🔙 Quay lại trang tải sách pdf ebook Đáp án tham khảo IELTS READING Part 1 Ebooks Nhóm Zalo IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 1 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 GENERAL TIPS .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Basic Information.................................................................................................................................................... 5 IELTS reading and listening scores.......................................................................................................................... 5 6 tips to improve your reading................................................................................................................................ 6 Reading to get ideas............................................................................................................................................... 6 3 study tips.............................................................................................................................................................. 7 List of advice and techniques for IELTS reading................................................................................................... 7 Top 6 tips to remember in the IELTS reading test ................................................................................................. 8 2 questions about exam technique.......................................................................................................................... 8 Time........................................................................................................................................................................ 9 When to 'skim' or 'scan' .......................................................................................................................................... 9 When to skim or scan (continued)........................................................................................................................ 10 Skimming and scanning?...................................................................................................................................... 10 Finding and understanding ................................................................................................................................... 11 Easy questions first............................................................................................................................................... 11 Underline key words............................................................................................................................................. 12 Don't 'over-think' the answer............................................................................................................................... 12 Make your own reading questions........................................................................................................................ 13 KEY WORDS TABLE............................................................................................................................................... 14 "Keywords" technique.............................................................................................................................................. 14 Tables........................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Tables for Actual tests 2007-2011............................................................................................................................ 47 GAP FILL ................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Tips........................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Exercises................................................................................................................................................................... 49 Key to "gap fill"........................................................................................................................................................ 54 MULTIPLE CHOICE................................................................................................................................................ 57 Tips:.......................................................................................................................................................................... 57 Exercises................................................................................................................................................................... 57 Key to "multiple choice" .......................................................................................................................................... 67 TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN ..................................................................................................................................... 70 2 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Tips........................................................................................................................................................................... 70 Strategies to answer the questions...................................................................................................................... 70 These 3 questions illustrate the difference between 'true', 'false' and 'not given'. ............................................ 70 False or not given?................................................................................................................................................ 71 Exercises:.................................................................................................................................................................. 72 Key to "true, false not given" ................................................................................................................................... 93 PARAGRAPH HEADINGS TEST......................................................................................................................... 103 "Paragraph" questions ................................................................................................................................................ 103 'Paragraph headings' questions.................................................................................................................................. 103 Exercises:................................................................................................................................................................ 104 Key to "match the headings" .................................................................................................................................. 124 IELTS READING: WHICH PARAGRAPH CONTAINS...? .............................................................................. 130 Tips......................................................................................................................................................................... 131 Exercises................................................................................................................................................................. 131 Key to "which paragraph contains " ....................................................................................................................... 134 MATCH THE NAMES WITH A STATEMENT.................................................................................................. 136 Tips......................................................................................................................................................................... 136 Exercises................................................................................................................................................................. 137 Key to "match the names with a statement" ........................................................................................................... 139 3 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 GIỚI THIỆU Mọi người đang có trong tay cuốn sách IELTS Reading 2016 by NGOC BACH part 1 (part 2 là HƯỚNG DẪN GIẢI CHI TIẾT BỘ CAM 5-11) Với phần 1, sách tổng hợp tất cả các mẹo, phương pháp từ các giám khảo IELTS nổi tiếng trên mạng Simon, Mike, Pete, Steve, Dominic Cole. Một số thì là do mình trao đổi qua mail với giám khảo rồi tổng kết lại. Mình tin rằng đây là tài liệu đầy đủ nhất về phương pháp làm Reading các bạn có thể tìm thấy. Mình đã sắp xếp một cách khoa học nhất để các bạn theo dõi được dễ dàng Cách học của mọi người đó là: + Bước 1: Xem hết các phương pháp, mẹo, kinh nghiệm làm bài IELTS Reading ở đây + Bước 2: Thực hành làm ngay các bài tập minh họa trong quyển này + Bước 3: Sau khi xem và làm bài tập thực hành xong, các bạn có thể bắt đầu làm bộ Cam từ 5-11 và đọc giải thích ở part 2 sách Reading 2016 by Ngoc Bach. Nhớ rằng đây là tài liệu sát với đề thi thật nhất nên các bạn có thể để dành đến tầm 2 tháng trước khi thi hãy làm. Nội dung trong sách, đặc biệt là part 2 mình tốn rất nhiều công sức, tâm huyết để soạn ra. Do vậy, mọi người KHÔNG CHIA SẺ, SHARE, BÁN LẬU sách dưới mọi hình thức. Cám ơn các bạn ! -Ngọc Bách- 4 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 GENERAL TIPS Basic Information The Reading Test is immediately after the Listening Test at 10.40am. You do not get a break. There are 3 sections in the Reading Test. Each section has 13 or 14 questions, making 40 questions in total. The test lasts 60 minutes, and in that time you must write your answers on an answer sheet. Here are some of the problems students have with IELTS Reading: ∙ Time is the biggest problem. Many students don't manage to finish the test. ∙ The texts are long and contain some difficult vocabulary. ∙ Students find "paragraph headings" questions difficult. ∙ Students find "true/ false/ not given" questions difficult. IELTS Reading is really a test of your vocabulary. If your knowledge of English words and phrases is good, you will do well. There are techniques that can help you to work faster and cope with the difficult question types. However, the best way to improve your IELTS Reading score is by doing a lot of reading and vocabulary work. IELTS reading and listening scores Students often ask how many correct answers they need (out of 40) to get a band score of 7 in the reading and listening tests. According to official IELTS guidelines: ∙ Band 6 is about 23 out of 40 ∙ Band 7 is about 30 ∙ Band 8 is about 35 Note: The score needed for each band can change depending on the difficulty of each test. If you have a really difficult test, the score needed for band 7 might be 28 or 29. If the test is easier, you might need to score 31 or 32 to get a 7. Click here to see the banding guide on the official IELTS website. 5 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Link: http://www.ielts.org/researchers/score_processing_and_reporting.aspx 6 tips to improve your reading How can you improve your reading? Here are 6 tips: 1. If you want to improve your reading, the first thing to do is read a lot. There are no shortcuts or secret techniques; you will only improve with time and practice. 2. Anything you read in English is good practice, so read about subjects that interest you. Try to enjoy reading in English. 3. English is the most used language on the Internet. Whenever you search for information on the net, try searching in English first. 4. Remember that "understanding is not the same as using". Keep a notebook with useful words and phrases that you find when you're reading, and try using them in your own sentences. 5. Apart from reading things that interest you, you also need to read lots of IELTS passages. If you've done all of the tests in the Cambridge books, read the passages again without doing the questions. Use a dictionary, take notes, and try to fully understand each passage. 6. Another way to use the Cambridge tests is to look at the correct answers to each question first. Your task is to find out why those answers are correct by analysing the passage carefully and finding the 'keywords'. I'm sure you can think of other suggestions. Be creative with your reading practice, try to enjoy the learning process, and trust that you will improve if you persist. Reading to get ideas You shouldn't think that reading practice is only useful for the reading test. Reading articles in newspapers, magazines or online is also a great way to improve your vocabulary knowledge and collect ideas for the writing and speaking tests. 6 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 For example, a recent question in the writing test asked whether or not it's useful to study history. I did a quick search online and found this article: Click here for the article "Why Study History?" You don't need to read the full aricle, but it would be useful to note down some of the main ideas. Can you find 3 arguments against studying history, and 3 reasons why we should study it? 3 study tips Here are 3 study tips to help you improve your reading: 1. As I said in Saturday's lesson, the best way to get better at the reading test is by doing more reading. Do as many practice tests as you can, and read other things e.g. books, newspapers and online articles. 2. Try doing a reading test without a time limit, and with a dictionary. If you still can't get the score you need, you'll need to look carefully at what you are doing wrong. 3. Spend time analysing your mistakes and the correct answers. If you don't understand why an answer was right or wrong, ask a teacher to help you. You'll improve more quickly if you learn from your mistakes. List of advice and techniques for IELTS reading Here is my list of advice and techniques for IELTS reading: 1. Don't read the whole text; you haven't got enough time. Just go straight to the questions. 2. 'Paragraph' questions are much easier if you do them last. Do other sections first. 3. The answers to most questions should be in the correct order in the text, so you don't need to go back to the beginning to start looking for the next answer. 4. Read all instructions carefully. 5. Look for 'keywords'. There are usually words in the questions that are similar to words you need to find in the text. For example, if the text contains the word "global", the question might use the word "international". If you find the similar words, you have probably found the answer. 6. You must get to the end and answer every question. If you don't finish, you might miss some easy points. 7 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 7. Some questions are difficult because their aim is to separate band 8 and band 9. Don't waste time on difficult questions. Miss them, finish the exam, and return to them at the end. Top 6 tips to remember in the IELTS reading test I asked some of my students to list the most important things to remember in the IELTS reading test. Here are their top 6 tips: 2 questions about exam technique 1. Should you read the whole passage before looking at the questions? 2. Should you go to the questions first, then skim/scan to find the answers? My answer to question 1 is no. You don't have time to read the whole passage unless your English is almost 'native speaker' level. My answer to question 2 is yes and no. Yes - go to the questions first. No - don't skim or scan unless the question contains a name or number. 8 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 My advice is to do the questions one by one. Instead of skimming or scanning, read the passage carefully. The answers to most question sections will be in order in the passage, so you will gradually read the whole passage as you find the answers. Time 'Not having enough time' is the biggest problem for most people taking the reading test. Here are some tips for dealing with this problem: 1. Go straight to the first question. Don't waste time reading the full passage or the first sentence of each paragraph, and don't read any of the other questions. 2. Do 'paragraph' questions last. Questions that ask you to match headings or statements with paragraphs are much easier if you are already familiar with the passage. 3. Don't get stuck on one question. As soon as you realise that you are having difficulties with a question, leave it and move to the next one. Return to difficult questions later if you have time. 4. Remember that the answers to most question sections are in order in the passage. You don't need to go back to the beginning of the passage to search for each answer. 5. Only skim or scan for numbers and names. Otherwise, read at normal speed. 6. Work with an alarm. You can't do this in an exam, but at home you could set the alarm (on your phone) for 2 minutes and try to do each question within this time. Note: When preparing for the reading test at home, try not to worry about time at first. Your first concern should be to get the score you need, even if it takes you 3 hours instead of 1 hour to do a full test. When to 'skim' or 'scan' 9 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Many IELTS books talk about 'skimming' and 'scanning' to find answers in the reading test. But the danger is that students focus more on these techniques than on the passage that they are reading, with the result that they often miss the answers by skimming or scanning past them! Here's some simple advice: Skimming basically means 'reading very quickly'. Only skim if you are looking for a distinctive word that doesn't have any synonyms e.g. "Manchester". Scanning basically means 'looking for something without reading'. Only scan if you're searching for a number e.g. "1999". For all other questions, forget about skimming and scanning; just read the passage carefully at normal speed. When to skim or scan (continued) From my experience practising IELTS reading with students, skimming and scanning are techniques that don't usually help. When students try to skim or scan, they often miss the answers completely. For example, if you are scanning for the word "buy" but the passage contains the synonym "purchase", you probably won't find the answer. So what is the solution? Instead of skimming or scanning, I tell my students to read at normal speed. Only scan quickly if you are searching for a name or a number. Skimming and scanning? Many teachers and books talk about skimming and scanning as key techniques for IELTS reading. I have stopped using the words 'skimming' and 'scanning' in my lessons because I find that they confuse students. In fact, many students get the wrong answers because they 'skim' too quickly and miss the words that they are looking for. So, forget 'skimming' and 'scanning' and focus on 'finding' and 'understanding'. 1.Finding: read the text to find words from the question. 2.Understanding: when you have found some key words from the question, read that part of the text carefully in order to understand it and get the right answer. 10 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Finding and understanding IELTS reading is really a test of 2 things: 1. Can you find the part of the text that contains the answer? 2. Do you understand that part of the text? Finding You need to be able to find the right part of the text quickly. I practise this a lot with my students: we decide which words in the question we need to search for, then we try to locate those words (or words with the same meaning) in the text. Understanding When you have found where the answer is, you need to read that part of the text carefully. Read the sentences before and after the keywords that you found. Then it becomes a test of your vocabulary knowledge: if you don't understand the words that you are reading, it will be difficult to get the right answer. Easy questions first A good technique for the IELTS reading test is to do easy questions first. If you get stuck on difficult questions, miss them. Do the easy questions, then return to the tricky questions later. What's the easiest type of question? The easiest type of question is probably any question that contains a name, number or date. For these questions, it should be easy to scan the text to find where the answer is. If you find it difficult to get started in the exam, look for a question with a name, number or date, and start there. An easy question will help you to start confidently. 11 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Underline key words Hopefully you do this already, but it’s worth pointing out why underlining is so important when you’re doing an IELTS reading test. I tell my students to underline the main words in the question, then underline any similar words that they find as they read the passage. There are 3 reasons why underlining is useful: 1.It encourages you to use the keyword technique to find the answers. 2.You don't lose your place in the passage when you're turning pages to check between the question and the text. 3.The same information may be relevant for a later question (e.g. when you do a 'paragraph headings' section last). I can always tell when students have worked hard on a reading paper by the amount of underlining or highlighting they have done. If you don't usually underline things, start now! Don't 'over-think' the answer I've noticed that many students get the wrong answer because they think too much! They worry about small differences in meaning. For example, look at the following part of a reading passage: The two week planned study into the psychological impact of prison life... Now decide whether the following statement is true, false or not given: The study aimed to investigate the mental and behavioural effects of life in prison. The statement is true, but many students put not given because they "over-think" the meaning of 'psychological'. They think that the definition of psychological must be more complex than 'mental and behavioural'. Don't think too hard about small differences in meanings. 'Mental and behavioural' might not be a perfect definition of 'psychological', but the overall meaning is the same (a simple definition of psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour). 12 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Make your own reading questions The people who write the questions for IELTS reading do something like this: 1. They take a reading passage. 2. They read through the passage and stop when they find something interesting. 3. They make a question about that part of the passage, usually by paraphrasing it. For example, if the passage contains the phrase "elderly people", the question writer might create a question with the words "senior citizens". Have you ever tried writing your own IELTS reading question? It's a good exercise to get you thinking like the question writer, and hopefully you'll see why the keyword technique is so useful. Tip: If you try this, start by writing your own 'true, false, not given' questions. 13 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 KEY WORDS TABLE "Keywords" technique Here's an interesting way to use reading tests from the Cambridge IELTS books: 1. Choose a passage from one of the reading tests. 2. Get the correct answers from the back of the book. 3. Now read the first question, underline keywords, and search for the answer in the passage - you already know the correct answer, so your only aim is to find where it is in the passage. 4. Underline words in the passage that have the same meaning as the keywords in the question. 5. When you have done this for each question, make a keyword table. This technique forces you to stop testing yourself. Instead, it makes you focus on finding key vocabulary and understanding the reason for each answer. You might be surprised at the improvements you make if you regularly practise in this way. IELTS Reading: a good study technique When practising with the Cambridge IELTS books, try this study technique: 1. Choose a reading passage. 2. Go to the back of the book and get the correct answers. 3. Study the passage with the aim of proving why those answers are correct. 4. Make a keyword table. When you know what the answers are, you can focus on exam technique: searching for keywords, then reading the relevant part of the passage carefully. You might find this helps you more than simply testing yourself would. 14 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Tables 1. IELTS Reading: test practice A student recently asked me about the reading test on page 40 of Cambridge IELTS book 6. Find a copy of this test, and use the vocabulary in the table below to help you find the answers. For the 'paragraph headings' question, you should find it easier to start with the shortest paragraphs. Note: "Commuting" means travelling (into a city) to work. "Overcrowded" means there are too many people in one place. 2. IELTS Reading: do tests without a time limit As I've said before, IELTS reading is a vocabulary test. When studying, make sure you learn some new vocabulary from each practice test that you do. Use a dictionary, and don't worry about the time. Use the table below to help you with the test on page 60-63 of Cambridge IELTS book 1 (buy or borrow this book, or look for it on the Internet). 15 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 This test contains difficult words like "corpus" (a collection of written or spoken texts) and "lexicographical" (related to writing dictionaries). Here are some more words that you could look up in a dictionary: ∙ incorporate (e.g. they are incorporating spoken English into their data) ∙ verbal / non-verbal (e.g. a verbal warning, non-verbal communication) ∙ portrayal (e.g. the portrayal of feelings) ∙ convey (e.g. to convey feelings, convey a message) ∙ an initiative (e.g. a Government initiative) 3. IELTS Reading: practice test Try doing the test on page 50-53 in Cambridge IELTS book 4. Follow this advice for the 3 question sections: 1.Which paragraph contains: Always do these questions last. Do the other question sections first to become familiar with the text. 2.Which ideas are mentioned: Remember, you are looking for ideas that are mentioned in the text, not ideas that are true. 3.Match the names: This is a perfect task for scanning. Scan quickly to find and underline the names. Here is the key vocabulary that will help you to find the answers: 16 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 4. IELTS Reading: practice test Below I've made a table of key vocabulary from a reading test in Cambridge IELTS Book 1 (page 40- 43). Try doing the test using the vocabulary table below to help you. 17 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 5. IELTS Reading: quite an easy one! Last week my students and I looked at Cambridge IELTS 4 (test 1, passage 2). This is quite an easy test, and most of my students got the answers right. The table below shows some of the key vocabulary that helped us to get the correct answers. If you have book 4, try doing this test. Hopefully you'll find it quite easy too. 6. IELTS Reading: look for keywords Imagine the question asks about "longer days". If you read the text and find "increasing day lengths", you know you have found the answer. In other words, the technique for finding answers in the IELTS Reading test is to look for keywords (similar words in the questions and in the text). The table below shows keywords that helped my students to find the answers for one section of a reading test (Cambridge IELTS 5, page 94-97). 18 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Did you know words like considerable, trigger, cue or adequate? If you don't know the vocabulary, it's very difficult to get the right answer. 7. IELTS Reading: keyword tables When I do reading tests with my students, we always make a 'keyword table' with the words and phrases that helped us to get the answers. Here's our table for test 1, passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS book 6: Don't just test yourself. Study the answers, your mistakes, and the key vocabulary whenever you do a reading test. Try making a keyword table. 19 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 8. IELTS Reading: similar words IELTS Reading is basically a test of your vocabulary knowledge. You need to be able to find words in the text that are similar to words in the questions. Read the following text about single-sex education (educating boys and girls separately). You might have thought that boys brought up in a single-sex environment would find relationships with girls difficult to handle. Now research due to be published tomorrow proves it. It shows that boys taught in single-sex schools are more likely to be divorced or separated from their partner than those who attended a mixed school by their early 40s. The findings, taken from studying a cohort of all those born in a single week of 1958, will be presented by Professor Diana Leonard, from London University's Institute of Education. The research covered 17,000 adults who had been taught in a range of institutions from private boarding schools to state comprehensives. The majority had been brought up in day schools. Dr Leonard's findings have fuelled claims from teachers' leaders and education psychologists that boys brought up in a single-sex environment are less able to relate to the opposite sex than those taught in a co educational school. Find words in the text that are similar to the words/phrases below. - raised - to cope with - co-educational - a group - a variety of - high schools - added weight to (Text taken from The Independent) ANSWERS brought up to handle mixed a cohort a range of 20 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 (state) comprehensives fuelled 9. IELTS Reading: find the similar words In the IELTS Reading test, you need to be able to match words in the questions with words in the passage. Read the following text, then try the exercise below. What is an 'elevator pitch'? An “elevator pitch” is an overview of a product, service, person, group, organisation or project, and is often part of a fund-raising, marketing, brand or public relations program. The name "elevator pitch" reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver a short but effective presentation in the time span of an elevator ride from the ground floor to the directors’ boardroom on the top floor of a building. An elevator pitch is often used by an entrepreneur pitching an idea to an investor to receive funding. Venture capitalists often ask entrepreneurs to give an elevator pitch in order to quickly weed out bad ideas and weak teams. Other uses include job interviewing, dating and professional services. Proposals for books, screenplays, blogs and other forms of publishing are often delivered via an elevator pitch, which may be presented in oral, written or video formats. Which words or phrases in the passage are similar to those below? 1. a summary 2. succinct 3. gain financial backing 4. eliminate 5. spoken ANSWERS 1. a summary = an overview 2. succinct = short but effective 3. gain financial backing = receive funding 4. eliminate = weed out 5. spoken = oral 21 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 10. IELTS Reading: keywords Vocabulary is the key to doing well in IELTS Reading. Usually there are "keywords" in the questions that are similar to the words you need to find in the text. For example, if the text contains the word "global", the question might use the word "international". The table below shows keywords for Test 4 in Cambridge IELTS book 4: Try making your own keyword tables for other practice tests. It's a good way to improve your vocabulary, and it will help you to see how IELTS reading questions are made. 11. IELTS Reading: keywords Here's a table showing the key vocabulary from last week's reading exercise. I recommend making a keyword table every time you practise a reading test. bolster (verb) = support or strengthen 22 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 12. IELTS Reading: keyword table The table below shows some of the keywords that help you to find the answers to test 4, passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS book 6. If you have book 6, try the test using the table to help you. 13. IELTS Reading: keywords Here's a table showing the keywords that helped us to get the correct answers to last week's Yes, No, Not Given exercise. (bài 14 phần Yes, No, Not given) Remember: you can only be sure that you have the correct answer when you can point to specific words in the passage that have a similar meaning to the words in the question. 23 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 14. IELTS Reading: more keywords Last week I did a reading test from Cambridge IELTS 7 (page 48-52) with one of my classes. Here is some of the vocabulary that helped us to get the answers: The fifth row of the above table is interesting: "20% outside the local area" means the same as "80% was within the local area". Another question confused some of my students: If a survey showed that "households spent seven hours a day on transporting themselves and their goods", does this mean that it was "a survey of household expenditure on transport"? 15. IELTS Reading: another keyword table Here's my keyword table for test 1.3 in Cambridge IELTS book 4: 24 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 This test also contains some tricky words to describe shapes and movement. Look them up in a dictionary if you don't understand them. Line shapes: curved, wavy, bent, dashed. Movement: spinning, wobbling, jerking. 16. IELTS Reading: collecting vocabulary Whenever you read something in English, it's a good idea to write useful vocabulary in a notebook. But don't just write individual words, write the related words too. For example, do you know which verb is usually used with the noun "commitment"? As an example, read the following short text: A New Year’s resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a personal goal, project, or the reforming of a habit in the coming year. Some examples include resolutions to lose weight, learn something new, or give up a habit such as smoking. Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. A separate study in 2007 at the University of Bristol showed that 78% of those who set New Year’s resolutions fail. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals are set, while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends. Here is some key vocabulary from the text: ∙ make a commitment to something ∙ give up a habit ∙ be confident of something ∙ set measurable goals ∙ make something public ∙ get support from Remember: understanding the meaning of a word is not the same as being able to use it correctly. 25 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 17. IELTS Reading: academic and general There is a difference between the types of articles used in the academic and general reading tests. However, the types of questions and the techniques for answering them are the same. For this reason, I recommend using both types of exam paper for practice. The main technique for finding answers in both reading tests is the 'keyword' technique: search in the passage for the key words in each question. Here's a table of keywords from the GT test in Cambridge book 6, page 118: 18. IELTS Reading: the importance of vocabulary IELTS Reading is basically a vocabulary test. If you don't understand words or phrases in the text, it will be difficult to get the right answers. Try doing the test on page 46-49 of Cambridge IELTS book 4. Here is some of the key vocabulary from this test: 26 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 When I did this test with my students, nobody knew that a "chronic" illness means a "long-term" illness. The words "disillusioned" and "sceptical" also caused problems. If you didn't know these words, look them up and write them down in your notebook. If you don't have a vocabulary notebook, you should start one now! 19. IELTS Reading: how questions are made The people who create the IELTS reading tests do so by paraphrasing parts of the passage for each question. In other words, they choose a word or phrase in the passage that they want to test you on, and they write a question using words which have a similar meaning. The table below shows the similar words from last week's exercise: Note: The words highlighted in blue were the correct answers because the same meaning was expressed in the passage and the question. The phrases in black do not express exactly the same meaning (e.g. the fact that climbers have died does not mean that it is the most dangerous mountain). These answers were therefore wrong. 20. IELTS Reading: similar words Here are some of the key words and phrases that helped my students to get the answers to reading test 4.1 in Cambridge IELTS book 7: 27 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 uncannily: means strangely or extraordinarily 21. IELTS Reading: vocabulary Did you note down the key vocabulary from last week's gap-fill exercise? (Bài 2 phần "Gap fill") Here's my keyword table in case you didn't: 22. IELTS Reading: matching similar words To find answers in the reading test, look for words or phrases in the passage that are similar to words in the questions. In the test mentioned below, you need to know that 'exaggerate' is similar to 'overstate', or that 'urgent' is similar to 'pressing'. 28 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 The table below shows similar words/phrases for the test on page 24 of Cambridge IELTS book 5. 23. IELTS Reading: more vocabulary! My students and I did test 2, passage 2 in Cambridge IELTS book 8 ('The Little Ice Age'). This is quite a tricky test because one or two of the questions are not in order in the passage. Here are some of the keywords that helped us to get the correct answers: Note: 'far from' can be used to mean 'the opposite of' e.g. "I am far from happy" means "I am not happy at all". 29 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 24. IELTS Reading: more key vocabulary On Saturday I taught an IELTS reading and writing course here in Manchester. My students and I did reading test 2, passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS book 8. Here are some of the keywords that helped us to find the correct answers: 25. IELTS Reading: matching similar words To find answers in the reading test, look for words or phrases in the passage that are similar to words in the questions. In the test mentioned below, you need to know that 'exaggerate' is similar to 'overstate', or that 'urgent' is similar to 'pressing'. The table below shows similar words/phrases for the test on page 24 of Cambridge IELTS book 5. 30 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 26. IELTS Reading: keywords Here's my keyword table for last week's true, false, not given exercise: (bài 15 phần true, false, not given) Notice how the questions almost always paraphrase parts of the passage, using synonyms or words with a similar meaning (e.g. regard - refer to, foremost - best, famous - eminent). If you do enough practice, you'll get used to finding and recognising these similar words, and your scores should improve! 27. IELTS Reading: easy keywords Here are some easy 'keywords' that helped my students to get the answers for the General reading test on page 116 of Cambridge IELTS 6: 31 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 28. IELTS Reading: more keywords Here's my keyword table for test 1, passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS 6: Note: Did you study this table carefully? Did you know the words credibility, hardships, sustenance, struggle, harsh, abandon? 29. IELTS Reading: more keywords My students and I did test 1, passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS book 4. The table below shows some of the keywords that helped us to find the correct answers: 32 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 This table shows how important it is to look for similar words in the reading test. It also shows that IELTS reading is a test of your vocabulary knowledge. For example, do you know the difference between 'yes/no questions' and 'open-form questions'? Do you know what 'coverage' and 'misconceptions' mean? 30. IELTS Reading: more vocabulary The table below shows the key vocabulary for test 4, passage 2 in Cambridge IELTS book 4. Try this test if you have a copy of it. My table should help you to get the correct answers. 31. IELTS Reading: always review vocabulary Even if you find a reading exercise easy, it's always useful to review the key vocabulary that helped you to get the answers. Here's my review of the vocabulary from last week's exercise: (Bài 2 phần which paragraphs contain ?) 33 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 32. IELTS Reading: keywords (book 9, test 2) Here's my first keyword table for Cambridge book 9: Even if you don't have a copy of the book, I think you can still learn something from this table. Look at the use of synonyms and similar words (e.g. worldwide / international, regulations / standards, current / modern). Also, did you know the meanings of words like vulnerable, auditory and impairment? Look these words up in a dictionary, and see if you can use them in your own sentences. 33. IELTS Reading: keyword technique What do I mean by the 'keyword' technique? By 'keywords' I mean: words in the text that have a similar meaning to words in the questions. 34 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 The table below shows the keywords that helped my students to find the answers to the test on page 122 of Cambridge IELTS 6. Note: this comes from a General Training test, but the technique is the same for both general and academic tests. 34. IELTS Reading: more keywords Here's my keyword table for test 1, passage 2 in Cambridge IELTS 7: Do you make keyword tables like this when you do IELTS reading tests at home? The more practice you do, the better you'll get at noticing the keywords and finding the answers. 35 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 35. IELTS Reading: practice test Find the reading test on page 74-77 in Cambridge IELTS book 4. Use the key vocabulary in the table below to help you with the test. Don't worry about the time; just try to get all of the answers right. 36. IELTS Reading: more keywords! My students and I worked through passage 2 of test 3 in Cambridge IELTS book 9 (page 67). Here's a table of the keywords that gave us the answers: 36 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 37. IELTS Reading: how we get the answers The answers to last week's reading exercise were B, C and F (Bài 9, multiple choice). We get those answers by doing two things: 1. First, we search for keywords in the passage (see the table below). 2. Then we read the relevant part of the passage carefully, checking and comparing with the question until we are sure of the answer. 37 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 38. IELTS Reading: another keyword table The table below shows the keywords that my students found in reading test 3, passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS book 4. 39. IELTS Reading: more keywords My students and I did a quick exercise from the general reading test on page 109 of Cambridge IELTS book 9. It's a good example of the importance of searching for 'keywords'. Here's our keyword table: 38 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 40. IELTS Reading: another keyword table Here's a table of key vocabulary from Cambridge IELTS 8 (test 1, passage 1). Remember that there are always words in the passage that are similar to words in the questions. If you find the similar words, you've found the answers. 41. IELTS Reading: keyword table Here's a keyword table for test 3, passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS book 5. Notice the expressions "to coin a term" (to invent a new term) and "to move the goal-posts" (to change the aim). My students didn't know these phrases. Note: the "opposite of" phrases were from 'false' answers. 39 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 42. IELTS Reading: general and academic If you are preparing for the academic IELTS test, you might never have tried a general reading paper. I recommend that you do. The techniques that you'll need to use are the same for both papers, and because the general test is easier, it serves as good practice. Here's my keyword table for the general test questions on page 122 of Cambridge book 4: Notice how the people who write the IELTS reading test use paraphrasing to make the questions. When you see 'keywords' like cultivation = growing,elderly = aged, or beach = coastal, you know you have the answer. 43. IELTS Reading: keywords from recent exercises The table below contains keywords from two recent exercises here on the blog. The first three rows of the table refer to this exercise (bài 32 phần true, false, not given) about the effects of television, and the last three rows refer to this passage (bài 26 phần true, false, not given) about the performer Houdini. 40 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 44. IELTS Reading: vocabulary exercise Read the following text about bad behaviour in schools. The misbehaviour of children is common in all schools, although most schools manage to maintain tolerable standards of discipline. Low levels of indiscipline can result in a detrimental working environment for children, while poor disciplinary management within a school can cause a more general breakdown in order. Problems with school discipline have also led to a reduction in the number of people willing to become teachers, especially in schools regarded as difficult. Student misbehaviour and rudeness is the leading cause of teacher resignations. In some areas and countries, this has led to a severe teacher shortage, with classes either not taught, or taught by an unqualified person. In some schools, a class may have up to a dozen different teachers in a single year, as the replacements decide to leave rather than deal with student behaviour. Many countries are now trying to offer incentives to new teachers to remain in such schools, but with very limited success. Find words or phrases in the text that are similar to those in the list below. 1. sufficient levels 2. negative 3. resulted in 4. main reason for 5. serious 6. as many as twelve ANSWER : 1. tolerable standards 2. detrimental 3. led to 4. leading cause of 5. severe 6. up to a dozen 41 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 45. IELTS Reading: another keyword table Here's the key vocabulary that helped my students to get the answers to reading test 2, passage 3 in Cambridge IELTS book 9. 46. IELTS Reading: more keywords Here are some keywords from a General Reading test in Cambridge IELTS book 9. You don't need to do this test; just look at the vocabulary and make sure it's part of your 'repertoire'. 42 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 47. IELTS Reading: it's a vocabulary test! Here's my keyword table for a general reading test section in Cambridge IELTS book 5 (page 121-122). IELTS reading is really a vocabulary test. For example, if you know that 'communal bathrooms' means 'shared bathrooms', you'll be able to match that with 'do not have your own bathroom'. If you don't know the meaning of 'communal', it will be difficult to get the right answer. 48. IELTS Reading: keyword table Here's another keyword table with vocabulary from Cambridge IELTS 5, test 4, passage 1. Look carefully at the paraphrasing used. 43 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 49. IELTS Reading: keywords The following question demonstrates the 'keyword technique' perfectly. Question (true, false or not given?) If you return unwanted shoes straightaway, with a receipt, the shop will probably give you a refund. Passage Go back to the shop with proof of purchase. If you return faulty shoes at once, you have a right to insist on a refund. It is also likely that you will get one if you change your mind about the shoes and take them back immediately. Task The correct answer is 'true', but can you complete the keyword table below to show how we found this answer? ANSWER: 1. return (...shoes) 2. unwanted (shoes) 3. immediately 4. with proof of purchase 5. it is likely that you will get 6. one / a refund Note: The correct answer is 'true'. The part about "faulty shoes" does not give you the answer. The answer comes from the part that says "if you change your mind about the shoes" - this means the shoes are "unwanted". 44 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 50. IELTS Reading: recent vocabulary Here's another keyword table with some of the vocabulary from recent lessons here on the blog. It's always useful to make keyword tables, no matter how easy the vocabulary might seem. 51. IELTS Reading: keywords Did you make a keyword table for last week's paragraph matching task? (bài 3 dạng "which paragraph contains.._ Here's mine: 52. IELTS Reading: difficult vocabulary Some IELTS reading questions cause problems because of difficult vocabulary. Read the following sentences from Cambridge IELTS 4, page 46. 45 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 ∙ We've had a tradition of doctors being fairly powerful and I guess they are pretty loath to allow any pretenders to their position to come into it. ∙ A better educated and less accepting public has become disillusioned with the experts in general, and increasingly sceptical about science. ∙ Those surveyed had experienced chronic illnesses, for which orthodox medicine had been able to provide little relief. Find the words in the sentences above which have the following meanings: 1. long-term or persistent 2. having doubts or reservations 3. reluctant or unwilling 4. conventional or normal 5. disappointed when something is not as good as you thought it was ANSWER: 1. chronic

 2. sceptical 3. loath (to...)

 4. orthodox 5. disillusioned 46 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Tables for Actual tests 2007-2011 47 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 GAP FILL Tips A reading gap fill is one task you may get in the IELTS test. You have to fill in the gaps of a summary of part of the text using words from a box. There may be more words than you need to use so you need to find the part of the reading that refers to the summary and make sure that you work out which word will fit. You also need to think about the grammar as the word you put in the reading gap fill must fit grammatically as well. Here are some general strategies Strategies for reading gap fill tasks Looking at question 1, these are the strategies you can try following: 1. Read through the summary carefully to make sure you understand it. 2. Work out which section of the reading the summary comes from 3. Carefully read the sentence with the first gap and think about what form will fit i.e. should it be an adjective, noun, infinitive, present participle etc? And what type of word is needed i.e. is it an amount, a change, an action? 4. You should have worked out that for questions 1 you are looking for a noun because 'an' comes before it. 5. Then look at the words that are in the box - which ones have the right form to fit and the right type? There are several nouns. 6. Look at the correct part of the full reading that refers to the reading gap fill section you are looking at and decide what happened for the first time to do with air rage in the 1940s? 7. Use this information to help you choose the correct word for the reading gap fill.. 48 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Exercises 1. Read the following text about universities. Religion was central to the curriculum of early European universities. However, its role became less significant during the 19th century, and by the end of the 1800s, the German university model, based on more liberal values, had spread around the world. Universities concentrated on science in the 19th and 20th centuries, and became increasingly accessible to the masses. In Britain, the move from industrial revolution to modernity saw the arrival of new civic universities with an emphasis on science and engineering. The funding and organisation of universities vary widely between different countries around the world. In some countries, universities are predominantly funded by the state, while in others, funding may come from donors or from fees which students attending the university must pay. Complete the sentences below with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage. 1. The German university model, which became popular in the 19th century, promoted ______. 2. Over the last 200 years, a university education has become ______ the general public. 3. Depending on the country, universities may be funded by the state, by donors, or by fee-paying ______. 2. Read the following passage about creative writing. New research, prompted by the relatively high number of literary families, shows that there may be an inherited element to writing good fiction. Researchers from Yale in the US and Moscow State University in Russia launched the study to see whether there was a scientific reason why well-known writers have produced other writers. The study analysed the creative writing of 511 children aged eight to 17 and 489 of their mothers and 326 fathers. All the participants wrote stories on particular themes. The stories were then scored and rated for originality and novelty, plot development and quality, and sophistication and creative use of prior knowledge. The researchers also carried out detailed intelligence tests and analysed how families functioned in the Russian households. Taking into account intelligence and family background, the researchers then calculated the inherited and the environmental elements of creative writing. They found what they describe as a modest heritability element to creative writing. Fill each gap in the summary below using a maximum of 2 words. Creative writing ability may be ______ from parents, according to a new study. Researchers compared ______ written by children and their parents, looking at elements such as originality and use of ______. 49 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 After conducting intelligence tests and allowing for ______, they concluded that there is a ______ link between genetics and creative writing. 3. Read the following passage about the discovery of penicillin. The discovery of penicillin is attributed to Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming. Fleming recounted that the date of his breakthrough was on the morning of September 28, 1928. It was a lucky accident: in his laboratory in the basement of St. Mary's Hospital in London, Fleming noticed a petri dish containing Staphylococcus culture that he had mistakenly left open. The culture had become contaminated by blue green mould, and there was a halo of inhibited bacterial growth around the mould. Fleming concluded that the mould was releasing a substance that was repressing the growth of the bacteria. He grew a pure culture and discovered that it was a Penicillium mould, now known to be Penicillium notatum. Fleming coined the term "penicillin" to describe the filtrate of a broth culture of the Penicillium mould. Fill the gaps in the summary below using words from the passage. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by ______ on September 28, 1928. He found that the growth of bacteria on a petri dish was ______ by a blue-green mould that had contaminated the culture. He realised that the mould was producing a substance that was responsible for ______ bacterial growth. 4. IELTS Reading: fill the gaps The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were two American brothers, inventors, and aviation pioneers who were credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. 50 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving "the flying problem". This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines. Using a small homebuilt wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than anyone had before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers that were more efficient than rival models. They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice. Fill each gap in the summary below with a maximum of 2 words. In 1903, the Wright brothers completed development of the first airplane that was capable of sustaining controlled ______. The key to their success was a system that gave the pilot the means to control and ______ the airplane. This set them apart from other inventors who had focused on building ______. The brothers had previous experience with a wide variety of ______, but it was their work with ______ that had the greatest influence on their ideas. 5. Read the following text about pedestrian zones in cities. A large number of European towns and cities have made part of their centres car-free since the early 1960s. These are often accompanied by car parks on the edge of the pedestrianised zone, and, in the larger cases, 51 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 park and ride schemes. Central Copenhagen is one of the largest and oldest examples: the auto-free zone is centred on Strøget, a pedestrian shopping street, which is in fact not a single street but a series of interconnected avenues which create a very large auto-free zone, although it is crossed in places by streets with vehicular traffic. Most of these zones allow delivery trucks to service the businesses located there during the early morning, and street-cleaning vehicles will usually go through these streets after most shops have closed for the night. In North America, where a more commonly used term is pedestrian mall, such areas are still in their infancy. Few cities have pedestrian zones, but some have pedestrianised single streets. Many pedestrian streets are surfaced with cobblestones, or pavement bricks, which discourage any kind of wheeled traffic, including wheelchairs. They are rarely completely free of motor vehicles. Fill the gaps below with NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS from the text. 1.In some cases, people are encouraged to park ________ of the town or city centre. 2.The only vehicles permitted in most pedestrian zones are those used for ________ or ________ cleaning. 3.Certain types of road surface can be used to ________ traffic. 6. Fill the gaps in the text using the 10 words below. A _____ report says scientists are 95% certain that humans are the "dominant _____" of global warming since the 1950s. The report by the UN's climate panel details the physical _____ behind climate change. On the ground, in the air, in the oceans, global warming is "_____", it explained. The panel warns that continued _____ of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all aspects of the climate system. To contain these changes will require "substantial and sustained _____ of greenhouse gas emissions". After a week of intense negotiations in the Swedish capital, the summary for policymakers on the physical science of global warming has finally been released. For the future, the report states that warming is _____ to continue under all _____. Prof Sir Brian Hoskins, from Imperial College London, told BBC News: "We are performing a very dangerous _____ with our planet, and I don't want my grandchildren to suffer the _____." emissions, experiment, cause, unequivocal, landmark, consequences, reductions, scenarios, projected, evidence 52 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Text adapted from BBC website, 27.9.13 7. Gap-fill from a useful website The articles used in the IELTS reading test often come from magazines like The Economist or The New Scientist. Why not practise for the exam by reading articles from these magazines? Here are a few paragraphs from an article about the use of wireless communications to improve health care. I've made it into a gap-fill exercise. Fill the gaps with one of the following words: cutting, advances, track, coming, empower, chief, developing Pundits have long predicted that ______ in genetics will usher in a golden age of individually tailored therapies. But in fact it is much lower-tech wireless devices and internet-based health software that are precipitating the mass customisation of health care, and creating entirely new business models in the process. The hope is that nimble new technologies, from smart-phones to health-monitoring devices, will ______ patients and doctors, and thus improve outcomes while ______ costs. The near ubiquity of mobile phones is the ______ reason to think this optimistic scenario may come true. Patients with smart-phones can certainly benefit from interactive “wellness” applications that track diet, exercise and vital signs. Many companies are ______ up with “home health” devices embedded with wireless technology. Some are overtly clinical in nature: Medtronic, a devices giant, is ______ a bedside monitor that wirelessly tracks the blood sugar levels in diabetic children sleeping nearby. GE has come up with “body sensor networks”, tiny wireless devices that ______ the vital signs of those who wear them. Full article: Apr 8th 2010, From The Economist 8. topic research The exercise below serves as both IELTS reading practice and topic research for this week's writing lesson (about 'telework'). Fill the gaps in the passage with the following words: commute, mobility, instant, efficient, remote, smartphones, locations 53 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Telecommuting, ______ work, or telework is a work arrangement in which employees do not ______ to a central place of work. A person who telecommutes is known as a "telecommuter", "teleworker", and sometimes as a "home-sourced," or "work-at-home" employee. Many telecommuters work from home, while others, sometimes called "nomad workers", use mobile telecommunications technology to work from coffee shops or other ______. Telework is facilitated by tools such as groupware, virtual private networks, conference calling and videoconferencing. It can be ______ and useful for companies since it allows workers to communicate over long distances, saving travel time and cost. Furthermore, with their improving technology and increasing popularity, ______ are becoming widely used in telework. They substantially increase the ______ of the worker and the degree of coordination with their organization. The technology of mobile phones allows ______ communication through text messages, camera photos, and video clips from anywhere and at any time. Easy reading practice, but good vocabulary for the 'teleworking' topic! Key to "gap fill" Ex1. 1) (more) liberal values 2) (increasingly) accessible to 3) students Ex2. 1. inherited 2. stories 3. prior knowledge 4. family background 5. modest Ex3. accident inhibited repressing 54 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Ex4. 1. (human) flight 2. steer 3. powerful engines 4. machinery 5. bicycles Ex5. 1. on the edge 2. delivery, street 3. discourage / discourage (any) wheeled Ex6. 1. landmark 2. cause 3. evidence 4. unequivocal 5. emissions 6. reductions 7. projected 8. scenarios 9. experiment 10. consequences Ex7. 1. advances 2. empower 3. cutting 4. chief 5. coming 55 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 6. developing 7. track Ex8. 1. remote 2. commute 3. locations 4. efficient 5. smartphones 6. mobility 7. instant 56 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 MULTIPLE CHOICE Tips: Try following these steps when doing multiple choice questions: 1. Read the question and underline the "keywords" - these are the words that you will try to find in the passage (the main words that give the meaning of the question). 2. Read the choices and underline one or two keywords for each one. Focus on words that make the difference between each choice. 3. Go to the passage and look for the keywords from the question. 4. When you have found the right part of the passage, look for keywords from the choices. 5. Read the relevant part of the passage carefully, comparing it to each choice. 6. To be sure you have the right answer, you should be able to show that the other answer choices are wrong. Exercises 1. Read the following text and answer the multiple choice questions below. In linguistics, a corpus (plural corpora) is a large and structured set of texts (now usually electronically stored and processed). A corpus may be used to help linguists to analyse a language, or for the purpose of dictionary writing or language teaching. The British National Corpus (BNC) is a 100-million-word text corpus of samples of written and spoken English from a wide range of sources. The corpus covers British English of the late twentieth century from a wide variety of genres with the intention that it be a representative sample of spoken and written British English of that time. 1. What is a corpus? A) A type of large dictionary. B) A single written text. C) A tool for language analysis. 2. Why was the BNC compiled? 57 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 A) For the purpose of language teaching. B) To document written and spoken English from a particular period in time. C) To document the history of the English language. 2. Read the following passage about 'learning styles'. The term ‘learning styles’ refers to a variety of ways of learning. The ‘learning styles’ theory is based on the observation that most people prefer an identifiable method of interacting with, taking in, and processing stimuli or information. The idea of individualised ‘learning styles’ originated in the 1970s, and acquired enormous popularity. Proponents say that teachers should assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each student's preference. The basis and efficacy of these proposals are extensively criticised. Although children and adults express personal preferences, there is no evidence that identifying a student's learning style produces better outcomes, and there is significant evidence that the hypothesis (that a student will learn best if taught in a method deemed appropriate for his or her learning style) may be invalid. Choose the best answer (A, B, or C) for questions 1 and 2 below. 1. The idea that people should learn according to their preferred learning style A) has influenced all teachers. B) became popular around 40 years ago. C) has never been disputed. 2. There is no evidence that A) people have learning preferences. B) the hypothesis might be wrong. C) it is beneficial to identify students’ preferred learning styles. 3. Read the following short text, and answer the question below. 58 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. Since 1935, at least sixty-four climbers have died attempting the Eiger’s north face, earning it the German nickname Mordwand, literally "murder wall" - a pun on its correct title of Nordwand (North Wall). Before it was successfully climbed, in 1938, most of the attempts on the face ended tragically and the Bernese authorities even banned climbing it and threatened to fine any party that should attempt it again. Since the first successful attempt, the north face has been climbed many times, but even today it is regarded as a formidable challenge. Which TWO of the following statements are true according to the text? A) The Eiger is the most dangerous mountain in the Bernese Alps. B) The north face of the mountain has an infamous history. C) The Nordwand was finally conquered in 1938. D) The Bernese authorities fined climbers who attempted the north face. E) Climbers consider the north face to be the world’s most challenging climb 4. multiple choice Look at the following question (from Cambridge IELTS 5) and the section of text that contains the answer. I've underlined the key words. Question: The writer suggests that newspapers print items that are intended to A) educate readers B) meet their readers' expectations C) encourage feedback from readers D) mislead readers Passage: 59 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 A third source of confusion is the attitude of the media. People are clearly more curious about bad news than good. Newspapers and broadcasters are there to provide what the public wants. That, however, can lead to significant distortions of perception. Task: Which keywords in the passage match the keywords in the question? What is the correct answer? Why? 5. Read the following text and choose the best answer for each question. The term "IQ" comes from German "Intelligenz-Quotient", coined by the German psychologist William Stern in 1912, who proposed a method of scoring children's intelligence tests. Since the early 20th century, scores on IQ tests have increased in most parts of the world. The phenomenon of rising score performance means that if test-takers are scored by a constant standard scoring rule, IQ test scores have been rising at an average rate of around three IQ points per decade. This phenomenon was named the Flynn effect in the book The Bell Curve after James R. Flynn, the author who did the most to bring this phenomenon to the attention of psychologists. 1. “IQ” refers to A) a type of intelligence test for children B) a means of rating intelligence tests C) an area of psychology 2. Flynn noticed that A) IQ scores were constant around the world B) IQ was a global phenomenon C) intelligence scores had gradually risen over several decades 6. Read the passage and choose the correct answers to the questions below. A new ‘super-Earth’ has been discovered that could have a life-supporting climate and water. The planet, given the catchy name HD 40307g, was discovered in a multi-world solar system 42 light years from the Sun and lies at exactly the right distance from its star to allow liquid surface water. It orbits well within the star's “habitable” or “Goldilocks” zone - the region where temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold to sustain life. Professor Hugh Jones, from the University of Hertfordshire said: “The longer orbit of the new planet means that its climate and atmosphere may be just right to support life. Just as Goldilocks liked her 60 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 porridge to be neither too hot nor too cold but just right, this planet or indeed any moons that is has lie in an orbit comparable to Earth, increasing the probability of it being habitable.” The ‘super earth’ is one of six planets believed to circle the dwarf star HD 40307 in the constellation Pictor. All the others are located outside the habitable zone, too close to their parent star to support liquid water. (Taken from this article in The Independent) 1. Why is it thought that the planet may be able to support life? A) It has been shown to have water. B) It is 42 light years from the Sun. C) It orbits its own star at the perfect distance. D) It has several moons. 2. Which statement is true of the “Goldilocks” zone? A) It is the region of a planet which has a habitable climate. B) It refers to a zone which is too close to the parent star. C) It refers to a planet with several moons and a long orbit. D) It is an orbit region which is comparable to the Earth’s. PS. If you don't know who Goldilocks is, click here! 7. Read the following text and answer the questions below. The ethos of the aristocracy, as exemplified in the English public schools, greatly influenced Pierre de Coubertin. The public schools subscribed to the belief that sport formed an important part of education, an attitude summed up in the saying 'mens sana in corpore sano', a sound mind in a sound body. In this ethos, a gentleman was one who became an all-rounder, not the best at one specific thing. There was also a prevailing concept of fairness, in which practising or training was considered tantamount to cheating. 1. De Coubertin agreed with the idea that: A) sport is an activity for gentlemen. B) schooling should promote both physical and mental health. C) sport is the most important part of a child's education. 2. In De Coubertin's view: 61 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 A) it is easier to be good at many sports, rather than the best at one sport. B) training is necessary if you want to be an all-rounder. C) training gives the athlete an unfair advantage. 8. Read the following text, and chose the best answer to the questions below. The Placebo Effect A placebo is a sham or simulated medical intervention. Sometimes patients given a placebo treatment will have a perceived or actual improvement in a medical condition, a phenomenon commonly called the placebo effect. A study of Danish general practitioners found that 48% had prescribed a placebo at least 10 times in the past year. The most frequently prescribed placebos were antibiotics for viral infections, and vitamins for fatigue. Specialists and hospital-based physicians reported much lower rates of placebo use. 1. The placebo effect refers to A) a simulated medical treatment B) an improvement in a patient’s health as a result of a simulated medical treatment C) a common medical phenomenon 2. According to a study, placebos were prescribed in Denmark A) mainly by doctors working in hospitals B) instead of antibiotics C) for fatigued patients or those suffering with viruses 9. Read the following passage about a tunnel in London. The Thames Tunnel is an underwater tunnel that was built beneath the River Thames in London between 1825 and 1843. It is 396 metres long, and runs at a depth of 23 metres below the river surface. It was the first tunnel known to have been constructed successfully underneath a navigable river. 62 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 Although it was a triumph of civil engineering, the Thames Tunnel was not a financial success, with building costs far exceeding initial estimates. Proposals to extend the entrance to accommodate wheeled vehicles failed, and it was used only by pedestrians. However, the tunnel did become a major tourist destination, attracting about two million people a year, each of whom paid a penny to pass under the river. The construction of the Thames Tunnel showed that it was indeed possible to build underwater tunnels, despite the previous scepticism of many engineers. Its historic importance was recognised on 24th March 1995, when the structure was listed Grade II* in recognition of its architectural importance. Which THREE of the following statements are correct? A) The Thames Tunnel was the world’s first ever tunnel. B) Construction of the tunnel was more expensive than predicted. C) There were plans to allow vehicles to use the tunnel. D) Tourism eventually made the tunnel profitable. E) Many engineers had already tried to build underwater tunnels. F) The Thames Tunnel is now considered to be a significant work of architecture. 10. Read the passage and choose the best answers to the questions below. Ecotourism is a form of tourism where tourists visit fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas. Its purpose may be to educate the traveller, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. However, ecotourism operations occasionally fail to live up to conservation ideals. Even a modest increase in population puts extra pressure on the local environment and necessitates the development of additional infrastructure. The construction of water treatment plants, sanitation facilities, and lodges come with the exploitation of non-renewable energy sources and the utilisation of already limited local resources. The environment may suffer because local communities are unable to meet these infrastructure demands. 1. One aim of ecotourism is to A) allow people to visit areas that were previously restricted. B) educate local communities in fragile areas. C) raise money for environmental projects in natural areas. 2. However, ecotourism can cause problems when 63 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 A) the local population does not welcome visitors. B) extra facilities and amenities are required to cope with a population increase. C) communities do not have the funds to improve local facilities. 11. Read the following passage about 'mindsets' and success. According to Carol Dweck, individuals can be placed on a continuum according to their implicit views of where ability comes from. Some believe their success is based on innate ability; these are said to have a "fixed" theory of intelligence (fixed mindset). Others, who believe their success is based on having opposite mindset, which involves hard work, learning, training and doggedness are said to have a "growth" or an "incremental" theory of intelligence (growth mindset). Individuals may not necessarily be aware of their own mindset, but their mindset can still be discerned based on their behaviour. It is especially evident in their reaction to failure. Fixed-mindset individuals dread failure because it is a negative statement on their basic abilities, while growth mindset individuals do not mind or fear failure as much because they realise their performance can be improved and learning comes from failure. These two mindsets play an important role in all aspects of a person's life. Dweck argues that the growth mindset will allow a person to live a less stressful and more successful life. Which TWO of the following statements agree with the ideas of the writer? A) Dweck believes that success depends on inherited intelligence. B) Dweck classifies people according to their beliefs about ability and success. C) We do not always realise which mindset we have. D) Fixed-mindset individuals fail more often than those who have a growth mindset. 12. IELTS Reading: multiple choice practice The document attached below contains a multiple choice exercise from the official IELTS website, ielts.org. Here's some advice before you try the exercise: 1. First, underline the 'keywords' in the question. In the first question, for example, I would underline research, 1982, United States and soil erosion. 2. Second, underline the keywords in each of the four choices e.g.reduced productivity by 20% in choice A, and India and China in choice B. 3. Next, search for the keywords from the question. I'd look for 1982 first, then find the other keywords. 64 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 4. Finally, read the relevant section of the text carefully, and compare what it says with the information in the four choices. In question 1, you'll need to think carefully about answers A and C. To download the exercise click here. Academic Reading sample task – Multiple choice [Note: This is an extract from an Academic Reading passage on the subject of government subsidies to farmers. The text preceding this extract explained how subsidies can lead to activities which cause uneconomical and irreversible changes to the environment.] All these activities may have damaging environmental impacts. For example, land clearing for agriculture is the largest single cause of deforestation; chemical fertilisers and pesticides may contaminate water supplies; more intensive farming and the abandonment of fallow periods tend to exacerbate soil erosion; and the spread of monoculture and use of high yielding varieties of crops have been accompanied by the disappearance of old varieties of food plants which might have provided some insurance against pests or diseases in future. Soil erosion threatens the productivity of land in both rich and poor countries. The United States, where the most careful measurements have been done, discovered in 1982 that about one fifth of its farmland was losing topsoil at a rate likely to diminish the soil's productivity. The country subsequently embarked upon a program to convert 11 per cent of its cropped land to meadow or forest. Topsoil in India and China is vanishing much faster than in America. Government policies have frequently compounded the environmental damage that farming can cause. In the rich countries, subsidies for growing crops and price supports for farm output drive up the price of land. The annual value of these subsidies is immense: about $250 billion, or more than all World Bank lending in the 1980s. To increase the output of crops per acre, a farmer's easiest option is to use more of the most readily available inputs: fertilisers and pesticides. Fertiliser use doubled in Denmark in the period 1960- 1985 and increased in The Netherlands by 150 per cent. The quantity of pesticides applied has risen too: by 69 per cent in 1975-1984 in Denmark, for example, with a rise of 115 per cent in the frequency of application in the three years from 1981. In the late 1980s and early 1990s some efforts were made to reduce farm subsidies. The most dramatic example was that of New Zealand, which scrapped most farm support in 1984. A study of the environmental effects, conducted in 1993, found that the end of fertiliser subsidies had been followed by a fall in fertiliser use (a fall compounded by the decline in world commodity prices, which cut farm incomes). The removal of subsidies also stopped land-clearing and over-stocking, which in the past had 65 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 been the principal causes of erosion. Farms began to diversify. The one kind of subsidy whose removal appeared to have been bad for the environment was the subsidy to manage soil erosion. In less enlightened countries, and in the European Union, the trend has been to reduce rather than eliminate subsidies, and to introduce new payments to encourage farmers to treat their land in environmentally friendlier ways, or to leave it fallow. It may sound strange but such payments need to be higher than the existing incentives for farmers to grow food crops. Farmers, however, dislike being paid to do nothing. In several countries they have become interested in the possibility of using fuel produced from crop residues either as a replacement for petrol (as ethanol) or as fuel for power stations (as biomass). Such fuels produce far less carbon dioxide than coal or oil, and absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. They are therefore less likely to contribute to the greenhouse effect. But they are rarely competitive with fossil fuels unless subsidised - and growing them does no less environmental harm than other crops. Academic Reading sample task – Multiple choice Questions 10 – 12 Choose the appropriate letters A, B, C or D. Write your answers in boxes 10-12 on your answer sheet. 10 )Research completed in 1982 found that in the United States soil erosion A reduced the productivity of farmland by 20 per cent. B was almost as severe as in India and China. C was causing significant damage to 20 per cent of farmland. D could be reduced by converting cultivated land to meadow or forest. 11 ) By the mid-1980s, farmers in Denmark A used 50 per cent less fertiliser than Dutch farmers. B used twice as much fertiliser as they had in 1960. C applied fertiliser much more frequently than in 1960. D more than doubled the amount of pesticide they used in just 3 years. 12) Which one of the following increased in New Zealand after 1984? 66 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 A farm incomes B use of fertiliser C over-stocking D farm diversification Key to "multiple choice" Ex1. 1. C - a corpus is a collection of texts used to help linguists analyse a language. 2. B - the BNC was made to document British English from the 20th century as "a representative sample of spoken and written British English of that time". ... Ex2. 1.B ( In the 1970s the idea of learning style became pooular and proponents say that teachers should assess the learning style of their students) 2.C (there is no evidence that identifying a student's learning style produces better outcomes) Ex3. B and C A is wrong because we don't know whether it's the MOST dangerous - there is no comparison with other mountains B is correct. Infamous means 'famous for bad reasons' (e.g. the deaths, known as "murder wall" etc.) C is correct - it was successfully climbed in 1938 D is wrong because we only know that they 'threatened' to fine people. E is wrong - similar to 'A' - there is no comparison with other mountains. Ex4. B 67 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 meet readers' expectations = provide what the public wants If you put 'D', please read some of the students' explanations above. Several people have explained why 'D' is wrong. Ex5. 1.B 2. C 1. a means of rating intelligence tests = a method of scoring (children's) intelligence tests 2. intelligence scores had gradually risen over several decades = IQ test scores have been rising at an average rate of around three IQ points per decade Ex6. 1.C 2. D In question 2, the answer "A" was a trick - the Goldilocks zone is not a region (on the surface) of a planet, it's a habitable region for the whole planet within a solar system. Check again if you made any mistakes. Ex7. 1. B (physical and mental health = a sound mind in a sound body) 2. C (training gives an unfair advantage = practising or training was considered tantamount to cheating) "tantamount to" means "the equivalent of" or "almost the same as" Ex8. B C Most people seem to have got both answers right! If you got the wrong answer for either question, read some of the explanations by students in the comments above. Ex9. 68 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 B C F C is correct - there were plans / proposals, and it doens't matter whether they failed or not. D is wrong because there is no mention of profit being made. Ex10 1. C 2. B Note: For question 2, nothing is mentioned in the passage about local communities not having 'funds'. It only says they are unable to meet demand. For this reason, we can't choose answer C. Ex11. B (classifies people according to their beliefs about ability and success = individuals can be placed on a continuum according to their implicit views of where ability comes from. Some believe their success...) C (We do not always realise which mindset we have = Individuals may not necessarily be aware of their own mindset) Ex12. C B D 69 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN Tips This lesson explains how to answer True and False questions for IELTS. You also have a Not Given option with this type of task. Firsly, you will be presented with a list of facts. You then have to look at the text in order to decide if the facts are true, false, or not given. Below are some tips and strategies to help you answer this type of question. Strategies to answer the questions 1. The questions follow the order of the text. 2. Read the question carefully to make sure you fully understand what it is saying. 3. Scan the text to find where the answer is using key words from the question 4. When you find where the answer is, read the text carefully to identify if you think it is T, F or NG. 5. The questions will probably use synonyms rather than the words in the text. 6. Look out for controlling words such as “only”, “all’, “never” etc. For example, if the fact in the question says 'some' and the fact in the text says 'all', then it is F. 7. Do not spend a long time looking for the answer to one question; it is probably NG, if you cannot find it. 8. Make sure you use the correct code; 'Yes', 'No', 'No Information' is sometimes used (these question are slightly different and you look for opinions rather than facts). These 3 questions illustrate the difference between 'true', 'false' and 'not given'. - True = part of the passage expresses the same idea as the question. (the fact you are given is clearly in the reading ) - False = the passage expresses the opposite or a different idea. (the reading says the opposite of the fact you've been given) - Not Given = some information is missing, so we cannot answer true or false (If it is not true or false, it is Not Given) 70 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 False or not given? Students are often confused by the difference between 'false' and 'not given'. You should choose false if the information in the passage directly contradicts the question statement; in other words, you need to be able to show that a different answer would be true. Choose not given only when there is no information, or not enough information. See two example questions. The answer to the first one is 'false', and the answer to the second is 'not given'. Hopefully my explanations will help you to see the difference. Question 1: Some languages develop your intelligence more than others. Passage: People who speak two languages have a clear learning advantage over their monolingual schoolmates. This depends on how much of each language they can speak, not on which language is used. Answer: The answer is false. The passage does mention something about languages developing intelligence (a clear learning advantage). However, it then says that it does not depend on which language is used; so it is not true that some languages are better for developing intelligence. Question 2: Most New Zealanders believe it is good to teach children a second language. Passage: If you speak another language to your children in New Zealand, there are some people who think that you are not helping them to become a member of society. But in fact, the general agreement among experts is that learning a second language is good for children. Answer: The answer is not given. We know what some New Zealanders think, but there is no information that conclusively tells us what most New Zealanders think. We can’t assume that most people think the opposite of the ‘some people’ who are mentioned (the others might have a different view or no opinion at all). Also, we can’t assume that most people agree with the experts. To put ‘true’ or ‘false’, we would need more information. 71 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 (Source: Cambridge IELTS book 8, pages 125-127) Exercises: 1. Read the following passage about a study into 'sitting'. The ease of our modern workday could come at the expense of our longevity. A new study of older women in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that sitting for long stretches of time increases the odds of an untimely death. The more hours women in the study spent sitting at work, driving, lying on the couch watching TV, or engaged in other leisurely pursuits, the greater their odds of dying early from all causes, including heart disease and cancer. Even women who exercised regularly risked shortening their lifespan if most of their daily hours were sedentary ones. “Even if you are doing the recommended amount of moderate to vigorous exercise, you will still have a higher risk of mortality if you’re spending too many hours sitting,” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, one of the study’s authors. How much sitting can you safely do in a day? In the study, women who were inactive for 11 or more hours a day fared the worst, facing a 12% increase in premature death, but even lesser amounts of inactive time can cause problems. “Once you’re sitting for more than 6 to 8 hours a day, that’s not likely to be good for you,” Dr. Manson says. You want to avoid prolonged sitting and increase the amount of moderate or vigorous exercise you do each day, she adds. Are the following statements true, false or not given? 1. The study looked at the effects of sitting on elderly women only. 2. A link was found between hours spent sitting and serious health problems. 3. The warnings about sitting do not apply to people who exercise regularly. 4. Less than 6 hours a day is a safe amount of sitting. (Source: Harvard Medical School) 2. Read the following text about "green taxes" in Britain. According to a survey, most Britons believe “green” taxes on 4×4s, plastic bags and other consumer goods have been imposed to raise cash rather than change our behaviour, while two-thirds of Britons think the entire green agenda has been hijacked as a ploy to increase taxes. The UK is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, a target that most experts believe will be difficult to reach. The results of the poll by Opinium, a leading research company, indicate 72 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 that maintaining popular support for green policies may be a difficult act to pull off and attempts in the future to curb car use and publicly fund investment in renewable resources will prove deeply unpopular. The findings were released as the Prince of Wales yesterday called on Britain’s business leaders to take “essential action” to make their firms more sustainable. Speaking in central London to some of the country’s leading chief executives, Prince Charles said: “What more can I do but urge you, this country’s business leaders, to take the essential action now to make your businesses more sustainable. I’m exhausted with repeating that there really is no time to lose.” Are the following statements true, false, or not given in the text? 1. Most Britons think that the Government wants to change people’s behaviour. 2. By the year 2050 the Government will have imposed higher green taxes. 3. The survey predicts that it will be difficult to change people’s dependence on cars. 4. The Prince of Wales believes that most businesses are not sustainable. (Text adapted from The Independent, 2nd May 2008) 3. Look at the following extract from a text about a psychology experiment: In the year 1971, Zimbardo accepted a tenured position as professor of psychology at Stanford University. There he conducted the Stanford prison study, in which 21 normal college students were randomly assigned to be "prisoners" or "guards" in a mock prison located in the basement of the psychology building at Stanford. The two week planned study into the psychological impact of prison life ended only after 6 days due to emotional trauma being experienced by the participants. Are the following statements true, false or not given? 1.The participants in the study were all psychology students. 2.They were given the choice of playing the role of prisoner or guard. 3.A real prison was used in the experiment. 4.The study aimed to investigate the mental and behavioural effects of life in prison. Feel free to share your answers in the "comments" area below. Note: "prevailing concept of fairness" means that fairness was accepted as the most important concept/idea. We talk about a "prevailing wind" = the main direction of the wind. A prevailing view has the same idea i.e. the main/most common view among people in a society or group. 73 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 4. Read the text below about Issac Newton. Sir Isaac Newton was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian. His Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Latin for "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"; usually called the Principia), published in 1687, is one of the most important scientific books ever written. It lays the groundwork for most of classical mechanics. Newton is considered by many scholars and members of the general public to be one of the most influential people in human history. French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange often said that Newton was the greatest genius who ever lived. Newton himself had been rather more modest of his own achievements, famously writing in a letter to Robert Hooke in February 1676: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Are the following statements TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN? 1. Newton's Principia is recognised as a groundbreaking text in its field. 2. Many experts regard Newton as the greatest genius the world has seen. 3. Newton wrote that he had achieved everything without the help of others. 5. Read the following text about photosynthesis in plants. Although some of the steps in photosynthesis are still not completely understood, the overall photosynthetic equation has been known since the 1800s. Jan van Helmont began the research of the process in the mid-1600s when he carefully measured the mass of the soil used by a plant and the mass of the plant as it grew. After noticing that the soil mass changed very little, he hypothesised that the mass of the growing plant must come from the water, the only substance he added to the potted plant. His hypothesis was partially accurate—much of the gained mass also comes from carbon dioxide as well as water. In 1796, Jean Senebier, a Swiss pastor, botanist, and naturalist, demonstrated that green plants consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen under the influence of light. Soon afterwards, Nicolas-Théodore de Saussure showed that the increase in mass of the plant as it grows could not be due only to uptake of CO2, but also to the incorporation of water. 74 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 According to the text, are the following statements true, false or not given? 1.We now fully understand the process of photosynthesis. 2.Van Helmont's hypothesis did not take into account that plants consume carbon dioxide. 3.De Saussure demonstrated that both carbon dioxide and water contribute to an increase in mass in plants as they grow. 6. Read the text below about the Stanford marshmallow experiment. The Stanford marshmallow experiment was a study on deferred gratification. The experiment was conducted in 1972 by psychologist Walter Mischel of Stanford University. It has been repeated many times since, and the original study at Stanford is regarded as one of the most successful experiments in the study of human behaviour. In the study, a marshmallow was offered to each child. If the child could resist eating the marshmallow, he was promised two instead of one. The scientists analysed how long each child resisted the temptation of eating the marshmallow, and whether or not doing so had an effect on their future success. The results provided researchers with great insight on the psychology of self control. Are the following statements true, false or not given? 1.When repeated by other researchers, the experiment was less successful. 2.Children were offered a second marshmallow if they managed not to eat the first one. 3. Scientists found a correlation between resisting temptation and future success. 7. Read the following passage from a text about linguistics. Before the twentieth century, the term "philology" was commonly used to refer to the science of language, which was then predominantly historical in focus. However, this focus has shifted and the term "philology" is now generally used for the "study of a language's grammar, history and literary tradition", especially in the United States. The term "linguistics" is now the usual academic term in English for the scientific study of language. Linguistics concerns itself with describing and explaining the nature of human language. Relevant to this are the questions of what is universal to language, how language can vary, and how human beings come to know languages. Humans achieve competence in whatever language is spoken around them when growing up, with apparently little need for explicit conscious instruction. Linguists assume that the ability to acquire and use language is an innate, biologically-based potential of human beings, similar to the ability to walk. It is generally agreed that there are no strong genetic 75 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 differences underlying the differences between languages: an individual will acquire whatever language(s) he or she is exposed to as a child, regardless of parentage or ethnic origin. According to the text, are the following statements true, false or not given? 1. Up until the 1900s, the science of language was usually referred to as 'philology'. 2. In order to learn a language, children need a significant amount of instruction. 3. Research has shown that humans have an inbuilt capacity for language learning. 8. Read the following passage from a newspaper article about ‘green tourism’. A) Interested in making your holiday greener and more sustainable, ensuring that local people get a fair cut of the money you've handed over, and that no rivers are being dried up or forests felled to accommodate your trip? Congratulations – for being in a well-meaning minority. B) A recent survey by the travel trade body, Abta, found that just 20 per cent of travel agents have ever been asked for such holidays or asked questions about sustainability, though they did report a "feeling" that interest in sustainability was growing. Despite apocalyptic warnings about climate change, water scarcity, pollution, and peak oil, there isn't exactly a stampede to the travel industry's door demanding it play its part. C) "The industry feels there isn't a huge demand out there," says Sue Hurdle, chief executive of the independent charity The Travel Foundation. "They don't have a lot of people banging on the door asking for greener holidays." D) Others are more specific, such as Professor Harold Goodwin, of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT), an independent academic research centre. "There is a big shift in values and approach – it's not just travel, it's a general consumer trend," he says. "If you're worried about where your pork comes from at home, why wouldn't you worry about that when on holiday?" E) For those of us who are bothered, working out when the travel industry is doing its bit, and when it isn't, and separating good operators from charlatans peddling greenwash, is a bewildering and frustrating experience. England alone usually has around 20 certification schemes or logos on the go at any one time, split into two categories: awards, where hotels and operators are judged independently; and certification schemes, where they generally pay to be included. It also helps to know what the industry is aiming for. We're not talking about genuine eco-tourism – which remains a niche and narrow market – but on what the industry prefers to call "sustainable", or "responsible" tourism. F) "Many people make the mistake of thinking that when anyone describes a business or activity as being 'green' that they are environmentally friendly," says Jason Freezer, destinations manager 76 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 for Visit England. "Being green, sustainable, or responsible is about ensuring economic viability, social inclusion and contributing to the natural environment. A sustainable business is doing its most to enhance its own success financially, while contributing to the local economy and minimising or negating the damage it might do to its environment or community." (from The Independent, 9th October 2011) Answer the following questions TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN. 1) Travel agents report that few people express an interest in sustainability. 2) In England, certification schemes make it easy for consumers to judge whether or not hotels and operators are ‘green’. 3) Sustainable businesses are more successful financially than businesses that are not environmentally friendly. 9. Read the following text about last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is making Americans think more about a clean energy future – but not yet to the extent of having to pay for it, or to tackle climate change, one of the leading US thinkers on global warming policy said yesterday. US citizens are "horrified" by the pollution in the Gulf of Mexico, and are starting to think more about cleaner energy sources such as wind and wave power, said Eileen Clausen, president of America's foremost climate think-tank, the Washington-based Pew Center on Global Climate Change. However, she said, when consumers are asked by pollsters if they would be willing to pay more for such a future, they say no, and say the government should pay. Furthermore, Ms Clausen said, the Gulf disaster was giving US energy policy "a nudge rather than a shift" in the direction of clean energy, but it would probably not be enough to bring forward legislation to curb carbon emissions, at least for the present. (The Independent, 21.6.10) Are the following statements true, false or not given according to the text? 1. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the result of a human error. 2. US citizens accept that they will need to pay for a clean energy future. 3. In spite of the disaster, the government is unlikely to introduce laws to reduce carbon emissions. 77 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 10. Read the following text and answer true, false or not given. The killer whale, commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. As a species they have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as sea lions, seals, walruses and even large whales. Killer whales are regarded as apex predators, lacking natural predators and preying on even large sharks. Killer whales are highly social; some populations are composed of family groups which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviors, which are often specific to a particular group and passed across generations, have been described as manifestations of culture. 1. Killer whales are predominantly found in cold water areas. 2. Some killer whale groups only eat fish. 3. They may even eat large sharks. 4. Killer whales are able to pass on skills to their young. 11. Read the following text about the printing press: From a single point of origin, Mainz, Germany, printing spread within several decades to over two hundred cities in a dozen European countries. By 1500, printing presses in operation throughout Western Europe had already produced more than twenty million volumes. In the 16th century, with presses spreading further afield, their output rose tenfold to an estimated 150 to 200 million copies. The operation of a press became so synonymous with the enterprise of printing that it lent its name to an entire new branch of media, the press. 78 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 In Renaissance Europe, the arrival of mechanical movable type printing introduced the era of mass communication which permanently altered the structure of society. The relatively unrestricted circulation of information and ideas transcended borders and threatened the power of political and religious authorities. The sharp increase in literacy broke the monopoly of the literate elite on education and learning and bolstered the emerging middle class. Answer TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN: 1.By the beginning of the 16th century, the printing press was in use in several different countries. 2.The printing press was popular because it was so easy to operate. 3.Movable type printing can be linked to a rise in the number of people who could read and write. 4.Printing had a negative effect on the middle classes. 12. More practice The following exercise comes from Cambridge IELTS 5, page 43. Here are the questions with the relevant part of the text below each one. Study the questions and the text sentences carefully. Decide whether the statements are true, false or not given. 1. Arthur Koestler considered laughter biologically important in several ways. ∙ Arthur Koestler dubbed it the luxury reflex: 'unique in that it serves no apparent biological purpose'. 2. Plato believed humour to be a sign of above-average intelligence. ∙ Plato expressed the idea that humour is simply a delighted feeling of superiority over others. 3. Kant believed that a joke involves the controlled release of nervous energy. ∙ Kant felt that joke-telling relies on building up a psychic tension which is safely punctured. 4. Current thinking on humour has largely ignored Aristotle's view on the subject. 79 IELTS READING 2016 BY NGOC BACH PART 1 ∙ Most modern humour theorists have settled on some version of Aristotle's belief. 5. Graeme Richie's work links jokes to artificial intelligence. ∙ Graeme Richie studies the linguistic structure of jokes in order to understand not only humour but language understanding and reasoning in machines. 6. Most comedians use personal situations as a source of humour. ∙ A comedian will present a situation followed by an unexpected interpretation. 7. Chimpanzees make particular noises when they are playing. ∙ Chimpanzees have a 'play-face' - a gaping expression accompanied by a panting 'ah, ah' noise. Note cho bài trên: How to do 'T, F, NG' questions Question 1 - False The question says that "laughter is biologically important" but the passage says that laughter "serves no biological purpose". As you can see, the answer is false because the passage says the opposite to what the question says. Question 5 - True The question says that "Graeme Richie's work links jokes to artificial intelligence" and the passage says that "Graeme Richie studies... jokes in order to understand... reasoning in machines". There is definitely a link between his study of jokes and 'machine intelligence'. Question 6 - Not Given The answer to question 6 is 'not given' because the passage doesn't mention anything about comedians using personal situations. We know that comedians use situations in their jokes, but we do not know whether these situations are personal. These 3 questions illustrate the difference between 'true', 'false' and 'not given'. - True = part of the passage expresses the same idea as the question. - False = the passage expresses the opposite or a different idea. 80