IELTS READING PRACTICE

Question type: True/False/Not given

Reading 1:
Mau Piailug, ocean navigator
Mau sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti using traditional methods. In early 1976, Mau Piailug, a
fisherman, led an expedition in which he sailed a traditional Polynesian boat across 2,500
miles of ocean from Hawaii to Tahiti. The Polynesiar Voyaging Society had organized the
expedition. Its purpose was to find out if seafarers in the distant past could have found their
way from one island to the other without navigational instruments, or whether the islands had
been populated by accident. At the time, Mau was the only man alive who knew how to
navigate just by observing the stars, the wind and the sea. He had never before sailed to
Tahiti, which was a long way to the south. However, he understood how the wind and the
sea behave around islands, so he was confident he could find his way. The voyage took him
and his crew a month to complete and he did it without a compass or charts.
His grandfather began the task of teaching him how to navigate when he was still a baby. He
showed him pools of water on the beach to teach him how the behavior of the waves and
wind changed in different places. Later, Mau used a circle of stones to memorize the
positions of the stars. Each stone was laid out in the sand to represent a star.
The voyage proved that Hawaii's first inhabitants came in small boats and navigated by
reading the sea and the stars. Mau himself became a keen teacher, passing on his
traditional secrets to people of other cultures so that his knowledge would not be lost. He
explained the positions of the stars to his students, but he allowed them to write things down
because he knew they would never be able to remember everything as he had done.
Question 1-7
Now decide if the statements above are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN according to
information in the passage. Choose:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1 At the time of his voyage, Mau had unique navigational skills. ………
2 Mau was familiar with the sea around Tahiti. ………
3 Mau thought it would be difficult to use a compass and charts. ………
4 Mau's grandfather was his only teacher. ………
5 Mau used stones to learn where each star was situated in the sky. ………
6 The first inhabitants of Hawaii could read and write. ………
7 Mau expected his students to memorize the positions of the stars. ………

Reading 2:
Out of the Wild, into Our Homes
Many of the earth's creatures die because of choices humans make. These choices have
nothing to do with food or shelter or anything else that helps humans survive. What kills
these millions of animals from all over the world is human greed - the desire for money.
People use parts of animals for everything from hats to handbags, from ornamental jewelry
and ashtrays to powders that supposedly improve a person's life. Declaring a species
endangered and protecting it by laws is not always enough. Poachers, people who kill
wildlife illegally, rarely get caught.
During the late 1980s, saving elephants became a popular cause. Wildlife protection groups
made sure everyone saw pictures or films of elephants with their faces sawed off for their
ivory tusks. These groups also proved that certain populations of elephants were dwindling.
As a result, most people stopped buying objects made of ivory. Laws against poaching were
strengthened. Many countries made bringing ivory in from other countries illegal. Killing
elephants for their ivory became more risky and less profitable.
However, concern for a certain species tends to fade after a while. In the late 1970s, people
protested against the slaughter of seal pups. Everyone was shocked at the sight of pups
being clubbed to death in their icy habitat. The brutality came to a halt. But ten years later,
the number of seal pups killed was higher than ever.
Other animal protection movements have come and gone, such as saving the whales and
protecting dolphins from the tuna fishermen. The whale population appears to have
increased for now. And the laws are finally changing in the United States to protect the
dolphins that swim with tuna fish in parts of the Pacific Ocean.
In the 2010s, the protests and the publicity will probably turn to some other endangered
species. Plenty of them urgently need attention. During this time, will the elephants be
forgotten?
Question 1-8
Refer to the reading passage and look at the following statements. Write
TRUE if the statement is true;
FALSE if the statement is false;
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage.
1 Many of the animals on Earth die because humans have to survive
2 It is normally enough when an animal species is declared endangered and protected by
laws.
3 People who kill animals illegally often get away without being caught.
4 Wildlife protection groups proved that the number of some elephant species is decreasing.
5 Poachers are severely punished if they kill endangered species such as elephants.
6 In the late 1980s, people killed more seal pups than they did in the late 1970s
7 The whale population is finally increasing because of stricter laws.
8 In the 2010s, people may not be so concerned about elephants as before.

Reading 3:
What is Happening to Our Planet?
Sometimes humans kill animals indirectly. Few places on the planet are untouched by
humans. The ever-increasing human population needs more space. Industries use more and
more of the Earth's natural resources. The result: in less than one hundred years, as many
as two hundred known species of birds and mammals have vanished.
How? Many natural habitats are disappearing. The Earth's rainforests are being destroyed
along with their inhabitants. Toxic wastes, air pollution, and radiation take terrible tolls on
wildlife. Changes in the planet's ozone layer and in its climate threaten all animals, including
humans.
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter asked for an official study of the environment. What, he
asked, would our planet be like in the year 2000 if present trends continue? This study was
done by several U.S.government departments at the direction of Dr. Gerald Barney.
Published in 1980, the Global 2000 Report to the President provided startling warnings and
predictions about the fate of the Earth if we do not make changes in the way we treat it.
The report predicted, among other things, that ‘between half a million and 2 million species -
15 to 20 percent of all species on earth - could be extinguished by the year 2000’. It warned
of more hardship for the Earth's human inhabitants as well- more starvation, for example.
This report strongly urged the government to take immediate action. It gave
recommendations for change. But by the time the study was completed, Ronald Reagan had
been elected the president and his administration ignored the report.
The 1980s were not a good decade for the environment. It is likely that the global report now
would be even bleaker than the one published after the 1970s. Many environmentalists
wonder if we can stop the destruction of our planet before it is too late. When, they ask, will
humans realize that they are not meant to be masters of the Earth, only one of its guests?
Question 1-7
Refer to the reading passage and look at the following statements. Write
TRUE if the statement is true;
FALSE if the statement is false;
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage.
1 The increase of human population and the needs of industries result in the death of lots of
birds and mammals.
2 In 1977, President Jimmy Carter believed that the present trends would continue
3 According to the report, more than 2 million species on earth would disappear by 2000.
4 Ronald Reagan was elected president after the study was completed.
5 It is possible that it will be too late when we stop the destruction of the Earth.
6 Environmentalists don't think that humans are masters of the Earth.

Reading 4:
What is Stress?
Most people would say they know what stress is. But for scientists who study stress, it has
been surprisingly hard to define. This is because there are so many ways of looking at
stress.
Some researchers have studied how our bodies react to stress. You know how your heart
beats faster, you perspire more heavily, and your words do not come out right when you are
placed in a stressful situation. But knowing how we feel when we experience stress does not
explain it; nor does it tell us what causes it.
Other scientists have looked at stressors: events or situations that produce stress. A
deadline, a poor test performance, or bothersome noises all may be thought of as stressors.
Even pleasant events can be stressors. Planning a party or starting a new job can be just as
stressful as being called to the principal's office.
Stress, then, can be caused by both negative and positive events, or stressors. Of course,
whether an event is thought of as positive or negative is, in some ways, a matter of personal
choice.
In sum, it is the way people interpret an event that makes it stressful or not stressful. This
process of interpretation is called appraisal. Depending on how people appraise, or judge,
circumstances, they may or may not consider them stressful.
What, specifically, causes people to appraise a situation 25 stressful? The answer depends
on how much of a threat or challenge it appears to be. Circumstances that bring a threat or
challenge to a person's sense of well-being produce stress. Those that do not threaten or
challenge us are not stressful.
Looking at stress this way gives us a general definition of the concept of stress: Stress is a
response to circumstances that seem threatening or challenging.
The circumstances that cause stress vary from one person to another. It all depends on how
we appraise circumstances. In addition, the things that cause us stress today may not cause
us stress at another time. And the opposite is true: things that once caused no stress may
now be stressful.

Question 1-7
Refer to the reading passage and look at the following statements. Write
TRUE if the statement is true;
FALSE if the statement is false;
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage.
1 Knowing our feelings about stress can explain what causes the stress.
2 Bothersome noises are more likely to cause stress than a poor test performance
3 Negative events cause more stress than positive ones do.
4 Sometimes whether an event is negative or not is based on a personal decision
5 Whether an event is considered stressful may be determined by the way people interpret
it.
6 Sometimes those circumstances that are not threatening to us are also stressful.
7 An event or situation may not always be a stressor.

Reading 5:
University of Western Sydney Macarthur
About University of Western Sydney Macarthur
University of Western Sydney Macarthur has two campuses, one located in the city of
Campbelltown, the other in the city of Bankstown. Campbelltown is a city within the
southwestern suburbs of the Sydney metropolitan area, and is 50 minutes by train from the
Sydney Central Business District. Bankstown is a city within the Sydney metropolitan area,
and it is 25 minutes by train from the Sydney Central Business District.
University of Western Sydney Macarthur is a member of University of Western Sydney with
UWS Hawkesbury and UWS Nepean. Total enrolment in 2008 exceeded 27,000 including
2,000 international students. UWS Macarthur has over 10,000 students including 500
international students.
University of Western Sydney Macarthur's courses are taught through its six faculties: Arts &
Social Sciences (at Campbelltown and Bankstown); Business (at Campbelltown); Education
& Languages (mainly at Bankstown); Health (at Campbelltown and Bankstown); Informaties,
Science & Technology (at Campbelltown); and Law (at Campbelltown).
Courses Offered in 2008/2009
Courses available to international students in 2008/2009 are listed in this booklet. All
courses are full-time. Fees indicated are annual and include tuition for a standard full-time
load, and the other University charges (except for English course fees). Extra fees are
charged for repeating subjects and attempting subjects in Summer Term. Fees remain
constant for the normal duration of a programme. Some courses listed have a fourth year for
an Honors degree. Entry is on merits and application may be made by graduates of UWS
Macarthur or graduates of other institutions. You should contact Office of International
Programmes for further details on the Honors degrees available
Admission Requirements for Bachelor's Degree Courses
Admission into Bachelor's degrees usually requires satisfactory completion of the final year
of secondary education, or equivalent qualifications. Mature age students who do not meet
these requirements will still be considered on the basis of other qualifications and/or work
experience.
English Language Requirements
Applicants must have clearly demonstrated proficiency in English either by achieving, for
example, 570 in TOEFL or 6.0 in IELTS, or by providing evidence of studies in English
at a school or university which has English as the language of instruction and is
deemed satisfactory by UWS Macarthur. A higher level of English is required for some
programmes. English courses are available through the Macarthur English Language Centre
at the Campbelltown campus.
Semester & Term Dates for 2008/2009
Semester 1, 2009: March 1, 2009- June 25, 2009"
Semester 2, 2009: August 2, 2009 - November 26, 2009*
MBA 2008: September 28, 2008 - September 10, 2009*
MBA 2009: April 5, 2009 -March 18, 2010*
MBA 2009: September 27, 2009 - September 9, 2010*
*All dates are subject to final confirmation
For Further Information and Application Forms Contact:
Office of International Programmes
University of Western Sydney Macarthur
PO Box 555
Campbelltown NSW 2560
AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61246203313
Fax: +61246266677
Email: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.macarthur.uws.edu.au
Question 1-8
Refer to the reading passage and look at the following statements. Write
TRUE if the statement is true;
FALSE if the statement is false;
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage.
1 Bankstown is a small city quite close to the Sydney metropolitan area.
2 The enrollment of UWS Macarthur in 2008 exceeded that of the previous year.
3 The Faculty of Education & & Languages is mainly located at Bankstown.
4 Some of the courses listed for the international students are part-time courses
5 Charges for the summer courses are not included in the fees indicated
6 Only those who finished secondary education can be admitted into the University for
Bachelor's degree studies.
7 Applicants who have studied in schools with very good English courses do not have to
take TOEFL or IELTS
8 The date from which the MBA 2009 programme will start has been finally confirmed.

Reading 6:
All about Renting
SAFETY -It is important to all of us to feel safe and secure in our homes. First of all, your
neighbors and the building manager begin to know about your schedule, and any irregularity
would make them question any activity that was out of pattern. It is better for you to notify
your neighbors or the manager that you will be gone for a few days and ask them to pick up
your mail or paper.
A building with controlled entry systems seems the ultimate in safety, but not when residents
carelessly let anyone through the door as they enter, let anyone in who rings with a
particular reason to enter the building.
Fire protection in the form of alarm systems and many neighbors to warn you if there is a fire
in the building is extra security in an apartment building.
In addition, you should know that apartment owners carry extensive insurance on the
apartment building and property within the building or the rental unit, but not on the property
belonging to you. Burglary, damage from fire, smoke, windstorm, explosion, or other
misfortunes must be covered by you. It is recommended that you contact your insurance
agent regarding a Renter's Insurance Policy.
LEASE - A lease or rental agreement becomes your next task and could be your most
important consideration. A lease term could be for month to month, 6 months or one year.
Your rent may be more per month on a short-term lease, typically for. under 6 months. Some
buildings will require a one-year lease and some will accept or only give a 6-month lease.
When it comes to terminating your lease, you must remember that Minnesota State Law
requires that you give the building owner 30 days notice of your intent to vacate. You should
present this notice in writing and deliver it the day before your rent is due. If the owner needs
to evict a resident, he is also required to give 30 days notice in writing and deliver it the day
before the rent is due. However, the owner may require 60 days notice of termination of a
lease as stated in the rental agreement. It is important that you read your lease and
understand it before signing. It is for your protection as well as the owner and here are some
of the reasons:
1) It specifies in writing what the building owner's responsibilities are and what yours are.
2) It protects you against rent increases for the term of your lease and against being evicted
without any proper reasons.
3) It describes policies and procedures to avoid misunderstanding and problems in the
future.
4) It explains procedures for terminating your lease if the necessity arises.
If there is any part of your lease or rental agreement that you do not understand, be sure to
question it before signing. The management prefers to clear up any confusion at the start
than have an unhappy resident at some later date.
Question 1-8
Refer to the reading passage and look at the following statements. Write
TRUE if the statement is true;
FALSE if the statement is false;
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage.
1 Your neighbors and the building manager will ask you about your schedule when you
move in.
2 According to the passage, the longest term for the lease could be one year.
3 The building owner will charge double if the lease term is only for two months.
4 You can either phone to inform the building owner of your plan to move out or give him a
written notice.
5 The building owner is required by law to give the resident 60 days notice if he wants to end
the lease.
6 You can find in the rental agreement the building owner's responsibilities as well as yours
7 According to the rental agreement, the building owner cannot evict the residents without
any proper reasons.
8 You should ask before signing about any part of the lease which you do not understand.

Reading 7:
Shopping for what we need or what we want?
Over the past hundred years, shopping has grown to become one of the leading pastimes of
an increasing proportion of populations in rich and developing nations alike. Indeed, for
many - and this is not necessarily restricted to the most affluent - shopping is cited as the
number-one hobby. Changes in modern lifestyles mean that for many families, it is no
longer eating together but shopping that bonds them as a family, at least at the weekend.
The era that invented the term ‘shopaholic’ witnessed shopping, originally the necessary
process of exchanging goods or services in order to eat and chess, become acknowledged
as a serious addiction if not by all branches of medicine, at least by the general public, and
as such, it is an issue that merits serious study.
One reason for this lies in how the products we shop for are marketed. It is not simply a case
of presenting the public with a product in an eye-catching manner. Advertising works by
focusing on the promotion of our ego, the sense of ourselves that we identify with, rather
than on specific objective facts of whatever it is we buy. The ‘feel-good factor’ often
associated with purchasing items can be explained in these terms rather than price or value,
although of course everyone likes to feel that he or she has got a bargain. Companies know
that they don't sell products, they sell us lifestyles, regardless of whether they are selling a
cheap daily necessity or a special luxury item: everything from our breakfast cereals to the
cars we drive is marketed in this way. We buy a toothbrush or a pair of jeans and we actually
buy into an image of ourselves that is defined by what we have, not who we are.
Question 1–8
Look at the underlined phrases in the text and the expressions in bold in these statements,
then decide if the statements are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG).
1 Shopping has only recently become a social pleasure.
2 The interest in shopping as a way of spending time crosses social and national borders.
3 In most families, shared mealtimes have been replaced by shopping as an opportunity for
family togetherness.
4 Medical research is being conducted into the problem of excessive shopping.
5 The success of an advert relies on more than the nature and properties of the product
itself.
6 The act of buying something creates a sense of satisfaction, as long as the buyer has got
value for money.
7 It is easier to sell cheaper products than more expensive items because they don't rely on
sophisticated sales techniques.
8 Our possessions make statements about our identity.

Reading 8:
The development of market research
There have been considerable improvements to the way products and services are
marketed over the years. Much of this can be attributed to the creation of market research as
an industry, which saw its beginnings in the latter part of the 1920s in the United States with
the work of a man named Daniel Starch.
The common practice at that time was for copywriters to think up an appropriate and
perhaps catchy text to attract the attention of the buying public, publish the ad, and then
hope that readers would act upon the information provided and buy the product or service.
During the early 1930s, Daniel Starch developed the theory that in order to be effective,
advertising must be seen, read, believed, remembered and then acted upon. He went on to
develop a research company that would stop people going about their business in the
streets, asking them if they read certain publications. If they did, his researchers would show
them the magazines and ask if they recognized or remembered any of the ads found in
them. Having collected the data, he then compared the number of people he interviewed
with the circulation of the magazine to calculate how effective those ads were in reaching
their readers. Thus surveying or ‘market research’ was born.
As time went on, many more market-research companies began to emerge and followed
Starch's example. It was not long before they were working to improve on his techniques.
George Gallup, whose name is now associated with opinion polls, developed a rival system
that was known as 'aided recall', which prompted those interviewed to recall the ads seen in
a publication, without actually showing them the ads. This rival system was later adopted by
companies to measure the effectiveness of radio and television advertising.
In the late 1980s, Ronald Lindorf founded what would be one of the largest market-research
companies in the United States, Western Wats. The focus of Western Wats was to leverage
the current technology of WATS telephone lines to conduct survey research. There was no
longer a need to interview people on the streets or to organize and conduct focus groups. A
representative in a call center could collect all of the data desired. This greatly increased the
number of surveys collected each year and improved the market-research model ten-fold.
Over the last five to ten years, market research has taken another great leap forward in
terms of methods of data collection. While surveys are still employed, this is largely done via
internet connection. Western Wats (recently renamed as Opinionology) is still the largest
market-research company in the US and collects the majority of their research via their
online panel called Opinion Outpost. Rather than cold-calling an individual in the search for
data, the company has online studies that anyone interested in participating in can sign up to
receive and freely share their opinion. It is much less intrusive, and the quality of data is
often much higher, since people can participate on their own schedule, instead of being
rushed when they receive a phone call from a call center.
This use of internet technology shows how far the quest to gather public opinion has come
since the 1820s, when it is said that the first recorded straw polls - the term comes from
farmers throwing a handful of straw into the air to check which direction the wind was coming
from - were recorded. Nowadays, it seems that everyone from political parties to companies
marketing toothbrushes wants to see which way the wind of public opinion is blowing before
making a decision.
Question 1-5
Read this text, then decide whether the questions are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG).
1 Market research was developed when Daniel Starch was employed to see how effective
and memorable advertising was.
2 Methods considered appropriate for researching the effectiveness of radio and television
advertising differed from those used by Starch.
3 Western Wats introduced methods generally considered less efficient than those of Starch
and Gallup.
4 The rebranding of Western Wats as Opinionology resulted in the creation of the biggest
market-research company in the world.
5 There had been no interest in finding public opinion before the market-research industries
began their work in the last century.

Reading 9:
How an advert is created
You may love them or loathe them, but a lot of work goes into creating the advertisements
that we see, hear or read. Although they may only be 30 seconds long, or a few lines of text
and a photo, there has probably been weeks if not months of work behind the production of
the advertisement. But what is the process which leads to the production of an
advertisement? There is no one path that all advertising agencies take, but there are some
general ideas which are common to the vast majority of advertising projects.
First steps
The first stage is when the client contacts the advertising company and submits a brief,
which, by definition, is not that long. It could be that a company wants to launch a new
product. Thousands of new products are launched every year, but very few of them become
successful and are still around ten years after their launch. The company may want to
improve its market share. How many different companies are there selling cars, chocolate
bars or computer services? There are only a limited number of customers, so companies are
willing to spend a lot of money on increasing their share of the pie through advertising. The
company may simply want to remain the market leader and realize that advertising may be
the key to their success. The company could be a regular client who was satisfied with an
earlier campaign or it could be a new company who has been impressed with other
campaigns you have handled.
Research begins
Once the brief is in the hands of the advertising company, the research can begin which will
include an analysiS of the client's current products and their position in the marketplace. The
company itself is likely to be able to provide that data, but the advertising agency may need
to do further research to measure the perception of the product compared to the client's
competitors and also the kind of advertising the competition is using.
Then the company will discuss a wide range of factors about the product itself: what are the
demographics (age, sex, education, income levels, etc.) and location of the people who are
likely to use the product? It is well known that some products sell very well in some areas but
not in others. Mushy peas, for example, are very popular in the north of England, but are
rarely seen on dinner plates in the south. Seasonality is another factor which can influence
an advertising campaign. You don't see many adverts for lawn mowers in November, or
adverts for snow clearers in June for obvious reasons. Such factors need to be considered
before planning begins.
Now to the plan
Once the basic research is over, it is up to the planning team to decide how the target
audience can best be reached in the most cost-effective way. They may decide on the best
pricing structure for the company, perhaps offering the product at a lower price initially so
that people try the products. They need to decide on which media channels will be used. Is
the product something visual, so television is the best medium? Or can the product be
advertised using radio advertising, which is generally much cheaper? Companies will also
look at targeting the advertising: if the product is suitable for travelers, then they may have
advertisements in trains and at airports. If the product is likely to sell well to sportspeople,
then a poster campaign in and around sports centers might be the best way.
Another important role for the planning team is to start creating the content that will woo the
potential customers and help the company's sales skyrocket. The goal of advertisers is to
produce a slogan that people remember and use on a regular basis - promoting brand
awareness well outside the original advertisement.
Executing the plan
The creative team will then decide exactly how the message will be presented. Will the
visual material used feature a serious person in a white coat? Will it be a happy, successful
looking couple? Maybe an animated character? They also need to decide whether the
message will tell you how good the product is or how good you will feel when you use the
product. Once the advert has been created on paper, it is usually ‘farmed out’ to outside
production companies who will do the actual recording or filming with some people within the
agency tracking the whole process so that the advertisement is produced within a certain
timeframe and, very importantly, as financial penalties could otherwise be involved, within
budget.
Following up
Once the advertisements have appeared on TV or in a magazine, the advertiSing agency
follows up to make sure that the ads were shown when they were supposed to be shown
and also to see how effective the campaign was. Of course, the best measure of success is
when your clients return again and again, perhaps with happy tales of boosting sales
volumes, as they are clearly satisfied with your work. So next time you hear, read or listen to
an advertisement, spend a moment or two considering all the work which went into
producing it.
Questions 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1 Many products enter the market, but few of them survive longer than a decade.
2 There are more companies selling computer services than cars.
3 Location of likely customers is one factor that can affect how an advertising campaign is
organized.
4 Radio advertising is much cheaper than advertising through magazines and newspapers.
5 Advertising agencies usually carry out all the work themselves, from research, planning
and creating the final film, rather than using the expertise of other companies.

Reading 10:
The greatest of Victorian engineers
A In the hundred years up to 1860, the work of a small group of construction engineers
carried forward the enormous social and economic change that we associate with the
Industrial Revolution in Britain. The most important of these engineers was Isambard
Kingdom Brunel, whose work in shipping, bridge-building and railway construction, to name
just three fields, both challenged and motivated his colleagues. He was the driving force
behind a number of hugely ambitious projects, some of which resulted in works which are
still in use today.
B The son of an engineer, Brunel apprenticed with his father at an early age on the
building of the Thames Tunnel. At the age of just twenty, he became the engineer in charge
of the project. This impressive plan to bore under the Thames twice suffered major disasters
when the river broke through into the tunnel. When the second breach occurred in 1827,
Brunel was seriously injured during rescue operations and further work was halted.
C While recovering from his injuries, Brunel entered a design competition for a new
bridge over the Avon Gorge near Clifton, Bristol. The original judge of the competition was
Thomas Telford, a leading civil engineer of his day, who rejected all entries to the
competition in favor of his own design. After considerable scandal, a second contest was
held and Brunel’s design was accepted. For reasons of funding, however, exacerbated by
social unrest in Bristol, the project was abandoned in 1843 with only the towers completed.
After Brunel’s death, it was decided to begin work on it again, partly so that the bridge could
form a fitting memorial to the great engineer. Work was finally completed in 1864. Today, the
well known Clifton Suspension Bridge is a symbol of Bristol, just as the Opera House is of
Sydney. Originally intended only for horse-drawn traffic, the bridge now bears over four
million motor vehicles a year.
Question 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1 Brunel was less important than the other construction engineers in Britain during the
Industrial Revolution.
2 Brunel was less involved in railway construction than other engineering fields.
3 Brunel worked only on shipping, bridge-building and railway construction.
4 Brunel’s work was largely ignored by his colleagues.
5 All projects Brunel contributed to are still used today.
6 Brunel became an apprentice with his father at the same age as other engineers.
7 The Thames Tunnel Project was more difficult than any previous construction venture
undertaken in Britain.

Reading 11:
The trend is to get married later in life, but Andrew 6. Marshall argues that the earlier you
commit, the greater your chances of a long, happy partnership.
Over the past 35 years we have been waiting longer before settling down. According to the
Office for National Statistics, men are getting married for the first time seven years later and
women six years later. This means that the average man is aged 32 when he asks ‘Will you
marry me?’ and the average woman is 29 when she says ‘Yes’. But is this trend towards the
thirty-something marriage making us happier and more satisfied? And when it comes to the
forty-something crunch - the most common age for divorce - who is most vulnerable: those
who took the plunge early at twenty-something or the ones who waited until thirty-
something?
When couples seek my help as a marital therapist, I start by asking for the history of their
relationship. People who married in their twenties often report tough times at the beginning:
living with in-laws, financial problems or moving around the country as one partner climbed
the career ladder. Also, couples who marry relatively early can grow apart, especially when
one partner has been successful at work, traveled, met new people and grown in confidence
while the other has been home-based
However, the greatest threat to the twenty-something marriage is reaching 40 and
wondering if the grass could be greener elsewhere. This is particularly dangerous when
someone who married his or her first love starts fantasizing about what he or she has
missed. The temptation to have an affair can be overwhelming and very damaging. By
contrast, the thirty-something marriage seems to sidestep these problems. At this age
people are more established in careers and can start a relationship on a firm financial
footing. They have a clearer idea of who they are and what they need from a relationship.
When these couples reach their forties, they are less likely to be nostalgic or curious about
the single life.
Yet, when faced with forty-something couples in crisis, I always feel more optimistic about
the outcome for those who married in their twenties than those who married in their thirties.
Why should this be? lf you marry later, you are more likely to bring old baggage into your
relationship. In some cases, I help couples to unravel the influence of someone from maybe
two or three relationships back. For example, to someone who once had a suspicious
partner forever quizzing them about their movements - an innocent inquiry such as ‘What
time will you be back?’ can sound aggressive.
Another problem of marrying later is higher expectations. This is because one of the best
ways of recovering from a failed relationship and starting to look again is to tell yourself: ‘I
deserve better’, or ‘Next time I’ll meet Mr or Miss Right’. There is nothing wrong with this
strategy. But unfortunately, if the next relationship does not deliver, the bitterness becomes
that bit greater and the desire for perfection that bit stronger.
The final issue about getting married at thirty-something, particularly your late thirties, is the
need to start a family almost immediately. Many couples have no time to get to know each
other properly or put down solid roots together. If a relationship has been built on long
weekend lie-ins and brunches, the demands of small children can be a shock. This sense of
isolation is worse if the grandparents are correspondingly older, too, and not fit enough to
help.
Although the ultimate deciding factor for the success of a relationship is the character
determination and generosity of each partner (and that is not determined by age), my advice
is always to seize the day and commit.
Question 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1 On average, women marry men who are older than them.
2 Married couples in their forties are more likely to divorce than others.
3 Women often stay at home while men go out to work.
4 People in their thirties usually have not made much money yet.
5 People's experiences in their previous relationships can damage their current
relationships.
6 People who marry in their thirties are pressured by their families to have children quickly.

Reading 12:
The Walking School Bus
A In recent years there has been a significant decline in the number of school children
who walk to school each day, compared with previous generations. In an attempt to alter this
trend, a healthy and environmentally-conscious movement called the walking school bus has
been developed and promoted in some school districts. The main goal is to have students
walk to school, under the guidance of adults, and thus enjoy the benefits of physical activity.
B On a walking school bus, a ‘driver’ (adult) calls at specific stops along a set route to
collect ‘passengers’ (children) and they walk together to school. At the end of the school day,
all of the walking school bus riders and drivers congregate at a designated school location
and begin the walking journey to each passenger's home, simply reversing their earlier
route. It has been suggested that, for safety purposes, a driver should be at the front of the
bus and a conductor should walk at the rear (Kearns, Collins and Neuwelt, 2003). Families
can depend on the consistency of the walking school bus, which operates to a regular
timetable, regardless of the weather.
C The walking school bus d concept originated in 1998 in St.Albans, England, as a
result of parental concerns over speeding vehicles and children's safety. The idea spread
through Britain and was adopted quickly in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Because of
the social and physical benefits of the walking school bus, the number of such programs has
continued to grow in these locations. In the United States, however, walking school bus
programs have not caught on as quickly. Hopefully the number of such programs there will
multiply as people recognize their numerous advantages.
D Perhaps the greatest advantage of the walking school bus is the health benefits of
regular physical exercise. With the rise of childhood obesity, this is a significant factor
Studies show that approximately 14 per cent of young people are not physically active
(Nelson 2004) while approximately 10 percent of children aged 2 to 6, and 15 percent of
children aged 6 to 19 in the United States are considered overweight (Ogden, Flegal, Carol
and Johnson, 2002). The implementation of the walking school bus may support efforts to
reduce these substantial percentages.
E The 15 to 20-minute walk each morning and afternoon also provides children with
time to socialize before and after their school day. Sarah, a 2 nd grader, was asked whether or
not she enjoyed ‘riding the bus’ each morning and afternoon and she responded, ‘The best
part about the bus is that I get to talk to my friends’. Having the opportunities to chat with
friends was a recurring theme among those children interviewed.
F Furthermore, as increasing numbers of children participate in the walking bus
program, fewer parents are driving their children to and from school, which improves the
quality of the urban environment by reducing traffic congestion and pollution in the area. The
school authorities in Auckland, New Zealand, analyzed traffic problems outside an
elementary school before and after implementation of the walking bus and it was reported
that there were on average 19.5 fewer cars during drop off and pick up times.
G Finally, the walking school bus helps create a positive school image in the local
community. In addition to providing children with physical exercise, safety and socialization,
the image of young learners walking to and from school affects those who witness it. From
dog walkers to car drivers, members of the entire community enjoy watching ‘the bus’ go by,
and may be reminded of their own personal school experiences. The program is now a
feature in many cities and can be seen as part of a broader international movement to
encourage childhood health and improve the environment.
Question 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1 Fewer children today walk to school than in the past.
2 The walking school bus does not run when it is raining.
3 The idea of the walking school bus comes from the US.
4 One of the advantages of the walking school bus is that it doesn't cost any money.
5 The walking bus proved popular in Australia.

Reading 13:
1 The marketing industry has spent billions of dollars scientifically perfecting ways to appeal
to shoppers’ primitive brain responses of instinct and emotion so chat they buy products
which their reasoning higher brain knows that they don't need or particularly want. The good
news is that much of this research can be turned on its head, enabling us to control our
instincts and spend less.
2 To take a simple example: pausing briefly between choosing something and taking it to the
checkout can dramatically increase the chance of resisting the urge to explain how sales
campaigns may work by buying, according to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Wendy Liu, of the University of California, Los Angeles, ran four tests where she interrupted
people’s purchasing. She found that a break in the buying process changed their priorities.
Before the interruption, shoppers focused on whether the object they desired was a bargain,
whereas after the interruption, they returned with a far more objective higher-brined view,
which questioned whether they really wanted the item at all.
3 The need to cool off our consumer brains is reinforced by Gregory Berns, a neuroscientist
at Emory University, Adanta, Georgia. His brain scan studies show how the feel good
chemical dopamine is released in waves as shoppers see product and consider buying it.
However, it is only the anticipation, rather than the buying, that releases the chemical. Once
an item has been purchased, the chemical high dissipates the fact, with practice, it is
possible to stimulate the dopamine release merely by window-shopping, without making any
purchase.
4 Another area of enquiry has been methods of payment. Four studies on 330 people in the
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied confirm the suspicion that it's much easier to
spend money in the form of a credit card. The New York University-led report concludes that
we regard anything but hard cash as ‘play money’ and that real currency is the only thing
that gives you the ‘pain of paying’. Credit cards might not only anesthetize retail pain, they
may also create a physical craving to get the dopamine high from spending, according to
Professor Drazen Prelec, a psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He
cautions that when you see and touch the plastic it is just like smelling biscuits baking when
you are hungry. You feel compelled to spend in order to satisfy the craving.
5 Researchers have also looked at the phenomenon of designer brands. These have proved
highly effective at persuading people to spend more money on ‘special’ goods which are
actually only of average quality. Such brands are painstakingly developed to encourage
people to identify with them, to believe, in effect, that their favorite labels have exactly the
same human values as they do. A study in the Journal of Advertising Research, which
investigated this area, reveals how our primitive brains are built to relate to other relating
attaches to inanimate objects too.
6 One aspect of shopping psychology studied by Jennifer Argo, an associate professor of
marketing at Alberta University, arose from personal experience. Argo realized that
whenever she went shopping with a friend, she changed her habits, choosing costlier foods
and clothes. She subsequently employed mystery shoppers to stand by a rack of batteries,
and found that their mere presence made the battery buyers pick the most expensive brand.
If no one was there, they chose cheaply. The result, published in the Journal of Consumer
Research, was consistent in three separate studies. ‘We will spend more money in order to
maintain our self image in front of other people’, she says. One answer, according to a
separate study, may be to shop with relatives: apparently we buy fewer things when
accompanied by family members.
7 A final point of potential interest is that we are more liable to spend when in financial
difficulty: under stress we can feel driven hoard, according to a study of students in
Behavioural Research Therapy. This residual instinct can help to explain how sales
campaigns may work by collectively preying on our deepest insecurities - you're not good
enough, no one likes you.
8 The fact is that we need to look wider, the global neighborhood, remembering that about
half of humanity lives on less than $2 a day according to the UN. statistics. Meanwhile, a fifth
of the Earth's people buy nearly 90 percent of all the consumer goods. ‘Satisficing’, a term
originally from the social sciences, is the sensible alternative to maximizing. When you are
satisfied, you don't let an impossible search for the perfect opinion destroy your enjoyment of
the merely satisfactory. We have an opportunity to decide that life in the developed world
today, with its unprecedented levels of healthcare, comfort and personal safety, is probably
as good as it will get, and there is no need to try buying any more contentment. We just need
to convince our primitive brains of this.
Question 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1 Shoppers' first concern when buying something is whether it is good value or not.
2 Wendy Liu holds the position of Assistant Professor of Marketing.
3 After buying a product, the level of dopamine in the body increases rapidly.
4 The 'pain of paying' is likely to be experienced when using a credit card.
5 People with more than one credit card are more likely to get into debt.

Reading 14:

Use it or lose it: keeping the brain young

1 You hear the same complaint all the time as people get older: ‘My memory is terrible’. Is it
all in the mind, or do real changes take place in the brain with age to justify such grumbling?
The depressing answer is that the brain’s cells, the neurons, die and decline in efficiency
with age.
2 Professor Arthur Shimamura, of the University of California at Berkeley. says there are
three main ways in which mental function changes. The first is mental speed, for example
how quickly you can react to fast-moving incidents on the road. Drivers in their late teens
react quickly but tend to drive too fast, while the over sixties are more cautious but react
more slowly. The near-inevitable slowing with age also partly explains why soccer players
are seen as old in their thirties, while golf professionals are still in their prime at that age.
This type of mental slowing results from a reduction in the efficiency with which the brain's
neurons work.
3 The fact that adults find it harder to learn musical instruments than children points to a
second type of mental loss with age - a reduction in learning capacity. The parts of the brain
known as the temporal lobes control new learning, and are particularly vulnerable to the
effects of aging.
This means that, as we get older, we take longer to learn a new language, are slower to
master new routines and technologies at work, and we have to rely more on diaries and
other mental aids.
4 ‘Working memory’ is the third brain system which is vulnerable to the effects of aging.
Working memory is the brain’s ‘blackboard’, where we juggle from moment to moment the
things we have to keep in mind when solving problems, planning tasks and generally
organizing our day-to-day life. Absent-mindedness occurs at all ages because of
imperfections in the working memory system - so, for instance, you may continually lose
your glasses, or find yourself walking into a room of your house only to find that you cannot
remember what you came for.
5 Such absent-mindedness tends to creep up on us as we age and occurs because our
plans and intentions, which are chalked up on the mental blackboard, are easily wiped out
by stray thoughts and other distractions. Stress and preoccupation can also cause such
absent-mindedness, in addition to age-related changes in the brain. The frontal lobes of the
brain - located behind the forehead and above the eyes - are where the working memory
system is located. Like the temporal lobes, which handle new learning, the frontal lobes are
more vulnerable to the aging process than other parts of the brain.
6 The news, however, is not all bleak. Although neurons reduce in number with age, the
remaining neurons send out new and longer connecting fibers (dendrites) to maintain
connections and allow us to function reasonably well with only relatively small drops in
ability.
7 This and other evidence suggests that the principle ‘use it or lose it’ might apply to the
aging brain. Professor Shimamura studied a group of university professors who were still
intellectually active, and compared their performance on neuropsychological tests with that
of others of their age group, as well as with younger people. He found that on several tests
of memory, the mentally active professors in their sixties and early seventies were superior
to their contemporaries, and as good as the younger people.
8 Research on animals provides even stronger evidence of the effects of stimulation on the
brain structure. Professor Bryan Kolb, of the University of Lethbridge in Canada, has shown
that animals kept in stimulating environments show sprouting and lengthening of the
connecting nerve fibers in their brains, in comparison with animals kept in unstimulating
environments.
9 The beneficial effects of continued mental activity are shown by the fact that older
contestants in quiz shows are just as fast and accurate in responding to general knowledge
questions as younger competitors, suggesting that at least part of their intellectual apparatus
is spared of the effects of aging because of practice and skill.
10 Such findings lead to the intriguing possibility of ‘mental fitness training’ to accompany
jogging and workouts for the health conscious. Research in Stockholm by Professor Lars
Backman and his colleagues has shown that older people can be trained to use their
memory better, with the effects of this training lasting several years.
11 Just as people go bald or grey at different rates, so the same is true for their mental
faculties. Why this should be the case for memory and other mental functions is not yet
clear, but physical factors play a part. If Professor Shimamura is right, then the degree to
which people use and stretch their mental faculties may also have a role to play.
Question 1-4
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1 Absent-mindedness is not necessarily a sign of aging.
2 Research indicates that physical training can help to improve memory.
3 Taking part in quizzes is the best way to stimulate the brain.
4 Scientists now understand why people's mental faculties decline at different rates.

Reading 15:
Americans, returning from months-long flights on Mir, the Russian space station, also paid
the price, suffering losses in weight, muscle mass and bone density. NASA geared up to see
how - even if - humans would survive the demands of space ventures, 2 missions to Mars.
most which could last up to three years. ‘We don't even know if a broken bone will heal in
space’, said Daniel Goldin. NASA's administrator. To get answers, in 1997 Goldin
established the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). a consortium of
experts from a dozen leading universities and research institutes. NSBRI will study
biomedical problems and by a given date will present NASA with a ‘go’ or ‘no go’
recommendation on a Mars mission.
Jeffrey Sutton, leader of the medical systems team at the NSBRI, has treated the head
trauma, wounds, kidney stones and heart rhythm irregularities that one could encounter on
the way to Mars. On the spacecraft he envisions, Mars-bound in the year, say. 2018, there
may lurk harmful bacteria or carbon monoxide. No problem. The deadly substances will be
detected by smart sensor microprocessors no bigger than a thumbnail - that roam
autonomously through the spacecraft, communicating their finds to a computer that warns
the crew.
To cope with infection, Sutton plans a factory to make drugs, even new ones, to cope with
possible organisms on Mars. Miniature optical and ultrasound devices will image the body
and brain, while a small X-ray machine keeps track of any bone loss. Smart sensors
embedded in clothing will monitor an astronaut's vital functions. The crew will be able to craft
body parts, Sutton says, precisely tooled to an astronaut's personal anatomy and genome
stored in computer memory. Researchers are building artificial liver. bone and cartilage
tissue right now.
Lying in wait beyond the Earth's atmosphere, solar radiation poses additional problems.
Coronal mass ejections fling billions of tons of electrically charged gas into space, relegating
Earth's volcanic eruptions to mere hiccups. Nevertheless, NASA officials are confident that
accurate monitoring will warn astronauts of such events, allowing the crew to take refuge in
an area where polyethylene shielding will absorb the radiation.
A second kind of radiation, cosmic rays from the Milky Way or other galaxies, is a more
serious threat - possessing too much energy. too much speed for shielding to be effective.
‘There's no way you can avoid them’, says Francis Cucinotta, manager of NASA's Johnson
Space Centre. ‘They pass through tissue. striking cells and leaving them unstable, mutilated
or dead. Understanding their biological effects is a priority’.
Another major concern is the psychological health of astronauts. And there's a new stressor
on a three-year Mars Mission - people, other members of the crew. NASA found that the
stresses of isolation and confinement can be brought on rapidly simply by giving people few
tasks. Mir astronaut Andrew Thomas described how six astronauts were confined in a 12-
foot square room for a week. ‘If you give them little to do, stress can be achieved in a couple
of days’, says Thomas, Will NSBRI meet Daniel Goldin's deadline for a decision on Mars?
‘Yes, we will, perhaps even before. We're very confident’, says Laurence Young, the director
of NSBRI. Meanwhile, some of NSBRI's research may bear fruit on Earth. The institute has
made one discovery that promises to save many people at risk of sudden cardiac death,
usually brought on by a heart-rhythm disturbance called ventricular fibrillation. This kills
225,000 people in the US each year.
Richard Cohen, head of the NSBRI cardiovascular team explained that zero gravity may -
emphasizing ‘may’ incite this condition in astronauts. So the team invented a non-invasive
diagnostic device that measures extremely tiny changes in heart rhythm. The team found
that the device can be used as part of a standard stress test to identify patients at risk. Then
pacemaker-like devices can be implanted to regulate the rhythm anomalies. ‘This technology
has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives’, says Cohen, ‘NASA can be proud’.
Such discoveries are no accident, says Michael E.DeBakey, a cardiovascular surgeon who
has saved many hearts himself. ‘The key word is research. When I was a medical student
and a patient came to the hospital with a heart attack, things were mostly a matter of
chance. Today there's a better than 95 percent chance of surviving. Now that all comes from
research. The unfortunate thing is that there are people, even some scientists, who look at
the money that goes to NASA and say we could use that money to support our work. That's
very short-sighted. The more research that's done in any area of science, the better off
everyone is going to be’.
Question 1-4
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1 Everyone who travels in space suffers from feelings of motion sickness initially
2 Astronauts are likely to increase in height while in space.
3 It's important for astronauts to exercise in order to keep their muscles fit.
4 Scientists have found a way of protecting astronauts from solar radiation.
5 If astronauts are given tasks to do, they quickly begin to suffer from stress.
Reading 16:
Demolishing Stereotypes
In a study titled Male and Female Drivers: How different are they? Professor Frank McKenna
of the University of Reading looked at the accident risk between men and women. He found
that men drive faster, commit more driving violations, and are more inclined to drink and
drive. They look for thrills behind the wheel, while women seek independence. And, although
anecdotal evidence might suggest otherwise, women are not starting to drive as
aggressively as men.
The question of whether, as drivers, women differ from men is important, because it could
affect insurance premiums, which are closely geared to accident statistics.
Despite the increase in women drivers, McKenna's researchers found no evidence that this
is changing accident patterns. It seems that age is far more important than gender in the car.
It is the biggest single factor in accident patterns, and, while inexperienced new drivers of
both sexes are more likely to be involved, confirm that young men drive less safely than any
other group.
The survey shows that men and women aged 17 to 2520 are most likely to be involved in
bent accidents men almost twice as often - but the difference decreases as drivers mature.
Nearly half of all accidents involving young men and one-third of those involving young
women take place when it is dark. Again, there is a steady decrease In such accidents as
drivers grow older, but gender differences remain significant until drivers reach the age of
55.
Although there is little difference between men and 35 women in the distance they keep from
the car in front, there are differences across age groups. Young drivers show less regard for
the danger of following more closely, and young men are likely to ‘close the gap’ as an
aggressive signal to the driver in front to speed up or get out of the way.
Men consistently choose higher speeds than women of the same age and driving
experience. ‘This could be because men seek a thrill when they drive’, says McKenna.
‘Speed choice is one of the most important causes of accidents. But breaking the speed
limits is regarded by men as a minor offense’.
Contrary to public belief, young drivers, as a group, are more likely to avoid drinking alcohol
if they are driving, while men in the 30 to 50 age group admitted to drinking the most alcohol
before driving.
Men are most likely to nod off, probably because they are willing to drive for longer periods
without a break - driver fatigue is another important factor in accidents.
According to Andrew Howard, the Automobile Association, ‘We have to combat the group
that speeds for thrills. The key is how men are brought up to look at the car. It is this which
needs to be addressed’.
Question 1-4
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1 There is a common belief that women are becoming more aggressive drivers.
2 The results of the study may influence the cost of motor insurance
3 Young women are most likely to have accidents when driving at night
4 Men do not consider it very serious to exceed the speed limit.
5 Women are more prone to accidents at junctions than men.