IELTS Reading Test: Everything You Need to Know

IELTS Academic vs General Training Tests

Sentence –– “Marine life, for example, is affected by tidal patterns.”

Subject –– “Marine life”

Predicate –– “is affected by tidal patterns.”

Sentence ––“Animals’ activities depend on the cycles of the sun and the moon”

Subject –– “Animals’ activities”

Predicate –– “depend on the cycles of the sun and the moon”

1^st clause –– “Our digestive system does not shut down entirely at night.”

2^nd clause –– “It slows to a crawl as our bodies prepare for sleep.”

Conjunction –– “but”

1^st clause –– “Numerous creatures are largely diurnal.”

2^nd clause –– “they like to come out during the hours of sunlight.”

Conjunction –– “and” 

Sentence ––“Chronobiologists take an interest in what is known as the circadian rhythm when it comes to humans.”

Dependent clause –– “when it comes to humans.”

Independent clause –– “Chronobiologists take an interest in what is known as the circadian rhythm”

Sentence ––“Apart from sleeping at night and waking up during the day, each cycle incorporates various factors like changes in blood pressure and body temperature.”

Dependent clause –– “Apart from sleeping at night and waking up during the day.”

Independent clause –– “each cycle incorporates various factors like changes in blood pressure and body temperature.”

The Human Brain

A Scientists refer to the reptilian cortex as the earliest of our three brains to form. This brain maintains the basic processes of animal survival, such as breathing, enough rest, and a beating heart. We don't have to "think" about these activities on purpose. The reptilian brain's "startle center" is a mechanism that allows us to react swiftly to unexpected occurrences in our surroundings. When you feel a startled lurch when a door slams shut somewhere in the house or when a twig snaps in a nearby bush while out on an evening stroll, the reptilian cortex is at work. Your reptilian brain only has three impulses when it comes to social interactions: aggression, mating, and territorial defense. There is no discernible difference between a crocodile protecting its riverbank territory and a turf war between two urban groups in this sense.

B Despite the fact that a lizard may claim its territory, it seems indifferent about the welfare of its young. Something new is happening when you hear a dolphin separated from its pod or see elephants mourning their dead. This is identified by the scientist as the limbic cortex. When young children are present, the limbic brain, which is only found in mammals, motivates creatures to care for their offspring by providing sensations of love and warmth to the parent. As a result of these same experiences, mammals form a variety of social interactions and kinship networks. When we're around others of "our kind" - whether at soccer practice, church, school, or a nightclub - we feel a strong sense of belonging, solidarity, and comfort. Loneliness sets in when we spend too much time away from these networks, causing us to seek out companionship.

C Humans are the only ones who have abilities that go beyond these two cortexes. Humans do more than just eat, sleep, and play; we also converse, plot, think, and debate moral concerns. Our unique abilities are due to the neocortex, a large third brain that works with logic, reason, and ideas. The neocortex's power comes from its ability to think beyond the immediate, concrete moment. Humans have the ability to consider the "big picture," whereas other species are primarily restricted to impulsive behavior (although some, such as apes, can learn and remember small lessons). By connecting simple lessons (for example, an apple falls from a tree; hurting others causes sadness), we can construct complex theories of physical or social phenomena (such as the laws of gravity and a concern for human rights). 

D The neocortex is also in charge of our decision-making and commitment to specific actions. When these choices are made repeatedly throughout time, they can lead to feats of progress not observed in other creatures. A student can disregard the limbic urge to mingle and go to bed early the next morning, hoping to get a better grade on the exam the next morning. After three years, this continual sacrifice can result in a first-class degree and a graduate school scholarship; it can also result in life-changing contributions to human knowledge and growth. Our ability to put aside our urge for immediate fulfillment in order to profit later is due to the neocortex.

E Understanding the three-headed brain can help us better comprehend the various types of brain damage and psychological disorders. The most catastrophic form of brain damage, for example, is when someone is deemed to be brain dead. A person appears to be just unconscious – probably sleeping – in this state, but this is deceiving. The reptilian brain continues to function on autopilot despite the irreparable loss of other cortexes.

F The limbic cortex's disturbances are recorded in a unique way. Puppies with limbic damage can walk and eat normally, but they are completely unaware of their littermates' presence. "After a limbic lobotomy, one afflicted animal walked on his outraged friends as though treading on a log or a rock," scientists observed. In humans, damage to the limbic system has been related to sociopathic behavior. Sociopaths with fully functional neocortex are usually sharp and emotionally intelligent, but they lack the ability to connect, sympathize, or care for others.

G Phineas Gage, a railway worker, became one of history's neurological marvels after surviving an incident when a metal rod pierced his skull, removing a major amount of his neocortex with it. Despite the fact that Gage continued to live and work normally, his coworkers observed a change in his personality equilibrium. Gage's animal instincts had become stronger, while his mental powers had diminished; garrulous or obscene jokes had replaced his previously quick wit. Gage was able to mitigate these significant swings over time and restore a proper social manner, according to new data. This shows that reparative therapy may help people with serious brain injuries improve their quality of life.

I. How the neocortex brain works

II. How the neocortex affects decision-making

III. How the animal and human brain works

IV. Differences between how animals and humans think

V.How the limbic brain affects our relationship with others

Vi. How understanding the neocortex can help treat brain damages

1. Paragraph B             ____________

2. Paragraph C             ____________

3. Paragraph D             ____________

4. Paragraph E             ____________

YES                       if the statement agrees with the writer’s claims

NO                        if the statement contradicts the writer’s claims

NOT GIVEN              if there is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this 

1. Humans and animals have to ‘think’ to breathe, rest, and react to unexpected occurrences in their surroundings. ________

2. Animals protect their young more instinctively than humans do. ________

3. The neocortex assists us in decision-making. ________

4. Understanding the triune brain can help us find cures for the different psychological disorders. ________

List A: Causes

1.   Limbic brain at work

2.   Reptilian brain at work 

3.   Disturbance in the limbic brain

List B: Effects  

A.    Humans being able to sympathize with others  

B.    An ape protecting its young against predators 

C.    Humans startling when hearing something loud unexpectedly

D.    Humans unconsciously changing their behaviors and personality 

Physics Jam 

A After a group of theoretical physicists, led by Dirk Helbing and Boris Kerner of Stuttgart, Germany, published papers on traffic flow in journals targeted to traffic engineers a few years ago, they were plainly going beyond their typical domain of inquiry. They found that if they used the equations that describe how gas molecules move to replicate the movement of vehicles on a roadway, they got some unusual results. Vehicles, of course, do not behave exactly like gas molecules: for example, drivers avoid collisions by reducing when they get too close to another vehicle, whereas gas molecules seem unconcerned about such things. However, the physicists adjusted the equations to account for the differences, and the general description of traffic as a flowing gas turned out to be a very good one; the moving-gas model of traffic reproduces many of the phenomena seen in real-world traffic. The weirdest result of these equations, however, was the conclusion that congestion might occur entirely on its own, with no external reasons required. Vehicles can flow freely along the road, at a density that is still considerably below what the road can manage, before coagulating into a slow-moving slime. Under the correct circumstances, a localized change in speed or distance between vehicles is all it takes to cause a system-wide failure that lasts for hours. In reality, the physicists' analysis revealed that such spontaneous traffic flow breaks are likely to occur regularly on motorways.

B Though a disturbing discovery, it displayed a strong resemblance to the phenomenon known as 'chaos theory.' This hypothesis arose from the realization that in every complex interacting system with many elements, each portion has an impact on the others. As a result, minor changes in one element of a complex system might have far-reaching but unanticipated consequences. This type of abrupt transition from one state to another is analogous to what occurs when a chemical substance transitions from vapor to liquid. When its temperature and density have reached the threshold where it may condense into water droplets, water in a cloud frequently stays a gas. However, if the vapor comes into contact with a solid surface, even something as small as a particle of dust, condensation can occur, and the vapor to liquid transition can be completed. Traffic, according to Helbing and Kerner, is a complicated interconnected system. They discovered that a slight shift in traffic density can act as a "speck of dust," creating a fast transition from freely moving traffic to synchronized traffic, in which all lanes quickly slow down and begin traveling at the same pace, making passing impossible.

C Proposals to set a limit capacity for vehicles on roadways have been questioned by physicists. They suggest that simply limiting the rate at which vehicles are allowed to access a highway may not be enough; instead, each vehicle's entry onto the highway may need to be cautiously timed to coincide with a temporary decline in the density of vehicles along the road. The goal would be to smooth out any potential changes in road conditions that could cause traffic behavior to shift and result in congestion. They go on to warn that eliminating traffic congestion may someday necessitate implementing the far-fetched idea of directly regulating the speed and spacing of individual cars along a highway using central computers and sensors that connect with each car's engine and brake controls. 

D However, traffic control research is primarily conducted in civil engineering departments, where the physicists' theories have been met with suspicion. Civil engineers prefer a pragmatic approach to problems, believing that traffic congestion is caused by bad road building (two lanes becoming one lane or unsafe curves), which restricts traffic flow. Engineers questioned the scientists' theoretical results' applicability to real-world traffic. Indeed, some engineering researchers questioned whether complicated chaos-theory interpretations are required at all because at least some of the traffic phenomena predicted by the physicists appeared to be the same with the observations in traffic engineering literature under different names for years; observations that had simple cause-and-effect explanations.

E A sudden stop in traffic, according to James Banks, a professor at San Diego State University in the United States, may have less to do with chaos theory and more to do with driver psychology. As traffic thickens and the passing lane fills up, aggressive drivers shift to other lanes in an attempt to pass, evening out the pace between lanes. Another leveling influence, he believes, is that when a driver in a fast lane brakes slightly to maintain a safe gap between vehicles, the shock wave travels back considerably faster than in the other slower lanes because each following motorist must respond much faster. As a result, the quicker moving traffic is the first to slow down when a route becomes congested.

Vehicles are not exactly like gas molecules. For example, drivers 1. __________ collisions by reducing speed when they approach too close to another vehicle, whereas gas molecules appear unconcerned. The equations were tweaked to account for the 2. _________, and the basic description of traffic as a flowing gas proved to be a very good one; the moving-gas model of traffic 3. __________  many of the events seen in real-world traffic. The 4. __________ outcome of these calculations, however, was the conclusion that congestion might happen on its own, without any external causes.

avoid                                                                   occur

discrepancies                                                    reproduces

eliminates                                                           strangest

gives                                                                   unique

I. A plan to deprive the driver of control

II. A lack of investment in driver education 

III. Questions and disagreements among experts

IV. Driver behavior has an impact on traffic speed

V. Modest changes in traffic can have dramatic consequences

VI. How a mathematical experiment helped to alleviate traffic congestion

VII. Different countries have dealt with traffic congestion in different ways.

VIII. What happens when a theory from one field of study is used in another?

1. Paragraph B             ____________

2. Paragraph C             ____________

3. Paragraph D             ____________

4. Paragraph E             ____________

1. The ‘chaos theory’ states that in every complex interacting system with many elements, each portion ______________  others.

2. According to physicists, each vehicle’s arrival onto the highway needs to be ______________  to coincide with a momentary reduction in vehicle density along the road. 

3. Some people believe that a sudden stop at traffic may have something to do with  ______________

World War One: How it Started 

The Great War took place in 1914 and lasted four years. The popular belief that it began as a response to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie by a Serbian nationalist secret society known as the "Black Hand" isn't totally accurate. In reality, Emperor Franz Josef expressed relief over the assassination since it freed him from an heir he despised. "God will not be mocked," the Emperor declared. The order I couldn't keep has been reinstated by a higher being."

Indeed, the emperor isn't the only one relieved; according to an Austrian newspaper, the broad agreement throughout various political groups was that, while tragic, the killing was for the best. "The event almost failed to make any kind of effect whatsoever," it was said of the Austrian people. The masses in Vienna listened to music and drank wine as if nothing had happened on Sunday and Monday." Indeed, the administration took three weeks to respond.

Indeed, the "treaty alliance system" that was prevalent in Europe, with numerous treaties interconnecting the various states, was at the heart of why what should have been a minor conflict that would have gone unnoticed in history turned into one of the bloodiest wars in human history, with over 15 million people killed. Ironically, the assassination that no one really cared about was the spark that started it all.

So, if no one cared about an assassination, why go to war? Because, while no one seemed to care about the assassination, Austria-Hungary was looking for an excuse to launch a "preventative war" against Serbia as a state in order to weaken or destroy them in order to reclaim Balkan territory lost during the Balkan Wars. They hadn't gotten it back to this point because they didn't have Germany's help; without it, they were extremely scared of Russia because of the Serbian deal.

1.    Why did Emperor Franz Josef feel relieved over the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand?

A. Because it rid him of a person he hated

B.Because he can break his treaty with Serbia 

C.Because it can finally launch a war against Serbia

D.Because he wanted to take back the Balkan territory

2.    What emotion was involved with the statement “God will not be mocked. The order I  couldn’t keep has been reinstated by a higher being.”?

A. relief

B. sarcasm

C. gratitude

D. anguish 

_________ A    A minor land conflict

 _________ B    Newspaper’s agitation

_________ C    Austria’s support from Russia

_________ D    Unpatriotic conspiracy plotting

_________ E    Austria’s lack of backing from Germany

_________ F    The death of an empire’s successor

_________ G    Pacts between governments on a global scale  

Medical Employees to Get Accidental Insurance

City Media is proud to provide its employees with industry-leading accident insurance benefits. Employees are covered by our insurance package not only on the job but also during their off-work hours. It also gives dependents and eligible partners 24-hour protection. The following is a thorough explanation of the accident insurance package. If you have any questions, please contact our Human Resources Department.

All of our employees have the same basic insurance, and City Media makes participation in this program a requirement of employment. Those who have the same or more coverage under a different plan are exempt. Employees with different plans, on the other hand, can enroll adult dependents in ours. At the present moment, City Media does not provide insurance to temporary employees, whether or not they are employed on a contract basis.

Employees can buy accident insurance for their partners as well. However, whether or not the partner is entitled to participate will be determined by the insurance company's evaluation of the application. The terms of these insurance purchased for spouses are the same as the terms of the employee's policy. This is, of course, assuming he/she does not have accident insurance through another plan.

After three months of employment, accident benefits become effective. Full-time employees will subsequently be automatically covered for a minimum of $80,000. Accident coverage will be provided to part-time employees, defined as those expected to work less than forty hours per week, although the quantity of coverage will be determined by the hours they regularly work. Optional additional insurance is available in increments of $25,000, with a ceiling of $100,000. Anyone who is interested in purchasing it can submit a request and will be responsible for the premium as well as the administrative expenses.

Employees can choose whether or not to carry accident insurance if they are on leave for an extended period of time, or they can keep it and pay the entire cost. Basic insurance coverage is reinstated on the first day back to work; however, optional coverages that were dropped during this absence are not automatically reinstated. After a medical exam, a note from the doctor, and confirmation from the insurance carrier, these benefits will be reinstated.

4. Having an insurance is a ______________ of employment and is required by law. 

5. If you are an employee with an ongoing insurance plan, you ______________ from availing the insurance being proposed. 

6. An employee’s partner can avail the insurance but it will depend on the ______________. 

1. Who can employees with current accidental insurance apply for in the proposed insurance?

2. How many hours should a part-time employee work to be able to avail of the accidental insurance? 

3. What do employees need to present for their benefits to be reinstated after taking a leave from work?