IELTS 5.

5- Unit 6: The natural environment

Full name:.................................

Lesson 5 Topic: The natural environment WID: IELTS5.5_05_R

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IELTS Reading skills:
Skills
- Yes/No/ Not Given - True/ False/ Not given ...... pts/10
- Summary completion

Exercise 1. [IELTS Reading: Summary completion] Read the information. Then complete the
summary. Use the words in the box. There are more words than you need.

How leisure time developed

The beginning of what we now know as tourism – travelling as a leisure activity – didn’t exist for
the majority of people before the 1900s. Although people had been participating in travel
activities for centuries beforehand, it had been something that only those fortunate people who
had a lot of money and free time could enjoy. Either that, or people would travel on pilgrimages,
to visit sacred shrines, cathedrals or other places with spiritual or holy significance.

For ordinary people, however, the experience of having ‘time off’ only really began after the
period of history in which people started using machines and tools to manufacture goods on a
mass scale. Once this began in Europe in the 1700s, the idea of a ‘working day’ independent of
the seasons or weather emerged. However, most factory workers had no realistic chance of a
vacation. Many had to work continuous ten-hour days in monotonous jobs. Even our modern
idea of the ‘weekend’ is a relatively recent phenomenon, having been created by an American
factory owner in 1908 to give his workers a little leisure time. The ruling classes might have
noticed that this allowance of free time made their workers more efficient during the week.

Still, the idea of an ordinary working-class person leaving their hometown for a holiday did not
become a reality until the mid-1800s in Europe. Perhaps the most influential development was
that of the railways. In particular, train routes were extended to connect large industrial towns
with what had previously been tiny settlements on the coast, such as the town of Blackpool in the
UK, where people could enjoy the fresh air, beaches and exciting new delicacies such as fish and
chips. This led to the spectacular growth of holiday resorts. By the end of the 1800s, there were
over 100 growing towns along the English coastline.
IELTS 5.5- Unit 6: The natural environment

impossible industrial age invention of machineswork

more productive relaxed religious reasons work places

seaside towns unpleasant

The beginning of leisure time

Tourism was 1____________ for most people before the 20 th century, unless they were very
wealthy. Some people travelled for 2____________, although this can’t be seen as a leisure
activity. It wasn’t until the 3____________ that the concept of having ‘time off’ started.

Employers began to see that having holiday time could make their employees 4____________,
which would help their businesses. In the 20 th century, the extension of railway lines to
5____________ led to the rapid development of holiday destinations for ordinary workers.

Exercise 2. [IELTS Reading: Summary completion] Complete the summary using the list of
words, A–I, below.

Write the correct letter, A–I, in the gaps.

How travel has changed

In the first half of the 19th century, some of the world’s most famous explorers were trekking
through jungles, climbing dangerous mountain peaks and crossing endless miles of desert. The
purpose of this was often to discover new places and trade routes rather than pleasure, and for
most people it was the kind of adventure they could only read about, rather than take part in.
However, by travelling through unknown and often dangerous new lands, a few of these
explorers hoped to test themselves in a way that would increase their physical strength, their
courage and their ability to rely on themselves and no-one else. It can be hard for people today to
imagine how challenging some of these trips would have been. If you wanted to head north, the
stars or a compass would have been your main tools. Many regions, such as deserts and
mountains, would have been unmapped. Certainly, travelling in those times involved a lot more
risk than any kind of journey today, and there was little chance of easily available help should
things go wrong.

By the second half of the 19th century, travel had become easier thanks to the development of
the steamship and the growth of railway networks. The tourism industry began to grow from
simple beginnings, but travel to other countries for pleasure was, of course, still something that
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only wealthy people could afford. They travelled mostly in order to gain an appreciation of music,
art and literature, and therefore the places they visited tended to be mainly ones with some
historical importance, like Rome or Venice. As this type of tour could be hard work, and often go
on for weeks or even months, travellers had to dress for both formal occasions (dining and
receiving guests) and informal occasions (visiting ancient ruins, etc.). This meant that each
traveller needed to take lots of luggage with them (and staff to help transport it).

Huge changes in the travel industry occurred during the 20th century. During the 1960s, air travel
became relatively common, and for the first time ordinary people could afford to go abroad for
their holidays. Furthermore, travel agencies emerged to conveniently organise flights, hotel
rooms, day trips, and so on. While people might have had a good time, this kind of organisation
also meant that most people would go to the same resorts, eat at the same restaurants and visit
the same shops. In fact, you would spend most of the holiday with the group who had booked
the same holiday as you.

A plenty of food B suitable clothes C basic technology

D several documents E unique experiences F cultural education

G personal qualities H pleasant experiences I long journeys

Travel experiences from the 19th century to the present day

In the early 19th century, many explorers went travelling in foreign countries. One of the reasons
that some of them did this was to develop their 1__________ during a trip. Because the explorers
had 2__________, their travel experiences were much more challenging than those that people
have today. As the 19th century progressed, one aim of early tourism was for wealthy people to
enjoy the 3__________ that they could get from visiting special places. Because journeys might
continue for a long time and involve a variety of activities, it was necessary for travellers to take
4__________ with them. In the mid-20th century, it became more common to travel by plane. It
was also usual for travel agents to organise every aspect of a holiday. Although this made things
easier for travellers, it also reduced their chances of having 5__________.
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Exercise 3. [IELTS Reading: Summary completion – Y/N/NG] Read the passage and complete the
summary.

Working conditions in Australia during the 19th and early 20th century
In the 19th century, work for Australia’s manual laborers was tough. They worked in areas such as
the building and construction trade, or the mechanical and maintenance industry, and their
working experiences were typified by uncomfortable and dangerous conditions, low pay and long
hours. Most manual laborers in the cities worked in factories. Quite often these had little or no
fresh air, were without basic facilities, were overcrowded, and often reached over 40 degree
Celsius in summer, while being cold and damp in winter. In addition, it was not uncommon for
injuries to result from faulty machinery and a lack of safety equipment or protective clothing,
which are compulsory at factory sites today.
Factory workers also had to work long hours. Rather than today’s average working week of 40
hours, most people worked ten-hour days for six days of the week. Some even had to work
overtime without being given any extra pay. Despite these difficult conditions, workers were too
afraid to complain out of fear of being dismissed from their job, as they knew that life could be
even more difficult if they were unemployed. Unlike today, where the unemployed are able to
access money from the government, there was no similar system available at that time. There
was also no payment for those who were injured at work, no sick leave, and no retirement pay.
Manual laborers in rural Australia did not fare much better. A vast number of manual laborers in
the rural sector were sheep shearers (workers who cut off the sheep’s coat). Although wool had
been a major part of Australia’s export industry since the 1870s, the shearers were undervalued.
They usually had to shear 100 sheep just to earn £1 (Au $2), and if their work was not to the
satisfaction of their employer, then he might withhold their wages. The shearers also had to
endure dirty and rat-infested conditions in the shearing sheds and at the accommodation which
was provided for them.
The work of most women involved attending to their household duties and looking after children
who were not of school age. Those who did enter the workforce belonged to Australia’s working
class. They had to endure similar working conditions to the men, except they did so with much
less pay: women received a wage 50 percent lower than that of their male counterparts. The
women were often employed as servants in private homes. Some of them enjoyed their jobs and
were treated fairly by the families for whom they worked. A number of them, however, had a
heavy workload. Women were also employed in the service industry. While shop assistants did
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not have to engage in any hard physical labour, their hours were exceptionally long. On
weekdays, they had to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and until 11 p.m. on Saturday.
Working-class children were also expected to help out the family by gaining employment. The
majority of them left school at the age of twelve, but there were some children as young as eight
who were working in trades such as textile and boot production. Children worked up to 60-hour
weeks, and were paid around 2-3 pence (2 cents) an hour. This was approximately half the wage
a woman received. Factory owners were keen to make use of children, as cheaper labour meant a
greater profit.
At the turn of the 20th century, life and working conditions in Australia were still harsh, dangerous
and dirty compared with today’s standards. However, in other parts of the world, the country had
a reputation as the “working man’s paradise”. This reputation was based on the adoption of the
eight hour day and other benefits which were unimaginable at that time in Europe. Rights
relating to working conditions, safety in the workplace, weekly working hours and wages all
progressed around this time. They did not, however, all come at once, and they were often only
extended to workers within certain industries. Yet despite this, it represented the beginning of a
new era, where employees had rights and employers had a greater responsibility towards their
workers.
These gradual improvements were partly achieved through the efforts of workers who had
begun, as early as the 1830s, to form unions which were beginning to take effect. The workers
were so confident that their unions had become strong enough to seek action to unfair treatment
and wages on their behalf, that throughout the 1890s they held a number of strikes. These led to
a gradual improvement in working conditions, and formed the basis of the rights enjoyed by
Australian workers today.
*Unions are organizations formed by workers to protect their rights.
A strike is when employees stop working because they are unhappy about something.
I. Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write: TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. At certain times of the year, factories could be extremely hot.
2. Employers normally paid the hospital bills of anyone injured at work.
3. Working conditions for domestic servants were sometimes quite good.
IELTS 5.5- Unit 6: The natural environment

4. Shop assistants usually worked shorter hours than factory workers.

5. Children under the age of eight weren’t allowed to work.
6. Australia was among the first countries to limit the length of the working day.
II. Complete the summary below. Write ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Improvements in Australian working hours
By the beginning of the 20th century, conditions for Australian workers had started to get better.
Their 7___________ were now recognized, and employers had to accept some responsibility for
their welfare. Compared to other countries, Australia was regarded as a(n) 8___________ for
workers.
To some extent this progress was due to the creation of 9___________ earlier in the 19 th century.
By the end of that century, workers felt sufficiently confident to hold 10___________, which
were effectively in achieving change.

Exercise 4. [IELTS Reading: T/F/NG] Read the passage and answer the questions.

Every April, along with many other species of birds, the swallow arrives to spend the summer
months in northern Europe, in Russia, Iran and parts of Siberia. Here it will breed and raise its
young.
The swallow is well known for several reasons. Firstly, it is very distinctive, with its forked tail and
characteristic acrobatic swooping flight. Secondly, it is very common, and, like its near relative the
house martin, lives in close proximity to human habitation, at least in rural areas. It is, however,
rarely to be encountered in towns or cities.
For centuries, people have observed swallows, noted their arrival and their patterns of feeding. In
several countries, these observations have passed into the language as proverbs or sayings. In
England, people comment on unpredictable late spring weather by saying, 'one swallow does not
a summer make'. Similarly, 'the swallows are flying low' was held to predict rainy, even stormy
weather. There may be some truth in this observation, though it is the insects the swallows feed
on that seem to be more susceptible to the fall in barometric pressure that heralds a storm.
Insects keep low in these conditions, and so do the swallows that hunt them. At the end of the
summer season, when the swallows are about to leave, they frequently flock together in large
numbers on convenient high open perches, like roof ridges and telegraph wires. When people
remark that 'the swallows are gathering', they mean that autumn has arrived.
IELTS 5.5- Unit 6: The natural environment

At some point in mid-September the swallows leave together, usually all on the same day. One
day there are thousands, the next there are none, and none will be seen again until the following
spring. For centuries, this was a complete mystery to people. The Hampshire naturalist Gilbert
White, writing in the late eighteenth century, believed that the swallows dived into ponds and
rivers in autumn and remained in the bottom mud the whole winter, re-emerging the following
spring. This idea seems extraordinary to us, but White was not a stupid man: many of his other
observations of natural life were informed and accurate. In this case, however, he simply had no
means of determining the truth and was forced to make a random guess. The idea that swallows
migrate to central or southern Africa would have seemed as fanciful to him as his theory seems to
us.
Although we now know that swallows migrate, there are still unanswered questions. Why do they
go so far? Why not stay on the shores of the Mediterranean? The majority continue to equatorial
Africa, and some even further south. Also it appears that populations of swallows that have bred
in different countries also spend the winter in different areas. Those from France, Germany and
much of western Europe have mostly been traced to East Africa, Kenya or Tanzania for example.
Above all, how does a bird weighing approximately twenty grams find its way across mountain
ranges, ocean and desert to winter in the south, and then return the following year to the very
location it was born, in some cases to the very same nest?
Birds can navigate by the Sun, and are also able to detect the magnetic field of the Earth. Species
that migrate at night are also able to navigate by the stars. By these means, they travel long
distances. The close navigation that brings them back to the same field or nest appears to be
related to memory of local landmarks imprinted on the minds of young birds as they crisscross
the area in the weeks before departure.
Nevertheless, the journey is very dangerous. Long sea crossings, where there is little available
food or water, are generally avoided. In western Europe, most swallows cross to Africa via the
Straits of Gibraltar, or fly the length of Italy before tackling the relatively short crossing to Tunisia
in North Africa. However, in storms they may be blown hundreds of kilometres off course.
Exhausted swallows sometimes come to rest on ships way out in the Atlantic Ocean. They have to
cross mountain ranges too, where again the weather may be unpredictable and food scarce.
Along the coast of North Africa, many young swallows become the prey of Eleonora's falcons,
which time their breeding to coincide with the migration of young birds southwards. But the most
dangerous part of the journey is the crossing of the Sahara desert. Here, there is little food or
water, sandstorms may delay and exhaustthe already weakened birds, and many die. It is
IELTS 5.5- Unit 6: The natural environment

estimated that around 50 per cent of adult birds die, and up to 80 per cent of young birds, but
enough survive to ensure the continuation of the species.
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
Write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
1. The swallow is the only species of bird that migrates to spend the summer in northern Europe.
2. The swallow is easily noticeable because of its tail and the way it flies.
3. The swallow is frequently seen in cities.
4. The insects, not the swallows themselves, appear to predict stormy weather.
5. Swallows form larger flocks than other birds when they depart in the autumn.
6. White's theory seems strange to people now.

Exercise 5. [IELTS Reading: Y/N/NG] Read the information. Then read the passage and decide if
the statements agree with the views of the writer.

Write YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer of the text

NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer

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

Nowadays, tourism continues to change, most of those changes having been brought about by
technology. Statistics show that 148.3 million travel bookings are made online each year, 39% of
which are accommodation bookings, and 37% are plane tickets. It is now estimated that people
spend at least three hours online researching their trips, even if they go to a travel agent to make
a final purchase. In addition, it is increasingly common for people to create online reviews of
hotels, restaurants and so on, after having experienced something while travelling. Although this
is very useful for travellers, the effect is that the tourism industry is becoming much more
consumer-oriented than ever before, and much more alert to the needs of travellers, in the hope
of receiving good reviews. A good travel experience is something you can actively seek out and
pay for.

By taking a mobile device on holiday, you can clearly save time, money and effort. The contents
of a restaurant menu can be quickly checked. The opening times of a museum can be found
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immediately. It may be, however, that these are making the travel experience less of an
adventure. It is possible that we have lost the notion of going to a new place in order to explore
it. It is, perhaps, regrettable if we go to a place and already know what we will find there.

Indeed, a recent survey shows that over 1.8 billion photos are shared online each day. A great
many of these are images from holidays, and can share worthwhile information with other
travellers. Such photographs can tell you more about a place than any professional advertisement
could, and it’s likely that they are more honest. Just one amateur photo can give an accurate
impression of whether or not a particular festival, ski resort or hotel is the best one to choose.

It seems also that the average traveller is less likely to pack large amounts of clothes, and more
likely to take equipment for recording their journey and sharing it with others. According to
another survey, the most common things to take are laptops, smartphones, tablets, digital
cameras and e-readers (not to mention the adaptors, cables and chargers that accompany them).
One recent innovation that is certain to attract consumer attention is a suitcase with its own GPS.
Even if the owner loses it, it is easily tracked, wherever it goes.

Back in the 19th century, many of the explorers sat down at the end of a long day to write an
entry in their diaries, some of which are now regarded as historical treasures. In the 20th century,
it was common for tourists to buy postcards, spend an afternoon writing brief messages, and post
them home. Nowadays, we have social media. Regardless of the convenience, and the easily
accessed information, if the point of travelling is freedom, it’s hard to say that this is what
technology allows us to gain. There is a constant pressure nowadays to update others about our
lives and the experiences we are having. Many people feel forced into checking everything before
they go there, and relying on other people’s recommendations about what to do. Surely a holiday
is the one time when people shouldn’t feel the need to do this.

1. It is best to avoid using online reviews as a way of choosing a hotel to stay in.

2. The use of a mobile device on holiday may have negative effects on people’s experience on the
holiday.

3. An individual traveller’s photo is far more useful to other travellers than an official one.

4. It is a good idea for travellers to limit the number of devices that they take with them on their
trip.

5. A clear benefit of technology is that it gives people a lot more freedom when they are
travelling.
IELTS 5.5- Unit 6: The natural environment

Exercise 6. [IELTS Reading: Y/N/NG] Read the passage and answer the questions.

Spoilt for choice

A Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. In daily lite, people have come to expect endless
situations about which they are required to make decisions one way or another. In the main,
these are just irksome moments at work which demand some extra energy or brainpower, or
during lunch breaks like choosing which type of coffee to order or indeed which coffee shop to go
to. But sometimes selecting one option as opposed to another can have serious or lifelong
repercussions. More complex decision-making is then either avoided, postponed, or put into the
hands of the army of professionals, lifestyle coaches, lawyers, advisors, and the like, waiting to
lighten the emotional burden for a fee. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor
countries, choice is a luxury, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to
make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, created by companies and advertisers
wanting to sell their wares.

B The main impact of endless choice in people's lives is anxiety. Buying something as basic as a
coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of consumer goods induces a sense
of powerlessness, even paralysis, in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking
away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted in order to solve the problem
and reduce the unease. Recent surveys in the United Kingdom have shown that a sizeable
proportion of electrical goods bought per household are not really needed. The advertisers and
the shareholders of the manufacturers are, nonetheless, satisfied.

C It is not just their availability that is the problem, but the speed with which new versions of
products come on the market. Advances in design and production mean that new items are
almost ready by the time that goods hit the shelves. Products also need to have a short lifespan
so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The classic example is
computers, which are almost obsolete once they are bought. At first, there were only one or two
available from a limited number of manufacturers, but now there are many companies all with
not only their own products but different versions of the same machine. This makes selection a
problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing;
no choice, no anxiety.
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D The plethora of choice is not limited to consumer items. With the greater mobility of people
around the world, people have more choice about where they want to live and work - a fairly
recent phenomenon. In the past, nations migrated across huge swathes of the earth in search of
food, adventure, and more hospitable environments. Whole nations crossed continents and
changed the face of history. So the mobility of people is nothing new. The creation of nation
states and borders effectively slowed this process down. But what is different now is the speed at
which migration is happening.

Read the passage and decide if the statements agree with the views of the writer.

Write YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer of the text

NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer

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

1. Having more choice is good because it helps the economy to grow.

2. Making decisions about minor issues is irritating.

3. People should seek the help of professionals when making a decision which can have adverse
consequences.

4. If people in poor countries had the same range of choices as those in rich countries, their lives
would be easier.

5. Only people in poor countries do not have any real choices.

6. Advertisers encourage the mistaken idea that more choice is beneficial.