or IWo weeks before the real test.

The night before the test

You mUSI have a good dinner and go to bed at your normal time - not too early and not 100 late, as you do nOI want 10 disrupt your sleep pattern if possible.

Have everything ready thai you need to take with you to the test so you can simply pick it up in the morning, for example, the lest registration form, passport, test number, pens, pencils, erasers, etc. A pen Ih:1I runs dry or a pencil that breaks can tuke several minutes 10 replace. Check before the exam exactly what articles you need. Set your alarm clock the nighl before or arrange a wake-up call.

On the morning of the test

Eal a good hrcakfas]. You will have several hours of cunccutrnr ion ahead oi you and you will need food and drink in the morning. You may even want 10 hring more food or a snack with you, cspcciully if your spe:tldng test is at a later time t hat day. You cannot, however, take food or drink into the exam room. If possililc, wear a watch in case you e:1I11101 sec the clock in t hc exam room. II is csscnt ial t hut you keep truck of lime.

(;i\'e yourself pic-my of t imc 10 gel 10 the test centre. You will he required to cornplct c a regislralion form and 10 show your passport before you enter the c xnminat iou ruum so vou IIlUSI arrive at the time specified by your IeSI centre. If you are early, you could go 'for a walk. I f you arc l.uc, you will not he allowed to enter; Avoid the added rcusiou of hal'illg I<> rush.

During the test

\Iosl srudcurs .u the rest wi]] fed nervous. This is quite normal. In fact, it can actually be quite helpful in tcrms of monv.uion. II lIlay make you alert and help you to focus. The aim is for )·ou 10 11'1' 10 perform at your opt irnum level.

In L·o,lIr:ISI. hi,~h levels of nuxictv can aft'eel a student's performance. However, much of I his anxict y cun he ovcrcuuu; by good preparation, familiarity with test details and a posilive .u t it udc.

SI,ilh an d Slr;lle~ies fo r IEI.TS

I 41

The examination room should he suitable for testing, that is, the lighting, ventilation and temperature should he appropriate. If you arc uncomfortnhle because of any of these factors or if there is some other problem, such as not heing ahlc to hear the recording of the Listening :-Iodule, make sure you ask the person in charge to do sumething ahout it. For example, you may ask to change scats.

Examination technique

By using good examination technique you could help to improve your overall score for the IELTS test.

Remember that every section is marked independently. Do not jeopardise your per. forrnancc in one sect ion just because you believe that you have done badly in another. ilo not undcrcstimntc or try to predict your outcome. You may, in fact, have done better than you imagined.

Focus on what you know rather than on what you don't know while you arc doing the test.

Ensure that you adhere to the times suggested as they usually correspond to the number of marks given for a particular question.

In the Listening and Reading Modules, it is a good idea to write down an answer, even if you arc not sure of it, before moving on to the next question. Many students intend to return to the answers they have omitted at the end of the test hut do not have enough time to do so. Furthermore, by writing your best answer at the actual time of reading the question, you save the time you need to spend again on rc-rcudinu the question and

. re·aequainting yourself with the subject matter. If you arc not confident about your answer, mark it in some way and return to it at the end.

Do not leave any answers blank. You arc not penalised for incorrect answers, so 'guess' wisely.

42

The three Practice Listening Papers that follow should he attempted under test conditions. TIll: Listening passages can he found on the audio tape cassettes, as specified below The tape should he played once only and no dictionary or other reference hook mav he used.

,\s in the re:t1II~I:I'S test, it is suggested that you write your answers directly onto the pages of the question paper; Alternatively, usc a separate piece of paper for your answers. (In the actual test, you will he gi\'en time to transfer your answers onto an answer sheet. This is not necessary for the purposes of these Practice Papers.)

You Illay check your nnswcrs on pages 1·1.1-14·1. Tnpescripts arc also provided for later reference on pages I :i-1-1 Tt«.

-------------~-------------------------------------,

l'rncticc Listening Paper 1 (pages 4·1-:i()) Audio Cassette One, Side Il

Practice Listenin.g Paper:2 (pages :i1-:i(I) Audio Cassette Two, Side A

l'racticc Listening Paper J (pages :ii -r.J) Audio Cassette Two, Side Il

------.-----~ -------------._--------__j

I'r:U .. .t i c e Ll s t c n i nj! l'u p e r s

I 43

Practice listen i n[J tests - Paper 1

IELTS Practice Listening Subtest

PAPER ONE

TIME ALLOWED:

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:

30 minutes 41

Audio Cassette Olle, Side B

Instructions

• 711 is is II /('.1'/ /0 see how well YOII understand spoken English.

• y,JII will hear several different recordings and ),011 will have /0 ans II'('/" questions 011 II'/UII ."<w hear.

• nil' test is divided into [our sections.

• There will III' time .1'''' .1'011 10 read the instructions IIl1d questions, and YOII will have (/ C/WIICI' 10 check your work.

• y,JII willhear each recording ollce onlv.

• (At the end (!( the reallELTS 11'.\'1, ),011 will have ten minutes 10 Ira11.1/i'/' your lIIl.\'II'('/'S 10 (/11 (/11.1"I1'1'/' sheet.}

• Noll' IIWI'e Oil 10 Section I 0/1 the 11('.1'1 page.

44 I IELT~ t o ~II""CSS

r

Section I Questions /-//

{!11t',llioll.1 1-3

Circle the correct WI,\'II'('/:

I. Claudia and Toshio decide to go to ...

A B

C D

the mountains.

the coast,

the desert.

Sydney.

1 Toshio doesn't like.,.

setting up tents.

c n

sleeping outdoors. cooking outdoors.

A B

campfires.

3. Claudia doesn't like youth hostels because ...

she dislikes' meeting people. C

there's no privacy.

the kitchens arc unfamiliar.

A

B

, the beds are uncomfortable. ()

Questions ./-7

lid (,/ ) ill tlu: a/'l'rtI/,/'iall' ('011111111. \I'hl'l'(' necessary. write NO .\lORE T/IAN TWO WORDS.

Who will join Claudia and Toshio

Question Namc Will join Will NOT join, going to",
Peter Example ../ Hong Kong
(4) Maria
Gyorg Example ../
r-----~~
(5) David \Vong
[--.- .. _-- .. _- - ..
(6) Waller Wong
.. .. -_. __ --- ----._.
(7) Jennifer
c ... - -_-- --
Michael Sullivan ../ Stay home Pr a c t i c c Li s t c n i n u Pa p c r s

I 45

{!11l'.lli(lIlS 8- //

('(11111'/1'11' ttic [orm below bv jillillg ill lite blanks.

l low ducx Toxhio fill out the form"

Sunnystones Holiday Rental Agency
Rental Application Form
6QQ!i~Il_l1l.L A[>[>licant #2
Name: Toshio Lones Name: Ctaudi« Hussein
Address: -. 52 Miller SI Address: (Question 8)
CIIlII'IIIlIII\'illl' 61-1 SI
CltllPIIIIIII\'ille
Phone: 5-1566S Phone: 5-1323-1
(QuestionlJ)
Credit card number:
(Question 10)
Credit card type: ..
(Question I I)
Deposit amount: $ .... Section 2 Questions 12-21

Questions 12 and 13

Choose lit" letters corresponding /U lite correct people.

12.

Which person is Bruce Chanold'

13.

Which person is Donna Wilcox

A

c

G

46 I IELTS III Su c c c s x

r"""''''N

i Cirde lite lcuer A-V indicuting lite location of lite speaker:

I i

i

I

I

1-1

Where is Jennifer Davis (the speaker)?

o

Questions 15 IIl1d 16

\Vrile 11 NUMBER jill" elicit 1111.1'11'1'1:

15.

The r v luslow University campus has

In.

The buildings are on

(junli(llis 17-··1 <)

Cinl» tlu: ('O/T('CI (II/S\\'(,I:

17. Before immigrating. John Maslow was ...

A

a teacher.

II

a trainer.

o

Borland Library

buildings.

hectares of lund,

s

c

D

o o

a college president.

a mathematician.

Practice l.Is t c n inj; Papers

47

,

•

IS

A II

"pCralL'tI 1"1 II) year». W;I' .. orit!illilily a private Ct)llL"g~.

I'). 1\1;lslow IJlli\l'rsily

A

is I I kilnmctrc-, from the cil)' centre.

II

Questions 21! and 21

Ci,.cle TII'O letters.

20-21. River-dale l lnivcrxit y normally bcatx Maslow University at

A basketball,

II women's swimming.
C soccer.
D track .uul ticld.
E hascbul],
F IlKIl's swimming.
G fO()lhall. Section 3 Questions 22-33

Questions 22 and 2.1

Complet« tlu: tuurs !>"/OII', \Vl"il(' NO iIIORI,' TIIAN TII'O I\'ORIJS (II" NUillllhRS /(1" each /I/l.ll\·a

NOTES ON COI+EE

C D

cluxcd ill IX-IX. trained high school reachers.

/::1'<11111'/1'

r------------- .... _. __

22,

• Most furmcrs produce coffee on 4-5 hectares or land

m()st important c()mllll1dily in world

• Journal: Food Economics

Review

people

• Coffee fanning provides work for

• Great economic importance

,----1-------------

23,

• Ranked

c

was established after Rivcrsdulc University,

was built next to Maslow Teacher's College.

D

48 I

r

COFFEE BEAN TYPE

(;RO\\'ING ALTITUDE

LARGEST GROWER COUNTRY

USED FOR

Aruhicu

£.\(/1111'/" £.\(/1111'1(' Exampl ..
600-2000 metree premium coffee Brazil
(2-1) . (151 ... .,- (27) ... __ .
--
£.1<11111'/1'
below 1200 metres (16) _, ." Robustu

Liberlca

QI",.lli(lIl.1 2S-30

Tirl: (j) 1/'" ,.d"I'tII/I hos [or each C(lIllII/T.

(3() Brewed coffee

Cuuntry

Style of coffee preferred

--t-----------~----------_,---------~

(lX) (19)

lnst.uu coffee Espresso coffee

Bra/it

.... _L_ ~

- ----_._--- -- ------ ---------~

----------- --- ---------------1

J Exurnpl«

--, -

J Example

liSA

-----.----------- -----------1

1'J-.:

('''"II'/e/,· lire ,,'/llnl,'," hrlosv. 1I,'ile SO .IIOR!:- TlUS TIIRI,'!:' IIDRI)S.li,1' each (//lSII'''/:

_11

32.

destroyed the 1<)75 Brazil coffee crop.

I 49

r

eire/t' th« corn-et (IIIH"f'/:

33. Because of the Brazi! collce crup failure.

A the ICO had to supply the world coffee market.

c

prices remained high.

II prices rose, then fell.

J)

premium coffee became unavailable.

Section 4 Questions 34-41

Questions 34 and 35

Wrile NO MORE TIIAN ONE WOR/) [or each allSII'er.

What is the main interest in a meeting.

34. for the meeting leader?

35, fur the facilitator')

Questions 36-41

Complete the tab le below by writing' the appropriate letter rl-I:: ill each blank box.

Link each task below to the appropriate global responsibility.

Facilitator's global responsibilities

A II C D E

'Blucpri nt i ng ' 'Pro-integration' 'Focusing' 'Prompting'

'Friction management'

Tasks

writing an agenda Example A
defining technical terms (36)
maintaining harmony (37)
getting to know participants (38)
guiding discussion (39)
promoting agreement (40)
encouraging everyone's participation (41) 50 I lEU'S to StlCCC"

/I

•

Prtu ... ·t icc listen i Wi

.~

tests - Paller 2

IELTS Practice Listening Subtest

PAPER TWO

LENGTH OF TIME:

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:

Audio Cass('l/e 7i\'O, su- A

30 minutes 42

Instructions

• This is a I('SI 10 se(' how well rOll understand spoken English.

The 1('.1'1 is eii\'iei",1 into four sections.

~{I/I will hear several different recordings 1I11i1 .1'011 will have 10 !l1l.lwer questions Oil what you hear.

Tlurc will he tinu: [or rOll 10 read the instructions and 'I1I".I·lioIlS. 1I11i1 ),011 will have a chalice 10 chc«]; YOllr work;

li)1I will hear each r('coreiillg OIlC(, 0111.1'.

(,'\1 th« end ofth« real !l:'LlS 1('.1'1, rOll will have ten minutes 10 transfer vour answers 10 (/II allswer shcct.;

• NOli' 111m 10 Section I 011 II", nest I"'g",

I'radiec Listellilll\ Papers I 61

Section] Questions /-/ l

{!III'J4oll.' I and 2 I

Wrile NO MONH TIIAN ONH II'ORO, '.!.!: circl« the correct (I/IJII'eI:

I.

What is the subject of this Illorning's lecture?

2.

A

What time does the lecture begin?

B

Question 3

c

D

Listen 10 the directions andfind the Bradley Building, Choose the appropriate letter:

3.

Where is the Bradley Building?

lawn

62 I IELTS to Su e c c s s

lawn

Physics Building

I

William and Mary

lawn

Student Union

QII"Jti()/1.\ -/-6

Cire/,' the (I/'/'I'O/'rill/" 11'1/1'1; A. B. C or D. (/J ."'111 lis/ell.

-I.

Which 110m is Lecture Theatre H on"

fourth

C D

eighth tenth

A II

sixth

5.

How do William and Mary go to Lecture Theatre H'?

escalator. then lift lift. then stairs

C n

stairs only stairs, then lift

A B

6. What docs the sign say'?

A

C

Dr Jones illlecture cancelled today

Lecture postponed until 10.00 today

B

D

Lecturer change - Professor Smith to present today's lecture

Lecture to be held in Theatre C today

Questions 7-11

Complete tlir tublr below.

. Mary's timetable
Class Day of week Time
Chemistry lecture Example Tuesday Example 10 o'clock
Wednesday (7) o'clock
Chemistry lab
Genetics lecture (8) 5 o'clock
Microbiology lecture (9) 2 o'clock
t-licmbiology tutorial Wednesday (10) o'clock

Plant pathology lecture Friday (II) ....................... o'clock
Plant pathology lab Tucsday- 3 o'clock
Plant pathology tutorial Wednesday 12 o'clock Pr a c t i c c Li s t c n in g Papers I 53

Section 2 Questions 12-23

QllestioJl.112-15

Complete the notes below. IVrite 11 NUMBER or ONE WORD [or each amwer.

The Island of Astoria

12. 13.

• Distance from New Zealand; .

. krn

• Direction from New Zealand:

• Size compared to New Zealand:

Example 257. larger

14.

• Shape of island:

15. • Climate: .

Questions 16-23

Complete the table. Write a NUMBER or NO MORE THAN TWO IVORDS for each answer.

The Provinces of Astoria

Province Part of island Population Language l\lain tourist
attraction
Hornchurch (16) ...... Example Example Example
2.5 million English culture
New Devon Example (17) ......
English (18) ......
northeast.
~
Anglezark (19) ...... English (20) ......
. --.~--.~~~
New Albion (21) ...... 1.5 million (22) ...... (23) ......
-- 64 I IELl'S to Success

Section 3 Questions 24-33

QIlt'StiollS 2-1-26

Cotllplete the table by ranking the THREE senses indicated.

How did Immanuel Kant rank the senses?

Sense

Ranking

touch

24. hearing

25. sight

smell

. .. 5... Example

26. taste

Qllt'stiollS 27-29

Circle the correct aIlSII·t'r.

27. Immanuel Kant believed ...

A B

only smell was subjective. hearing was subjective.

28. A person who is 'odour-blind' ...

A

can smell only some odours,

B

is unable to smell flowers.

29. The sense of smell ...

A

is half as strong utter the age of 65.

is not utlcctcd hy age.

II

{JIIl'lli,,", 3(} ·33

C D

touch was subjective. smell was not necessary.

c

does not think flowers smell wonderful.

is probably colour-blind, too.

D

c

is stronger in women than men.

J)

is weakened in half of people over 80 .

.Ill. The country which huys the most perfume is

(',1/111'[,'1" the .\('lItell('n below. Write NO MORE TIIAN TIVO WORDS for each ((IISH't'/:

.11

A perfume thought to he

lrcuch scicntists believe the vmcll Oil a pcr,oll .

. 1.1. Some people who .. Iivlike perfume compare it to ..

will sell well.

determines how a perfume will

Practice Listcllill~ Papers

I 66

Section 4 Questions 34-42

Qncstions 34 IIl1d 35

IVrill' NO ,HORI;' TIIAN TWO WORDS{or each 1111.1'11'1'/:

J.j, In Australia. when MUST men shake hands'?

35,

Whal is the message when men DON'T shake hands')

Questions 36-42

Motel: the grstures with their messages. Choose the appropriate letters It-/ from thr table. YOII may lise a

lcttrr IIIOrt' Ih~1l OllCC. •

Whal message is sent hy each ofthe following gestures?

FOR AUSTRALIAN MEN

Example

a weak handshake

D

36,

crushing handshake

37,

half handshake

38,

quickly released handshake

39, long handshake

FOR AUSTRALIAN WOMEN

40, half handshake

41.

full, firm handshake

FOR BOTH SEXES

42,

no eye contact during handshake

56 I IELTS 10 Su c e e ss

A no message
B confidence
C lack of confidence
I> lack of interest
E arrogance
F competence
G cornpctitivcncss
H mutual liking
I recognition Practice listening tests - Paper .J

IELTS Practice Listening Subtest

PAPER THREE

LENGTH OF TIME:

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:

30 minutes 43

Audio Cassette 7,1'0, Side B

Instructions

• This is II 11'.1'1 10 ,1'/'1' lio u 11'1,11 Hili understand spoken English.

lilll will hear several diffcrcn! recordings IIl1d HIli will have 10 1II1,1'II'l'r questions 011 whatyou hear.

The 11'.1'1 is divided ill 10 [ou I' sections.

• There will be lime for ,1'011 10 read the instructions and questions, and ),011 will have a chance 10 check rOllr work.

• YOII will hear each recording oncl' onlv.

(AI IIzI' end (~r IIzI' rl'a11EL7:S' 11'.11, ,1'011 will have 1£'11 III ill 11 11'.1' 10 transfer YOllr answers 10 all allSlVer .1'/11'1'1,)

• NOli' IIII'Il 10 Section I 011 the next page,

Pr n c t i c e Li s t e n i n g Papers I 57

Section 1 Questions 1-11

Questions /--4

Circle the correct answer;

What is Vincent's friend studying?

A biology

B biochemistry

J.

2.

What is the problem with the campus?

distance from town

A B

strict student rules

3. Sarcena doesn't like the Union cafeteria because of ...

4.

Sareena doesn't want to go to the Aztec Grill because ...

68 I IE LTS to SIICCC"

A B

the lunchtime menu.

the price of the food.

A

she doesn't like Mexican food.

she prefers spicy food.

B

C D

life sciences

sociology

C D

the food is bad few places to eat

C D

the music played there. the quality of the food.

C

the food is too spicy.

D

she ·doesn 't like spicy food.

Queslioll 5

Circle the letter A-E for the appropriate building.

5.

Where is the Luxor Cafe?

Physical Sciences Building

Carpark B

Sports Centre
[I [I Carpark C
[[I]
N
w/1:\_ Football ~eld
E
,'_'
S Student Union

[[]

.

• __ •. ~'., .. - __ ~'__'J!

[I

Carpark A

Agriculture School

Soccer ~eld

Practice Listening Papers I 69

Question» (,- !)

"lick (J) the items 111lI1 Surecna (//,,1 vinrcru orderfor lunch.

6.

What salads do Surccna and Vincent order?

Vincent

Salad

Green salad Greek salad Seafood salad Caexar salad

7-9.

Sareena

Example ... J ...

Sandwich Chicken

What else do Sarecna and Vincent order? (lick THREE ITEMS ill total)

Vincent

Roast beef Horse

Tomato

Soup Chicken

Onion

Tomato

Lemon

Questions I () and II

Circle the correct answer;

Sareena

10. On which day will Sarccna and Vincent meet next week?

A Monday
B Tuesday
C Wedncsday
[) Thursday
E Friday II. What time do they agree to meet?

A 12.15
II 12.30
C 12.45
[) 1.00
E 1.15
60 I IELTS to Success Section 2 Questions 12-22

Q/Il·.lliOIl.l' 12-15

Il'rill' NO MORE TJlAN T1\'O \\'ORDS or NUMBERS for each lItls\rer.

On what basis does All' Meerschaum divide Chapmanville into 3 areas?

12.

13.

How much are the cheapest flats in eastern Chapmanville?

. per month

I·t

What is the price per month for a flat in the west or the south'!

$ .....

... - 5>

.............. per month

15.

Where is the cheapest accommodation')

QI(('.~/ioIlS 16-22

Camptcu; the table. II'rir" NO MORE TIIAN TWO WORDS for each all.l'll'er.

Region Natural features Disadvantages Puhlic transport
Northern Example (18) buses
......
Chapmanville wetlands
Southern Example (21) ......
Chapmanville (16) ...... factories
Eastern Chapmanville hills. trees (22) ......
------- - --~~---- ._--
(19) ...... Example
Western Chapmanville (17) ..... trains, buses
(2U) ...... Practice Listening Papers

I 61

Section 3 Questions 23-32

C(llIIp/('I(' the /1(11<:.1 from the lecture. 1\1";11' NO MORE TIfAN ONE NUMBER or TWO WORDS for each {lIlSI1'{'/:

Example • Most efficient material to recycle:

glass

23. - no loss of

24.

• Some bottle manufacturers in Japan, the US use 100% .

25.

• Most bottle makers usc about.

. % recycled glass.

26.

• In the UK,

.............................................. arc reused, not recycled.

27. • Reusable bottles are recycled after being used times.

• Obstacles to bottle reuse programs:

28. - lack of ..

29.

don't want to participate.

30.

• Consumers in Denmark and Canada must.

........................ their bottles.

31.

• Making new plastic uses . . . times more energy than recycling plastic.

32.

• Last environmental factor regarding bottles: .

Section 4 Questions 33-43

Questions 3.1-36

Cire/e FOUR letters.

Identify FOUR sources of stress Fiona mentions.

A

note-taking

B C D E

sitting examinations

speaking to large groups

getting to lectures on time anticipating assessment results

F writing essays

G speaking to lecturers

H assignment deadlines project planning

62 I IELTS to Su c c c s s

.,

Questions 37 to 39

Tick ( ./) the relevant boxes ill each CO 11111111.

How does the speaker rate the following events?

(Question 37) (Question 38) (Question 39)
Event Moderately stressful Highly stressful Extremely stressful
marriage ./ Example
divorce
pregnancy
school graduation
spouse leaves work Question -/0

Circle the best III1SII'('I:

40.

Which is the most stressful event?

shifting house

A B C

retirement

gett ing sacked from work

J) conflict with spouse's mother

E

holiday

Questions -1/--13

Complete the sentences below. IVrite NO MORE THAN TWO !VORDS for each llllswer. with family members.

41.

One sign of stress is

42.

Another sign of stress is

.. '". despite a good diet.

43.

Another stress indicator is having trouble

Practice ListcnillJ,.! l'n pcr s

I 63

]:£L-r5 TO ~uCCtS.S l.L (Ok:ott~~6-r'LtP)

The six Practice I{eading Papers that f II "I •

No dictionary or other rcfcrcnc I' 'I) ()\\ S llould he attempted under test conditions

I c )00 c may )C us . I, I' I' '"

ccpt. SCI nne time units must he strieth'

~ photoeopyahle answer sheet is provided on 1),1"e ()S '

\\lu Illa\' check )' " , . " "

.' our answers on pages I,IS-I.H,

Practice Heading Paper I pages ()6- 7()
Practice Reading Paper :2 pages 77 -H()

Practice Heading Paper J pages tl7 -')()
Practice Heading Paper 4 pages I) 7 - IO()
Practice I{eading Paper 5 pages 107-111:>
Practice Reading Paper (, pages I I ')-12H 64 I II'I'I'S '

~ 4 • to Success

IELTS to Success

Practice Reading Subtest Answer sheet

I 22
2 23
3 24
4 25
5 26
6 27
7 28
8 29
9 30
10 31
II 32
12 33
13 34
14 35
15 36
16 37
17 38

18 39
It) 40
20
f-- 41
21 42 1 h.\ Pd~~ Illa~ I-1C photO,.:Opll·J fllr pr.rcncc purposes. Without record keeping or payment of OJ fee.

Jacar • .II1Ja Wiley Lid 11.)96

Pr a e t i c c Hcadill~ Papers I 65

Practice reailing tests - Paper 1

Practice IELTS Reading Subtest

Academic Module

PAPER ONE

TIME ALLOWED:

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:

1 hour 42

Instructions

WRITE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET

The test is in 3 sections:

Reading Passage

Questions 1-14

Reading Passage 2

Questions 15-28

Reading Passage 3

Questions 29-42

Remember to answer all the questions. If you are having trouble with a question, skip it and return to it later.

66 I IEU'S to S"""""

READING PASSAGE 1

),111 art' advised to .I'1'<'lId about 2U minutes 011 Questions 1-14 which are based 0/1 Reading Passage 1.

Early Telecommunications Devices

Although it is hardly used anYlllore, the telegraph is familiar to most people. This early telecommunications device is credited, as any school student knows, to Samuel Morse, who, in 1844, made the first long-distance electronic communication via his invention, the Morse telegraph. What is not so commonly known is that Morse's was 1I0t the only telegraph nor he the only such inventor at this time. A rival system, developed hy William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone, was patented in England in IIH5 and was subsequently adopted for use by Britjsh rail companies to enable speedy (Ol1lmllllication between rail stations.

However, the Cooke, Wheatstone telegraph, which used six wires and a fragile receiver requiring five magnetic needles, proved to he awkward to use, difficult to transport and expensive to build. Morse's version used one wire and a receiver of a simpler and stronger design. This is, no doubt, why it became the favoured telegraph in man)' par\s of the world, especially the United States, which built a telegraph line along railway tracks crossing the North American continent, linking eastern cities with western frontiers.

Morse chose the ~Ltgnetic Telegraph Company to handle the patents for his telegraph technology, and within seven years of the appearance of his invention, the companyhad licensed use of the telegraph to over 50 companies across the US. In 1851, twelve of these companies came together to form the Westel'll Union Company. By 18(ili, Westel'll Union had grown to include over 4000 telegraph on ices, almost all ill rail stations.

Anoilu- r c.uly u-k-rouuuunic.uions devicr is still v(,ry much with us: the telephone. Although the telrplu nu is popularly thought 10 Ill' th" h r aiuchild of ouc man, Alcxuuch-r Crahan) 11('11, this is not ilu- whole t r uth. Phillip Rcis, a schoolt('acher ill Cerlllanl', invented a device ill 18(i I that he labelled a telephone. Reix's invention was limited to t r allslllittilig musical tones, however, and could not send the sound or the human voir« across the win-.

\\,hi'" Rris was ,\'()rkillg Oil his iuveutiou . Bell alld .mot lu-r 111;111, Elisha (;ray, we n- also working toward the iuvc-ntiun of the n-k-phouc. though hl' all indin-rt ruuu-. Bolh wc-re, ill Elct. seekillg ways of allowing multiple tl'!('g r ;lph sigllals to travel ;dollg Ih(' s.unc t(''''g r aph line - a system known as a h.umouu te"'graph. B('11 worked in Bostoll while era), was base-d ill Chicago, and the two were rivals in t lu-i r a r ea or research. For hoth invc-uturs, the pe r f ... ·nioll or the harmonic tl'lq~l'aph proved too dilluult alld hoth, sepa r .ui-lv hut at .uound the sallie time, changed plans and started Oil the d",'('lol'lIlt'lIt or a 1'·"'l'll<>lle. ~Iost illt('restillg of all is the f;lCt that hoth men applied for a patent to rlu- l'S Puu-ut ()Uin' 1'01' tlu-ir n:sp"cti\'l' tch-phoucs Oil the same day, 14 February 1876. Bell was 111<1 .. , ,·lIouj.\h to h.iv« .urivc-r] a Ii·w hours c.ul icr thun era), and so it was Bell whose n.unc was to be 101"",·, .ls,,)cia{(·d with t lu- t"'epholl('. The harmonic telegraph, incidentally, was perfected by Thom.r-, Fdi""l. h(,st k uuwn as the inveuto r of the light 11lI1h, ill 1881.

Righi' 10 B"Il's 1'.lt'·11I (no'" r('cogllised as the most valuable patent in the history or technology) ",'1,· oll"I"d Lo \\'("tl'l'1I l'lIillll for SI()()()()(I, with the assumption that the giallt telegraph cOlllpallY IIIIIlId Ill' "IILhu,ia'lic about rlu- IIt·W techlloloh'!'. But \\'t'stel'll Union disliked Bell's design and il"I(',J(1 ,,,1..('(1 Eli,ha (;,..1\ til m.ik« r ('lillt·nl"lIts to his oJ'iginal telephone design. Bell's cOlllpallY 1"·j.\.,11 III "'1 III' it.s 0"11 "1I,i,lt·ss '1I11! sell n-Ic phoncs, while \\'esterll Union, with its somewhat dill""'lIt dt'Sigl'. '"'' its t'tlllll'('titor.

(WTltil1ued)

Pr a c t i e c I{eauinl! Papers

67

(:"'"p('liliol i>('IWl't"lI tl u: two rontuuu-d lor ahout IWo ),ears, hut all the while, rh« lIell compally was 1"'"llill~ " kgal challcllge 10 Wcsl('rll l'lIioll, cbilllill~ it held Ihe ollly uuc hasic pall'lllS lor Ihe 1""'1'110111', II hased its claim Oil till' Elel that I\ell had hcnun Cra), III t h« I'au-nt Office aud so shuuld he Ihe Sllie rl'cllgllisl'd invcutor ol the tclcphouc. Fvcnrually, \\'eslnll Union had III agrce wirh lIell and gal'e lip itx Icit-pholle righls anrl palcllls to the lIell Cll III pa II)" The tclegraph company's "III in' network llf Idephoill" was handed over 10 the Bell cOlllpany, As compcus.uiou. \\'nll'l'lI Union was givl'll 2() per (Till "I' revenue from rental of its former equipment; this arrangemrut was 10 bsl until lIell's p.ucrus expired, In all effort 10 fight the power the Bell cOlllpany clljll),ed from exclusive righls III lIell's patents. a small tclephouc compan)" Pacific Union. established u-lephonc service» ill Ihe I ~12()s and I 93(), Ihal it rlainicd were based Oil the telephone design 01 Phillip Rcis. Th"y mainr.uucd tluu because Reis's invention pre-dared Bell's, the Bell design was 1101 t lu: lirst of itx kind and. Iherl'l'orl', Bell's palellls were not valid, Allholigh t hc court accepted th.u tlu- cOlllpallY lila), hav« lxx-u IIsillg Rcis's lechllolllg)" it uoucthcless held th.u (111)' Bell's palen Is roukl Ie~ally he used.

The IIl'lI COttllMIlY, l'1'l'lllllally named American Telephone & Telegraph, rhus Iornu-d an effective lIlolIClpoly Oil n-lcphonc services ill the United Stales, The cOlllpallY subsequently grew 10 an extent th.u, a celllllr), later, it was rhc largesl privately held enterprise in the world, with more than a million elllployees coutrolliug' ronuuun ications between more than 100 tnillioll telephones. In 19tH, American Telephone & Tcll'~raph was found by a US court 10 be too monopolistic and was ordered to be broken lip into several smaller companies.

patent: an official recognition of a person as the inventor of a device monopoly: exclusive control of .1 market

QIII',\,tiOIlJ 1-5

Complete the tuble below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS [rom t/II' !,({.I,W/ge [or each (/II,III'c'I:

Writ,' your 1II1,IWer,\' ill boxes 1-5 Oil vour 1II1SlI'er sheet.

Yc.lr Event Inventor(s)
(hy surname)
1845 patent of telegraph ... (I) ...
1851 cstublishment of, . , (2) . , ,
1861 invention of telephone ... (3) ...
1876 application for paten I of Gray
... (4) .. ,
1881 successful development of Edison
... (5) ... 68 I IEI:rt> 10 Success

!Jllt'.Itioll.1 6-1 ()

Lt",k .u thr .ti,/Ioll'illg lists or inventors and companies. Match each inventor 10 ONE of the rompanies thut used his/their It'chIlOlog_l: Choose E ir there is 110 infonnation ill the reading passage. Wrrte the appropriate kller.I' A-E ill boxes 6-10 011 nmr (//I.I .u: er sheet.

N.H, lIm 111(/.1' 1I.1l' lIHI' letter more than once,

Companies

Inventors
Morse Example"
(6) Bell
(7) Cooke and Wheatstone
(8) Edison
(9) Gray
(10) Rcis A British rail companies

B Pacific Union

C American Telephone & Telegraph

D Western Union

or

E no information in reading passage

* EXlIlII!,le (/nswer: D

!JlleSliollJ //-14

USING NO MORE THAN Til REE \\'{JRDS, WlSlI'a tlu: jiJ/lOII'iIl/i questions. Wrile YOllr lIlISII'as in boxes 1/ -/4 Oil _1'0111' lIlI,l'Il'('/' shrct.

II. Name ONE reason why Cooke and Whcurstonc'« invention was not as successful as Morse's.

12, III what type of locution did Western Union typicully offer its telegraph services?

13, Wh.u sort of information was Rcis's original invention able 10 send?

1.1. Wh.u dcv ice did Alexander Graham Bell try bUI fail 10 invent?

Practice Reading Papers

I 69

HEADING PASSAGE 2

You ure advised 10 spend about 20 minutes Oil Questions 15-28 '1"1 b· / .

" II( I are <!.le, 011 Reading Passage 2.

Categorising Love

Although many people would no doubt think it impossible, social psychologists over the past s~veral decades have been attempting to categome and quantify the notion of love. And while there may never be agreement on how this is best done, much of the research to date is quite thought-provoking.

Sternberg (1986) see~ love in terms of the interplay between three Independently quantifiable aspects: passion, intimacy, and decision/commitment. Sternberg defines passion as the romantic and sexual components of a relationship. Intimacy is the degree of closeness a person feels for another. Oecision/commitment concerns both one's decis.ion about ~eing in love with a person and, once In an established relationship with that person, how committed one is to loving one's partner.

intimacy

decision/ commitment

• possion

The intensity of each of the three aspects tells us how ~ love relationship can be characterised. If ?e~lslon/commitment is strong, for example, but intimacy and passion are low, then the result is empty love, according to Sternberg. He defines liking, meanwhile, as the type of love resulting from. a high degree of intimacy but low decls~on/commitment and passion. When passion IS the only component that is strongly felt, this means that infatuation best describes the relationship. Romantic love occurs when there I~ a bal.ance of passion and intimacy at relatively high levels but there is little decision/ commitment. When all three aspects are more or. less equally balanced, however, the relationship can be called one of consummate love,

70 I IELTS to Su c c e s s

~nd this, says Sternberg, is probably the healthrest In terms of the longevity of the relationship and the happiness of the partners.

In yet another categorisation of love, Lee (1973) dl~ldes the emotion into six different styles, each With Its own name:

Love style Characteristics
eros romantic, passionate love;
pased on ideal images of one's
partner
ludus game-playing love; playful and
teasing
storge friendship love
pragrns practical, logical love; a
'shopping-list' approach to
seeking a partner
mania possessive, dependent love
agape selfless, altruistic love; puts
partner's interests above own Lee believes most people feel or experience love as a combination of two or more of the above styles, and that both partners may approach their celationship with styles that are sometimes compatible and sometimes not. Hendrick and Hendrick (1986) investigated how men and women categorise their feelings and experiences of love using scales developed to measure Lee's six styles. They found that women scored higher on storge, pragma and mania styles, while men scored higher on ludus.

In a subsequent study, Hendrick and Adler (1988) looked at how men's and women's scores for the six love types correlated with satisfaction

icontinucci)

in their love relationships. The findings were that a relationship was more likely to be satisfactory if eros and agape scores for both partners were high, while a high score of ludus was more common in relationships marked by dissatisfaction.

The question of why different types or styles of love exist may best be addressed by attachment theory. The theory is based on observations of infants developing attachments to adults - interpreted by Bowlby (1980) as a natural, evolutionary behaviour that promotes survival of the infant by staying close to adults when there is danger. Ainsworth et al. (1978) divide attachment behaviour into three types: secure, anxiousambivalent and avoidant. A secure attachment style forms when the infant and the care-giving adult interact with consistent caring and regular physical contact, giving the infant confidence to explore the world with little fear. When the adult gives care inconsistently or tries to interfere too much in the infant's activities, the attachment style is more likely to be anxious-ambivalent. An avoidant style results from regular refusal by the

Questions /5-19

t

J

care-giving adult to give attention or physical contact to the infant.

Hazan and Shaver (1987), believing love to be a form of attachment, speculate that early attachment styles extend into adulthood and characterise a person's style of showing love for another person. They base their suppositions on the reported histories of over 1200 people, who wrote of both their adult romantic experience and their relationships with their parents. Adults with secure attachment styles reported that they found it fairly easy to get close to other people and enjoy a relationship characterised by mutual dependence. -Moreover, there was little fear of being rejected by others. Those with avoidant attachment styles said they were not comfortable getting close to others, found it difficult to trust others completely, and did not like having to rely on others. People in the anxious-ambivalent category felt their partners did not wish to become as intimate with them as they themselves would have liked. They also worried that they were not loved by their partners and constantly fretted about their romantic relationships.

011 page 72 there are several diagrams illustrating the triangular relationship of passion, intimacy and decision/commitment, as defined by Sternberg (/986) ill Reading Passage 2. Look at each diagram and determine whether it illustrates:

A consummate love
B romantic love
C empty love
D infatuation
E liking or

F

no information in the reading passage

Pr n c t lc e Rc a d i n g Papers I 71

Wrile tlu: appropriat« /1'//<'1".1' A-F ill boxes /5-/9 Oil your £111.1'11'£'1" sheet.

Example AllslI'er: C
intimacy
j ~
#0 \
decision/ ~ • passion
commitment 15.

intimacy

j~

o

decision/ ~.i====~---====~. passion commitment

16.

intimacy

j~ ~

decision/ ~.-=====-----====~~ passion commitment

17. intimacy

j~

# 0 \

decision/ .. passion

commitment

72

I II~LTS to Su e c c s s

18.

intimacy

j~

o

decision/ ~ .. i====:----====~ passion commitment

19.

intimacy

decision/ ~~====-----:::===~~ passion commitment

Questioll.' 20-!5

/11 N"tldillg Passage 2, Lee (/973) divides /01'{' into six distinct styles. Each of the comments below call be (I(/rihilled 10 " person with one (if those stvlcs. Classify the comments as typical of'

A agape
B eros
C ludus
D mama
E pragma
F storge Write the appropriate letters A-F ill boxes 20-25 Oil YOllr answer sheet.

Example

'I would rather suffer myself than let my partner suffer.'

Answer: A

20.

'Our relationship is satisfying because it developed from a deep friendship.'

21. '1 can't relax if I suspect my partner is with somebody else. I want him/her all to myself.'

22.

'When I chose my partner, I considered how he/she would affect my career ambitions.'

'My partner looks just like the kind of person I've always wanted to be with. I was attracted to him! her as soon as we met.'

2-l.

'I wouldn't hesitate to give everything I own to my partner if he/she wanted it.'

25.

'I like to keep my partner guessing if I really love him/her.'

QllesliollS 26-28

COIIII'/CI(' III,' .\('111('11('('.1' below with I\'(I/'{/.I taken FOJII Reading Passage 2. Use NO MORE THAN TWO II'OR[)S [en: each (//1.\11'('1: Wrill' rOI(/' (//ISlI'l'l'.I ill boxes 26-28 011 your £IIISII'er sheet.

26. If adult-. consistently withdraw Irorn contact with an infant. the likely result will be a(n) _

attachment style.

Adults with uuachmcnt styles tend to wish for more closeness from their partners than

they arc getting.

28.

Dependence on others may present a problem for people with attachment styles.

Pr a c t i c c Reading Papers

I

73

HEADING PASSAGE 3

1'011 should spend about 20 III ill II It's Oil Questions 29-42 which are based 011 Reading PassageJ.----··-· ... - Quesuon» 29-33

Reading Passage 3 has 6 paragraphs.

Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs B-F [rom the list of headings below. Wrile the appropriate numbers (i-ix) ill boxes 29-33 Oil your answer sheet.

NB: There are more headings than paragraphs so )'lJlI WI'II,I()I lise all of 1/11'111. v

o aJII lIlay use allY of the

headings more 1111111 Ollce,

List of headings

(i) Responsibilities of responding police officers (ii) Perceived advantages of rapid response

(iii) Police response to public satisfaction

(iv) Communicating response time to people requesting help

(v) When rapid response is and is not necessary

(vi) Role of technology in improving police response

(vii) Response time and success of response

(viii) Public demand for catching criminals

(ix) Obstacles to quickly contacting the police

Example
Paragraph A Allswer: vi
29, Paragraph B
30, Paragraph C
31. Paragraph 0
32, Paragraph E
33. Paragraph F
74 I IE LTS to Su e c c s s /

Rapid Police Response

A Police departments in the United States and Canada see it as central to their role that they respond to c;llIs for help as quickly as possible, This ability to react fast has been greatly improved with the aid of technology, The telephone and police radio, already long in use, assist greatly in the reduction of police response time, In more recent times there has been the introduction of the '911' emergency system, which allows the public easier and faster contact with police, and the use of police computer systems, which assist police in planning patrols and assigning emergency requests to the police officers nearest to the scene of the emergency,

B An important part of police strategy, rapid police response is seen by police officers and the public alike as offering tremendous benefits. The more obvious ones are the ability of police to apply first-aid lifesaving techniques quickly and the greater likelihood of arresting people who may have participated in a crime, It aids in identifying those who witnessed an emergency or crime, as well as in collecting evidence, The overall reputation of a police department, too. is enhanced if rapid response is consistent, and this in itself promotes the prevention of crime. Needless to say, rapid response offers the public some degree of satisfaction in its police force,

C While these may be the desired consequences of rapid police response, actual research has not shown it to be quite so beneficial. For example, it has been demonstrated that rapid response leads to a greater.likelihood of arrest only if responses are in the order of 1-2 minutes after a call is received by the police, When response times increase to 3-4 minutes - still quite a rapid response - the likelihood of an arrest is substantially reduced. Similarly. in identifying witnesses to emergencies or crimes, police are far more likely to be successful if they arrive at the scene no more than four minutes, on average. after receiving a call for help, Yet both police officers and the public define 'rapid response' as responding up to 10-12 minutes after calling the police for help.

D Should police assume all the responsibility for ensuring a rapid response'? Studies have shown that people tend to delay after an incident occurs before contacting the police, A crime victim may be injured and thus unable to call for help. for example. or no telephone may he available at the scene of the incident. Often, however. there is no such physical barrier to calling the police, Indeed. it is vcry common for crime victims to call their parents, their minister, or even their insurance company lirst. When the police arc linally called in such cases. the effectiveness of even the most rapid of responses is greatly diminished.

(<'OlItilllled)

. ,

.

~--~~ ,;,;.,;' .

Pr a c t i c e J{l:ading Papers I 76

E The effectiveness of rapid response also needs 10 he seen in light of the nature of the crime. For example, when someone rings the police alter discovering their television set has been stolen from Iheir home, there is lillie point, in terms of identifying those responsible for the crime, in ensuring a very rapid response. It is common in such burglary or theft cases that the victim discovers the crime hours, days, even weeks .. Iter il h a s occurred. When the victim is directly involved in the crime, however, as in the case of a robbery, rapid response, provided the victim w a s quickly a ble to contact the police, is more likely to he advantageous. Based on stalistics comparing crimes that arc discovered and those in which the victim is directly involved, Spelman and Brown (llJX I) suggest that three in four calls to police need not be met with rapid response.

F It becomes dear that the importance of response time in collecting evidence or catching criminals after a crime must be weighed against a variety of factors. Yet because police department officials assume the public strongly demands rapid response, they believe that every call to the police should be met with it. Studies have shown, however, that while the .puhlic wants quick response, more important is the informal ion given by the police to the person asking for help. If a caller is told the police will arrive in five minutes but in fact il takes ten minutes or more, waiting the extra time can be extremely frustrating. But if a caller is told he or she will have 10 wait 10 minutes and the police indeed arrive within that time, the caller is normally satisfied. Thus, rather than emphasising rapid response, the focus of energies should be on establishing realistic expectations in the caller and making every attempt to meet them.

Questions 34 lind 35

Name the TWO LATEST technological developments that reduce police response lime. Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer; write the 111'0 developments separately ill boxes 34-35 on your (1/1.1'11'('1' .1'11('('1.

Questions 36-42

Do the [ollowlng slal(,III('II/.\· refire: the claims o] the writer ill Rmding I'lIS.",,I;(' 3? III bovcs 3()-42 write:

YES

NO NOTC/VEN

if the statement reflects the writer l' claims if the statement contradicts the writer

if there is 110 information about this in lire passage

36. 37.

Police believe there is a better chance of finding witnesses to a crime if response is rapid.

A response delay of 1-2 minutes may have substantial influence on whether or not a suspected criminal is caught.

38.

The public and the police generally agree on the amount of time normally taken for a rapid response.

39. 40. 41. 42.

Physical barriers arc the greatest cause of delay in contacting police.

Rapid response is considered desirable in handling cases of burglary,

Research shows that some 75% of crimes are discovered by victims after they have been committed.

Police departments are usually successful in providing a rapid response regardless of the circumstances of the crime or emergency

76 I

IELTS to Succcss

Pructiee J'e(ldiJl~ tests - Paper 2

Practice IELTS Reading Subtest

Academic Module

PAPER TWO

TIME ALLOWED:

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:

1 hour 37

Instructions

WRITE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET

The lest is in 3 sections:

Reading Passage

Questions 1-10

Reading Passage 2

Questions I 1-22

Questions 23-37

Reading Passage 3

'. arc havin trouble with a question, skip it and return to

Remember 10 answer all rhe questions. If you arc g

it later,

Pr a c t i c c Reading Papers

I 77

READING PASSAGE I

Y(l1I should spend about 20 minutes (III Questions /-/0 wlucli lire based Oil Reading Passag« I.

High School Students in Part-time Employment: What Effect on Scholastic Performance?

Educators ill tl~e Uniu-d States h.rv« IOllg argued about the effects of part-tune work Oil t hc academic pcrforurance of high school students, Though llIallY studies claim that there is a relationship between a studt'llt's grade point an.'rage (CPA) - the stalldard measure of academic performance ill high schools and universities ill the US - and the 11 11111 her of hours the student is employed, there svcms little agrecmcnt on what that rel.uionship is,

Several studies (Slleider, I !JH~; \\'all;.(,l", I !JHH; johnsou & Payne, I !JH!J) suggest that studellts who work after school do better in their school work than students who do not have a job. Peel and Maas (19~JO), meanwh ilc, suggest that students with part-time jobs gener;llIy do worse in school than their c1asslllates who do not work at all, Still other research claims the amount of hours worked outside school hours is of very minor impnrtance: much ruorc important in influencing a student's performance in school arc the student's study habits and home life (Alvarez, 19H7),

Of seven major studies on high school students in employment reviewed hy lljarnes and Doi (19!JO), four stndies specifically investigated the relationship between scholastic achievement and part-time work. Of these, two concluded that students who work beyond a certain amount of hours per week tend to have generally lower GrAs (Walston & Yin, I!J!JO; Corhelli, I!lH!). These two studies noted the positive correlation between the number of hours worked and improved academic achievcmcru whe n work hours arc no more than about 12 per week. However, when employment took up 20 hours or more of a student's week, a negative correlation became evident: CI'As decreased as job hours grew.

78

I IELTS to Su e c c s s

III a mor« recent investigation, Krunjic (1!J~J!i) surveyed some 1000 students each in grades 10, II and 12. (Students in these grades were chosen because they arc more likely to have jobs than students in other grades.) The students were from six high schools of different size in southern California. Two of the high schools were located in rural areas, two in large cities and two in suburban areas. Students were asked to fill out questionnaires about their CPA and the hours they worked.

Souu- of the results of Krulljic's sllrvey art' illustrated ill the figures hcIow. Krunjir found that beyond approximately !i hours per week, the mort' hours a st udr n t worked, the lower was his or her CPA (figllre I). This rel.uiouship lx-twern CPA and work appeared to he strollgn the lower the grade level (figlll'e 2). Comparillg academic pcrfi)rmall('t' and geographic loc.u inu , Krlllljic louur] that the (;I'As of hOlh rural .uid nrl mn students '\'t'It' less iuf hu-nrr-d hy how mallY hours worked th.ui wert' those of suhurb.m xt urh-utx.

Krunji« also looked at difft-rl'IlCt·s IWII\'Cl'1l males and f't-Illalt's. 1-:'1"011 uumln-rs "I' high school girls and boys Wt'rt' injobs, hUI ill johs of fewer hours, girls ouuuuube n-d ho\·s .. \s Ihl' number of hours at work incrt'asnl, t lu-rr- \LlS a greater number of bovs and a xmulh-r uumlx-r ,)f girls (figure el).

Kruujic concluded from Iht' survt'y d.u.i t h.u while both his and some e.ulu-r studies sh"wt'd an increase in hours worked hrings a de<Teast' in CPA, the decrease is not se-rious t'nollgh to W<>lT\' educators greatly. Krunjic hOt's Oil to sllggcst. however, that schools and hoards of t'dllcalioll become well acquainted with Ihis rl'laliollship lx-Iore decidillg whe-ther or hy how IIIUlh 10 lilllil the number of hours StWIt-II" (;111 Wol k.

82.5

80.0

GPA

77.5

75.0 h--r-r-.--.-,-,--,..-,-r-r.-,-,--,-,r-r-r-.--,-,-,--,..-,--,

o

2

12

18

20

24

22

14

16

6

8

10

Hours worked

Figure 1: Average GPA and hours worked, all students

82.5

.. - ....

Grade 12 Grade 11 Grode 10

GPA

80.0

""-------""

, , ,

,

, , , ,

77.5

-- .. _

----

o

2

14

18

24

20

22

10

12

16

6

Hours worked

Figure 2: Average GPA and hours worked, by grade level

100

D Female students. D Mole students

80

60

40

20 OLDI :, ~)
J!
0 1-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-~4 25-29 Hours worked per week

Figure 3: High school girls and boys in employmenl

Pra c t i c c Ih:adiJlJ.! Papers

I

79

Qurstinu« 1-1

1111' paragraph bc/(II1' is II partial suuunurv (If Rcadin, P " 1 C I

r. ." II.I.\{/~e . (11111' I'll' the 1'11111111 " I I .

III1J11'l'rSjl'Olll the list b"'(II1' IIl1d writin ' 1/' . I .,' ' . III) 'Y C lOO.I'llIg your

,~ 111/1 III )(I.les 1-1 (III your answer sheet,

N.H. There lire 11101'1' choices than spaces .1'0 you will 1101 lise them {III.

1/111/1 once. Ytm IIIl1y lise anv of tlu: choices 1/101'1'

Research into the effects of part-time work I' I

. . '01 on llg 1 school students' . d . . . ,

variety of conclusions. According to '" (Exa I) s aC,1 erruc performance has produced a

. IIIp e .,., we can ex pect st d ..

III school than students not working at . II I .• .• . . u ents With Jobs to perform better

,I . nuceu. ... (I). believers) that tl I

better the scholastic performance of the ,t de I .' . "I ie more lours worked, the

x u cnt, though this correlation drops fT ...

than a dozen hours a week (2) f A • 0 once a student works more

. . . . . .. ounu much the s'lme results b t h .

dropped off with even fewer hours per W' .k B . '11 ., . s u t at the Improvement in GPA

. ecx. ut su other researchers such, (3) .

amount of employment hours, howcve f' " ' . ,IS. . . . .. , believe that no

er ew or many, Improves academic I' ..' .

(4) ... , factors other than working hours h: a f ' pcr ormance. And according to . , .

, ave a ar greater Influence on GPA.

I Example ails weI': D

A Alvarez (1987)
II Bjarncs & Doi (1990)
C Corbelli (f 989)
D Johnson & Payne ( 1989)
E Krunjic ( 1995)
F Peel & Maas (1990) Questions 5-8

Complele the sentences be/ow with NUIIJBE'RS' I. .

5 8 taken from Readinv PI" , 1 .".

- all your {Il1,flVer shea ' 0 assuge ,rYl"/le vour 1111.1'11'1'1'.1 ill boxes

The following statements all refer to the research of Krunjic (1995),

5, Overall, students in Grade

'I ' ---- were the least likely to suff .1"

Will mcreasing work hours. rcr poor ucauenuc performance

6.

Grade d

stu ents working 4-5 hours pe k : hi .

dents in other grades. r wee ac ieved a higher average GPA than stu-

7, 8.

Girls were more likely than boys to work in jobs of up to hours.

Boys were as likely as girls to work in jobs of _

hours.

lEtTS to Success

80 I

Qllt'IliOIl <)

COlllp/de the [allowing s,'III,'II(,(' with NO !IIORE THAN TWO WORDS taken from Reading Passage I. \l'rill' YOllr WIS"'I'/' ill box <) VII YOllr alls,,'er sheet.

9.

According to Krunjic (1995). having a part-time job is most likely to affect students in high schools

located in _

QIIl'stioll /0

Choose Ihl' appropriate letter A-D 11111/ write it ill box 10 Oil YOllr III1SWer sheet.

10. Krunjic (1995) believes that school officials ...

A need not take seriously the results of his research.

II worry about the relationship between GPA and part-time work.

C should limit the number of hours students can work.

D

need to understand the relationship between GPA and part-time work.

READING PASSAGE 2

IIJII lire 11I{"iIed 10 spend about 20 III ill Illes 011 Questions 11-22 wliic}: are based 011 Reading Passage 2.

Fish Oil

Much has been made of the benefits of oil derived from fish. It is claimed that people with a diet rich in fish oil have a greatly reduced chance of heart disease and arteriosclerosis. In addition, it has been shown conclusively that people suffering from elevated blood lipids react positively to treatment

using fish oils.

The advantages of fish oil became apparent after studies some two decades ago of the diet of the Inuit, or Eskimo, populations of Creenland. It was found that the Inuit, with their traditional diet of seal, whale and Arctic fish - a diet very high in fat - suffered practically no heart disease, had near zero incidence of diabetes, and enjoyed a comparatively low rate of rheumatoid arthritis. (Interestingly, incidence of cancer, equal to that found in most other parts of the world, appeared unaffected by the traditional Inuit diet.)

Until the work of Dyberg and Bang in the 19705, little attention was paid to the implications of a fish-rich diet, despite a centuries-old knowledge of Inuit customs. The two researchers noted that in one community of 1800 people there were only three heart attack deaths between 1950 and 1974. To understand why, they examined the Inuits' blood lipids and diet. Omega-3 fatty acids featured strongly ill the bloodstream of the research subjects, directly attributable to diet.

111 order to rule out genetic or racial factors from their findings, Dyberg and Bang went on to compare the Greenland Inuit communities with those Inuit residing in Denmark who consumed a diet almost identical to that of the Danes. The Inuit in Denmark, particularly those who had been there for longer (continued)

Pr a c t i c c Rcu d l n g Papers

I 81

periods, were shown to have higher blood cholesterol levels and significantly higher serum triglyceride levels than their Greenland counterparts. In tact, the levels of the Westernised Inuits matched those of the Danes themselves, who consume mainly meat, milk products and eggs. As would be expected, levels of heart disease and arteriosclerosis of the Inuit well-established in Denmark were far closer to those of the Danes than those of the Greenland Inuit. The findings, according to the researchers, indicated an Omega-3 deficiency in the Danish diet compared to the Greenland diet.

Similar findings come from Japan. A comparison of the diets of farmers and fishermen, together with an examination of health records and death rates of the two groups, has shown a link between the health of the human heart and fish oil. Whereas the average Japanese farmer has 90 grams of fish a day, the average fisherman has 250 grams. In all other respects, their diets are similar. Correspondingly, fishermen have lower blood pressure and smaller rates of heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. This compares to the 20 grams eaten daily by the average person in the US, where rates of heart disease and arteriosclerosis are five to seven times higher than in Japan.

Its high Omega-3 content and easy digestibility make fish oil particularly useful in the treatment of hyperlipidaemic patients. Studies have shown an inverse relationship between dosage of salmon oil and plasma triglyceride concentrations. Specifically, it has been found that the consumption of three grams of salmon oil per day by such patients reduces their plasma triglyceride levels some 32 per cent. For patients given six grams, the levels fall by 41 per cent, and for those taking nine grams, concentrations dropped an average of 52 per cent.

Table 1, below, gives the Omega-3 contents of several fish varieties as compared to a selection of vegetable-based oils and butterfat.

Table I: Omcga-3 fatty acid content of selected fish and vegetable oils and butterfat

Oil source Proportion Omega-3 ratty
acids in oil (%)
Salmon 60
Mackerel 62
Tuna 58
Anchovy 71
Linseed 49
Soybean 7
Olive I
Peanut 0
Butterfat 2.5 Questions 11-15

Using the in/ormation in Reading Passage 2, indicate the relationship between the tll·O items given [or each question II-IS Oil page 83 by marking 011 your 1I11SWer sheet:

PC if there is a positive correlation

NC if there is a negative correlation

LIN if there is little or no correlation

NI if there is no information

82 I

fELTS to Su e c c s s

. . .. (PC' NC' UN or NJ) ill boxes /1-150/1 your answer sheet.

\l'me rOllr (//I.\II'el.\ , , ,

proportion of heart disease among NC
Greenland Inuit Answer:
Example traditional foods
in diet
II. proportion of incidence of cancer
traditional foods in among Greenland
diet Inuit
12. Inuits' length of stay serum triglyceride
in Denmark levels
13. amount of meat consumption of
consumed Omega-3 fatty acids
14. 'Westernisution' of consumption of
Inuit diet Omega-3 fatty acids
15. daily salmon dosage plasma triglyceride
levels Questions 16-22

. . .. R I· Pass 2? III bores 16-22 Oil YOllr

Do the [allowing statements reflect the claims oj the writer III eaatng assage c . .

IIIISII·"" sheet, write:

YES

NO NOTCIVEN

if the statement reflects the writer's claims if the statement contradicts the writer

if there is 110 information about this ill the pllssage

16.

Diabetes is rare among the Greenland Inuit.

The Greenland Inuits' rheumatoid arthritis levels are the lowest in the world.

Lillie was known about Inuit life in Greenland before the work of Dyberg and Bang. Blood cholesterol levels of the Denmark Inuit were lower than those of the Danes.

. di f Dvberu : d B· ng with regard to the effects of

Research in Japan generally supports the fin mgs 0 y erg an a

fish oil.

17.

19.

20.

21.

. ·1 ts f Om egu 3 fatty acids

Greenland Inuit and Japanese fishermcn consume Sll11l ar urnoun S 0 e - .

Anchovy oil contains about ten times the proportion of Omega-S fatty acids contained in an equal measure of soybean oil.

22.

Practice Rc n d i njl Papers

! SJ

READING PASSAGE 3

),1/1 .,II01d" SI'I'I11/0i>OIlI 211 minutes Oil Questions 21-37 '/"1 I· .

" II 11< lore )a.ll'd Oil Reading Passage 3.

QIII'.I/ioll., 23-2H

Reading Passage ."\ has 7 sections.

CiIll(JJI' IIII' most suitable headings {or section» B-G r; 1 I' ,rl .

I ' . (. . .." JIOIIl Ill' lsi OJ ieadines bI'/OII'. IVrile II .

1111111 iers I-X) III boxes 23·-2H Oil your (1/1.111'1'/' sheet. o Ie appropriate

NB: There are niorc headings thun sections ,\'(J YOII will 1101 lise all or them

more than Ollce, ~ . YOII lIlay lise anv of the headings

List of headings

(i) B .

cnctus of bicycle use: one country's experience

(ii) Situations that best lit bicycle use

(iii) Factors working against NMV use

(iv) The JisaJvantages of cycle rickshaw use

(v) The continuing importance of NMVs in Asia (vi) Subsidising public transport usc in China (vii) Appropriate usc of cycle rickshaws

(viii) Use of NMVs to reduce motorisation in Europe (ix) The role of policy in promoting bicycle usc

(x) Integrated approach to urban transport

Example
Section A A1lswer: v
23. Section B
24. Section C
25. Section D
26. Section E
27. Section F
28. Section G
84 I IELTS to Success Non-motorised Vehicles in Asia

~

Non-motoriscJ vehicles lNMVs). which include bicycles,

cycle rickshaws and carts. continue to playa vital role in urban transport in much of Asia. NMVs account for 25 to 80 per cent of vehicle trips in many Asian cities, more than anywhere else in the world. Ownership of all vehicles, including NMVs. is growing rapidly throughout Asia as incomes increase.

Section B However. the future of NMVs in many Asian cities is threatened by growing motorisation, loss of street space for safe NMV use, and changes in urban form prompted by motorisation. Transport planning and investment in 1110st of Asia has focused principally on the

Illotorised transport sector and has often Cycle rickshaw

ignored the needs of non-motorised transport.

Without changes in policy. NMV usc may decline precipitously in the coming decade, with highly negative effects on air pollution. traffic congestion. global warming. energy use, urban sprawl, and the employment and mobility of low income people.

Section C

As cities in Japan, the Netherlands, Germany and several other European nations demonstrate. the modernisation of urban transport does not require total rnotorisution. but rather the appropriate integration of walking, NMV modes. and motoriscd transport. As in European and Japanese cities. where a major share of trips are made by walking and cycling. NMVs have an important role to play in urban transport systems throughout Asia in corning decades.

Section D

Transport investment and policy arc the primary factors that influence NMV usc and can have an effect on the pace and level of motorisution. For example. Japan has witnessed major growth of bicycle use despite increased motorisation. through programs providing extensive bicycle paths. bicycle parking at rail stations, and high fees for motor vehicle usc. Denmark and the Netherlands have reversed the decline of bicycle use through similar policies.

Section E

China has for several decades offered commuter subsidies for those people bicycling to work, cultivated a domestic bicycle manufacturing industry, and allocated extensive urban street space to NMV traffic. This strategy reduced the growth of public transport subsidies while meeting most mobility needs. Bicycles have largely replaced buses as the principal means of urban vehicular transport in Tianjin, Buses are generally slower for the same trip made by bicycle. Today, 50 to 80 per cent of urban vehicle trips in China are by bicycle and average journey times in China's cities appear to be comparable to those of many other more ruoioriscd Asian cities. with much more favourable consequences on the environment, petroleum dependency. transport system costs. and traffic safety.

SectionJ:

Bicycles should he encouraged as the most efficient transport mode for short trips in cities of all types, particularly for trip, tou loug for walking and too short for express public transport services or where travel demand or cconomicx do not permit high frequency public transport services. Bicycles are most important for personal transport. but also uccommod.uc light goods, being capable of carrying 10aJs of 100-180 kilograms.

(coll/inlled)

Pr a c t i e c Reading Papers

I 85

Section G

Cycle rickshaws are not as efticient as bicycles for personal transport, but should be encouraged as a complementary mode to rnotorised goods transport and as a passenger transit mode, particularly in countries where low wages and surplus labour are substantial features of the economy. Where they are in use. they should be accepted as a useful part of the transportation system rather than as a nuisance or a barrier to transport system modernisation. Even in high-income. motor-vehicle dependent cities. there are opportunities for appropriate use of cycle rickshaws for short-distance movement of persons and goods and as the basis for small businesses providing goods and services at dispersed locations. They find greatest utility where slow modes of transport arc allocated road space separate from motorised traffic. in neighbourhoods where the majority of people go from one place to another on foot or in central areas with slow traffic speeds. in large factories and shopping districts. and areas where private automobiles are restricted.

Questions 2CJ-3Z

In Reading Passage 3. the author mentions several ways in which bicycle use in cities is encouraged.

From the list below, identify FOUR such II'(/YS. Write the appropriate letters A-G ill boxes 2CJ-32 011 your all.n!'er sheet.

A establishing routes especially for bicycles

B removing buses from streets

C restricting parts of road from motorised traffic

D

educating public about environmental effects of motor vehicle use

E

encouraging public transport users to bicycle to train stations

F reducing bicycle manufacturing costs

G making motor vehicle usc more expensive

Questions 33-37

Complete thr notes below. Use NO MORE THAN TWO \vORDS from the pussag« jill' each ans .... cr: Write your 1II1.lwen ill boxes 33-37 oil your answer shret,

CYCLE RICKSHAWS

• best in economies with ... (33) ... & ... (34) ...

• best for:

- transporting people and goods short distances

- helping ... (35) ... make widely separated deliveries

• best where:

- rnotorised and non-rnotorised traffic are separate

- most people travel ... (36) '"

- traffic is kept slow

- there are large factories

- there are shopping centres

- limited use of ... (37) ...

86 I ncr.rs to SIIl'CC"

Practice rctulint; tests - Paper .1

Practice IELTS Reading Subtest

Academic Module

PAPER THREE

TIME ALLOWED:

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:

1 hour 41

Instructions

Questions 1-13

WRITE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET

Remember to answer all the questions. If you arc having trouble with a question. skip it and return to it later.

Questions 14-28

Questions 29-41

The test is in 3 sections:

Reading Passage

Reading Passage 2

Reading Passage 3

Practice Rc""ill~ Pu p e r s I! 81

READING PASSAGE I

}{J/I lift' advised 10 spend about /5 minutes Oil Qllestions /-/3 which are based (1/1 Rem/ill!; Passage I,

Building houses out of earth

On en'ry continent, one can lind houses or otlu-r huildings made of t lu: day-hearing soib dug up from the ground. In somr- places, earth building tecilllOlogies have lxrn arr n mr] "II' a very long time. In the southwestern United States, "'1' example, American Indian tribes such as the Pueblo people have been huilding earth houses and other earth structures for thousands of years. And in China's Xin.iiang Province, archaeologists have found entire earth villages dating back over 2500 years. While huilding houses out of earth is certainly not new, 'it has never been very common because of the preference "'1' other materials.

In sume parts of the world, however, there has been renewer! growth in the popularity of earth building. Two such places are Australia and New Zealand, where the practice did not exist until the relatively recent arrival of European settlers, It is estimated that there arc now over 2100 houses made of earth in Ausualia, and :15% of them were built within the past (,,"cadI', An equal proportion of the 550 earthen structures in New Zealand were built in the last liv« years. This trend appears to reflect growing earth construction ill North America and Western Europe.

Why the renewed interest in earth building? The bnilding material itself is probably the reason. Earth is available virtually anywhere, literally under our feet. And unlike many other building materials that typically require trcauuent with chemical preservatives, earth is non-toxic. This cannot be said for commercially sold timber and brick products.

Another well-known characteristic of earth houses is their passive solar capacity - their ability to retain warmth in the winter and keep cool in the summer without the need ".r dedicated solar panels, plumbing or fossil fuel energy sources. This comes entirely from the

88

I IELTS to Su c c e ss

effective way in which the earthen walls act to store heat.

Some people claim that earth buildings are cheaper to build than conventional brir k or wooden houses, the two most common types in Australia and New Zealand. This appears to be true, according to data from the New l.ml!ll/(I Construrtion Q_lIl1l"tnZ)'. Assuming walls make up 15% of the cost of building a house, then the usc of earthen walls would bring a total saving of 10% over timber frame construction and 38% over brick,

But perhaps most attractive of all is the unique atmosphere provided by earth houses, with their natural colours, their acoustic properties and thick, solid walls.

Not all earth building is done the same wa)', The technologies user! vary from rl'g-ioll to reg-ion, depending Oil t lu- types of ("art h av.ulahl« and local bllilding uadirious. They ar(" also undergoing constant study and imprO\'l'lnclll, with a view to bettering resistance to c.urhquakc-s and weather.

In New Zealand, stahilisers such as cement, sand, straw, even cow dung-, have lx-c-u found to make a stronger and longer-laslillg material when added to earth. The duwnsidc of using particularly effective stabilisers like cement is that they can be expensive and thcir mauufacture may create much pollution. Thus their usc should be kept to a minimum.

Those who choose to build with earth should also be careful about using paints or other coatings on the surface of the earth walls. Some coatings have the effect of preventing- the walls from 'breathing'. When this happens any wau-r that gets absorbed into the walls may not have a way of escaping and so gets trapped, This may lead to cracks or other signs of early deterioration of the earthen material.

Qllt'.Hioll /

. (D) d,'I'I' box / 011 )'our answer sheet.

Choose thr appropriate letter A- (III a n e I III. .

I.

In 'Building houses out of earth', the writer's main aim is to ...

A

provide an overview of earth building.

B

promote the building of earth houses.

C review the history of earth building.

D examine the variety of earth buildings.

Qllesliolls 2 and 3

Name TWO places where earth building practices have existed for a long time,

2.

Wrile the nantes of the places ill box 2 011 YOllr answer sheet.

3,

Name THREE places where earth building is becoming more popular.

II'rile the names of the places ill box 3 011 ),ollr answer sheet.

Questions 4-7

. I h . me people prefer earth houses,

In 'Building houses out of earth', the writer mcnuons severa .reasons w y so

Read the list of reasons below and choose FOUR that are relerred to III the passage.

Wrile your answers ill boxes 4-7 011 your !l/ll"ll'er sheet.

A cost of construction
B resistance to earthquakes
C stability of earth
D heat storage capacity
E availability of materials
F construction technology
G appearance and character Practice l{eadil1~ Papers I 89

iuestions 8-11

I,illg " NUMIJER or NO MORE TUAN TllREE WORDS. {II'SII'c'r th" j{>llowillg questions. Write YOllr mll'en ill boxr» Ii-II 011 your {IIISII'"r sheet.

8. What percentage of earth buildings in New Zealand were constructed in the past 5 years?

'I. Name ONE building material rhut contains chemical preservatives.

o. Name the feature of earth houses that enables them to keep temperatures low in summer.

I. Name TWO substances that can lengthen the life of earth as a building material.

'jllestio/lS 12 and 13

Complete the flolV chart be/ow. Choose ONE or TlVO wordsfrom the passage Jor each {IIISII'er.

Write your WISI,'NS ill boxes 12-13 Oil your answer sheet.

water absorbed into earth walls

HEADING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 25 minutes 011 Questions 14-28 which lire based Oil Readini; Passug« 2.

Book-carrying behaviour

Psychologists have long observed that women and men perform certain physical actions in differt'nt ways. One such action is the carrying of books. Howard and White (1966) maintain that there is ,1 'masculine' style and a 'feminine' style of book-carrying and that one's sex determines which of these styles one will use.

In observations of over 3600 university students in North and South America, Howard and White re~ord~d five styles of book-carrying. These styles, labelled 'N, 'B', 'C, '0', and 'E', were then categorised II1tO two main types: Type I and Type II. Howard and White's categorisations are given in detail in the box on the next page.

90 I lELTS to SlII.!"I.!"

Type I

A. The books cover part of the front of the body. The books' short edges are parallel to the ground and rest against the body. One arm is wrapped around the books, with the elbow bent and the fingers wrapped around the books' long edges.

B. The same as A above, except both arms are wrapped around the books, which are usually more centred in front of the body.

Type II

C. The books are held at the side of the body and so do not cover any part of the front. The arms are kept straight and the books are held, in one hand, from above. The books' long edges are parallel to the ground.

D. As C above, but the books are held from below, with the fingers wrapped around the lower edges.

E. As 0 above, except the elbows are bent and the books are 'raised along the side of the body.

Other

Positions characteristic of neither Type I nor Type II.

Howard and White's findings were that men and women differ markedly in the way they carry books. They reported thilt some 82% of females use Type I methods, while 16% use Type II. For men, Type II methods were used by 9b'}\, whereas only 3% .used the 'feminine' style.

A smaller study in the UK by Haldern and Matthews (1969) confirmed the distinction in book-carrying styles, and went on to explain this difference in terms of male and female body shape and strength. The researchers claimed morpho-anatomical features, such as hip and shoulder width, as well as the strength of the fingers and hands, were the main determinants of carrying styles for males and females.

Subsequent rese.irch into the relationship of .lge to carrying behaviour (Namimitsu & Matthews, 1971) IOLlI1d th.u there \V,IS little or no difll'rl'nee between the sexes among kindergarten children, and that ,1 large major itv of children of either SPX carried books in the manner of Type II. Wilson (1972) found th,lt by primary school, clijfl'renel's lll'g,lIl to emerge along the lines of Howard and White's 'feminine' ,md 'masruline' styles - th.it is. girls' c,urying positions beg.in to diverge from boys'. Children in the 14-1 b age group were found to displ,IY the gre,ltest diffl'rencl' in book-carrying behaviour. with some 'J1 '!!" of girls using Type l mcthods IAgfitL. I ,)72.1). In his review of the researrh done up to that time, Wi Ison 11 <)76) stressed th.tt in ,III till' studies into deve-lopmental aspects of the behaviour, male (ilrrying behaviour remained broadly consi,tent throughout the age groups, including the university students who were the subjects of Howard and White's 11 <)(,(,) study. Studies of older adult age groups showed ,1 dl'Ul',lsing, yet enduring, g,lp in stvlcs .1S people aged. With increasing age, increasing numbers of women wvn- shown to abandon Ivpe I in favour of Type II IAgiitz, 1972b).

I ()(Iking ,It othe-r pmsii>le expl.in.uions for these differences, Agfitz (1973) offered the notion of social PIl'''Wl' ()II ( hilcln-u tll cnutorm to behaviours 'tvpical' of their sex. This is especially the case in the «()nl('xt ot ,,'( ond.irv school. where children are pressured by their fellow students to conform to lu-h.iviou», th.u Sll( il'ty (on,iders norm.il.

In th(, (',Illy I ')')0" this notion of book-carrying behaviour as gender-specific came under review. Villll'ri>('rg ,11)(1 Ihllu (1 'I') I), in m.rkiru; the first large-scale observational study since Howard and Whitl' t l'lllili. u nuul ui.u women of university ,lge and older were as likely to use Type II methods as I) P(' I. (>II'l'r\ Ing ,Ollll' .1750 university students and adult public-library users in Holland and

tcominued;

P r u c t i c c 1(I.!adilll! Pu p c r s I 91

Belgium, the researchers found that while 92°;;, of males exhibited Type II behaviour, only 52% of fenJ.lles used Type I methods. Some 47% carried books in the manner of Type II. Most interestingly, of this latter proportion, more than three-quarters used style T.

The notion of 'feminine' and 'masculine' book-carrying styles was suddenly thrown into doubt, as Chadamitsky (1993) and others argued that carrying behaviour could not be claimed to be genderspecific if females were not consistent in the styles they displayed. Male carrying behaviour, even in the Vilberberg and Zhou study, remained a virtual constant, and so could be labelled 'typical' for males. But because this style was well shared by females, it could not be called 'masculine'. (h,](lamitsky went on to argue that the original interpretation of Howard and White's (1966) studythat there were clear 'feminine' and 'masculine' styles - set the course of subsequent research in that direction. Future research, he argued, should look not at why females and males display different book-carrying behaviours, but why males are uniform and females are more apt to vary.

gender-specific: particular to either mates or females

Questions 14-17

Classify the following book-carrying styles as:

A Style 'N
B Style 'B'
e Style 'C'
D Style'D'
E Style 'E' OR

o Other

Write the appropriate letters A-O ill boxes 14-17 Oil YOllr WI.Hller sheet.

92 I IELT~ to Su c c c s s

16.

Questions 18-2-1

Be/OIl' is <I Ii.H of research conclusions mentioned ill Reading Passage 2. Indicate which researcheris] was! I .. ere responsible for each research conclusion by writing their NAMES AND PUBLICATION YEARS ill boxes 18-24 0/1 YOllr anSII'er sheet.

Research conclusions

Example

Types I and 11 can reasonably be labelled 'feminine' and 'masculine' behaviours, respectively. Answer: Howard and White (1966)

18.

The influence on children to fit into socially accepted roles may contribute to differences in carrying behaviour.

19.

Young teenage girls were most likely to use Type I methods.

20. 'Feminine' and 'masculine' carrying styles may be accounted for by anatomical differences in female and male bodies.

21. There is no consistent male-female difference in book-carrying behaviour in early childhood.

22. Males of all ages appear to be consistent in their carrying behaviour.

23. Close to half of women carry in such a way that books cover no part of the front of their body.

2-1.

Older women are less likely than younger women to display Type I methods,

Questions 25-28

Do the following statements reflect the claims IIf the writer ill Reading Passage 2> III boxes 25-28 write:

rES NO

NOT GIllEN

if the statement reflects the writer's claims if the .\'«IlemCIII contradicts the writer

if there is 110 information abOUI this ill the passage

25.

Re.scarchers in the 19905 suggested the notion that social, rather than physical, factors better explain differences in book-carrying style,

26,

In the Vilberberg and Zhou (1991) study, the majority of women using Type II methods used style ·E'.

27.

Vilbcrbcrg and Zhou's (1991) findings weaken Howard and White's (1966) conclusions about gender-specific book-carrying behaviour.

28.

Chadamitsky (1993) suggested that, in the future. research ought to be directed at why both male and female book-carrying behaviours vary.

Pra c r ic c Readill~ Papers I 93

I{EADING PASSAGE 3

YOIl are advised to spend about 2(} minutes Oil Questions 29-41 which lire based OIl Reading Passage 3.

Television News

Critics of television news often complain that news programs do not make enough of an effort to inform the viewer, that the explanations they give of events are too short, too simple, lacking depth, or misleading. Critics say that when a person wants to get a comprehensive report of an event, he or she must turn to a newspaper; television news offers only simplified stories rather than denser and more detailed accounts.

Television news, argue the critics, concentrates mostly on stories of visual interest such as transport disasters or wars, leaving important but visually uninteresting stories such as government budget and legislation stories with little or no coverage. This leads to the claim that the selection of stories to be presented on television news tends less toward information and more toward entertainment. Thus, television news, according to this view, presents an image of the world that is quite subjective.

The reporting of political stories on television in particular, is often criticised for failing to be either comprehensive or fair to the viewer. The main complaint is not that the news is politically biased, but that the limitations of the medium cause even important stories to be covered in as little as 60 seconds of broadcasting time. A politician is seen on the news to speak for between 10 and 30 seconds for· example, when in fact he or she may have been speaking for many times longer. Critics complain that viewers get used to seeing such abbreviated stories and thus become less inclined to watch longer, more thorough discussions of issues. Indeed, politicians, now long accustomed to speaking to television cameras, adjust their words to suit short news stories; because making long, elaborate arguments no longer works. Thus, television not only reports on politics, but has become a major influence on it.

94 I IELTS to Su c c e s s

Such views stand in contrast to those of US political scientist Ronald Butcher, who believes that television news is too complex and that it provides too much information. According to Butcher, the complexity of the presentation of television news programs prevents half of the audience from truly understanding many news stories. Moreover, it is assumed by news broadcasters that the viewer already knows much of the information that underlies particular stories. But this assumption, says Butcher, is inaccurate. The same can be said about how well viewers are able to interpret the importance of events.

Shoemaker and Lvov (1986) carried out research that showed that the ordinary television viewer 'fails to understand the main points in two-thirds of all major TV news stories'. Accounts of political events appear to offer the most difficulty for viewers because they make references to connected events and use terminology that only some people could readily comprehend. The researchers recommend that news programs make a greater effort to aid the viewer in understanding the events, no matter how many times the stories have been told before.

Regardless of how one feels about television news, research has left no doubt that it is the primary source of information for the vast majority of people in societies where television sets are widely available. In Australia, studies have shown that not only do most people get their news from television (see figure 1), but an increasing number of people regard television news as 'accurate and reliable'.

By what criteria, then, does the viewing public determine its level of confidence in television news?

In Australia, Johnson and Davis (1989) surveyed people's feelings about television news, as compared to newspapers and radio news. Although radio was believed by most people to be fastest in the delivery of the latest news, television news was rated first for such criteria as comprehensiveness of reporting and clarity of explanation. Similar research dating from 1966 put trust in newspapers ahead of television news for most of the same criteria.

The growing acceptance of television news as an information source that is reliable and

60
50
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-0 40
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c
.2
~
" 30
«
0
.,
CJ)
.E 20
c
.,
~
.,
Q..
10
0
1966 trustworthy is reflected in the declining sales of newspapers in most modern societies. In Australia, newspaper circulation had dropped to 400 per thousand of population by 1992 from 576 per thousand some 26 years earlier, when the first television broadcasts were made in that country. Similar effects have been felt in the United States, where marketing surveys have revealed that working women - an important demographic group - have overwhelmingly embraced television news and rarely seek information from newspapers.

• Rodio

• Television jlg Newspapers o Other

1979

1992

Yeo" surveyed

Figure 1: SUI"Vey question asked of Australian adults: 'What is your main source of news?' (Source: AdJournal Australia)

QIIt'S/ioIlS 29··3-/

Complct« the purtial SIC/III1ICII)" of 'Television Neil'S' below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS /i.",11 Readillg Passug« 3./fJl· each all.I'II'('/: Write your answers ill boxes 29-34 011 YOllr llllSII't'r sheet.

Critics of television news hclicve that newspapers are superior because they offer ... (29) ... versions of events. Indeed. news stories that cannot be presented in a ... (30) ... way are largely ignored by television news. which (ocuscs primarily on events that have ... (31) .... However, research clearly shows that the public i, turning incrcusingty to television as an information source, and that more people believe it offers bcuer coverage or events in terms or such factors as ... (32) ... and ... (33) .... Indeed, one significant ,egment or the population moving away from printed news and toward televised news is ... (34) ....

Pr a c t i c c Rcading Pu p e r s I 96

'Television Nell',' discusses srveral wavs ill which the TV viewer relates to llell'S broadcasts. Decide which o] the people (A, B or C) holt! the I'iell's expressed below.

A

Ronald Butcher

U Shoemaker and Lvov

c

television news critics

Write your answers ill boxes 35-38 Oil your all.lwer sheet.

Example

The viewer is presented with too much information, Answer: A

35. The viewer is unlikely to seek comprehensive political coverage.

36.

The viewer is often unfamiliar with the background of certain news stories.

37.

The viewer may not understand stories because of unfamiliar political vocabulary.

38. A story about a motor vehicle accident is more likely to be shown on television news than a story about the passing of a new law.

Questions 39-41

Complete the sentences below with words taken from Reading Passage 3. Use NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each lIllswer. Write your answers ill boxes 39-41 Oil your (l1l.lwer sheet.

39.

The influence of television news has changed the way express themselves.

40.

Australians rely on for the most up-to-date news.

41.

The proportion of Australians who considered their main source of news dropped by

more than hal f from 1966 to 1992.

96 I II~LTS to SIICCCSS

Pract icc read in (;

, ...

tests - Paper -I

Practice IELTS Reading Subtest

Academic Module

PAPER FOUR"

TIME ALLOWED:

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:

1 hour 42

Instructions

Questions 1-12

WRITE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET

Remember to answer all the questions. If you are having trouble with a question. skip it and return to it later.

Questions 13-28

Questions 29-42

The test is in J sections:

Reading Passage

Reading Passage 3

lra c r l c c Rc a d i nj, Pa p c r s I 97

READING PASSAGE I

YIIU lire advised 10 spend about 15 minutes Oil Questions 1-12 .. -hich lire based Oil Retitling Passage I.

Of Ducks and Duck Eggs

For people who like to keep poultry, ducks offer certain advantages over hens. Ducks are. immune to some common diseases found in hens and are less vulnerable to others. Some breeds of duck produce bigger eggs than hens. In addition, ducks lay eggs over a longer season than do hens.

Poultry keepers with gardens have less to worry about if they keep ducks rather than hens because the former are less apt to dig up plants and destroy roots. While both hens and ducks benefit the garden by eating pests, hens are known to damage herb and grass beds. Ducks, on the other hand, will search for insects and snails more carefully. Only very delicate plants are at risk from the broad, webbed feet of ducks.

Like all waterbirds, ducks need access to water, and duck keepers typically provide this by building a pond. Something this large is not absolutely necessary, however; ducks need only to be able to dip their heads in the water to keep their nostrils

dean. If a pond is provided, though, it is important to keep ducklings away from it until they are old enough to withstand the cool temperature of the water - about eight weeks.

When keeping ducks, one has 10 consider just how many the land will support. Generally the rule is 100 ducks per half hectare. If more than this proportion is introduced, there is a risk of compacting the soil, which can lead to muddy conditions for long periods as the rain is not easily absorbed into the ground.

While ducks offer many advantages over hens, they must be given a greater quantity of food, especially if regular eggs are desired. An adult duck will eat between 170 to 200 grams of food a day. If the ducks have access to grass and a pond. they will be able to find for themselves approximately 70% of their daily dietary requirements in warmer months but less than half that in colder times. Therefore. it is important that they be fed enough food, such as grain, every day.

98 I IEI:rs to Su e c c s s

Experienced duck keepers r.aise ducklings . every three years or so because II IS utter this period ~f time that ducks' egg-laying powers begin to ,senously weaken. If the aim is to hatch ducklings, keepers should be aware that not all ducks make good mothers, and that certain breeds of duck appear 10 be worse than others. The poor mothers abandon their eggs a few days after laying them. ~ sure way of making sure the rejected eggs hatch IS to place them next to chicken eggs under a hen,

The eggs of ducks as food for humans have a mixed, reputation. This is because of a number of cases 01 salmonella food poisoning in Europe m the 1970s. Although it was never conclusively shown that duck eggs were to blame, the egg-eating public stopped buying and many duck egg producers w.ent bankrupt. Indeed, there is a risk of salmonella poisomng when ducks lay their eggs in damp conditions, such as on ground that is constantly wet, but the same can be

Questions 1-6

Classifv lire characteristics listrd below as belonging 10:

D Ducks

H Hens

or

said for the eggs of hens. And commercial duck egg production in France and England, where the outbreaks of salmonella poisoning took place, followed the same standards as those used in the hen egg industry, which experienced no salmonel!a problems, (Storage of eggs, whether those of hen, or duck can also be a factor in contamination. Studies have' found that bacterial growth reaches potentially dangerous levels at storage temperatures of SoC or greater.)

The salmonella scare was over by the early 1980s, but at least in smaller markets like Australia and New Zealand, few producers wished to risk investment in ducks for fear of problems. No large-scale commercial duck egg production exists in these countries. II has thus been left to small producers, and, more commonly, home duck keepers,

poultry: farm birds (e.g .• chickens. geese, ducks)

NI if there is no information in the reading passage

\Vrile tire appropriate letters ill boxes 1-6 Oil your (lIISII'er sheet.

Example

more vulnerable to illness

Allswer: H

I.

more eggs per week

lengthier laying period

3.

less likely to uproot plants

4.

dangerous to grass

5.

cat more grain

6.

better mothers

Prn c t i ce Re a d i njl Papers I 99

QIII',11iml.\" 7--/IJ

Complcu: tlu: /!(Irlia/,I'IIIIIIIUIIT "doll', Choose ONE or TWO wordsfrom the pussage for each lI/lSII'"r. Wrile vour lIIl,I'II','r,1' ill boxes 7-10 Oil vour 1II1,III'('r sheet.

To prevent their ... (7) ... from gelling dirty, ducks should have access to water. This may be provided by 'building a pond, but ducklings under ... (8) ... of age should be prevented from entering it because uf the ... (9) ... of the water. If too many ducks are kept on a plot of land, the soil may eventually become ... (10) '" as a result of compaction. for this rcuxon. it is advised that one limits the number of ducks per half hectare of land to 100.

Questions II alit! 12

Choose the appropriate letters (Il-D) and write them ill boxes 11-12 Oil your 1II1.lwer sheet.

II. Salmonella food poisoning ...

A resulted from consumption of duck eggs.

II created difficulties for the duck egg business.

C occurred all over Europe.

[) was found in both duck and hen eggs.

12. Duck eggs ...

A

have been produced in large quantities in New Zealand since the early 1980s.

B

arc more at risk of salmonella contamination than hen eggs.

C may be contaminated when laid in wet conditions.

D should be kept at 5°C to prevent contamination.

READING PASSAGE 2

YOII are advised to spend about 20 minutes 011 Questions 13-28 which are based (III Reading Passage 2.

Questions 13-17

The Reading Passage 'Job Sharing' has 6 sections, A-F. Choose the mOSI suitable headings for sections A, C, D, E and F from the list of headings at the top of the next page. Write the approl'rillle numbers (i-x) ill boxes 13-17011 your mlswer sheet.

N.B. There arc more headings than sections so you will not use all of them. You may lise allY of the headings more than alice.

100 I IEI.TS to Su c c e s s

List of headings

Characteristics of job sharers

ii Employer acceptance of job sharing iii Sharing work v. sharing jubs

iv Rejection of job sharing by industry v Definition of job sharing

vi Finding a job share partner

vii Ingredients of successful job sharing

"iii Creating employment through job sharing ix Women sharing work

x Job sharers as bosses

13. Section A
Example
Section B Answer: iii
14. Section C
15. Section D
16. Section E
17. Section F Job Sharing

Section A .. , . f II t' . b The two

. ..., "1 ' ) le divide the responsibility of one u - une JO .

Job sharing refers to a suuauon In \,hIC i two pel p be h to fulfil the duties of a full-

" . kcrs k' "enough hours tween t em IJ

people willingly act as part-tune w~r crs, \, or I;lel . b I' r example they each receive 50 per cent of the

time worker. If they each work half the hours (0) ftlC JO, II e job sh'arcrs take a smaller or larger share of

job's wanes, its holidays and its other benefits. course, some .' . b fit'

the responsibilities of the position, receiving a lesser or greater share of the ene I s.

. . k i I' . '. mainly (although not exclusively) occurring

Job sharing differs from conventional part-tunc wor hm ~ 13\~l;Shigher levels of responsibility and employee

in the more highly skilled and professional areas, w IC en al '11 .een as compatible with anything less

. U'I I' th . characteristics were not genera y s ' ..

comnuuncnt. nil recent). esc " '.' f i b '1" . re reciprocated by better pay and conditions

than full-rime employment. Thus. the demands 0 JO S ianng ~

and, ideally, more satisfaction than conventional part-time work.

Section B .' work sharing which pertains to increasing the number of Job sharing should not be confused with the term .. . b ~h . offering more positions to the growing

jobs by reducing the number of hours .of eaCh. eXI~tlnt g JO 't., ,UsSlgned to address unemployment problems;

. 1.1 I' J ib sharing by contras , IS no uc: f .

11lI1IIber 01 uncmp oycu pe~)p c. ( . .' rk f .kill d workers and professionals who want more ree ume

its focus, ruther, is to provide well-paid wor or s I e

for other pursuits.

(continued)

I'ractice I{eadill~ l'n p cr s I

101

Seelion C

As would he expected, women comprise the hulk of joh sharers. A survey carried OUI in 1981! by Britain's Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) revealed that 7l! per cent of sharers were female. the majority of whom were between the ages of 20 and 40 years of age. Subsequent studies have come up with similar results. Many of these women were re-entering the job market after having had children. but they chose not 10 seck pari-time work because it would have meant reduced wages and lower status. Job sharing also offered an acceptable transition hack into full-time work after a long absence.

Section 0

Although job sharing is still seen as too radical by many companies. those that have chosen to experiment with it include large businesses with conservative reputations. One of Britain's major banks, the National Westminster Bank. for example. offers a limited number of shared positions intended to give long-serving employees a break from full-time work. British Telecom, meanwhile, maintains 25 shared posts because, according to its personnel department, 'Some of the job sharers might otherwise have len the company and we are now able to retain them.' Two wide-ranging surveys carried out in the country in 1989 revealed the proportion of large and medium-sized private-sector businesses that allow job sharing to be between 16 and 25 per cent. Some 78 per cent of job sharers, however, work in public-sector jobs.

Section E

The types of jobs that are shared vary, but include positions that involve responsibility for many subordinates. Research into shared senior management positions suggests that even such high-pressure work can be shared between two people with lillie adjustment. provided the personalities and temperaments of the sharers arc not vastly different from one another. A 1991 study of employees working under supervisory positions shared by two people showed that those who prefer such a situation do so for several reasons. Most prevalent were those who felt there was less bias in the evaluation of their work because having two assessments provided for a greater degree of fairness.

Section F

The necessity of close cooperation and collaboration when sharing a job with another person makes the actual work quite different from conventional one-position. one-person jobs. However, to ensure a greater chance that the partnership will succeed, each person needs to know the strengths. weaknesses and preferences of his or her partner before applying for a position. Moreover. there must be an equitable allocation of both routine tasks and interesting ones. In sum. for a position to be job-shared well. the two individuals must

. be well-matched and must treat each other as equals.

Questions 18-22

Complete the notes below for SECTION A. Choose ONE or TWO WORDS from the section [oreach 011.1'11"'/:

Write your answers ill boxes 18-22 Oil YOlir all.nver sheet.

JOB SHARING

Common job sharing areas:

• highly 5killed

• ... (18) ...

(Example)

Job sharing requires a greater degree of:

Benefits of job sharing over part-time work:

• (19) .

• (20) .

. .. (21) ...

better conditions

•... (22) ...

102 I IEI:rs II) SlI"':I:"

QIIt'StiOIl.1 23-27

. J • . R di Pass 2? 1 bores 23-27 write:

f)o the [ollowing statements rejlect the claims of tne writer III ea IIIg assage . II .

rES NO

NOT GIVEN

if the statement rl'jil'cts the claims of the writer if the statement contrculicts the writer l· claims

if there is 110 information about this ill the passage

23.

The majority of male job sharers are between 20 and 40 years of age. Job sharers have no intention of later resuming full-time work.

24.

25.

Employers may allow job sharing to keep or attract good wo~kers.

Fewer job sharers are employed in the private sector than in the public sector. Most employees prefer to work under a shared supervisory position.

26.

27.

Qllestioll 28

Choose the appropriate letter A-D and write it ill box 28 011 your allswer sheet.

28. What is the main aim of the writer of 'Job Sharing'?

to encourage employers to allow more job sharing

A

B

to introduce the reader to the concept of job sharing

c

to advise people who wish to try job sharing

n

to discuss the implications of job sharing for industry

READING PASSAGE 3

I'J/I are advised to spend about 25 minutes (III Questions 29-42 which ""1' based 011 Reading Passage 3 (llext/,og").

!JlIl'Sli(l" 2<)

Fro", tlu- ILII 1"'/(1"· choos« the IIUHt suitable titlefor the whole (if Reading PlIJ.I'{lg" 3. Write the appropriute lelia ,I-/) ill I}(II 2<) on \'(Il1r (/11.\11·,',. shed.

The (;rowing Incidence of Malaria

A

II

The Worldwide Spread of Malaria

c

Malaria Prevention Using Vaccines

J)

The Elimination of the Malaria Parasite

I'radiee l{cadin~ I'apers I 103

(Untitled)

The renewed spread of malaria ill recent years, particularly in pans of sub-Saharan Africa, has been a calise of great concern to health workers and officials around the world. The global health corn- 1Il1l1lit)' was once confidcnr that the disease had been brought under control, with many successes in riddillg large areas of malaria over the previous decades, hut now increasingly large numbers of pcople are d)'ing from the mosquito-horne ailment. Forty pCI' cent of the world's population live in areas that 'IIT infected with malaria, and each year hrings approximately 270 million new cases. Table I suuunariscs recent distriluuion hy geographic area.

The resllrgence of malaria is occurrillg in several parts of the world. However, it is most acute in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert, where according to a 1993 World Health Organisation (WHO) report, between 1.4 and 2.H million people, half of them children, now die each year from the disease. This is triple the annual number of people in the same region who die of AlDS. Actual nurnhers of malaria dc.uhs ma), he even larger because the symptoms, such as chronic fever, arc often mistaken for other, unrelated illnesses, such as influenza or pneumonia.

Table I: Annual distribution of malaria infection, approximate, selected regions

Sub-Saharan Southeast Indian South Northeast
Africa Asia subcontinent America Asia
New cases 135 million 66 million 46 million 17 million 6 million
(average per year)
of which children 48 million 23 million 19 million 5.1 million 1.7 million
(average per year)
Deaths 2.1 million 360000 320000 110000 57000
(average per year) Incidences of cerebral malaria, which is caused by Plas modi II III fa laparu Ill, the more dangerolls of the two main malaria parasites, have bee» responsible lor the growing number of 1;ltalities in East Africa since the late IY80s. When treatment lIsing chloroquine, which in man)' cases is not even effective, is not available. victims of cerebral malaria may survive as little as 24 hours.

In the 1950s, sub-tropical regions in the United States, southern Europe and elsewhere "erc sprayed with ])0'1', which eliminated the malaria parasite where used appropriately hut resulted in resistant mosquitoes where sprayed too often. III other parts of the world at this time, chloroquine was introduced as a means of preventing infection, and it was thought to be effective in bringing down the number of malaria cases until the 1970s, when chloroquine-resistant strains of the parasite began to appear. The resistance kept gl~tlillg 'Stronger as time went on, and ill some areas, such as Malawi and Kenya, malaria is now no longer preventable with commonly used drugs.

Increasing urbanisation is also responsible for the renewed spread of malaria in Africa. Because the parasite is more commonly found in rural areas where mosquitoes can breed in large numbers, people who are raised there have a significantly higher immunity to it than those reared in the towns and cities. Indeed, 5% of children in the countryside die of malaria, and the many who survive it go on to become adults with a high degree of natural resistance. This is not the case with people living in urban areas; when such people go to visit relatives in the countryside, they are at a much higher risk of contracting malaria.

Health workers, discouraged by the diminishing effectiveness of malarial drugs, are seeking to promote physical barriers to infection rather than chemical ones. The concept of mosquito nets hung

104 I IEI.TS to Su c e c s s

ovrr heds ttl keel' IIHlS<[ltitllcs ;II\'al' is certainly not new. hut r~cent e~ror:s to i.mprol'e them have le.d tll Sllim' 5tH[,,'SS ill prtltenillg people from malaria. In cxpenments in ~.amb~a: the numbe~ of chilcllTl1 (h'illg from mul.uia li.rs dropped :;Oe7c, since IIsing nets soaked III insecticide. To remain ef.fectin', the nets need to he re-soakcd only twice a year, and no drngs need to be taken for prevenuon. The n cts provirh- additionul benefits to the families who use them in that they prevent other types of irritating inserts from getting too close.

\\'hether or not mosquito nets would he effective on a large scale remains to be seen, as conditions vary from place to place. Some users complain it is too hot under the nets to be able to sleep. Furthermore, their cost limits the numhcr 01 people who can take advantage of them.

Thus the search for a vaccine fill' malaria continues. Manuel Patarroyo, a medical researcher from Columbia. stated in 199:~ that he had been successful in trying a new vaccine 011 some 20000 people in South America. Similar testing of the vaccine is being done in Africa, but h~alth officials there arc not convinced it will he effective because the rate at which new cases 01 malaria develops IS many

times hig lu-r than that in South America. .

Althollgh not a vaccine, aithrmrtrt; derived from the Chinese herb qillg/wo, .appears to offe~ an effec-. tin' way of protecting people from malaria parasites. It proved t~) !l.l\:e tripled the effec.lIveness of rhloroquinc ill research carried out in I \)~J:l alollg the border of -I hailand and Caml~()(lIa, an ar~a not unlike sub-Saharan Africa in the strength of the parasite's resistance to conventional malarial drugs, There an' plans for the new drllg to be produced in China and marketed internationally by a French ph.u-maccurical compuny.

Q11l'Sli()1lS 30-35

lise thr information ill Reading Passage 3 la indicate the relationship between the 1\1'0 items given for each question below. Classifv them as:

A if there is a positive correlation

11

if there is a negative correlation

c

if there is little or no correlation

[) if there is no information

\\'rile thr III'I,rol,rial(' letters It-lJ ill 1}(I.\n 30-35 Oil YOllr IIIISIt'a sheet.

number of malaria deaths

Allswer: A

Exump!«

number of new malaria cases

~().

malaria growth rate

incidence of influenza

number of new malaria cases

.1 I.

chloroquine used ill 1950s

amount of chloroquine taken per day

effectiveness against disease

.12.

~~.

resistance of parasite

number of new malaria cases

34.

growth of cities

number of new malaria cases

35.

use of soaked mosquito nets

number of new malaria cases

Practice Re a d i n i; Pa p c r s I

105

Questions 36-3X

Choose ONE phrase A-lIfmm the list brlow 10 complete each key point. Write the appropriate letters A-H ill boxes 36-3/i Oil your ans .... a sheet.

The information ill the completed sentences should be 1m accurate summary uf points made by the writer.

N./J. There are more ph ruses As-H thun sentences so .rOil l.-i1/1I01 lise themall, Y<JJ/ may lise OilY phrase more than ollce.

36. Malaria infection ...

37. Arthemcter '"

Use of DDT ...

A has spread to 40% of the population.

B is preventable without the need for drugs.

C has not been recorded in Northeast Asia.

D is especially effective in aiding victims of Plasmodium [alcipurum,

E

effectively rid parts of the world of the malaria parasite.

F

has been found to be effective in South America.

G is claimed to be better at lighting infection than chloroquine.

H is limited to malaria prevention.

Questions 39-42

Allswer each of the following questions using NUMBERS or NO MORE THAN TWO lVORDS taken [rom Reading Passage 3. Wrile your 11l1Sl<'ers ill boxes 39-42 011 YOllr 1lI1.I .... er sheet.

39.

Approximately how many children contract malaria each year in sub-Saharan Africa')

40.

Identify ONE symptom of malaria as discussed in the passage.

41.

Identify ONE country in which conventional drugs are no longer effective in preventing malaria.

42.

Identify ONE problem with the use of mosquito nets.

106 I IELTS to Succc.,.'

Pructice '·CWIiIl(i ....

tests - Paper $

Practice IELTS Reading Subtest

Academic Module

PAPER FIVE'

TIME ALLOWED:

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:

1 hour 38

Instructions

WRITE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET

The test is in .I sections:

Reading Passage

Questions 1-13

Reading Passage 2

Questions 14-28

Reading Passage 3

Questions 29-38

Remember to answer all the questions. If you are having trouble with a question. skip it and return to it later.

Pru c t i cc l{c:odin!! l'n p cr s I

107

HEADING PASSAGE 1

Watching Freedonia's Borders

fIlii tire advised to spend about 2IJ III ill II tcs Oil Questiolls 1-13 which tlrc based 1111 Reading Passage I.

A Whenever il person enters or leaves the island nation of Frecdonia. he or she must fill out an arrival or departure card. The data collected from the cards are entered into a computer database, known as the Inflow/Outflow Record (lOR). The Immigration Bureau uses the lOR to monitor changes in the population of Freedonia, which was estimated in 1994 to be 14.4 million people.

reality. Freedonia's population includes many people who originally entered the country on a temporary visa but who later applied for and were given permanent status; in this way, someone who was Category M becomes Category R. This is not too great a problem as changes in migration status inside the country can easily be tracked and entered into the lOR. It becomes difficult to make accurate categorisations, though, when Freedonians move overseas with plans to return - whether in less than 6 months or after a longer period - but do not, in fact, come back. Similarly, Freedonians who claim to be emigrating to other countries may change their minds and return to Freedonia.

Questions 1-1

Reading Pussage I has fi paragraphs.

CllOo.'" the 1II000t suitable headings [or paragraphs C-F [rom the list 4 headings below. Write the al'l'l'Opriatr numbers (i-ix) ill horn 1---1011 rOllr all.''II'Cf sheet.

B The cards do more than just help count the number of people coming and going. The people who cross Frcedonia's borders are put into one of several categories depending on how they fill out their card, The first category, labelled 'Category M' by the Immigration Bureau, is made up of people, usually tourists and business travellers from abroad, whose stay in Frecdonia is less than (, months. In 'Category N' are citizens and residents of Freedonia who go abroad for a similar period of time. 'Category 1" includes foreigners who stay in Freedonia for a period greater than (, months, while Freedonians who leave the country for more than 6 months are put in 'Category Q'. Then there are the people who migrate permanently to Freedonia, known as 'Category R', and those who permanently emigrate from the island state, who are placed in 'Category S'. Emigrants, it should be noted, are sometimes former immigrants to Freedoni,i.

Nil: There 1I1'l~ more headings than pllrag raplis .1'0 .1'011 will not IISC 111/ of them. YlIII IIII1Y lise lilly of the headings 11101'1' than ollce.

D People may also make mistakes when filling out the cards. In 1984, a study was made of 21,730 arrival and departure cards filled out by people leaving from Freedonia's major airports and seaports. The study showed that one in five cards had errors. A total of 4008 passengers who were citizens of Freedonia mistakenly said that they were temporary entrants to Freedonia. Of these, 18 per cent were, in fact, emigrating or Category Q leavers. The study'S most important finding was the lack of certainty expressed by departing Freedonians about when they planned to return to Freedonia. The arrival and departure cards were redesigned by the Immigration Bureau after the 1984 study, but while the new cards have been in use for over a decade, no new research has been done.

List of headings

Uncertainty in categorisation

ii Prcvcnting illegal immigration

iii Classification of border-crossers

iv Difficulty of changing one's immigration status v Extent of error in card completion

vi Determining net flow of population

vii Reasons for high overall immigration

C One problem with maintaining the lOR is that the departure and arrival r.irrls ask for people's intentions, ,lnd intentions do not always become

viii Computer-assisted measurement of illcgal immigration

ix lmprovcmcms in departure and arrival cards

(continued)

Example
Paragraph B Answer: iii
I. Paragraph C
2. Paragraph D
3. Paragraph E
4. Paragraph F JOS I IELTS to SIICCC"

Practice Readinl! Papers I 109

E The unrecorded movements oi people from one category to another make it hard to measure the flow of population, but it should be said that Freedonia is the only nation with high overall immigration that keeps reliable records of departures. In this way, the Immigration Bureau is able to keep track of departing native Freedonians as well as former settlers. By monitoring both immigration and emigration, the Bureau is able to maintain a record of net migration: the total gain or loss of people over a period of time. In other countries with high levels of immigration, the issue of net migration has often been neglected.

QlIe.HiIJII.\· 5-1()

F One final benefit of the lOR is the help it gives rn deterr:nlfllflg the level of illegal immigration to Freedonia. People who enter Freedonia saying they Will stay In the country for under six months wrll appear automatically in the database as 'Category T' if they have not left the country after the end or that period. Unlike countries such as the United States that have little idea of the true extent of illegal immigration across their borders Freedonia's Immigration Bureau has shown it i~ able to keep a fairly accurate count.

emigration: the act of leaving one country 10 seule in another

From the information ill Reading Passage I. classify the following individuals as:

M for Category M
N for Category N
P for Category P
Q for Category Q
R for Category R
S for Category S
T for Category T Write the appropriate letters AI-T ill boxes 5-10 011 your WlSII'er sheet.

NB: There are more categories than individuals so )'011 will not use them {Ill. }'

Oil lIIt/y lise the sante category

more than once. '

5.

Ms Y, an Australian, marries a Freedonian and decides to live permanently \VI'tI1 I I h

Freedonia. tcr HIS and 111

6.

7.

Mr U, a Freedonian citizen, leaves on a business trip and returns after four months.

Mr X, originally from France, migrated to Freedonia 15 years ago. He now decides to move back to France with no plans to return to Freedonia.

8.

9.

Ms W, a Freedonian university graduate, leaves Freedonia on a one-year, round-the-world ticket. Mr Z, an Italian, was classified as Category M on arrival early last year. He is still in Freedonia but has made no effort to change his migration status.

10.

110

Ms Y, a United States citizen, spends her yearly two-week vacation in Frccdonia, I IELTS to Su c c c x x

Questioll II

complete the sentence below with words taken from Reading Passage I. Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. Write .1'0111' WISH'el' ill box II 011 .1'0111' allSlI'er sheet.

II. Quite a few Freedonians incorrectly completed their arrival and departure cards by saying they were

QlIestiollS 12 and 13

Reading Passage I mentions THREE types of records that Freedonia keeps better than do some other countries. ONE of them is 'departures'. What are the other TWO?

Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each allswer. Write one answer ill box 12 and the other in box 13 of)'olll' answer sheet.

READING PASSAGE 2

YOIl are advised to spend about 2U minutes 011 Questions 14-28 which are based 011 Reading Passage 2,

Tea Tree Oil

The first mention of 'tea tree oil' was documented when Joseph Banks, a botanist, sailed with Captain James Cook to the Australian continent in the late 18th century. Banks observed the native Aborigines collecting the leaves of a tree, now known scientifically as Melaleuca alternifolia. They used the leaves, after boiling them. to heal a variety of external skin problems. Banks also learned that by boiling the leaves he could produce a tasty brew similar to lemon tea. Thereafter, he referred to this particular species of trees generically as the 'tea tree', a name commonly applied to it today.

Little was known by the European settlers of the beneficial effects of tea tree oil until around 1924, when A. R. Penfold, of the Sydney Technological Museum, began research into why and how this unique oil was able to produce such positive results. After several years of evaluation, he concluded that tea tree oil was one of the most effective natural antiseptics and fungicides known to exist at that time.

In fact. the natural healing qualities of tea tree oil were found to be so effective that during World War II the Australian government sent all available supplies to Australian troops serving in the Pacific, The oil was used as a lirst line of defence against such skin problems as burns, cuts, abrasions, insect bites, sunburn, and a broad spectrum of other external fungal and bacterial problems. It was so important to the overall war effort that anyone involved in either the harvesting or the processing of tea tree oil was exempt from active military service.

Melulcucu trees grow naturally only in a limited area along the north coast of the state of New South Wales. This is an area known to be extremely rugged and swampy for many months of the year. Because of these conditions, harvesting the oil from the natural stands of Melaleuca trees was often very difficult. This, plus the tremendous increase in demand brought about by the war, led scientists to begin searching for alternative methods and products which could effectively solve some of those same problems, and which could be

(continued)

Practice Reading Papers I 111

produced more efficiently und economically. The advent of penicillin around this time was one result of this search. and tea tree oil W;IS all hut Iorgoucn by the rest of the world. II has only been during the past couple of decades. with a return in lIIany societies to natural products. that tea tree oil is again becoming wiuely known.

Tea trees have narrow leaves and paper-like harks. and seldom exceed 20 feet in height. They art! vt!ry hardy trees; some trees along the Bungwalyn Creek have been harvested for over flO years and still Ilourish. For years. the tea tree was considered a nuisance by fanners because of the difficulty of their cradic.uion in the process of clearing the ground for fanning. With recent broad recognition of the oil's properties. however. several commercial plantations with trees numbering into the millions have been established in anticipation of large-scale demand.

Contrary to initial assumptions. tea tree oil is not taken from the sap of the tree. II is. in fact, derived from the 'fat' of the tree, Because these trees grow in an area of Australia where climatic conditions vary greatly, they fortify themselves by storing up essential nutrients in small nodules found in their leaves and stems, In the past, the leaves and

stems were cut and placed in crude Melaleuca alternifalia

containers of water. Building a fire

under the containers would heat the water, producing steam which made the nodules burst, thus releasing the oil into the water. Through a primitive system of gravity separation. the oil would Ilow into a collection vat while the water would be released to the ground. The net result would he pure. unadulterated tea tree oil.

Today, through the introduction of huge plantations and mechanisation, essentially the same process is accomplished on a larger scale. However, much care is taken not to disturh the natural growth and delicate balance nature has prescribed to create tea tree oil.

Because each tree is unique, the quality of the oil extracted will vary from tree 10 tree. In fact, shirts in climate, soil and other environmental conditions may cause the quality of the oil from the same tree to fluctuate from year to year. Pure tea tree oil is composed of 48 chemical compounds which work together synergistically to create this highly effective oil. If one of these compounds is removed from the oil. the overall cffectiveness is diluted.

112 I IELTS 10 SIICCCSS

QII,·slioll.II4-18

I I IVrile the appropriate leiters A-G ill boxes

Ch{l(I.\"" ONE phrase rl-G 10 complete each key point '" Oil'.

N-IS OIl rOllr 1111.1"1\"('1' sheet.

a/points made by the writer.

The information ill the completed sentences should be all accurate summary

II '" YOII may lise allY phrase more

NB: There are 1//01''' phrases A-G than sentences 50 YOII wi 1/01 lise I lem a .

than 011("('.

14.

The Aborigines ...

15.

Joseph Banks ...

16.

A. R. Penfold ...

17.

Australian soldiers ...

18.

Tea tree oil producers ...

A

. .. knew lillie about the beneficial effects of the oil of the Melaleuca tree.

B "ave Mclaleucu the name 'tea tree'.

C : : : :sed the extracted oil of the Meluleuca for skin problems. ... helped in the wartime search for alternatives 10 tea tree oil. ... did not have to serve in the military during World War II. ... studied tea tree oil and its healing qualities.

... used the leaves of the Melulcuca tree to treat skin problems.

D

E

F

Questions 19-2.J

. R r p .. , ,,) VIe NO MORE THAN ONE

Complete the H'I/IellCeS ""'OIl" with words taken [rom I'Ill IlIg a.I.1I .~,.. . I

. . I . 19 24 . JIll' lllll"ll'er sneet.

WORD for eacl: blank .Ilwel'. \l'rill' HIliI' answers III lo.re.' - Oil .' ( . .

b th re found in a

It is difficult to harvest oil from naturally grown Melalcuca trees ecause ey a

I,).

____ and location.

cu

Interest in tcu tree oil declined after the development of ----

21.

. . t" e i s such that some trees are

The Mclalcuca tree's ability to withstand repeated harvesting over IIll I

reported to have produced oil for more than years.

~~. Until recently. fanners viewed the Mclaleuca tree as a ----

f t of the Melalcuca tree.

Tea tree oil was originally thought 10 come rom t ic ----

24.

Oil from ihe same tree may vary with changes in and ----

Practice Heading Papers I 113

(!Ue.l/ioll.1 25-211

The diagram below shows how tea tree oil was extracted before the introduction of modern techniques,

Complete the diagram. Choose ONE or TWO words from the passage for each II/lSII'el: IVrile your llll.IWer.\' ill boxes 25-211 Oil your 1II1SII'er sheet.

(25)

tree's ..

and .

are CUt

oil released

114

11-:I.'I's to S\I~~~"

PUt in water

(27)

water boiled to produce steam

water discarded

(28)

oil PUt into

(26)

READING PASSAGE 3

IIJll lire advised 10 spend aluJIII 20 minutes Oil Questions 29-38 which are based 011 Reading Passage 3,

The Dangers of Air Conditioning

About two-thirds of the world's population is expected to live in cities by the year 2020 and, according to the United Nations, approximately 3.7 billion people will inhabit urban areas some ten years later, As cities grow, so do the number of buildings that characterise them: office towers, factories, shopping malls and high-"ise nparuucnt huildings (see figure I). These structures depend 011 artificial ventilation systems to keep dean and cool air flowing to the people inside. We know these systems by the term 'air-conditioning'.

South America 35
82
North America 81
20
Africa
87
Asia 22
54
Eastern Europe 28
70
Western Europe 66
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Per cent Fib'l.re 1: l'e'H'nlagl' of popul.uiun li\'ing or working ill .ur-roudirioru-d cnvirounu-nts, 1!)90 and :!O:IO (projected). (Sllun~: Adjollrn;.IAsia, I!)!):!)

.\lthllllgh lIlall), of liS mav kd nir-coudiriouc-rs hring relief from hot, humid or polluted outside air, Ih," 1'''''' m.mv pOI"lIli;li health hazards. Much research has looked at how the circulation of air il"i<i,' a ,I"",d cuvirouuunr - such as all onice huildillg - can spread disease or expose occupanls I .. h.u mf ul ,Ill'.niclis.

()II" "I t lu- 111"1<' wi, k-lv pub liciscd dangers is that of I.egionnaire's disease, which was first recog- 11i"'d ill t lu: l'li()s. This was found 10 huv« affected people in buildings with air-conditioning sys- 1"111' ill "hilh w.uu: ;.ir pumpe-d 0111 of th« sysreru's coolillg towers was somehow sucked back into tln- ,Ii. iut.ik«. ill l11l"t LIS"S dill' 10 pOll' desig11. This warm air was, needless to say, the perfect ('1l1il<l11111('111 10' t lu- rapid growlh of disease-carryi11g bacteria originating from outside the J.11ildi'I~, ,-1I"l!' it ('xi,tt'd ill harlllit-ss qu.uuities, The warm, b.uu-ria-laden air was combined with '"IIIt-d. r r u u l it n nu-r l .iir .uu l "'as rlu-n cirrul.ucd around various parts of the building. Studies

( l'U"/i1l1,,(1)

I'r:r"tk" I{c:ruing Papers I

116

sllowed 111;11 "\"'11 people '"l1si(Il- surh hllildill~s were al risk if Ihey walked pasl air cxhausr ducts. Cast·s oll.q;iollllain·'s disease an' lH'n>lllill~ lcwor with newer system dl'si~lIs and mudifir.u iuus 10 older systems. hilt m;lIl)' olrkr hllildill~s, particularly in developing countries, require constant 11I(JllitcH·il1~.

CiJ{arettl' smoke is also carried Irom room to room by some air-conditiouing systems, brillging with it the attendant risks of passiv« smokinJ{. The past few )'e;lrs have seen a lot of studies into passive slIlokinJ{ - the smok« hn-at Ired ill hy non-smokers living' or workillg ncar smokers. III .Iapall, a surn')' of medical r{'cords showed that women whose husbands do not smoke arc half as likely to acquire Illng c.uucr as those who arc married to smokers. Research into passive smoking in an olIice setting dc-ruonstran-d similar risks for non-smokers working lor man)' years next to smokers. Smoky air cinul.ucd h)' the air-conditioning systelll of the average office, according to an Australian study, cuuscd nou-smokers to breathe ill the equivalent of three cigarettes in one day of work.

The ways in which air-coudirium-rs work to 'clean' the air can inadvcrtcurly cause health probh-ms, 100. Ou« such IVa), is with the use of all electrostatic precipitator, which removes dust ancl smoke particles from the air. What precipitators also do, however, is emit large quantities of positive air ions into the vcnril.uinn system. A growillg number of studies show that overexposure to positive air ions call result in hcad.uhcs, fatigue and fedillgs of irritation.

Large air-conditioning systems add water to the air they circulate by means of humidifiers. In older systems, the water used for this process is kept in special reservoirs, the bottoms of which provide hreeding grounds Ior hacleria and fungi which can find their way into the ventilation system. The risk to human health from this situation has been highlighted hy the bet that t hc inunune sysrcius of approximately half or workers in air-conditioned office buildings have developed antibodies to fight off the organisms "HInd at the bottom of system reservoirs. Chemical disinfectants, called 'hiocides', that arc added to reservoirs to make them germ-free, arc dangerous in their own right in sulfirienr quantities, as they often contain compounds such as pentachlorophenol, which is strongly linked to abdominal cancers.

Finally, it should he poill'led out that the artificial climatic euvironment created by air-coudirioucrs can also adn·rscly affect us. In a natural euvironmeut. whether indoor or outdoor, t hcr« arl' sm.ill variations ill temperature alld humidity. Indeed, the human hod)' has IOllg hl'(,11 a("("lIsI01ll('d to these normal changes. In an air-conditioned living or work cnvironuu-ut. howr-vcr, hody tl'lIIpl'ratures remain well under ~7°C, our normal temperature. This leads to ;1 wl'akl'IIl'(1 iuuuuue s),sl('m and thus greater susceptibility to diseases such as colds and flu.

duct: a tunc or pipe through which air travels humidifier: device 10 make air humid reservoir: a tank used for storing water

116

I IELTS to SlIC"CSS

<!II<'.,/;Oll.\ 211-31

Using' NO MORE TllriN TWO WORDS. <l1I.mer lite [allowing questions. Wrile your allswers ill boxes 211-31 Oil nJllr answer sheet.

29.

Which part of the world will experience the smallest growth in air-conditioning between 1990 and 2030'?

30.

Which part of the world will experience the largest growth in air-conditioning between 1990 and 2030'?

31.

In which part of the world is Legionnaire's disease more likely to occur?

QueSI;OIl.\· 32 and 33

The diagram below shows how Legionnaire's disease is spread.

Complete lite diagram by ulentifving objects 32 and 33. Choose TWO words [rom the passage for each <l1I.1"I,'el: II/rile your <lIISII'l'/"S ill boxes 32-33 Oil your allswer sheet.

.;.~~~ .~ ~ / -.

, .

Worm oir

"

Air

. conditioner

c:;bi~~oir f~r -----.st W" 11 RFfrletioo nnw.-· n 7 ;.

I'ractic" RcadiJl~ Papers I

117

Questions 3-/-3X

Using lite information ill Reading Passage 3. indicate lite relationship between lite 111'0 items given for each question brlow by marking Oil ,'OUI' all.III·,'r sheet:

PC if there is a positive correlation

NC if there is a negative correlation

UN if there is little or no correlation

NI if there is no information

Wrile your 1lI1.I'IVers (PC. NC. I.JN, or NI) ill boxes 34-38 011 YOllr ,IIISI\'er sheet.

Example

smoking in office Answer: PC

risk of cancer to non-smokers

level of smoke in air

incidence of headaches

34.

35.

use of electrostatic precipitator

36.

use of humidifier

37.

use of certain biocides in humidifiers

38.

natural indoor temperature fluctuation

118 I JELl'S to S"""""

feelings of calm/relaxation

antibody development in workers

potential risk of abdominal cancers

risk to human health

Pn« ... nice reudint; tests - Paper 6

Practice IELTS Reading Subtest

Academic Module

PAPER SIX'

TIME ALLOWED:

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:

1 hour 38

Instructions

WRITE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET

The test is in 3 sections:

Reading Passage I

Questions 1-10

Reading Passage 2

Questions 11-25

Reading Passage 3

Questions 26-38

Remember to answer all the questions. If you are having trouble with a question. skip it and return to it later.

Pra c t i c e J{eadill~ Papers I 119

READlN(; PASSAGE I

Qurstion 1

1'011 should spend about 15 III ill 1111'.1' Oil Qllex/;ollx 1-10 wliul: are based Oil Reading Passage I.

I.

The author of 'Keeping CUl Flowers' believes flower care is dependent on three main factors. One of them is temperature. Whal arc the other TWO"

Wril" WillI' (illS II'('/" ill box 1 Oil .1'0111' (IIISII'('/" sheet.

Keeping Cut Flowers

While everybody enjoys fresh cut flowers around their house, few people know how to keep them for as long JS possible. This mJY be done by keeping in mind a few simple facts.

An important thing to remember about cut flowers is that they are sensitive to temperature. For example, studies have shown that cut carnations retain their freshness eight times longer when kept at 12°C than when kept at 26°C. Keeping freshly harvested flowers at the right temperatures is probably the most important aspect of flower care.

Flowers are not intended by nature to live very long. Their biological purpose is simply to attract birds or insects, such as bees, for pollination. After that, they quickly wither and die. The process by which flowers consume oxygen and emit carbon dioxide, called tespirntion, generates the energy the flower needs to give the flower its shape and colour. The making of seeds also depends on this energy. While all living things respire, flowers have a high level of respiration. A result of ali this respiration is heat, and for flowers, the level of heat relative to the mJSS of the flower is very high. Respiration also brings about the eventual death of the flower, thus the greater the level of respiration, the sooner the flower dies.

How, then, to controi the rate at which flowers die? By controlling respiration. How is respiration controlled? By controlling temperature. We know that respiration produces heat, but the

120 I !ELl'S lo Su c c c s s

reverse is also true. Thus by maintaining low temperatures, respiration is minimised and the cut flower will age more slowly. (Tropical ilowers are an exception to this rule; they prefer warmer temperatures.)

Cooler temperatures also have the benefit of preserving the water content of the flower, which helps to slow down ageing as- well. This brings us to another important aspect of cut flower care: humidity. The average air-conditioned room has a relative humidity of 65'X" which contributes to greater water loss in the flower. Flowers are less likely to dry out if humidity levels are 90-95'1.., but this may be unrealistic unless you live in the tropics or subtropics.

Yet another vital factor in keeping cut flowers is the quality of the water in which they MC placed. Flowers find it difficult to 'drink' water that is dirty or otherwise cont,lfllinated. Even when water looks and smells clean, it almost certainly contains bacteria and fungi that can endanger the flowers. To rid the water of these unwantor! germs, household chlorine bleach can be used in small quantities. It is recommended that 15 drops of chlorine bleach (at 4% solution) be added to each litre of water. The water and solution should also be replaced each day.

When going to buy cut flowers, look ior (JIles that have not been kept (by the flower shop) in direct sunlight or strong wind. Ii the flowers are not freshly harvested, ask whether they have been stored in a refrigerated coolroorn.

Questions 2-1

COIII/,ll'l,' the .1','1111'11('1'.1' below with words taken [rom Reading Passage I. Use NO MORE THAN ONE WORD or NUMBER Jar each blank. Wrire YOllr allSll'ers ill boxes 2-4 all your answer sheer.

A difference of 14°C can extend the life of carnations by up to limes.

3.

____ and are lWO aspects of a flower's appearance that depend on respiration.

4. Respiration is also necessary for the flowers to produce _

Questions 5-8

Complete the fiow chart below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS Jrom the passage Jar each lIlI.nve/: II'rire YOllr QIISll'ers ill boxes 5-8011 YOllr allswer sheer.

respiration ~ flowers will
... (5) ... ~ rate reduced ... (7) ...

flower's
'" (6) ...
maintained The above diagram does not apply to ... (8) ... flowers.

QIII'.l'IiOIl.l' 9 and /0

Usini; NO MORE TIl;!N TWO WORDS. (lIISlI'l'r the [allowing questions. IVrile your answer ill boxes 9-/0 Oil \'ollr {lIlShTr sheet.

lJ.

Whal product Joe.' the author suggest using to help protect cut flowers'!

10.

The author identifies two natural elements that shopkeepers should keep from flowers. Name one of these.

P r a c t i c c Re"dill~ Papers I 121

HEADING PASSAGE 2

Y(l1/ should spend about 25 minutes (III Questions 11-25 which are based Oil Reading Passage 2.

Literacy in Freedonia's

•

pmsons

In 1993, the Government of Freedonia's National Prisons Directorate (NPD) carried out a research project to investigate the extent of literacy in Freedonia's prison population.

The notion that prisoners are poor readers and writers seems to be questioned very little by the public despite the lack of hard evidence to support such a view. The media, in particular, continue to portray prisoners as illiterate and generally poorly educated. Freedonia's leading daily newspaper, The Freedonian, for example, frequently makes such statements as 'Freedonia's jails are full of people who can't read!' (4 May, 1992). But the media are not the only ones who are critical. Research into attitudes of prison officials shows that they, too, hold that prisoners are poor readers (Mcfronnell, 1989). Overseas studies have also been influential in strengthening this view. For example, a survey of Canadian prisoners by Kohl in 1987 revealed a literacy rate ranging from 15% to 55%, while an Australian study of the same year showed similar results. To add to the general criticism, Freedonia's criminologists are beginning to suggest that crime is a product of illiteracy (Bass, 1988; Katz & Wall port, 1989). The NPD commissioned its study to compare prisoner literacy with that of the general public to see how Freedonian prisoners actually conform to these perceptions.

The study, carried out by the Literacy Institute of the Freedonian National University, took as samples 200 male prisoners from Yaxchilan Men's Correctional Institute and 150 female prisoners from Monambak Women's Prison. The prisoners were each made to work through a series of activities designed to assess performance in three separate literacy areas. The three areas included what the study termed 'X-literacy', which is the ability to correctly fill out forms or follow written directions; 'Yliteracy', the comprehension of reading passages; and 'Zvliteracy'. which calls for correct interpretation of text that is primarily number-based. This latter skill often includes some calculation. All activities were identical to those used in a national adult literacy survey carried out in 1990.

It was found that the prison population did, in fact, have a lower rate of X-literacy than the general population, but that the overall difference was slight. In an activity which had the prisoners complete mock job applications, for example, just 62% of female and 60% of male prisoners could correctly fill out the applications compared with 66% in the national adult sample (see figure 1). Similar differences were found between general and prison populations in completing insurance applications, although it should be mentioned that individual differences in this task were great.

There were activities in which prisoners did more noticeably worse, however. In one activity, the proportion of male prisoners who could correctly identify the main and secondary points of newspaper articles was 54%, compared with 64% of the general public. Interestingly, female prisoners, with 61%, were much closer to the national average for this activity. Prisoners, again more noticeably males, also did significantly worse in keeping a running total of a bank account, a quantitative task of relative complexity.

122 I IELTS to Su c e e s s

B t importantly both male and female prisoners outperformed the national adult s~mple in ot~~r activities;' in one, far fewer general adults than p.risoners c~ul? correctly mterpret t ain timetables while in identifying directions on medical prescriptions, both .male f a~d f:male prisoner~ were marginally better than their counterparts on the other Side 0 t e

prison fence.

o Yaxchilan D Monambak • National

% 80

77

70

60

50

40 _[_J.---"'---

Completing insurance applications

Understanding Understanding

medical newspaper

prescriptions articles

Calculating bank balances

Completing job applications

Figure 1: Percentage correct on assorted literacy tasks

The results show that prisoners and the general adult population, seen from aD: overall pe~s ective are on an equivalent literacy level. Certainly, prisoners appear to. display we~ - n~sses in particular literacy areas, but if the results accurately reflect the pn~on population as a whole it would be inaccurate and hence inappropriate to conclude that prrsoners ~re the worse readers and writers. The study should not b.e tak~n to suggest that there .~re no ht~ra~y problems among prisoners, however, because while prisoners may be no worse _off than t e general adult public, the general adult public cannot be said to perform very well in any of the literacy tasks. Indeed, in commenting on the results of the NPD study, Wall port (1994) wrote, 'It seems our initial assessment of literacy among prisoners was no~ I~correct. Where we were mistaken was in how we viewed the skill levels of the general public.

literacy: the ability 10 reud and write mock: not real

(J11l·Ilioll.1 II· ·13

The author of Rcuding Pass'lg~ 2 mentions several influences un how prisoner Ii~eracy is generally viewed. One of these influences is 'Frccdonia's criminologists'. Identify THREE other influences.

u.,;lIg NO MORE Til/iN TWO WORDS [or each WI.I·l\·a, write the three influences separately ill boxes 11-13 Oil YOllr '111.1'11"'1' sheet.

Pr ac t i c c I{e:luin!! Papers I 123

(!lIe.\li{//I.\ 1,/ -IX

ltrlo II , i. a list 0./ the mutcrials used ill assessing the three literacv area. ill the NP[) siudv. Complete the list. OW{/.\(' ONE or TWO IVORDS from the passage for each WIS,"'e!: Wrile YOllr WI.\'II'er,; ill boxes I.J-/S Oil rOllr (/11.1'11'1'1' sheet.

MATERIALS USED IN:

X-literacy activities

" (14) ". ". (15) ".

Example

• medical prescriptions

Y-literacy activities

• ". (16) . "

Z-literacy activities

• ". (17) ".

• ". (18) ".

QUl'SliOIlS /9-2/

Complete the partial summary below. Choose )'0111' answers A-F from the 1i,1'1 below the SlIIlImWT lind write

them ill boxes /9-21 Oil your WI,I'II'er sheet. .

NB: There are more phrases than spaces so YOII will 1101 lise them all. YOII lIIay lise lilly of the phrases more than ollce.

In comparing the NPD study's findings with that of a similar study of the general adult population in 1990, it was shown that the general adult population was most proficient at correctly .. , E , .. (Examples.

The largest percentage-point difference between female prisoners and male prisoners was found in

... (19) ... ,Male prisoners scored higher than their female counterparts in ... (20) .,. , and ranked between female prisoners and the general public in ... (21) ....

A completing an employment application

II completing an insurance application

C following medical prescription directions

D comprehending newspaper articles

E balancing bank accounts

F using train timetables

Questions 22 and 23

In analysing the results of the study, the Literacy Institute determined that, due to the sample sizes, differences in scores of 3 percentage points or lower could not be considered significant.

22.

How many of the literacy activities in the NPD study showed a difference between male and female

prisoners that was significant? .

23.

How many of the literacy activities showed a difference between female prisoners in the NPD study and the general adult public in the national adult study that was NOT significant?

Wrile the correct NUMBERS ill boxes 22 and 23011 vour allm'er sheet.

Questions 2,/ and 25

Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them ill boxes 24-25 011 )'0111' ails weI' sheet.

24,

In setting up its study, the NPD wished to . , .

A

see if prisoner illiteracy matched public perceptions.

show that prisoner literacy levels are not lower than those of the general adult public.

B

c

identify areas in which prisoners need literacy training.

D

show that popular perceptions of prisoner literacy are not correct.

25,

The NPD study suggests that .. ,

A it is inaccurate to say prisoners have a low literacy level.

B

prisoners compare favourably with the general adult population,

c

neither prisoner literacy nor general adult literacy is very satisfactory,

D

prisoners arc worse readers and writers than general adults,

124 I II';LTS to SIICCCSS Pr a c i i c c Rc a d i nj; Pn p c r s I 125

HEADING PASSAGE 3

YOIi lire advised 10 spend about 20 minute» 01/ Questions 26-38 which art! based Oil Reading Passage 3.

Wild Foods of Australia

OVCl" I~(J ),ears ago, the Ellglish bot.mist], D, I looker, writing of Australian edible plants, suggested that lllallY 01 then: were '"atahle h~lt. not worth eatillg'. Nevertheless, the Australian flora, together with the fauna, supported the Abongnlal people well before the arrival of Europeans. The Aborigilles were not _fan!.!ers and were wholl>: depell.dellt for life Oil the wild products around them. The)' learned to eat, ofter: after treaunem, a Wide V'II"1et)' of plants.

Th.e cOllq~lerillg Europeans displaced the Aborigilles, killing man)" driving others from their traditional tribal lands, .and eventually selliing many of the tribal remnants on goverumcnt reserves, where flour and beef replaced nardoo and wallaby as staple foods. And so, graduall)., the vast store of knowledge, accumulated over thousands of years, fell into disuse. Much was lost.

!lOIvever: a few Eumpeal~ mel I took a.n .intell~gent and even respectful interest ill the people who were bemg displaced. Explorers, nussionarrcs, botanists, naturalists and government officials observed, recorcled anc~, I()rtllnately In some GISes, published, Today, we can draw on these publicanons ~o form the m.un b:ISIS of our knowledge of the edible, natural products of Australia. The plc.llIre IS no doul~t mostly incomplete. \\'e can only speculate Oil the uumber of edible plants on which IlO observation was recorded.

No~ all our information on the sU~lject comes from the Aborigines, Times were hard in the early days of ~lII'opean ~elllelllent, a.nd tradIllOnalli.lOds were often in short supply or impossihl)' expensive fill' a pioneer trYlIIgto establish a farru III the bush. And so necessity led to experimenuuion. just as it must have done for the Aborigines, and experimentation led to some lur kv results, So far as i~ known the Aborigines made no lise of 1·"I)'U.lI)~rtIl11l11 or Dodouara as food plants, 'vet the earlv sellkrs Iouud th,~t one could be used as a substitute for ~ea and the other for hops. Tllese plants'are not c1osel)' related to the speCIes the), replaced, So their use was not based on bouuucal obscrv.uion. Prob.rhlv some eX[lerim.ents hadless.h:lppy endings; 1..J. Webb has used the expression 'eat, die and lc.uu ' in c~nnecllon with .the A~longlllal ~x~)~rimentation, but it was the successful attempts that became ~vldely known. It IS possible the erlibilitv of some native plants used hy tlte Aborigines was disco\'t'red independently by the European settlers or their descendants.

Explorers making long expeditions found it impossible to carry sufficicut Iood for the h'holcjollrtlc), ~nd were for ccd to rely, In part, on food that they could find on the '\'a\,. Still .uu n lu-r SOllrce of Infc~rlJlat,ion comes from th .. practice in other countries. There are man)' Sl;"cies 1'1'0111 nort lu-rn :\IIStralia winch occur also in sout lu-ast Asia, where they are used for lood.

In general, those Aborigines living in the dry inland areas were largely dcpcndeut f"r their ",'getahle foods on seed such as those of gr~sses, acacias and eucalypts. The), ground these seeds hetw"t'lI 11;11 st~nes to make a coarse flour. Tribes on the coast, and particularly those in the virinitv ()f C();t.,t;d ralllforests, had a more varied vegetable diet with a higher proportion of fruits and tub,:rs, Som« ()I the coastal plants, even if they had grown inland, probably would have been unav.rilnhh- as f()()d sinc« the~ required p,rolongec~ washing or soaking to render them nou-poisonous, many of t lu- inland trih", COl~,cl, not. obtain water In the quanuues necessary for such treatment. There was also ('(lIlSicit-rahle vanat~on I~l the edible plants available ,to Aborigines ill difli.,rent latitudes, In g'·lInal. rh .. p"()pl .. who lived in the moist tropical areas enjoyed a much greater varictv than th()se in th .. souilu-ru 1',111

of Australia. .

126

IEI:rs to Su c c e s s

\\'ith all the hundreds of plant species used for food by the Australian Aborigines, it is perhaps surprising that only one, the Queenslalld nut, has entered into commercial cultivation as a food plant. Th .. reason for this probably does not lie with an intrinsic lack of potential in Australian Bora, but rather with the lack of cxploiuuiou of this potential. In Europe and Asia, for example, the main food plants have had the lx-nefit of many centuries of selection anel hybridisation, which has led to the production of forms vastly superior to those ill the wild. Before the Europeans came, the Aborigines practised no agriculture and so there was no opportunity for such improvement, either deliberate or unconscious, in the quality of the edible plants.

Since I 7!l!l, there has, of course, been opportunity fill' selection of Australian food plants which might have led to the production of varieties that were worth cultivating. But Australian plants have probably 'missed the bus'. Food plants from other regions were already so 1:11' in advance after a long tradition of cultivation that it seemed hardly worth starling work on Australian species. Undoubtedly, the native raspberry, for example, could, with suitable selection and breeding programs, be made to yield a high-class fruit; but Australians already enjoy good raspberries from other areas of the world and unless some dedicated amateur plant breeder takes up the task, the Australian raspberries are likely to remain unimproved.

And so, today, as the choice of which food plants to cultivate in Australia has been largely decided, and as there is link- chance of heing lost lor long periods in the bush, our interest in the subject of Australian "lOd plants tends to n-l.ue to natural history rather than to practical necessity.

edible: lit to he eaten botany: the study or plants

QIIl!SliOIlS 26-32

I)" the [allowing .l/al(,III('/II,1 I'('//('CI thr claims of the writer ill Reading Passage 3:' III /JOXI!S 26-32 write:

rES i( thr ,1'/11/('111('1/1 1'('{/eCls IiiI' II Tile I' :1' claims

NO if th .. sllll,'III('1I1 contradict» tlu: writer

NOT GIVEN if 111('1'<' i.1 110 infornunion 11/"'111 this ill tlu: passag«

26,

Most of the pre-European Aboriginal knowledge of wild food, ita, been recovered.

27,

There were kw food plants unknown to pre-Eurupcun Aborigines,

21-:.

Lurupc.m« learned all of what they knew of edible wild plants from Aborigines,

[Jllt/lllltI"" is an cx.uuple of a plant used for food by both pre-European Aborigines and European sculcrs.

,ltl.

Sonic Australian food plants arc botanically related to plants outside Australia,

11

l'rc-Luropc.m Aborig inul tribe« closer to the coast had access to a greater variety of food plants than rnbc-, further inland.

Sonic 'pecic, "f cunxtul foo!l plants wen: also found inland,

Pra c t i c c j{cadill~ Papers I

127

Practice 'W,.itill~ tcsts

PRACTICE WRITING PAPER ONE WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

Eating sweet foods produces acid in the mouth which can cause tooth decay. (High acid levels are m~asured by low pH values.)

Describe the information below and discuss the implications for dental health.

You should write at least 150 words.

Acid level in mouth from consumption of sugars/honey

7
.~ P 6
~ H
'u
0
01 5
c: e
'Wi
0 v
II
.. e
"
.E I 4 , , ,

Cld level at which tooth,de~ay is unlikely

- - ~;id le~~I~; ;;"hi~it,;h-de~~; ~~~r~ - _.

- -

- -

- --

- --

- ............

Fruit ,ugar Cane ,ugar Haney

Mament eaten

5 10 15 20 25 30

minutes minutes minutes minutes minutes minutes

35 40

minutes minutes

Time elapsed after eating sugar/honey

130 I II~LTS to Succcss

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about .. 0 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.

In some countries the average worker is obliged to retire at the age of 50, while in others people can work until they are 65 or 70. Meanwhile, we see some politicians enjoying power well into their eighties. Clearly, there is little agreement on an appropriate retirement age.

Until what age do you think people should be encouraged to remain in paid employment?

Gin reasons for your answer.

You should write at least 250 words.

You should use your own ideas. knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Practice \\"ritill~ Papers I 131

Practice writill~ tests

PRACTICE WRITING PAPER TWO WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graphs below show the numbers of male and female workers in 1975 and 1995· .

employment sectors of the republic of Freedonia. In several

Write a report for a university teacher describing the information shown.

You should write at least 150 words.

Wholesale & retail trade

Public sector (non·defence)

Public sector (defe~ce) T-~~~~_L~_L~_l~

Manufacturing

Communications

Finance/banking

Wholesale & retail trade

Public sector (non·defence)

Public sector (defence)

Manufacturing

Communications

Finance/banking

132 I IELTS to Su c e c s s

Employment in Freedonio by sex in 6 sectors, 1975

r-----....(J ................•

...

r---------...o ..

1------------0 .........•

o

200 400 600 800

Number of employees ('000)

1000

... _-_ - .

.... __ _

..... _- .... _ ... __ ._- .....

Employment in Freedonio by sex in 6 sectors, 1995

................•

r-------·············O

1-----------.··-0

........•

o

200

400

600

800

1000

Number of employees ('000)

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about .. 0 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.

The idea of going overseas for university study is an exciting prospect for many people. But while it may offer some advantages, it is probably better to stay home because of the difficulties a student inevitably encounters living and studying in a different culture.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer.

You should write at least 250 words.

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Practice \\'riting Papers I 133

Practice writing tests

PRACTICE WRITING PAPER THREE WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagram 1.IClo.w shows .the .typical stages of consumer goods manufacturing, including the process by which information IS fed back to earlier stages to enable adjustment.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the process shown.

You should write at least 150 words.

Flow of monufocluring process

Flow of information feedback

~------------ .. --------- ..

134 I lEtTS to SlICCCSS

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.

Many people believe that women make better parents than men and that this is why they have the greater role in raising children in most societies. Others claim that men are just as good as women at parenting.

Write an essay expressing your point of view.

Give reasons for your answer.

You should write at least 250 words.

You should use your own ideas. knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

l+r a c t i c c \\'ritin~ Papers

I

135

Practice w"itillg tests

WRITING TASK 1

PRACTICE WRITING PAPER FOUR

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart below shows the sleep patterns of people in five different occupations according to a Canadian study.

Write a report for a university lecturer, describing the information below. Give possible reasons for the differences.

You should write at least ISO words.

Occupation

Student

Truck driver

Full-lime mother

Business executive

Doctor

6-7 7-g g-9 9-10 lO- u- 12-1 1-2 2-3 3-1 -1-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 to- Il- 12-1 1-2 2-3 3-1 ~-5 5-6
pm pm pill pm II 12 Jm am am am am am am am am am II 12 pm pm pm pm pm pm
pili pili am am 136 I IELTS to SlICCC"

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic.

The mass media, including television, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people's ideas.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer.

You should write at least 250 words.

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Pr a c t ic c \\'ritillg Pa p c rs I 131

Practice w,.;t;ll~ tests

PRACTICE WRITING PAPER FIVE

WRITING TASK I

You should spend about 20 minutes on this tusk.

The table below shows social and economic indicators for four countries in 1994, according to United Nations statistics.

Describe the information shown below in your own words. What implications do the indicators have for the countries?

You should write at least 150 words.

Indicators Canada Japan Peru Zaire
Annual income per person (in $US) 11100 15760 160 130
Life expectancy at birth 76 78 51 47
Daily calorie supply per person 3326 2846 1927 1749
Adult literacy rate (%) 99 99 68 34 138 I IELTS to SIIC"<':SS

1

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend no more than 40 minutes on this task.

Write an essay for a university teacher on the following topic.

'Telecommuting' refers to workers doing their jobs from home for part of each week and communicating with their office using computer technology. Telecommuting is growing in many countries and is expected to be common for most office workers in the coming decades.

How do you think society will be affected by the growth of telecommuting?

You should write at least 250 words.

You may wish to discuss this in terms of your own society. or human societies in general.

You should use your own ideas. knowledge and experience and support your arguments by examples and by relevant evidence.

"r,ktkc \\"ritill~ Pa p c r s I 139

Practice 'W)·itint! tests

PRACTICE WRITING PAPER SIX WRITING TASK 1

You should spend no more than 20 minutes on this task.

T.he diagram be~ow show~ the average hours of unpaid work per week done by people in different categories. (Unpaid work refers to such activities as childcare in the home housework

and gardening.) ,

Describe the information presented below, comparing results for men and women in the categories shown. Suggest reasons for what you see.

You should write at least 150 words,

o Married women

Unpaid work hours per week

60

40

o Married men

50

30

20

10

o

Without children

Source: AdJournal Australia

140 I IELTS to S"""""

With 1-2 children

With 3+ children

1

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write an essay fur a university lecturer on the following topic.

The rising levels 01" congestion and air pollution found in most of the world's cities can be attributed directly to the rapidly increasing number of private cars in use. In order to reverse this decline in the quality of life in cities, attempts must be made to encourage people to use their cars less and public transport more.

Discuss possible ways to encourage the use of public transport.

You should write at least 250 words.

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

lrn c t i c c Wriling l'u p cr s I 141

Although the Listening and Reading practice papers contained in this hook have undergone rrialllug and statistical analysis, we make no claim that the results you attain on them will match your results on the real I ELTS test. Thus, instead of providing a band score, we offer the following rough guide as a means of interpreting your test scores, Keep in mind that the level of difficulty (and the number of questions} varies slightly across the tests contained in this book.

L1STENIN(;

Your score

17-30

A score in this range indicates you an: likclv to do well (0 very well in the aCluallEl;rS Listening Module.

A score in this range indicates you will need to conccnt ratc more on your listening skills in order to obtain adequate results ill the actual IELTS Listening Module,

A score in this range indicates you arc unlikely to obtain adequate results in the actual I1~LTS Listening Module if attempted any time soon. We recommend you make-a serious effort to improve your listening skills.

0-16

RI~ADlNG

Your score 2')-40

A score in this range indicates you arc likely to do well to very well ill the actual mLTS Reading Module.

A score in this range indicates you will need to concentrate more Oil your reading skills in order to obtain adequate results in the actual I EI;rS Reading Module.

A score in this range indicates you arc unlikely to obtain adequate results in the aetuallELTS Reading Module if attempted any time SOOli. \\'e rccommend you make a serious effort to improve your reading skills,

16-28

0-15

142 I i ELTS to SIll:CCSS

1 I

Xotc the following symbols used in the answer keys.

;/

between acceptable alternative answer forms

( )

for words that arc not a necessary part of the answer

between alrcmutivc words or phrases within one answer

between words/phrases that are both needed to answer a set of questions

AXf) between words/phrases that must both be included for an answer to be correct

/

Practice Listening Paper One I. Il

, C

.1. C

.J. /willjoill 5. /willjoin

(,_ / will not jilin .. IX/) (!;oillg to) Canada overseas

7. / will not join ;\X/J (gllillg to) Quccusluud

1>. Hall.uuvnc (1IIl1se uc s pcllcc!

CfJITcl'ely) I). n.jJ ~I~()

It). American Express II. SI75

I~. E

1.1. II

I·J. Il

IS. 70'se\,enty 1(,. I.Vthineen 17. A

II>. n

I'). C

~O-~I. (i; Il (deha (Jnla)

" .1()ithirty million

~J. sel!ond/2nd

::4. below 600 metres ~S. instant (coffee) ::6. blended (coffee) ~7. Uganda

::1>. /Ilrazil, /USA, /UK (lliuse be (Ill T111?1~E)

~l). /It:lly

.10. /Fr:llwe, /GerJllany, /.Japan (must

he (til TIIHEE)

.11. (the) United Nations .1~. Fn.:<.:zing (weather) .n 13

34. content .15. process .16. B

.17. E

.18. A

3'.1. C

40. E

41. D

An s wc r s I 143

Practice Listening Paper Two I. history

2. B

3. F

4. n

5. n

6. C

7. Wnine
H. Wednesday
Y. Tuesday
!O. 3/three
II. !O/ten
12. 1100
I3. northeast
14. rcctangle/rcctangularz/square
IS. warm
16. northwest
17. 2/two million
18. beaeh( cs)
I Y. 250 (JOO
20. hot springsll mineral bathsll
bushwalkiug z/rnountains
21. southwest Practice Listening Paper Three

1. B

2. A

3. [)

4. C

5. C

6. -.I Greck salad (Sareella)

7-Y. -.I Chicken sandwich (Sllreella) -.I Chicken sandwich (Villcellc)

-.I Onion soup (Villce1lC)

10. :\

11. C

12. rental prieesllrent

13. lI650

14. 350-650

15. northern Chapmanvillellnorth

16. river

17. bay

18. inseetsllmosquitoes

19-20. pollutiorv/polluted (bay); (airport) noise//airport (nllY order)

21. trains AND buses

22. buses

144 I fELTS to Sill"'"''

22. Spanish

23. wine

24. 21two

25. l/one

26. 4/four

27. D

28. A

29. C

30. Japan

31. fashionable

32. liver

33. cigarette smoke/smoking

34. formal introduetion(s)llformal

situation(s)

35. not interested

36. G

37. C

38. [)

39. II

40. A

41. F

42. E

23. quality

24. eullet

25. 2S/twenty·five

26. beer bottles

27. 30/thirty

28. standardisation

29. shopkeepersllshops

30. return

31. IO/ten

32. transportlltransportationll transporting

33-36. A; C; E; II (lilt)' onla)

37. -.I (school graduation) .IN/) -.I (spouse

leaves work)

38. -.I (pregnancy)

39. -.I (divorce)

40. C

41. communicating lcss z/less communicattonv/talkiug Icss//less talk

42. less eucrgy//Hnlc energ_v II feeling tired 4.1. sleepingllfalling asleep

l

Practice Reading Paper One

1. Coolie :lI1d/& Wheatstone ') Western Union (Company)

3. Reis

4. telephone

5. harmonic telegraph

6. C

7. A

8. E Y. n

10. Il

11. fragile Ilawll\\'ard (to use Yldiffieult to

transport z/cxpcnsivc (to build)

12. rail station( s)

13. musical tones

14. harmonic telegraph

15. Il

16. n

17. F

18. A 1 I). E

20. F

21. D

22. E

23. B

24. A

25. C

26. avoidant

27. anxious-ambivalent

28. avoidant

29. ii

30. vii

31. ix ~2. v 33. iv

34-35. 911 emergency system; (police)

computer (systems) (either order)

36. Yes

37. Yes

38. Yes

39. Not given

40. No

41. Yes

42. Not given

Practice Reading Paper Two I. C

') E

.1. F

4. A

5. 12

18. No
19. No
20 . Yes
21. Not given
2:!. Yes
23. iii
24. x
25. ix 6. 11
7. (15- ) 19
8. 20/120-24/124
I). suburban areas
10. J)
II. L/~
12. PC
1.1. ~I
14. ~C
15. ~C
1( •. Y",s
17. ~ot given 2(,.

27. ii

28. vii

21)-32. A; C; E; G «(IllY order)

.13-.14. low wages; surplus labour (richer

order)

35. small businesses

36. Oil foot

37. private automobiles

An s wcr s

I 146

Practice Reading Paper Three I. A

') (southwestern) lJnited States AND China!i(China's) Xinjiang (Province) (Illust h(It'e /lOth)

J. Australia/INc,,' ZealandllNorth Ameriea//Western Europe (lillY TlIUf:f:)

4-7. A; ll; E; (J «((IIY order)

H . .15/thirty·five (%)/(pereent)

'). (conuncrciully sold) timberllbriell (products)

10. passive solar eapaeityl/(walls) store heat

II. eement/ls:llldllstrawlleow dung

(lilly TWO)

12. eO:Jtingsllpaints

D. eracilsll( early) deterioration 14. ~~

15.0

16. B

17. A

18. Agfitz (1'J73)

19. Agfitz (1,)72a)

Practice Reading Paper Four I. NI

2. II

3. Il

4. II S. NI

6. II

7. nostrils

8. H/eight weeks

'). (cool) temperature

10. muddy

11. B

12. C D. v 14. IS. ii

16. x

17. vii

18. professional

1')-20. responsibility; (employee) commitment (either order) 21-22. better pay; more satisfaction (either order)

146 I n:LTS to Success

20. Ilaldcrn &/and Matthews (I ,)6,)

21. Namimitsu &/und Matthews (1')71)

22. Wilson (1,)76)

23. Vilhcrberg &/and Zhou (1 <)')1)

24. Agfitz (1'J72b)

25. Not given

26. Yes

27. Yes 2H. No

2'J. comprehensive //denser 1/( more)

detailed

30. simplified

31. visual lntcrcst z/cntcrtammcnt

32-33. cornprchcnsivcncss (of reporting);

clarity (of explanation)

34. working women 3.5. C

36. A

37. B

38. C

39. politicians

40. radio

41. newspapers

2.1. Not given
2-l. No
2.5. Yes
26. Yes
27. Not given
2H. Il 2'J. ,\

30. C

31. B .12. II .1.1. A 34. A 3.5. B .16. B .17. (J 38. E

3'J. 48 million

40. chronic fever

41. Malawil/Kenya

42. too hotl/cost

l

Practice Reading Paper Five

J. i
., v
3. vi
-I. "iii
5. I{
6. N
7. S
8. Q
'J. T
10. ~I 20. penicillin
21. 60/sixty
22. nuisance 23. sap

2-1. climate AND soil (either order)

25. leaves AND stems (either order)

26. nodules burst

27. gravity separation

28. collection vat

29. North America

II. temporary entrants .18. Asia .

12-IJ. net migration; illegal immigration 31. developing countries

(either order) 32. cooling towers 33. air intake

3·t. NI

1-1. G

15. II

16. F

17. C

IH. E

I'). rugged :L"i[) swampy (either order)

Practice Reading Paper Six

J. humidity ;IS[) water quality

(eitIH'r order) ') H'cight

J. shape ;ISJ) colour (either orclr:r)

-I. seeds

5. controlling temperaturc/,/maintaining low temperawres//c()oler temperatures

6. water content

7. age (more) slowly H. tropical

I). chlorine bleach

10. direct sunlight'lstrong wind 11-1.1. (the) media: prison officials;

overseas studies (lillY order) 1-1-15. joh applications; insurance applie,ltions (cither order)

I fl. newspaper articles

17-1.s. train tuuctahlcs: hank accounts (either ()rder)

35. NC

36. PC

37. PC

38. LIN

I 'J. J~
20. F
21. C
~:? 2/[\\"{)
2.1. 1/011(:
2-1. A
25. C 26. :\0
27. :\ot given
2H . t\o 2,). No

30. Yes

31. Yes

.12. Not given 3.1. A

3-1. D

35. C

36. Queensland nut

37. sc!cctionllhybridisationll improvementllbrecding .1H. (native) raspberry

Answers I 147

Practice Writing Paper One Task I

Anyone who has visited a dentist has been told that eatinj\ excessive amounts of sweets risks harming the teeth. This is because sweets lower pll levels in the mouth to dangerous levels,

When the pll level in the mouth is IICpt above 5.5, acidity is such that teeth arc :lIllilwly to he in danj\er of decay. Sweet foods, however; cause pll in the mouth to drop tor a tunc, and the longer pi I levels rcmnin below 5.5, the gretItcr the opportunity for decay to occur.

By comparing fruit sugar, cane sugar and honey, which arc all common ingrcdients of sweet foods, we find that cane sugar lowers pl l levcls for the longest period, thus pro. dueing the greatest risk of the three. Approximatc.:ly five minutes after consuming cane sugar, pl l lcvc]x drop to as little as pll 3.5. They then begin to rise slowly, but do not rise above pll 5.5 until at least 30 minutes have elapsed. By contrast, fruit sugar, which causes the mouth's acidity to fall to just above pll -I, poses a danger for a shorter period: tooth decay is unlikely 20 minutes after consumption. l loney appears an even less risky sub. stance. Though acidit y falls to about pll -1.75 within five minutes of consumption, it returns to above pi I 5.5 in under fifteen minutes.

The huplicnt ious, then, arc that people who insist on eatinj\ sweet foods should he aware of the ingredicnts, and that fruit sugar or honey appear preferable to cane sugar. (2-12 words)

Task 2

Mundatory retirement aj\e varies from society to society, perhaps a rcflcctton of cconornics, population pressures or simply value svstcms.Iudcod, retirement at 50 can probably he as easily justified as that at 70. It is my belief, hOI\'c\'er, that the lonj\er an able person is allowed to work, t he better for both the individual worker and the cmplovcr.

Chronoloj\ical agc is not always a true indicator of ability. While sonic (,5.year.olds may not perform as well as t hcy did in their past, many workers at this age ,io just as well or better than they used to. People's suitability for a position should he a reflect ion of their performance in the job, rather than the number of wrinkles or grcy hairs t hcy have. Employers conecrncd about the increasing aj\c of their cmplo\'(:cs need only observe their work records. Those doing poorly may be asked to retire, hut those as vet unaffected by age should stay on. Indeed, it would appear ccouomicul for an organisation to retain its older employees when possible rather than spend time and moucv on

training new workers. .

Remaining in one's job for as long as one is able makes sense as life cxpcctnnclcs increase around the world. As people live longer, they arc longer nhle to coutribut c to society in the form of meaningful work. But they arc also in need of income for a longer period, so a mandatory retirement age of 55 for someone who is statistically liIH:I\' to live to 77 becomes increasingly difficult to justify, At a time when populations are ag..,ing, governments arc less able to provide for their senior citizens, so by llCeping ahlc workers in paid employment for as long as is practicable, public expenditures arc less strained.

Thus, workers who can still demonstrate their capacity to carrv out their work should not he asked to retire simply because they have reaciled a ccrtuin agc. Societies that insist on early retirement may do well to look again at their policies.

(3JJ words)

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Practice Writing Paper Two Task I

The two decades between 1<)75 and 1<)<)5 brought significant changes in the rcpreseutat ion of women in Frccdouia's work force, according to thc graphs.

In 1<)75, for example, some 300000 men and 25() 000 women worked in the cornmunications sector. Twenty years later, though the number of men remained unchanged, thc number of women rose to 550000.

A similar situation was seen in the wholesale and retail trade sector, where the number of women rose from about 550000 in 1<)75 to almost 800000 two decades later. The number of men in this sector remained stable over the period, at around 700000.

Women also made gains in both the financc/banklng industries and in the defencerelated public sector; Whereas SOllie 12500(> women worked in finance and banklng institutions in 1<)75, the number increased to -150000 by 1<)<)5. The numher of men grew only marginally from -125000 to -180000 over the same period. In defence, the number of mcn declined from 225000 to 200000, while the number of women rose from 25000 to over 100000.

Two sectors that retained stable employment numbers for both men and women were ruuuufacturing, which had about .100000 women and 650000 men in hoth surveycd years, and the puhlic sector [nou-dcfcucc), which employed 650000 women and 850 ()O() men.

Thus, womeu appcnr to have made gail1s in the Frccdoniun work force hut not at the expense of men.

(2-13 words)

Tasl,2

There is no doubt that going to study in a foreign country, with its different language and culture, can he a frustrating and sometimes painful experience. But while overseas study has its drawhncks, the difficulties arc far outweighed hy the advantages. Indeed, people who go ubroad for study open themselves up to experiences that those who stav at home will never have.

i'hc most obvious advautnge to overseas university study is real-life usc of a different languagc. While a person can study a foreign languagc in his or her own country, it cannot compare with constant usc of the languagc in academic and everyday life. There is no better opportunity to improve second-language skills than living in the country in which it is spoken. Moreover, having used the languagc during OI1C'S studies offers a distinct advantage when one is applying for jobs hack horne that require the language.

On a uuivcrslt y campus, the foreign student is not alone in having come from far awav, IIc or she will likelv encounter many others from overseas and it is possihlc to make friends from all around the world. This is not only exciting on a social level, but could lend to important overseas contacts in later profcssioual llfe.

Finallv, living and studying abroad offers one a new ami different perspective of the world and, perhaps most important, of one's own country. Once beyond the initial shock of heing in a new culture, the student slowly hegins to gct a meaningful understanding of the host society. On returning horne, one inevitably sees one's own country in a new, often more appreciative, light.

In conclusion, while any anxlcty about going overseas for uuiversit y study is certniulv undcrstauduhlc, it is important to remember that the benefits offered by the experience make it well worrhwhlle.

pcn words)

Answers I

149

Practice Writing Paper Three Tasl, I

Most COnSUnH!r goods go through a series of stages before they emcrge as finished prod. ucts ready for sale.

Hall' materials and manufactured components comprise the initial physical input in the manufacturing process. Once obtained, these arc stored for later assembly. But assembly first depends upon the production planning stage, where it is decided how and in what quantities the stored materials will be processed to create sufficient quantities of finished goods. The production planning stage itself follows the requirements of the goods' design stage that proceeds from extensive research. After assembly, the products arc inspected and tested to maintain quality control. Those units that pass the inspection and testing stages arc then packaged, despatched and offered for sale in retail outlcts. The level of sales, which is the end point of the manufacturing process, helps determine production planning.

A product's design is not only the result of product research, but is also intlueneed by testing and market research. If the testing stage (after assembly and inspection) reveals unacccptnhlc problems in the finished product, then adjustments will have to be made to the product's design. Similarly, market research, which examines the extent and nature of the demand for products, has the role of guiding product design to suit consumer demands which may change with time. Market research, while influcnced by product sales, also serves to foster future sales by devising suitable advertising for t he goods.

Thus the reality of consumer goods manufacturing goes well beyond a simple linear production process.

(246 words)

Tasl{ 2

The view that women arc better parents than men has shown itself to be true throughout history. This is not to say that men arc not of importanee in child-rcurimj: indeed, they arc most necessary if children arc to appreciate fully the roles of both sexes. But women have proven themselves superior parents as a result of their con. dittouing, their less aggressive natures and their generally better conunuuicarton skills.

From the time they arc little girls, females learn ahout nurturing. First with dolls and later perhaps with younger brothers and sisters, girls arc given the role of curer; Girls sec their mothers in the same roles and so it is natural that they identify this as a female activity. Boys, in contrast, learn competitive roles far removed fn;1I1 what it means to nurture. While boys may dream of adventures, girls' eonditioning menus they tend to sec the future in terms of raising families.

Girls also appear to he less aggressive than boys. In adulthood, it is men, not womcu, who prove to be the aggressors in crime and in war. Obviously, in raising children, a more patient, gentle manner is preferable to a more aggressive one. Alr hough t here certainly exist gentle men and aggressive women, by and large, females arc less lil,,:ly to resort to violence in attempting to solve problems.

Finally, women tend to be better communicators than men. This is shown in intcl li gence tests, where females, on average, do better in verbal conunuuication than mules. Of course, communication is of utmost importance in rearing children, as children tend to Icarn from and adopt the communication styles of their parents.

Thus, while it is all very well to suggest a greater role for men in raising children. let us not forget that women arc generally better suited to the parenting role.

(303 words)

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Practice Writing Paper Four Task I

Differences in sleep patterns appear to reflect differences in individuals' occupations.

A Canadian study has pointed out, for example, that students typically sleep for a consecutive tj·hour period each night, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. This may he because the central activity in their lives, study, takes place in normal daylight hours. Similarly, business executives sleep consecutive hours, but perhaps because their jobs arc especially busy and stressful they sleep for 6 hours on average, getting up around 5 a.m.

By contrast, truck drivers, probably because of their need to keep their trucks on the road over lung periods, tend to sleep in two 3·hour blocks: one between 7 and 10 a.rn. and another (rom 4 to 7 p.m. Another occupation associated with broken sleep schedules is that of doctors. They tend to retirc to bed around 1 a.m. and start their day at 7 u.m., but may be woken up to deal with emergencies in the middle of the night. Finally, full-tlmc mothers, especially those with young children, tend to sleep when their babies do. Typically, they will sleep from 10 p.m. and be awoken at 1 a.rn. to comfort their babies for a couple of hours. They then go back to bed to wake at 6 a.rn., but nap for two hours or so in the early afternoon.

Thus the influence on one's sleep pattern is worthy of consideration when choosing an occupation.

(239 words)

Task 2

The mass media have a powerful influence in shaping our lives. We have come to depend on them for information and entertainment, and in doing so we let them affect important aspects of our lives.

The undcniahlc usefulness of the media in almost instantly providing information ahout events around t he world is largely taken for granted. But in our dependence on t hc media we have allowed them to mould our notions and opinions of events, places and people. Though [cw of us probably think about it, our conceptions of, say, our elected officials spring from television images and newspaper storics. Most of us will never meet prime ministers or presidents, but anyone who is regularly exposed to the media will have an opinion of t hcrn. When it is rime to cast our vote, we will make our decision based on how the media portray the candidates. We arc similarly swayed by coverage ot' wars. The media, rcprcscnt ing the values of their owners, societies and goVenlmL·I1tS, tend to report wars with a bias: which is the 'good' side and which the 'bad' is determined for us by reporters, editors and commentators, and sure enough the public h"gins to form opinions that reflect the coverage the)' sec, hear and read in the major media.

The media arc also influential in the way they faeilitate thc spread of culture and lifestyle. The so-culled 'global youth culture', in which onc finds young people around the world displaying a conuuou interest in music, clothing styles and films, is an example of t hc media's enormous sway in this regard. A popular figure such as Michael Jackson would never be so well known were it not for the media's extensive reach into every sociL·ty on the globc.

Thus I would argue that the mass media's influence is certainly great. Indeed, with tl:"hnological udvanccmcuts such as the Internet bringing even more forms of clcctrunic media to our homes and workplaces, it is likely the media's influence will grow even stronger.

(.1.1.1 words)

An s wcr s

I 161

Practice Writing Paper Five Task J

A glancc at jour indicators of economic and social conditions in four countries, Canada, Japan, Peru and Zaire, in 1<)<)-1 reflects the grcat diffcreuccs that exist between wealthier and poorer nations.

The table shows that .Japan and Canada had annual incomes of II 15760 and S 11 100 per person, respectively. These figures were overwhelmingly greater than the corresponding figures of II H,O in Peru and li DO in Zaire.

Ilcalth indicators, too, reflected overall levels of affluence in the four nations. Life expectancy at birth, for example, was higher among the more economically developed cnuntrics . Japan reported the highest lifc expectancy, 78. This was followed by Canada, ~ 76; Peru, 51; and Zaire, 47. This suggests that richer societies arc able to put more money into health care than poorer ones.

The amount of calories consumed daily per person roughly followed the same ranking. Canadians each consumed some 3326 calories per day while the Japanese took 2846 calories. The corresponding figures for Peru and Zaire were 1 <)27 and 174<), respectively

Literacy ratcs among adults, too, were higher in wealthier countries, no doubt a reflection of uhility to invest in education. Canada and Japan both reported literacy rates of (),)'Yu, while Peru claimed 68%. Zaire, the least economically developed of the four countries, had a literacy rate of 3-1%.

The data appear to confirm the often cited link between national wealth and hcalt h and education standards.

(236 words)

Tasl,2

The spread of telecommuting is sure to have far-reaching effects on society, By itself, telccomrnutlug refers to office workers spending much of their time worldng from horne and using electronic technologies to communicntc with their employers. The broader implications of telecommuting, however, may involve changes to corporate structure, workers' lifestyles and even urban planning.

The most obvious changes may be apparent in the 'normal' offices of companies, governments and other organisations. If even half the workiuj; week is spent tclccommuting front horne, then we would initially expect many empty des lis iI. the "ffiee. As offices grow smaller, workers coming in for the day would he expected to share desks with their absent colleagues. This, in turn, may affect the social atmosphere of an organisation, however, as less soeial.contaet with one's colleagues could harm morale and loyalty.

For the individual office worker, telecommuting would mean spending more time at home. For a parent with young children, this may bc a blessing. Moreover; many tclecommuters would be able to work the hours they wished: huving a nap in the afternoon, for exam pic, but working some hours in the evening. One substantial benefit for all 1l:;I..~Llmmuting workers is that there will he no need to travel to work, allowing more free time.

The structure of urban life is also likely to be affected by telecommuting. We would expect to see fewer cars on the road during peak hours ami, eventually, a smaller concentration of offices in cities' central business districts. In short, people will have less reason to travel to city centres from outlying areas. As more people work and

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live in thc same location, shops and cultural events will likely relocate themselves (Jut oj the citv centre.

In sum, tclccommutiug will serve not only to change the way we work but also the way we live .

(.l06 words)

Practice Writing Paper Six T:ISI, 1

The diagram reveals that the number of hours per week spent in unpaid work is

unequally distributed between men and women. .

In households where there arc 110 children, women are reported to work some 30 hours per week ill such tasks as housework and gardening. Mcn's contribution to these unpaid jobs averages a considerably lower 18 hours.

Whcn children enter the household, however, the inequality becomes even more pronounced. In families of 1-2 children, men maintain approximately the same number of hours of unpaid work as ill childless households, but the number of hours women work in the home rises to 52 per week, much of it, no doubt, due to childcare responsibilities.

Interestingly, when there arc three or more children in the household, men arc found to wnrk even fewer hours around the house than before the appearance of the third child. Whereas women's unpaid hours rise to approximately 56 per week, the corresponding figure for men, 16, actually represents a decrease.

The data suggcst that the increased presence of women in the paid work force has yet to lead to an increased role for men in the home.

(l'iO words)

Tasl,2

Anyone who lives in a citv is aware of the increasing number of cars on the road and the Id,;ds of problems this creates: traffic jams, air pollution and longer commuting periods. As economics grow and access to cars spreads to increasing numbers of people, this trend is likelv to worsen. The solution, it would seem, is for government to encourage the usc of puillie transport in urban areas, thus dccrcusing dependence on the car.

One way to stimulate public transport usc is to make private car usc more expensive aud inconvenient. The introduction of tolls along urban motorwuys has been successfully employed in many cities. Othcr such measures arc high-priced permits for parlling in urban areas and the restriction of parking to a limited number of cars. Faced with high costs or no place to park, commuters would perhaps be more willing to ahandon their cars in favour of buses or trains.

There arc also less punishing ways of spurring public transport usc. The construction of free carparks at suburban train stations has proven successful in quite a number of eountrics. This allows commuters to drive part of the way, but take public transport into the central, most eongestcd, urban areas.

Indeed, mailing public transport more comfortable and convenient should work to attract more commuters and decrease traffic congestion. Public transport that is convcuicnt and comfortable retains its passengers, much like any business that satisfies its customers. The more commuters committed to tailing public transport, the less congestion on city streets.

(~S.1 words)

Au s we r s I 15.1

Section 1

154 1

ANN()1 INC,"H: Listening Section 1. In a moment, you arc going to hear a conversation between Claudia and Toshio, who arc two overseas students in Australia. Thcv arc dis. cussing plans to take a holiday after their studies finish. Before you listen, 1001; at Qucstions 1 to 7. Note the examples that have been done for you.

(I'ausc)

As you listen to the first part of the conversation, answer Questions 1 to 7.

TOSI II(): Wcll, Claudia, our first semester at university is almost over. I can't wait for the holidays.

CLAUDIA: Me, too, Toshio! Why don't we go somewhere far away and forget about leetures and essays and all that hard work

TOSIIl(): Sounds good to me. Now, how long will we have before we have to be back here on campus for the next semester?

CLAUDIA: We've got about six weeks, I think

TOSIIlO: l low about if we go to the coast? It would be great to do some swinlll1ing and surfing.

CLAUDIA: The coast would be good. But let's look at our other options, There's the mountains. They're nice and cool at this time of year. And we can do some hushwalking, There's also the desert, which I really enjoyed last year.

TOSI 1l0: What about going to Sydney? I've never been there and they say it's a great city to visit. Lots of things to do there, I've heard.

CLAUDIA: I agree Sydney would be good but there arc too many tourists there at this time of year. And I'd rather get away from buildings and cars. There arc cnough of those around here. I vote for the mountains.

(ELTS to Su e c c s s

1 I

HlSIIIO: All right, then, let's do that. Now we have to decide where we're going to Slay and how we're going to gel there. Any suggestions?

CL.\L;IlI.\: \Veil, for places to stay, there are the usual places: motels, hotels, youth hostels. \\'e could go camping, too.

TllSIIIO: I'm afraid I'm not a very good camper, Claudia. I tend (0 feel a bit frightened sleeping outdoors. And the hassle of building fires and all the insects, and ...

CL. \1 'Dl.\: All right, all right. \\'e'll forget about camping. Although I must admit it would've been my first choice. So what should we do?

T()SIII(): Well, since neither of us has a lot of money, I don't think a hotel or motel would be possible. 1I0w about a youth hostel?

CI..\I:[ll.\: I'd rather not go to a youth hostel, Toshio. They're certainly cheap, but you never get to be alone in those places; there's always a stranger in the next bed, and I hate sharing kitchens with people I don't know. No, I think we should find a small holiday house to rent. And if we get a few more friends to join us, it will be really cheap.

TOSIIIO: I think your idea's spot on. But, who should we ask along? 1I0w about Peter? Do you think he'd want to join us?

CI..\l1DI.\: I was just talking to him this morning and he said he was flying home to I long Kong for a visit.

T()SIIIO: Oh. \\'ell, what about Muria and her boyfriend Gyorg? Oh, and David Wong might be interested. And his brother Walter is studying here, too. We can ask him.

CI..\lllll.\: liang on, not so fast, please. I'm writing a list of people to ring. Let me think. \\'e could ask .lcnni fer, too. I don't think she has any plans. And Michael Sullivan, perhaps, too. I think ["'II just ring them all now.

.\\\OII\CI·:K After ringing their friends, Claudia returns to speak to Toshio.

CI..\lilll.\: \Vc II , I talked to everyone we thought of. A few of them are quite keen, actually.

'1'( lSIII( l: Tell me, what did they say'~

1:I.,\lllll.\: \Veil, Jennifer can't make it. She's already booked a night to Queensland. She says she's going to meet her boyfriend up there. I also talked to David Wong. lIe says he'll conic. lie says he's really looking forward to getting off campus, too.

TI lSIII( l: \\'hat about his brother, \\'alter'~

(:I.,\I·llI.\: Ilis brother is going overseas. In fact, he's not even coming back next term. It seems he's transferred 10 a university in Canada. Er, I then called Maria's house, l lcr boyfriend, (;yorg, answered. I told him our plans and he asked Maria. They hot h want 10 join us.

'['( lSII[( l: Good. They'll be fun to be with. Now, what about Michael Sullivan? Did you talk to hirnr

Tup cx c ri p t s [or t h e Pra c r ic c l.t s t c n i n g Su h t e s t s 1155

Section 2

166 I

CI..\I;JlI.\: Yes. But he said he'd rather spend his holiday at home. lie's not interested in going anywhere! Can you imagine'~

.\\\()( .\( :1-:1(: Later, Toshio and Claudia arc talking while Toshio fills out a holiday house rental lorlll. \011' look at Questions H to 11.

(/JclIlse)

As the conversation continues, answer Questions H tu 11.

TOSlIIO: The lorm asks for home addresses, I've put mine, 52 Miller Street, but let me sec if I've got yours right. It's 61-1 Valentine Street, isn't i(~

(:1..\111)1.\: You've got the street number right, but not the street name. It's 61-1l3allan· tync Street. That's B·A double L-AN-T-Y-N-E.

T( )SIIl(): OK. We're paying by credit card. Is that all right? <:1.,\( II )(.\: That's fine.

T( )SIII(): Ilavc you got a Visa card or a Mastercard? And I need to know the number, of course.

<:1-.\(11)1.\: Sure. It's 77-13 2129. But it's not a Visa or Mastercard. It's an American Express card.

TOSIII(): So, let me just repeat that. It's 77-13 2129. American Express. High(~ CLAUIlL\: That's right.

TC )SIII(): One more thing we have to write down - that's the deposit we're paying to reserve the holiday house. It says it should be at least 10 per cent of the rental cost.

CL\lIIlL\: Let's just figure that out now. Er, We're paying :;]50 a week, righ(~

TOSIIIO: Hight. And we're planning to stay there for live weeks. So the deposit's, what, shall we say S225:-

CL\(lI)I.\: \0, that can't be right. I'd say it's less than that. In laet, ahout S5() less than that. It should be S 175.

,(,OSlIIO: I1mm. I guess you're right. Okay, that's what I'll put down.

,\\\( )U\CEI{: That is the end of Section I. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

A\NO( I\<:EI(: Listening Section 2_ In a moment, you arc going to hear an oricntat iou talk given to new overseas students at Maslow University. The talk is being givl.!n hy ~Is .Icnnifcr Davi». Before you listen, look at Questions 12 to 1-1.

(l'clIlse)

As you listen to the first part of the talk, answer Questions 12 to 1-1.

.IE:\\IFI·:I{ 1l.\\·IS: I1ello, my name's .lcnnifer Davis. I'm the Student Affairs Officer here at Maslow University, and I'd first of all like to welcome you all to this oricutut ion talk. I'll be talliing to you about the campus and a little of its history, and then I'll he introducing you to some of the facilities available to all Maslow lIni\'(:rsity students and, in particular, overseas students.

lEU'S to Su c e c s s

1

First. let me just point uut to you two people who you will definitely need to know, They arc Hruce Chandler, who is the coordinator of the Overseas Student Office. Actually, you can sec Bruce in that group of people over there. Bruce is the short man with the heard and glasses. Iii, Bruce! Bruce will he speaking to you later.

The other person you'll be meeting is Donna Wilcox. Now, Donna's in charge of the Student Union Activities office. I n fact, Donna's just over there, too, She's the one with the white top and dark skirt. IIi there, Donna! She'll be speaking to you today, later, too.

Now, I want to congratulate you all for getting to this talk on time. I say this because I know the campus can he a bit confusing for people when they first get here. In fact, I'd just IiIIC to spend :I few minutes pointing out some of the landmarks that can be seen from here. Let's sec. If you look just behind me, you'll see a large four storey brick building. That's the Borland Library, named after Harold Borland, who was the first Chancellor 01 Maslow University. Just ahead of me are two buildings that look like identical twins. In fact, they serve very diI'fere;lt purposes. One of them is the University L:lnguage Centre. That's the one on my right. The other one - the one on my left - is the Aeronautics Building. Now, to the cast of us, you'll see no building at all- just trees and flowers and a huge grassy area. That's the Maslow Gardens, which were part of the original design of the campus. And finally to the west of where I'm standing, we can see the largest building on campus. Seventeen storeys of steel and glass construction. I'll give you one guess what that is. (laughs) That's right. It's the University Administration Building.

.vx:« II i\( :I~I{: i'.'ow lool{ at Questions 15 to 21. (['<luse)

As the talk continues, answer Questions 15 to 21.

.IE:\\IFI-:I{ 1l_\\'IS: Obviously, the buildings we can sec from here aren't the only ones on campus. In fact, there arc a total of 70 buildings of various sizes and purposes scattered over some I J hectares of land. Later, I'll be giving out maps to you, and we'll also be giving you a tour after lunch.

Next, let me give you a little history about Maslow University. The University was not originally a university at all. .lohn Herbert Masluw came to this country from Scotland in IH22 at the age of JJ. lie had trained and worked as a ninths teacher before immigrating and when he got here, he found that there were lots uf people wanting education, but not nearly enough people to teach them. So he set up a teacher's college on this very site in I H25. The students of the college spent an average of two years here before they went out to find work in primary schools and high schools being set up around the state. Around .1200 students graduated from Maslow Teacher's College in its first ten years of operation. And I should mention that though .!uhn Maslow set up the eollegc, it was always strictly a public institution, always the property of the state g"'·erlllllent.

\011', even though .John Maslow died in IH-IH, the Teacher's College continued to run in IIlIIch the same way until IH(.H. Around that time, the state government had plans to establish two IICW universities. In IH66, Rivcrsdale University was established on a site ahout 11 kilometres northwest 01 the city centre. The government wanted the second univvrsit y to be a hit closer to town, so they chose to convert Maslow Teacher's College into Xluslow University. That happened two years after they opened Rivcrsdale University. As you kn ow, Maslow is southeast of the city centre, but it's only 1.5 kilometres away.

Tn p c s c ri p t s for the Practice Listening Suhtests I 167

Section 3

168 I

You may he interested to 1111011' that there's always been an intense rivalrv between ~laslO\v University and Rivcrsdale University. They're always trying to outdo each other academically and, also importantly, in sport. Now, with sport, it all depends on what game we're tallling about. I don't think anyone in either university would argue that Maslow has the better basketball team and the better soccer team. In fact, Maslow has beaten Rivcrsdale in both sports for about ten years running. But Rivcrsdalc University has its strengths, too. Riversdalc's football team has always defeated Maslow's, and ill women's swimming, too - though not in men's swimming - Rivcrsdale tends to come out on top. When it comes to baseball, well, both universities have a poor record, and the same goes for track and field. Incidentally, the sport teams here at Maslow arc always loolling for new members, in particular those with a strong background in sport.

Now, let's move on to the facilities in the Student Union ... (ICICle Olll)

.\:\:\( )[1:,\( :1':1(: That is the end of Section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

A:\:,\()[ J:\( :Elt Listening Section 3. In a moment, you arc going to hear a conversation between Teresa and Bob, two economics students. They arc having a cup of coffee between lectures. Before you listen, 10011 at Questions 22 to 33. Note the examples that have been done for you.

(Pause)

As you listen to the conversation, answer Questions 22 to 33. T1~IU:S,\: Ml11m. This is yummy coffee, Bob. 1I0w's yours?

BOB: It's excellent. You 1\11011', Teresa, I just read an article about coffee last nigh!. It was in that journal that Professor Clark recommended to us.

TEI(ES.\: Which onc was that'~ Oh, I think I know. Food E(,011OIIIi(,8 He·view.lsn't that it'~ BOB: That's the one. Anyway, in thc article there were all kinds of interesting things about coffee that I'd never known before,

TEIU:SA: Yeah? Like what?

BOil: Well, did you know that over 30 million people. earn their living from some aspect of coffee farl1ling'~

TEHI~SA: That's a lot of people. Coffcc obviously has a lot of importance economically. BOil: Absolutely. In fact, it's the second most valuable commodity in the world after oil. TEHESA: Wow! Well, if it's that big, it's probably produced and controlled by a few large companies, just like with oil.

!lOll: Well, this article said otherwise. It said that most coffee's grown by farmers with only 4 or 5 hectares of land. And coffee's usually all. they produce.

TERESA: So who produces thc most coffec? I mean which country?

11011: It depends on what type of coffee bean you're tallting about.

TEI(ESA: Oh, of course. Each country's coffee has a different flavour. My favourite's Jamaican.

lEU'S to Success

II< )11: What you're talking about isn't type; it's just regional variation. What I'm talkin,g ahout is the coffee bean itself. One common type of coffee bean is called Robusta. It s grown at altitudes of below 600 metres,

TI~RES.\: Is that what we're drinking now?

11011: Probably not. The coffee we're drinking is premium quality. Robusta is usually used to make instant coffee.

T1·:IU:S.\: Yucll!

!lOll: Auyway, the premium coffee -liI\C thc stuff we're drinking now - is from a type of bean ~alleJ Arahica. They grow it higher up, at between 600 and 2000 metres.

TI-:I(I-:S.\: So those arc the two types of coffee, arc they?

BOil: Actually, there's one more, called Liberica. It's grown below 1200 metres. But apparently, it's not produced in very large quantities. It's used in blended coffees.

TEI(I-:S.\: Listen, Bob, I'm still waiting for an answer to my question: who grows the most coffee?

III HI: 1'011' that I've explained the types, Teresa, I can tell you. For the Arabica type, it's

Brazil followed by Columbia. .

TEIU:S.\: So Latin America's the biggest producer.

II()II: OnI\' for Arabica coffee. But it's also grown in large quantities in Africa, too. In fact, the number three Arabicn producer is Kenya.

TEln:S.\: What about the other type, er, Robusta?

II( HI: The higgcst producer of Robusta is Uganda. But the second largest is in Asia. That's Indonesia. In fact, Indonesia is the fourth largest producer of coffee, in general, in the world.

TI-:I(I-:S.\: So, tell me, Bob. Did the article talk about how people like their coffee?

III HI: Yes, it did: in terms of preferred styles of coffee in different countries. The article divided these stvles into instant coffee, espresso coffee and brewed coffee. It seems European eoulll'ries tend to drink more brewed coffee. Countries like S\~eden and 1\"or\\"av, for example. It's the same for the Germans. But strangely enough In the UK, instant' coffee is lling. Perhaps they like the convenience of instant.

TEln:S.\: \\'hat about the Italians? I suppose espresso would be what they prefer.

!lOll: That's right. And while espresso's popular across the border in France,.too, it's still outsold by hrcwcd, In the liS, people drink more cups of instant than anything else. But, interesti;lgly enough, in Japan, brewed coffee is the number one.

TI-:I(I·:S.\: What about the producing countries?

II( )11: \Yell, you're never going to believe this, Teresa, but Brazilians, for example, who grow all those bcuutiful premium beans, actually prefer instant. It's even more expensivc than brewed'

TUU':S.\: Is there any sort of large world body that watches over all the buying and selling of coffee? Like they've got for oil?

!I( )11: There is. It's called the International Coffee Organisation - the ICO. It was actually set up hy the United Nauons in 1963 to try to stabilise the world coffee mar".et. There's something like over 100 countries that belong to it, both producing countries and consuming countries .

Ta p c x c r i p t s for the Pr a c t i c c Listening Su h t c s t s I 159

Section 4

160 I

lLl(I·:S.\: So how docs it work?

III )1\: It's pretty complex from what I could gather from the article. But basically, the ICO reckons that hy controlling the amount of coffee that's available on the world market, t hey can keep prices from going too low or too high.

TEI(ES.\: That sounds reasonable. Docs it work?

III )11: Usually, but sometimes it doesn't. Back in 1 'J75, Brazil produced almost no coffee at all because the eofiee plants were killed before harvest by freezing weather.

TEIU·:S.\: \\'hieh meant that there was a demand but not much supply.

1\( )11: Exactly. Especially with Brazil being such a large producer. Anyway, as you'd expect, prices shot through the roof. The ICO couldn't do anything to help.

TEIU·:S.\: So people paid a premium for coffee, then.

11011: \Veil, no, actually. The prices went so high for half a year or so that millions of people no longer bought coffee. They couldn't afford to. So you know what happened I H .. ! X t':"

TEI(ES.\: \vhat'~ rio, let me guess. Er, if nobody's buying coffee, the price had to come down, am I right?

BOB: Exactly right. The whole market collapsed, as a matter of fact, and coffee became cheaper than it had been for the previous 25 years. Unbelievable but true.

TEHES.\: Shall we order another cupr

.\~:\()( 1:\( :EIC That is the end of Section J. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

• \~:-\()( 1:\( :EIC Listening Section .1. In a moment, you Me going to hear a talk given by Katherine Blal\ely, who is a lecturer in ~lanagel1lent Studies. She will be discussing aspects of business meetings. Before you listen, 10011 at Questions .1-1 to -11. Note the example that has been done for you.

(Pallse)

As you listen to the talk, answer Questions 3-1 to -11.

I\XI'II EH I :\1': IIJ..\1\ EI.Y: l lello, everyone. ~Iy name's Katherine Blakely. I'm .\ssociate Professor of ~Ianagement Studies here on campus. Today is the second in our series of talks on aspects of holding business meetings. Last week we talked about the most effective ways of leading meetings, and the advantages and disadvantages of different leadership styles.

Today, in this second talk of the series, I'd like to discuss the role of the facilitator in a meeting. For those of you who aren't aware, businesses and organisations in the P;lst 20 years or so have turned to this idea of a facilitator. A facilitator is a person in the organisation who's chosen to ensure that meetings arc carried out efficiently. The facilitator works together with a meeting leader, but their roles arc quite different. The meeting leader concerns himself or herself with the COIICCIIC of the meeting; by cerntent, I mean, of course, what the meeting's for. The facilitator, on the other hand, is more conccrucd with the process of the meeting. This notion of process includes the rules for the meeting and making sure everyone has a chance to participate.

IELTS til Sill''"'''''

1

()K. I next want to outline what are commonly known as the five global responsibilities of :1 facilitator. This is to gi\'e you a better idea of just what :1 facilitator docs and why they're so important to meetings. One global rcsponsibllity is labelled 'bluepriming'. Blueprinting a mectin~ involves ere:Uing an agenda and c1:lrifying rules for the meeting. Much of this work is done together with the meeting leader. Blueprinting also means learning about each of the participants and what their goals and interests arc with regard to the topic of the meeting. It also involves printing and photocopying documents for the meeting and assembling equipment such as visual aids.

A second glohal responsibility is what we call 'pro-intcgrution'. Pro-iutegrution happens during the actual meeting. For this, the facilitator must listen carefully to what the participants arc saying, then clarlfy any unfamiliar terms or phrases spoken by the participants. lie or she then summurises what was said to ensure everybody at the meeting hoth fully understands and is fully understood.

Clohul responsibility number three is what I term 'focusing'. This is basically seeing that everyone keeps to the task at hand, not wandering off onto other topics. It's all too easy for discussion in a mccnng to get off track. lIere, the facilitator supervises the discussion, mailing sure all comments arc relevant to the task. Focusing also involves knowing in which direction the meeting should he going, and mailing sure it goes there. \\'e can compare the facilitator's role here to that of a bus drivel; steering the group where they need to go.

This hrings us to 'prompting', which is our fourth global responsibility Not everyone at a meeting may feel confident enough to talk, ami we must remember that just because they're quiet, it doesn't mean that they've got nothing to contribute. So a facilitator might prompt people, that is, ask people questions or use other activities to get members involved. The task of 'prompting' also means mailing sure that purt icipauts who tend to dominate allow the quieter members a chance to speak After all, there's nothing more horing than having one or two people dominate a meeting .

When participants get into disputes or arguments with each other, then it's time for the facilitator to take on the role of 'friction manager'. This is the fifth global responsibility of the faeilitator, and the last on our list. Friction management means handling confllcrs in a positive and constructive manner. During meetings when members may have very different points of view, emotions can run hi~h ami people may begin to act negati\'c1y toward one another, gelling into arguments or what have you, ,\ good facilitator knows that this kind of nc~ative behaviour serves no purpose at business meetings. Its effects arc not constructive. So he or she then has to usc his or her skills to return the group to a peaceful atmosphere, and maintain that utmosphcrc, There arc various skills involved in friction management which I won't go into here, hut hasieally, the notion of gelling the group to focus on what they agree on - rather than what they disagrec on - is vital.

.\:\:\()(J:\CElt That is the end of Section -I. You now have half a minute to check your :IIlS\\'Crs.

(I'<lIIS<')

That is the end of Listening Test 1.

.\t the end of the rcnl test, you will have ten minutes to transfer your answers to a listening answer sheet.

Tu p c s c r ip t s for the Practice Listening Su b t e s t s

161

Section 1

162 I

.\\\( lli\(:U(: Listening Section 1. In a moment, you will hear a conversation between two university students, William and Mnry. It is their first day at the university, and they will both be attending the same lecture this morning. Before you listen, look at Questions I to (,.

(/'lII1SC)

First, William and /llary try to locate the lecture theatre. As you listen to the first part of the conversation, answer Questions I to 6.

\\'II,I.L\~I: Well, Mary. 1I0w docs it feel on your first day on campus?

~I.\I(Y: I'm a little nervous, actually. It's such a large campus, and I'm not quite sure how to get around it. Ilow about your

\\'11,1.1.\111: I feel the same way. That's why I think we should leave early - to get to our history lecture on time.

~L\I(Y: That sounds like a good idea to me! Look, it's 8.15 now. When's the lecture supposed to start, again?

\\,ILI.I.\~I: EI; in 45 minutes. II\JloW it's early, but better safe than sorry, I guess_ We've got to go to the Bradley Building, but I'm not sure where that is.

~L\I(Y: Since neither of us seems sure how to get there, why don't we ask that man sitting over there. lie looks like he may know his way around here.

\\'ILLlMd: All right. I'll ask him.

\\,1 LLL\~I: I~xeuse me. Could you tell us how to get to the Bradley Building'~

~I.\I\: The Bradley Iluilding'~ Certainly. ilo you sec those two buildings over t hcrcr The one on the right is the Student linion Building. The other one is the l'hysics lluilding. You have to take the path between the two buildings, When you get to the other side of the two buildings, you turn right. From there, the Bradley Building is the second building on your left. Got it?

~1.\I{Y: I think so. After we get past the Physics and Student [Inion Iluildings, we go right and continue to the second building on the left. Is that right?

~L\N: That's right.

.\NNOlil'iCEH: William and Mary later arrive in the lobby of the Bradley Iluilding. ~I,\I{Y: Well, we've got here in good time. Do you know which theatre the lecture's in r \\'1 LLI.\~I: It's supposed to be in Lecture Theatre II, I think. Wherever tbat is! There arc at least ten 1100rs in this building! Shall we ask somebody for directions ag;lin'~

11 L\I{Y: I don't think we'll need to. There's a directory next to the stairs over there. Let's take a look. Let's sec. It says here that Lecture Theatres 'N to 'D' arc on the sixth !loor. Theatres 'E' and 'F' arc on the eighth 1100r, and the rest of the theatres arc on the tcnth 110or.

\vILLlA~I: Shall we take the stairs?

IELTS to Su c e c s s

.\I.\I(Y: Arc you serious? I'm not going to walk up all that way! Let's tukc that escalator over there.

\\'11.1.1.\\1: Look. You can sec it's not moving. If you don't want to walk up, I guess we'll have to find a lift.

~I.\I(Y: Actually, I noticed a sign when we carne into the building that said the lifts weren't working on the ground and first 1100rs. I suppose we'd better take the stairs to the second floor and take the lift from there.

\\'11.1.1.\\1: Okay, let's go.

,\\\( II ;\( :EI(: ~Iary and William arrive at Lecture Theatre II.

~I.\I{Y: \\'ell, we've finally made it. And we started out exactly 40 minutes ago! I hope it doesn't take us so long next time.

\\·II.I.I.\~I: Yes, if we can just memorise the way we got here.

~I.\I(Y: l lcy, William. That's strange; there's no one here! Are you sure this is the right place?

\\'II.I.I.\~I: Yes, I'm sure. l lcy, wait a moment! There's a sign posted on the blackboard. Can you see what it says?

~I.\I(Y: Yeah, it says the professor's sick And that there'll be no lecture today. I guess that means we've come all the way to this lecture theatre for nothing!

,\\\( H '\( :ElC Later, ~Iary and William discuss Mary's timetable for the rest of the week. Xow look at Questions 7 to 11. Xote the examples that have been done for you.

(l'ulIse)

.\s the cunvcrs.uion continues, answer Questions 7 to II.

\\'11.1.1.\\1. You've got a r.u hcr busy week ahead of you, haven't you?

\I.\I(Y· Yc.rh. I've gilt tWIl lectures Oil Tuesday. One's a chemistry lecture at )() a.m. and the other's microhiology at ~ o'clock. The mierobiolllg_v lecture goes ior one hour, and then it's followcd iuuucdiutcly by a lab.

\\'11.1.1.\.\1 What l.rh is th;It'~

\I.\I(Y Er, plant pathology.

\\'11.1.1.\.\1: That sounds like quite a 1'1111 day.

\I.\I(Y Well, uct uullv, Wedllcsday's my busiest. I've got two tutorials, a lecture and a chemist ry lab. The lab's first thing in the nlOrning at ') o'clock. That goes until 11 o'clock. Then, Ill)' first tutorial. that's plant pathology, is at I~. I get a couple of hours break for lunch and rclax.u ion. Theil at J o'clock I've got another tutorial, er, my microbiology t uturial. That goes fllr two hours. Finally, at ;) o'clock, I've got my genetics lecture.

\\'11.1.1.\ \ 1. Whcw, I sec what you mean about Wednesday being your busiest day. What .rhuut t he rest of t he week?

\I.\I:Y \\d!. I've gilt lIothing on on Thursday, t hankfull y, And Friday's a short day; I've juxt gilt a lecture - plant patiwlllg_v. i\nd the best thillg is that it begins at )() o'clock in the InllJ'iling. SIl frllll1 II o'clock I'm free to enjoy the weekend'

.\\ \( II \( .i'.H That is the end of Sect ion I. You now have half a minute to check your ;1I1SWc.:fS.

Tup c s c r i p t x fill' t h c Practice Listening Su b t e s r s

I

163

Section 2

;\:\:\( j[i:\CEIC Listening Section 2. In a moment, you are going to hear a talk given by ~Is ~Iargaret Sayles, a travel writer. She will he ralking ahout travel to the Pacific island couutry oi .\storia. Ih:iore you listen, look at Questions 12 to 15. An example has been provided for you.

(I'll use)

As you listen to the first part 01 the talk, answer Questions 12 to 15.

~L\H( ;AI{ET S.Wl.ES: Good morning, everyone. ~Iy name's Margurcr Sayles. I'm a journalist who spcciuliscs in travel. Some 01 you may read the trnvcl section of the , newspaper, so you know the kinds of articles I write.

Anyway, I'm not here to tell you ahout my joh. I've been invited here by the Astoria Tourism Bureau to tell you ahout travel to Astoria. Now as I'm sure most of you know, Astoria is a rather large island located eleven hundred kilometres from New Zealand. That's eleven hundred kilometres in a northeast direction, I should say. As you can sec on this map here, it's ahout 25 per cent larger than New Zealand, and it has quite a different shape. While New Zealand's long and thin, Astoria has the shape 01 a rectangle - some people would say almost square.

Now, I guess none of you here has been to Astoria yet, so let me give you a hit of a description. Xlost of the people there live in the northern half of the island. This part 01 the island is warmer than the southern hall, hut it wouldn't he fair to say that the southern half is cold. In fact, the whole island is dose enough to the I~quat()r so that no matter how far south you go, you wouldn't even need a jumper to stay warm.

Section 3

,\l\':\OU:\CElt :\ow look at Questions 16 to 2.1. Note the examples that have hccn done for you.

(l'(LIlse)

As the talk coutinucx, answer Questions I (, to 2.1.

:"IARGARET SAYl.ES: There arc four provinces in Astoria. Eaeh has its own unique lea· tures and, in fact, one 01 them speaks a different langua.l\e. The northwest quarter 01 r he country is the province of l lornchurch. The capital of the cuunt ry. whieh is called :\ew Birmingham, is located in l lornchurch and that's where the firs: Englisl; settlers c.uuc in the year 175(,. Kew Birmingham is Astoria's largest city and the centre of its industry. And it's the culture of this part 01 the island that attracts so many tourists to l lornchurch. The culture's a strange mix 01 old English and Polynesian. New Hirmingham is where you'll most likely enter the country if you're going hy air because it has the busiest airport. Horuchurcli's population is 2.5 million.

The second largest province in terms of population is New Devon. It's got half a million people fewer than Ilornehureh. New Devon takes up the northeast quarter 01 the country. Now if you're the type of person who likes the beach, this is the hcst part of the island. The beaches arc absolutely beautiful here and they go on lor miles. There arc beach resorts all along the coast on this part 01 the island, and no matter how much money you want to spend on your holiday, there arc beach resorts that will suit your budget in New Devon.

South of New Devon is the province of Anglczark. This is the most mountainous part of Astoria, and its least populated. Only a quarter of a million people live here.

164

IELTS to Su e c e s s

'.

The muuntuins in Anglezark arc well known for their hot springs and many Astorians. as well as tourists, go there to rest and relax in the mineral baths. The hot springs are pruhably the best reason to visit the province, especially if you want to get away from the more crowded beaches of the northeastern part of the island. But take along a good pair 01 hiking hoots if you want to take advantage of the wonderful bushwalklng in the Anglczark mountains.

The fourth province of Astoria is in the southwest quarter of the island. It's called New Alhion. Now, that may sound deceptively English, hut actually that's not the lauguage you're likely to hear in New Albion. Although the English were the first Europeans to come to Astoria, explorers from Spain carne only a few months later, and they settled in this part of the island. Today, Spanish is still the main language in New Alhiou, while people in the other three provinces communicate in English.

Overseas visitors like to come to New Albion to indulge in one of Astoria's more famous agricultural products - wine. I'm sure you know that Astoria's wines arc considered to be some of the hest in the world. Well, all of the wine produced in Astoria is made in New Albion because the weather here is perfect for it - warm days and cool nights hut not too humid. By the way, New Albion has the only other international airport in Astoria so it's possible to arrive there first if you're going hy air.

OK. I've briefly told you about the place, Now, let me show you some slides and then I'll tell you ahout prices and travel arrangements and ... (f(u/e ouc)

,\:\:\01 f:\( :1':1{: That is the end of Section 2. You now have half a minute to check your

answers,

,\:\:\()l f:\CElt Listening Section .1. In a moment, you are going to hear an interview between ~Is ~Iarilvn Stokes, a radio interviewer, and ~Ir Roger l larridan, a scientist working in the liel~1 of sensory perception. Before you listen, look at Questions 2-1 to .1.1. Xote the example done for you.

(i'tluse)

As you listen to the convcrsat ion, answer Questions 2-1 to JJ.

~I.\RII.Y:\ ST( ll\ES (~IS): Our next guest is ~Ir Roger l lurridnu. Roger is a scientist at the Xutiunal Institute lor Sense und Sensory Perception. lie's come here to chat with us about our sense 01 smell - you know, how we usc our nose. 1I0w arc you today, Roger'~

I{()(;r-:R 11.\1{1{11l.\:\ (1{l1): Very well, thank you, Martlyu,

~IS: You know, Hoger, I love the smell of flowers and good food cooklug, hut I must admit: I've never really given much thought to my sense of smell.

I{II: Well, Marilyn, you're not alone in that. Most people would say their eyesight was their most important sense, hut I suspect very few people would consider their nose or the idea of smell in that way.

~IS: Unless, 01 course, you make perfume for a living. (laughs)

I{II: Yes, indeed. I'm sure most of your listeners would have heard of Immanuel Kant. ~IS: Immanuel l\ant'~ The German philosopher, you mean?

Ta p c s c r ip t s for the Pr a e t ic c Listening Su h t e s t s I 166

166 I

1(1 I: That's right. Xow Kant, who lived 200 years ago, was the first person we know of to rank the five senses in order of importance. Kant put seeing, or eyesight, in the first position. I lc rcgardcd it as absolutely t he most important sense, Now, what do you think he chose for number two?

~IS: Oh, I reully don't 1111 ow. But if it were me, I'd choose hearing, I suppose,

1(1 I: Wcll, that's cxacrly what Kant chose, as well. For the third most important sense, he chose touch. And touch was followed by taste.

~IS: Which leaves smell on the very bottom.

I{II: I'm afraid so. !lut this was simply the opinion of one man, of course. Actually, Kant was interested in the ideas of subjectivity and objectivity. lie put smell last because he felt that it was subjective. lie thought the senses of seeing and hearing and touch were objective, while taste and smell, he said, were subjective senses. I lc even went so far as to say that we humans don't need our sense of smell, that we can easily live without it. I le obviously didn't have much usc for these subjective senses.

~IS: Well, I can't say I agree with him on that last point. Roger, how well can people smell?

H II: Well, most people have quite normal, quite acceptable ahilities to smell, I mean, if there was a gas leak in this room, for example, the average person would notice fairly quickly. But some people are known as 'odour-blind'. Such people can't smell certain odours, certain smells . Just like people who arc colour-hllnd may not he able to sec a particular colour. An odour-blind person may be able to enjoy the smell of one kind of flower just as you or I would, but another kind of flower that you or I think smells wonderful, well, they wouldn't be able to smell a thing.

~IS: Ilow extraordinary!

HII: It is, isn't it? Another thing about our sense of smell: as we get older, many of us arc less and less able to usc our nose.

Section 4

~IS: Ilow old do you mean?

Rl l: Well, about half of people over the age of 65 have some sort of trouble smelling things. And as you age.; even more, the sense weakens more. So, for people over SO, we can expect some three-quarters to have problems with their ability to smell. And what's more, if you're a man, you can expect to have a weaker sense of smell than if you're a woman.

~IS: Roger, we were talking about perfume earlier. Now, there's a huge industry based on people's sense of smell.

IH I: Yes, well, perfume is certainly big business. I read recently that in the United States alone, they sell g4.8 billion worth of perfume every year. And in Japan, the yearly sales arc something like g5.S billion- the world's biggest marketplace for the stuff.

~IS: I've always wondered what makes some people usc certain perfumes.

RII: I would say the number one reason is that they like the smell. But that's followed closely by reason number two, Marilyn. They think it's fashionahle. Perfumes that people sec as fashionable sell well. Just ask any of the hig fashion companies. But the interesting thing about perfume is that one brand of perfume doesn't smell the sruuc Oil every person who uses it.

~IS: Yes, I've noticed that before. Why is that?

IE LTS to Su c e c s s

I{II: Scientists don't know why for certain. Researchers in France think it has something to do with the liver; That is, the condition of your liver determines how the perfumc will smell on you. But other scientists aren't too sure of that theory.

~IS: Isn't it also true that each person smells the same perfume differently?

IU I: It's hard to say because, for example, you and I might smell a perfume and, though we have the same sensation of the odour of the perfume, I may think it's a lovely smell and you may think it smells like last week's dinner!

~IS: (laughs) I sec what you mean. It's partly a matter of like and dislike, then, isn't it, Roger?

RII: That's right. In fact, there arc people who dislike perfumes in general - any perfume. They feel it's an intrusion - you know, like cigarette smoke.

~IS: Wait; let me guess. You're going to te1l me next that we're going to have antiperfume campaigns, sort of like the campaigns against cigarette smoking indoors that've been so successful in so many places.

H II: That's what I predict will happen, Marilyn. In fact, it's already begun in the United States, where, I've heard ... (fade out)

.\\\\ II 1\( :I·:IC That is the end of Section 3. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

.\\\OlJ:\U·:IC Listening Section 4. You arc attending a talk for overseas students on greeting customs in Australia. The speaker is ~Ir Geoff Barker; an anthropologist. Before you listen, look at Questions 34 to 42. An example has been done for you.

(l'ullse)

As you listen to the talk, answer Questions 34 to 42.

(iE(l!'!' It\IH\EIC Think about how you greet someone for the first time in your own country, in your own culture. When you're introduced to a stranger, do you shake hands with him or her> Perhaps it isn't the custom to touch each other. Instead, you may simply bow to each other, or make no gesture at all.

You know what to do in your own country, but what about whcn you go overseas for study or business? I've me; many students who told me they were sometimes confused about these things in the first weeks after arriving here. And that's why I've been asked to give this tulk to you today.

Let's 1001< at the act of shaking hands - and what I'm about to say applies mainly to men. When you're introduced to someone in a formal situation here in Australia, you alwnvs shake hands with them. And in an informal situation, it's quite common, too. Shal~ing hands is the most accepted way of touching someone you don't know (and the idcu of touching them is in itself important). If you dOIl't shake sornconc's hand when they arc clearly expecting it, the message you arc sending is that you're not interested in them. So, fellows, I advise you to shake hands here, even if you don't normally do so in vour own countrv;

if vou rhlnk that ~imply shaking hands is enough, though, then you'd better listen to wha; I have to sav next. l ltru: you shake hands is almost as important as the act itself. /I()'W you shahc h;lIlds tells the other person a lot about you. It's true, and especially so of men!

Tnp c x c ri p t s for the Prn c t i c c Li s t cu irul Su h t c s t s I 167

168 I

I Jere's what I mean. ,\ lim p or weak handshake by a man has the same meaning as no hnndshakc at all. The message is: 'I'm not very interested in you.' Think about this, because I know that some of you Illay come from cultures that accept limp handshakes as normal. l Icrc, even if you don't intend to, you may send the wrong message.

Is the best way, then, to usc all your muscles and crush - and possibly hurt - the other person's handr ~lan·to·111an handshakes in Australia arc sometimes like this. The message behind this kind of handshake is aggressiveness and a desire to compete. Unless you specifically want to communicate these feelings to the other person, you don't have to shake hands with all your strength. One more type of male handshake that can send the wrong Illessage is the half handshake. Here, only the front half of the fingers is offered to the other person's hand. The message is that you have little coufideuce, that you're shy. 'I'm not a strong or courageous person.' That's what a half handshake says.

Let's look now at how it is for women. Until recently, women in Australia fclt no great need to shake hands during introductions. That's changed as more and more women arc woriling in business, government and academia. The way that women used to shake hands with men was to give only half the hand - that is, the fingers only. This gave little impression or message, at least to men. Nowadays, women arc having to learn again how to shake hands. Now, women arc beginning to offer all of the hand - the fingers and palm. The other person's hand is held and shaken firmly but not too hard. This communicates to the other person more of a feeling of competence or strength than the old-fushioucd way of doing it.

11011' long should you shake hands!' That's right; the lell.!ll!t (/f lillie you shake hands also says something about you. If a man lets go of the other person's hand too quickly, what kind of message do you think that sends? Releasing your hand quite soon indio cates that you don't want to get too involved or you're not very interested in the other person. That goes for hoth women and men. However; it's hoth more ucccptahlc and more e0111nlOn for two men to shake hands for a longer time, even as long as six or seven seconds. The message in this case is 'I like you' 'Illd generally indicates that the two men think they'll get on well.

Finally, what do you do with your eyes when you 'Ire slwlling a stranger's hnndr In this society at least, you should look at the other person straight in the eyes. If you 1001\ somewhere else, like loolling down or to the side, this sends a. negative message to the other person. The other person may think you arc being arrogant, that your action says 'I am better than you'. Another unpleasant message that comes across when there is no eye contact is: 'You don't exist' or 'I don't recognise your existence.'

So you see, there really is quite a lot to consider when shaking hands in this culture. As silly as it m'IY sound, pructtsing hundshukiug, say with a friend, may he a good way to become confident so that the next time you need to introduce yourself in a formal setting here in Australia, you'll feel comfortable kuowing you did it the right way.

ANNOUNCEI{: That is the end of Section -I. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

,

Section 1

(PlIuse)

That is the end of Listening Test 2,

At the end of the real test, you will have ten minutes to transfer your answers to a listening answer sheet.

fELTS to Su c c e s s

A;';-;\OU:\CER: Listening Section l. In a moment, you arc going to hear a conversation between two univcrsitv students, Vincent and Sarccna, They arc meeting on their university campus. Before you listen, 10011 at Questions 1 to S.

(PlIuse)

As you listen to the first part of the conversation, answer Questions 1 to S.

SAI{EE:\.\: IIi, Vincent. 1I0w arc you?

VI:\CE:\T: l lcllo there, Sarecna. I'm wcl~, thank you. I haven't seen you for ages! llow'vc you hccnr

S,\I{EE)';A: Good, thanks. I sec you've just walked out of the Life Sciences Building. You're not tailing classes in biology or something, arc you? I thought you were studying sociology.

\"!:,CE:\T: I am studying sociology, Sarceua. I was just visiting a friend of mine who's doing research in biochemistry, Actually, I'm on my way to lunch and then I've got a lecture.

S,\I{EE\',\: Oh, well, look. I was just going to have a bite to cat as well. Shall we have something together?

\'1 1\ c 1,:1\ '1': That would be great.

S.\HEE\',\: The problem with this campus is that the town's so far away, which is where I prefer to cat. It seems like all the students arc forced to cat here on campus.

\'I1\CE\,'I': Yeah, hut there arc quite a few places to choose from here. What if we go to the Student Union cnfctcrin? I go there sometimes. At least it's cheap.

S,\I{EE\',\: Yes, the Union cafeteria's cheap, Vincent, but YOII get what YOIl pay for! That's one place I try to avoid as much as possible. I only go there when I'm low on money or when they have live music. Besides, it's too crowded around lunchtime, and ...

\'I1\CE1\T: .\11 right, all right ... l know' Ilow ahout the Aztec Grill? Do you know that one? It's on the third t100r of the Arts Centre.

S,\ In: I,: 1\ ,\: The Aztec (,rill, huh? I think I've seen it, but I've never been there. Doesn't it spcciulisc in ~Iexiean food or somct hing?

\'1 \'CE1\T: Yes, it's pretty spicy, Do you like spicy food?

S.\I{I·:E\.\: Actuallv, I love spicy things, hut I shouldn't be eating them at the moment. I just got over a stomach flu, so I'd prefer something mild.

\'I\I:I-:1\T: I haven't got a problem with that. I guess I better let you pick a place, then. Where would you like to go'~

S,\I{EE\,\: "ow ahout the Luxor Cafe?

\"I\<:I-:\T: The Luxor Cafe'~ You 1111 ow, I've been on campus for over two years and I don't think I've ever heard of it. Where is it'~

S.\I{EE\.\: It's in the garden behind the Horticulture Annex.

Tu p e s c r i p t s for the Practice Li s t e n In jl Suhtests I 169

170 I

\'1:\( :I':\T: The Horticulture Annex. That's in the northwest part of campus, isn't it'~ S.\I(I·:E\.\: :\0, it's south of the Observatory.

\,1 \( :E\'I': So, it's near the football field, then? Behind Carpark ·C,·~ S.\HEE\.\: Xot quite that far south. It's west of the Law Library.

\'1:\( :E\T: Oh, right. I think I know where that is. It's not very far at all. Let's go!

.\\\( )11\( :EI{: Later, Vincent and Sarccna sit in the Luxor Cafe, deciding what to cat. Now 10011 at Questions (, to 11. One example has been done for you.

(/'clllse)

As the cunvcrsntion continues, answer Questions 6 to 11.

\'1:\( :1';\'1': Well, the menu's quite extensive, isn't it? ) feel like I could spend hours deciding what to order.

S.\I(I-:I-:\,\: Yes, I know what you mean ... I think )'11 have a salad to start with. \'I:\CI~:\T: But there arc so many salads to choose from!

SAHEI·;:\.\: Yeah, but I know what) like. I'll order the Greek salad.

\'I:\CI'::\T: If you know this place so well, I'd better follow your example. I'll have a Greek salad, too.

S;\I(Io:E:\;\: llcy, wait a sec. If you order a different kind, we can share and have a greater variety.

Section 2

\'I:\CENT: All right. That sounds good to me. Er; how about if I have a seafood salad, then?

S.\I{EE:\.\: Good choice. They usc fresh ingredients here, so you won't he disnppointed. I'm quite hungry, so I'll have a sandwich, too. A chicken sandwich.

\'I;\<:E:\'I': I think I'll have some soup. Is the onion soup any good'~

S;\I(lo:E:\;\: I don't know I've never ordered it. It's not my favourite soup, to he honest. Why don't you try the tomato soup? I've had it here lots of times.

\'I:\CENT: No, I think I'll stick with the 011 ion. And I think I'll have a sandwich as well. You reckon the chicken's good, ch?

SAHEEN.\: If you like chicken sandwiches, yes. The roast beet's quite tasty, too. \'IN<:E:\T: No, I'll go with the chicken.

SAHEEN,\: That's a lot of food YO~I're ordering, Vincent. Arc you sure you can get through all that?

\,INCI~NT: (laughs) Not a problem. ) could cat a horse. Shall we order nowr Oh, we still have to choose something to drink.

S,\I(EEN.\: I'll have lemon tea. They say lemon tea's good for the stomach, which is what I need.

\'INCE;\T: )'11 have mineral water, myself.

,\N:\OlJNCEH: After eating, Vincent and Sarecna leave the cafe. SAHEE1\A: Well, it was nice having lunch with you, Vincent.

lEtTS to Success

\'1\( :E\'I': Yes. have you got time to meet for lunch again next week, perhaps? S.\I{EE\.\: I don't sec whv not. Tuesdays and Fridays arc bad for me though. I've got tutorials and labs around lunch time on those days. But I'm on campus every day, so ...

\'1\<:1-::\'1': I've got the same problem on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I guess that leaves us with Monday or Wednesday.

S.\I{EE\.\: Let's make it Monday Why don't we meet here at the Luxor Cafe? Say, around 1.15·~

\'I:\<:E\T: You wouldn't want to make it a bit earlier, would you? Like 12.30 or 12.45? It would he better for me.

S.\I{EI·;\.\: \\'ell, I finish a lecture at 12.15, and I usually stick around to talk to the lecturer, But I guess quarter to one would. be all right.

\'1:\<:1-::\'1': Good. Then it's settled. I'll sec you then.

.\:\:\0\ ::\<:EI{: That is the end of Section 1. You now have half a minute to check your

answers.

.\:\:\( )11:\( :Elt Listening Section 2. In a moment, you arc going to hear a talk given by Mr AIf Meerschaum, who works as a real estate agent in the city of Chapmanville. lie is speaking to a group of newcomers about the city and rental accommodation to be found there. Before you listen, look at Questions 12 to 22. Note the examples that have been done for you.

(/'(llls<:)

As you listen to the talk, answer Questions 12 to 22.

.\1.1' .\IEEJ{S( :11.\\ :.\1: IIi, I'm Alf Meerschaum. l'm the rental manager for the Central Chapmuuvillc Real Estate Ageney. I'm a real estate agent much like any other in that I help people buy and sell houses, 'hut about half my time is spent working to assist people in renting houses and flats. I've been in this business for a dozen years now, and I know this city very well-in terms of which areas arc the better places to live and how much it costs to rent in these areas.

Now, I normally divide Chapmanville into three areas in terms of rental prices. Gcnerally speaking, t he area in the north of the city is the low end of the spectrum, the cheapest housing. So if you're looking to spend as little as possible on rent, I suggest you 1001, there. The most expensive area would be the eastern part of Chapmanville. ~I()st people think it's the prettiest part of the metropolitan area because of all the hills and parks. And because so many people desire to live there, housing prices tend to be quite high. The middle market in terms of prices for accommodation is found in the city's western and southern areas.

:-';o\\" let me give ),011 some examples of how much it will cost you to rent in these arcus, Let's imagine you're a single person looking for a one-bedroom nat. In eastern Chapmanville, YOIl would be paying no less than S650 a month for such a nat. You won't find anything for less than that. But a lot of people pay as much as SllOO per month or more. The higher-priced flats arc usually the ones in the hills, which run throllgh the cast. They've got the best views of the city.

Tu p c s c r i p t s for the Pr n c t i c c Listening Su h t c s ts I 171

Section 3

172

A similarly sized tlat in the west of the city - and in the south, too, tor that matterwould cost you at most about S(,SO a month, hut there arc many tlats going for less, and it you 10011 around a hit, you can find one for as little as S.1S0. That's quite a rcnsonahle rental price for most people. [f you still find that too expensive, I sUl\.l\est you head to Chapmanville's north, where the cheapest flats arc to he found. One-bedroom fluts there start from nhout S I 70 a month up to about S-lOO.

Xow, for those of you who want something hig_~er, you'll have to he prepared to pay about double those prices for a small two- or three-bedroom house. That goes for any of the areas I mentioned.

Olwy, so much for prices. What arc the advantages and disadvantages of these nrcus? \\'ell, I told you that the eastern part of Chapmanville is the prettiest. There are luts of parks and lots of trees all around. And you've got the beautiful hills right there.

In the south, you've .also got the river, hut you won't find too many parks there, hccuuse of all the factories alongside the river. In fact, there's quite a bit of industry in the south, which makes it a less dcsirahlc place to live. Still, the south is convenient because of public transport. The south has very good train services to the city centre as well as buses, and that's why a lot of people choose to live there.

I said earlier that the western and southern parts of Chapmunvillc arc about the same in terms of the price you pay for uccommodatlon, They also have the same sort of public transport services. But, the two areas are quite different in other ways. The west is next to the hay, so it's quite attractive ill that sense. But there are a couple of prohlcrns with rhc west. One is that the hay is polluted. So polluted, ill fact. that you wouldn't want to swim there. I used to take my family there abour ten years ago, hut now I wouldn't go ncar it. TIl<.! other disadvantage of the west is that that's where the airport is. TIl<.! Chapmanville International Airport. TIl<.: noise can he quite annoying.

Lastly, t he north. In northern Chapmanville, as I said before, housing is cheap. Quite cheap, ill fact. But you pay in other ways. For example, the area is very low and is made up entirely of wetlands. It's hcautiful in a way, hut it attrncts an Incredible amount of insects for most of the year. The mosquitoes there arc really had. This makes things quite unplcasnnt, nnd so few people have any real wish to live there. But, if money's a problem, that's the place to go . .Iust hring your insect repellent!

Oh, I should mention that the only public transport in the north is buses: there aren't any trains. So, it's not all that couvcnicnt, as you can imagine. Actunlly, eastern Chapmanville is in the same situation in terms of public transport. even though it's a richer part (If t hc city. Don't ask me why that is, though.

Let me just finish hy again welcoming you all to Chapmunville and wishing you good luck in finding nccommodanon and s<.!ltling down in whichever part of t he l!ity suits you best.

,\:\:\O{ i:\( :EIC That is the end of SCl!tion 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

;\,,:\OU1\CEIC Listening Section .1. In a moment, you are going to hear a cnnvcrsut lon between three students, Wanda, .Iack and Annette. TIl<.!}' arc reviewing their lecture notes after Iwaring a lecture on the subject of bottle recycling. Before you listen, 1001; at Questions 23 to .12. Xote the example that has been done for you.

(I'll liSt:)

lEU'S to SIIl:el:"

\,

.\s you listen to the convcrsution, answer Questions 2.1 to 32,

.1,\1:1\: l lcllo, \\'anda. Ilello, Annette. I had trouble getting out of bed this morning so I came to class a hit law. I got to the lecture theatre about 30 minutes after Professor .lohnson hl!gan her lecture. Do you mind telling me what I missed?

\\',\:\ll,\; Not at all, .lack. Actually, you didn't miss more than 15 minutes because Professor Johnson arrived a hit law herself.

,\:\:\I':T'l'E: Which is pretty typical for her, isn't it? (all [ul(!lil)

\\'.\:\ll,\: It sure is. Let's see. I low du your notes begin, Jack?

,IACI,: Er. \\'dl, when I came in she was talking ahout recycling of cans, and the differcnces between can and bottle recycling. •

\\';\:\1>.\: Right, okay, Well, before that, she explained a Iittlc about glass hot tie recycling. SII<.! said that glass recycling is still far morc efficient than recycling other materials. That's because there's no loss of quality no mutter how many times the glass is recycled.

.IACI\; I hum. That's interesting.

\\',\"Il.\; SIl<.! also talked about the tiny little pieces of glass you get when you break up bottles in the rccycllug process. What's that called again, Annette?

.\:\:\I·:T'I"E; It's l!alled 'culler', It's spelled ·C·U·douhle·L·E·,[,'.

\\',\:\ll,\: Yl!S, that's right. The professor said that there arc bottle factories in some parts of the world, like .Japan and the US, that make their bottles entirely from cullet.

.1.\<:1\: So, they don't USl! new glass.

.\:\:\ETn:: That's right.

.I.\CI\: \\'hat about boule f;ll!toril!s elsewhere?

,\:\:\E"I""I"E: Er. Let me just check Illy notes. (puper rust[ill.!!) Er, the hottles made in most places coutain ahout three-quarters new glass and the rest is recycled.

.J.\<:I\: I gUl!SS recycling is better for the cnvironmcut than just throwing things away ami using new materials all the time, hut wouldn't it be even hotter to reuse the same honks without hreal\ing them up into culler?

\\",\:\P.\: Yeah, Professor .Iohnson talked about that, too. She said if you reuse hottles you save on energy and resource costs, She said that in parts of Britain, beer hottles are still reused rat her than rccvclcd. But she said that reusable hot ties have to be built strongl!r than the kinds of b;mll!s that are recycled after they're used'only once .

. 1,\( :1\: But then tlwy last forever, don't they?

\\'.\'\1).\: Actunlfy, no. Reusable bottles can he cleaned and refilled a maximum of 30 times, and then they become too weak to usc again. TIl<.!Y'w crushed and recycled.

.1.\( :1\: But it still sounds better than just recycling. ~Iy parents tell me that when they were children, a lot more things came in reusable bottles and jars. It really seems like we've 1II,,\'ed away from reusing, doesn't it'~ Did Professor Johnson talk about why that's S(I':,

Tup c s c r i p t s for the Prn c t i cc Listening Suhtests

173

\1'.\\11,\: \\'L:II, she discussed why u's so difficult to maintniu 'I svstcrn fr I . \ .r rcusim; boulcs. ' , ". . 0 rc urmng allu

Section 4

,1,\( :1\: Whnt reasons did sill: mention?

\\',\:\1>'\: \Veil, a few things, One factor is that there's an increasing varietv of boule types on th.e n.larllet. You know when you walk into a supermarket, you see virtuallv hundreds 01 differcm types of drinks, and each one has its own bottle shape and culour In other words, there is virtually no standardisation, And standardisation is neeessan: to IICep a boule reusing system going. It gets too complicated and expensive to have ;1 separate scheme for each hottle type.

.1,\( :1\: That makes sense. So we're paying for the variety of bottles by having to rccvclr,

-rhcm rather than reuse them. '

~\:'~~ I ),\: I guess that'~ .right. BU,t that's not the only problem, Apparently, shopllCepers arc .Inother, obstacle, I hey don t want to have to collect all the returned bottles. Shonkeepers claim they can't afford the time it takes and that it's not their reSI)Onsibilit\, anyway, '

,1,\( :1\: I Suppose I can sec their point in a way, But, in terms of the environment it's not

a very caring attitude, is ifr '

\\,,:~IL\: ~o, But ,things may be changing. Professor Johnson said that governments arc heglnnlll~ to realise the need to cut down on wastes, So SOllie places arc mailing laws ~h:1t require everyone to return their bottles for reuse, It's happening in Denmark and I.n part,s of ~anada. In th()~e countries, a person who buys something in a bottle, like a soft ,dnnll, ,'s respOl~slhle tor returning the bottle once they've fiuishcd with it, If thcv don t, they re brcakiug the law, Also, bottle makers aren't allowed to make bottles th::t cannot be reused.

.1.\( :1\: That's encouraging. Anything else?

,,',\:\ll,\: Well, she then t:tlked about plastie bottles, She said that it's still hcrr cr cnvin~~,II~Jentally to huy things pad\aged in glass bottles, because reeyeling them is more efficient. BU,t there arc relatively recent programs for reeyeling plasties. And recycling

plastics has Its advantages, .

,1.\( :1\: Such as?

"',\:\11,\: She said that rccycluu; of plastie uses ouctcnt h the energy of er"'lIing II"\\' plastic.

,I.\CI\: Only a tenth of the energy, did you say? \\'ow, so reeyeling plastics has its ben cfits, too.

,\:\~I .. :rrE: Finally, she snid that we should also look at other facrors about hottle USL:, too, like tr:lI~sportatlon, Obviously, there's :1I1 cnvrronmcntal cost in transporting hot. tics to and 11'0111 factories and shops, She said plastics arc better than glass in this respect ,because they're lighter. For glass, one tonne is about 2000 :J\'eragL: houlcs. For plastic, It'S ten times that. That's 20 oon bottles per tonne.

,I.\CI\: That's quite a difference, isn't it? Maybe plastic is the way to go, atrcr all. ,\:\;\OIli\CElt That is the end of Section 3, You now have half a minute to chL:<.:I1 \'0111'

answers. .

174 I IELTS to Suc c cs s

,\\\( )1'\( :1-:1(: Listening Section -I, In a moment, you arc going to hear a talk ahout stress and its effects. The talk is being given by a psychologist, Dr Fiona Williams, Before you listen, look at Questions .1.1 to 36,

(Pause)

As you listen to the first part of the talk, answer Questions 33 to 36,

])I{ I'll ):\,\ \\'II.I.I.\~IS: We're here today to talk a little about stress - that is, mental or emotional stress. It's something we can't entirely avoid, and yet we need to be aware of its effects on us when it builds up to dangerous levels,

Stress is quite usual among university students. Of course, you know the more obvious sources of stress: a deadline for an essay or a project, for example, can ccrtaiuly he a source, Especially as the day gets ncar. Also, the feeling you might have when you have to speak to many people at once. That can bring on stress as well. But there arc other, less obvious reasons, too, Stress can come when you're listening to a lecture 11l1d trying to keep up with the lecturer's words as you take notes, (laughs), In fact, you might he feeling stress as you're listening to me right now! Another stressful situation for the university student is waiting for results, After you hand in your paper, for example, you have to wait a while before you know how you've done and that period of time can be very difficult. One more source of stress is burn out - the feeling you get from worliing too long and too hard at your assignments, Burn out happens on the job and at school, especially, It's also important to remember that not all the stress you may he feeling has to UO with your studies, In fact, there are plenty more sources of stress in our dny-to-dnv lives, Things to do with family or work, for example,

,\\\( 11'\( :1-:1(: :\ow 1001\ at Questions 37 to 3'J, One example has been done for you, (/'< IIlSl')

As till: tall, cunt iuucs, '"1S\\'L:r QUL:stions.17 10 -1').

Ill; I·j( )\.\ \\'11.1.1.\\1:-; But perhaps the most stressful things of all arc major life events. When sonlL:body you know dies. That's a big <Hie. Or, more happily, when you're h'l\'ing a hahy. That causes a lot of stress, 100.

Xow, itl 1')1>"). a pSYL·hologist hy t lic name of Thomas Holmes came up with what he culled a 'life event stress index'. :\o\\' how this stress index works is like this. For every important event in your lite. t hcrc is a number - a SL:OrL: if you like. The higher the score, t hc murc st rcssful IhL: event. The highesl number IS 100, which represents the most st rcssfu! experience you cuu have. no you undcrsrand so far'~ :"iow, l lolrncs divided t hcsc "\'L:llIS into three eatL:gories, dL:pending on their score. Events scoring under.1:; poinls he culled 'modcnucly stressful'. Events between .1:; and (}5 he labelled 'highly stressful'. And cvcryt hing scoring above that was called 'extremely stressful',

()lla~·,lt.:t me rend you a few 01 these so you understand what I'm talking about. Getting married gL:IS a score of:; I, That's considered quite stressful, especially when you con, sidL'r the <.:ilange t lns hrings!o your life. It's not as stressful, though, as when you get a divorce: that's 7.1. Ilo\\' .ihuut when you get pregnant? That's worth -10 points according to the index. "'hen you finish school you SeOfL: 2(, points, That's exactly the same score - IhL' s.uuc strL:SS I<.:\'el - as when your husband or wife leaves his or her job,

.\\\' 11'\1 .I.l: :\()\\' 1001, .u QlIestillll~'1O to -1.1.

Tu p cvcri p t .... fllr the lrnc t i c « Li s t c n i n jj Su h t c s t s

I

175

,

l

,

I

l·

. \s the talk continues, answer Questions -10 to -1.1.

1)1{ FIO:\.\ \\'ll.l.L\.\lS: Let me read you a few more examples from the stress index. If you move to a new house or tlat, the score is 20. You get -15 points if you retire. That's 2 points less than if you get fired from your joh. On the other hand, if you find yourself arguing with your mot her-in-law, the stress rating is 2<) poi nts. l low about going on a holldny? When you think ahout it, a vacation can create stress, too. It gets 1.1 points.

Now, I'll stop with the scores for a moment. Next, I want to look at what these numbers actunlly mean. You're supposed to add up the numbers for events that tool, place within the last 12 months only. The total is supposed to tell us something about how likely we are to get sick, to become ill from the level of stress.

11011' do we know when we're under a lot of stress? There arc many signs, hut I'll just mention a few. One is communicating less with friends and family or at work or school. \CHI may not feel like talking to people so much. When the phone rings, you hope it isn't for you. You just don't want to have to deal with other people and their problems. But humans are naturally social animals, and when there is a constant desire to he left alone, there's something wrong, and it's usually a sign of stress.

A second indication is feeling less energy when you wouldn't normally feci tired. You may he eating well or not even studying or working very hard, but you still feel you have very little energy. Like you want to sleep all the time. That's probably stress.

When we have trouble sleeping, this, too, usually means the prohlem is stress. It might take you a long time to fall asleep, or you may wake up in the middle of the night and not be ahle to fall asleep again. A person like this is more likely to fall asleep while watching television than in bed!

Al\:\OU:\CI':I{: That is the end of Section -I. You now have half a minute to check your answers.

(Pause)

That is the end of Listening Test .1.

At the end of the real test, you will have ten minutes to transfer your .mswers to the listening answer sheet.

\

176 I IELTS to Success

",,-,

..