Tuesday, December 27, 2016

IELTS Materials and Resources, Get IELTS Tips, Tricks & Practice Test

IELTS Materials and Resources, Get IELTS Tips, Tricks & Practice Test


Malicious – Word Of The Day For IELTS

Posted: 27 Dec 2016 05:07 AM PST

Malicious – Word Of The Day For IELTS Speaking And Writing

Malicious: (Adjective) /məˈlɪʃəs/

Definition:

very unkind and cruel, and deliberately behaving in a way that is likely to upset or hurt someone

Synonyms: 

Unkind, Mean, Nasty

Collocations:

With noun: malicious damage/ falsehood/ gossip

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:.
“The possibility of malicious damage should be considered, i.e. computer hacking and viruses.”
“The action for malicious falsehood is much less favourable to plaintiffs than defamation.”
“Jotan’s daughter, the sister of Jehan, was the source of as much malicious gossip as he was himself”

For IELTS Writing:
“One of the major flaws in the existing system is that the prosecutor has immunity from law suits claiming malicious prosecution.”

Exercise:

Match the word below to complete these sentences.

heartfelt, jubilant, cagey, heatproof, heinous, malicious

  1. He gets very ……………… whenever I ask him about his job.
  2. People are still …………………………….. because they are miserable.
  3. She expressed her …………….. thanks to all those who had helped and supported her.
  4. Place in a …………….. dish and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.
  5. The fans were in …………………. mood after the victory
  6. For agents, the new concern is that the ………………. activity may be directed at them

Answer keys:

  1. cagey
  2. malicious
  3. heartfelt
  4. heatproof
  5. jubilant
  6. heinous

Check out Vocabulary for IELTS Speaking & Writing on IELTS Material website to improve your vocabulary for IELTS and get a high score in IELTS.

IELTS Listening Practice Test 118 with Answers

Posted: 27 Dec 2016 04:06 AM PST

TASK I

SECTION 1 Questions 1-10

Questions 1-4
Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
1. How many people are Cindy and Bob planning the picnic for?
2. On which date will the picnic be held?
3. What is the total budget for food and drink per person?
4. Which food does Bob specifically say is unsuitable?

Questions 5-8

Complete the following notes about the three catering companies Bob and Cindy discuss.
Paris Kitchen
lack of variety of food
poor quality 5__________________
Company Caterers
expenflve
6 __________________ discount for groups of 30 or more
Celebrations
new company
only 7_____________ for picnics
8 _____________dishes
offers free samples

Questions 9-10
Answer the questions using only a date or a telephone number.
1. When will Bob and Cindy go to Celebrations?
2. What is Celebrations" telephone number?

 

SECTION 2 Questions 11-20

Questions 11-12
Complete the notes on the Citizens Advice Bureau using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each gap.
3. _______________ a solicitor
suggest where you can find free legal advice
inform you whether you can get 12______________ to cover legal costs

Questions 13-14

Complete the notes on the police using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap
don’t be aggressive
do not try to bribe police officers
ask plain-clothes police officers for 13._____________
give your true name and address if asked
do not sign anything without a solicitor's 14._____________
you can make one telephone call

Questions 15-16
Complete the following notes on. illegal actions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap.
The following three things are illegal:
the possession of 15._____________
the possession or 16.____________ of drugs disorderly conduct

Questions 17-20
Decide which FOUR of the following statements are true, according to the speaker. Write the appropriate letters in any order on your answer sheet.
A. It is socially acceptable to drink a lot of alcohol.
B. People often arrange to meet in bars.
C. Drinking non-alcoholic drinks in bars is socially acceptable.
D. You can drink a little and still drive a car.
E. You can drink in public.
F. Doctors can give patients otherwise illegal drugs.
G. You must be over 18 to buy alcohol.
H. Many people use illegal drugs.

SECTION 3 Questions 21-30

Questions 21-25
Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap
21. Melissa’s first tip is _______________
22. Simona says that a presenter should not ______________
23. David explains that PCP means ____________
24. David says PCP will ___________ and promote retention.
25. Carlos offers a general piece of advice for public speaking, which is _____________
Questions 26-30
Identify which speaker is being referred to in each statement. Write the corresponding letter on your answer sheet.
A. Carlos B. David
C. Melissa D. Simona
26. He/She thinks an overhead projector is usually needed.
27. He/She mentions that jokes can be useful in context.
28. He/She mentions that the question and answer part is very important.
29. He/She says that finishing early might be a good idea.
30. He/She says that you should drink enough.

SECTION 4 Questions 31-40

Questions 31-33
Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN ONE WORD OR A DATE for each answer.
31. Which metal were the Celts using at the beginning of the first millennium B.C.?
32. When did excavation at Hallstatt begin?
33. When were Celtic remains near La Tene uncovered?
Questions 34-37
Answer the following questions about Hallstatt culture using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR AN NUMBER for each answer.
34. How many periods of Hallstatt culture were there?
35. Which two items were traded over long distances at the beginning of the Hallstatt period?
36. Where were settlements built during the Hallstatt C period?
37. What led to a stratified society?

Questions 38-40
Complete the following sentences about La Téne culture using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap.
38. Celtic ____________ took place during the La Téne period.
39. After 400 B.C., the La Téne culture __________________
40. Weapons and everyday items can be found in La Tene ____________ across Europe.

 

TASK II: GAP-FILLING

SECTION 1
Cindy: So, Bob, how many people have said that they’re coming on the […………………………….]?
Bob: Well, Cindy, we’ve got 35 […………………………….]and another 10 probable.
Cindy: Shall we say 50?
Bob: T think so. And we’ve […………………………….]the date for…?
Cindy: 26th. The last Sunday in August.
Bob: Great! I hope the weather is good.
Cindy: Should be. Now, we have to decide where to order the food from and what kind of things we want.
Bob: Right. What’s our budget?
Cindy: We decided to go for […………………………….]a head for food and £5 a head for drinks.
Bob: OK. I got some […………………………….]from caterers. What do you think?
Cindy: The most important thing is to make sure there's a […………………………….]of food. We don't want people […………………………….]that they don’t like anything.
Bob: We also don’t want food that could […………………………….]in the sun-ice cream, that kind of thing.
Cindy: You’ve seen these pamphlets. What do you think?
Bob: Well, I thought Paris Kitchen looked good. The price almost exactly meets our […………………………….]and they seem to have a good variety.
Cindy: I don’t know. A friend of mine used them for her company and wasn’t […………………………….].
Bob: Really? What exactly didn't she like?
Cindy: Well, the food… she said the food was good, but not quite the variety they’d […………………………….]. The drinks included some wine, which was […………………………….]not very good.
Bob: Oh. Well, perhaps we need to consider this one… er … Company Caterers.
Cindy: Looks a bit […………………………….]. Mind you, I’ve heard that they are very good.
Bob: Let me check the price. … Yes … £12 a head for food. That's more than our budget. Do you think we could get a […………………………….]?
Cindy: Let's see if it says anything in the pamphlet. … Yes, they do offer a discount for groups of more than 30. … 10% … does that help us?
Bob: 10% off £12 … It’s still more than we […………………………….]for.
Cindy: Hey, look at this one. Celebrations.
Bob: It’s a new company. I asked a few people about them, but no-one has any ideas.
Cindy: Well, let’s see. […………………………….]a head for food and […………………………….] a head for drinks. That's fine. What kind of food do they have? It says here that they just provide […………………………….]for picnics. Wrell, that’s OK. … And they include […………………………….]dishes…. We do have some vegetarian to take into […………………………….].
Bob: Well, it looks good to me. The only problem is their lack of experience. I mean, it's a bit of a risk, isn't it?
Cindy: Yes. If the food is no good, we’ll look […………………………….].
Bob: Ah, look here. It says that we can visit their […………………………….]and try some of the dishes they offer.
Cindy: You mean we might get a free lunch? Shall we call them and arrange to go and see them?
Bob: OK. Which day? How about tomorrow?
Cindy: No. We’ve got that meeting. The day after tomorrow. […………………………….].
Bob: Good. Time?
Cindy: 11?
Bob: Good. Right, what’s their phone number? […………………………….]. We also need to ask them whether they can deliver straight to the picnic site, don’t we?
Cindy: Yes. I don’t think that’ll be a problem, though. I mean, it’s on the […………………………….]of the city, but it’s not too far away. Does the price include […………………………….]?
Bob: It doesn’t say, but the other companies include it, so they should. If they don’t., our budget still allows us to pay a small fee.

SECTION 2
Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Sally Miller and I’m here to offer you some […………………………….]on legal matters whilst you are studying at this university. Happily, most […………………………….]students complete their […………………………….]without running into any serious legal problems, but if you do find yourself […………………………….]in a legal dispute of any kind, ask for help. There are two options. First, contact the students’ […………………………….]or welfare officer. Even if they cannot help you directly, they should be able to advise you where to go for help. The second […………………………….]is to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau in your area. You can find them in the local telephone […………………………….]. They will be able to recommend a […………………………….]if you need one, and tell you if there is a local law centre providing free […………………………….]. They will also be able to tell vou whether you can claim legal aid to help pay for any court and legal fees.
Let me give you some basic information about the police. The police have the power to stop and search anyone who […………………………….]to be behaving in a […………………………….]manner. If you are arrested for any reason, even if you know it to be a wrong reason, remember a few very important things. One, don’t be […………………………….]. Two, do not try to bribe the police officer. Three, if vou are […………………………….]by plain-clothes police officers, ask to see some form of […………………………….], Four, give your true name and address if the officer asks you to. Lying to the police is a […………………………….]offence. Five, do not sign any statement until vou have […………………………….]advice from a […………………………….]. There is always a solicitor on duty at every police station. Six, you will be entitled to make one telephone call. If you use this call to telephone a friend, urge your friend to contact someone from your university or from the students’ union and get advice about what you should do next.
If you find yourself in […………………………….]with the police, it is very important to get […………………………….]advice. Contact any of the following: your university welfare officer, the students’ union at your university, your local Citizens Advice Bureau, a local law centre. If you are found guilty of an offence, it could […………………………….]damage your position as an international student, so be sure to ask for help as early in the […………………………….]as possible.
Remember: obey the local laws! The laws here may not be quite the same as in your own country. Here are a few examples of actions that are […………………………….]here. It is against the law to: […………………………….]offensive […………………………….]e.g. knives, guns, chemical sprays used for personal […………………………….]even women are not allowed to carry […………………………….]or other deterrents to protect themselves against possible […………………………….]except for rape alarms, possess or supply hard or soft drugs, […………………………….]the peace — this is called “disorderly conduct”. This means that you can be […………………………….]for being too noisy or rowdy.
A few words about drinking. In this country, it is perfectly […………………………….]for adults to drink alcohol in […………………………….]amounts. For many people, chinking is an established part of their social life – “going out for a drink” is how they relax or spend time with friends. If you go to a party or visit people at home in the evening, your host will […………………………….]offer you a chink. Often a lot of university social life can revolve around […………………………….], especially for […………………………….]. Do not be […………………………….]if people arrange to meet in a bar or if events ai'e held in a pub. But you are not […………………………….]to drink alcohol if you do not want to even if you are in a pub or at a party where everyone else is chinking. You can always ask for a […………………………….]drink instead. And if you feel uncomfortable going to places that serve […………………………….], explain this to your friends there are lots of other places where you can meet. If you do choose to drink, remember that you should never drive a motor vehicle after drinking alcohol — it, is dangerous and the police can […………………………….]serious […………………………….]on you. Also remember that being drunk in public is not […………………………….]either, and the police can arrest you for it.
[…………………………….]and alcohol can cause serious problems. Let me repeat that in this country, it is […………………………….]to use drugs, except under medical […………………………….]. But, if you do use illegal drugs and you develop a problem, there are […………………………….]you can contact. Contact your students’ union or your student […………………………….]. Anyone over 18 years old can legally buy and […………………………….]alcoholic drinks in this country, but if you think you might be diinking too much, get help and advice from your student […………………………….]or your doctor. Again, there are […………………………….]organisations that can help you with drug ancl alcohol problems. Contact them.

SECTION 3
Carlos: OK, everyone. Let's look at what […………………………….]tips we have come up with for our next seminar. Melissa?
Melissa: OK, here’s my first tip. Show up early. Some […………………………….]presenters say that something good is […………………………….]to happen! I’m not sure about that, but…
David: Well,… you may have a chance to head off some […………………………….]problem. Also, at the beginning, before you actually begin your presentation, people […………………………….]in slowly. It’s a great time to introduce yourself.
Melissa: Can’t argue with that! Simona had some ideas about opening.
Simona: Have a strong opening. I picked up a few ideas for […………………………….]your opening. First, never […………………………….]. If you're worried the presentation won't go well, keep it to yourself and give it your best shot. Besides, people are usually too […………………………….]with their own problems to notice yours.
Carlos: I like that!
Simona: Open by addressing the following three questions: What’s the problem? Who cares? What’s your solution?
Carlos: Excellent […………………………….]! David? You’ve gone quiet!
David: Well, mv next suggestion is PGP. That means that with every […………………………….], vou should move from the Particular to the General and back to the […………………………….]. Even though the […………………………….]of a subtopic is to convey the general information, bracing it with particulars is a good way to draw attention and promote […………………………….].
Melissa: I’ve got another one. This might not be a tip so much as a law.
Give everyone at least one piece of paper. A piece of paper is a record from your presentation. People can use that to help recall the details of the presentation, or better yet to tell others about it.
Carlos: The next tip that I have is know your […………………………….]. This is, of course, a general piece of advice for public speaking. See if you can find out what styles of information presentation they are most […………………………….]and […………………………….]with. Adapting your presentation to those styles will leave fewer barriers to the direct communication of your […………………………….].
Simona: I like that idea. We mentioned possible technical problems before.
My next point is that maybe speakers should […………………………….]the overhead projector. Is one really necessary?
David: 1 think that often it is. but I agree with your basic point, Simona.
Don’t use one just because it’s there. Maybe a good tip is to consider carefully what you are putting on your […………………………….].
Simona: Yes, David, that’s a very good point to make. Slide content is …
well, you don’t want too much … too little. Carlos?
Carlos: Good points, both of you. Another point I have is […………………………….]the audience. Don't condescend by “dumbing down” your lecture. Show them respect by saying what you […………………………….]and what you know to be the whole story.
Melissa: I also have a point about […………………………….]. I think that humour is generally good, but be careful with it. Humour in a presentation works best when it actually drives the presentation forward. If you find you’re using […………………………….]that don’t depend on the context, of the presentation, […………………………….]them David?
David: Maybe, Melissa, but always be very careful about jokes that. put.
down a class of people. If you’re going to […………………………….]your audience, do it on the […………………………….]of your content.
Simona: Also, avoid masculine-or even […………………………….]as universal. It can be a nuisance to half the audience. As universal, use the plural “they”. The Oxford English Dictionary has allowed “they" as a gender […………………………….]singular pronoun for years.
Carlos: Thanks, Simona. Thinking towards the end. Take care with questions. Many people […………………………….]the quality of vour talk not by the twenty minutes of presentation, but on the thirty seconds you spend answering their question. Be sure to allow long pauses for questions. Ten seconds may seem like a long pause when you’re at the front of the room, but. it flows […………………………….]from the audience’s point of view.
Simona: Let people know you believe your material. Speak with […………………………….].
Believing your subject, matter is one of the best ways to speak more effectively!
Melissa: Finish early, and something good is almost bound to happen. If nothing else, people will be able to leave early, and […………………………….]they'll have an extra couple of minutes to do things they didn’t think they’d get to. People will really like you if you do that.
David: I think we have […………………………….]a key point. Practice! Practice over and over and over. If you can, record your presentation. Play it back and watch yourself. You’ll […………………………….]a thousand […………………………….]things you never knew about yourself. Now watch it again without the sound. Why are your hands flying around like that? Now listen to it without the picture. Get rid of those urns! Now watch it at twice the normal speed. This […………………………….]low frequency cycles in your gestures.
Carlos: David, those were excellent points! I have one more. Something quite simple, but often overlooked. 1 read that the two most […………………………….]things you can do in modern […………………………….]are live presentations and air travel. I don’t know if it’s really true, but the […………………………….]is that, the wav to stay sharp is to drink lots of water. Take care of your body, especially your voice. If possible, avoid […………………………….]too.
Melissa: So, we’ve got to organise these points now…
SECTION 4
Welcome to this introductory lecture on the Celts. Who were the Celts? The Celts were an Indo-[…………………………….]group, that is, related linguistically to the Greeks, the Germanic peoples, certain Italic groups and peoples of the Indian […………………………….]. They arose in central Europe at the beginning of the first […………………………….]B.C. and were an iron using and horse rearing peoples. By the end of the first millennium B.C. their cultural group had spread up and down the Danube and Rhine, taking in Gaul, Ireland and Britain, […………………………….]central Europe, into northern Italy and northern Spain. Their roaming across Europe led some of the Celtic […………………………….]to sack Rome in 390 B.C. creating a fear of the northern […………………………….]that was to haunt Romans for hundreds of years to come.
The Celts are defined […………………………….]by the type-sites of Hallstatt and La Tene, the former being taken to relate to an earlier phase of cultural […………………………….]. Hallstatt, an ancient salt mining area, was […………………………….]from 1876 onwards by the Viennese Academy of Sciences and provided the first classification of the […………………………….]Celts. In 1858, the waters of Lake Neuchatel in […………………………….]sunk to a low level, revealing a large […………………………….]settlement with a huge number of surviving […………………………….]. The nearby town of La Tene gave its name to the second phase of Celtic cultural development. However, please note that these phases […………………………….]through time, and are defined according to geographical area. Let’s look at each of these, taking the Hallstatt first.
Hallstatt culture is […………………………….]in 4 stages. A & B were during the late Bronze Age, from about […………………………….]; C was in the Early Iron Age, from about 700-600 BC; D was from about 600 to 475 BC. The Hallstatt culture […………………………….]central Europe, with its centre in the area around Hallstatt in Central Austria. There were two […………………………….]cultural zones – the eastern and the western. At the start of the period, long distance trade was already well […………………………….]in copper and tin – the basic requirements for manufacture of […………………………….]. From about 700 BC, trade in iron also became established. The Hallstatt area also already controlled the trade in salt, […………………………….]when there were few other means to […………………………….]food. Control of these two crucial trade goods—iron and salt—provided the basis for the […………………………….]of wealth and influence. From 800 BC, some burials of rich people can be identified, in central Europe, with grave goods such as wheeled wagons and iron […………………………….].
Hallstatt C saw the construction of fortified hilltop […………………………….]to the North of the Alps. These had […………………………….]mounds holding very high quality goods, such as vehicles and expensive […………………………….]treasures. By the time of the Hallstatt D period, these increasingly extravagant burial mounds were […………………………….]around a few major hill forts to the southwest of the region. This suggests a development and a concentration of wealth and social power, possibly based on the development of Massilia (present-day Marseilles) as a Greek trading port. The […………………………….]of luxury trade brought greater […………………………….]for profit and helped to create an increasingly […………………………….]society, with the development of a wealthy […………………………….]. Over the period from 1846 to 1863, a thousand […………………………….]were found at Hallstatt, with an astonishing range of artefacts, including clothing and salt mining equipment as well as […………………………….], jewellery, pottery and imported bronze […………………………….]in the “chieftains'” graves.
The La Tene era was the time of Celtic […………………………….]and […………………………….]and the time of formation of the myths, The La Tene culture is named after the site in Switzerland where it was first discovered. The La Tene people were those known to the Romans as Gaids. Originally found in an area from Eastern France to […………………………….], the La Tene culture spread rapidly from about 400 BC. The La Tene Celts settled in Spain in […………………………….], in Northern Italy in 400 BC, invaded Rome in 390 BC, […………………………….]Greece in […………………………….], invaded Galatia (in modern Turkey) in 270 BC. By 200 BC, they […………………………….]the lands that are now Britain, the Netherlands, Brittany, Belgium, Germany and […………………………….].
There is much debate over how much of the […………………………….]into Britain was achieved through invasion and settlement and how much was the expression of cultural transfer that […………………………….]trade and reflected the commonality of kinship and language of many tribes. There is little evidence for actual […………………………….]of La Tene people into Britain. Nevertheless, it does appear that the La Tene culture was more […………………………….]than the Hallstatt one. The La Tene graves across Europe hold iron weapons – swords and spearheads – and wooden.shields, as well as everyday items such as razors, yokes, […………………………….]and […………………………….].

 

ANSWER KEY

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IELTS Reading Actual Test 4 in 2016 with Answer Key

Posted: 27 Dec 2016 03:32 AM PST

SECTION 1

Organic farming and chemical fertilisers

A
The world’s population continues to climb. And despite the rise of high-tech agriculture, 800 millionpeople don’t get enough to eat. Clearly it’s time to rethink the food we eat and where it comes from. Feeding 9 billion people will take more than the same old farming practices, especially if we want to do it without felling rainforests and planting every last scrap of prairie. Finding food for all those people will tax predicting farmers’—and researchers’—ingenuity to the limit. Yet already, precious aquifers that provide irrigation water for some of the world’s most productive farmlands are drying up or filling with seawater, and arable land in China is eroding to create vast dust storms that redden sunsets as far away as North America. “Agriculture must become the solution to environmental problems in 50 years. If we don’t have systems that make the environment better~not just hold the fort-then we’re in trouble,” says Kenneth Cassman, an agronomist at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. That view was echoed in January by the Curry report, a government panel that surveyed the future of farming and food in Britain.

B
It’s easy to say agriculture has to do better, but what should this friendly farming of the future look like? Concerned consumers come up short at this point, facing what appears to be an ever-widening ideological divide. In one corner are the techno-optimists who put their faith in genetically modified crops, improved agrochemicals and computer-enhanced machinery; in the other are advocates of organic farming, who reject artificial chemicals and embrace back-to-nature techniques such as composting. Both sides cite plausible science to back their claims to the moral high ground, and both bring enough passion to the debate for many people to come away thinking we’re faced with a stark choice between two mutually incompatible options.

C
Not so. If you take off the ideological blinkers and simply ask how the world can produce the food it needs with the least environmental cost, a new middle way opens. The key is sustainability: whatever we do must not destroy the capital of soil and water we need to keep on producing. Like today’s organic farming, the intelligent farming of the future should pay much more attention to the health of its soil and the ecosystem it’s part of. But intelligent farming should also make shrewd and locally appropriate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The most crucial ingredient in this new style of agriculture is not chemicals but information about what’s happening in each field and how to respond. Yet ironically, this key element may be the most neglected today.

D
Clearly, organic farming has all the warm, fuzzy sentiment on its side. An approach that eschews synthetic chemicals surely runs no risk of poisoning land and water. And its emphasis on building up natural ecosystems seems to be good for everyone. Perhaps these easy assumptions explain why sales of organic food across Europe are increasing by at least 50 per cent per year.

E
Going organic sounds idyllic-but it’s naive, too. Organic agriculture has its own suite of environmental costs, which can be worse than those of conventional farming, especially if it were to become the world norm. But more fundamentally, the organic versus-chemical debate focuses on the wrong question. The issue isn’t what you put into a farm, but what you get out of it, both in terms of crop yields and pollutants, and what condition the farm is in when you’re done.

F
Take chemical fertilisers, which deliver nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient, to crops along with some phosphorus and potassium. It is a mantra of organic farming that these fertilisers are unwholesome, and plant nutrients must come from natural sources. But in fact the main environmental damage done by chemical fertilisers as opposed to any other kind is through greenhouse gases-carbon dioxide from the fossil fuels used in their synthesis and nitrogen oxides released by their degradation. Excess nitrogen from chemical fertilisers can pollute groundwater, but so can excess nitrogen from organic manures.

G
On the other hand, relying solely on chemical fertilisers to provide soil nutrients without doing other things to build healthy soil is damaging. Organic farmers don’t use chemical fertilisers, so they are very good at building soil fertility by working crop residues and manure into the soil, rotating with legumes that fix atmospheric nitrogen, and other techniques.

H
This generates vital soil nutrients and also creates a soil that is richer in organic matter, so it retains nutrients better and is hospitable to the crop’s roots and creatures such as earthworms that help maintain soil fertility. Such soil also holds water better and therefore makes more efficient use of both rainfall and irrigation water. And organic matter ties up C02 in the soil, helping to offset emissions from burning fossil fuels and reduce global warming.

I
Advocates of organic farming like to point out that fields managed in this way can produce yields just as high as fields juiced up with synthetic fertilisers. For example, Bill Liebhardt, research manager at the Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pennsylvania recently compiled the results of such comparisons for corn, wheat, soybeans and tomatoes in the US and found that the organic fields averaged between 94 and 100 per cent of the yields of nearby conventional crops.

J
But this optimistic picture tells only half the story. Farmers can’t grow such crops every year if they want to maintain or build soil nutrients without synthetic fertilisers. They need to alternate with soil-building crops such as pasture grasses and legumes such as alfalfa. So in the long term, the yield of staple grains such as wheat, rice and com must go down. This is the biggest cost of organic farming. Vaclav Smil of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, estimates that if farmers worldwide gave up the 80 million tonnes of synthetic fertiliser they now use each year, total grain production would fall by at least half. Either farmers would have to double the amount of land they cultivate- at catastrophic cost to natural habitat –or billions of people would starve.

K
That doesn’t mean farmers couldn’t get by with less fertilizer. Technologically advanced farmers in wealthy countries, for instance, can now monitor their yields hectare by hectare, or even more finely, throughout a huge field. They can then target their fertiliser to the parts of the field where it will do the most good, instead of responding to average conditions. This increases yield and decreases fertiliser use. Eventually, farmers may -incorporate long-term weather forecasts into their planning as well, so that they can cut back on fertiliser use when the weather is likely to make harvests poor anyway, says Ron Olson, an agronomist with CargillFertilizer in Tampa, Florida.

L
Organic techniques certainly have their benefits, especially for poor farmers. But stric”organic agriculture”, which prohibits certain technologies and allows others, isn’t always better for the environment. Take herbicides, for example. These can leach into waterways and poison both wildlife and people. Just last month, researchers led by Tyrone Hayes at the University of California at Berkeley found that even low concentrations of atrazine, the most commonly used weedkiller in the US, can prevent frog tadpoles from developing properly.

Questions 1 – 4
Use the information in the passage to match the people (listed A-D) with opinions or deeds below. Write the appropriate letters A-D in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
A Vaclav Smil
B Bill Liebhardt
C Kenneth Cassman
D Ron Olson
1 Use of chemical fertilizer can be optimised by combining weather information.
2 Organic framing yield is nearly equal to traditional ones.
3 Better agricultural setting is a significant key to solve environmental tough nut.
4 Substantial production loss would happen in case all farmers shifted from using synthetic fertiliser.

Questions 5 – 9
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1 In boxes 5-9 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
5 Increasing population, draining irrigation, eroding farmland push agricultural industry to extremity.
6 There are only two options for farmers; they use chemical fertiliser or natural approach.
7 Chemical fertilizer currently are more expensive than the natural fertilisers.
8 In order to keep nutrient in the soil, organic farmers need to rotate planting method.
9 “organic agriculture” is the way that environment-damaging technologies are all strictly forbidden.

Questions 10-13
Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage, using no more than two words from the Reading Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet.
Several 10 …………………… approaches need to be applied in order that global population wouldn’t go starved. A team called 11…………………… repeated the viewpoint of a scholar by a survey in British farming. More and more European farmers believe in 12……………………farming these years. The argument of organic against 13……………………seems in an inaccurate direction.

SECTION 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 1 on the following pages.

The Pearl

A
Throughout history, pearls have held a unique presence within the wealthy and powerful. For instance, the pearl was the favored gem of the wealthy during the Roman Empire. This gift from the sea had been brought back from the orient by the Roman conquests. Roman women wore pearls to bed so they could be reminded of their wealth immediately upon waking up. Before jewelers learned to cut gems, the pearl was of greater value than the diamond. In the Orient and Persia Empire, pearls were ground into powders to cure anything from heart disease to epilepsy, with possible aphrodisiac uses as well. Pearls were once considered an exclusive privilege for royalty. A law in 1612 drawn up by the Duke of Saxony prohibited the wearing of pearls by nobility, professors, doctors or their wives in an effort to further distinguish royal appearance. American Indians also used freshwater pearls from the Mississippi River as decorations and jewelry.

B
There are essentially three types of pearls: natural, cultured and imitation. A natural pearl (often called an Oriental pearl) forms when an irritant, such as a piece of sand, works its way into a particular species of oyster, mussel, or clam. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk secretes a fluid to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed.

C
The only difference natural pearls and cultured pearls is that the irritant is a surgically implanted bead or piece of shell called Mother of Pearl. Often, these shells are ground oyster shells that are worth significant amounts of money in their own right as irritant-catalysts for quality pearls. The resulting core is, therefore, much larger than in a natural pearl. Yet, as long as there are enough layers of nacre (the secreted fluid covering the irritant) to result in a beautiful, gem-quality pearl, the size of the nucleus is of no consequence to beauty or durability.

D
Pearls can come from either salt or freshwater sources. Typically, saltwater pearls tend to be higher quality, although there are several types of freshwater pearls that are considered high in quality as well. Freshwater pearls tend to be very irregular in shape, with a puffed rice appearance the most prevalent. Nevertheless, it is each individual pearls merits that determines value more than the source of the pearl. Saltwater pearl oysters are usually cultivated in protected lagoons or volcanic atolls. However, most freshwater cultured pearls sold today come from China. Cultured pearls are the response of the shell to a tissue implant. A tiny piece of mantle tissue from a donor shell is transplanted into a recipient shell. This graft will form a pearl sac and the tissue will precipitate calcium carbonate into this pocket. There are a number of options for producing cultured pearls: use freshwater or seawater shells, transplant the graft into the mantle or into the gonad, add a spherical bead or do it non-beaded. The majority of saltwater cultured pearls are grown with beads.

E
Regardless of the method used to acquire a pearl, the process usually takes several years. Mussels must reach a mature age, which can take up to 3 years, and then be implanted or naturally receive an irritant. Once the irritant is in place, it can take up to another 3 years for the pearl to reach its full size. Often, the irritant may be rejected, the pearl will be terrifically misshapen, or the oyster may simply die from disease or countless other complications. By the end of a 5 to 10 year cycle, only 50% of the oysters will have survived. And of the pearls produced, only approximately 5% are of substantial quality for top jewelry makers. From the outset, a pearl farmer can figure on spending over $100 for every oyster that is farmed, of which many will produce nothing or die.

F
Imitation pearls are a different story altogether. In most cases, a glass bead is dipped into a solution made from fish scales. This coating is thin and may eventually wear off. One can usually tell an imitation by biting on it. Fake pearls glide across your teeth, while the layers of nacre on real pearls feel gritty. The Island of Mallorca (in Spain) is known for its imitation pearl industry. Quality natural pearls are very rare jewels. The actual value of a natural pearl is determined in the same way as it would be for other “precious” gems. The valuation factors include size, shape, and color, quality of surface, orient and luster. In general, cultured pearls are less valuable than natural pearls, whereas imitation pearls almost have no value. One way that jewelers can determine whether a pearl is cultured or natural is to have a gem lab perform an x-ray of the pearl. If the x-ray reveals a nucleus, the pearl is likely a bead-nucleated saltwater pearl. If no nucleus is present, but irregular and small dark inner spots indicating a cavity are visible, combined with concentric rings of organic substance, the pearl is likely a cultured freshwater. Cultured freshwater pearls can often be confused for natural pearls which present as homogeneous pictures which continuously darken toward the surface of the pearl. Natural pearls will often show larger cavities where organic matter has dried out and decomposed. Although imitation pearls look the part, they do not have the same weight or smoothness as real pearls, and their luster will also dim greatly. Among cultured pearls, Akoya pearls from Japan are some of the most lustrous. A good quality necklace of 40 Akoya pearls measuring 7mm in diameter sells for about $1,500, while a super- high quality strand sells for about $4,500. Size on the other hand, has to do with the age of the oyster that created the pearl (the more mature oysters produce larger pearls) and the location in which the pearl was cultured. The South Sea waters of Australia tend to produce the larger pearls; probably because the water along the coast line is supplied with rich nutrients from the ocean floor. Also, the type of mussel common to the area seems to possess a predilection for producing comparatively large pearls

G
Historically, the world’s best pearls came from the Persian Gulf, especially around what is now Bahrain. The pearls of the Persian Gulf were natural created and collected by breath-hold divers. The secret to the special luster of Gulf pearls probably derived from the unique mixture of sweet and salt water around the island. Unfortunately, the natural pearl industry of the Persian Gulf ended abruptly in the early 1930’s with the discovery of large deposits of oil. Those who once dove for pearls sought prosperity in the economic boom ushered in by the oil industry. The water pollution resulting from spilled oil and indiscriminate over-fishing of oysters essentially ruined the once pristine pearl producing waters of the Gulf. Today, pearl diving is practiced only as a hobby. Still, Bahrain remains one of the foremost trading centers for high quality pearls. In fact, cultured pearls are banned from the Bahrain pearl market, in an effort to preserve the location’s heritage. Nowadays, the largest stock of natural pearls probably resides in India. Ironically, much of India's stock of natural pearls came originally from Bahrain. Unlike Bahrain, which has essentially lost its pearl resource, traditional pearl fishing is still practiced on a small scale in India.

Questions 14-17
Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs, A-G. Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
14 ancient stories around the pearl and customers
15 Difficulties in cultivating process.
16 Factors can decide the value of natural pearls.
17 Different growth mechanisms that distinguish the cultured pearls from natural ones.

Questions 18 – 23
Complete the summary below
Choose letter from A-K for each answer. Write them in boxes 5-10 on your answer sheet.
In ancient history, pearls have great importance within the rich and rulers, which was treated as gem for women in 18……………….. And pearls were even used as medicine and sex drug for people in 19……………….. There are essentially three types of pearls: natural, cultured and imitation. Most freshwater cultured pearls sold today come from China while the 20……………….. is famous for its imitation pearl industry. The country 21…………………… usually manufactures some of the glitteriest cultured ones while the nation such as 22……………….. produces the larger sized pearl due to the favorable environment along the coast line. In the past, one country of 23 ………………..  in Gulf produced the world’s best pearls. Nowadays, the maJor remaining suppliers of the natural pearls belongs to India

A America   B Ancient Rome      C Australia
D Bahrain   E China                     F Japan                G India
H Korea       I Mexico                   J Persia                K Spain

Questions 24 – 27
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage 1? In boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

24 Often cultured pearl's centre is significantly larger than in a natural pearl.
25 Cultivated cultured pearls are generally valued the same much as natural ones.
26 The size of pearls produced in Japan is usually of smaller size than those came from Australia.
27 Akoya pearls from Japan Glows more deeply than the South Sea pearls of Australia

SECTION 3

Scent of success

A
Innovation and entrepreneurship, in the right mix, can bring spectacular results and propel a business ahead of the pack. Across a diverse range of commercial successes, from the Hills Hoist clothes line to the Cochlear ear implant, it is hard to generalize beyond saying the creators tapped into something consumers could not wait to get their hands on. However, most ideas never make it to the market. Some ideas that innovators are spruiking to potential investors include new water-saving shower heads, a keyless locking system, ping-pong balls that keep pollution out of rainwater tanks, making teeth grow from stem cells inserted in the gum, and technology to stop LPG tanks from exploding. Grant Kearney, chief executive of the Innovation Xchange, which connects businesses to innovation networks, says he hears of great business ideas that he knows will never get on the market. “Ideas by themselves are absolutely useless,” he says. “An idea only becomes innovation when it is connected to the right resources and capabilities.”

B
One of Australia’s latest innovation successes stems from a lemon-scented bath-room cleaner called Shower Power, the formula for which was concocted in a factory in Yatala, Queensland. In 1995, Tom Quinn and John Heron bought a struggling cleaning products business, OzKleen, for 250,000. It was selling 100 different kinds of cleaning products, mainly in bulk. The business was in bad shape, the cleaning formulas were ineffective and environmentally harsh, and there were few regular clients. Now Shower Power is claimed to be the top-selling bathroom cleaning product in the country. In the past 12 months, almost four million bottles of OzKleen’s Power products have been sold and the company forecasts 2004 sales of 10 million bottles. The company’s, sales in2003 reached $11 million, with 700k of business being exports. In particular, Shower Power is making big inroads on the British market.
C
OzKleen's turnaround began when Quinn and Heron hired an industrial chemist to revitalize the product line. Market research showed that people were looking for a better cleaner for the bathroom, universally regarded as the hardest room in the home to clean. The company also wanted to make the product formulas more environmentally friendly One of Tom Quinn’s sons, Peter, aged 24 at the time, began working with the chemist on the formulas, looking at the potential for citrus-based cleaning products. He detested all the chlorine-based cleaning products that dominated the market. “We didn’t want to use chlorine, simple as that,” he says. “It offers bad working conditions and there’s no money in it.” Peter looked at citrus ingredients, such as orange peel, to replace the petroleum by-products in cleaners. He is credited with finding the Shower Power formula. “The head,” he says. The company is the recipe is in a vault somewhere and in my sole owner of the intellectual property.
D
To begin with, Shower Power was sold only in commercial quantities but Tom Quinn decided to sell it in 750ml bottles after the constant “raves” from customers at their retail store at Beenleigh, near Brisbane. Customers were travel- ling long distances to buy supplies. Others began writing to OzKleen to say how good Shower Power was. “We did a dummy label and went to see Woolworths,” Tom Quinn says. The Woolworths buyer took a bottle home and was able to remove a stain from her basin that had been impossible to shift. From that point on, she championed the product and OzKleen had its first super¬market order, for a palette of Shower Power worth $3000. “We were over the moon,” says OzKleen’s financial controller, Belinda McDonnell.
E
Shower Power was released in Australian supermarkets in 1997 and became the top-selling product in its category within six months. It was all hands on deck at the factory, labeling and bottling Shower Power to keep up with demand. OzKleen ditched all other products and rebuilt the business around Shower Power. This stage, recalls McDonnell, was very tough. “It was hand-to-mouth, cash flow was very difficult,” she says. OzKleen had to pay new-line fees to supermarket chains, which also squeezed margins.
F
OzKleen’s next big break came when the daughter of a Coles Myer executive 1 used the product while on holidays in Queensland and convinced her father that Shower Power should be in Coles supermarkets. Despite the product success, Peter Quinn says the company was wary of how long the sales would last and hesitate to spend money on upgrading the manufacturing process. As a result, he remembers long periods of working around the clock to keep up with orders. Small tanks were still being used so batches were small and bottles were labeled and filled manually The privately owned OzKleen relied on cash-flow to expand. “The equipment could not keep up with demand,” Peter Quinn says. Eventually a new bottling machine was bought for $50,000 in the hope of streamlining production, but he says: “We got ripped off.” Since then he has been developing a new automated bottling machine that can control the amount of foam produced in the liquid, so that bottles can be filled more effectively – “I love coming up with new ideas.” The machine is being patented.
G
Peter Quinn says OzKleen’s approach to research and development is open slather. “If I need it, I get I it. It is about doing something simple that no one else is doing. Most of these things are just sitting in front of people … it’s just seeing the opportunities.” With a tried and tested product, OzKleen is expanding overseas and developing more Power-brand household products. Tom Quinn, who previously ran a real estate agency, says: “We are competing with the same market all over the world; the (cleaning) products are sold everywhere.” Shower Power, known as Bath Power in Britain, was launched four years ago with the help of an export development grand from the Federal Government. “We wanted to do it straight away because we realized we had the same opportunities worldwide.” OzKleen is already number three in the British market, and the next stop is France. The Power range includes cleaning products for carpets, kitchens and pre-wash stain removal. The Quinn and Heron families are still involved. OzKleen has been approached with offers to buy the company, but Tom Quinn says he is happy with things as they are. “We’re having too much fun."

Questions 28-34
Reading Passage 1 has six paragraphs, A—G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-G, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
28 Description of one family member persuading another of selling cleaning products
29 An account of the cooperation of all factory staff to cope with sales increase
30 An account of the creation of the formula of Shower Power
31 An account of buying the original OzKleen company
32 Description of Shower Power’s international expansion
33 The reason of changing the packaging size of Shower Power
34 An example of some innovative ideas

Questions 35 – 38
Look at the following people and list of statements below.
Match each person with the correct statement
Write the correct letter A-E in boxes 8-11 on your answer sheet.
35 Grant Keamey
36 Tom Quinn
37 PeterQuinn
38 BelindaMcDonnell

List of Statement
A Described his story of selling his product to a chain store
B Explained there was a shortage of money when sales suddenly increased
C Believe innovations need support to succeed
D Believes new products like Shower Power may incur risks
E Says business won't succeed with innovations

Questions 39 – 40

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 12-13 on your answer sheet.
39 Tom Quinn changed the bottle size to 750ml to make Shower Power
A Easier to package.
B Appealing to individual customers.
C Popular in foreign markets.
D Attractive to supermarkets.
40 Why did Tom Quinn decide not to sell OzKleen?
A No one wanted to buy OzKleen.
B New products were being developed in OzKleen.
C He couldn’t make an agreement on the price with the buyer.
D He wanted to keep things unchanged.

 

ANSWER KEY

SECTION 1

1 D 2 B 3 C
4 A 5 YES 6 NO
7 NOT GIVEN 8 YES 3 NO
10 Farming 11 Curry 12 Natural/ organic
13 Chemical  

SECTION 2

14 A 15 E 16 F
17 C 18 B 19 J
20 K 21 F 22 C
23 D 24 TRUE 25 FALSE
26 TRUE 27 NOT GIVEN

SECTION 3

28 F 29 E 30 C
31 B 32 G 33 D
34 A 35 C 36 A
37 D 38 B 39 B
40 D  

IELTS Writing Practice Test 28 (Task 1 & 2) & Sample Answers

Posted: 26 Dec 2016 10:24 PM PST

WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The line graph below shows the average daily maximum temperatures for Auckland and Christchurch, two cities in Xew Zealand, and London and Edinburgh, two cities in the United Kingdom.

ieltsmaterial.com - ielts writing task 1

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

WRITING TASK 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this topic.

Write about the following topic:

Children nowadays watch significantly more television than those in the past, which reduces their activity levels accordingly. Why is this the case?

What measures can you suggest to encourage higher levels of activüy among children?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience.

Write at least 250 words.

SAMPLE ANSWERS

Task 1

Model Answer

The line graph shows different average daily maximum temperatures throughout the year for Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand, and London and Edinburgh, the United Kingdom.

Auckland and Christchurch both recorded wanner temperatures during January and February of approximately 24°c and 23°c respectively. The temperatures in both cities then dropped steadily, reaching a low of 15°c in Auckland in July and in August and ll°c in Christchurch in July before beginning to rise back up to just over 20°c in December.

In contrast, the data for London and Edinburgh shows a temperature slightly above 5°c during January, prior to climbing to a peak of about 23°c during July in London and approximately 18°c in Edinburgh during the same month. The temperatures for both cities then dipped to approximately 7°c and 6°c in December respectively.

Overall, the average daily maximum temperatures of the two cities in New Zealand show completely the opposite pattern to the two British citics, although British cities had lower temperatures than New Zealand on the whole, regardless of season.

(171 words)


Task 2

Model Answer

Television has become an integral feature of almost every household in the world As a result, children undoubtedly spend more time watching television than previous generations and less time being active.

There are several reasons for this phenomenon and also a number of strategies to encourage children to be more act VC. Firstly, televisions have become much more accessible through pricc reduction. Also, interesting programmes which target children, such as cartoons, have increased in number and improved in quality, which attracts a greater number of children viewers. Another reason for the increase in television viewing is related to the amount of time young people and children have these days. Often by the time they have studied a full day, they arc simply too tired to go outside and play or do sports.

However, it is still vital that children spend enough time outdoors playing and being active. One approach which could be taken to motivate young children is to take the time to do fun outdoor activities with them, such as ice-skating or going to the beach for a swim. Running children's outdoor fun groups and camps is another way to encourage young people to be active. As well as these, schools can run physical education classes as part of their curriculum to ensure the rccommcndcd levels of activity are completed each day. Finally, television programmes can build awareness and ideas for physical activities into their shows.

All in all, the reduction in the price of televisions together with high quality of children's programmes and the time children have have contributed to the problem. However, as discussed above, there arc several initiatives which could help to combat the issue of increased television viewing and decreased physical activities in today's children.

(289 words)

IELTS Listening Practice Test 117 with Answers

Posted: 26 Dec 2016 07:21 PM PST

TASK I

SECTION 1 Questions 1-10

Questions 1-6

Complete the table below.

 
Position Place Notes
1_______ Parkview Hotel Speak foreign languages

Have a valid 2_______

Include 3_______

General Assistant Lakeside Hotel Pay is low

Free 4_______

Issue a 5_____

Catering Assistant Hotel 98 Wear 6________

Night shift work Travel outside the city

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer

Complete the flow chart below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

STEP ONE

Complete a 7  _____________

STEP TWO

Do a 8   _____________about personal skills

 

STEP THREE

Participate a training course involving 9____________

STEP FOUR

Get a 10_____________ about the work

 

SECTION 2 Questions 11 -20

Questions 11-14

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

REGISTRATION OF FOREIGN NATIONALS AT THE HEALTH CENTER STANDARD PROCEDURES:

  • Register as a 11_________
  • Fill in a medical history form with details of previous illness, 12______

surgeries and 13_________ .

  • Complete a 14_________ with personal information such as name, address and telephone number.

Questions 15-20

Circle the correct letter, A, Bor C.

  1. The nurse can help you with

A minor operation.

B all sorts of remedy.

C a small injury

16.You don't have to pay for the chiropodist if

A you have registered at the health center.

B you are in your late’ sixties.

C you have foot trauma.

17.In case of emergency

A you can ask for a home visit.

B you must go to the hospital directly.

C you should have an open surgery.

18.On Friday afternoons

A you don't need to wait for a long time.

B you don't need to make an appointment.

C you ought not to come at a specified time.

19.If you require a repeat prescription

A you have to see the doctor again.

B you need a special form.

C you can get one from the chemist.

20.In which case you needn’t pay for the prescription

A if you are a student.

B if you are unemployed or very   poor.

C if you are pregnant.

 

SECTION 3 Questions 21 -30

Questions 21-23

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

  • People domesticate bees for (_______) and (_______).
  • Commercial crops such as almond, cherry,(_______), water melon, cucumber, depend on pollination.
  • Animal pollination contributes (_______) dollars a year to world agriculture.

Questions 24 and 25

Choose TWO letters, A-D.

According to the professor, what factors have affected pollinator populations?

A Parasites.

B Air pollution.

C Hunting.

D Farm chemicals.


Questions 24 and 25

What are the features of each pollinator?

A It pollinates four out of live food crops in North America.

B It has been mistaken for a similar animal.

C It feeds on the nectar of lavender.

D It has been affected by environmental alteration.

E It has been smuggling traded.

F It returns to the specific site every year.

 

Choose the correct letter, A-F.

26 Monarch butterfly

27 Indian subcontinent butterflies

28 Spectacular tropical butterflies

29 Long-nosed bat

 

Question 30

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

30 What can be done to protect pollinators?

A Beekeeping needs to focus on honey production.

B People should use more organic approach of cultivation.

C Scientists should exploit more wild plants.

 

Questions 31-35

Complete the summary below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

THE LONDON EYE

The London Eye, or 31 (_______) Wheel is an extremely large passenger-carrying Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the 32(_______) in Central London in the United Kingdom. It attracts 33(               ) people annually. Back in 2000, 34(_______) was the main sponsor. Today, the London Eye is operated by the London Eye Company Limited, a Merlin Entertainments Group Company. Standing at a height of 35(_______) is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe, and has become the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over three million people in one year.

Questions 36-40

Label the diagram below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

 

ieltsmaterial.com - ielts listening practice test.png

 

TASK II: GAP-FILLING (Transcript)

SECTION 1

Agent: Good morning. May I help you?

Student: Oh, good morning. Is this the Student Job Centre?

Agent: Oh, yes.

Student: Urn… I was wondering if […………………………….]you could tell me a bit about the job, you know, the Hotel […………………………….]Program that offers a range of work at the hotels in the area.

Agent: Of course, take a seat, please. I’ll take you through some of what we have on offer.

Student: Thank you so much. Oh, wait a second and I’ll get my pen.

Agent: OK. The first job is Reception […………………………….]at the Parkview Hotel. The Parkview Hotel has quite an […………………………….]flavour, so you’ll need to speak at least two […………………………….]languages.

Student: Sure, I can speak fluent French and Spanish, so that’s no problem.

Agent: Good. And many guests, of course, travel by car, and you may have to take their […………………………….]around to the car park, so you will need to have a valid […………………………….], and you will not be […………………………….]to do the job if you haven’t.

Student: OK, I got that.

Agent: Right. And they also say that basic computer skills such as word […………………………….]would be an advantage, although this isn’t a requirement.

Student: Well, I just got my Computer Skills […………………………….], so I have no worries about that.

Agent: This is quite a varied job, and in fact I should point out that at certain times of the day it would involve heavy lifting when guests' luggage arrives or perhaps […………………………….]come in. Is that OK for you?

Student: Well, it’s hard to say at this moment. But I’ll bear that in mind when deciding whether to apply for this post.

Agent: Sure. Another job is […………………………….]at the Lakeside Hotel. To be honest, the pay is rather low, but there are […………………………….]factors, for example, the hotel will provide you with all your meals while you’re working, and they will also train you in all the […………………………….]of the job and then issue you with a […………………………….], which, of course, could be very valuable to you in the future.

Student: Oh, that sounds great.

Agent: Now… the third job on offer is Catering Assistant at Hotel 98 smart new […………………………….]. As you know, this hotel is popular with […………………………….]travelers and so you’ll need to wear the […………………………….]staff […………………………….]– which you’re provided with. Don’t consider this job unless you’re fairly […………………………….]about when you work, as the hotel will […………………………….]you to work nights for this job, and you will need to travel to and from the hotel, as it’s situated just outside the city.

Student: Well. I’m afraid I can’t […………………………….]that because of the lectures.

Agent: OK, I get the picture. So, which one will you prefer, […………………………….]Assistant at the Parkview Hotel or General Assistant at the Lakeside Hotel?

Student: Well, I guess I still couldnt make up my mind right now. Can I have a few days to think about and go back to you later?

Agent: That’s no problem. And there are a few things I need to clarify with you.

If you would like to apply for one of these jobs, you will need to follow the […………………………….]process.

Student: Mum…

Agent: So the first thing you’ll need to do is to fill in one of these – a […………………………….]information form. It’s pretty […………………………….]and should only take you a few minutes. Once you’ve done that and handed it in, we’ll give you a […………………………….]about your skills. We then look through the information about you, and pass on our recommendations to the […………………………….]hotel.

Student: Yes, sure.

Agent: You will then proceed to the next step of the […………………………….]and attend a general course of training. This is designed to be helpful and realistic, so an important part of the course is role-plav activities.

Student: That sounds interesting.

Agent: Yes, indeed. And after that, the final step is that you will be […………………………….]by the hotel you’re going to work for, and they’ll post you a video about themselves and the work […………………………….]. Watching this will constitute further and specific training for your job.

Student: Oh, yes. I think I’m very clear now. Thank you for helping me.

Agent: It’s a pleasure. Bye.

Student: Bye.

SECTION 2

Good morning, everyone. I’m John Smith, the General […………………………….]of London Fields Medical Centre, and I’m very glad to give you a brief introduction about our […………………………….]and some suggestions about how to see a doctor here.

Our […………………………….]are usually the first point of […………………………….]and are here to help you. They have a lot of information to hand and in most […………………………….]will be able to help you with your […………………………….], ensuring you see the most appropriate […………………………….].

OK, right, well the first thing to do is to register. We can only accept new […………………………….]who live in our practice […………………………….]area. To register with us you will need 2 proofs of address such as bank statements or tenancy […………………………….]plus 1 form of ID such as passport or drivers’ license.

If you are […………………………….]nationals, then you’ll have to register as a […………………………….]visitor. Then, fill in this form. It’s a medical history form. You have to give details of any […………………………….]you have had. Then you also need to write down if you’ve got any […………………………….], OK? This as well as that, we need to know if you’ve had any […………………………….]… and last of all, you have to give full details of current […………………………….]you may be on. This as well as that, you need to fill in this […………………………….]– this is for your personal details, thats your full name, address and telephone numbers. Okay? And we also need to make an […………………………….]for you to see the doctor for a new patient health check. It’ll just take about 15 minutes, thats all. It’s just a basic […………………………….]really.

OK, then, let me tell you something about the health centre. We have 5 GPs here – general […………………………….]. We also have a practice nurse who looks after minor […………………………….]. She can also administer some […………………………….]. We also have a […………………………….]. That’s a foot specialist. Shes private which means you have to pay for the service, unless you’re over 65.

If you want to see a doctor, you have to make an appointment first. Please call our main […………………………….]number on […………………………….]to book an appointment at either our main practice or one of our branch […………………………….]. You can also email for an appointment on […………………………….]. Urgent cases are seen on the day. If your condition is non-urgent, you can expect to see a GP within two working days, though you may have to wait longer if you want to see a particular GP.

If it’s an […………………………….], you’d better come straight here to the Centre, one of the doctors can usually see you, or you can go to the emergency […………………………….]at the hospital in town. If you are very sick, you can ask for a home visit as well. On Friday afternoons we have an open […………………………….]which means you can come along and just wait to see a doctor, but you may have to wait for several hours, so it’s much better to make an appointment and come at the […………………………….]time.

Usually when you see a doctor you’ll be given a […………………………….]for medicine which you need to take. Or you can choose to go to a […………………………….]in a chemist’s shop. If the doctor […………………………….]that you wiTI need the medication for a long time, you will be given a repeat prescription form. This allows you to get a further […………………………….]without seeing the doctor again. You simply leave the repeat form here a few days before you need it. Then you pick up the medication at the […………………………….].

Oh, you may wonder how much this all costs? Well, there is no charge for seeing a doctor – you can make an […………………………….]anytime to see one of our doctors and it will not cost you anything for the […………………………….]. However, you need to pay for the […………………………….]and the cost varies with the medicine, but its usually just a few pounds. Nevertheless, in some situations, such as […………………………….], the prescription is then free.

All right, do you have any other questions?

SECTION 3

Professor: Until recently, we knew almost nothing about how important bees are in […………………………….]natural […………………………….]. Now we know more about them. We know, for example, that bees fall into two categories: wild bees and […………………………….]honeybees. A main reason for the domestication of bees has always been the production of honey and […………………………….]. We also know that honeybees are the […………………………….]pollinators. In addition to bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, flies and […………………………….], as many as […………………………….]of birds and mammals serve as pollinators. Many crops of […………………………….]importance such as almond, cherry, avocado pear, […………………………….], cucumber, relv on pollination by […………………………….], and of these insects, bees are by far the most important. Animals and insects provide […………………………….]for over three-quarters of the staple crop plants and for 80% of all flowering plants in the world. The economic value of animal pollination to world […………………………….]has been estimated to be […………………………….] US dollars per year. Pollination is one of nature’s services to farmers. So think about this: if you eliminated the pollinators, it would take the food right out of our mouths. We […………………………….]never imagined we’d see the day when wild plants or crops suffered from […………………………….]scarcity. But, unfortunately, that day has come. In fact, farmers in Mexico and the U.S. are suffering the worst pollinator […………………………….]in history. So… what happened? Any ideas? Alicia?

Alicia: Is it…um… because of natural enemies? I read something about a kind of parasite that's killed lots of bees.

Professor: It’s true. An outbreak of parasitic mites has caused a steep decline in North American populations of […………………………….]. But parasites aren’t the only factor.

Alicia: What about the pesticides used on farms? All those chemicals must have an effect.

Professor: Most definitely, yes. Pesticides are a major factor. Both wild and domesticated bees are in […………………………….]because of pesticides. In California, farm chemicals are killing around […………………………….] of all the honeybee colonies. Agriculture in general is part of the problem. Another example is the monarch […………………………….]. Millions of monarchs from all over the U.S. and southern Canada fly south every year in late summer. The monarch is the only butterfly that returns to a […………………………….]site year after year. Unfortunately, the herbicides in the […………………………….]in the Great Plains are taking a toll on monarchs, and fewer of them are reaching their winter grounds in Mexico. In a recent field study at Cornell University in the U.S., it was found that […………………………….]butterfly […………………………….]eating com toxic pollen blown on to milkweed plants near com fields had suffered significant adverse effects leading to death of nearly […………………………….] of the caterpillars.

Alicia: Wow, 20%, thats so tragic!

Professor: And it’s more than that. There are over […………………………….]species of butterflies in the Indian […………………………….], but their population is dwindling because of […………………………….]changes. Many manmade environmental changes like […………………………….], extension of farming and […………………………….]urbanization are threatening some species of butterflies to […………………………….]by destruction or disturbance of their larval as well as adult food plants, feeding grounds and […………………………….]. Many of the most spectacular and […………………………….]species have various levels of protection under local legislation. However, there is a major trade in the spectacular tropical species for […………………………….]in ornaments and souvenirs. The international demand for insects is greater than most people realize.

Alicia: Yes, indeed. I once read an article about another important pollinator – the long-nosed bat. These amazing animals feed on cactus flowers. But they are having a tough time, too. Some desert […………………………….]mistake them for […………………………….]bats, and they’ve tried to poison them, or dynamite the caves where they roost.

Professor: Yes, we must recognize that pollination is not a free service, and that investment and […………………………….]are required to protect and sustain it, so what can be done about this situation?

Alicia: Well, wildlife farming, you know, based on sustainable exploiting wild creatures, can help to save endangered species like […………………………….]and their habitats. Besides, gardeners, orchard growers, farmers and urban dwellers can switch to more pollinator-friendly organic methods of cultivation to reduce wildlife exposures to […………………………….], herbicides and […………………………….].

Professor: That’s rightl Actually, the focus of beekeeping needs to change from conventional honey production to crop pollination.

SECTION 4

The London Eye

Today I want to focus on some of the major sights that attract […………………………….]to cities, and I am going to begin with the London Eye. The London Eye is London’s […………………………….]major tourist attraction. It is a huge wheel designed to […………………………….]the Millennium year 2000, so it's also known as the Millennium Wheel. It stands at Millennium Pier, on the South Bank of the River Thames, close to the south end of Westminster Bridge, and within an easy walk of the Houses of […………………………….]and Big Ben. Though it looks like a huge Ferris wheel, the London Eye is no […………………………….]thrill- ride, but a slow and stately way to […………………………….]London in a unique way. The London Eye is the UK’s most popular paid for visitor […………………………….], visited by over 3.5 million people a year.

The Eye was built between […………………………….]and […………………………….]. It seems […………………………….]that a site that has so quickly become a symbol of modem London has been around for such a short time! It took fully seven years from start of the design […………………………….]to create the Eye. It was intended to stand for only a few years, but it proved to be such a popular […………………………….]that the decision was made to make the wheel a […………………………….]feature of the London landscape. The Eye was […………………………….]by British Airways, and for several years after opening it was referred to as the British Airways […………………………….]Wheel. Today the London Eye is under the […………………………….]of the London Eye Company, a […………………………….]of Merlin Entertainments Group Company.

Constructing The Merlin Entertainments London Eye was a […………………………….]challenge. It’s the tallest cantilevered […………………………….]wheel in the world, rising high above the London skyline at […………………………….]. It was a piece of daring innovation and […………………………….]design which combined the best of British design, architecture and engineering with an exceptional team of experts.

So, how is that great wheel held up? How did it get there? The starting point was, of course, the ground, and while parts of the wheel itself were still being […………………………….]in various countries, […………………………….]piles were being driven into the ground beside the River Thames. This was the first step, and once these were […………………………….]in place, a base cap was installed over them as a kind of lock, with two giant […………………………….]pointing up, onto which an A; frame was […………………………….], like a giant letter. The wheel was supported on huge A-frame legs, made up of […………………………….]tonnes of concrete on 44 […………………………….]piles set 33 meters deep in the earth. All this took many months and […………………………….]effort, but meant that the spindle could be installed, around which the great wheel would turn. The […………………………….]itself was too large to cast as a single piece so instead was produced in eight smaller sections. Now the […………………………….]really was in business, and the vast rim with spokes like an […………………………….]bicycle wheel could be brought in. […………………………….]spoke cables, which are similar to bicycle spokes, hold the rim tight to the central spindle. And the view was […………………………….]by the capsule design; unlike traditional […………………………….]wheel designs that you might see at a local fairground, the passenger capsules were not […………………………….]under the wheel, they were set within a circular mounting ring […………………………….]to the outside surface of the wheel. What this means in practice is that travelers within the capsule have a full 360 degree […………………………….]view, unhindered by spokes of […………………………….]. And the last thing to be built is the first thing the visitor encounters, the boarding […………………………….]laid down underneath. The wheel does not usually stop to take on […………………………….]; the rotation rate is slow enough to allow passengers to walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. It is, however, stopped to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to embark and […………………………….]safely.

 

ANSWER KEY

  1. Reception Assistant
  2. driving license
  3. heavy lifting
  4. meals
  5. certificate
  6. staff uniform
  7. personal information form
  8. questionnaire
  9. role-play activities
  10. Video
  11. temporary visitor
  12. allergies
  13. current medication
  14. registration card
  15. C
  16. B
  17. A
  18. B
  19. B
  20. C
  21. honey; beeswax
  22. avocado pear
  23. 200 billion
  24. A
  25. D
  26. F
  27. D
  28. E
  29. B
  30. B
  31. Millennium River
  32. Thames
  33. 5 million
  34. 135 metres
  35. British Airways
  36. Tension Piles
  37. Rim
  38. A-Frame
  39. Passenger Capsules
  40. Boarding Platform

 

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