AA ELTsMaterial.com cost the necessary investments in network bandwidth to deliver multimedia courses, and you're left holding one heck of a bill. For the LMS infrastructure and a dozen or so online courses, costs can top $500,000 in the first year. These kinds of costs mean that custom e-training is, for the time being, an option only for large organizations. For those companies that have a large enough staff, the e-training concept pays for itself, Aware of this fact, large companies are investing heavily in online training, Today, over half of the 400-plus courses that Rockwell Collins offers are delivered instantly to its clients in an e-learning format, a change that has reduced its annual training costs by 40%. Many other success stories exist. E. Elearning isn’t expected to replace the classroom entirely. For one thing, bandwidth limitations are still an issue in presenting multimedia over the Internet. Furthermore, e-training isn’t suited to every mode of instruction or topic. For instance, it's rather ineffective at imparting cultural values or building teams. If your company has a unique corporate culture it would be difficult to convey that to first-time employees through a computer monitor. Group training sessions are more ideal for these purposes. In addition, there is a perceived loss of research time because of the work involved in developing and teaching online classes. Professor Wallin estimated that it required between 500 and 1,000 person-hours, that is, Wallin-hours, to keep the course at the appropriate level of currency and usefulness. (Distance learning instructors often need technical skills, no matter how advanced the courseware system.) That amounts to between a quarter and half of a person-year. Finally, teaching materials require computer literacy and access to equipment. Any e-Learning system involves basic equipment and a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to perform the tasks required by the system. A student that does not possess these skills, or have access to these tools, cannot succeed in an e-Learning program. F. While few people debate the obvious advantages of e-learning, systematic research is needed to confirm that learners are actually acquiring and using the skills that are being taught online,AA ELTsMaterial.com and that e-learning is the best way to achieve the outcomes in a corporate environment. Nowadays, a go-between style of Blended learning, which refers to a mixing of different learning environments, is gaining popularity. It combines traditional face-to-face classroom methods with more modern computer-mediated activities. According to its proponents, the strategy creates a more integrated approach for both instructors and learners. Formerly, technology-based materials played a supporting role in face-to-face instruction. Through a blended learning approach, technology will be more important. Questions 28-33 Instructions to follow The reading passage has six paragraphs, A-F © Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F from the list below. © Write the correct number, i-xi, in boxes 28-33 on your answer sheet. List of Headings i. overview of the benefits for application of E-training ii, IBM's successful choice of training il, Future directions and a new style of teaching iv. learners’ achievernent and advanced teaching materials nal class vl tions when E-training compares with traditi vi. multimedia over the Internet can be a solution vii. technology can be a huge financial burden vili. the distance learners outperformed the traditional university learners worldwide ix. other advantages besides economic consideration x. Tra 1g offered to help people learn using computers‘AA leLTsMaterial.com ® Paragraph A © Paragraph 8 © Paragraph C @ Paragraph D @® Paragraph E © Paragraph F Questions 34-37 Instructions to follow © The reading Passage has six paragraphs A-F. © Which paragraph contains the following information? © Write the correct letter A-F, in boxes 35-37 on your answer sheet. © Projected Basic Blue in IBM achieved great success. A B Cc D e if © Erearning wins as a priority for many corporations as its flexibility. A B @ D ® F © The comi A B @ D E F tion of traditional and e-training environments may prevail. © Example of fast electronic delivery for a company's products to its customers. A B © D © F‘AA leLTsMaterial.com Questions 38-40 Instructions to follow © Choose THREE correct letters, among A-E. Write your answers in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet. Technical facilities are hardly obtained. Presenting multimedia over the Internet is restricted due to the bandwidth limit. It is ineffective imparting a unique corporate value to fresh employees. Employees need to block a long time leaving their position attending training. moo 85 > More preparation time is needed to keep the course at a suitable level. A 8 © D © A B @ D EAA ELTsMaterial.com IELTS General Reading Test 12 Section 1 Instructions to follow You should spend 20 minutes on Questions 1-14 which are based on Rea ‘A. Greenstar Drain Solutions ‘We: unblock drains, toilets, sinks, urinals, pipes, manholes. Prompt and reliable 24-hour service ~ no call-out charge Call your local drain engineer on 01863 ‘854 932 www.greenstardrains.com B. Repair and Service Don’t want to spend lots of money with branded servicing of your home appliances? We will vi you to repair and service all makes of: = washing machines = dishwashers — fridge freezers cookers tumble —driers ovens C. Handy Andy - your local handyman Come to us for all your home odd job needs. —Free estimatesAA ELTsMaterial.com = Carpentry a speciality Painting and decor ing ~ Gardening and landscaping — Roofing Member of your local tradesmen's association —Fully insured Call Andy on 01462 859 823 or contact him on handyandy@living.com D. David English - MOT Testing Every day, many satisfied customers leave our premises with their cars having passed their MOT car safety check. We have the experience and dedication to ensure that your car will sail through its check. We carry a wide selection of parts that often cause MOT failure, so you won't be left waiting for your vehicle. Drop your car off with us today or call us for more information on: 01462 975 883 No work is ever carried out before consultation with the owner! E. Ali Stoneman your local cleaner Call me to make an appointment for me to clean your home. | can also iron, launder, cook and babysit. All at highly competitive rates! For your peace of mind, | have an up-to-date “police-checked” certificate. AND | can supply lots of genuine references with telephone numbers for you to double-check. Call me, Alice, on 07770 888 231.‘AA leLTsMaterial.com Questions 1-7 Instructions to follow © There are five advertisements on the next page, A~E. Which advertisement mentions the following information? ‘© Write the correct letter, A—E, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet. @ This advertisement is for a service that is not carried out in people’s homes. A B Cc D e @ This advertisement is for a service that can look after children. A B c D E @ This advertisement is for a service that can take place the day people call. A B @ D E @ This advertisement is for a service available at any time, day or night. A 8 c D E @ This advertisement is for a service that has its work covered by insurance. A B @ D E G This advertisement is for a service that can supply recommendations from previously satisfied customers.‘AA leLTsMaterial.com @ This advertisement is for a service that can be contacted by email A B © D © Instructions to follow © Read the text below and answer questions 8-14, Illington Public library Opening Hours = Monday 10 a.m. ~5 p.m. Tuesday 9.30 a.m. ~7 p.m. — Wednesday Closed ~ Thursday 9.30 a.m.-7 p.m. = Friday 9.30 a.m.-7 p.m. = Saturday 9.30 a.m.-1 p.m. —Sunday Closed Joining the Library Membership of the library services is free. You can join without delay at the library when you come to visit us by presenting proof of your name and current address. You can join also online and then pick up your library card one day later when you visit us and show us your ID. Borrowing You will be able to borrow: ~ 10 books or audiobooks for 4 weeksAA ELTsMaterial.com = 8 music CD's for 2 weeks —5 DVD's for 2 weeks You will usually have to pay to borrow audiobooks, music CD's, and DVD's. Please ask staff about concessions and special offers. if the item you require isn’t available, you may reserve it online or at any library. Renewals You can renew most items for a further 2 weeks (up to a maximum of 3 times) in person, by telephone, or online. If you telephone, please have your library card and the items to hand. Inter Library Loans If you want a book or journal article that the library does not hold, you can request it free of charge through Inter Library Loans. The inter-lending team will try to obtain a copy from another Library Authority, but you must be a member of the Library. Library Computers ‘We have 10 computers which can be booked by members of the public in the library. Booking can be done in person or by telephone. You cannot book a computer by email. From the library computers, you can access the internet, including web-based e-mail. Computers also have word processing and desktop publishing software installed. You can print items if you wish, at a small extra cost per sheet. In the children’s section, there are 5 separate computers for use only by children under 14. Questions 8-14 Instructions to follow‘AA leLTsMaterial.com © Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? In boxes 8 ~ 14 on your answer sheet write: © TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE _ ifthe statement contradicts the information © NOTGIVEN if there is no information on this 6 The library is closed for maintenance once a month on the first Monday of each month. @© ‘you become a member online, you can pick up your membership card the same day. © Under 16's and old age pensioners have reduced rates when borrowing audiobooks, music CD's and DVD's. @ You can borrow a book for at least five weeks if you renew it. ® Using the inter Library Loan service incurs a small fee. © Library computer reservations cannot be made by email. @ the library's computers for children can be used by adults if they are free.AA ELTsMaterial.com Section 2 Instructions to follow © You should spend 20 minutes on Questions 15-27 which are based on Reading Passage 2. Customer Service Advice Everyone enjoys great customer service, whether you are in a shop or a restaurant. Good customer service creates repeat business, happier employees and better profitability. ‘A. Welcome Customers Correctly It’s usually fine to be less formal with younger people, but older customers often don’t appreciate being called “you guys” or similar. Use your common sense, and be polite. Remember, no one objects to being called “sir” or “madam’ B. Use Positive Body Language Customers don’t want their day affected by your bad day! Look as though you're happy that the customer has come into your shop or restaurant and look as though you want to serve him/her. C. Strategies for When Things Get Busy There's always a 1e when there are lots of people to deal with at the same time. Everyone expects at some time to be kept waiting, but if they see people trying to get them served, they'll be happier. Here are some tips: speak to the waiting customers and tell them you're trying to get to them. Try and get extra help to deal with the waiting customers. Don’t answer the phone when there are waiting customers. Don’t allow a talkative customer to take up tooAA ELTsMaterial.com much of your time when others are wai 1g. Apologise for the wait when the customer is served, D. Stay Calm when Dealing with Angry Customers Sometimes you'll have to deal with someone with a bad attitude. Stay calm, don’t take anything to heart and be polite, no matter what the customer says. Sometimes the customer will be right, so listen carefully, be sympathetic and apologise with genuine feeling. Often this approach will calm the customer down. If you start to get abuse, just ask your manager to take over. If you can, take a short break afterwards and allow yourself to calm down ~ you'll probably be angry inside! E. End the Experience Well Before the customer leaves, make sure he/she has the correct change, check the goods when you're packing them to make sure they have what they paid for and that everything is the right size and undamaged. F. Create a Professional Atmosphere Dress smartly with ironed clothes, make sure your hair is tidy, be clean shaven (if you're a man), have clean hands, eat or drink in your break room, never swear and don’t talk about customers in front of other customers. Questions 15-21 Instructions to follow © There is some advice on customer service, A—F, on the next page. Which section of advice mentions the following information?‘AA leLTsMaterial.com © Write the correct letter, AF, in boxes 15 ~ 21 on your answer sheet. © Don’t take a phone call in front of customers. ® smite when you see customers. © never use bad language if customers might hear you. © Don’t take bad things personally when dealing with customers. ® @o0 @0 @O 60 6¢ © Don’t chat for too long with customers. © Greet people in an appropriate way. @) Make sure customers don’t leave without the things they've paid for.AA ELTsMaterial.com Instructions to follow © Read the text below and answer Questions 22 ~ 27. The Recruitment Process 1. Plan the Vacancy The first step in the recruitment process is to decide if your organisation needs a new employee. The need might come from someone leaving the company or increased business activity or scheduled expansion. If it's decided a new employee is needed, a selection committee should be formed. This should be made up of three or four people, at least two of whom should be from the prospective employee's future department, so that they will know about what the job will entail. The selection committee should create a job description for the vacancy. If the vacancy is for someone who has left, the previous job description would be a good starting point. 2. Advertising and Applications The advertisement for the vacancy needs to be posted in appropriate places. A headhunter firm might be used if the vacancy warrants it. Applications will be received and should be reviewed by the selection committee. The committee should create a short list and contact unsuccessful applicants. A short email will suffice, Applicants on the short list should be contacted and invited to interview. Applicants will need to know when and where the interview will be and ‘who it will be with. Some basic guidelines can often be appreciated. 3. Interviews and Assessment ‘The interviews should be conducted by the selection committee. They should have questions and/or tasks ready. Although questions will normally be related to the job description, theAA ELTsMaterial.com committee may want to include various questions that stretch and surprise the candidate to test his/her suitability. The selection committee will assess the interviewees and either choose a successful candidate or make a second short list for a second interview. The second interviews will usually be for a maximum of three candidates. Questions will normally relate to the issues that stopped an outright selection in the assessment stage. The selection committee will assess the second interviewees and choose a successful candidate and a back-up in case the job offer is refused. 4, Check References and Offer Job This is an essential part of the process to ensure that everything the successful candidate has said is true. When the selection committee is satisfied, the job offer can be made. Questions 22-27 Instructions to follow © Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer. © Write your answers in boxes 22 ~ 27 on your answer sheet. The Recruitment Process 1. Plan the Vacancy worker. A selection committee (min. 3 or 4 people) will create a 2). A resignation, new business or planned ... .. may create the need for anew maybe using the previous one as a basis. 2. Advertising and Applications‘AA leLTsMaterial.com ‘The vacancy will be advertised or a a may be consulted. Applications will be vetted. An interview short list will be made and unsuccessful applicants can be contactDwith an ... Interviewees will be contacted with some brief information. 3. Interviews and Assessment The selection committee will conduct the interviews, using questions that will test ill opt for a second interview with max. 3 interviewees before choosing the best candidates’ . . The selection committee will choose the best candidate or candidate Gi a 4, Check References and Offer Job It is essential to check the candidate's claims before a job offer is made.AA ELTsMaterial.com Section 3 Instructions to follow © You should spend 20 minutes on Questions 28-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3. Design the mat and Foot health A. Indoor types will appreciate the cobblestone walkway, a knobbly textured plastic mat that they can wobble along in the comfort of their own homes. And for the more adventurous, there are shoes designed to throw you off balance. B. The technology may be cutting edge, but its origins are deep and exotic. Research into the idea that flat floors could be detrimental to our health was pioneered back in the late 1960s. While others in Long Beach, California, contemplated peace and love, podiatrist Charles Brantingham and physiologist Bruce Beekman were concerned with more pedestrian matters. They reckoned that the growing epidemic of high blood pressure, varicose veins and deep-vein thrombosis might be linked to the uniformity of the surfaces that we tend to stand and walk on. C. The trouble, as they saw it, was that walking continuously on flat floors, sidewalks and streets concentrated forces on just a few areas of the foot. As a result, these surfaces are likely to be far more conducive to chronic stress syndromes than natural ones, where the foot meets the ground in a wide variety of orientations. The anatomy of the foot parallels that of the human hand — each having 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Modern lifestyles waste all this flexibility in your socks. Brantingham and Beekman became convinced that damage was being done simply by people standing on even surfaces and that this could be rectified by introducing a wobble.AA ELTsMaterial.com jing and Shanghai city dwellers take daily walks on cobbled paths to improve their health.” To test their ideas, they got 65 clerks and factory workers to try standing on a variable terrain floor ~ spongy mats with amounts of giving across the surface. This modest irregularity allowed the soles of the volunteers’ feet to deviate slightly from the horizontal each time they shifted position, As the researchers hoped, this simple intervention turned out to make a huge difference over just a few weeks. Just a slight wobble from the floor activated a host of muscles in people’s legs, which in turn helped to pump blood back to their hearts. The muscle action prevented the pooling of blood in their feet and legs, reducing the stress on the entire cardiovascular system. And two-thirds of the volunteers reported feeling much less tired. Yet decades later, the flooring of the world’s workplaces remains relentlessly smooth. E. Earlier this year, however, the idea was given a new lease of life when researchers in Oregon announced findings from a similar experiment with people over 60. John Fisher and colleagues at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene designed a mat intended to replicate the effect of walking on cobblestones. In tests funded by the National Institute of Aging, they got some 50 adults to walk on the mats in their stockinged feet for less than an hour three times a week. ‘After 16 weeks, these people showed marked improvements in balance and mobility, and even a significant reduction in blood pressure. People in a control group who walked on ordinary floors also improved but not as dramatically. F, The mats are now on sale at $35. “Our first 1000 cobblestone mats sold in three weeks,” Fisher says. Production is now being scaled up. Even so, demand could exceed supply if this foot-stimulating activity really is a “useful non-pharmacological approach for preventing or controlling hypertension of older adults’, as the researchers believe. They are not alone in extolling the revitalizing powers of cobblestones. Reflexologists have long advocated walking on textured surfaces to stimulate so-called “acupoints” on the soles of the feet. Practitioners of thisAA ELTsMaterial.com unorthodox therapy believe that pressure applied to particular spots on the foot connects directly to corresponding organs and somehow enhances their function. In China, spas, hotels, apartment blocks and even factories promote their cobblestone paths as healthful amenities. Fisher admits he got the idea from regular visits to the country. In Beijing and Shanghai city dwellers take daily walks along cobbled paths to improve their health. “In the big cities, people take off their shoes and walk on these paths for 5 or 10 minutes, perhaps several times a day Fisher says. G. The idea is now taking off in Europe too. People in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can visit “barefoot parks” and walk along “paths of the senses” ~ with mud, logs, stone and moss underfoot — to receive what's known there as reflexzon-massage. And it is not difficult to construct your own “health pathway”. American reflexologists Barbara and Kevin Kunz, based in ‘Albuquerque, New Mexico, advise that you cobble together a walkway using broom handles, bamboo poles, hosepipes, gravel, pebbles, dried peas, driftwood, fallen logs, sand, door mats and strips of turf. H. If your enthusiasm for DIY doesn’t stretch to this, and Fisher's cobblestone mats are all sold out, there is another option. A new shoe on the market claims to transform flat, hard, artificial surfaces into something like natural uneven ground, “These shoes have an unbelievable effect,” says Benno Nigg, an exercise scientist at the human performance laboratory of Calgary University in Canada, which has done contract research for the shoe's manufacturers. “They are ‘one of the best things to have happened to humankind for years.” Known as Masai Barefoot Technology, or MBTs, the shoes have rounded soles that cause you to rock slightly when you stand still, exercising the small muscles around the ankle that are responsible for fore-aft stability. Forces in the joint are reduced, putting less strain on the system, Nigg claims,AA ELTsMaterial.com Questions 28-32 Instructions to follow © Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3? © In boxes 28-32 on your answer sheet, wi @ TRUE if the statement is true © FALSE if the statement is false . NOT GIVEN ifthe information is not given in the passage ® charles Brantingham and Bruce Beekman are the pioneers to research the connection between hyper illness and conditions of road. © John Fisher and his colleagues found that those who walked on cobble-stones suffered a worsening physical condition. © Manufacture of Fisher’s cobblestone mats booms due to high demand of this product. @) The research works such as customized pathway from Barbara and Kevin Kunz were inspired from an oversea trip. © Benno Nigg suggests that shoes of Masai Barefoot Technology have a specific age limitation. Questions 33-35 Instructions to follow © Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D. ‘© Write your answers in boxes 33-35 on your answer sheet. © which of the followings is true according to J Fisher’s experiment cobbled paths in paragraph D? A ‘Spongy mats make the volunteer feel unbalanced. 8 Chinese special culture makes it only applicable in a certain area. S More than half of participants reported a positive response.AA ELTsMaterial.com D This method could cure cardiovascular disease unexpectedly. © John Fisher and colleagues from the Oregon Research Institute has found the followings: A People walk on special designed mat only have improvements in blood pressure. 8 Blood pressure of control group improves not as much as the other one. c Elder people improve more dramatically than youngsters. D Testing time of 16 weeks is a significant factor in this experiment. © Shoes from MBT are also beneficial for your health as which of the following reasons: a Special designed soles on the bottom make your feet stabled 8 Researcher has previous experience in this field. e African style shoes were very successful in store sales. D ‘They can protect the ankle and muscles around feet. Questions 36-40 Instructions to follow © Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage. Using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer. © Write your answers in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet. The anatomy of human’s foot is complex; which ... <2). human hand. The experiment, conducted on employees, showed that body movement on surface of different condition can @er the... . on heart. Similarity was also found in another experiment conducted by a researcher from the Oregon Research Institute. The test also showed ther€vas a substantial in hypertension. Reflexologists advise people to work on a road with resistance to stimulate certain points Body via standing‘AA leLTsMaterial.com fon the... In the end, the author of the passage also advocates that people can bufDtheir own health mats and shoes. .. except for buying the special