IELTS practice tests: with explanatory key

PractlceTests Fourtestsfor the InternationolEnglish Language Teaching System

PETER MAY

OXTORD

OXTORD PRESS

U\I\'IR SITY

Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6Dp Oxford University Pressis a department ofthe University ofOxford. It furthers the Unive$ity's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford \ewYork .\ucklaad CapeTown DaresSalaam HongKong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi \ervDelhi Shalghai Taipei Toronto \\'irh offices in .{rgentina Austria Brazil Chile CzechRepublic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam

p75 'Students with disabilities'. Reproduced with the permissior ofNelson aNewUniversity2nd Edition (2004)Thornes Ltd from PushGuideto Choosxng ISBN07487 90276. pp78-79'How fir'eworks work' by Marshall Brain fi'om www.science.howstuffworks.com/fireworks. Reproduced by permission of howstufworks. pp80-81 'UDmasking skin' byJoei L Swerdlow, NationalGeographic, November 2002. Reprinted by permission of NationalGeographic. pp85-86 'How Lock Picking Works' by Tom Harris and Marshail Brain from wwwscience.howstuffiMorks.com/lockpicking. Reproduced by permission of howstuffworks. pp88-89 'Stars without the stripes' by Richard Scase,TheObserver, 1 July 2001. Reproduced by permission of Richard Scase. p102 'The Secret Sffike' by Tim Thwaites published by NewScientist, 6 December 2003. Reproduced by permission ofNew Scientist.

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TheMthors and publisher aregrateful to thosewho havegivenpermissionto reproduce thefollowing extractsand adaptatLottsof copynghtmatenal: pp23-24'Vanished' by Douglas Mcllnis published by NewScientist, 5 December 2003. Reproduced by permission ofNew Saentist. pp28-29'Dogs: a Love Story'byAngus Phillips, NationalGeographic,Jamtary 2002. Reprinted by permission ofNational Geograplnc. p32 'Selected countries ofresidence ofvisitor arrivals' fiom Australian Social Trends 2002 Education - Participation in Education: Overseasstudents pp4445'Combating loneliness and hornesickness',fiom www.nusonline.co.uk/content/advice. Reproduced by permission of National Union ofstudent. ppa6a7 'Oxford University LanguageCentre Library FAQs',fion www.lang.ox.co.uk. Reproduced by permission of Oxford University T

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pp50-51 'Scratching the surface' by David Hambling, TheGuardian, 28 November 2002. Reproduced by permission ofDavid Hambling. pp59-50 'Life, but not as we know it' by Henry Gee,TheGuardian, 22 February 2001. Reproduced by permission ofHenry Gee.

p115 'Teenagersaged 13-19years and the total population: hospitalisation rates for certain' fi:om Australian Social Trends 2002 Family Living Arrangements: Selectedrisks faced by teenagers.ABS data used with permission ffom the Ausualian Bureau of Statistics wwwabs.gov.au. Sources p92 www.un. org/millenniumgoals/ Although every effort has been rnade to trace and contact copyright holders before publication, this has not been possible in some cases. We apologize for any apparent infringement of copyright and if notified, the publisher will be pleasedto recti$r any errors or omissions at t}re earliest opportunity. The publisher is gpteful to the University of Carnbridge Local Exaninations Slrrdicate for permission to reproduce IELTSanswer sheets. Thepublisherwould4keto thqnkthefollowingfor theirpermissiontoreprod,uce photographs:Namy Images pp80 (cactusthorn and finger/Gerard Maas),81 (water poured on hand/Pixland); Corbis pp28 (wolfpackfom Brakefield), 55 (canal boatiBuddy Mays);Frank lane Picture Agency pp28 (sheepand dogs/ Foto Natura Catalogue),112 (tree rings/Maurice Nimmo); Iqrage100 p88 (presentation); Kobal Collection p59 (Day the Eafth); OUPpp19 (astronaut over Earth/PhotoDisc), 103 (Iightning/PhotoDisc), 103 (eclipse/PhotoDisc). Illustrationsby: Julian Baker pp49, 57, 78, 86i Mark Duffi n pp2 3, 64, 79, 99, 107; Nigel Paigepp50

Contents Introduction IETIS Factfile

4

Test I

10

Listening Academic Reading AcademicWriting Speaking Improve your skills key

10

39

Test2

42

Listening Academic Reading AcademicWriting Speaking Improve your skills key

42

6

18 32 36

50 64 6B 71

Test 3

74

Listening Academic Reading AcademicWriting Speaking Improve your skills key

74 BO 92 95 97

Test4

9B

Listening Academic Reading AcademicWriting Speaking

98 103 115 117

Explanatoryk y

119

Samplewriting answers Sampleanswersheets

166 174

lntroduction Thisbook containsfour completepracticete'itsfo, (the lnternationalEnglishLanguageTesting IELTS AcademicReading, System), coveringthe Listening, AcademicWritingand Speakingmodulesin each test.lt is intendedfor useeitheras part of a classroompreparationcoursefor the examor for self-studyat home. Test1 and Test2 containextensiveadviceand thoroughtrainingfor allthe most common question types usedin the exam.Theexplanatorykey edition alsocontainsexplanationsfor why answersare correct.ltis recommendedthat self-studystudents usethe explanatorykey edition.

How to usethis book Beginby readingthis Introduction,referringto each componentof the book in turn.Thenreadthe Factfile helpfuladviceon eachmodule in the IELTS on pages6-9. The next step is to work throughTests1 and 2.Toget the most from the trainingthey contain,follow this specialprocedure: . Beforebeginningeachexamtask,readthe Strategieswhich describehow to approachit. . Then answerthe questions in lmproveyour skills. Rememberto checkyour answersto these,which are locatedat the end of eachtest. . Finally, attempt the examtask,makinguseof the skillsyou havelearned. In Tests3 and 4, you can apply the skillsyou have developed.Any of the testscan alsobe done under examconditions,includingTests1 and 2, provided you leavethe Strotegiesand lmproveyourskil/suntil afteryou finish. lf usingthe explanatorykey edition,you can also checkyour answersand reviewquestionswhich you found difficult.

Exam training Strategies Tests1 and 2 coverthe most common IELTS task types and their main variations.TheStrategiesgive a seriesof clearinstructionson how to approacheach tasktype,from analysingthe questionto expressing your answers. ForeachWritingtask in Tests1-3,theseare divided into Questionand CompositionStrategies: QuestionStrategiesshow you how to interpret the questionand plan your essay.ForWritingTask1 you alsolearnhow to processvisualinformationquickly, while for WritingTask2 you find out how to choose your approachto the topic. CompositionStrategiesfocus on how to write your including content,organization, appropriate essay, language,linkingdevices,and style.

IfLTSPractic*Tests

Improve your skills Foreachtaskin Tests1 and 2,there is alsoat least one Improveyourskillsfeature.Theseput the Strategies into practice,helpingyou developthe skills you needto tackleexamquestions. Forexample,the exercisemay checkyour understanding of the instructionsor may askyou to predictanswers beforeyou listenor read. Beforeyou go on to the examtaslqyou shouldcheck your answersin the lmproveyour skillskey at the end of eachTest.

Explanatory key Youcan usethe explanatorykeyto confirmor find out why particularanswersare correct.In the caseof multiple-choice, matchinglists,and other question typesin which thereareseveraloptions,it also explainswhy someare incorrect. Forthe Listeningmodule,thenotesmay alsodraw your attentionto the'prompt':the word or phrase you hearwhich tellsyou that the answerto a particularquestionis comingsoon.Therelevant extract.fromthe scriptoccursimmediatelyafterthe Words, explanations for eachset of questions. phrasesor sentencesrelatingto eachanswerare in bold in the script.

Samplewriting answers Thissectioncontainssampleanswersto all tasksin the writing modules.These arewritten by students, so it shouldbe rememberedthat thereare always differentwaysof approachingeachone.All the sampleanswersareaccompaniedby comments made by an experiencedIELTS Examiner.These commentsarea usefulguideto the main strengths mayfind it and weaknesses of eachessay.You helpfulto look for examplesof positiveand negative pointsin theseand to think about them when you are planningand writing similaressaysof your own.

The tests Thefour testswithin this book areat IELTS exam level.They containa rangeof topicsthat are representative for of the IELTS examination.Topics Readingand Writinghavebeenchosento reflectthe Academicmodulesfor thoseskills.

Tests1 and 2 arefocusedon examtraining,but all four testscan alsobe usedunderexamconditions. Youwill require: . a quiet placeto wor( freefrom interruptions . writing materials . a CD-player . a clockor watchto ensureyou keepto the time allowed Forthe Listeningmodule,playit throughto the end, without a pause,and write your answers.When the recordingends,stop writing and don't listenagainto any part of it.ThelisteningmodulesforTests3 and 4 havebeen recordedto be usedin this way.Forthe other modules,keepstrictlyto the time indicated.

The IERS examination The academicversionof the IELTS examination whetheryou are readyto begina university assesses coursein English.ltis widely recognizedfor courses in countriesaroundthe world.

Taking the exam Thereare IELTS testscentresin over 105countries, whereit can be takenon a numberof possibledates eachyear.Candidates shouldhavea good levelof Englishand be agedat least16.lt is advisableto find out well in advancewhat scoreis neededto entera universityor other institution. takethe Listening, Candidates Readingand Writing modulesallon one day,withthe Speakingmodule eitheron the sameday or within a week of these three.Twoweekslater,eachcandidatereceivesa Test ReportForm.Thisshowstheir scorefor eachmodule on a scalefrom 1 to 9,aswell asan averageoverthe four modules. As with all other examsof this kind,thetest scoreis validfor two years.Candidates can repeatthe exam afterthree months,althougheachtime you take you haveto sit all four modules. IELTS Specialfacilitiesand provisionsare availablefor for exampleif they sufferfrom disabledcandidates, visualor hearingdifficulties, or if they havea specific learningdifficulty. Forfurther informationon all aspectsof the exam, seethe IELTS Handbookor contactCambridgeESOL, the BritishCouncil,or IDPEducationAustralia.

lntroductian

IELTSFactfile The examis dividedinto four modules,taketrin the followingorder.

LiStening

In eachsectionyou will heara recording.The four sectionsbecomeprogressively more difficultand eachrecordingis playedonce only.Thereare pausesto divide the recordinginto smallerparts.Foreachpart you needto answera seriesof questionsof one type.

30 minutes

Section

Numberof items

Texttype

Tasktypes

1

10

socialor transactional conversation(2 speakers)

completingnotes,table,senten( tenceS, diagram,flow chart or summary

2

10

talk or speechon socialneeds (1 speaker)

short-answerquestions

3

10

conversationin educational context (2-4 speakers)

4

10

talk or lectureon topic of generalinterest(1 speaker)

variouskindsof multiple-choice questions labellingpartsof a diagram classification matchinglists sentencecompletion correctino ecting notes

Tips and hints

. Readthe questionsbeforeeachsectionof the recordingbegins. . Usethe pausesto preparefor the next set of questions. . Studythe instructionsto find out what you haveto write and where. '

Usethe exampleat the beginningof the first sectionto familiarizeyourself with the sound,the situation,and the speakers.

'

Keeplisteningall the time,lookingonly at the questionsthat relateto the part being played.

Rememberthat the topicsare non-technicaland no more difficultfor you than for studentsof other subjects. . Answerquestionsin the orderthey appearon the QuestionPaper- they normallyfollow the orderof informationin the recording. . You havesometime afterthe tape endsto transferyour answersto the AnswerSheet- checkyour grammarand spellingasyou do so. ' Theremay be a varietyof Englishaccentsand dialects,so practiselisteningto speakersfrom differentplacesand backgrounds. '

6

Practic*Tests '[LTS

AcademicReading 60 minutes Thethree passages contain2000-2750words in total and becomeprogressively more difficult,but they are alwayssuitablefor non-specialist readers.lf any technicalterms are used,they will be explainedin a glossary.While the number of questionsfor eachpassagemay vary,thereare alwaysforty itemsin total. Passage

Numberof items

11-15

Texttype

Tasktypes

topicsof general interest

variouskindsof multiple-choice questions q uestions short-answer

non-specia listarticles or extractsfrom books,journals, magazinesand newspapers

classification

one,at least,has, detailedlogical argument

completing notes,sentences, tables, summary,diagramor flow chart

sentencecompletion

matchingheadingswith paragraphsor sectionsof text

matchinglists/phrases matchinginformationwith paragraphs true/false/notgiven (text information) yes/no/not given (writer'sviews)

Tips and hints

Firstreadeachpassagequicklyand askyourselfquestions, e.g.What is the topic?Whereis the text probablytakenfrom?What is the writer'smain purpose?Who is the intendedreader?In what styleis it written? Don'ttry to understandthe exactmeaningof everyword.Thereisn'ttime, and a particularword or sentencemay not be testedanyway. Studyany exampleanswerand decidewhy it is correct. lf you haveto choosefrom alternatives, checkhow many of them you have to use. Checkwhetheryou haveto usewordsfrom the text in your answersor your own words. Keepto the statedword limit by avoidingunnecessary wordsin your answer. question lf a type usesboth unfinishedstatementsand directquestions, decidewhich arewhich and checkthe grammarof your answers. Afteryou fill in all the answerson a diagram,chart or table,checkthat it makessenseoverall.

ItLT$Factfil*

'AcademicWriting 60 minutes

. Thereis no choiceof taslgeither in Part 'l or 2, so you must be preparedto write about any topic.However, the topicsin the examareof generalinterestand you do not needto be an expertto write about them.

40 minutes

Tips and hints

Format

Tasktypes

15O-wordreport, describingor explaininga tableor diagram

presentinginformationbasedon:

25O-wordessay, respondingto a written opinion/problem

. data,e.g.bar charts,linegraph, table . a process/procedure in various sta9es . an object,event or seriesof events

presenting and/ordiscussing: . youropinions . solutions to problems . evidence, opinionsand implications . ideasor arguments

. Youranswermust be relevantto the task neverwrite pre-preparedsections of text. . Thereare no marksfor copyingthe questionin your answer,but if you wish you can rephraseit in your own words. . Thereis a minimum numberof words,but no maximum.Thismeanstfrat if you write fewerthan 150wordsyou will losemarks. . Task2 carriesmore marksthan Task1,so keepto the suggestedtiming. . Alwaysleavesometime to checkyour essayafteryou havefinished. . Essays are often on topics that are of current interest:read and listento the newson a wide rangeof subjects, thinkingabout the issuesinvolved. In Taski, you aretestedon: TaskFulfilment- answerthe question,keepingto the topic at all times. Coherenceand Cohesion- organizeyour writing well,connectingyour ideas and sentences with suitablelinkingexpressions. Vocabularyand SentenceStructure- usea wide rangeof languageboth accurately and appropriately. ln Task2,you aretestedon: Arguments,ldeasand Evidence- showyou can discusstheseand put forward yourown opinions. Communicative Quality- expressyour ideasclearly,organizingand linking them logically. Vocabularyand SentenceStructure- usea wide rangeof languageboth accuratelyand appropriately.

8

IILTSFracNiceTests

.\ | ' )peaKlng ll-14 minutes

Youwill be interviewed, on yourown,by oneExaminer, andthe conversation will be recordedon audiocassette.The three-partstructureof the interviewisalways the same, althoughthetopicswillvaryfromcandidate to candidate.

Part

Time

Format

Tasktypes

1

4-5 minutes

introduction,interview

. Introduction,lDcheck . Youanswerquestionsabout yourself, your home/family,job/studies,i nterests, otherfamiliartopics.

2

3-4 minutes

independentlong turn

. Youaregiven a topic verballyand on a card.Youhavea minuteto preparea talk. . Youspeakfor 1-2 minuteson the topic, e.g.a person,place,object or event. . Youanswerone or two follow-up questions.

3

4-5 minutes

two-way discussion

. Youanswerverbalquestions,discussing more abstractideaslinkedto the topic of Part2.

Tips and hints

' Do not try to makeanykindof preparedspeech. . Add to any'Yes'or'No'answers you give,explainingat leastone point. . Rememberthat it is your abilityto communicateeffectivelythat is being assessed, not your generalknowledge. . Speakdirectlyto the Examiner,not to the cassetteplayer. . The Examinercannottell you the resultof this (or any other)module:don't askfor comments. . Practise for Part2 by speakingcontinuouslyfor 1-2 minutes,timing yourself with a clockor watch. In all partsof Speaking,you aretestedon the following: - talk at normalspeed,without over-longpauses. Fluencyand Coherence Organizeyour ideasand sentenceslogically, connectingthem with suitable linkingexpressions. - usea wide rangeof vocabularyboth preciselyand LexicalResource appropriatelyto expressyour ideas. GrammaticalRangeand Accuracy- usea wide rangeof structures.Try to makeasfew errorsas possible, in particularavoidany that makeit difficultto understandyou. - makesurethat your speechsoundsnaturaland that it can be Pronunciation understoodat all times.

IELTS Factfile

9

Test1 Listening30 minutes SectionI Strategies: completingnotes Beforeyou tisten, think aboutwho the speakers arelikelyto be,where theyare,and why theyare speaking. Listento the exampleto checkyourpredictions aboutthe speakers' Listenfor the wordsor numbersthat you need. Writewhat you hearor a good short alternative. Writenumbersasfigures, not aswords,e.g.19,not nineteen. Afteryou listen,checkthat yourcompletednotes makesense. Checkyourspelling- you maylosemarksfor mistakes.

l-7

Questions

lmprove your skills:focusing on speakers Studythe instructions, heading,notes,and examplefor 1-7. Answerquestionsa-d' a b c d

Who do you think will be speakingto whom?Why? Wheredo you think the speakersare? Do you think their tone will be formalor conversational? What kind of informationwill you haveto write?

> checkyour answerson page39 beforeyou continue.

Completethe notesbelow. write No M)RE THAN THREE woRDs AND/OR A NUMBER for eachanswer.

Notes- clark s BirycleHire Examplc

Answer

Type: ... t-o*rinq... bike

Rental:f,50a week,or I t ........

.. a day

Latereturn fee;2t Deposit3L............

returnable

Accessories: L5 for 4 ffee:

: pannieror handlebartype

.

pump repairkit 5 strong

:

Insurance:included,butmustpayfirst6'..'.........ofclaim Pay:by7..........................on1y

10

IELTS PracticeTests

;l

Strategies: labellinga map Studythe mainfeatures of the mapand notice how they areconnected, e.g.by roads,footpaths or corridors. Decidewhatthe possible answershavein common, e.g.they areall rooms, buildingsor streets. Listenfor the namesof all the placesyou aregiven and for prepositionsof place,e.g.near to, in front of.

Questions 8-10 lmproveyourskills:understanding the task Studythe instructions andmapfor 8-l0.Thenanswerthesequestions. a Do you haveto writelettert namesfroma lis! or yourown answers? b Howmanynamesdo you haveto writein? c Whichnamesarealreadygivenon the map? > Checkyouranswers on page39 beforeyoucontinue. lmprove your skills:identifying main features Familiarize yourselfwith the map,thenaskyourselfthesequestions. a b c d

Whichbuildingisnextto the park? Whereis 8 in relationto the policestation? Whereisthe pharmacyin relationto 9? Whatis behindthe pharmacy?

> Checkyouranswers on page39 beforeyoucontinue. Labelthemap.Choose your answers from theboxbelow. Write the appropriatelettersA-E on the map.

WoodsRoad

F q .D

a

A healthcentre B MapleLeafpub c Clark'sCycleHire D supermarket E garage

Test1

11

Section2 Questions l lj-17

Strategies: completinga table

lmproveyourskills:predictingfrom examples

Beforeyou listen,check how manywordsyou can useand decidewhat kind you needto write,e.g. nouns,verbs.

Lookat the table below.Rugbyand tennrsaregivenas examplesof sports. What answerswould you predictfor spaces12,14and 15 from the examples given?

Writein youranswers as you listen,checking whetheryourguesses are confirmedor not.

: HOBBY/INTEREST :

> Checkyouranswerson page39 beforeyou continue Studythe headings and examples,which will indicatethe kindof Completethe table below. informationrequired.Try to guesssomeof the write NO MORE THAN THKEE WORDS for eachanswer. missingwords. Whileyou hearthe recording, usethe information in the tableto rii SPORTS rugby guideyouthroughthe ii ili questions. tennis

Don'texpectto write any information on shaded partsof the table.

t2

photography landscape 11............ dancing speed-dating

RELIGIOUS

INTERNATIONAL/CULTURAL

I3 Afro-Caribbean humanrights environmental Republicans 16

PERFORMING ARTS

t7 ............. amateur theatre

12

lFI-TSPracticeTests

tit

llr: iil

!ii

Strategies: multiple-choice questions

Questions 18-20

Beforeyou listen,look onlyat the'stems': the questions or unfinished statements.They may indicatewhat is in that part of the recording. Whileyou listen,select answersbasedon what you hear,not on your own knowledgeor opinions. Don'tchoosean option just because you heara wordor phrasefrom it. Becarefulwith options that misinterpret whatthe recordingactuallysays, Don'tstoplisteningwhen you thinkyou'veheard the answer: speakers can changetheirminds, correctthemselves or add to whal they'vesaid. lf,afteryou listen,you're not sureof any answers, crossout optionsthat are clearlywrong.Then choosefrom the rest.

Lookat Questions18-20.What is the stemof eachone?Whatdo you think will be discussedin relationto each?

lmproveyourskills:predictingfrom stems

> Checkyour'answers on page 39 beforeyou continue

Choosethe correctlettersA-C. 18 In this city, clubs and societiesare mainly paid for by A

embassiesof other countries.

B

individual members.

C

the city council.

19 Finding the right club might influence your choice of A

city.

B

district.

C

friends.

20 What should you do if the right club does not exist? A

set one up yourself

B

find one on the Internet

C

ioin one in another town

Test1

13

Section3 Questions2l-25

Strategies: completinga flow-chart Beforeyou listen,study the language usedin the chartand decidewhat its purposeis,e.g.to ask questions,to statefacts. Thismaygiveyou cluesto the type of answers needed.

lmprove your skills:looking for clues Studythe language usedin the flow chartandanswerthesequestions. a whichverbformis usedin the sentences? what doesthistell youaboutthe purposeof thesesentences? b In what stylearethe sentences written?Whichkindsof words,therefore, can you leaveout of youranswers? F Checkyouranswers on page39 beforeyou continue.

ldentifiT the styleof the languageused,e.g.noteLabeltheflow chart. Write NO MORE TITAN THREEWORDSfor eadt answer. form,and writeyour answerin the samestyle. Whileyou listen, LECTURESAND NOTE TAKING rememberthat the arrows you show how the text is organized. Afteryou havelistened, checkthat the completed flow chart reflectsthe overallsenseofthe recording. Think abouthkely22 of lecture.

23............

immediatelyafterlecture. ::

ag ':4!;*ii*ea,

Revise before 24 ..........................: tl I

'iF;-rliorl€rv^*is:|3

14

IELTS PracticeTests

Reviseevery25

I *.1

Strategies: questions short-answer Foreachquestion, decide what kindof information you mustlistenfor,e.g.a consequence of something, an explanation. Beforeyou listen, underlinethe keywords in eachquestion.

Questions26-29 lmproveyour skills:identifying key words Underline the keywordsin eachof 26-29,e.g.question26 where,sit,attend. * Checkyouranswers on page39 beforeyoucontinue lmproveyour skills:questionforms Whichof answers26-29requiresyouto listenfor:

a b Asthe recordingis played, c listenout for the key d wordsandexoressions !" with similarmeanings to thesekeywords. Checkyouranswers for correctgrammar, spelling and numberof words.

a reason? a typeof wordor phrase? a place? anaction? Checkyouranswers on page39 beforeyoucontinue.

write NO MORE THAN THREEWORDSfor eachanswer. 26 Where should you sit when you attend a lecture? 27 What should you do if you miss an important point? 28 Why must your notes be easyto read? 29 What do we call expressionswhich indicate what is coming next? .

Strategies: answering questions about diagrams Beforeyou listen,describe th e d iagr am sin E ngl i s hto yourself,identifyingthe si mi l a r it ies and differencesbetween th e m.

Question30 lmprove your skills:describing diagrams Studyquestion30 and diagramsA-D.Thenanswerthesequestions. a What arethe wordsfor everythingyou can seein the diagrams? b In what waysare A-D similar?How do they differ? c What other expressions likethosein (a)abovedo you know? > Checkyour answerson page39 beforeyou continue

Think of other expressions for features of the Circle the correctletterA, B, C or D. d i a g ram s . As the recordingis played, l o o k a t t he diagr am sa n d listen for key words from the instructions.Also listenout for words used to describefeaturesof the d i a g ram s .

30 Where doesCarloswrite summing-up points on his notes? Summing-uppoints

Summing-uppoints @

W W W w %

ffi

w w

W W

W W w

w w re w

w w re

M

W w @,

ry K w

Summing-up points

Tnst3

15

Section4 Strategies: completinga summary Beforeyou listen, quicklyreadthe text to understand the main points. Lookat the contextof eachquestion, thinking aboutthe type of you may need expression to use,e.g.a city,a month. Asyou listen,don'tget stuckon anydifficult questions: you maymiss the answers to the next ones. Whenthe recordinghas ended,checkthe summarymakessense overallandthat your answers fit both logically and grammatically. Also checkyou havespelt wordscorrectlyand writtenanynumbers clearly.

Questions 31:-36 lmproveyourskills:understanding the overallmeaning youlisten. Answer thesequestions aboutthesummary textbefore a b c d

In which countryis CooberPedy? What is its main industry? Whendid the boom happen?Why? Wheredo somepeoplelive?Why?Whatelseis there?

> Checkyour answerson page39 beforeyou continue

lmproveyour skitls:whatkind of word? Whattypeofwordisprobably needed foreachof 31-36? Choose fromthese (thereare two you don't need to use): a percentage a year a number a person an historicalevent a building an object a part of the world > Checkyour answerson page39 beforeyou continue

Completethe summary belowby writing NO MORE THAN THKEE WORDS in provided, the spaces

The Australianmining town of CooberPedyis about3l ............ kilometres south of Alice Springs.Opals were first found in the areain 32 . . . . ...... ..

and peoplebeganto settlethere after the

33 ............

.In the late 1940s,new opal fieldsand massimmigration

from 34 forced about 35

createda boom, despitethe extreme climate which of the population to live underground,

where they built hotels, churches,and the world's only underground

36

16

lIN-TSPracticeTests

Strategies: matchinglists Beforeyou tisten,study the task.tf thereare more questions thanoptions, you will needto useone or moreoptionsat least once.Sometimes, a particular optionmaynot be neededat all. Foreachlist,identify the keywordsandtry to think of synonymsfor them' Listenfor the keywordsin the questionsand for expressions with similar meaningsto thosein the options. Writeonly the lettersas youranswers. lf you reallycant decide on an answer:guess'You don'tlosemarksfor being wron9,so answerevery question.

Questions 37-40 lmprove your skills:thinking of synonyms 1 Studythe options.Thekey word in option A is in.What are the key words in B and C? 2 Notedown wordsand phraseswith similarmeaningsto the keywordsin A, B and C,e.g.in: within,inside > checkyour answerson page39 beforeyou continue

Write the appropriatelettersA, B, or C againstQuestions3740. What are the locations of the following places? Example

Answer

the conicalhills

B

37 the town of Woomera 38 the opal museum 39 the Dinso Fence 40 the setsof films

A B C

in the town of Coober Pedy near Coober Pedy far from Coober Pedy

Test1

17

AcademicReadingt hour ReadingPassage1 Youshouldspendabout20 minuteson Questions7-74, which are basedon ReadingPassage1. Strategies:

headings to matching paragraphs

Questions1-5

Lookat thelistof

lmproveyour skills:identifying key sentences A:1stsentence. Findthe keysentence in eachparagraph, e.g.paragraph

headings .

> Checkyour answerson page40 beforeyou continue.

throughthe Readquickly the key text highlighting in each sentence paragrapn anq the main summarizing ideasin yourmind,Don't every try to understand word. Studythe examplesand crossthem off the list of

lmproveyour skills:focusingon examples

_ '. Studythe exampleanswersgiven below.Whyis iv the correctheading for paragraphA?Why is ii the correctheadingfor paragraphF? * Checkyour answerson page40 beforeyou continue. ReadingPassaget hassevenparagraphsA-G. Choosethe correctheadingfor paragraphsB-E and G from the list of headings below.Write the correctnumber (i-x) in boxesl-5 on your answersheet.

headings . Match the main idea of each paragraphwith a headjng.Lightly crossout headingsas y o u c h o o s e t hem .

List of Headings i The problem of dealing with emergenciesin space ii How spacebiomedicine can help patients on Earth iii Why accidentsare so common in outer space

When you finish,check t hat no r em ain i n g headingsfit anywhere.

iv rr vi vii viii ix x

What is spacebiomedicine? The psychologicalproblems of astronauts Conducting spacebiomedical researchon Earth The internal damagecausedto the human body by spacetravel How spacebiomedicine first began The visible effectsof spacetravel on the human body Why spacebiomedicine is now necessary

Faanple ,,ParagtaphE I 2 3 4

18

I E LT S P" a c ti reT e s ts

it

ParagraphB ParagraphC ParagraphD Paragraph E

EuBrnple ParagraphF 5

funlwer .,

ParagraphG

Lnswer:'

,,fr

::

A Spacebiomedicineis a relativelynew areaof researchboth in the USA and in Europe.lts mainobjectivesare to studythe effectsof spacetravel on the humanbody,identiffing the most criticalmedicalproblemsand findingsolutionsto those problems.Space biomedicine centresare receivingincreasing direct support from NASA and/or the EuropeanSpaceAgency(ESA). C B This involvementof NASA and the ESA reflectsgrowingconcernthat the feasibility of travelto other planets,and beyond,is no longer limited by engineeringconstraints but by what the humanbody can actually withstand.The discoveryof ice on Mars,for instance, meansthat there is now no necessityto designand developa spacecraft

largeand powerfulenoughto transport the vast amountsof water neededto sustain the crew throughoutjourneysthat maylast manyyears.Withoutthe necessary protectionand medicaltreatment,however, their bodieswould be devastatedby the unremittingly hostileenvironmentof space. The most obviousphysicalchanges undergoneby peoplein zero gravityare essentially harmless; in somecasesthey are evenamusing.The blood and other fluids are no longerdraggeddown towards the feet by the gravity of Earth,so they accumulate higherup in the body,creating what is sometimescalled'fat face',together with the contrasting'chicken legs'syndrome asthe lower limbsbecomethinner.

Test 1

19

D Muchmore seriousare the unseen I consequences after monthsor y""rs in no space.With gravity,there is lessneedfor a sturdy skeletonto supportthe body,with the resultthat the bonesweaken,releasing extra calciuminto the bloodstream.This calciumcanoverloadthe kidneys,leading ultimatelyto renalfailure.Musclestoo lose strengththrough lack of use.Theheart the power to pump becomessmaller,losing oxygenatedblood to all parts of the body, while the lungslosethe capacityto breathe fully.Thedigestivesystembecomesless efficient,a weakenedimmunesystemis increasingly unableto preventdiseasesand the highlevelsof solarand cosmicradiation can causevariousforms of cancer.

afterall,are willinglyriskingtheir own healthin outer space,when so muchneeds to be done a lot closerto home.lt is now clear,however,that every problemof space travel hasa parallelproblemon Earththat will benefitfrom the knowledgegainedand the skillsdevelopedfrom spacebiomedical research.For instance,the very difficultyof treatingastronautsin spacehasled to rapid progressin the fieldof telemedicine, which in turn hasbroughtabout developments that enablesurgeonsto communicatewith parts of the world. patientsin inaccessible To take another example,systemsinvented to sterilizewastewater on board spacecraft could be usedby emergencyteamsto filter contaminatedwater at the sceneof natural In disasterssuchas floods and earthquakes. the sameway,miniaturemonitoring developedto saveweightin equipment, will eventually becometiny spacecapsules, monitorsthat patientson Earchcanwear without discomfortwhereverthey go.

E To makemattersworse,a wide rangeof medicaldifficulties canarisein the caseof an accidentor seriousillnesswhen the patientis millionsof kilometresfrom Earth. There is simplynot enoughroom available insidea spacevehicleto includeall the there is still one major equipmentfrom a hospital'scasualtyunit, G Nevertheless, obstacleto carryingout studiesinto the someof whichwould not work properlyin spaceanyway.Evenbasicthingssuchas a effectsof spacetravel:how to do so drip dependon gravityto function,while without goingto the enormousexpenseof standardresuscitation techniquesbecome actuallyworkingin space.Tosimulate ineffectiveif sufficientweight cannot be conditionsin zero gravity,onetried and applied.The only solutionseemsto be to tested method is to work under water,but centresare also the spacebiomedicine createextremelysmallmedicaltools and 'smart' devicesthat can,for example, lookingat other ideas.Inone experiment, researchersstudythe weakeningof bones diagnose andtreat internalinjuriesusing ultrasound.The cost of designing and that resultsfrom prolongedinactivity.This producingthis kind of equipmentis bound would involvevolunteersstayingin bed for three months,but the centreconcernedis to be,well,astronomical. confidentthere shouldbe no great difficulty F Suchconsiderationshaveled someto in findingpeoplewillingto spendtwelve questionthe ethicsof investinghugesums weekslyingdown.Allin the nameof people of moneyto helpa handfulof science, of course. who,

20

IFLTSPracticcTe>ts

stategies: questions short-answer Thesefocuson particular points.Foreachquestion, highlightthe keywords. Go backto the partof the text whereyou remember thispoint being mentioned. Readthroughthat partfor the keywords,or words with similarmeaning,and highfightthem. Readthe questionagain and decideon your answer, takingcarewith your grammarand spelling.

Strategies: yeslnolnot given Scanthe text for the sections wherethe topic of the questionappears. Theviewsexpressed will probablybe the writer's, unlessthereis ,"pora"j'o, directspeechquoting somebodyelse. Lookfor expressions with similarmeanings to words in the statement-

Questions 6 and 7 lmprove your skills:finding key information StudyQuestion6 and answerthe following. a b c d

What is the keyword? Wheredo you rememberit first being mentionedin the text? Whichword in the sameparagraphhasa similarmeaning? What doesthis word tell you about the answer?

Answerthe questionbelowusingNO M)RE THAN THuEE W)RDS for each answer. 6

Where, apart from Earth, can spacetravellersfind water?

7

What happensto human legsduring spacetravel?

Questions 8-12 lmprove your skills: identifying the writer's views 1 Finda sentencein the text about the topic of Question8.Who saysthis? 2 Matchexpressions in this sentencewith thesewords.Rememberthat these expressions may not be the samepart of speechasthosein the statement. , , , obstacles sendingpeople

far into space now ... not

medical technological

3 Findthe paragraphrelevantto Question10.who agreeswith statement10? How doesthe writer respondto this?

) Checkyour answerson page40 beforeyou continue. Decidewhetherthe writer agreeswith the statement or not. Do thefollowing statementsagreewith the writer's viewsin ReadingPassage 1? you ff can'tfind any r ooxes 1 tn 6-tz olxyour answersheetwrite mentionof the topic,'not given'maybe the answer. yES if the statementagreeswith the viewsof the writer Don'tchoose'yes' or'no' No if the statementdoesnot agreewith the viewsof the writer just becauseyou believeit to be true' NOT GryEN if thereis no information about this in thepassage 8

The obstaclesto going far into spaceare now medical, not technological.

9

Astronauts cannot survive more than two yearsin space.

10 It is morally wrong to spendso much money on spacebiomedicine. 11 Somekinds of surgeryare more successful when performed in space. 12 Spacebiomedicalresearchcan only be done in space.

T*st 1

21

Strategies: completinga table Lookcloselyat the headingsand contentsof the the table,particularly exampleline:it maynot be at the top.Thisshows you how the information is organized in the text. Decidewhatthe missing informationhasin common,e.g.people, or actions, descriptions, Decidehow the answer needsto be expressed, e.g.asa completephrase, andwhat kindsof words e.g.names, areneeded, + nouns,or adjectives verbs+ nouns. Theanswersmayor may not be closetogetherin the text.Foreach question,scanthe text to find it andfill in the space withoutgoingoverthe word limit.

22

Questions 13 and 14 lmproveyour sfills:organization and expression Studythe table and the answerthesequestions. a b c d

What doesthe table tell you about the organizationof the text? What kind of informationdo you haveto find? What kind of word is used? How shouldthe answerbe expressed? WORDSfrom the NO MORETHANTHREE Comparethe instructions'Choose questionson page21.In what way are passage',with thosefor short-answer they different?

> Checkyour answerson page 40 beforeyou continue.

Completethe table below ChooseNO MORE THAN THREEWOKDS from thepassage for eachAnswer.

IELTS Practicelbsts

Write your answersin boxes13 and 14 on your answersheet.

Telemedicine

treating astronauts

13 .......................... remote areas

Sterilization

sterilizing wastewater

14............ disasterzones

savingweight

wearing small monitors comfortably

ln

ReadingPassage 2 Youshouldspendabout 20 minuteson Questions 15-27, which are basedon Reading Passage2.

VANISHED Who pulledthe plug on the Mediterranean? And couldit happenagain? By Douglas Mclnnis Cannes. MonteCarlo.St Tropez.Magicnamesall. And much of the enchantmentcomesfrom the deep bluewaterthat lapstheir shores.But what if somebodypulled the plug?Supposethe MediterraneanSeawereto vanisluleavingbehind an expanseof saltdesertthe sizeof India.Hard to . imagine?It happened. 'It would havelookedlike DeathValley,'says Bill Ryan,from the Lamont-DohertyEarth ro Observatory in New York,oneof the leadersof the teamthat discovered the Mediterranean had once dried up, thenrefilledin a delugeof Biblical proportions.Betweenfive and six million ye€usago, the greatdesiccation touchedoff what scientistscall theMessinianSalinityCrisis- a globalchemical imbalancethat triggereda wrenchingseriesof extinctionsandplungedthe Earthinto an iceage, Thefirst indicationsof someextraordinarvpast eventscamein the 1960s, whengeologists zo discoveredthat majorrivers flowing into the Mediterranean had erodeddeepcanyonsin the rock at the bottom of the sea.River erosionof bedrockcannotoccurbelowsealevel,yet somehow the River Rhonein the Southof Francehad managedto createa channel1000metresdeepin the seafloor,while the Nile had cut nearly1500 metresinto the rock off the North African coast. Therewas more:despitethe fact that the formation of cavescanonly takeplaceabovewater,scientists so discovereda whole network beneaththe island of Malta that reachedan astonishingdepth of 2000 metresbelowsealevel.

Furtherevidencecameto light in 1970,whenan intemationalteamchuggedacrossthe Mediterranean in a drilling ship to studythesea floor nearthe Spanishislandof Majorca.Strange things startedtuming up in coresamples:layersof microscopic plantsand soil sandwiched between bedsof saltmorethantwo kilometresbelow today'ssealevel.Theplantshad grownin sunlight. Also discovered insidetherockv7s1g fossilized shallow-watershellfish,togetherwith saltandsilt: particlesof sandand mud that had oncebeen carriedby river water.Couldthe seafloor once havebeenneara shoreline? Thatquestionled Ryanandhis fellow team leader,KennethHsii, to piecetogethera staggering chainof events.About 5.8million yearsago,they concluded,the Mediterranean wasgraduallycut off from the Atlantic Oceanwhen continentaldrift piruredMoroccoagainstSpain.As the opening becameboth narrowerand shallowel,the deep outwardflow from seato oceanwasprogressively cut off,leavingonly the shallowinward flow of oceanwater into the Mediterranean.As this water evaporated, the seabecamemoresalineand creaturesthat couldnt handlethe rising salt content perished.'Thesea'sinteriorwas deadasa door nail, exceptfor bacteria,'saysRyan.ll/hen the

TestI

23

shallowopeningat Gibraltarfinally closed completely,the MediterranearLwith only rlvers to feedit, dried up and died. Meanwhile,theevaporated waterwasfalling backto Earthasrain.Whenthefreshwaterreached the oceans, it madethemlesssaline.With lesssaltin it to act asan antifreeze,partsof the oceanthat would not normallyfreezebeganto turn to ice.'The icereflectssunlightinto space,'saysRyan.'The planetcools.Youdrive yourselfinto an iceage.' Eventually,a smallbreachin the Gibraltardam sentthe processinto reverse.Oceanwatercut a tiny channelto the Mediterranean. As the gapenlarged, thewaterflowedfasterand faster,until the torrent rippedthroughthe emergingStraitsof Gibraltarat morethan100knots.'TheGibraltarFallswere100 timesbiggerthanVictoriaFallsand a thousand timesgranderthanNiagara,'Hsi.iwrotein his book TheMediterrnnean wasa Desert(PrincetonUniversity Press, 1983).

24

t[[-TSPractic*Tests

In the end therisingwatersof the vastinland seadrownedthe falls and warm water beganto escapeto the Atlantic, reheatingthe oceansand the planet.Thesalinitycrisisendedabout5.4million yearsago.It had lastedroughly400,000 years. Subsequent drilling expeditionshaveaddeda few wrinklesto Ryanand Hsii's scenario. For example,researchers havefound saltdepositsmore than trarokilometresthick - sothick, somebelieve, that the Mediterranean musthavedried up and refilledmanytimes.But thosearejust geological details.For touriststhe crucialquestionis, couldit happenagain?ShouldMalagastartstockpiling dynamite? Not yet,saysRyan.If continentaldrift does resealtheMediterranean, it won't be for several million years.'Somefuturecreatures may facethe issueof how to respondto nature'sclosure.It's not somethingour specieshasto worry about.'

Strategies:summarizing Questions l5-19 usingwordsfrom the text lrnprove your skills: predicting answers Checkthe instructions for Readthe summarywithout referringbackto the text. the maximumnumberof a What part of speechis probablyneededin eachgap? wordsyou canuse' b Canyou guesssomeof the *oids, or saywhat thEy might describe?

:l:'l,l!;":ilt,ir":ffi

youranswers > check youcontinue. onpase 40before

decidewhat kindof you need'e'gexpression summarybelow. complete "'r'--- the -"- --' preposition, nounphrase Try to predict someof the ChooseNO MORE THAN THREE WOpDS from the passage for eachanswer. missingwords. Writeyour Answersin boxes15-19on your answersheet. Lookfor the part of the text that the summary paraphrases and readit again' The 1960sdiscoveryof ts ........ .. in the bedrockof the Decidewhichsentence I 'In Mediterranean, as well as deep cavesbeneath Malta, suggestedsomething the text probably corresponds to which strangehad happenedin the region,asthesefeaturesmust havebeen formed question. sealevel.Subsequent examinationof the 16 .. '......... when you havefiiledin ail off Majorcaprovidedmore proof. Rocksamplesfrom 17 ............ the gaps,checkyour spqllingand makesure 2000metresdown containedboth vegetationand lg .......... that the completedsummary could not havelived in deepwater,aswell as 19 ......... . originally makessense. transported by river.

Test1

25

Strategies: beginnings and endings

Questions20-22

Quicklytry to guessthe endingsfromyourfirst readingofthe text. Decidewhateachstem expresses, e.g.contrast, reason, condition, purpose, result.

lmproveyourskills:eliminatingimpossible endings Studyquestions 2O-22andoptionsA-G.

,-

a What doeseachof 20,21,and22 express? e.g.contrast. b Whichof A-G logicallycannotfit eachof 20-22? > Checkyour answerson page40 beforeyou continue.

Makea noteof endings that logicallycannotfit Completeeachof thefollowing statementswith the bestendingfrom the box below. anyof the stems. Highlight the keywordsin Write the appropriatelettersA-G in boxes20-22 on your answersheet. the remaining endings. Remember that the stems (butnot the endings) ZO The extra ice did not absorbthe heat from the sun, so ... followthe orderof informationin the text. Zl The speedof the water from the Atlantic increasedas ... Foreachstem.searchthe 22 The Earth and its oceansbecamewarmer when ... text for phraseswith a similarmeaning.Then A Africa and Europe crashedinto eachother. lookin that partof the textfor phrases similarto B water started flowing from the Mediterranean. oneofthe endings. C the seawas cut off from the ocean. Whenyou matchan ending,checkthe whole D all the fish and plant life in the Mediterranean died. makessense, sentence E the Earth started to become colder. andthat it meansthe sameasthat partof the F the channel grew bigger,creating the waterfalls. text. G all the ice on earth melted.

26

l[[-TSPractice Tests

Strategies:multiplechoicequestions Foreachquestionstudy the stemonly,not A-D as someof thesemight misleadyou. Findthe relevantpartof the text,highlightit anrt readit againcarefury. Decidewhichof A*D is closestin meaningto your understanding of the text. proof Lookfor that your answeris correctand that the restofA-D arenot. Hereare somecommon types of wrong answer:

'

:::Iij?::tll:?.t3: maybe true but rsnot mentionedin the text. . lt exaggerates what the text says,e.g.it uses words like alwaysor no one. . tr contraorcts wnattne text says. . lt containswordsfrom the text,or wordswith similarmeanings,but about somethingelse'

Question s 23-27 lmprovg your skills: identifying incorrect answers Whichof optionsA-D in question23: a sayssomethingthat may be true,but is not mentionedin the text? b contradictswhlt the teit says? c containswordsfrom the text,but about somethingelse? > checkyour answerson page40 beforeyou continue.

Choosethe appropriate lettersA, B, C or D and write them in boxes23-27 on your answersheet.' 23 what, accordingto Ryanand Hsii, happenedabout 5.8 million yearsago? A

Movement of the continents suddenly closedthe Straits of Gibraltar.

B

The water level of the Atlantic Oceangradually fell.

c

rhe flowof waterifito theMediterranean wasimmediatery cutoff.

D

Water stopped flowing from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

24 lffhy did most of the animal and plant life in the Mediterranean die? A

The water becametoo salty.

B

There was such a lot of bacteria in the water.

C

The rivers did not provide salt water.

D

The seabecamea desert.

25 Accordingto the text, the eventsat Gibraltar led to A

a permanentcooling of the Earth.

B

the beginning and the end of an ice age.

C

the formation of waterfalls elsewherein the world.

D

a lack of salt in the oceansthat continues to this day.

26 More recent studiesshow that A

Ryan and Hsii's theory was correct in every detail.

B

the Mediterranean was never cut off from the Atlantic.

C

it may havebeen cut offmore than once.

D

it might once have been a freshwaterlake.

27 At the end of the article, Ryan suggeststhat A

the Mediterranean will never dry up again.

B

humans will have the technology to prevent it drying up again.

C

the Mediterranean is certain to dry up again one day.

D

humans will never seetheJvlediterraneandry up.

Test'l

27

ReadingPassage 3 : Youshouldspendabout20 minuteson Questions28-40, which are basedon ReadingPassage 3.

100,000yearsago.Wolf and earlyhuman fossilshavebeen found closetogetherfrom as far back as400,000yearsago,but dog and human fossilsdateback only about 14,000 years,all of which puts wolves andlor dogs in the companyof man or his progenitorsbefore the developmentof farming and permanent human settlements,at a time when both speciessurvivedon what they could scratch out huntingor scavenging.

Dogs; ffi 9mveffiffffitrF

C Why would thesecompetitorscooperate? The answerprobablylies in the similar social structure and sizeof wolf packsand early human clans,the compatibilityof their hunting objectivesand range,and the willingnessof humansto acceptinto campthe most suppliantwolves,the young or less threateningones.

Geneticstudiesshow that dogs evolvedfrom wolvesand remain assimilar to the creatures from which they cameashumans with different physicalcharacteristicsare to each other, which is to saynot much different at all. 'Evenin the most changeablemitochondrial DNA markers- DNA handed down on the mother's side- dogs and wolvesdiffer by not much more than one per cent,'saysRobert Wayne,a geneticistat the University of Californiaat LosAngeles.

D Certain wolvesor protodogsmay haveworked their way closeto the fire ring after smelling somethinggood to eat,then into early human gatheringsby proving helpful or unthreatening.As wandering packsof twentyfive or thirty wolvesand clansof likenumberednomadichumansroamedthe landscapein tandem,hunting big game,the animalshung around campsitesscavenging leftovers,and the humans might haveusedthe wolves'superiorscentingability and speedto locateand track prospectivekills. At night, wolveswith their keen sensescould warn humansof dangerapproaching.

E Times might not havebeen ashard back then asis commonlythought.In many instances food would havebeenplentiful, predatorsfew, and the boundariesbetweenhumansand wildlife porous.Through thoseporesslipped Wolf-like speciesgo back one to two million smalleror lessthreateningwolves,which from years,saysWayne,whosegeneticwork suggests living in packswhere alpha bossesreigned dogsof somesort beganbreakingawayabout would know the tricks of subservienceand

28

: ii5 ?iar ri c r I r:ts

i

l

could adapt to humans in charge.Puppiesin particular would be hard to resist,asthey are today.Thus was a union born and a processof domesticationbegun. F Over the millennia, admissionof certain wolvesand protodogsinto human campsand exclusionof larger,more threateningonesled to the developmentof people-friendlybreeds distinguishablefrom wolvesby size,shape, coat, earsand markings.Dogs were generally smallerthan wolves.their snouts proportionally reduced.They would assistin the hunt, cleanup camp by eating garbage, warn of danger,keep humans warm, and serve as food. Native Americansamong others ate puppies,and in somesocietiesit remains acceptedpractice. G By the fourth millennium BC Egyptian rock and pottery drawingsshow dogsbeing put to work by men. Then, asnow; the relationship was not without drawbacks.Feraldogsroamed city streets,stealingfood from people returning from market. Despitetheir penchantfor misbehaviour,and sometimesbecauseof it, dogskeep turning up at all the important junctures in human history. H In ancient Greece,350 yearsbefore Christ, Aristotle describedthree types of domesticated dogs,including speedyLaconiansusedby the rich to chaseand kill rabbits and deer.Three hundred yearslater, Roman warriors trained

large dogsfor battle. The brutes could knock an armed man from his horse and dismember him. In seventeenth-centuryEngland,dogs still worked, pulling carts,sleds,and ploughs, herding livestock,or working as turn-spits, powering wheelsthat turned beef and venison over open fires.But working dogswere not much loved and were usually hangedor drownedwhen they got old.'lJnnecessary'dogs meanwhilegainedstatusamong English royalty.King IamesI was said to love his dogs more than his subjects.CharlesII was famous for playing with his dog at Council table,and his brother Jameshad dogs at seain 1682when his ship was caught in a storm. As sailors drowned, he allegedlycried out,'Savethe dogs and Colonel Churchill!' By the late nineteenth century the passionfor breedingled to the creation ofprivate registries to protect prizedbloodlines. The Kennel Club wasformed in Englandin 1873,and eleven yearslater the American Kennel Club (AKC) was formed acrossthe Atlantic. Todaythe AKC registers150breeds,the KennelClub lists 196, and the Europe-basedF6d6rationCynologique Internationalerecognizesmany more. Dog showssproutedin the mid-1800swhen unnecessarydogsbeganvastly to outnumber working ones,asthey do to this day.Unless, that is, you count companionshipas a job.

*u

il

g::

F! 'ititi llfril $ilit i:ijr, t:ii '34: l;l

Test1

29

Strategies:matchingwith paragraphs Readthe text for gist, focusingon the key sentences, andthink abouthow it is organized. Studythe questions and underlinethe keywords. Remember that the questions arenot in the sameorderasthe informationin the text. Decidein whichpartof the text you arelikelyto find eachanswer, writing you cando in anyanswers fromyourfirstreading.

Questions28-31 lmprove your tkills: locating answers 1 Quicklyreadthe text.On what principleis it organized? 2 Whatarethe keywordsin eachof questions28,29,30and 31? 3 Whichof questions28-31 would you expectto find answered: a nearthe beginningofthe text? b somewherein the middleof the text? c closeto the end ofthe text? F Checkyour answerson page40 beforeyou continue. ReadingPassage 3 has ten paragraphslabelledA-J. Write the correctlettersA-I in boxes28-31 on your answersheet.

28 Which paragraphexplainshow dogs becamedifferent in appearancefrom Forthe remaining wolves? lookmoreclosely answers, at the textfor clues:words 29 Which paragraph describesthe classificationof dogs into many different and phrases with similar types? or relatedmeanings to the keywordsin the 30 Which paragraph statesthe basic similarity betweenwolves and dogs? questions. 3l Which paragraph givesexamplesof greaterhuman concern for animals than for people?

Strategies: selecting from a list

Questions32-35 lmproveyour skills:finding

referencesin the text Lookat the four typesof 1 Which half of the text discusses wronganswerin a wolvesandearlyhumans? questions multiple-choice b dogsandearlycivilizations? page27. Decidein whichpartof 2 In whichhalfwillyotlprobably findstatements A-H? the text the statements 3 Hereareextractsfromthe text relatingto statements A and B. arelikelyto be:they may not be in the sameorder A:'thesimilar... sizeof wolfpacksandearlyhumanclans' asthe informationin the B:'before the development of .. . permanent humansettlements' text. Foreach,finda secondreference to confirmyouranswer. Lookfor a paraphrase of youranswers on page40 beforeyoucontinue. eachstatementin the list, F Check possiblyin morethanone part. Lightlycrossoff the list anystatements whichare contradictedby the text. Fillin the answers on your answersheetin anyorder.

30

lILTS PracticeTests

Which FOUR of thefollowing statementsare made in the text? ChooseFOUR lettersfrom A-H and write them in boxes32-35 on your answer sheet. A

In a typical camp there were many more wolves than humans.

B

Neither the wolves nor the humans lived in one place for long.

C

Somewolves learned to obey human leaders.

D

Humans chosethe most dangerouswolves to help them hunt.

E

There was very little for early humans to eat.

F

Wolves got food from early humans.

G Wolves started living with humans when agriculture began. H

Strategies: matchinglists Studythe listof questions. Foreachone,highlight the keywords. Studythe optionlist,e.g. A-F.For of nationalities eachohe,scanthe passage for it and highlightthat partof the text. Foreachof A-F,ask yourselfsimplequestions, e.g.'Did the ... usethem to ...?;andanswerthem by lookingat the partyou havehighlighted. Look out for wordssimilarto the keywordsin the question. Remember that someof A-F maybe usedmore thanonceor not at all.

Early humans especiallyliked very young wolves.

Questions36-40 lmprove your skills:scanning the text 1 ln which paragraphis eachof A-F mentioned?Whichnationalityis mentioned Whichis not mentioned? in more than one paragraph? 2 Askyourselftwo questionsabout eachof A-F. F Checkyour answerson page40 beforeyou continue. From the information in the text, indicate who useddogsin the ways listed below (Questions36-40). Write the correctletters A-F in boxes36-40 on your answersheet. NB Youmay useany letter more than once. Used by the Greeks A the French B D E

the Egyptians the Romans the English

F

the Native Americans

C

36 in war 37 as a sourceof energy 38 asfood 39 to hunt other animals 40 to work with farm animals

?cst l

31

Academic Writing t hour :. QuestionStrategies: selectingmainfeatures from a graph,chart,or table InWritingTask1,you do not needto describeall given.To the information must summarize,you selectthemain features from what is shown. is oftengiven Information in the form of a graph,a chart,or a table. Readanyheadings, key for the data and sources what it to understand relatesto. Readlabelscarefully, payingspecialattention to horizontal andvertical axes,columnand row headings. Thedatamayshow differences or changes overtime,betweenplaces, or betweengroupsof people.Tryto identify significantcontrasts, similarities, or trends.

The writing testconsistsof two tasks.Youshould attempt both tasks.

Writing ThskI lmproveyour skills:understanding a graph Studythe graph belowand think about the following. a What is the overalltopic? b Lookat the keyfor the four lines.Whichgroupsof peopleare being compared?What do the numberson the verticalaxisshow? c What doesthe horizontalaxisshow? d Canyou identifya generaltrend in eachgraph?Whenwasthe trend most or leastnoticeable? e Whichperiodshowsa deviationfrom the trend for somecountries? > Checkyour answerson page41 beforeyou continue.

Youshouldspendabout 20 minutes on this task. The graph below showsfour countries of residenceof overseasstudents in Australia. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comltarisons where relevant. Write at least 150words.

,'0 Numberof students in 1000s

SfiIffiffEDCtrL"gruT*:=5 SF RHSIDTruilH *F V!SfTSR ARRIVALs F** tr#UCATION vcv

Indonesia Hong Kong Malaysia Singapore

1982

1984

Yearended 3il J*ne

32

lILTSPracticeTests

1986

1988

'.rggc

1992

1994

1996

1*98

2000

CompositionStrategies: reporting main features Decidewhichpointsyou will includeand how youwill organizethem. Statethe topicandoverallcontentof the graph. Describeand whererelevantcomparethe mainfeaturesof the data.Avoidrepetition and do not try to givereasons. Describe changesandtrendsusingappropriate language:the numberrose/fell slightlyhharply,there wasa steady/rapidincrease/decrease in thenumber. (tenpercenf),fractions (a quarter,two4hirds),or Writenumbersas percentages (nine expressions out of ten,threetimesasmany).Useapproximatephrasessuchas roughly,over,a littlemorethan,justunder. Concludeby outliningthe overalltrends.

lmprove your skills: putting statistics into words 1 Choosethe best way to expressthesestatistics. a b c d

Put these percentagesinto words:98o/o,22.5o/o Stateeach of thesefractionsin two ways:'l/6,4/5,'l/20 Compareeachpair of numbersin two ways:90and 30,17 and 34. Write these numbersusing approximatephrases:5 106,999,9.5o/o, 135.

2 Lookat the graph in WritingTask1. Describethe changesbetween1982and 1992forthe countriesshown. > Checkyour answerson page41 beforeyou continue.

Tcst1

33

Writing Thsk2 Youshould spendabout 40 minutes on this task.

Write about thefollowing topic. Air traffic is increasingly leading to more noise, pollution and airport construction. One reason for this is the growth in low-cost passengerflights, often to holiday destinations. Some people say that governments should try to reduce air traffic by taxing it more heavily. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasonsfor your answerand include any relevantexatnplesfrom your own knowledgeand experience.Write at least250 words.

understanding the task QuestionStrategies: ln WritingTask2,you will be givena pointof viewto consider.You will be askedto giveyouropinionaboutthe topicandthe issues that arepresented. supportyour Youareexpectedto givereasons for your answerand,wherepossible, argumentswith relevantexamples. Readthe statementin bold italicscarefullyto identifythe generaltopic. Decidewhichpartsof the statementarefact and whichareopinion. Readthe questionscarefullyand decideyourviewson the opinionexpressed.

lmproveyour skills:identifyingthe topicand the issues 1 Whatisthe generaltopic of the task? 2 Whichpartof thetaskisfact? 3 Whichpartof the taskisopinion?Howdo youknow? 4 Whichpart areyou supposedto respondto?Whatisyourview? > Checkyouranswerson page41 beforeyou continue.

34

IELTS PracticeTests

Compositionstrategies: givingreasonsand examples Beforeyou startwriting, notedownthe issues raisedby the title. Decideyour opinionon eachissueandthinkof at leastone argumentto supportit. Toillustrate each argumentthinkof an perhapsfrom example, personalexperience'

lmprove your skills:developing arguments Hereare someissuesraisedby WritingTask2. Foreachone answeryesor no and choosea supportingargumentfrom the list.Thenadd an additionalargument. Example:1 No Supportingorgument:g studentsalsousetheseflights. Additionatargument:overseas 1 ls it fair? 2 ls it necessary? 3 would it work? 4 Arethereany alternatives?

5 shouldgovernmentsget involved? paragraph Usea separate to dealwith eachissue, its a tax riseswould reducedemand arguments and examples' b air trafficgrowth essentiar to economy c cleanerand quieteraircraftpossible d more and more carsdespitehigh petroltaxes e state interferencealwaysharmseconomy can curb air trafficgrowth f no other measures g poorerpassengers would pay bill h only the statecan controlpollutingindustries i holidaytravelnot essentialto economy j

evenmore pollutingthan cars aeroplanes

F Checkyour answerson page41 beforeyou continue

Test1

35

Speaking Part 1 Strategies: Part1 questions

lmprove your skills: predicting questions grewup.Note Studythe questionsbelow,includingthe headings,e.g.Whereyou down somelikelyquestionsundereachof theseheadings:

Listenfor keywords,e.g. studies, holidays, to help you understand the topic. Giverepliesthat arefull (notjust 'yes'or'no'), I r^ retevanlano aooresseo to the examiner.

> Checkyour answerson page41 beforeyou continue

Add relevantfollow-up points,sothat the examinerdoesn,thaveto promptyou,

Youwill be askedsornegeneralquestionsabouta rangeoffamiliar topicareas. Thispart lastsbetvveen four andfive minutes.

Remember thatoneaim of Part1 is to help you relaxby lettingyou talk abouta familiartopic: yourself.

a b c

Friends Readingbooks Clothesand fashion

Answerthe questionsyou havewritten.

What is your full name? What do peopleusuallycall you? Where areYou from? Whereyougrewup. 1

What kind of town is it?

2

What's the most interesting area?

3

What kinds of jobs do people do there?

4

Do you think it's a good place to live?

What you do in your spare time. 5

Do you have any hobbies or interests?

6

How did you first become interestedin that?

7

What other things like that would you like to do?

Travelling and transport. 8

What kinds of transport do you use regularly?

9

How do people in your country travel on long journeys?

l0 How has transport there changedover the last twenty-five years?

36

IELTS FracticeTests

Part 2 Strategies: planningPart2 Bepreparedto describe people,places, objects, events,etc.- and to explaintheirsignificance to you personally. Studythe topicand decidewho or whatyou aregoingto talkabout. Makebriefnotesfor each keyword suchas yvho, what,when,howor why, but don't try to write a speech. Beforeyou begin speaking, crossout anythingirrelevant.

lmproveyourskills:choosingrelevantpoints 1 Which of these points are irrelevantto the topic in Part2? Crossthem out and say what is wrong with each. name born in my country often interviewed on TV now spoilt and arrogant another successfulperson is

job how I'll succeed what is'success'? ordinary family has failed at everything

agenow unchangedby success studied hard good role model overcameproblems

2 Note down some relevant points of your own.

> Checkyouranswers on page41 beforeyoucontinue Youwill begiven a topic to talk aboutfor one to two minutes.Beforeyou talk, you will haveone minute to think about what you are going to say.Youwill begiven paper and a pencil to make notesif you wish. Here is the topic:

Describesomeoneyou know,or somebodyfamous,who hasachieved greatsuccess. Youshouldsay: who they areandwhat theydo wherethey comefrom: their background how theybecamesuccessful and explainwhy you admirethis person. Follow-up questions: Has this person had to make sacrificesin order to achievesuccess? Do most people in your country shareyour admiration for him/her?

Test1

37

Part 3 Strategies: Part3 questions

lmprove yout skills:adding more ideas To developthe topic of question1 in Part3,you couldtalk about qualifications, money,posSessions, appearance, titles,prizes,fame,etc.

Expecta linkbetweenthe topicsof Part2 and Part3. Notedown at leastfive pointsyou could mentionin answerto question2. Listenfor the keywordsin questions. > Checkyour answerson page41 beforeyou continue the examiner's Besureyou understand lf not,askfor the question. repetition. Thinkaboutwhat the examinerwantsyou to do in responseto each question,e.g.speculate, contrast,maKea comparisonor suggestion.

relatedto Youwill be askedsomequestionsabout more abstractissuesand concegtts lastsbetween the topicin Part 2. This discussion four andfive minutes. Personalsuccess 1

How doespresent-daysocietymeasurethe successof an individual?

2

How can we ensurethat more people achievetheir aims in life?

3 Would you rather be successfulin your job or in your social life? Don'texpectthe examiner Winning and losing to askyou about somethingelseif you 4 which is more important in sport: winning or taking part? can'tthinkof anythingto 5 What makessomesportspeopletake drugs to improve their performance? say.Thinkharder! Developthe discussionby 6 Why are some countries more successfrrlthan others in eventssuch as the addingmorepointslinked Olympics? to the topic. The competitive society

38

7

How do competitive relationshipsbetweenpeople differ from cooperative relationships?

8

In what ways has societybecome more competitive in the last twenty years?

f[[IS PrxcticeTests

Test I ImproYeyour skills key Listening Focusingon speakers page1o a a customerand shopassistan!to askfor / give information b eitherboth in the shopor speakingby phone c conversational d numbers,bicyclevocabulary, methodsof payment Understanding the task page11 a letters b write in three names c WoodsRoad,OakStreet,the park,the police station,the pharmacy ldentifying main features page11 a the policestation b on the other sideof the street,on the opposite corner c on the other sideof the street,facing,opposite d 10 Predictingfrom examples page12 12 social 14 charities / charitable 16 political/ politics

Question forms page15 a28 b29 c26 d27 Describingdiagrams page15 a page,text,margin,top, bottom,left (-handside), right(-handside) b Similarities: they all havetext fillingthe centreof the page,theyall havespacearound pointsat top/in left Differences:summing-up margin/atbottom/in right margin c sheet(of paper),writing,space,gap,room,above, below,under,alongside, next to Understanding the overall meaning page16 a Australia b opalmining c in the late1940s, due new opalfieldsand mass immigration d belowgroundto avoidthe extremeclimate; buildingsunderground includechurches and hotels What kind of word? page16 31 a number 32 a year 33 an historicalevent 34 a part of the world 35 a percentage 36 a building

Predicting from stems page13 18 ln thiscity,clubsand societiesare mainly paid for by:thefinancingof clubs 19 Findingthe right club might influenceyour choice of the relevanceof clubsto importantpersonal decisions 20 Whatshouldyou do if the right club doesnot exist?: Thinking of synonyms page17 1 B:near how to find the right club for you C:farfrom 2 in: not outside,centre,downtown,urban, etc Looking for clues page14 near:nearby,closeto, not far from,just beyond,not are making a the imperative; the sentences far off, a short distancefrom,neighbouring,etc suggestions the and givingadvice(including far from: far-off,distant,faraway,a long way from, answerto 23) fu rther, a great distance,etc. b note form - articles,possessives, etc.,can be left out. ldentifying key words page15 26 where,sit,attend 27 do,miss,point 28 why,notes,easy,read 29 which expressions, comingnext

-*:'- i

39

Reading ldentifying key sentences page18 A,B,C,D,E,G firstsentence F secondsentence

:

b

noun(pluralor uncountable) noun(pluralor uncountable) foundunderthe sea something atlabove/below somethingin or underthe water i.e. somethinglivingthat is not vegetable, a n ima l that is neithervegetable something 19 possibly i.e.mineral noranimal, 18 19 15 16 17 18

Focusingon exampl€s page18 A describes spacebiomedicine, beginning Paragraph is .. .', biomedicine with the topicsentence:'Space andthenstatesitsaims. of paragraph F mentions Eliminatingimpossibleendings page26 Althoughthefirstsentence thisis not the themeof ethicalandfinancialissues, a 20 a reason introduces secondsentence ways the paragraph.The 2j a result research canhelpresolve that spacebiomedical 22 a result problemson Earth. b 20G 21C 22E Finding key information page21 a water of paragraph B b the secondsentence c ice d thereisa linkwith'Mars' ldentifying the writer's views page21 beginning'This 1 In paragraph B,the sentence involvement of NASA...iThewritersaysthis. Thereareno reportingverbs,quotesor to what otherssay. references 2 obstacles: limited,constraints sendingpeople:travel far intospace:tootherplanets, andbeyond now...not: no longer whatthe humanbodycanactually medical: withstand engineering technological: 3 PargraphF.Thewriterdoesnot saywho agrees considerations haveledsometo exactly:'Such questionthe ethics...iThe writercontrasts this with his/herown opinion:'ltis nowclear, however,...'

ldentifying incorrect answers page27 aB bA cC Locatinganswers page3o from pre-history chronologically: 1 lt isorganized to the presentday. from wolves appearance 2 28 dogs,different dogs,types 29 classification, wolves, dogs 30 similarity, animals 31 greaterhumanconcern, 3a30 b28 c 2931 Finding referencesin the text page30 1 a firsthalf b secondhalf 2 probablyin firsthalf. 3 A 'packsof 25 or 30wolvesandclansof liken u mb e re d . .h. u ma n s ' packs... and... nomadic B 'wandering humansroamed'

Organizationand expression page22 of different a Therearepracticalapplications Scanningthe text page31 research areas:first in spaceandthenon Earth. 1 Greeks H on Earthof b humanactivities:applications French no mention andsterilization. telemedicine Egyptians G phraseor sentence; -ing c aspartof an incomplete Romans H formof verbsplusnounphrases English: l,J openquestions d Unlikethetableinstructions,the NativeAmericans F do not specifyfrom the passage. 2 e.g.Didthe Greeks usedogs?lf so,how/inwhat way? Predictinganswers page25 or nounphrase a 15 noun(pluralor uncountable) preposition 16 17 nounor nounphrase

40

PracticeTesis IELTS

Writing

Speaking

Predicting questions page36 Understanding a graph page32 a Whereoverseas studentsin Australiacomefrom. a Do you havemanyfriends?How did you first meet them?Do you havea bestfriend?Whendo b Students from fourcountries:lndonesia. peoplebecomefriends?Do you find it easyto Malaysia, Hong Kong,Singapore.The verticalaxis makenew friends?What arethe advantages of showsstudentsnumbers. havingfriends?Why do friendssometimesfall c Thetime scaleoverwhich comparisons can be out? made. d Aftera slow start,the figuresfor all four countries b What kind of booksdo you like?Whichbook haveyou enjoyedmost?Whereand when do haverisensharply.The numbersfrom Indonesia you usuallyreadbooks?What makesa good havegrown fastesqthosefrom Malaysiaslowest. book?Whichauthorsare popularin your e Thereis a dip in the mid 1990s. country?Will peoplecontinueto readbooksin the future? Putting statistics into words page33 1 a ninety-eightper cent,twenty-twoand a half c Whatareyour favouriteclothes?Do you prefer anyparticular colour(s)? Whatis currently per cent fashionablein your country?How havefashions b one sixth,one in six,one out of six;fourchangedin the last5 years? Whatdo you think fifths,four in five,four out of five;one will be fashionable in the next5 years? Wheredo twentieth,one in twenty,one out of twenty. fashionscomefrom? c threetimesasmany/ the numberol one third as many/ the numberol halfas many/ Choosing relevant points page37 the numberof,twice /double the numberof t how l'll succeed(it'snot aboutyou) d a little/ just over/ roughlyhalf;almost (discussion what is'success'? of abstracttopicsis lessthan/ exactly/ just undera thousand; just under/ fewerthan ten percent;well over in Part3) 'a hundred now spoiltand arrogant(not a reasonfor admiringthem) 2 Suggestedanswers: personis (youcan only talk anothersuccessful The numberof studentsfrom Malaysiarose aboutone) steadilybetween 1982 and 1992. hasfailedat everything(wrongpersonto talk Therewasa rapidincreasein the numberof about) studentsfrom Hong Kongbetween1982 2 Suggestedanswers: went to localschool,worked and 1992. sevendaysa week,doescharitywor( provides jobs for hundredsof people,alwayspolite. ldentifying the topic and the issues page34 1 increasingair traffic Adding more ideas page38 2 the first part is fact answers: elimination of unemployment 3 the secondpart is opinion becauseof the phrase Suggested and poverty;improvededucation;equal 'somepeoplesaythat' opportunitiesirrespective of race,gender,religion, 4 the secondpart etc;betterfacilitiesfor the disabled;improvedcareers advice;more resources for the arts,sports,etc;better Developing arguments page35 healthcareat all ages. 1 yes(i) no (g) 2 yes 0) no (b) 3 yes(a) no (d) 4 yes (c) no (f) s yes(e) no (h)

T*st l

41

Strategies: questionswith figures

Questions 7-10

lmproveyourskills:recognizing numbers Beforeyou listen,think abouthow numbersin 1 How arethesepronounced? Writethem out in words. the questions are 7/10 2/3 0.615 43rd the80s 32nd pronounced.This makes 54th 101st 5Oo/o 4548C 1066 AD 16mm them easierto recognize 220km 33 25 mg 1800 cc 5cm C' 300 m' whenyou hearthem.You couldwrite them out too, 2 Studyquestions7-1O.Whatkind of figureis neededfor each? e.9.70m = seventy metres. > Checkyour answerson page71 beforeyou continue you what Makesure know theyrelateto,e.g.length of bridge,depth of water. Circle the correct lettersA-D. Listenfor thesenumbers. 7 On which floor is the storeroom? Takecarewith numbers whicharesimilarbut A first don't relateto the B second question. Forcluesto total numbers, listenfor expressions likeplus,too, as wellas,another,a third one,etc.

C 8

third

What is the temperature of the hot water? A

55"

B

60"

c

700

How big is the garden? A

20m'

B

90m'z

C

150m'z

10 What sizeis the television? A

70cm

B

80cm

C

90cm

Test2

43

Questions25-27 Circle THREE letters A-F. What must you do when you join the LanguageCentre? A

pay a small amount of money

B

show some proof of identity

C

be accompaniedby someonefrom your Department

D

take a test in the languageyou want to study

E

register at Receptionin the LanguageCentre

F

learn how to use the Centre'sequipment

Questions28 ChooseTWO lettersA-E. Which TWO should you tell the librarian? A

whether you have studied the languagepreviously

B

why you want to study this language

C

how many hours per week you must study it

D

which text books you will use

E

which other languagesyou havelearned

Questions29-30 Circle TWO lettersA-E. Which TWO of thesecan you do at the LanguageCentre? A

read and listen to materials on your own

B

choosebooks to take away from the Centre

C

copy tapesto listen to them outside the Centre

D

photocopy materials yourself

E

have a few pagesof a book photocopied

Test2

47

Section4 {

Questions3l-34 Strategies:completingnotesand tables Lookat anyexamples: studyingthesecanmakeyou feelmoreconfidentaboutdoing the taskwhenyou hearthe recording. you may Foreachquestion, makesureyou understand what kindof information haveto writein andwhere. Thinkaboutwordsthat oftengo with the kindof wordyou need.Forexample, if you you decidethe answeris a time of day, might first hearaf,beforeor after.

lmproveyour skills:listeningfor lexicalclues Decidewhat kind of informationis neededfor eachof 31-34,e.9.a year. Thinkof - or find in the notes- a word likelyto go with each,e.g.a year:in 2010. > Checkyour answerson page 71 beforeyou continue.

Look at the table. Write NO MO&E THAN TWO WORDS OR A NUMBER for eachanswer.

1 851

Howe

Automatic Continuous Clothing Closure'

commercial potential only

USA

1 893

Judson

'Clasp Locker'

commercial failure

31

1908

Sundback

'Hookless Fastener'

commercial

Sweden

32 ....................... 33

Kynoch

I920s

48

IELTS PracticeTest$

'Ready Fastener'

commercial success

UK

'Zipper'

commercial success

USA

Strategies:labelling parts of a diagram L o o ka t t he t it le and t h i n k of real life examplesof the object. Decidefrom which angle yo u a re look ingat t he diagram,e.g.from one si d e . Describethe diagramto yourself,identifyingall the parts. Th i n kabout how t he speakerwill describeit and what phrasesyou might hear.lf you can any ans wer s 9UeSS ilt hem in . a l re a d ypenc ,

Questions35-39 lmprove your skills: predicting a description Studythe diagramand answerthe questions. a b c d

Fromwhat angleareyou lookingat the zip? Whatvocabularydo you know for what you can see? What other wordsor phrasesdo you think you will hear? In what orderdo you think you will hearthe information?

> Checkyour answerson page 71 beforeyou continue.

Label the zip. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for eachanswer.

The Separating Zip Fastener

Listenout for prompts th a t tell y ou t he descriptionis about to start,e.g.ln the drawing you'llsee..., As shownin Followthe ouestion n u mb er son t he diagra m , e.g.from left to right or clockwise,and write your a n sw er sas y ou heart h e m.

Strategies:global questions l d e n tif yt he global question:it is often the lastof severalmultiolechoice items. Decidewhat it is testing, e.g.What is the lecturer trying to do? means you haveto identifythe speaker'spurpose. Th i n ka bout how t he l a n g uageand t one m i g h t differ for each option. When you listen,reject o p ti o n st hat m is int erp re t what the speakermeans, relateto only part of the content,or overstateit.

Question40 lmprove your skills: predicting global features 1 Studythe first line of question40.What is its focus? 2 StudyA-D.Whatlanguagefeaturesand speaker's tone would you expectfor each? > Checkyour answerson page 71 beforeyou continue

Choosethe correctletter,A, B, C or D. 40 The speaker'soverall aim is to A

explain how different kinds of zip fastenerwork.

B

outline the developmentof the zip fastener.

C

advertisea particular kind of zip fastener.

D

warn of the dangersof zip fasteners.

l*rt ?

49

t hour AcademicReading 't Reading PassageI Youshouldspendabout20 minuteson Questions1-14, which are basedon ReadingPassage1.

Scratching the surface

They are insidious skin parasites, infesting the occupants of factories and offices. They cause itching,prickling and crawling sensationsin the skin that are almost untreatable.Thesecreatures may only exist in the mind, but their effects are real and infectious. The classiccase occurred in a US laboratory in 1966. After new equipment was installed, workers started to suffer from itching and sensations of insects crawling over them. Com plain ts mu l ti p l i e d a n d th e p robl em, attributed to 'cable mites', started to spread to relatives of the victims. A concerted effort was made to exterminate the mites using everything from DDT and mothballs to insecticide and rat poison. Nothing worked. Thorough examination by scientific investigatorscould not locate any pests, or even signs of actual parasite attacks.However, they did find small particles of rockwool insulation in the air, which could cause skin irritation.A cleaningprogramme was introduced

50

i[ . T 5 P rn rrrc cJ e :t:

and staff were assured the problem had been solved.The cable mite infestation disappeared. Another 1960s case occurred in a textile factory, where workers complained of being bitten by insects brought into the factory in imported cloth. Dermatitis swept through the workforce, but it followed a curious pattern. Instead of affecting people in one particular part of the factory,the bugs seemed to be transmitted through employees' social groups. No parasites could be found. A third infestation spread through office staff going through dusty records that had lain untouched for decades.Theyattributed their skin problems to 'paper mites', but the cause was traced to irritation from paper splinters. These are all casesof illusionsof parasitosis, w here somethi ng i n the envi ronment is misinterpreted as an insect or other pest. Everyone has heard of delirium tremens, when alcoholicsor amphetamineusers experiencethe feeling of insects crawling over their skin, but

other factors can cause the same illusion. Static electricity, dust, fibres, and chemical solvents can all give rise to imaginary insects.The interesting thing is that they spread.The infectious nature of this illusion seems to be a type of reflex contagion. Yawn, and others start yawning. lf everyone around you laughs, you laugh. Start scratching,and colleagueswill scratch,too. x Dr Paul Marsden is managingeditor of the Journal of Memetics,the study of infectious ideas. He suggeststhat this rype of group behaviour may have had a role to play in human evolution. In our distant past, one individual scratching would have alerted others that there were biting insects or parasites present. This would prime them to scratch itches of their own.Anyone who has been bitten several times by mosquitoes before they realized it will recognize the evolutionary value of this kind of advance warning. The outbreak of mass scratching may also promote mutual grooming, which is important in the necessary bonding of primate SrouPS. The problem comes when the reflex contagion is not related to a real threat. Normally, eveD/one would soon stop scratching, bya people may unconsciously exaggerate

Strategies: classifyi ng statements ReadSfrareg ies:matching /rstson page31. Insteadof peopleor places, thereis a listof statements: thesemaynot followthe orderof the rext. lf morethanone answer is possible, writethem bothin.

Questions

symptoms to gain atcention, or because it gets them a break from unappealingwork. The lab workers were scanners, who spent the day laboriously examining the results of bubblechamber tests; textile workers and clerical staff poring over records would also have found what they had to do quite tedious.Add the factor that skin conditions are notoriously susceptible to psychologicalinfluence,and it is easy to see how a group dynamic can keep the illusory parasites going. Treatment of the condition is difficult, since few will accept that their misreading of the symptoms is the result of what psychologistscall a hysterical condition. In the past, the combination of removal of irritants and expert reassurance was enough. However, these days, there is a mistrust of conventional medicine and easieraccessto suppoft groups. Sufferers can reinforce each other's illusions over the Internet, swappingtales of elusive mites that baffle science.This could give rise to an epidemic of mystery parasites, spreading from mind to mind like a kind of super virus. Only an awareness of the power of the illusion can stoP it. You can stop scratching now ...

l_5

lmprove your skills:finding the relevant section Whichparagraphs focuson a b c

the laboratory? the factory? the office?

Which paragraphmentionsall three?ls it relevantto any of questions1-5? > Checkyour answerson page T2beforeyou continue.

Classifystatements1-5 accordingto whetherthey apply to A

the laboratory

B

the factory

C

the office

I

Workers who met each other socially sufferedfrom the condition.

2

The victims were all working with old documents.

3

They tried to kill the insectsthey thought were responsible.

4

They said the creatureshad come in material from abroad.

5

Employees'familieswere affeciBdby the condition.

Test2

51

Questions6-8

Strategies:completinga flow chart ReadStrategies:shorton answerquestions page21. Lookat how the flow arrows chartis organized: often indicateresults, Count stagesor changes. the numberof these points. Findthe partofthe text that relatesto the chart. Lookfor the samenumber of pointsand identifythe between relationship them,e.g.Iinkingwords like Firstlyand Nexf indicate a sequence. questions Askyourself about the lext,e.g.What happensnext?,and match with the the answers pointsin the chart.

lmprove your sltills:understanding links between ideas 1 Studythe text and answerthesequestions. of the bite? What is the immediateconsequence a b c d

What arethe two immediateresultsof this? What can be the immediateeffect of group scratching? What can this in turn leadto?

2 Studythe flow chartand answerthesequestions. a Whatdo the arrowsmean? What kind of informationis neededfor 6? b What kind of informationis neededfor 7 and 8? c > Checkyour answerson page T2before you continue.

Completethe notesbelowwith words takenfrom ReadingPassage1. UseNO MORETHAN TWOWORDS for eachanswer.

* $ Evolutionarypurposetheory t:;

:i l

@

: il

ifl

.T

G

€ Y

52

IFLTS PracticeTests

Strateg ies: tru e/fa Ise/n ot given questions Read Strategies:yes/no/not givenquestionson page 2 1 .N o te t hat true/false/not given questionsfocus on facts in the text,whereas yes/not/not given questionsare often about the writer'sopinions.

Questions9-13 lmprove your skills:finding clues Studyquestions9 and 10 carefullyand answerthesequestions. a Whatdoesthe adverb'unconsciously'(line 71)tell you about the answerto 9? b Whichadverband which adjectiveare cluesto the answerto 10? * Checkyour answerson pageT2beforeyou continue

In boxes9-13 on your answersheetwrite

lf you can'tfind any mention of the topic,'not given'may be the answer.

TRUE

if the statementis true accordingto thepassage

FALSE

if the statementis false accordingto thepassage

D o n 't choos e' t r ue' or 'false'just becauseyou believeit to be true.

NOT GIyEN

if the statementis not given in thepassage

9

Somekeep scratchingbecausethey know it will enablethem to stop work.

10 The laboratory, factory and office employeesall had boring jobs. 1l The human skin is extremely sensitiveto irritants. 12 In many cases,people no longer believewhat medical professionalssay. 13 It is impossible to prevent the condition becoming an Internet epidemic.

Strategies: choosing a title After you have done all the other tasks,sum up the whole text in a few woros. Look at the titles and decidewhich is closestto your own words.lgnore a n y w hic h: . are basedon an overall misunderstandingof the text. . are too narrow i.e.cover only part of the text. . are too broad,i.e.cover aspectsof the topic beyond the scopeofthe text.

Question14 lmprove your skills:eliminating incorrect titles 1 Studythe five titlesA-E.Whichone: is basedonly on someof the earlyparagraphs? a focusesonly on the lastpart of the text? b c only coversthe informationin the paragraphmarked* ? mentionstopicsthat are beyondthe scopeof the text? d 2 Why is the other title correct? p Checkyour answerson pageT2beforeyou continue

1. From the list belowchoosethe most suitablealternativetitle for ReadingPassage Write the appropriateletterA-E in box 14 on your answersheet. A

The benefits of itching and scratching

B

Increasingcomplaints about insects

C

Scratching,yawning and laughing

D

Imaginary bites and parasites

E

Computer bites and Internet itches

T*st 2

53

ReadingPassage 2 I

Youshouldspend"about20 minuteson Questions15-27, which are basedon ReadingPassage 2, Strategies: matching headingsto sections ReadMatchingheadings toparagraphson page 18. Substitutesectionfor paragraph. Don'tchooseheadings that matchonlyone paragraph in a section, or morethanone section.

Questions15-19 yourskills: lmprove headings eliminating incorrect 1 Why is examplef correct? 2 Whichof headingsa-j is wrong becauseit: a coversmore than one section? b c

focusesonly on the firstthing in the text? only coversone paragraph?

d

exaggerateswhat the text says?

> Checkyour answerson pageT2beforeyou continue

ReadingPassage 2 has sixsectionsI-W. Choosethe most suitableheadingfor eachsectionII-VI from the list below.Write the appropriateletters(a-j) in boxes15-19 on your answersheet. List of headings a The lift in use The first and secondlifts b c d e f g h i j

Restoring the lift The newcanal Mechanical problems Why the lift was needed The supports of the secondlift A new framework and machinery How the original Iift worked A completely new lift

,..,.:.Si{aqllile.,.$ectien I 15 SectionII 16 SectionIII 17 SectionIV 18 SectionV 19 SectionVl

54

IELTS Pn*c*iceTests

An"1,}Fd f

bl Section I

above all efficient, the lift was hailed as a

When the Tlent and Mersey Canal opened

marvel of the era, and became a prototype for

rn 1777, the Cheshire town of Anderton was

larger versions on the waterways of France

the obvious place to transfer goods to and from the nearby River \feaver. There was just

and Belgium.

one problem: the canal was fifteen metres

vertical sets of interconnected hydraulic

above the river.

cylinders and pistons set into the bed of the

Pathways, inclined planes, and chutes were

The operating mechanism consisted of two

river and each piston supported a boat-

constructed to easethe task of moving cargo

carrying tank 22.86 metres Iong and 4.72

by hand. Primitive railways were laid to move

metres wide. At rest, one tank was level with

cargoes, cranes were built, and steam engines

the canal and the other level with the river

were later installed to power lifting. In the

and to move the tanks, a small amount of

early 1870s, however, the'$Teaver Navigation

water was removed from the bottom tank

Trustees decided to eliminate the cost, effort,

making it lighter than the top tank.

and wastage involved in hand transportation

Because the two hydraulic cylinders were

when the engineers Edward Leader Williams

connected, the heavier top tank moved down

and Edwin Clarke suggested a 'boat carrying

and forced hydraulic liquid through the

lift'. ?r, Section II Their design was a unique and magnificent

connecting pipe into the other cylinder pushing that piston and the lighter tank 'Watertight gates both on the tanks upwards.

example of the Victorians' mastery of cast

and at the entrance to the canal contained the

iron and hydraulics. Completed in 1875,

water while the tanks were moving. A

graceful in appearance,simple in use, and

hydraulic pump driven by steam supplied the

irr:; J

55

small amount of additional energyrequired to effecta reasonablyrapid movementand to enablethe tanks to be preciselylevelledat the end of their journey ?lSection III All went well for the first ten years,then pitting and grooving of the cylinders and pistons occurred.Investigationsshowedthat the canal water used as the hydraulic liquid was contaminatedby chemicalsand was corrosive,thereforecausingthe damage. It was immediately changedto distilled water from the steamenginepowering the hydraulic pump. Corrosion was dramatically reducedbut the damagehad been done. In addition, the boiler for the steam engine neededrenewing, so in 1906the Tiustees ordered the construction of a new lift, to a

but it was functional and it worked. at,Section V Both the 1875the 1908versionscarried large volumes of commercial traffic and the principal cargoestransported were coal, china clay,salt, manufacturedgoods,including china ware, and agricultural produce. Sadly,trade on inland waterwaysin Britain declineddramatically in the 1950s,and goods traffic via the lift effectively ended in the 1960s.The 1970sincreasein pleasureboating briefly prolonged its activelife, but in 1982the 'Cathedralof the Canals'wasfinally closed. ar,Section VI

designby their engineerJ A Saner. ?r,Section IV

Demolition seemedinevitable,but, after a long campaign by concernedgroups, British 'Waterways agreed,in L999,to savethe lift.

The new lift was built over the top of the Victorian structure, utilizing the Victorian

Somewanted it 'conservedas found', but that would entail replacingmuch of the

front and rear columns. The main structure

existing structure,virtually creating a replica lift. The steelof the 1908structure had bepn . badly corroded by pollutants from the local

had strong A-frames at either side of the new lift to support the enormous weight of the platform that now formed the top of the framework: on it was located the new operating mechanism,which included seventytwo pulleys weighing up to 35 tonnes each. Each of the boat-carrying tanks was now suspendedon wire ropes which ran from the tank to the top of the lift, around pulleys, and down to cast-iron weights at the side of the structure. Thesewere equal to the weight of the water-filled tank. Turning the pulleys one way or the other movedthe ropes,so that one tank was raised or loweredindependentlyof the other tank. Becausethe tanks were counterbalancedby the weights,only a small electricalmotor was required to turn the pulleys and so move the tanks up or down.

56

Compleredin 1908the lift was reliable, cheapand easyto operate.Unlike the Victorian lift it was not the least bit elegant,

lE[fSPractlceTests

chemicalindustries and would need replacing if it were to support the overheadmachinery and 500-tonnecounterweights.In addition, safety considerationswould require the installation of a back-up braking system. It was decided,therefore,to revert to the 1875hydraulically-operatedsystem,using the original cast-iron structure.Although the counterweightshad to be removed,the 1908 framework and pulleys would be retained as a static monument. It was a huge and expensiveproject, and not without difficulties. Eventually,in 2002, the Anderton Boat Lift was officially reopened. Boat owners and visitors alike can once again ride 'the world's first boat lift'.

Strategies: labellinga diagram Whenyou havereadthe text,studythe diagram andthe labelsgiven. Decidewhichpartof the text describes it. Pencilin you can anyanswers guessalready. Matchthe informationin the diagramto whatthe text says.To understand how the partsrelateto eachothet lookfor links of purpose,e.g.to/inorder to/soasfo + infinitive.and result,e.g.-lng,and/so/so that. Whenyou havewrittenin youranswers, go through the text againto check that everythingmatches the completedlabels.

Questions20-24 lmprove your skills: understanding how something works 1 Lookat Sectionll and answerthesequestions. Examples: Whywasa small amount of water . . . removed? Answer:to move the tanks. What was the resultof this? Answer:making it lighter. a What was the resultof forcing hydraulicliquid ... into the othercylinder? b Why wasadditionalenergysupplied?What was the purposeof this? Givetwo examples. 2 Find2 purposeand 2 resultlinksin SectionlV.Askand answera question abouteach. 9 Checkyour answerson pageT2beforeyou continue.

Completethe diagram below. ChooseNO MORE THAN THKEE WORDSfrom thepassage for eachanswer. Write your answersin boxes20-24 on your answersheet.

]'est J

57

Strategies: completingnotesor sentences Studyeachquestionand decidewhat is needed, e.g.a nounphrase, a number. In yourmind,tryto turn the notesor sentences into questions andthen answerthem.Thisshould giveyou the missing words. Checkyour completed sentences makesense and paraphrase whatthe text says.

Questions25-27 lmproveyourSkills:formingquestions 1 Foreachof 25-27,decidewhatkindof answeris needed. 2 Forma questionfrom each,e.g.Where weresimilarliftsloterbuilt?,and answ€r it. > Checkyouranswers on pageT2beforeyoucontinue Complete thenotesbelow ChooseNO MORE THAN THREEWORDSfrom ReadingPassage 2 for each answer. Writeyour answers in boxes25-27 onyour answersheet. 25 Similar lifts to the Anderton were later built in 26 Exrapower to move the tanks came from 27 Usingwater from the canal harmed the

58

lILTSPracticeTests

ReadingPassage 3 Youshouldspendabout20 minuteson Questions28-40, which are basedon ReadingPassage 3.

:i ,i

L$ffru. rc#H 9qsremw fr€ mU€ &ffieEs=

HenryGee

,:ll.,it

it isaship aftergenomics. Likegenomics, science speaking, it is an asit is hardto define. Broadly termfortheefforts of manyscientists umbrella working fieldsto understand the in diverse whether of lifeintheuniverse, onEarth conditions orelsewhere. thatmany Thecanvas is,infact,sobroad withoutknowing scientists mightbeastrobiologists ro it astrobiology from to allscience, addsglamour Those withlongmemories astronomy to zoology. anda cynical mienwillhaveseenallthisbefore. Onceupona time,therewasa research programme ls astrobiology a new calledexobiology. goods? nameforrepackaged First,manydiscoveries No,fortworeasons. past madeinthe havesetpeople thinking, decade

, -..itt.r:l

onceagain, aboutlifeelsewhere. Forexample, goes hardly a month bywithout thediscovery of yetanother planet orbiting a distant star.And whatever thetruthaboutthemuch-disputed claims forfossilsin martian meteorites, thecontroversy hasrehabilitated theideaof panspermia: thatlife planets. canspread between astrobiology is almost Second, a trademarked term.TheNasa Astrobiology Institute is a virtual linkingresearch campus centres withuniversities, alldevoted to learning moreaboutthegeneral principles governing theorigin of lifeinthe magazine universe. Significantly, Nature recently looked at astrobiology in allitsforms,fromthe questto understand to the howlifebegan onEarth prospects lifeelsewhere inthe offindingintelligent universe.

I*st 2

59

Notthatthisshould bea cause forwide-eyed thanwhatit is madeof.lt is muchmoredifficult, say its critics. lronically, the ilrost however, to makesucha definition stick,preventing celebration, vociferous ofthesecomenotfromtheworldof thetermfrombecoming soinclusive asto be from fiction. Brian Aldiss, meaningless. science but science writer, lightofthegenre, * Youmightstartbypositing threerules. Thefirst veteran critic,andleading of information that our current obsession with life elsewhere, is that life requires the existence dismisses withvariation. however muchit isjustified byscience, canbereproduced andinherited, asan itch. seemto create order expensively scratched Second, thatlivingsystems Aliens, heargues, it inthefaceof chaos. area manifestation of a andstructure andmaintain Third, hasto workhardto fundamental human urgeto populate theuniverse thata livingsystem gods,ghosts, with'others', whether littlegreen maintain itsstructure, andass00nasit stopsdoing men,orcartoon characters. Scientists should thisit degenerates. fictiontooseriously: These at first,to befairlyprecise, in beware oftakingscience aliens rulesseem, observant martian areuseful asplotdevices, butthisdoesnotmake asmuchtheyweedoutquietly ButasCohen andStewart showin themreal. surface rocks. to imagine entities that A ratherdifferent criticism comes from theirnovel, it is possible to bealive, fictionwriters scientists-turned-science JackCohen followallthreerulesandwhichappear - Cohen Bothareacademics is a noresemblance to andlanStewart. butwhichbearabsolutely is a mathematician - butthey ln Wheelers, theydescribe biologist, Stewart terrestrial organisms. haveworked in SF,mostrecently ontheirnovel civilizations offloating, methane-breathing balloons andorganisms made Wheelers. Theirargument withastrobiology is nol intheatmosphere of Jupiter plasma, livingintheouter thataliensmightnotexist,butthatwecannot help of magnetically-confined beconstrained in oursearch. layers ofthesun. Allorganisms fromthetiniest life onEafth, Other science fictionwritershaveimagined bacterium to thebiggest whales, areconstructed onthesurfaces of neutron stars,inside computers, genetic according to thesamerules.Eafthly 0revenin interstellar space. Inhislatestnovel, information is caniedin genesmadeof DNA, M Banks describes earthly Lookto Windward,lain lifeis based onpolymers of carbon, andits supporting organisms thesizeof continents, entire parasites. happens in liquidwater. Because Allcouldbe chemistry this civilizations astheirintestinal kindof lifeis allweknouwetendto thinkthatthe immortal saidto constitute life,butin DrMc0oy's phrase samerulesneedapplyeverywhere. So,when fromStarTrek,'notasweknowit'. probes landonMars,orscientists lookat martian theaimsof Could thismeanthatastrobiology, meteorites, theytendto lookforthekindsof vital whichareuniversal, is reallynomorethana parochial Wemightneverknow- perhaps signsthatbetray earthly organisms whenwehave exercise? n0reason forthinking absolutely thatlifeelsewhere110 evenwhenwearevisited byaliens fromtheother should beearthlike, orthatourdefinition of life sideofthegalaxy whotry,frantically, to gainour cannot bebased morebroadly. WhentheMars whatever it is attention, bywaving underournoses Rover satandstaredat a rock,howdowe know theywaveundersuchcircumstances. lt willnotbe rightback? thattherockwasnotstaring theirfaultthattheywillbemicroscopic and It is a fairlysimplematter to comeupwitha destroyed AsCohen andStewart bya singlesneeze. 'Lifegoesoneverywhere.' definitlon of lifethatis based onwhatit does,rather concfude in Wheelers.

60

f*LTSilractie* T*sts

Strategies: summarizing usingwordsfrom a list ReadStrategies: summarizing using words fromthefexton page25, but rememberthat words in a listarenot usually takendirectlyfrom the text. Decidewhat oartof speechis neededfor each gap. Markthe wordsin the list according to theirpartof e.g.adverb, speech, singular noun. Matcheachwith at least one otherword of the samepartof speechthat hasa relatedmeaning. Theycouldbe synonyms, near-synonyms, or opposites. Foreaghgap,trythe wordsthat fit grammatically and logically - notthe whole list.

Questions 28-34 wordsthat fit lmproveyour skills:finding 1 What parts of speechare neededfor 28-34?e.9.0 - pluralnoun 2 What parts of speechare the words in the list?e.g.principles- pluralnoun 3 Whichother wordsin the listform pairsin someway with a-f below? e.g.principles- regulations a

location

b d

basing frequently galaxy

e f

definition mistake

c

p Checkyour answerson pageT2beforeyou continue

Completethe summary below.Choosethe answersfrom the box and write the correspondingwordsin boxes28-34 on your answersheet.Thereare more choices than spaces,soyou will not needto useall of them. determinethe make-up The samebiological and chemical0.......P..r:irlaiB.l.q,s....... . We often

of all terrestrial life forms, whatever their 28 assumethat this is the casethroughout the universe,as we have 29 ................

observedother kinds of organism.Scientiststherefore

make the 30 ................

of searchingfor indicationsof Earth-style

living things when examiningmaterial from another 31.............. where the nature of any life may lie far outside their own 32 but definition.On the other hand,if the focusis not on 33 .................................. on behaviour,there is a risk of 34 ...........

.. life much too broadly.

List of words location narrow discussing never definition mistake basing

principles galaxy rarely composition planet breakthrough regulations

previous frequently defining size extending

Tcst2

61

strategies: matchingopinions matching Readstrategies: /rsfson page31 In thistasKyou must with the matchspeakers opinionstheystate. Expectthe first reference to eachpersonto include theirfulf nameand possiblyotherdetails; afterthat it is usuallyjust their surname. Lookfor reportingverbs suchassuggests,and that expressions introduceopinionssuch as theirbeliefis that ... or accordingto ... .

Questions 35-38 lmprove your skills:finding opinions 1 In what orderdoesthe text mentionAldiss,Banks,and Cohen/Stewart? introducethe opinionsof: 2 Whichexpressions a b c

Aldiss? Banks? Cohen& Stewart?

> Checkyour answerson pageT2beforeyou continue

The text refersto the ideasof varioussciencefiction writers. Match writers A-C with thepoints in i5-38 Write vour answersin boxes35-38 on your answersheet. Youmany useany of the writers more than once. 35 Other life forms may fit a definition of life but be quite unlike anything on Earth. 36 Peopleinstinctively want to believe in extraterrestriallife forms. 37 There could be life within life on an immense scale. 38 Humans are inevitably limited in their ability to find life beyond Earth.

List of writers Aldiss A B Banks C Cohen& Stewart

62

iELTS PracticeTests

Strategies:identifying the writer'sviewsand purpose Scanthe text for stylistic devicessuchasthese. . Rhetoricalquestions intendedto persuade the reader, e.g.What proof is there?Theymay or maynot be answered in the text. . Adverbsthat makethe writer'sopinionclear, e.g.fort unately,aIIegedly. . Expressions that show the writer'sattitude,e.g. be that asit may,without any doubt. . lrony:sayingthe oppositeof what is meant,e.g.thisgreat (= total failure). success

Questions 39-40 lmproveyourskills:interpretingthe writer'stechniques 1 Whichsentences in the text correspondto eachof A-D in Question39?Which of these sentencescontain: a expressions that showthe writer'sattitude? b a rhetoricalquestion?How is it answered? c an adverbthat indicatesthe writerk opinion? 2 What do thesetakentogethertell you about the purposeof the text? . the title . the mentionof criticsand criticismearlyin two paragraphs . the rhetoricalquestionand its answerin the lastparagraph > Checkyour answerson page 72 beforeyou continue

Choosethe appropriatelettersA-D and write them in boxes3940 on your Answer sheet. 39 The writer believesthat astrobiology A

may now be the secondmost fashionablescience.

B

is very similar to exobiology.

C

has proved that a meteorite from Mars contains fossils.

D

is not taken seriouslyby scientific publications.

49 Which of the following statementsbest describesthe writert main purpose in Readingpassage3? A

to describethe latest scientific developmentsin the study of the universe

B

to explain why there is growing interest in the study of astrobiology

C

to show that sciencefiction writers have nothing useful to sayabout aliens

D

to suggestthat astrobiology may not help us find extraterrestriallife

63

AcademicWriting t hour : The writing testconsistsof two tasks.Youshouldattempt both tasks.

Writing ThskI Youshouldspendabout20 minuteson this task. The diagram below shows the environmental issuesraised by a product over its life cycle. Summarize the information by selectingand reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least150words.

l@

ilili$ ffr*r!!c* Test:

QuestionStrategies: selectingmainfeatures from a diagram Information is sometimes givenin the form of a diagram. Lookquicklyat thisto form an overall impression of the topic. Readlabelscarefully to understand whateach elementor stageof the diagramrelates to. process, In the caseofa payspecialattentionto the directionof arrows. Checkwhetherthe process hasa logical beginning andend. Remember that in Writinq Task1 you only haveto report the moin features, not everything you can see.

lmproveyourskills:understanding a diagram Answerthesequestionsabout the diagram. a b c d e

What doesit show? How manystages/steps arethere? What do the arrowstell you? What kindsof negativeimpacton the environmentareshown? What measures to reducethis impactare shown?

> Checkyour answerson page73 beforeyou continue

CompositionStrategies: lmproveyour skills:organizing and linkingideas reportinga process Answerthesequestionsabout your writing beforeyou start. Decidehowyou will a At what stepshouldyou start? organizeyourtext.Begin b Whatverb tenseshouldyou use? by sayingwhatthe c In which part - the beginning,the main body or the ending- would you diagramshows. probablyusetheselinkingexpressions? Takeall yourinformation fromthe diagram, using meanwhile finally next simultaneously yourown wordswhere at this point alternatively initially eventually possible. from there ultimately first at the sametime Toshowthe stages, use linkingexpressions, e.g.to > Checkyour answerson page73 beforeyou continue. beginwith,then,in theend. Whenyoufinish,check you havedescribed all the main featuresof the diagram.

,T)L

Z

65

Writing Thsk2 Youshouldspendabout40 minuteson this task. Write about thefollowing topic: Many people nre using creilit cards or loans to run uI, huge personal ilebts thst they may be unable to repay. It shoulil therefore be made more dfficult for iniliviiluals to borrow large amounts of money. What are your opinions on this? Give reasonsfor your answerand include any relevantexamplesfrom your own knowledgeand experience. Youshould write at least250 words.

CompositionStrategies: introductoryand paragraphs concluding

lmproveyourskills:beginnings andendings

Decidewhetheryou agree/disagree with the completely partlyagree/ statement, with it,or have disagree no definiteooinion. Chooseone of these approaches: . Stateyour position in the introductionand then justify it with arguments.Thismaybe moresuitableif youfeel stronglyaboutthe statement. . Presentthe arguments first and then saywhat you think in the condusion.Thismaybe betterif you haveno strongopinionbut can put forwardarguments on both sides.

lntroduction

1 Youcan usesomeof techniquesa-h in your Introductionor Conclusion. i-viii below. Matchthem with exampleexpressions

a b c d

Introducethe ttpic in your own words. Saywhy it is controversial Stateyour position. Sayhow you will dealwith the topic.

Conclusion e f g h

Summarizethe argumentsyou haveused. Makeconcessions to opposingarguments. Stateor restateyour position. for the future. Makea recommendation

i ii iii iv v vi vii viii

On balance, therefore,thereseemsto be agreementthat ... I believethat stepsshouldnow be takento ensure... Althoughit cannotbe deniedthat ... I shallcompareand contrastthe views ... I feel there is little doubt that ... Forthesereasons. of ... Recently, there hasbeen considerable discussion I do not find this statementat all convincing... The implicationsof this haveled someto claimthat ...

you could usefor a-h. 2 Notedown more expressions 3 Lookat the topic of WritingTask2. a What areyour feelingsabout this? b Whichapproachwillyou choose? c Whichof a-h abovewill you use? ) Checkyour answerson page73 beforeyou continue.

66

l[LfS PracticeTests

CompositionStrategies: giving reasons Guideyourreader throughyourtext by usinglinkingexpressions that showhow your ideas areorganized.To do this, useadverbialsat the beginningof sentences. Example Firstly,therecanbeno doubt that thissubstance bringsno health benefits whatsoever,as shownby thegovernmentreport. Thereis also the fact that it is far too expensive, comparedwith similar products.

lmproveyourskills:linkingpoints ln whichpartof a paragraph wouldyouusetheselinkingexpressions? Putthemintothesethreegroups. a Forthefirstpoint......... points b Forsubsequent c Forthelastpoint......... Secondly Finally In addition Lastly In the firstplace Aboveall

Firstof all Besides Tobeginwith

Moreover Furthermore

> Checkyouranswerson page73 beforeyoucontinue.

Speaking Part 1 Strategies: speakingin Part1 Avoidbreakdowns in communicationby using someor all of these strategies. . Askthe examinerto repeatsomething,e.g. I'msorrybut t didn'tcatch that' . Clarifyif whatyou'vejust e.g. saidis not clear, what I'm sayingis ... . Hesitate, givingyourself timeto thin( e.9./t3 difficult to sayexactly, but... . Correctmistakesyou've made,e.g.I got herea yearago,I meanan hour ago' . Describe approximately ' if you don,t know the name,e.g.... or that kind of thing' . Paraphrase, usingother wordsto explain,e.g.lt's whatyou useto make" '

lmprove your skills:communication strategies in italic. 5aywhich communicationstrategyis usedin the expressions Thenmatchsentences a-f with questionsin Part1. a b c d e f

I won,t havemilk,or cheese,or anythinglikethat. Well,er,let me see...yes,therewasa storyon the radiothe other day. We all live with my grandfathers;sorry,whatI meant wasmy grandparents. Sorry,but I missedthe word before'logether'. I sometimeshavelunch in one of thoseplaceswhereyou serveyourself. Thepoint I'm makingis there'smuch lessthere about politicians'privatelives.

> Checkyour answerson page 73 beforeyou continue

Youwill be askedsomegeneralquestionsabout a rangeof familiar topic areas. Thispart lastsbetween four andfive minutes' What is your full name? What do peopleusuallycall you? where areyou from? Your familv. I

Is your family small or quite large?

2

What do you do when you are all together?

3

which of them do you get on with best?why?

Food and eating. 4

what are your favourite foods?

5

Is there arything you never eat?

6

Where do you normally eat?\Mhy?

7

In what ways are people'seating habits changing thesedays?

The news media. 8

Where do you normally get your news from?

9

How do you think news reporting in your country differs from that abroad?

10 Tell me about an interesting news item yotlve read or heard recently.

68

IELTS Practice Tests

Part 2 Strategies:

lmproveyourskills:linkingexpressions

speakingin Part2

put three of theseexpressions undereachof the headingsbelow.

Useyournotesas promptswhileyou speak, not asa script. Remember whatyou're beingtestedon:fluency ' anqconerence. vocabulary, rangeand accuracy of grammar, pronunciation. Remember that you can uselessformallanguage thanin |ELTSWriting. Tryto makewhatyou say interesting, asyou would in anyothersituation. Givebriefanswersto the follow-upquestionsat

And it's not only ...

Moreimportantly,...

Tosumup ...

The ... l'd liketo talkaboutis ... so,what l'm sayingis ... As wellasthat,... To illustrate this point,... Thereare quite a lot of ..., but the one l've chosenis ...

Take.. . for instance,.. . In a word,then,... A casein point is "' l'vedecidedto speakabout ...

Introducingthe topic Developingthe topic GivingexamplesConcludingyour talk > checkyour answerson page73 beforeyou continue. Youwill begiven a topicto talk aboutfor one to two minutes.Beforeyou tallc,you will haveone minute to think aboutwhat you aregoingto say.Youwill begiven paper and a pencil to makenotesif you wish.Here is the topic:

the end.

Describe a music video or a concert that has made an impression on you. You should say: which kind of music it was and who performed it what it was like musically what it was like visually and explain why you liked or disliked it. Follow-up questions: When and where did you seeit? Have you ever seenanything elsesimilar to it?

Test2

69

Part 3 Strategies: speakingin Part3

( lmprove your skills:saying what you think Completethe table with suitableheadingsand your own examples.

Giveextendedrepliesto everyquestion, your demonstrating fluency. Showyourabilityto abstracttopics,as discuss you mayneedto do in tutorials. Remember thereareno rightor wronganswers. lt is a testof language- not of youropinions.

Express opinions:

As I seeit ...,ln my view ..., To my mind ... Thereasonis ...,Forone thing ...,

Speculate:

lwouldn'tbe surprised if ...,

Sayyou'resure:

l'veno doubt that ..., I can'tsayfor certain,but ...,

Compare/contrast:

On the one hand ..., l'd rather... than

::t3.*€1e:9lrii..:lF:

> Checkyour answerson page 73 beforeyou continue.

Youwill be askedsomequestionsabout more abstractissuesand conceptsrelatedto the topic in Part 2. This discussionlastsbetweenfour and five minutes, Music in the world Why is pop music so popular globally? Which do you prefer: traditional music from your country or classicalmusic from abroad? The psychology of music How do different kinds of music affect the way people feel? What is the best music to listen to while studying? Changesin music What are the main differencesbetween music today and that of previous decades? Which contributes more to the successof modern singersand bands: their music, or their appearanceand image?Why do you think so? What kinds of music will people be listening to ten yearsfrom now?

70

IELTS Practice Tests

Test2 Improve your skills k y Listening pase42 Wordsusedto classify 1

b c

2

a b c

3

a b c

may be advisableto, could makesenseto, possiblya good ideato shouldnt ever,on no account,warn against, in no circumstances, for,supporting,to baclgin agreementwith, arguefor wouldn'tliketo say, open-minded, undecided,can'tmakemy mind up opposedto, reject,not happy with, disagree with,dont go alongwith of course,absolutely, without question,for sure possibly, perhaps,l'mnot sure,l'llhaveto check,l'lllet you know certainlynot, absolutelynot, never,nob6dy, there'sno question

Recognizing numbers page43 1 Top line:two-thirds; nought point seven-tenths; six one five;the eighties;thirty-second,forty. third Middle line:fifty-fourth; a/one hundredand firsu fifty per cent;four fifty four BC;ten sixty six AD, sixteenmillimetres Bottom line:fivecentimetres;twohundredand twenty kilometres;thirty-threedegrees Centigrade; twenty-five milligrams, eighteen hundredCC;threehundredsquaremetres 2 ordinalnumber,degrees,square metres, centimetres Understanding data page44 1 The chartsshowthe percentageofyoung peoplesufferingloneliness. 2 What percentageof people sufferedfrom foneliness accordingto B?32o/o. What percentageof people sufferedfrom lonelinessaccordingto C?680lo. 3 The chartsshowthe percentageofyoung peopleusingthe counsellingservice. What percentageof usersin eachchart were under 30 / 30 and over? A 61olo under 3O,39o/o 30 and over B 3Oo/o under 30,70o/o 30 and over C 57o/ounder 30,43o/o30 and over

Using the right kind of word pase45 13 noun/nounphrase 14 noun/nounphrase 15 adjective 16 noun/nounphrase 17 adverb(s)/preposition(s) 18 noun/nounphrase 19 noun (uncountableor plural) 20 noun/nounphrase Understanding the question page46 21-23 6 options;3answers; separatemarks 24 5 options;2answers; one markfor two answers 25-27 6 options;3answers; separatemarks 28 5 options;2answers; one markfor two answers 29-30 5 options;2 answers;separatemarks Listening for lexical clues page48 31 a country,tn 32 a noun,commercial 33 a year,in 34 a name (of an inventoror designer), invented/d esigned/made/created by Predicting a description page49 a facingit, or aboveit b fastener,zipper,cloth, fabric, material, metal, etc. c Descriptiveexpressions, e.g.on the left-hondside, at thetop,the end.Processexpressions, e.g.tojoin,to close,toopen,topull up/down. d Firsta descriptionof the parts,then of how they work together. Predicting global features page49 1 The main purposeof the speaker. 2 A Contrastlinks(whereas, on the other hand, etc),detaileddescription.Measured/neutral tone. B Historicaldetail (dates,places,names,etc), ti me links,description. Academic/neutral tone. C Focuson one type/brand,selecteddetails, superlatives, exaggeration. Confident/ enthusiastic tone. D Givingadvice(takecare not to, rememberto, you shouldn't,etc).Serious/concerned tone-

:r:a z

7l

Reading Finding the relevant section page51 a the laboratory: lines7-16,lines17-24 b the factory:lines 25-33 c the office:lines34-39 all threeplaces:lines 68-82 (thisis not relevantto questions1-5) Understanding links between ideas page52 1 a someonestartsscratching b othersarealertedto the presenceof biting pests;othersstartscratchingtoo c othersstartgroomingeachother d bondingof the group 2a causeand effect b a humanactivity c 7 a positiveconsequence of answer6 8 a positiveconsequence of group scratching and grooming Finding clues page53 a lt impliesthe oppositeof 'theyknowiso9 is probablyfalse. b Thewords'laboriously'and'tedious'both indicatesomething'boringiso 10 is probably true. Eliminating incorrect titles page53 aB bE cA dC D reflectsthe textsbroadconcernwith people imagininginfestations.

Forming questions page58 1 25 p-lacenames 26 noun/nounphrase 27 noun/nounphrase 2 25 Franceand Belgium 26 Wheredid extrapowerto movethe tanks comefrom?a hydraulicpump. 27 Whatdid usingwaterfrom the canalharm? Thecylinders and pistons. Finding words that fit page61 1 28 noun 29 adverb 30 noun 31 singularnoun 32 adjective 33 pluralor uncountable noun 34 -ing form of verb 2 & 3 plural nouns:principles/regulations, sing ufar nouns:composition/definition, size/Iocation, m istake/breakthrough, planet/galaxy adjectives:previous/narrow adverbs:never/rarely/frequently -ing form of verbs:defining/basing/extending Finding opinions page62 1 Aldiss,Cohen& Stewart,Banks,Cohen& Stewart. 2 a Aldiss:'dismisses';'he argues...' b Banks:'ln .. ., Banksdescribes .. .' c Cohen& Stewart:'Their argument..- is not that ... but...';'asCohenand Stewartshow in ...';'in... they describe...';AsCohenand Stewartconcludein ,..'

Eliminating incorrect headings page54 Interpreting the writer's techniques page63 1 Thefirst sectionof SectionI dealswith the differencein water levels,attemptsto overcome I A 'Astrobiologyis arguablythe trendiest buzzwordin scienceaftergenomics.' this difficultyand why they were unsatisfactory. 'ls B astrobiologya new namefor repackaged 2 a: Headingb c:Headingg goods? No,for two reasons.' b:Headingd d: Headingj C And whateverthe truth aboutthe much disputedclaimsfor fossilsin martian Understanding how something works page57 meteorites.' 1 a pushingthe pistonand the lightertank D 'Significantly, Naturemagazinerecently upwards. lookedat astrobiologyin all its forms.' b to effecta reasonablyrapid movement,to a C:'whateverthe truth','much-disputed enablethe tanksto be precisely levelled claims' 2 Purposelinks:Why did the mainstructurehave b B:'lsastrobiology a new namefor strongA-frames? To supportthe platform/ Why goods? repackaged No,for two reasons.' wasa smallelectrical motor required? To turn c A:Astrobiologyis arguablythe trendiest the pulleys. buzzwordin scienceaftergenomics.' Resultlinks:What wasthe resultof movingthe 2 Theyconveythe scepticismthat he and others ropes?Onetank was raisedor lowered/ feel about astrobiology's chancesof successin Whatwasthe resultof turningthe pulleys? findingalienlife. Thetanksmovedup or down.

72

lilLil Pr;rrir* f*:x

Writing

Speaking

Understanding a diagram page65 1 The impacton the environmentof a manufacturedproductduring its life cycle. 2 Sevenmain steps 3 What eachstep leadsto. 4 The useofenergy and resources at step 2; transportto step 3;factoryproductionat step3; packaging, printing& distribution(transport)at step4;salesat step5 (shops); useat step6 followedby disposal(scrappedmaterial& discharge), alsoinvolvingstorage(domestic appliances). Possibly alsoproductplanning& designat 1 (office). 5 Recycling from step7 to step 1;lessimpacton environmentat productionstep3. Possibly also informingcustomersat step5; serviceand repair at step6; providingfeedbackfor planning& design- steps6 and 1.

Communication strategies page68 question5 a describingapproximately, question10 b hesitating, c correctingmistake,question 1 d askingthe examinerto repeat,question2 question6 e paraphrasing, question9 f clarifying,

Organizing and linking ideas page65 a Step1 (productplanning& design) b Present simple c Beginning:initially,first Main body:meanwhile,simultaneously, at this poiht, alternatively,fromthere,at the sametime Endi ng: finaIly,eventuolly,u ltimately Beginnings and endings page66 1 Introduction Conclusion a vi ei b viii f iii c v il div

2

gv hii

b c d e f

A topic of greatpublicdebateat present is... Thedangerof this,according to ... is ... To a certainextentI agreewith this,but ... In thisessay, I shallpresentevidencethat ... To sum up,it is clearthat ... Despitethe undoubtedadvantagesof this,

g

In view of the above,I stronglybelievethat

lr

iwould suggestthat a changein the law is necessary in orderto ...

a

Linking expressions page69 Introducing the topic I'vedecidedto speakabout ...;The ... l'd liketo talk aboutis ...;Therearequitea lot of ..., but theone l'vechosenis.... Developingthe topic ... and it'snot only...; Moreimportantly, ...; As wellas that,... Giving examples Take... for instance, ...i A cosein point is . ..; Toillustratethispoint, Concludingyour talk Tosumup ...; ln a word,...; So,whatl'm sayingis ... . Saying what you think page7o Justifyopinions:lt'sbecause... (SpeculateJYoucan'truleout thepossibilitythat,There may well be Whynot...? Suggest: (Sayyou'resure:)/ m positivethat,l'm quiteconvinced that Sayyou'renot sure:I don't reallybelievethat,There mustbe somedoubt as to (Compare/contrast:) X is far betterthan Y, Whereas X ....Y... Expressa preference:Xappealsto me far morethon Y My preferencewould be for

Linking points page67 a fo beginwith,in thefirstplace,firstof all b secondly,furthermore,moreaver,in addition, besides,what c Finally,Lastly

T*st i

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Test3 I

Listening30 minutes SectionI Questionsl-6 WhatiloesLisasayabouteachobject? Completethe tableasfollows.Write A if shesaysit is ESSENTIAI. B if shesaysit is RECOMMENDED. C if shesaysit is NOTRECOMMENDED.

1

At leastf,50

2

Warm clothing

3

Personalcomputer

4

Food from home

5

Favourite tapes or CDs

6

Photos from home

Questions7-10 Complete the sentencesbelow. write No MORE THAN THnnE woRDS for eachanswer. The labels on Dan's luggagemust state'Mr & Mrs 7 their address. Lisa sayshe should carry some spareclothes in 8 .......... For health reasons,Dan intends to wear 9 .................

during the flight.

Dan should practise carrying his luggage for a minimum distance of 10 ...............

74

IELTS PracticeTests

Section2 Questionsll-13 ChooseTHREE letters A-F. Wat doesSally sayabout universities? A

Compared to the generalpopulation, few studentsare disabled.

B

Most universities don't want students aged over 25.

C

Old universitiescan present particular diffrculties for the disabled.

D

All university buildings have to provide facilities for the disabled.

E

There are very few university disability advisors.

F

Some disability advisorscan do little to help disabledstudents.

Questions14-19 Completethe table below. Write NO MOKE THAN THREE WORDS for eachanswer. , -: ;:{i:!:,::!:r

s*,. ier ;$:i:,,iii riiA'A,:{ia1t:j3i*!i(+ite$i!Altiitl!ielii.iitiia?;::ii1t1t::ilt

Disabiliw

Facilities

General

personal care and assistance rmparrment ramps and easyaccess, fire and emergencyprocedures 14 ............... lavatory facilities induction loops, flashing sirens,

t6 Sight impairment

Braille translators, 17 ...............

on stairs,floors,etc

fire and emergencyprocedures

Dyslexia

Other difficulties

useof computer 18 ...............

to finishwork

accessto treatment: medication/therapy 19 ...............

procedures

I

Test3

75

Question 20

L

Choose thecorrettletterA, B, C or D. 20 What is the speaker'smain purpose? A to explainwhy comparativelyfew studentsare disabled B to advisedisabledstudentswhat to look for in a university C to describethe facilitiesfor the disabledin a particular university D to criticize the facilitiesfor the disabledin most universities

Section3 Questions2l-26 thenota belowusinglettersA-F from thebox. Complete l\R

Youmay useany lettermorethan once.

A tour of the university campus B formal dinner party C meetingwith'senior' students D 'driving in this country E visit to a night club F

tour of the city

Orientation Cnursefor international students What Liz liked about the course. 2l 22 ............ 23 ............ What Mark thinl$ could be improved. 24 ............ 25 ............ 26 ............

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IELTS PracticeTests

Qudstions2T-30 Choosethe correctlettersA, B, C, or D. 27 Your room during the Orientation Courseis A

usuallysharedwith anotherstudent.

B the sameroom you will havefor the rest of the year. C somedistancefrom the universitF. D furnished,and with bedclothesprovided. t

The daytimetemperaturewill probablybe A lessthan 10"C. B between10"Cand 20"C.

c 20"c. D morethan 20"C.

/

How much fiee email time do you get? A

30 minutes

B 20 minutes C

15minutes

D

10minutes

Thereare Orientation Courseactivitiesfrom A

SundaytoSaturday.

B Sundayto Friday. C Monday to Friday. D Monday to Saturday.

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77

Section4 Questions3l:33 Completethe sentencesbelow. WriteNO MOKETHAN TWOWORDS for eachanswer. Fireworkswere first used in China, probably in the 3l ...............

century. By the following century,they wereknown in Arabia as 32 Fireworksfust appearedin 33

in the thirteenth century.

Questions34-37 Labelthediagram.WriteNO MOKETHAN THKEEWOKDSfor eachanswer. Firework Mortar

36 length of mortar:

35 width of mortar:

78

IELTS PracticeTests

Questions 38-40 Choosethe correctlettersA, B, C or D. A multibreak shell A

is more dangerousthan a simple shell.

B

may make a noise when it bursts.

C

has a single fuse for all its sections.

39 An aerial heart shapeis made by the explosion of A

starsplaced inside a shell in the form of a circle.

B

heart-shapedstarsplaced inside a shell.

C

stars arranged in the form of a heart inside a shell.

40 What does a Serpentineshell look like in the sky? A

.

; 6\ .1s*.

V V v---d-r-.*'

r -".": I l .'r*i

. : t /+ *-t, (t .+' .. i ,-' t, + ! -+, t

\, ' zlr z\ --fi-"__-F---

F" #=+'

c

.j;.

B

'.

!

l;;':i;xj.:+ f'+ i+ . * +; i i i+ r*

*

i

+ ' )' .

. . ii * i *r* } ' r.

.{

*

J t Fr *

+

+

i

**n nt',.,' :'"r.'\r*L | J i } +{

+f

Test3

79

Academicreading t hour n

1.

Reading passageI Youshouldspendabout20 minuteson Questions1-14, which are basedon ReadingPassage1.

Unmaskingskin If you took off your skin and laid it flat, it would cover an area of about twenty-one square feet, making it by far the body's largest organ. Draped in place over our bodies, skin forms the barrier between what's inside us and what's outside. It protects us from a multitude of external forces. It servesas an avenueto our most intimate physical and psychologicalselves. This impervious yet permeable barrier, less than a millimetre thick in places,is composed of three layers. The outermost layer is the bloodlessepidermis. The dermis includes collagen, elastin, and nerve endings. The innermost layer, subcutaneous fat, contains tissue that acts as an energy source, cushion and insulator for the body. From these familiar characteristicsof skin emerge the profound mysteries of touch, arguably our most essentialsource of sensory stimulation. lJ7ecan live without seeingor hearing - in fact, without any of our other senses.But babies born without effective nerve connections between skin and brain can fail to thrive and mav even die. Laboratory experiments decadesago, now consideredunethical and inhumane, kept baby monkeys from being touched by their mothers. It made no difference that the babies could see,hear and smell their

80

IELTS Practice Tests

mothers;without touching,the babies becameapathetic,and failed to progress. For humans,insuffrcienttouchingin early yearscanhavelifelongresults.'In touching cultures,adult aggression is low, whereasin cultureswheretouch is limited, adult aggression is high,' writes Tiffany Field, directorof the TouchResearchInstitutesat the Universityof Miami Schoolof Medicine.Studiesof a variety of cultures showa correspondence betweenhigh rates of physicalaffectionin childhoodand low ratesof adult physicalviolence.

\(lhile the effects of touching are easy to understand, the mechanicsof it are less so. 'Your skin has millions of nerve cells of various shapesat different depthsr' explains Stanley Bolanowski, a neuroscientist and associatedirector of the Institute for SensoryResearchat SyracuseUniversity. 'When the nerve cells are stimulated, physical energy is transformed into energy used by the nervous system and passedfrom the skin to the spinal cord and brain. It's called transduction, and no one knows exactly how it takes place.' Suffice it to say that the processinvolves the intricate, splitsecondoperation of a complex system of signals between neurons in the skin and brain.

G This is starting to sound very confusing until Bolanowski says: 'In simple terms people perceive three basic things via skin: pressure,temperature, and pain.' And then I'm sure he's wrong. '\il7henI get wet, my dkin feelswetr'I protest. 'Closeyour eyes and lean back,' saysBolanowski.

Both sensationsarise from a neurological transmission, not from something that physically exists. Skin, I'm realizing, is under constant assault,both from within the body and from forces outside. Repairs occur with varying success. J

Take the spot where I nicked myself with a knife while slicing fruit. I have a crusty scab surrounded by pink tissue about a quarter inch long on my right palm. Under the scab, epidermal cells are migrating into the wound to close it up. When the processis complete, the scab will fall off to reveal new epidermis. It's only been a few days, but my little self-repair is almost complete. Likewise, we recover quickly from slight burns. If you ever happen to touch a hot burner, just put your finger in cold water. The chancesare you will have no blister, little pain and no scar.Severeburns, though, are a different matter.

H Something cold and wet is on my foreheadso wet, in fact, that I wait for water to start dripping down my cheeks. 'Open your eyes.' Bolanowski says,showing me that the sensationcomes from a chilled, but dry, metal cylinder. The combination of pressure and cold, he explains, is what makes my skin perceive wetness.He gives me a surgical glove to put on and has me put a finger in a glassof cold water. My finger feels wet, even though I have visual proof that it's not touching water. My skin, which seemedso reliable, has been deceiving me my entire life. When I shower or wash my hands, I now rcalize, my skin feels pressure and temperature. It's my brain that saysI feel wet. Perceptionsof pressure,temperature and pain manifest themselvesin many different ways. Gentle stimulation of pressure receptors can result in ticklishness; gentle stimulation of pain receptors, in itching.

Test3

81

Questions1-4 Thepassagehai l0 paragraphsA-1. Which paragraphcontainsthefollowing information? Write the correctletterA-l in boxes14 on your answersheet.

I

the featuresof human skin, on and below the surface

2

an experiment in which the writer can seewhat is happening

3

advice on how you can avoid damage to the skin

4

cruel researchmethods used in the past

Questions5 and 6 Choosethe carrect letter, A, B, C or D. Write your answresin boxes5 and 6 on your answersheet. 5

6

82

IELTS PracticeTests

How does a lack of affectionate touching affect children? A

It makes them apathetic.

B

They are more likely to becomeviolent adults.

C

They will be less aggressivewhen they grow up.

D

We do not reallyknow.

After the'wetness'experiments,the writer saysthat A

his skin is not normal.

B

his skin was wet when it felt wet.

C

he knew why it felt wet when it was dry.

D

the experimentstaught him nothing new.

Questions7-11 Completeeachsentencewith the correctending A-I from the boxbelow. Write the correctletter A-I in boxes7-11 on your answersheet. 7

Touch is unique among the five senses

8

A substancemay feel wet

9

Something may ticHe

l0 The skin may itch 11 A small cut healsup quickly

A becauseit is both cold and painful. B becausethe outer layer of the skin can mend itself. C becauseit can be extremely thin. D becausethere is light pressureon the skin. E becausewe do not need the others to survive. F becausethere is a good blood supply to the skin. G becauseof a small amount of pain. H becausethere is a low temperature and pressure. I

becauseit is hurting a lot.

I

becauseall humans are capableof experiencingit.

Questionsl2-I4 Do thefollowing statementsagreewith the information given in Reading Passage1? In boxes12-14 on your answersheetwrite TRUE

if the statementagreeswith the information

FALSE

if the statementcontradictsthe information

NOT GIIZEN

if thereis no information on this

12 Even scientistshave difficulty understanding how our senseof touch works. 13 The skin is more sensitiveto pressurethan to temperature or pain. 14 The human skin is alwaysgood at repairing itself.

Test3

83

Readingpassage2 : Youshouldspendabout 20 minutes on Questions7N27, which arebasedon ReadingPassage2.

Questions15-19 Readingpassage2 hasfive sectionsA-E. Choosethe most suitableheadingsfor sectionsA-E from the list of headingsbelow. Write the correctnumber i-x in boxes15-19 on your answersheet. List of headings i How to make the locks in your home more secure ii How to open a lock without a key iii Choosing the right tools to open locks iv v

The rylinder and the bolt How to open a lock with a different key

vi

Lockvarieties

vii

How a basic deadbolt systemworks The people who open locks without a key

viii ix x

How a cylinder lock works How to pick different kinds of lock

15 SectionA 16 SectionB 17 SectionC l8 SectionD 19 SectionE

84

IILTSPracticeTests

How Lock PickingWorks Section A Lockpickingis an essentialskillforlocksmiths becauseit letsthemget pasta lockwithout destroying it.Whenyoulockyourselfout of your houseor loseyourkey,a locksmithcan let you backin veryeasily. Lock-picking skillsare not particularly commonamongburglars, mainlybecause there areso manyother,simplerwaysof breakinginto a house(throwinga brickthrougha back window,for example). Forthe mostpart,only intruderswho needto covertheirtracks,such will botherto picka as spiesanddetectives, lock, the principles Simplyunderstanding of lock pickingmaychangeyourwholeattitudetoward locksandkeys.Lockpickingclearly demonstrates that normallocksare not infallible providea levelof securitythat can devlces.They with minimaleffort.With the right be breached tools.a determined intrudercan breakinto almostanything. Section B Locksmiths define lock-picking as the manipulation to opena of a lock'scomponents lockwithouta key.Tounderstand lock-picking, then,youfirst haveto knowhowlocksand keys work, Thinkaboutthe normaldeadboltlockyou mightf ind on a f rontdoor.In this sort of lock,a in the doorso movableboltor latchis embedded it can be extended outto the side.This boltis linedup with a notchin the frame,Whenyou turn the lock,the boltextendsintothe notchin the f rame,so the doorcan'tmove.Whenyou retractthe bolt,the doormovesf reely.The lock's with a onlyjob is to makeit simplefor someone keyto movethe boltbut difficultfor someone withouta keyto moveit. Section C lockdesignis the cylinder The mostwidely-used

lock.In this kind,the keyturnsa cylinderin the middleof the lock,whichturnsthe attached mechanism, Whenthe cylinderis turnedone pullsin on the boltandthe way,the mechanism doorcanopen.Whenthe cylinderturnsthe releases otherway,the mechanism the boltso the doorcannotopen, Oneof the mostcommoncylinderlocksis the pin design.lts maincomponents arethe housing (theouterparto{ the lockwhichdoesnot move), andseveralverticalshafts the centralcylinder, that run downf romthe housingintothe cylinder. Insidetheseshaftsare pairsof metalpinsof varyinglength,heldin positionby smallsprings. Withoutthe key,the pinsarepartlyin the housingand partlyin the cylinder, so thatthe mechanism cannotturn andthe lock,therefore, cannotopen,Whenyou putthe correctkeyinto the cylinder, the notchesin the keypusheach pairof pinsup just enoughso thatthe top pin is in the housingandthe bottompin is completely entirelyin the cylinder. lt nowturnsf reely,and youcanopenthe lock. Section D To picka pin lock,yousimplymoveeachpin pair are intothe correctposition,one by one.There picking process. two maintoolsusedin the Picks:long,thin piecesof metalthat curveup at the end(likea dentist'spick). A tensionwrench:the simplestsort of tensionwrenchis a thin screwdriver. Thef irst stepin pickinga lockis to insertthe andturn it in the tensionwrenchintothe keyhole samedirectionthat youwouldturnthe key.This turnsthe cylinderso that it is slightlyoffset f romthe housingaroundit, creatinga slight ledgein the pin shafts. you Whileapplyingpressure on the cylinder, slidethe pickintothe keyhole and beginlifting the pins.Theobjectis to lift eachpin pairup to the levelat whichthe top pin movescompletely intothe housing, as if pushedbythe correctkey.

Test3

85

Questions23-25 Completethe notesbelow. ChooseNO MORE THAN TH&EEWORDS from the passagefor eachanswer. Write your answersin boxes23-25 on your answersheet. Picking a lock Turn rylinder slightly using 23 Hold cylinder still and insert 24................ Push top pin into shaft. Hold top pin abovecylindeaon 25.......... Lift and hold all other pins in sameway. Turn rylinder and open lock.

Questions26-27 Completethe table below. ChooseNo MOKETHAN THKEEWORDSfrom thepassage for eachanswer. Write your answersin boxes26-27 on your answersheet.

Type oflock

How secure?

Where used? houses,padlocks,etc

Tubular

relatively low securitv

most cars

superior protection

vending machines

Test3

87

Readingpassage3 i Youshouldspendabout 20 minuteson Questions2840, which are basedon ReadingPassage 3.

Managing cultural diversity is a core component of most mastersprogrammes these days. The growth of Japanese corporations in the sixties and seventies reminded us that there were other models of businessthan those taught by Harvard professorsand US-basedmanagement consultants.And the cultural limits to the American model have more recently been ro underlined by developments in Russiaand central Europe over the past decade. Yet in Britairu we are still more ready to acceptthe American model of management than most other European countries. As a result, UK managersoften fail to understand how businesspractices are fundamentally different on the Continent.One outcome is that many mergers and acquisitions,strategic alliancesand joint ventures between British zoand European companiesdo not achieve their objectivesand end in tears. Alternatively, managersmay avoid a merger or joint venture which makes sense from a hard-nosed strategic point of view becausethey fear that different working

88

iILfS PraeticeTests

practiceswill prevent their goals from being achieved. Essentially,Anglo-Saxon companiesare structured on the principles of project management.In the eighties, companieswere downsized, with tiers of management eliminated. In the nineties, management fashion embracedthe ideas of business processre-engineering,so organizations were broken down into customer-focusedtrading units. Sometimesthesewere establishedas subsidiary companies,at other times as profit-and-loss or cost centres. Over the past ten years, theseprinciples have been applied as vigorously to the UK public sector as to private-sector corporations. Hospitals, schools,universities, social servicesdepartments,as well as large areasof national government, now operate on project managementprinciples - all with built-in operational targets,key success factors, and performance-relatedreward systems. The underlying objectivesfor this widespread processof organizational

restructuring have been to increasethe transparencyof operations, encourage personal accountability,become more efficient at delivering serviceto customer, and directly relate rewards to performance. The result is a managementculture which is entrepreneurially oriented and focused almost entirely on the short term, and highly segmentedorganizational structures - since 50employee incentives and rewards are geared to the activities of their own particular unit. This businessmodel has also required development of new personal skills. We are now encouragedto lead, rather than to manage by setting goals and incentive systemsfor staff. We have to be cooperative team members rather than work on our own. We have to acceptthat, in flattened and decentralized orgarizations, there are very zolimited careerprospects.We are to be motivated by target-relatedrewards rather than a longer-term comrnitment to our employing organization. This is in sharp confrast to the model of management that applies elsewherein Europe. The principles of businessprocess re-engineeringhave never been fully acceptedin France,Germany and the other major economies;while in some Eastern soEuropean economies,the attempt to apply them in the nineties brought the economy virtually to its knees,and createdhuge opportunities for corrupt middle managers and organized crime. Instead, continental European companies have stuck to the bureaucratic model which delivered economic growth for them throughout the twentieth century. European corporations continue to be structured nohierarchically,with clearly defined job descriptions and explicit channelsof reporting. Decision making, although incorporating consultative processes,remains essentially top-down. Which of thesetwo models is preferable? Certainly, the downside of the AngloAmerican model is now becoming evident, not least in the long-hours working culture that the application of the decentralized rooproject managementmodel inevitably generates.

ll0

720

130

\zVhetherin a hospital, a software start-up or a factory, the breakdown of work processesinto project-driven targets leads to over-optimistic goals and underestimatesof the resourcesneeded. The result is that the successof projects often demands excessively long working hours if the targets are to be achieved. Further. the successcriteria, as calibrated in performance targets, are inevitably arbitrary, and the source of ongoing dispute. Witness the objectionsof teachersand medics to the performance measuresapplied to them by successivegoverrunents.This is not surprising. In a factory producing cars the output of individuals is directly measurable, but what criteria can be used to measure output and performance in knowledge-based activities such as R&D labs, government offices,and even the marketing departments of large corporations? The demands and stressesof operating according to the Anglo-American model seemto be leading to increasing rates of personnel burn-out. It is not surprising that m€magersqueue for early retirement. In a recent survey/just a fifth said they would work to 65. This could be why labour market participation rates have declined so dramatically for British S0-year-oldsin the past twenty years. By contrast, the European management model allows for family-friendly employment policies and working hours directives to be implemented. It encourages staff to have a long-term psychological commitment to their employing organizations. Of course,companies operating on target-focusedproject managementprinciples may be committed to family-friendly employment policies in theory. But, if the businessplan has to be finished by the end of the monttu the advertising campaign completed by the end of next week, and patients pushed through the system to achieve measurabletargets,are we really going to let down our'team'by clocking out at 5 p.-. and taking our full entitlement of annual leave? Perhapsthis is why we admire the French for their quality of life.

Test3

89

Questions28-31 t

Do thefollowing statementsagreewith the writer's viewsin ReadingPassage 3? In boxes28-31 on your answersheetwrite yES

if the statementagreeswith the viewsof the writer

NO

if the statementdoesnot agreewith the viewsof the writer

NOT GII4EN

if thereis no information about this in the passage

28 Attempts by British and mainland European firms to work together often fail.

29 Project managementprinciples discourageconsideration of long-term issues.

30 There are good opportunities for promotion within segmentedcompanies. 3l The European model givesmore freedom of action to junior managers.

Questions32-37 Completethe summary below. Choosethe answersfrom the box and write the correspondingwordsin boxes32-37 on your answersheet.Thereare more choicesthan spaces,soyou will not needto useall of them. Adopting the US model in Britain has had negativeeffects.Theseinclude the 32 ...............

hours spentat work, as small sectionsof large

organizationsstruggleto 33 ...........

.. unrealisticshort-term

objectives.Nor is there 34

on how to calculatethe

productivity of professional,technical, and clerical staff, who cannot be assessed in the sameway as 35 ...............

employees.In addition, managerswithin this culture are

finding the 36 37 ............... List of words argument increasing negative discussion

90

lILTSPractice Tests

of work too great,with 80% reported to be to carry on working until the normal retirementage.

temperature able predict no

reach office declining willing

manufacturing pressure agreement unwilling

Questions38-39 Completethe notesbelow. 3 for each ChooseNo MORE THAN THREEWO&DS from ReadingPassage answer. Write your answersin boxesi8-39 on your answersheet. 38 Working conditions in mainland Europe are in practice more likely to be

39 UK managersworking to tight deadlinesprobably give up some of their

Question40 Choosethe correctletterA, B, C or D. Write your answerin box 40 on your answersheet, Which of the following statementsbest describesthe writer's main purpose in ReadingPassage3? A

to argue that Britain should have adopted the |apanesemodel of managementmanyyears ago

B

to criticize Britain's adoption of the US model, as compared to the European model.

C

to propose a completely new model that would be neither American nor European

D

to point out the negativeeffectsof the existing model on the management of hospitals in Britain

Test3

91

QuestionStrategies: reportingbar graphsand makingcomparisons lf thereis morethanone diagram, studyany heading, keyor sourcefor each. Decidewhatthe vertical axes and horizontal measure, andwhatthe barsshow.

lmproveyour skills:makingcomparisons and which for differences? Whichof thesedo we useto talk about similarities, 1 Comparedto ...,the changein ... wasdramatic. 2 The ... weren'tso closeto their targetasthe ... were. 3 In ... , the gap narrowed.ln the sameway,.. . 4 Thepercentage of ... in ... droppedmuchfasterthan in ... . 5 In both ... and ...,the proportionof ... wasgrowing. 6 Thenumberof ... declinedasrapidlyin ... as in ... . the ... increasedslowly. 7 Whilethe ... went up substantially, fall. 8 In neither... nor ... wasthereanysignificant 9 Thetotalnumberof ... in ... shotup,asdid thosein ... . l0The figuresfor ... showeda ... per cent rise,whereasthosefor ... fell by ... per cent.

Lookfor similarities. differences, changesand trends. > Checkyour answerson page 97 beforeyou continue Makecomparsonsboth withinand between Describe diagrams. similarities, e.g.Therewas almostthesamerisein ... asin ... , and differences, e.g.Themain difference between ... and ... was that... . Comp