Reading Academic Module

Top 5 Tips for IELTS Reading

1. Timing is key.

You will have just 1 hour to complete 40 questions, so you must use your time
wisely. I advise my students to finish each section in 20 minutes. This will give you
16-17 minutes to read and answer the questions and 3-4 minutes to transfer and
check your answers.

2. Read the instructions carefully.

Many strong candidates lose marks in IELTS Reading because they don’t read the
instructions properly. Pay close attention to the instructions you’re given to avoid
losing easy marks.

3. Don’t panic.

Some of the questions will be easy, and some will be extremely difficult. The wrong
thing to do is spend a lot of time on a hard question. If the answer does not present
itself, move on to the next one. You can always come back to the difficult questions
later.

4. It’s really a vocabulary test.

In many ways, IELTS Reading is more of a vocabulary test than a reading test. The
reason is that you need a wide range of vocabulary to understand the passages of
text given to you. You must also be aware of synonyms and paraphrasing if you
wish to identify the information required to answer the questions correctly.

5. Don’t expect to understand every word.

If you don’t understand a word in the test, you should look at the words and
sentences around it for clues about its meaning. Alternatively, you can move on and
forget about it.
 A. Skimming

Read the following passage as quickly as possible and underline the sentence that gives the main idea
(the topic sentence) of each paragraph.

Libraries are quite difficult to define. If you ask most people to define a library, they will probably say
that it is a building with a lot of books. Strictly speaking, a library does not have to be a building: it can
be a room, or indeed any area where material is kept. Equally, a library is not merely a collection of
books: there are journals, newspapers, CD-ROMs, microfilm, audio-visual materials and so on. So, to be
more accurate we can say that a library is a collection of information and material.

Libraries are organized in three ways. Most libraries will use one or more of the three main classification
systems that have been developed to detail the material in the collection. They referred to as the Dewey
Decimal System, the Universal Decimal Classification and the Library of Congress System.

Nowadays libraries are under threat for a number of reasons. The primary challenge, as never before,
is funding. Hardware and personnel costs increase each time technology expands. Equally there are
challenges in the skills needed by users and resource professionals.

It is difficult to predict the future of libraries. Our basic concept of libraries will almost certainly, it
would appear, change dramatically in that we will not think of them (and access them) as physical
places, which is the prevailing concept at the moment. But beyond that, it is difficult to predict both
usage patterns and preferred systems of data recording and retrieval.

Skim read each paragraph to get the main idea of it.

Which title would be the most suitable for the Reading passage?
 1. Children’s eating patterns mimic those of their parents.
2. The rapid transformation occurring in children’s body size.
3. A demonstrated positive link between diet and health in children.
4. The impact of modern technology on food production.

In your own words, write a title for each paragraph

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Matching Heading Question

The reading passage has five paragraphs, A-E.

Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-E from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 1-5

1 Paragraph A

2 Paragraph B
3 Paragraph C

4 Paragraph D

5 Paragraph E

Despite its bad reputation, stress historically had a vital role to play. Commonly referred
to as the ‘fight or flight’ mode, the sudden release of stress hormones like adrenalin and
cortisol causes the heart to beat faster, airways to dilate and blood vessels to open up,
all of which push the body towards optimal performance and, ultimately, survival. In the
rest of the animal kingdom, this is still often the difference between life and death. As he
springs off to freedom, the lucky gazelle who escapes the lion can thank this primal
evolutionary response.

In ordinary modern life, although we’re in little danger of being stalked by wild beasts
down city streets, our bodies react to stress in the same ways. Experiencing anxiety,
fear and stress is considered a normal part of life when it is occasional and temporary,
such as feeling anxious and stressed before an exam or a job interview. It is when these
acute reactions are prolonged or cannot be switched off, however, that serious physical,
social and cognitive issues can result. In contrast to the normal everyday stress of
modern life, chronic stress is a pathological state which can significantly interfere with
daily living activities such as work, school and relationships, wreaking havoc on the
body’s immune, metabolic and cardiovascular systems.

Of major concern is the impact on the brain. Researchers have found that the
hippocampus, the control centre of memory and our ability to learn, can physically
shrink in response to prolonged release of stress hormones like cortisol which result
from chronic stress. Neurons in this area do not just get smaller, but actually die, which
weakens the neural connections, affecting the way memories are organised and stored
in the brain. A chronically stressed person would recognise this as a ‘brain fog’, and it
also has ramifications for other areas such as creativity and adaptability.

D
While this part of the brain gets smaller, another area, the amygdala, which is involved
in processing emotions, can grow with chronic stress. Across species, a larger
amygdala has been found to correlate with aggression and this, coupled with the
weakened connection to the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s decision-making centre, can
profoundly impact mood and behaviour. With the link between emotions and decision-
making compromised, a person is much less able to stop and reflect, becoming instead
reactive and short-fused. Think of the difference between being able to tolerate a
screaming child and instead giving in to the desire to scream back.

In the past, it was accepted that there was a limited number of neurons in the brain and
as they died off as a result of ageing, stress or substance abuse, for instance, they were
lost forever. It turns out, however, that this is not the case and that stem cells within the
brain are actually able to create new neurons. In other words, lost neurons can be
replaced. What makes this discovery even more powerful is the fact that replenishing
neurons is rather straightforward. One of the most powerful stimulants for neuron
growth is physical activity. So, in addition to its role in the reduction of stress hormones
in the first place, and its ability to stimulate the release of endorphins, exercise has now
been shown to contribute to the repair of the chronically stressed brain.

Practice

AUSTRALIA'S FIRST COMMERCIAL WIND FARM

Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph
A
HARVEST time in Esperance is constant. As long as the wind blows - which is pretty much
all the time –nine identical synchronized wind turbines reap the benefits of the dependable
winds that gust up around the southern coastline of Western Australia. These sleek, white,
robot-like wind turbines loom up on the horizon forming part of Australia's first commercial
wind farm. They're not only functional machines that help provide electricity for this
secluded coastal town, but increasingly, they're also draw cards for curious tourists and
scientists alike.

B
Because of its isolation, Esperance is not linked to Western Power's grid which supplies
electricity from gas-, coal-and oil-fired power stations to the widespread population of
Western Australia. Before the wind turbines went in, Esperance's entire electricity needs
were met by the diesel power station in town.

C
The $5.8 million Ten Mile Lagoon project is not Esperance's first wind farm. The success of
a smaller, experimental wind farm, at a spot called Salmon Beach, encouraged the State's
power utility to take Esperance wind seriously. Today the wind turbines at Ten Mile Lagoon
work in conjunction with the diesel power station, significantly reducing the amount of the
town's electricity generated by expensive diesel power.

D
The wind farm is connected to the power station by a 33-kilovolt power line, and a radio link
between the two allows operators to monitor and control each wind turbine. The nine 225-
kilowatt Vestas wind turbines produce a total generating capacity of two megawatts and
provide around 12 per cent of the energy requirements of Esperance and its surrounding
districts.

E
The power produced by a wind turbine depends on the size and efficiency of the machine
and, of course, on the energy in the wind. The energy in the wind available to the wind
turbines is proportional to wind speed cubed. Thus, the greater the wind speed, the greater
the output of the turbine. In order to achieve optimum wind speeds, the right location is
imperative.” You have to accept the nature of the beast," Mr. Rosser, Western Power's
physicist said.” As surface dwellers our perceptions of wind speeds are bad. As you go
higher, wind speed increases significantly."

F
The most favorable wind sites are on gently sloping hills, away from obstructions like trees
and buildings and where the prevailing winds are not blocked. Computer modeling was
used to select the best site for Esperance's wind farm. Scientists were concerned not only
with efficiency, but also with protecting the coastal health environment which is rich in plant
life and home to tiny pygmy and honey possums, and a host of bird species. In addition, the
wind farm is adjacent to Esperance's popular scenic tourist drive.

G
Strict erosion controls have been implemented and access to the wind farm is limited to
selected viewing areas. The wind turbine towers are painted white and devoid of corporate
logos or signage. According to Mr. Rosser there is something of a worldwide backlash
against wind farms with regard to their visual impact,” But because wind turbines perform
best in the most exposed positions, they will always be visible. There is a very real need to
balance environmental and technical requirements. I think the Ten Mile Lagoon Wind Farm
sets the standards for environmentally friendly developments."

In fact, the project has become something of a tourist attraction in itself, Esperance shire
president Ian Mickel said the wind turbines had been well accepted by locals.” We have
watched the wind farm develop with great interest, and now we find visitors to Esperance
are equally enthusiastic about it," he said. The aim now is to identify other remote
locations where wind turbines will be a feasible means of supplementing existing power
stations.

B. Scanning (looking for details)

Libraries are quite difficult to define. If you ask most people to define a library, they will probably say
that it is a building with a lot of books. Strictly speaking, a library does not have to be a building: it can
be a room, or indeed any area where material is kept. Equally, a library is not merely a collection of
books: there are journals, newspapers, CD-ROMs, microfilm, audio-visual materials and so on. So, to be
more accurate we can say that a library is a collection of information and material. Libraries are
organized in three ways.

Most libraries will use one or more of the three main classification systems that have been developed to
detail the material in the collection. They referred to as the Dewey Decimal System, the Universal
Decimal Classification and the Library of Congress System.

Nowadays libraries are under threat for a number of reasons. The primary challenge, as never before, is
funding. Hardware and personnel costs increase each time technology expands. Equally there are
challenges in the skills needed by users and resource professionals.

It is difficult to predict the future of libraries. Our basic concept of libraries will almost certainly, it would
appear, change dramatically in that we will not think of them (and access them) as physical places,
which is the prevailing concept at the moment. But beyond that, it is difficult to predict both usage
patterns and preferred systems of data recording and retrieval.

Questions

1. What kinds of materials does a library collect? …

2. What is the most accurate way to define ‘library’? …

3. What is the main problem that libraries are facing? …

First, find the keywords in the questions below. Then, locate the sentences in the passage about
libraries on page … which contain the keywords of the questions. Then, read the necessary parts of the
passage and answer the following questions as quickly as possible using NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS
AND/OR A NUMBER.

1. What is ONE type of material that libraries collect, beside books? …

2. How many types of classification systems are there? …

3. What kinds of costs increase when technologies expand? …

4. How do most people conceptualize libraries? …

Summary Question