READING > Exam tasks > Matching headings to paragraphs; summary completion; short-answer questions » Skills » Approaching the text; skimming for main ideas; scanning for keywords Introduction [A Discuss these questions with a partner. + When was the last time you went on holiday? _—_« Was your holiday stressful or relaxing? Why? © What did you do on holiday? ‘© What would your perfect holiday be? B Categorise the following into three groups. Label the words: calm (C), quite stressed (Q) or stressed (5). alittle frustrated pretty anxious somewhat nervous slightly edgy relaxed really stressed out incredibly uptight _—_utterly unstressed Think of situations or activities that make you feel some of the above emotions. Compare your ideas with a partner. Then ask questions to find out more about your partner. {2| Approaching the text ‘A Look at the title, subtitle, photo and first paragraph of the passage on the opposite page. Tell your partner what you think the text is about. Then skim the passage to decide the main theme, Were your predictions correct? B Who do you think the article is aimed at? Where might you see this type of text? Discuss your ideas with 2 partner. IN THE EXAM Academic Reading module ‘There are forty questions in total, based on a variety of “The IELTS Reading module consists of three passages taken ‘SK tess such as matching headings to paragraphs, short: ae eee answer questions, nukiple-choice and sentence completion passages cover a variety of topics from scientific to The Reading module lasts one hour. No extra time is historical interest, though the material will be targeted at allocated at the end of the exam for transferring your ‘general, non-specialist audience. answers onto the separate answer sheet, 50 itis recommended that you fil n your answers onthe answer The text wil include ttles and sometimes captions, photos and ilustraions, which can help you to grasp the general Sheet a8 you complete each quesion. Py careflatenton teaning of the text.The total word length of all the texts © completing your answers in the correct order. Can vary beoween 2,000 and 2.750 wordsThe getaway blues Formula explains why it takes so long to relax on holiday ‘AWith so much to do, going on holiday is certainly no. vacation. First there's the fight hotel or villa to book, and that’s before you've sorted out the delicate matter of the beach outfit, evening wear and reading ‘material. B For much ofthe year we fantasise about a long break from the relentless drive of the ee surroundings, there's no ‘immediate way to simply forget all about work, the children’s schooling, the leaking roof and all those other domestic issues we long to escape. to arrange, then the ‘Adding up the stress [Pxs cr key P= Time spent preparing (hours) 5 = Stres level of preparation (scale 0-9) 0: utterly unstressed 4: relaxed 2: reasonably calm a little frustrated 2 tightly edgy 5: somewhat nervous 6 pretty anxious 7: realy stressed out : incredibly uptight 9: stressed to the max = Stress level of the holiday 1f your holiday is a high-pressure tour, divide by 5: f medium stress, by 10: if laid back, by 15. R= Time needed before you can relax ‘enough to enjoy the holiday (hours) READING {is calculated thus: time spent preparing for the holiday, ‘multiplied by the level of stress caused by the preparation (on a scale of 0 to 9), then divided by the stress level of the holiday (on a scale of 1 to 15). ‘The result is the number of recovery hours needed before relaxation is Possible. FF Ms Quiliam points out that taking a holiday is no longer a question of catching a bus to the nearest seaside resort with your bucket and spade. Today's pressurised lifestyles mean that going on holiday isa tot more stressful. We not only have to organise foreign travel and negotiate tong, complex journeys, we also have to settle our home and work matters before we go. G Add in potential tension with ‘travel partners and the psychological pressures of high ‘expectations, and by the time we € Susan Quiltiam, psychologist, arrive at our destination, we're body language expert, and regular TV and radio commentator, states that stress creates actual changes in the body's hormonal balance tre ne ie sr that ge ee ; hormonal changes in the bo ing mood GERRI tre atc thartetotec tne ocy a coer amount of time to regain its hormonal balance and become stress-free. We can suffer from anxiety, initability and a range of more serious psychological problems including mild depression. at if We Ercan Sprout E Now we have a formula to calculate the amount of holiday time needed to recover from the stress of preparing for what should be our annual period of rest and recuperation. The formula, devised by Ms Quilliam, days: stressed to the max! So according to Ms uiliam, the secret to a stress-free hotiday is planning and having realistic ‘expectations. This means concluding any unfinished ‘work in the office and ensuring the children are sufficiently entertained during the trip. H The results of a survey commissioned by Lloyds TSB bank and carried out by Ms Quilliam, have confirmed her ‘theories; todays holidaymakers really are stressed out. More than 83 per cent of people surveyed admitted to getting ‘severely stressed’ in the run-up to their holiday. More than a quarter of people admitted to needing the first few days of their holiday to recover. Some became s0 anxtous they left without making essential arrangements and forgot things such as feeding the cat (11 per cent), taking out travel insurance (20 per cent), and cancelling the milk (12 per cent). Amazingly, a tiny minority of travellers (a littie over 1 per cent) actually forgot to tell their bosses they were going on holiday! Source: London Evening Standrd UNIT 1 Leisure ActivitiesEADING. [3] Skimming for main ideas ‘A Skim the passage a second time and focus on the highlighted sentences in paragraphs A-D. These are known as topic sentences as they contain the main idea or ‘topic’ for each paragraph. Undertine the topic sentence in each of the remaining paragraphs E-H. B.A good topic sentence isa paragraph summary which gives the general meaning of the paragraph. TF) _C 1 Select the sentences that best summarise the following four paragraphs. For this question type you are asked to find a suitable paragraph heading from alist to match to the Appropriate paragraph inthe text. gs to paragraphs > There are two types of headings: headings that summarise the information of a paragraph and headings | that pick out key information in the paragraph. Read > Nocall the headings will match the paragraphs in the ‘ext, so there are extra headings which you do not need to use. > Skim the toxe to identify the tople sentence and the main idea ofeach paragraph, Take care not to confuse. ‘the main idea with the supporting idea. Then write your own summary in the margin. This will help you locate information more quickly Questions 1-8 The reading passage has eight paragraphs AH. Write the correct numbers #-x next to the paragraphs. List of Headings i Holiday stress statistics ii Stressful ‘perfect holidays’ iif Complex holiday preparations iv Holiday complaints ¥- Good advice for happy hotidays vi A mathematical model vii Times have changed vii How to relax after a holiday ix Delayed relaxation x Physical and psychological effects of stress through the ist of headings and match any obvious headings to the paragraphs, making sure you cross off teach heading as you do so. > Delete any headings which are dstractors. These might imelude supporting information such as a sentence which contains information from a paragraph that it ot part of the main idea of the paragraph and therefore not the correct answer ‘Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. 1 Paragraph A. 2 Paragraph B 3 Paragraph C 4 Paragraph D 5 Paragraph E 6 Paragraph F 7 Paragraph G 8 Paragraph H UNIT 1_Leisure Activities 11 a)Summary completion for this task There are two (pes of summary completion questions. + Read che gapped summary carefully and decide if i fs 8 In the first ype you must complete the gps wih exact summary ofthe whole passage or just ane part. che ‘words from the passage: do not use sony n the summary refers to one part only, lek locate the second type you must take words froma ghen Ist These part ofthe passage It refers to. are often synonyms or paraphrases of Keywords in the Read the gapped sentence and select the best word(s) passage. Be careul of your speling and check for a ‘based on meaning and grammatical compatiblity: which Sandra ord tele ‘word class is required? Do you need a gerund or Infnicive? ee. Questions 9-13, Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. A leading psychologist has 9 . a simple mathematical equation to work out the number of hours required at the beginning of a holiday to get over the stress of all the preparation before departure. The problem is that taking a holiday these days is much more of a stressful experience than it was in the past as a result of our 10 = However, stress levels can be decreased by having 11 of the holiday and making sure you complete 12 ...1.n.~n- before leaving. This was illustrated in the survey results, which showed that some holidaymakers didn’t even remember to 13, .» before setting out. on holiday. {@ Short-answer questions for this task » Shortanswer questions utually refer toa particular Usually synonyms or paraphrases of keywords in che Pare of che passage, so try co locate the relevant passage. Look for ches and they wl help you locate Section in the text quickly. Remember thatthe the answer accurately, questions ill aways follow the same order a the © 5 Answer the questions using words taken directly from » Focus on the keywords in tha question.These are the tox as far 35 possible. Questions 14-17 inswer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 114 What kind of change can we experience in our bodies due to stress? 15 What can we use to calculate how much holiday time we need to recover from stress? 16 What did people use to take on holiday with them to a seaside resort? 117 How do most holidaymakers Feel just before going on holiday?5 Introduction In your opinion, what factors influence whether people take part in sports as an adult? Tick the appropriate box to show how far you agree with each statement, Doing sports regularly as an adult depends on... . your gender. how rich you are. _ how healthy you are, . how active your family/friends are. . Your exposure to sports as a child. . how busy you are. your educational background. (your idea)... A I @saununn oooooooo Ooooooo ooooooo [2] Recognising main and supporting ideas ‘A Main ideas are often found in the first sentence of a paragraph, but sometimes you need to read further. Read the following paragraph from an article and identify the main idea. PHIL Jones is a happy man. Last night, playing in front for people from a variety of backgrounds to try a of family and friends from his local community centre, range of activities, including martial arts, cooking and hhe won the regional chess compatition.'| only started foreign languages, in addition to Phils favourite activity to learn chess two years ago and I'm really grateful ~ chess. The great thing about places like Jonson for the help and guidance I've received from the Street is that they are cheap to join, generally Jonson Street Community Centre? Community ‘well-equipped and conveniently located. ‘centres such as Jonson Street provide an opportunity The main idea of the article is a Phil Jones won the regional chess competition. b there are chess clubs in community centres. € community centres offer a range of activities for the community. 6 _UNIT1 Leisure Activities —READING B In the following article, the paragraph can be divided into two parts. Decide where the first part ends and the second part begins and mark it with two lines (//). Looking into the distance, you can make out a dark. shape, gliding through the water towards you. Your breathing starts to increase rapidly and you become tense. Suddenly, out of the blue, a large fish swims past you. It isn’t dangerous, and you can continue to enjoy your dive. As your breathing ‘comes back under control, you relax and can begin to look more closely at the wonderful underwater soenery around you. Scuba diving experiences like this are unforgettable and training is easy to come by in many resorts. Costs vary (expect to pay around $500) but make sure you find a reputable dive company with qualified instructors to ensure quality and safety. Na es The first part of the text is supporting information. What is the reason for including it? a to make the reader interested enough to read mote b to give the reader a feeling of scuba-diving through an both a and b The second part is the main fdea of the paragraph. First, example underline the main words/ideas in this part and then use them to write a one-sentence summary of the paragraph. C Supporting information can include examples, reasons and explanations. It is important to be able to separate the main ideas from the supporting information. Read the extract from a brochure below and identify the main ‘dea and the supporting information. There may be more than one piece of supporting information, Whatever kind of outdoor activity you're into, New Zealand has it all: whale-watching, fishing, walking, swimming. Or maybe you'd prefer something with a slightly higher thril factor? So-called ‘extreme sports’ such as bungee jumping and tandem skydiving, have become a lucrative market, allowing the New Zealand travel industry to attract a wider range of visitors than ever. Young people from many countries are spreading the word that New Zealand has much to offer, contributing to the changing perception of the country once known more for its population of sheep than excitement. 1 The main idea of this paragraph is a New Zealand has become a popular travel destination. b You can do extreme sports in new Zealand, ‘¢ New Zealand attracts a diverse range of tourists. Skimming A Ski a in a newspaper bin a specialist magazine 2 The supporting idea(s) is/are 4 New Zealand has become a popular travel destination, b You can do extreme sports in new Zealand. New Zealand attracts a diverse range of tourists. the text on the next page very quickly (no more than 30 seconds). Where would this text most likely appear? cin a brochure B Read Paragraphs A and B of the text on the next page. Choose the main idea of each paragraph. Paragraph A 1 The importance of lifelong sport is becoming widely accepted. We now need to focus on the reasons for its occurrence in order to encourage increased participation in the future. 2 Sports need to be more organised in the future because people only participate when encouraged to do so. UNIT 1_Leisure Activities 7READING Paragraph B 1 Academic researchers got their predictions wrong because their research was too limited to verify the claims. 2 Itis diff icult to make predictions about the levels of sport activity and predictions have often been wrong in the past. In fact many factors influence levels of participation in sport. Sports Participation and Retention —- How and Why? ‘There is a growing awareness that starting an active lifestyle when you are young and continuing into adulthood is beneficial. The government, therefore, needs to understand how and why people take part in sports in order to encourage more participation. Unfortunately, assessing levels of participation is extremely difficult due to a wide range of factors. A Both governments and individuals have recognised for, some time the need to establish an active lifestyle which does not end when people leave school or university. In order to develop a coheront approach to how sports are organised in the future, and to encourage participation from all levels of society, itis necessary to review some of the issues which affect people's attitudes towards sporting activities, B It is very difficult to envisage exactly what directions sport will take in the future, In the late seventies, experts predicted that badminton and squash would become hugely popular. In reality, the number of participants has decreased for squash, and remained static in the case of badminton. The current interest in yoga and pilates was unpredicted. There are a variety of reasons for these erroneous predictions, Thirty years ‘ago, academic research was limited in this area. Furthermore, and more fundamentally, participation in sports is affected by a wide range of factors. Disposable income and health awareness significantly affect different leva's of sports participation while socio-economic class, gender, education and age also play a role. © Traditionally, there is a significant decline in participation in sports and other physical activities as, people get older. Whilst this remains common, there are Indications that a new generation of more active older people is emerging. In a recent General Household Survey, participation in at least one sport (excluding walking) in the 60-69 age group increased from 23% ‘in 1980 to 20% in 1998. This tendency can be traced to @ number of factors, The generation approaching retirement has had access to a much wider range of sports. This group will carry their sporting experience ‘into their later years, Furthermore, a larger number of the population are retiring at an earlier age, which ‘means more active people are entering retirement, D A survey conducted in 1994 indicated that those who continued in full-time education after the minimum school-leaving age had higher rates of sports patticipation than school leavers. Furthermore, this group was also more likely to participate as they grew older. Reasons for this include @ diverse range of activities available at universities and the establishment of sporting habits and networks which continue into adulthood. It is worth noting that the increase in female sports participation (an increase of 268% between 1975 and 1995 compared to 61% for males) has paralleled a dramatic increase in the umber of females in higher education. E The major investment in school-aged sport at both primary and secondary levels has @ dual purpose, First of all, it is designed to improve the physical activity levels of children and young people and assist in addressing the growing concern over child obesity. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it helps establish the platform of life-long involvement in sports, Such policies are based on the conoept that early varlety in sports participation is linked to continuing adult participation. What this means very simply is that the more sports young people take part in, the more Likely they are to continue taking part into adulthood. F Clearly, how sport develops is influenced by a wide range of factors: changing cultural attitudes and attitudes towards health and fitness, in addition to how ‘education policies are formulated. Traditional sports are very likely to continue and, in certain areas, expand. In ‘order to broaden the participation base and contribute to the government's health agenda, there is a need to address the issues of ‘ife-time sports’. There is a clear need, for instance, to improve our understanding of the processes of participation and retention in order to suocessfully address the needs of the population for access to a diverse range of sports activities. UNIT 1__Leisure Acti | | | |Bf Matching hea Before the task First read the list of headings tix. Re-read Paragraph A of the text and identify the main idea. Then consider each ‘option in the list and choose the best one, gs Task practice ‘Questions 1-5 The reading passage has six paragraphs AP. (Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. List of headings i The future direction of research into sport participation ‘The development of more sporting venues ‘A more active generation Increased diversification in sports ‘A re-examination of views on sport ‘Advantages of participation from an early age ‘The impact of further education Inaccurate predictions ‘Awareness of health issues Weegee tee Frample Answer ‘Paragraph A, Paragraph B Paragraph C Paragraph D Paragraph E Paragraph F Follow-up Go back and check that each heading left over is not a better choice than one you have chosen. weone @ Short-answer questions Before the task Read Question 6 below. Scan the passage to find the relevant section of the text. Remember to look for synonyms and paraphrasing of the question words in the ‘text. When you have found the right section, check the word limit in the instructions, then answer the question.- READING Task practice Questions 6-10 Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN: THREE WORDS for each answer. 6 What two activities showed an unexpected rise in participation? smmnseunne 7 Why did it use to be difficult to foresce future interest in particular sports? 8 As well as retiring earlier, how is the new generation of retirees different? 9 What choice of sports and activities do people have at university? : 10 Apart from participation in sports, where else have rnummbers increased for females in the last thirty years? Summary completion Before the task ‘Skim the text for paragraph(s) with similar ideas in order to find the correct section. Look for any words or phrases from the text that might fill any of the gaps. Pay attention ta the word limit given in the instructions. Task practice ‘Questions 11-15 Complete the summary below. (Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the ‘passage for each answer. Encouraging sports in school fulfil6 444 ssceseson | in an area Which 16 42 sesssene to many people. | Firstly, If we want to overcome the problem of 13 It le necessary to increase the | amount of sport the children do. Secondly, taking | part in sports at school can help encourage a | ChIA'S 14 seersnsseee IN Sport, £0 that the child continues to participate as an adult. However, in order to increase the chances of adult participation, research suggests that participating in aC) 15 svnssnsns in Oporte io a key factor. NP cc opie Follow-up Go back to the paragraph in the text and compare the way ‘the summary is phrased with the original text. Take note cof any synonyms or paraphrasing used. UNIT 1 Leisure Activities 9 REE SSSR Se SEESOCABULARY 1] Word building 2] Vocabulary in context ‘A The following endings (or suffixes) are common for Complete the following passage with the correct form of nouns: -ment; -tion; -ance. Complete the table below the words in the table in Exercise 1A. with the correct noun form. vet Teun Xpro Boosts predict prediction _| Its Funding retain i; Lh Electronics and gaming company Xpro has Heer ~ announced a huge 1 - in funding for ‘neat the 2 wa . of a new gaming platform to io compete with the market leaders. The American participate _| company plans to 3 an extra contribute pues 000. CEO Jeff Gold said, ‘We have to significant _ that, if we want to compete with recognise te 5 ‘companies, we will need co develop dig deep and put money into research. Gaming ‘enor 6 most of the company profit. Despite this news, analysts 7 .. that retire e Xpro will not achieve a 8 rise in continue | market share. Industry sources point out itis very improve difficult o break the control of the two leading ‘increase game providers. Unless Xpro is able to come up ‘a substantially new concept or offer major to the gaming platform, its the B Complete the following sentences with the correct form ‘oF tha Wasi {i the ible SEave" ‘competitors are expected to 10 Lie Reece ee eee largest market share for the next few years. is stil the best in the area, 2.No one could have by Range Rovers over a strong team like Manchester United. 3 While many people still watch sporting events, i joe in sports is decreasing these days. 4 He gets litle... for all his hard work at the club, but they would miss him if he left. 5 Despite the emergence of younger players, she her dominance of the game. [3] Vocabulary revision Choose twelve to fifteen words to learn from this unit and write them in your vocabulary notebook. See page 3 for vocabulary learning tips. 6 Helen’ face gave no . . that she was losing badly. 7 She had to from the competition after pulling a leg muscle. 8 There was a significant swing after several lessons. 9 The coach felt that the goalkeeper’s magnificent save had really to the team’s win. 110 John was disappointed that after the huge of time, money and energy to train his hors, ft stil edt win the race, . to her golf 10 UNIT 1 Leisure Activities Dracaena oe nares,