IELTS Reading Practice Test 8: Enhance Your Skills with Authentic Exercises

The IELTS Reading section plays a vital role in assessing an individual's English proficiency, as it evaluates their comprehension and analytical abilities. This article explains the pivotal role of IELTS Reading practice tests, exemplified by the IELTS reading practice set derived from the previous year’s IELTS Reading section questions.

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1. READING
2. Passage - 2
3. Passage - 3
4. TIPS AND TRICKS FOR IELTS WRITING

Understanding the structure of the IELTS exam is crucial for test-takers. The Reading section, characterized by diverse question formats and challenging passages, necessitates continuous IELTS reading practice preparation. The candidate's proficiency in paying attention to detail, grasping the main idea, and comprehending the style and tone of the writing is evaluated during the reading phase. A dedicated commitment to IELTS Reading practice is essential for candidates to excel on the IELTS exam.

To assist candidates in their IELTS preparation journey, this article provides a set of three past year's IELTS questions accompanied by comprehensive solutions. Given the potential challenges of this section for applicants without effective IELTS reading practice, this article aims to provide them with insights into what to expect on the exam day.

READING

Passage - 1

SOSUS: Listening to the Ocean

A The oceans of Earth cover more than 70 per cent of the planet’s surface, yet, until

quite recently, we knew less about their depths than we did about the surface of the

Moon. Distant as it is, the Moon has been far more accessible to study because

astronomers have been able to look at its surface, first with the naked eye and

then with the telescope instruments that focus light. And, with telescopes tuned

to different wavelengths of light, modern astronomers can not only analyze Earth’s

atmosphere but also determine the temperature and composition of the Sun or other

stars many hundreds of light-years away. Until the twentieth century, however, no

analogous instruments were available for the study of Earth’s oceans: Light, which

can travel trillions of miles through the vast vacuum of space, cannot penetrate very

far in seawater.

B Curious investigators long have been fascinated by sound and the way it travels in

water. As early as 1490, Leonardo da Vinci observed: “If you cause your ship to stop

and place the head of a long tube in the water and place the outer extremity to your

ear, you will hear ships at a great distance from you.” In 1687, the first mathematical

theory of sound propagation was published by Sir Isaac Newton in his Philosophiae

Naturalis Principia Mathematica, Investigators were measuring the speed of sound in

air beginning in the mid-seventeenth century, but it was not until 1826 that Daniel

Colladon, a Swiss physicist, and Charles Sturm, a French mathematician, accurately

measured its speed in water. Using a long tube to listen underwater (as da Vinci had

suggested), they recorded how fast the sound of a submerged bell travelled across

Lake Geneva. Their result-1,435 meters (1,569 yards) per second in water of 1.8

degrees Celsius (35 degrees Fahrenheit)- was only 3 meters per second off from the

speed accepted today. What these investigators demonstrated was that water -

whether fresh or salt- is an excellent medium for sound, transmitting it almost five

times faster than its speed in air.

C In 1877 and 1878, the British scientist John William Strutt, third Baron Rayleigh,

published his two-volume seminal work, The Theory of Sound, often regarded as

marking the beginning of the modem study of acoustics. The recipient of the Nobel

Prize for Physics in 1904 for his successful isolation of the element argon, Lord

Rayleigh made key discoveries in the fields of acoustics and optics that are critical to

the theory of wave propagation in fluids. Among other things, Lord Rayleigh was the

first to describe a sound wave as a mathematical equation (the basis of all

theoretical work on acoustics) and the first to describe how small particles in the

atmosphere scatter certain wavelengths of sunlight, a principle that also applies to

the behaviour of sound waves in water.

D A number of factors influence how far sound travels underwater and how long it

lasts. For one, particles in seawater can reflect, scatter, and absorb certain

frequencies of sound - just as certain wavelengths of light may be reflected,

scattered, and absorbed by specific types of particles in the atmosphere. Seawater

absorbs 30 times the amount of sound absorbed by distilled water, with specific

chemicals (such as magnesium sulfate and boric acid) damping out certain

frequencies of sound. Researchers also learned that low-frequency sounds, whose

long wavelengths generally pass over tiny particles, tend to travel farther without loss

through absorption or scattering. Further work on the effects of salinity, temperature,

and pressure on the speed of sound has yielded fascinating insights into the

structure of the ocean. Speaking generally, the ocean is divided into horizontal layers

in which sound speed is influenced more greatly by temperature in the upper regions

and by pressure in the lower depths. At the surface is a sun-warmed upper layer, the

actual temperature and thickness of which varies with the season. At mid-latitudes,

this layer tends to be isothermal, that is, the temperature tends to be uniform

throughout the layer because the water is well mixed by the action of waves, winds,

and convection currents; a sound signal moving down through this layer tends to

travel at an almost constant speed. Next comes a transitional layer called the

thermocline, in which temperature drops steadily with depth; as the temperature falls, so

does the speed of sound.

E The U.S. Navy was quick to appreciate the usefulness of low-frequency sound and

the deep sound channel in extending the range at which it could detect submarines.

In great secrecy during the 1950s, the U.S. Navy launched a project that went by the

code name Jezebel; it would later come to be known as the Sound Surveillance

System (SOSUS). The system involved arrays of underwater microphones, called

hydrophones, that were placed on the ocean bottom and connected by cables to

onshore processing centres. With SOSUS deployed in both deep and shallow waters

along both coasts of North America and the British West Indies, the U.S. Navy not

only could detect submarines in much of the northern hemisphere, it also could

distinguish how many propellers a submarine had, whether it was conventional or

nuclear, and sometimes even the class of sub.

F The realization that SOSUS could be used to listen to whales also was made by

Christopher Clark, a biological acoustician at Cornell University, when he first visited

a SOSUS station in 1992. When Clark looked at the graphic representations of

sound, scrolling 24 hours a day, every day, he saw the voice patterns of blue, finback,

minke, and humpback whales. He also could hear the sounds. Using a SOSUS

receiver in the West Indies, he could hear whales that were 1,770 kilometres (1,100

miles) away. Whales are the biggest of Earth’s creatures. The blue whale, for

example, can be 100 feet long and weigh as many tons. Yet these animals also are

remarkably elusive. Scientists wish to observe blue time and position them on a

map. Moreover, they can track not just one whale at a time, but many creatures

simultaneously throughout the North Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific. They

also can learn to distinguish whale calls. For example, Fox and colleagues have

detected changes in the calls of finback whales during different seasons and have

found that blue whales in different regions of the Pacific Ocean have different calls.

Whales firsthand must wait in their ships for the whales to surface. A few whales

have been tracked briefly in the wild this way but not for very great distances, and

much about them remains unknown. Using the SOSUS stations, scientists can track

the whales in real time and position them on a map. Moreover, they can track not just

one whale at a time, but many creatures simultaneously throughout the North

Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific. They also can learn to distinguish whale calls.

For example, Fox and colleagues have detected changes in the calls of finback

whales during different seasons and have found that blue whales in different regions

of the Pacific Ocean have different calls.

G SOSUS, with its vast reach, also has proved instrumental in obtaining information

crucial to our understanding of Earth’s weather and climate. Specifically, the system

has enabled researchers to begin making ocean temperature measurements on a

global scale - measurements that are keys to puzzling out the workings of heat

transfer between the ocean and the atmosphere. The ocean plays an enormous role

in determining air temperature the heat capacity in only the upper few meters of

the ocean is thought to be equal to all of the heat in the entire atmosphere. For sound

waves travelling horizontally in the ocean, speed is largely a function of temperature.

Thus, the travel time of a wave of sound between two points is a sensitive indicator

of the average temperature along its path. Transmitting sound in numerous

directions through the deep sound channel can give scientists measurements

spanning vast areas of the globe. Thousands of sound paths in the ocean could be

pieced together into a map of global ocean temperatures and, by repeating

measurements along the same paths over time, scientists could track changes in

temperature over months or years.

H Researchers also are using other acoustic techniques to monitor climate.

Oceanographer Jeff Nystuen at the University of Washington, for example, has

explored the use of sound to measure rainfall over the ocean. Monitoring changing

global rainfall patterns undoubtedly will contribute to understanding major climate

change as well as the weather phenomenon known as El Nino. Since 1985, Nystuen

has used hydrophones to listen to rain over the ocean, acoustically measuring not

only the rainfall rate but also the rainfall type, from drizzle to thunderstorms. By using

the sound of rain underwater as a “natural” rain gauge, the measurement of rainfall

over the oceans will become available to climatologists.

Extracted from - IELTS Reading Practice Sets. Copyright © 2023 by IDP education, British Council and Cambridge Assessment English

QUESTIONS

Questions 1-4

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage above? In boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet, write

1 In the past, difficulties of research carried out on the Moon were much easier than that of

2 The same light technology used on the investigation of the moon can be employed in the field of the ocean.

3 Research on the depth of the ocean by a method of sound waves is more time-consuming.

4 Hydrophone technology is able to detect the category of precipitation.

Questions 5-8

The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-H.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-H, in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once

5 Elements affect sound transmission in the ocean.

6 Relationship between global climate and ocean temperature

7 Examples of how sound technology helps people research the ocean and creatures in it

8 Sound transmission underwater is similar to that of light in any condition.

Questions 9-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.

9 Which of the following is dedicated to the research of the rate of sound?

A Leonardo da Vinci

B Isaac Newton

CJohn William Strutt

D Charles Sturm

10 Who explained that the theory of light or sound wavelength is significant in water?

ALord Rayleigh

B John William Strutt

C Charles Sturm

D Christopher Clark

11 According to Fox and colleagues, in what pattern does the change of finback whale calls happen

A Change in various seasons

B Change in various days

C Change in different months

D Change in different years

12 In which way does the SOSUS technology inspect whales?

A Track all kinds of whales in the ocean

B Track bunches of whales at the same time

C Track only finback whales in the ocean

D Track whales by using multiple appliances or devices

13 What could scientists inspect via monitoring along a repeated route?

A Temperature of the surface passed

B Temperature of the deepest ocean floor

C Variation of temperature

D Fixed data of temperature

SOLUTIONS

Answer: 1. FALSE

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage discussing the accessibility of the Moon for research.

Analyze the information provided about the Moon and ocean research.

Conclude that the passage does not support the idea that research difficulties on the Moon were much easier than those of the ocean.

Clarify that the Moon's accessibility is attributed to observational methods but does not imply easier research.

Answer: 2. FALSE

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage discussing instruments used for studying the Moon and oceans.

Analyze the information on telescopes and their applicability to the ocean.

Conclude that the passage indicates no analogous instruments for ocean study using light technology.

Answer: 3. NOT GIVEN

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage discussing research methods in the ocean.

Look for information on the time-consuming nature of sound wave research compared to other methods.

Conclude that the passage does not explicitly provide information on the time consumption of sound wave research.

Answer: 4. TRUE

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage discussing the use of hydrophones for monitoring climate.

Analyze the information about hydrophones detecting rainfall type.

Conclude that the passage supports the statement that hydrophone technology can detect the category of precipitation.

5. Answer: D. Elements affect sound transmission in the ocean.

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit paragraph D which discusses factors influencing sound transmission in the ocean.

Analyze the information related to elements affecting sound transmission.

Conclude that paragraph D provides information about how elements influence sound transmission in the ocean.

6. Answer: G. Relationship between global climate and ocean temperature

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit paragraph G which talks about SOSUS and its role in understanding Earth's weather and climate.

Analyze the information regarding the relationship between ocean temperature measurements and global climate.

Conclude that paragraph G provides information about the relationship between global climate and ocean temperature.

7. Answer: F. Examples of how sound technology helps people research the ocean and creatures in it

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit paragraph F which discusses the use of SOSUS for detecting submarines and listening to whales.

Analyze the examples provided in the paragraph regarding how sound technology helps in ocean research.

Conclude that paragraph F provides examples of how sound technology assists in researching the ocean and its creatures.

8. Answer: D. Sound transmission underwater is similar to that of light in any condition.

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit paragraph D which talks about the early fascination with sound traveling in water.

Analyze the information related to sound transmission in water and compare it to light transmission.

Conclude that paragraph D suggests that sound transmission in water is not similar to that of light in any condition.

9. Answer: D. Charles Sturm

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage discussing the measurement of the speed of sound in water.

Identify the information about who accurately measured the speed of sound in water.

Conclude that Charles Sturm, along with Daniel Colladon, conducted the experiment to measure the speed of sound in water.

10. Answer: A. Lord Rayleigh

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage discussing the seminal work on sound.

Analyze the information related to the first description of a sound wave as a mathematical equation.

Conclude that Lord Rayleigh (John William Strutt) made key discoveries in acoustics, including the theory of sound wavelength.

11. Answer: A. Change in various seasons

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage discussing the work of Fox and colleagues on whale calls.

Examine the information about changes in finback whale calls.

Conclude that the passage suggests changes in finback whale calls occurring during different seasons.

12. Answer: B. Track bunches of whales at the same time

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage discussing the use of SOSUS technology for whale tracking.

Analyze the information related to the capabilities of SOSUS in tracking whales.

Conclude that SOSUS can track many creatures simultaneously, including bunches of whales.

13. Answer: C. Variation of temperature

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage discussing the use of sound paths for temperature measurements.

Examine the information about transmitting sound in numerous directions for temperature measurements.

Conclude that scientists could inspect the variation of temperature through repeated measurements along the same paths.

NOTE

The SOSUS passage underlines the significance of consistent IELTS Reading practice. True/False/Not Given questions assess comprehension, focusing on aspects such as the historical perspective of underwater sound detection, the capabilities of SOSUS, and its applications in detecting submarines. The matching paragraphs questions discuss detailed knowledge, covering topics like the discoverer of sound wave equations, factors influencing sound travel underwater, and the applications of SOSUS beyond submarine detection, including its role in monitoring climate and measuring rainfall over the ocean. This passage emphasizes the importance of thorough IELTS reading practice, whether through practice tests or during the actual exam, to face the diverse question types effectively.

Passage - 2

Monkeys and Forests

AS AN EAST WIND blasts through a gap in the Cordillera de Tilaran, a rugged

mountain range that splits northern Costa Rica in half, a female mantled howler

monkey moves through the swaying trees of the forest canopy.

A Ken Glander, a primatologist from Duke L University, gazes into the canopy,

tracking the female’s movements. Holding a dart gun, he waits with infinite patience

for the right moment to shoot. With great care, Glander aims and fires. Hit in the

rump, the monkey wobbles. This howler belongs to a population that has lived for

decades at Hacienda La Pacifica, a working cattle ranch in Guanacaste province.

Other native primates — white-faced capuchin monkeys and spider monkeys —

once were common in this area, too, but vanished after the Pan-American Highway

was built nearby in the 1950s. Most of the surrounding land was clear-cut for

Pasture.

B Howlers persist at La Pacifica, Glander explains, because they are leaf-eaters.

They eat fruit, when it’s available but, unlike capuchin and spider monkeys, do not

depend on large areas of fruiting trees. “Howlers can survive anyplace you have half

a dozen trees because their eating habits are so flexible,” he says. In forests, life is

an arms race between trees and the myriad creatures that feed on leaves. Plants

have evolved a variety of chemical defences, ranging from bad-tasting tannins,

which bind with plant-produced nutrients, rendering them indigestible, to deadly

poisons, such as alkaloids and cyanide.

C All primates, including humans, have some ability to handle plant toxins. “We can

detoxify a dangerous poison known as caffeine, which is deadly to a lot of animals:’

Glander says. For leaf-eaters, long-term exposure to a specific plant toxin can

increase their ability to defuse the poison and absorb the leaf nutrients. The leaves

that grow in regenerating forests, like those at La Pacifica, are actually more howler-friendly than those produced by the undisturbed, centuries-old trees that survive

farther south, in the Amazon Basin. In younger forests, trees put most of their limited

energy into growing wood, leaves and fruit, so they produce much lower levels of

toxin than do well-established, old-growth trees.

D The value of maturing forests to primates is a subject of study at Santa Rosa

National Park, about 35 miles northwest of Hacienda La Pacifica. The park hosts

populations not only of mantled howlers but also of white-faced capuchins and spider

monkeys. Yet the forests there are young, most of them less than 50 years old.

Capuchins were the first to begin using the reborn forests when the trees were as

young as 14 years. Howlers, larger and heavier than capuchins, need somewhat

older trees, with limbs that can support their greater body weight. A working ranch at

Hacienda La Pacifica also explains the population boom in Santa Rosa. “Howlers

are more resilient than capuchins and spider monkeys for several reasons, Fedigan

explains. “They can live within a small home range, as long as the trees have the

right food for them. Spider monkeys, on the other hand, occupy a huge home range,

so they can’t make it in fragmented habitat”

E Howlers also reproduce faster than other monkey species in the area.

Capuchins don’t bear their first young until about 7 years old, and spider monkeys do

so even later, but howlers give birth for the first time at about 3.5 years of age. Also,

while a female spider monkey will have a baby about once every four years, well-fed

howlers can produce an infant every two years.

F The leaves howlers eat hold plenty of water, so the monkeys can survive away

from open streams and water holes. This ability gives them a real advantage over

capuchin and spider monkeys, which have suffered during the long, ongoing drought

in Guanacaste.

G Growing human population pressures in Central and South America have led to

persistent destruction of forests. During the 1990s, about 1.1 million acres of Central

American forest were felled yearly. Alejandro Estrada, an ecologist at Estacion de

Biologia Los Tuxtlas in Veracruz, Mexico, has been exploring how monkeys survive

in a landscape increasingly shaped by humans. He and his colleagues recently

studied the ecology of a group of mantled howler monkeys that thrive in a habitat

completely altered by humans: a cacao plantation in Tabasco, Mexico. Like many

varieties of coffee, cacao plants need shade to grow, so 40 years ago the

landowners planted fig, monkey pod and other tall trees to form a protective canopy

over their crop. The howlers moved in about 25 years ago after nearby forests were

cut. This strange habitat, a hodgepodge of cultivated native and exotic plants, seems

to support about as many monkeys as would a same-sized patch of wild forest. The

howlers eat the leaves and fruit of the shade trees, leaving the valuable cacao pods

alone, so the farmers tolerate them

H Estrada believes the monkeys bring underappreciated benefits to such farms,

dispersing the seeds of fig and other shade trees and fertilizing the soil with faeces.

He points out that howler monkeys live in shade coffee and cacao plantations in

Nicaragua and Costa Rica as well as in Mexico. Spider monkeys also forage in such

plantations, though they need nearby areas of forest to survive in the long term. He

hopes that farmers will begin to see the advantages of associating with wild

monkeys, which includes potential ecotourism projects.

“Conservation is usually viewed as a conflict between agricultural practices and the

need to preserve nature,” Estrada says. “We’re moving away from that vision and

beginning to consider ways in which agricultural activities may become a tool for the

conservation of primates in human-modified landscapes.”

Extracted from - IELTS Reading Practice Sets. Copyright © 2023 by IDP education, British Council and Cambridge Assessment English

QUESTIONS

Questions 14-19

The Reading Passage has eight paragraphs A-H.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

14 a reference of reduction in forest inhabitant

15 only one species of monkey survived while the other two species were vanished.

16 a reason for Howler Monkey of choosing new leaves

17 mention to Howler Monkey’s nutrient and eating habits

18 a reference of asking farmers’ changing attitude toward wildlife

19 the advantage for Howler Monkey’s flexibility living in a segmented habitat

Match each description with the correct place, A-E.

Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 20-22 on your answer sheet.

20 Howler Monkey’s benefit to the local region’s agriculture

21 Original home for all three native monkeys

22 A place where Capuchins monkey comes for a better habitat

Questions 23-27

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 23-27 on your answer sheet.

The reason Howler monkeys survive better

in the focal region than the other two species

of Howlers in La Pacifica since they can feed themselves with the leaf when 23………………………is not easily found

Howlers have a better ability to alleviate the 24………………………. which old and young trees used to protect themselves)

When compared to that of spider monkeys and capuchin monkeys, 25…………….. the rate of Howlers is relatively faster (round for just every 2 years).

The monkeys can survive away from open streams and water holes as the leaves howlers eat hold a high content of 26………………………………. which ensures them to resist continuous 27………………………………………. in Guanacaste

SOLUTIONS

Answer 14: Paragraph G

Process to attempt the solution:

Look for information related to the reduction in forest inhabitants.

Identify keywords associated with the topic.

Scan the paragraphs and find the one discussing the reduction in forest inhabitants.

Answer 15:

Paragraph A

Process to attempt the solution:

Search for information regarding the survival of only one monkey species while the others vanished.

Identify relevant keywords.

Quickly scan the paragraphs to locate the passage discussing the survival of one monkey species.

Answer 16:

Paragraph C

Process to attempt the solution:

Focus on finding reasons for Howler Monkeys choosing new leaves.

Identify keywords related to the Howler Monkey's eating habits.

Scan the paragraphs to find information about the Howler Monkey's preference for new leaves.

Answer 17:

Paragraph B

Process to attempt the solution:

Look for information about Howler Monkey's nutrients and eating habits.

Identify keywords related to the Howler Monkey's diet.

Scan the paragraphs to find details about the Howler Monkey's nutrient absorption and eating habits.

Answer 18:

Paragraph H

Process to attempt the solution:

Search for a reference to farmers' changing attitudes toward wildlife.

Identify keywords associated with farmers' attitudes.

Scan the paragraphs and find the one discussing the changing attitude of farmers.

Answer 19:

Paragraph D

Process to attempt the solution:

Look for information about the advantage of Howler Monkey's flexibility in a segmented habitat.

Identify keywords related to the Howler Monkey's flexibility.

Scan the paragraphs to find details about the advantage of the Howler Monkey's flexibility in a segmented habitat.

20. Answer: C. A cacao plantation in Tabasco, Mexico

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the relevant section: Go back to the passage and find the section discussing howler monkeys thriving in a cacao plantation in Tabasco, Mexico.

Analyze the content: Look for information about how howler monkeys benefit the local region’s agriculture in a cacao plantation.

Conclude the answer: Summarize the information found, emphasizing how the howler monkeys bring benefits to the local agriculture in the specified location.

21. Answer: A. Hacienda La Pacifica

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the relevant section: Go back to the passage and find the section mentioning Hacienda La Pacifica, where howlers persist.

Analyze the content: Look for information explaining why Hacienda La Pacifica is mentioned in the context of howler monkeys and their resilience.

Conclude the answer: Summarize the information found, emphasizing the factors contributing to the resilience of howler monkeys in Hacienda La Pacifica.

22. Answer: B. Santa Rosa National Park

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the relevant section: Go back to the passage and find the section discussing Santa Rosa National Park.

Analyze the content: Look for information about why Santa Rosa National Park is mentioned in relation to capuchin monkeys seeking a better habitat.

Conclude the answer: Summarize the information found, emphasizing the reasons capuchin monkeys come to Santa Rosa National Park for a better habitat.

23. Answer: fruit

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the relevant section: Go back to the passage and find the section mentioning how howler monkeys can feed themselves with leaves when fruit is not easily found.

Analyze the content: Understand the context of how howler monkeys adapt their diet to leaves when fruit is scarce.

Conclude the answer: Summarize the information found, emphasizing that howler monkeys can rely on leaves as a food source when fruit is not readily available.

24. Answer: toxins

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the relevant section: Go back to the passage and find the section discussing how howler monkeys have a better ability to alleviate toxins that old and young trees use to protect themselves.

Analyze the content: Understand the context of how howler monkeys deal with toxins produced by trees.

Conclude the answer: Summarize the information found, emphasizing that howler monkeys can alleviate or cope with the toxins produced by trees.

25. Answer: reproductive

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the relevant section: Go back to the passage and find the section comparing the reproductive rate of howler monkeys to that of spider monkeys and capuchin monkeys.

Analyze the content: Understand the context of how the reproductive rate of howler monkeys is relatively faster, producing an infant every two years.

Conclude the answer: Summarize the information found, emphasizing that the reproductive rate of howler monkeys is faster compared to spider monkeys and capuchin monkeys.

26. Answer: water

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the relevant section: Go back to the passage and find the section mentioning that the leaves howler monkeys eat hold a high content of water.

Analyze the content: Understand the context of how the high water content in leaves benefits howler monkeys.

Conclude the answer: Summarize the information found, emphasizing that the leaves howler monkeys eat have a high water content.

27. Answer: drought

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the relevant section: Go back to the passage and find the section mentioning how howler monkeys can survive away from open streams and water holes during continuous drought in Guanacaste.

Analyze the content: Understand the context of how howler monkeys' ability to survive is mentioned in relation to the continuous drought in Guanacaste.

Conclude the answer: Summarize the information found, emphasizing that howler monkeys can resist continuous drought in Guanacaste.

NOTE

The "Monkeys and Forests" passage emphasizes the importance of consistent IELTS Reading practice. Multiple choice questions evaluate comprehension, covering topics like the ecological advantages of howler monkeys in various habitats, their reproductive patterns, and their adaptation to drought conditions. The Completion questions discuss in depth specific details, testing knowledge on the impact of human activities on forests, howler monkey behaviour in altered landscapes like cacao plantations, and the potential benefits of monkeys in shade coffee and cacao plantations. This passage underscores the necessity of regular IELTS reading practice, whether through practice tests or during the actual exam, to effectively tackle diverse question types and comprehend the information presented.

Passage - 3

Age-proofing Our Brains

A While it may not be possible to completely age-proof our brains, a brave new world

of anti-ageing research shows that our grey matter may be far more flexible than we

thought. So no one, no matter how old, has to lose their mind. The brain has often

been called the three-pound universe. It’s our most powerful and mysterious organ,

the seat of the self, laced with as many billions of neurons as the galaxy has stars.

No wonder the mere notion of an ageing, failing brain——and the prospect of memory

loss, confusion, and the unravelling of our personality——is so terrifying. As Mark

Williams, M.D., author of The American Geriatrics Society’s Complete Guide to

Aging and Health, says, "The fear of dementia is stronger than the fear of death

itself.” Yet the degeneration of the brain is far from inevitable. " Its design features

are such that it should continue to function for a lifetime,” says Zaven Khachaturian,

Ph.D., director of the Alzheimer1s Association1s Ronald and Nancy Reagan

Research Institute. "There’s no reason to expect it to deteriorate with age, even

though many of us are living longer lives." In fact, scientists ‘ view of the brain1s

potential is rapidly changing, according to Stanford University neuroscientist Robert

Sapolsky, Ph.D.

"Thirty-five years ago we thought Alzheimer's disease was a dramatic version of

normal aging. Now we realize it is a disease with a distinct pathology. In fact, some

people simply don’t experience any mental decline, so we’ve begun to study them."

Antonio Damasio, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Department of Neurology at the

University of Iowa and author of Descartes’ Error, concurs. "Older people can

continue to have extremely rich and healthy mental lives.’

B The seniors were tested in 1988 and again in 1991. Four factors were found to be

related to their mental fitness: levels of education and physical activity, lung function,

and feelings of self-efficacy "Each of these elements alters the way our brain

functions, " says Marilyn Albert, Ph.D. , of Harvard Medical School, and colleagues

from Yale, Duke, and Brandeis Universities and the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine,

who hypothesize that regular exercise may actually stimulate blood flow to the brain

and nerve growth, both of which create more densely branched neurons, rendering

the neurons stronger and better able to resist disease. Moderate aerobic exercise,

including long brisk walks and frequently climbing stairs, will accomplish this.

C Education also seems to enhance brain function. People who have challenged

themselves with at least a college education may actually stimulate the neurons in

their brains. Moreover, native intelligence may protect our brains. It’s possible that

smart people begin life with a greater number of neurons, and therefore have a

greater reserve to fall back on if some begin to fail. "If you have a lot of neurons and

keep them busy, you may be able to tolerate more damage to your brain before it

shows," says Peter Davies, M.D., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the

Bronx, New York. Early linguistic ability also seems to help our brains later in life. A

recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 93 elderly nuns and

examined the autobiographies they had written 60 years earlier, just as they were

joining a convent. The nuns whose essays were complex and dense with ideas

remained sharp into their eighties and nineties.

D Finally, personality seems to play an important role in protecting our mental

prowess. A sense of self-efficacy may protect our brain, buffeting it from the harmful

effects of stress. According to Albert, there’s evidence that elevated levels of stress

hormones may harm brain cells and cause the hippocampus——a small

seahorse-shaped organ that is a crucial moderator of memory——to atrophy. A

sense that we can effectively chart our own course in the world may retard the

release of stress hormones and protect us as we age. “It’ 's not a matter of whether

you experience stress or not, " Albert concludes, "it’s your attitude toward it. "

Reducing stress by meditating on a regular basis may buffer the brain as well. It also

increases the activity of the brain’s pineal gland, the source of the antioxidant

hormone melatonin, which regulates sleep and may retard the ageing process.

Studies at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and the University of

Western Ontario found that people who meditated regularly had higher levels of

melatonin than those who took 5-milligram supplements Another study, conducted

jointly by Maharishi International University, Harvard University, and the University of

Maryland, found that seniors who meditated for three months experienced dramatic

improvements in their psychological well-being, compared to their non-meditative

Peers.

E Animal studies confirm that both mental and physical activity boost brain fitness. At

the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology in Urbana, Illinois,

psychologist William Greenough, Ph. D., let some rats play with a profusion of toys.

These rodents developed about 25 per cent more connections between their neurons

than did rats that didn’t get any mentally stimulating recreation. In addition, rats that

exercised on a treadmill developed more capillaries in specific parts of their brains

than did their sedentary counterparts. This increased the blood flow to their brains.

"Clearly the message is to do as many different flyings as possible," Greenough

says.

F It’s not just scientists who are catching anti-aging fever. Walk into any health food

store, and you111 find nutritional formulas ——with names like Brainstorm and Smart

ALEC——that claim to sharpen mental ability. The book Smart Drugs & Nutrients, by

Ward Dean, M.D., and John Morgenthaler, was self-published in 1990 and has sold

over 120,000 copies worldwide. It has also spawned an underground network of

people tweaking their own brain chemistry with nutrients and drugs——the latter

sometimes obtained from Europe and Mexico. Sales of ginkgo ——an extract from

the leaves of the 200-mill ion-year-old ginkgo tree, which has been shown in

published studies to increase oxygen in the brain and ameliorate symptoms of

Alzheimer's disease——are up by 22 per cent in the last six months alone, according

to Paddy Spence, president of SPINS, a San Francisco-based market research firm.

Indeed, products that increase and preserve mental performance are a small but

emerging segment of the supplements industry, says Linda Gilbert, president of

Health Focus, a company that researches consumer health trends. While

neuroscientists like Khachaturian liken the use of these products to the superstition

of tossing salt over your shoulder, the public is nevertheless gobbling up nutrients

that promise cognitive enhancement.

Extracted from - IELTS Reading Practice Sets. Copyright © 2023 by IDP education, British Council and Cambridge Assessment English

QUESTIONS

Questions 28-31

Choose the Four correct letters between A-G.

Write your answers in boxes 28-31 on your answer sheet.

Which of the FOUR situations or conditions assist the Brain’s function?

A Preventive treatment against Alzheimer’s disease

B Doing active aerobic exercise and frequently climbing stairs

C High levels of education

D Early verbal or language competence training

E Having more supplements such as ginkgo tree

F Participate in a more physical activity involving in stimulating tasks

G Personality and feelings of self-fulfilment

Questions 32-39

Use the information in the passage to match the people (listed A-G) with opinions or deeds below.

Write the appropriate letters A-G in boxes 32-39 on your answer sheet.

NB you may use any latter more than once

A. Zaven Khachaturian

B. William Greenough

C. Marilyn Albert

D. Robert Sapolsky

E. Linda Gilbert

F. Peter Davies

G Paddy Spence

32. Alzheimer’s was probably a kind of disease rather than a normal aging process.

33. Keeping neurons busy, people may be able to endure more harm to your brain

34. Regular exercises boost blood flow to the brain and increase anti-disease disability.

35. Significant increase of Sales of ginkgo has been shown.

36. More links between their neurons are found among stimulated animals.

37. Effectiveness of the use of brains supplements products can be of little scientific proof.

38. Heightened levels of stress may damage brain cells and cause part of brain to deteriorate.

39. Products that upgrade and preserve mental competence are still a newly developing industry.

Question 40

Choose the correct letters among A-D.

Write your answers in box 26 on your answer sheet.

26 According to the passage, what is the most appropriate title for this passage?

A Making our minds last a lifetime

B Amazing pills of the ginkgo

C How to stay healthy in your old hood

D More able a brain and neurons

SOLUTIONS

28 - 31

Participate in more physical activity involving stimulating tasks (C): The passage mentions that both mental and physical activity boost brain fitness. The example given is of rats that developed more connections between their neurons when engaged in mentally stimulating recreation.

NOTE

The "Age-proofing Our Brains" passage emphasizes the malleability of the brain in the face of ageing and explores various factors contributing to mental fitness. In the context of IELTS Reading preparation, regular practice through IELTS reading tests and online resources is crucial. Completion questions (questions 27-30) explain the significance of education, physical activity, lung function, and self-efficacy in maintaining mental health. True/False/Not Given questions (questions 31-37) assess candidates' comprehension of the correlation between lifestyle factors and mental skills. The passage also explores the impact of stress on the brain and suggests that a positive attitude and stress reduction practices like meditation contribute to maintaining mental well-being. This comprehensive passage explains the importance of consistent IELTS reading practice for effective comprehension and interpretation of diverse question types.

32: Answer: D. Robert Sapolsky

Process to attempt the solution:

Identify the statement related to Alzheimer's disease and normal aging.

Scan the paragraphs to find the person who supports this statement.

33: Answer: F. Peter Davies

Process to attempt the solution:

Identify the statement related to keeping neurons busy and enduring harm to the brain.

Look for the person who discusses the role of keeping neurons busy.

34: Answer: C. Marilyn Albert

Process to attempt the solution:

Look for information about the effect of regular exercise on blood flow to the brain.

Identify the person discussing the impact of exercise on brain function.

35: Answer: G Paddy Spence

Process to attempt the solution:

Look for information about the significant increase in sales of ginkgo.

Identify the person or authority discussing the increase in sales.

36: Answer: B. William Greenough

Process to attempt the solution:

Identify the statement related to increased links between neurons in stimulated animals.

Look for the person discussing the results of the study on stimulated animals.

37: Answer: A. Zaven Khachaturian

Process to attempt the solution:

Identify the statement related to the effectiveness of brain supplements and scientific proof.

Look for the person discussing the use of brain supplements and their scientific support.

38: Answer: C. Marilyn Albert

Process to attempt the solution:

Identify the statement related to heightened levels of stress damaging brain cells.

Look for the person discussing the impact of stress on brain cells.

39: Answer: E. Linda Gilbert

Process to attempt the solution:

Look for information about the products that upgrade and preserve mental competence.

Identify the person discussing the emerging industry of products for mental competence.

40. Answer: A. Making our minds last a lifetime

Process to attempt the solution:

Revisit the section in the passage: Return to the introduction and main content of the passage. Look for information that encapsulates the main theme or message related to maintaining brain health throughout one's life.

Analyze the results: Identify key points or statements in the passage that convey the central idea about preserving mental function and flexibility as we age. Look for evidence that suggests the brain can remain healthy and functional throughout a lifetime.

Determine the implication of the information: Understand the broader implications of the information provided in the passage regarding the longevity and adaptability of the brain. Consider if there are specific strategies or insights mentioned for maintaining mental health.

Conclude the answer: Summarize your analysis and conclude that the most appropriate title for the passage is "Making our minds last a lifetime." Connect the information from the passage to the answer choice (A) and explain why it best captures the essence of the passage.

NOTE

The "Age-proofing Our Brains" passage emphasizes the malleability of the brain in the face of aging and explores various factors contributing to mental fitness. In the context of IELTS Reading preparation, regular practice through IELTS reading tests and online resources is crucial. Completion questions (questions 27-30) explain the significance of education, physical activity, lung function, and self-efficacy in maintaining mental health. True/False/Not Given questions (questions 31-37) assess candidates' comprehension of the correlation between lifestyle factors and mental skills. The passage also explores the impact of stress on the brain and suggests that a positive attitude and stress reduction practices like meditation contribute to maintaining mental well-being. This comprehensive passage explains the importance of consistent IELTS reading practice for effective comprehension and interpretation of diverse question types.

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