IELTS Reading

Exam Length:
60 minutes / 1 hour
Total Reading Passage: 3 (The total text length is 2,150-2,750 words)
Sources: books, magazines, newspapers, journals.
Passage Style: descriptive, narrative and discussion/ argumentative.
Total Questions: 39-41. In each reading passage, there will be about 12-14
questions with 2-3 different questions sets.
Marking: 1 mark for each correct answer. There is no negative marking for
wrong answer.
Scores for the total number of correct answer:

Correct Answer
39-40
36-38
29-35
23-28
16-22
10-15
4-9
2-3
1

Band Score
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

Note: Complete the exam within 1 hour. Unlike listening text, no extra time
would be given for transferring the answer to the answer sheet. Use a pencil to
answer the questions.
Question types (10):
1. Multiple Choice
2. Short-answer questions
3. Sentence completion
4. Notes/table/summary flow-chart/diagram completion
5. Yes, no, not given or True, false, not given
6. Classification
7. Matching lists/phrases
8. Choosing headings for paragraphs/sections of a text
9. Scanning and identifying location of information
10.Labeling a diagram
1

Useful Tips
Tip #1 Dont read the whole passage. You should know what each paragraph
is about, what its main idea is.
Tip #2 - Dont divide the 60 minutes you have into 3 equal parts of 20 minutes.
Why? Because the last passage is the hardest and you are going to need more
than 20 minutes to crack it. So I suggest 15 20 25.
Tip #3 Dont forget to copy your answers to the Answer Sheet.
Tip #4 If you cant find an answer to a certain question mark it with a big
fat??? So you can easily see it later and move on to the next one.
Tip #5 Count the words in your answer. If the instructions say answer in 3
words you need to answer in EXACTLY 3 WORDS, when even an a and
a the count as a word! For example, if the correct answer is silk shirt, the
answer shirt made of silk would be incorrect

Mr. Sherif
(0551715164)

True False Not Given / Yes No Not Given Questions

2

Task: Decide if the information or writers opinion in the question statements can
be found in the passage
Skills:
1) Identifying specific information in the passage
2) Scanning and understanding information (T/F/NG questions)
3) Understanding the opinions of the writer (Y/N/NG questions)
Tips:
1) Understand the meaning of each answer
2) Yes / true = the same information is found in the passage
3) No / false = the opposite information is found in the passage
4) Not given = the information is not found in the passage
5) Paraphrase the statements before trying to locate the answers
6) Answers come in order

Spam Text Messages in China

SPAM, as every user of mobile phones in China is aware to their intense annoyance,
is a roaring business in China. Its delivery-men drive through residential
neighborhoods in text-messaging cars, with illegal but easy-to-buy gadgetry they
use to hijack links between mobile-phone users and nearby communications masts.
They then target the numbers they harvest, blasting them with spam text messages
before driving away. Mobile-phone users usually see only the wearisome results:
another sprinkling of spam messages offering deals on flats, investment advice and
dodgy receipts for tax purposes.
Chinese mobile-users get more spam text messages than their counterparts almost
anywhere else in the world. They received more than 300 billion of them in 2013, or
close to one a day for each person using a mobile phone. Users in bigger markets like
Beijing and Shanghai receive two a day, or more than 700 annually, accounting for
perhaps one-fifth to one-third of all texts. Americans, by comparison, received an

estimated 4.5 billion junk messages in 2011, or fewer than 20 per mobile-user for the
yearout of a total of more than two trillion text messages sent.
In China, by contrast, the three largest mobile operators sell special numbers that
start with the digits 106. These are exempt from rules limiting the number of
messages that can be sent daily by a normal account. Regulators allow them to be
used for non-commercial purposes, such as by companies to send messages to staff.
But Tencent Mobile Security Lab, a software-security firm, found last year that 55%
of mobile spam reported by users came from 106 numbers. After a documentary last
year on these accounts by Chinese state television, China Mobile, one of the biggest
carriers, admitted there were loopholes and inadequacies and said it would work
to hold people accountable. The broadcaster estimated that the big three carriers
earned hundreds of millions of dollars a3year from spam text messages. (The
economist, November 2014)
Questions 1-6
Decide if the following questions are true, false or not given.
True = the statement matches the information in the passage
False = the statement contradicts the information in the passage
Not Given = the information is not found in the passage
1) The men delivering spam text messages in China use technology which is illegal
and cannot be bought readily.
2) Customer numbers are accessed by hacking into users phones.
3) Mobile phone owners in Beijing and Shanghai received over 700 spam texts in a
year.
4) America received 4.5 billion junk texts which was the least amount worldwide in
2011.
5) Over half of all reported junk texts were sent from 106 numbers according to
Tencent Mobile Security Lab.
6) The three largest mobile operators make large amounts of money from junk text
messaging.

Answers

1) False (the gadgetry technology is easy-to-buy)

2) False (numbers are accessed through a link which is hacked between the phones
and the communication mast)
3) True
4) Not Given (there is no information given about how these figures compare to the
rest of the world)
5) True (55% = over half)
6) True (the big three carriers is a paraphrase for the 3 largest mobile operators)

intense = strong / extreme

roaring business = successful business / booming business
residential = suburban
gadget = device
harvest information = collect / gather
sprinkling = smattering
counterparts = equals / colleagues
spam messages = junk messages
digits = numbers / numerals

True False Not Given / Yes No Not Given Questions

4

Task: Decide if the information or writers opinion in the question statements can
be found in the passage
Skills:
1) Identifying specific information in the passage
2) Scanning and understanding information (T/F/NG questions)
3) Understanding the opinions of the writer (Y/N/NG questions)
Tips:
1) Understand the meaning of each answer
2) Yes / true = the same information is found in the passage
3) No / false = the opposite information is found in the passage
4) Not given = the information is not found in the passage
5) Paraphrase the statements before trying to locate the answers
6) Answers come in order

How the pyramids were built

The pyramid blocks were hewn from quarries using stone and copper tools. There
are examples of each stage of block extraction at existing ancient quarries. Granite
was quarried using pounding stones of dolerite, some of which have been found
laying about the quarries. The blocks were transported to the pyramid site from
remote quarries using barges, and from local quarries using wooden sleds. The
Egyptians did not use the wheel during the Pyramid Age, an invention that would
have been of limited used on softer ground under heavy loads. The sleds were
dragged manually, sometimes with the help of beasts of burden, over smoothed
roads. Some of the existing pathways were equipped with transverse wooden beams
to lend support to the sled. A lubricant may have been poured upon the road to
reduce friction. Qs

How the massive blocks were raised to the height of the rising pyramid is not
understood for certain. Earthen ramps were used at least in the initial stages of
construction. Extant ramps have been found at the pyramids of Amenemhat I and
Senwosret I at Lisht (see photos below), as well as at several other sites. Traces of
disassembled ramps at pyramid sites are even more common. The ramps were made
of brick or earth and rubble dressed with brick for strength. They were built up as
the pyramid progressed upward, and removed as the pyramid was finished
downward.
The ramps likely took the form of an inclined plane at the beginning of work, but the
5 a matter of conjecture. Some Egyptologists
configuration in later stages has long been
propose a straight, gently sloping, linear ramp, some propose a steep staircase ramp,
and others propose a ramp that spiraled up the four sides of the pyramid. In most
ramp scenarios, the volume of the ramp exceeds the volume of the pyramid structure
itself, raising the possibility that the stones of the upper reaches were placed using
levers, or perhaps a modified ramp of some sort. Qs
But whatever the configuration of the ramps, the fact remains that the Egyptians
successfully completed the most massive building projects in all of history. There is
nothing magical or supernatural in the means by which they achieved their goals. By
all indications, they retained their knowledge of construction throughout their
history, but they were limited after the Fourth Dynasty not by the lack of technology
but rather by the lack of the abundant resources that were previously available. More
than two thousand years later, the Romans would move huge stones, some weighing
nearly 1,000 tons, using similar techniques at Baalbek. Qs
More impressive than the mechanics of moving huge masses of building material are
the logistics involved: choreographing teams of foremen, multitudes of workers, and
a profusion of supplies, all within the rigid constraints of a blueprint for design and
a timetable for completion. It is hard to imagine that such a feat could be possible,
but the pyramids themselves provide mute testimony that it was not only possible
but actually accomplished. There remains no known written record hinting at how
the pyramids were built, nor have any reliefs depicting the procedure been found.
Most of what Egyptologists believe to be true of the methods involved is based on
tangible archaeological evidence. Some is based on theory and is open for debate.
What is known for certain is that the Egyptians used simple but effective tools to
quarry the stones, to move them to the pyramid site, and to place them in the desired
location.

Questions 1-6
Decide if the statements below are Yes No or Not Given

1.

Yes the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

No the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
Not Given it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

The wheel, although not invested

at that time, would have aided the pyramid
6
builders.
2.
It is possible that Ancient Egyptians could have lubricated their roads to aid
transportation.
3.
The building of roads dates back to the pre-dynastic period of Ancient Egypt.
4.
The method of construction used for pyramid building has still not been
confirmed completely.
5.
Ramps made from earth are believed to have been used at the outset of
building.
6.
Egyptologists agree that ramps were built straight similar to a staircase.
7.
The building work of the Ancient Egyptians is unrivaled.
8.
The knowledge of large pyramid building died out by the fourth dynasty.
9.
Some reliefs show how the pyramids were constructed.
10. There is an open debate about Egyptology.
11. There is an open debate as to whether the pyramids were built by the
Egyptians.
Answers
1.
No (an invention that would have been of limited used on softer ground under
heavy loads)
2.
Yes (A lubricant may have been poured upon the road to reduce friction)
3.
Not Given
4.
Yes ( How the massive blocks were raised to the height of the rising pyramid is
not understood for certain)
5.
Yes (Earthen ramps were used at least in the initial stages of construction)
6.
No (Some Egyptologists propose a straight, gently sloping, linear ramp, some
propose a steep staircase ramp, and others propose a ramp that spiraled up the
four sides of the pyramid.)
7.
Yes (the fact remains that the Egyptians successfully completed the most
massive building projects in all of history.)
8.
No (they retained their knowledge of construction throughout their history)

9.

No (There remains no known written record hinting at how the pyramids were
built, nor have any reliefs depicting the procedure been found.)
10. Not Given
11. No
hewn = cut / chopped
granite = a type of stone
to be of limited use = not very useful
dragged = pulled
manually = by hand
friction = resistanceTips for Choosing

ramp = slope / inclines

configuration = formation

conjecture = guesswork /
estimation / surmise

retained = kept
a Titleabundant = plentiful / rich / ample

This question type is usually the last question of the passage

You should find the main aim of the passage
Analyze all the options for the title
you need to find the main aim / message
Always look at the introduction sentence and concluding sentence to see if there
is a similar message.
dont spend too much time on this question it is only worth one point

Reading

Coffee is one of the most popular hot drinks in the world. Almost a third of the
worlds population drinks coffee. People often meet at cafes or coffee shops for a
coffee break during the middle of the morning or stop work in the afternoon to drink
coffee.
About 7 million tons of coffee is produced every year. Brazil is, by far, the worlds
largest coffee producer. About a third of the worlds production comes from this
South American country. Other coffee producing countries include Vietnam,
Indonesia and Columbia.
The United States is the biggest coffee consumer in the world. About 1.2 billion
kilograms of coffee are consumed there every year. Drinking coffee is extremely
popular in European countries, like Italy, France and Germany, as well as in Brazil.

Question

Choose the correct letter A C .Which is the best title for the passage below?

A. Coffee a popular hot drink

B. Coffee the main consumers
C. Coffee the main producers

Answers
A is the correct answer
The first sentence of the passage and the last sentence of the passage
both give the same aim popularity.
It is not B because information about consumers is only given in two
sentences.
It is not C because only the middle paragraph gives information about
producers. It is not mentioned in the opening paragraph or closing
paragraph.

Short Answer Questions

Task: Answering questions regarding details in the passage.

Skills: 1) Locating information in the passage
2) Understanding detail and specific information
Tips:
1) Pay attention to question words (Wh. / How)
2) Scan the passage to locate information
3) Check how many words you can use for the answers
4) Answers come in order and the answers should not require a hyphenated word (e.g.
non-smoker) or a contraction (e.g. Theyve). If the answer requires a number, you can
write it as a numeral (e.g. 6) or a word (e.g. six) or a combination of a numeral and a
word (e.g. 6 million).
The History of Easter Eggs
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are special eggs that are often given to celebrate
Easter or springtime. The practice of decorating eggshell is ancient. Ostrich eggs with
engraved decoration that are 60,000 years old have been found in Africa. In Europe, it
was traditional to use dyed and painted chicken eggs at Easter, but a modern custom
is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly
beans.
Easter eggs are a widely popular symbol of new life in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania,
Russia, Ukraine, and other Central European countries where they are concealed in
the garden for children to find. Eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility
and rebirth. Some magic rituals, these days, often use eggs to promote fertility and
restore virility (of the body and mind); and to foresee the future.

Questions 1-3

Answer the questions below. Choose no more than two words from the passage for
each answer.

1) What is another name for an Easter Egg?

2) What type of eggs were used at Easter?
3) What did eggs represent on the whole?
Answers
1.
Paschal eggs (The first word must start with capital letter).
2.
chicken eggs
3.
fertility rebirth (fertility and rebirth is wrong only two words for the
answer)
another name = also called

in general = on the whole

oldest tradition = many generations

were a symbol of =
Multiple
Choice
Questions
ago
represent

Skills:
scanning for specific Information
understanding information in the passage
Tips:
paraphrase the information in the question and options
locate the precise information in the passage
answers come in order
First Test to Predict Alzheimers

The worlds first blood test to predict Alzheimers disease before

symptoms occur has been developed. The test identifies 10 chemicals in
the blood associated with the disease two to three years before symptoms
start, but it might be able to predict Alzheimers decades earlier.
Globally, 35 million people are living with Alzheimers. It is
characterized by a toxic build up of amyloid and tau proteins in the
brain, which destroys the neurons. Several blood tests can diagnose the
disease, but until now, none has had the sensitivity to predict its onset.
But with no treatments available, would anyone want to take these tests?
Mapstone says In my experience, the majority of people are very

interested to know whether they will get Alzheimers. They believe that
knowledge is power particularly when it comes to your own health. We
may not have any therapy yet but there are things we can do we can get
our financial and legal affairs in order, plan for future care, and inform
family members.

Mr. Sherif
1

(0551715164)

Questions 1 3
Choose the correct letter A-C
1. The test can predict Alzheimers.
a) two or three years before the illness begin
b) two or three years from the start of the symptoms
c) a decade before
2. This test is the first blood test which can .
a) cure Alzheimers
b) estimate the start of the disease
c) diagnose the disease

3. Mapstone believes that .

a) this test will help people understand Alzheimers
b) people want to know about their health
c) people want power
Answers
1 = a Before symptoms start = before the illness begins (2nd sentence)
2 = b Estimate the start = predict its onset (2nd paragraph, last sentence)
3=b

2 or 3 years from the start of = 2 or 3 years after symptoms start

predict = foresee / forecast / foretell
occur = happen / came about
associated with = connected to
characterize = typify / exemplify
symptoms = signs (of an illness)
onset = start / inception
1

Matching Paragraph Information Questions

Task: Matching the information given in the question with information found in one
of the paragraphs in the passage.
Skills: 1) identifying specific information

2) scanning for information

Tips:
1) paraphrase the information in the question
2) find the information in the passage
3) answers do not come in order
4) the answer is often a letter (A, D, C, D) read instructions carefully to check
5) not all paragraphs may be used When the paragraphs may be used more than once, the
instructions will say: You may use any letter more than once.

Hobbies for the Elderly

A. Card making This has become an increasingly popular hobby, as its very easy to

start and cards can be as simple or complicated as skills allow. Best of all, its a lovely
way for your parent to send wishes to all the family and friends.
B. Art this can be done at your parents home, or in a local art class. It can be
painting, drawing, sculpture, or pottery. It does not matter how skilled your parent is,
as there are opportunities for all levels. Just give it a go. The creative process is very
absorbing and rewarding and it is a great way for your elderly relative to meet new
people.
C. Learning to use the internet if your aging parent likes the look of new
technology, but has never learned how to use it, the internet is very easy once
someone has shown them how. It opens up a whole new world of information and
they will be able to keep in touch easily with children and grandchildren via email.
Questions 1-2
Which section contains the following information? Write the correct letter (A-C) as
your answer.
1. A way to learn new methods of communication.
2. A way to socialize

1
Answers
1. C
New methods of communication is a paraphrase for the information contained in the
last sentence of section C.
2. B
Socialize means to meet and be with people. This is a paraphrase for the last
sentence of section B.

complicated = difficult
absorbing = interesting
rewarding = satisfying
via = through

Mr. Sherif
( 0551715164)

Task: Completing sentences by matching the start of the sentence with the correct
ending given in a list.
Skills:
1) Locating information in the passage
Matching 1
Sentence Endings
2) Understanding information
Tips:
1) Read through the sentences and then read through the possible endings
2) Prepare paraphrases
3) Find information in the passage
4) Choose the best ending to match the information in the passage
5) The completed sentence must be grammatically correct
6) Sentence beginnings follow the order of information in the passage
7) There are usually more endings given than you need

NASAs Orion Mars Ship set for test flight

A US space capsule that could help get humans to Mars is about to make its maiden
flight. Orion will be launched on a Delta rocket out of Cape Canaveral in Florida on a
short journey above the Earth to test key technologies. The conical vessel is
reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 1960s
and 1970s, but bigger and with cutting-edge systems. Given that this is a first outing,
there will be no people aboard.
Nonetheless, the US space agency describes the demonstration as a major event. Nasa
has a window in which to launch Orion of about two-and-a-half hours, which began
at 07:05 local time (12:05 GMT). The launch preparations had to be stopped shortly
before the opening of the window because a boat strayed into the eastern part of the
launch range. After that, the countdown had to be held because of strong winds and a
technical issue.
Orion is being developed alongside a powerful new rocket that will have its own
debut in 2017 or 2018. Together, they will form the core capabilities needed to send
humans beyond the International Space Station to destinations such as the Red
Planet. For Thursdays flight, the Delta IV-Heavy rocket currently the beefiest
launcher in the world is being used as a stand-in. It will send Orion twice around
the globe, throwing the ship up to an altitude of almost 6,000km (3,600 miles). This
will set up a fast fall back to Earth, with a re-entry speed into the atmosphere close to
30,000km/h (20,000mph) near what would be expected of a capsule coming back
from the Moon. It should give engineers the opportunity to check the performance of
Orions critical heat shield, which is likely to experience temperatures in excess of
2,000C (4,000F). They will also watch how the parachutes deploy as they gently lower
the capsule into Pacific waters off Mexicos1Baja California Peninsula. (Passage from
BBC News)

Questions 1-4
Complete the sentences by selecting the correct ending, A-G (not all letters will be
used).
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

The first ever flight of Orion is aimed to

Although the shape of Orion is similar to previous ships, it ..
A new rocket is also being developed which
The rocket which will be used as a replacement will .
As temperatures reach extreme levels on re-entry, this maiden flight will .

a. send Orion twice around the world.

b. has state of the art technology.
c. test the critical heat shield.
d. check Orions performance.
e. test the most important technology.
f. will have its first voyage in a few years.
g. help humans get to Mars
Answers
1.
e
2.
b
3.
f
4.
a
5.
c
maiden flight / maiden voyage = first ever flight / first journey
conical = shaped narrowing to a point
similar to something in the past
cutting-edge = front-line / pioneering / brand-new
strayed = drifted
Task: Completing
a summary by filling in the gaps using words from the passage or words
debut
= first appearance
given
in aof
box
in
excess
= more than
(parachute) deploys = opens
Skills:
1) scanning for specific information in the passage
Summary
Completion
2) understanding ideas
and supporting
points
1
3) selecting appropriate words

Question

Tips:
1) identify the type of word needed for each gap (noun/verb/adjective etc.)
2) locate the information in the passage in order to choose the right word
3) if you choose words from the passage, check how many words can be used for each
answer 4) answers usually come in order
5) the summary must be grammatically correct

Fermented Foods
Fermentation is a process in which an agent [typically bacteria and yeast] cause an
organic substance to break down into simpler substances; especially, the anaerobic
[no oxygen] breakdown of sugar into alcohol, i.e. the making of beer or wine.
Fermentation in food processing is the conversion of carbohydrates (plant foods) to
alcohols and carbon dioxide, or organic acids, using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination
thereof, under anaerobic (no oxygen) conditions. Fermentation usually implies that
the action of microorganisms is desirable, and the process is used to produce
alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and cider. Fermentation is also employed in
the leavening of bread, and for preservation techniques to create lactic acid in sour
foods such as sauerkraut, dry sausages, kimchi and yogurt, or vinegar (acetic acid) for
use in pickling foods.
Nobel Prize winner Dr. Elie Metchnikoff was one of the first scientists to recognize
the benefits of eating fermented foods. His research in the early 1900s focused on the
Bulgarians. He believed the daily ingestion of yogurt was a major contribution to
their superior health and longevity.
Bulgarians perfected the art of detoxifying and preserving milk (removing the
lactose and predigesting the proteins) and transforming it into yogurt and cheese. For
centuries, Europeans used wine as a source of clean, durable water. The Caucasians
used Kefir grains for the same purpose: detoxify milk products to make Kefir.
1
Vegetables were also fermented to preserve them from spoilage, such as kimchi in
Korea. Most of the pickled products found on our grocery shelves were at one time a

fermented product: pickles, saurkraut, and even catsup (a Chinese word for pickled
fish brine). However, since fermentation isnt always a uniform process,
manufacturers found another way to make these products.
Questions 1-6
Complete the summary using the list of words (A-J) below. Write the correct letter on
your answer sheet, in boxes 1-6
International Uses for Fermentation
At the start of the 20th century, Dr. Elie Metchnikoff put forward his belief that the 1.
and good health of Bulgarians could be attributed to eating fermented
food each day. By 2. . and preserving milk, they were able to convert it into
3 and 4. . In other parts of Europe, fermented 5.
was consumed as a replacement for clean water. Some 6. ..
were fermented which gave them a longer lifespan which nowadays is done by
pickling.
A) ingesting B) yoghurt
C ) longevity D) pickled products
G) kimchi H) cheese I) detoxifying J) vegetables

E) wine

F) food

Answers
1.
C
2.
I
3.
B (any order)
4.
H (any order)
5.
E
6.
J

Task: Completing sentences by filling in the gap with words from the passage
Skills:
Sentence
Completion
1) scanning for specific
information
2)Questions
selecting appropriate words
1
3) understanding information in the passage

Tips:

1) Identify the type of word needed for each gap (noun/verb/adjective etc.)
2) Locate the information in the passage in order to choose the right word
3) The sentences must be grammatically correct
4) Check how many words can be used for each answer
5) Answers usually come in order

Penguin Facts
Penguins are one of about 40 species of flightless birds, a category that also includes
the ostrich, emu and kiwi. Penguins are neither the smallest nor the largest of the lot,
but some may think of them as the most interesting.
These waddling birds are known for their white bellies and dark-colored backs and
wings, resembling a tuxedo. This distinct coloring is thought to hide penguins from
predators in the sea. Besides its coloring, a penguins body is designed for
swimming, and includes tapering at both ends of the body for hydrodynamics,
paddle-like wings and web-shaped feet.
Questions 1-2
Complete the sentences. Choose no more than two words and / or a number from the
passage for each answer.
1. The ostrich, emu, kiwi and penguin are from the same group of . birds.
2. Penguins can conceal themselves from predators with their ..
Answers
1. flightless
flightless is the only adjective that can possibly fit into the sentence from the first
paragraph
2. distinct coloring

resemble = look like, similar to

distinct = clear, well-defined
belly (bellies) = stomach

hide = conceal
predators = killers
tapering = narrowing