The Earth and Space Foundation They are the Earth’s pollinators and they come in more than 200,000 shapes and sizes. The community that focuses its efforts on the exploration of space has largely been different from the community focused on the study and protection of the Earths environment, despite the fact that both fields of interest involve what might be referred to as scientific exploration. The reason for this dichotomous existence is chiefly historical. The exploration of the Earth has been occurring over many centuries, and the institutions created to do it are often very different from those founded in the second part of the 20th century to explore space. This separation is also caused by the fact that space exploration has attracted experts from mainly nonbiological disciplines primarily engineers and physicists but the study of Earth and its environment is a domain heavily populated by biologists. 263 The Earth and Space Foundation 28. YES 29. NO 30. NOT GIVEN 31. NO 32. NOT GIVEN 33. C 34. A 35. D 36. B 37. B 38. H 39. A 40. D 41. G 264 The Mozart Effect 1. D 2. G 3. B 4. A 5. F 6. 10minute 7. complex 8. rats 9. TRUE 10. FALSE 11. FALSE 12. NOT GIVEN 13. TRUE 265 The Ant and the Mandarin 14. C 15. F 16. A 17. D 18. E 19. TRUE 20. FALSE 21. FALSE 22. TRUE 23. TRUE 24. FALSE 25. TRUE 26. FALSE 266 Talc Powder 27. B 28. A 29. B 30. A 31. C 32. B 33. 20 34. extra foam 35. waste water 36. harmful 37. biodegrade 38. droplets 39. lamination and packing 40. grape growers 267 A Wonder Plant 1. E 2. D 3. B 4. A 5. D 6. C 7. B 8. A 9. B 10. B 11. D 12. soil erosion 13. paper 268 Children’s Literature 14. rhymes, stories stories, rhymes 15. America 16. folklore 17. fairytalesfairystories 18. adventures 19. C 20. A 21. E 22. FALSE 23. TRUE 24. NOT GIVEN 25. TRUE 26. TRUE 269 Music: Language We All Speak 27. iii 28. vii 29. iv 30. i 31. viii 32. F 33. B 34. E 35. D 36. G 37. A 38. C 39. C 40. C 270 In Praise of Amateurs 1. scientists 2. science 3. fields 4. cooperationcollaboration 5. observations 6. dinosaurs 7. conservation programme 8. acknowledge 9. B 10. A 11. D 12. B 13. C 271 Reading the Screen 14. C 15. A 16. B 17. D 18. YES 19. NO 20. NOT GIVEN 21. YES 22. YES 23. NO 24. manuscript 25. (tabloid) newspapers 26. shopping lists 272 The Revolutionary Bridges of Robert Maillart 27. x 28. viii 29. v 30. iii 31. vii 32. ii 33. i 34. columns 35. vertical walls 36. hollow boxes 37. D 38. C 39. G 40. F 273 Sustainable architecture lessons from the ant 1. B 2. D 3. A 4. C 5. A 6. ceiling vents 7. (the) (brick) chimneys 8. cement arches 9. (the) big fans 10. (the) (small) heaters 11. 12. 13. A, D, E in any order 274 Inside the mind of the consumer 14. v 15. i 16. ix 17. viii 18. iii 19. vi 20. F 21. D 22. A 23. brands 24. untruthful 25. unconscious 26. children 275 The accidental rainforest 27. NOT GIVEN 28. TRUE 29. FALSE 30. TRUE 31. NOT GIVEN 32. FALSE 33. B 34. F 35. D 36. G 37. A 38. B 39. A 40. D 276 Indoor Pollution 1. D 2. B 3. D 4. B 5. C 6. A 7. C 8. D 9. A 10. F 11. H 12. I 13. G 277 ROBOTS 14. viii 15. vi 16. ix 17. iv 18. i 19. iii 20. YES 21. NOT GIVEN 22. YES 23. NO 24. NOT GIVEN 25. video camera 26. database 278 Saving Language 27. (tinysmall) pressure pads 28. YES 29. NO 30. YES 31. NOT GIVEN 32. NO 33. 34. 35. B, D, F in any order 36. C 37. E 38. B 39. D 40. F 279 The Rufous HareWallaby 1. 10ten million 2. cats and foxes foxes and cats 3. monitored 4. fire 5. extinct 6. 5five months 7. 15fifteen weeks 8. (strong) medicinal powers 9. skills and knowledge 10. FALSE 11. TRUE 12. NOT GIVEN 13. TRUE 280 Measures to combat infectious disease in tsarist Russia 14. ii 15. v 16. i 17. vii 18. iv 19. viii 20. 21. B, D in either order 22. 23. A, E in either order 24. Astrakhan 25. houses 26. fire 281 Recovering a damaged reputation 27. NO 28. YES 29. NO 30. YES 31. NOT GIVEN 32. YES 33. A 34. C 35. C 36. D 37. C 38. F 39. D 40. A 282 Twist in the Tale 1. D 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. D 6. B 7. A 8. 814 yearsyrs (yearolds) 9. Orion 10. J.K. Rowling 11. D 12. H 13. C 283 Fun for the Masses
Academic IELTS Reading Sample 263 - The Earth and Space Foundation Last Updated: Sunday, 20 August 2017 18:10 Written by IELTS Mentor Hits: 21488 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 28- 41, which are based on Reading Passage 263 below The Earth and Space Foundation They are the Earth’s pollinators and they come in more than 200,000 shapes and sizes The community that focuses its efforts on the exploration of space has largely been different from the community focused on the study and protection of the Earth's environment, despite the fact that both fields of interest involve what might be referred to as "scientific exploration' The reason for this dichotomous existence is chiefly historical The exploration of the Earth has been occurring over many centuries, and the institutions created to it are often very different from those founded in the second part of the 20th century to explore space This separation is also caused by the fact that space exploration has attracted experts from mainly non-biological disciplines - primarily engineers and physicists - but the study of Earth and its environment is a domain heavily populated by biologists The separation between the two communities is often reflected in attitudes In the environmental community, it is not uncommon for space exploration to be regarded as a waste of money, distracting governments from solving major environmental problems here at home In the space exploration community, it is not uncommon for environmentalists to be regarded as introspective people who divert attention from the more expansive visions of the exploration of space - the ‘new frontier’ These perceptions can also be negative in consequence because the full potential of both communities can be realised better when they work together to solve problems For example, those involved in space exploration can provide the satellites to monitor the Earth’s fragile environments, and environmentalists can provide information on the survival of life in extreme environments In the sense that Earth and space exploration both stem from the same human drive to understand our environment and our place within it, there is no reason for the split to exist A more accurate view of Earth and space exploration is to see them as a continuum of exploration with many interconnected and mutually beneficial links The Earth and Space Foundation, a registered charity, was established for the purposes of fostering such links through field research and by direct practical action Projects that have been supported by the Foundation include environmental projects using technologies resulting from space exploration: satellite communications, GPS, remote sensing, advanced materials and power sources For example, in places where people are faced with destruction of the forests on which their livelihood depends, rather than rejecting economic progress and trying to save the forests on their intrinsic merit, another approach is to enhance the value of the forests - although these schemes must be carefully assessed to be successful In the past, the Foundation provided a grant to a group of expeditions that used remote sensing to plan eco-tourism routes in the forests of Guatemala, thus providing capital to the local communities through the tourist trade This novel approach is now making the protection of the forests a sensible economic decision The Foundation funds expeditions making astronomical observations from remote, difficult-toaccess Earth locations, archaeological field projects studying the development of early civilisations that made significant contributions to astronomy and space sciences, and field expeditions studying the way in which views of the astronomical environment shaped the nature of past civilisations A part of Syria - ‘the Fertile Crescent’ - was the birthplace of astronomy, accountancy, animal domestication and many other fundamental developments of human civilisation The Foundation helped fund a large archaeology project by the Society for Syrian Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Syrian government that used GPS and satellite imagery to locate mounds, or ’tels’, containing artefacts and remnants of early civilisations These collections are being used to build a better picture of the nature of the civilisations that gave birth to astronomy Field research also applies the Earth’s environmental and biological resources to the human exploration and settlement of space This may include the use of remote environments on Earth, as well as physiological and psychological studies in harsh environments In one research project, the Foundation provided a grant to an international caving expedition to study the psychology of explorers subjected to long-term isolation in caves in Mexico The psychometric tests on the cavers were used to enhance US astronaut selection criteria by the NASA Johnson Space Center Space-like environments on Earth help us understand how to operate in the space environment or help us characterise extraterrestrial environments for future scientific research In the Arctic, a 24-kilometrewide impact crater formed by an asteroid or comet 23 million years ago has become home tc a Mars- analogue programme The Foundation helped fund the NASA Haughton-Mars Project to use this crater to test communications and exploration technologies in preparation for the human exploration of Mars The crater, which sits in high Arctic permafrost, provides an excellent replica of the physical processes occurring on Mars, a permafrosted, impact-altered planet Geologists and biologists can work at the site to help understand how impact craters shape the geological characteristics and possibly biological potential of Mars In addition to its fieldwork and scientific activities the Foundation has award programmes These include a series of awards for the future human exploration of Mars, a location with a diverse set of exploration challenges The awards will honour a number of ‘firsts’ on Mars that include landing on the surface, undertaking an overland expedition to the Martian South Pole, undertaking an overland expedition to the Martian North Pole, climbing Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in the solar system, and descending to the bottom of Valles Marineris, the deepest canyon on Mars The Foundation will offer awards for expeditions further out in the solar system once these Mars awards have been claimed Together, they demonstrate that the programme really has no boundary in what it could eventually support, and they provide longevity for the objectives of the Foundation Questions 28-32 Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage? In boxes 28-32 on your answer sheet write: YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this 28 Activities related to environmental protection and space exploration have a common theme 29 It is unclear why space exploration evolved in a different way from environmental studies on Earth 30 Governments tend to allocate more money to environmental projects than space exploration 31 Unfortunately, the environmental and space exploration communities have little to offer each other in terms of resources 32 The Earth and Space Foundation was set up later than it was originally intended Questions 33-36 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D In boxes 33 - 36 on your answer sheet write A, B, C or D 33 What was the significance of the ’novel approach' adopted in the Guatemala project? A It minimised the need to protect the forests B It reduced the impact of tourists on the forests C It showed that preserving the forests can be profitable D It gave the Foundation greater control over the forests 34 GPS and satellite imagery were used in the Syrian project to A help archaeologists find ancient items B explore land that is hard to reach C reduce the impact of archaeological activity D evaluate some early astronomical theories 35 One of the purposes of the Foundation’s awards is to A attract non-scientists to its work B establish priorities for Mars exploration C offer financial incentives for space exploration D establish the long-term continuity of its activities 36 What is the writer’s purpose in the passage? A to persuade people to support the Foundation B to explain the nature of the Foundation’s work C to show how views on the Foundation have changed D to reject earlier criticisms of the Foundation’s work Questions 37- 41 Complete the summary using the words, A-l, below Field research: Applying the Earth's environment to the settlement of space Some studies have looked at how humans function in 37 situations In one project, it was decided to review cave explorers in Mexico who tolerate 38 periods on their own It is also possible to prepare for space exploration by studying environments on Earth that are 39 to those on Mars A huge crater in the Arctic is the 40 place to test the technologies needed to explore Mars and gather other relevant 41 information A comparable B extreme C connected D ideal E unexpected F beneficial G scientific H extended I individual Click the button to Show/ Hide Answers Answer: 28 YES 29 NO 30 NOT GIVEN 31 NO 32 NOT GIVEN 33 C 34 A 35 D 36 B 37 B 38 H 39 A 40 D 41 G Academic IELTS Reading Sample 264 - The Mozart Effect Last Updated: Monday, 21 August 2017 20:11 Written by IELTS Mentor Hits: 16130 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1- 13, which are based on Reading Passage 264 below The Mozart Effect A Music has been used for centuries to heal the body In the Ebers Papyrus (one of the earliest medical documents, circa 1550 BC), it was recorded that physicians chanted to heal the sick (Castleman, 1994) In various cultures, we have observed singing as part of healing rituals In the world of Western medicine, however, using music in medicine lost popularity until the introduction of the radio Researchers then started to notice that listening to music could have significant physical effects Therapists noticed music could help calm anxiety, and researchers saw that listening to music, could cause a drop in blood pressure In addition to these two areas, music has been used with cancer chemotherapy to reduce nausea, during surgery to reduce stress hormone production, during childbirth, and in stroke recovery (Castleman, 1994 and Westley, 1998) It has been shown to decrease pain as well as enhance the effectiveness of the immune system In Japan, compilations of music are used as medication of sorts For example, if you want to cure a headache or a migraine, the album suggested is Mendelssohn’s "Spring Song”, Dvorak's “Humoresque”, or part of George Gershwin’s "An American in Paris” (Campbell, 1998) Music is also being used to assist in learning, in a phenomenon called the Mozart Effect B Frances H Rauscher, PhD, first demonstrated the correlation between music and learning in an experiment in 1993 His experiment indicated that a 10-minute dose of Mozart could temporarily boost intelligence Groups of students were given intelligence tests after listening to silence, relaxation tapes, or Mozart’s "Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major” for a short time He found that after silence, the average IQ score was 110, and after the relaxation tapes, the score rose a point After listening to Mozart’s music, however, the score jumped to 119 (Westley, 1998) Even students who did not like the music still had an increased score in the IQ test Rauscher hypothesised that “listening to complex, nonrepetitive music, like Mozart's, may stimulate neural pathways that are important in thinking” (Castleman, 1994) C The same experiment was repeated on rats by Rauscher and Hong Hua Li from Stanford Rats also demonstrated enhancement in their intelligence performance These new studies indicate that rats that were exposed to Mozart’s showed “increased gene expression of BDNF (a neural growth factor), CREB (a learning and memory compound), and Synapsin I (a synaptic growth protein) ” in the brain’s hippocampus, compared with rats in the control group, which heard only white noise (e.g the whooshing sound of a V radio tuned between stations) D How exactly does the Mozart Effect work? Researchers are still trying to determine the actual mechanisms for the formation of these enhanced learning pathways Neuroscientists suspect that music can actually help build and strengthen connections between neurons in the cerebral cortex in a process similar to what occurs in brain development despite its type When a baby is born, certain connections have already been made - like connections for heartbeat and breathing As new information is learned and motor skills develop, new neural connections are formed Neurons that are not used will eventually die while those used repeatedly will form strong connections Although a large number of these neural connections require experience, they must also occur within a certain time frame For example, a child born with cataracts cannot develop connections within the visual cortex If the cataracts are removed by surgery right away, the child’s vision develops normally However, after the age of 2, if the cataracts are removed, the child will remain blind because those pathways cannot establish themselves E Music seems to work in the same way In October of 1997, researchers at the University of Konstanz in Germany found that music actually rewires neural circuits (Begley, 1996) Although some of these circuits are formed for physical skills needed to play an instrument, just listening to music strengthens connections used in higher-order thinking Listening to music can then be thought of as “exercise” for the brain, improving concentration and enhancing intuition F If you’re a little sceptical about the claims made by supporters of the Mozart Effect, you’re not alone Many people accredit the advanced learning of some children who take music lessons to other personality traits, such as motivation and persistence, which are required in all types of learning There have also been claims of that influencing the results of some experiments G Furthermore, many people are critical of the role the media had in turning an isolated study into a trend for parents and music educators After the Mozart Effect was published to the public, the sales of Mozart CDs stayed on the top of the hit list for three weeks In an article by Michael Linton, he wrote that the research that began this phenomenon (the study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine) showed only a temporary boost in IQ, which was not significant enough to even last throughout the course of the experiment Using music to influence intelligence was used in Confucian civilisation and Plato alluded to Pythagorean music when he described its ideal state in The Republic In both of these examples, music did not cause any overwhelming changes, and the theory eventually died out Linton also asks, “If Mozart’s music were able to improve health, why was Mozart himself so frequently sick? If listening to Mozart’s music increases intelligence and encourages spirituality, why aren’t the world’s smartest and most spiritual people Mozart specialists?” Linton raises an interesting point, if the Mozart Effect causes such significant changes, why isn’t there more documented evidence? H The “trendiness’’ of the Mozart Effect may have died out somewhat, but there are still strong supporters (and opponents) of the claims made in 1993 Since that initial experiment, there has not been a surge of supporting evidence However, many parents, after playing classical music while pregnant or when their children are young, will swear by the Mozart Effect A classmate of mine once told me that listening to classical music while studying will help with memorisation If we approach this controversy from a scientific aspect, although there has been some evidence that music does increase brain activity, actual improvements in learning and memory have not been adequately demonstrated Questions 1-5 Reading Passage 264 has eight paragraphs A-H Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet A description of how music affects the brain development of infants Public’s first reaction to the discovery of the Mozart Effect The description of Rauscher’s original experiment The description of using music for healing in other countries Other qualities needed in all learning Questions 6-8 Complete the summary below Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer Write your answers in boxes 6-8 on your answer sheet During the experiment conducted by Frances Rauscher, subjects were exposed to the music for a period of time before they were tested And Rauscher believes the enhancement in their performance is related to the nature of Mozart’s music Later, a similar experiment was also repeated on Questions 9-13 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet, 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 All kinds of music can enhance one’s brain performance to somewhat extent 10 There is no neural connection made when a baby is born 11 There are very few who question the Mozart Effect 12 Michael Linton conducted extensive research on Mozart’s life 13 There is not enough evidence in support of the Mozart Effect today Click the button to Show/ Hide Answers Answer: D G B A F 10-minute complex rats TRUE 10 FALSE 11 FALSE 12 NOT GIVEN 13 TRUE Academic IELTS Reading Sample 265 - The Ant and the Mandarin Last Updated: Monday, 21 August 2017 20:26 Written by IELTS Mentor Hits: 8501 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 265 below The Ant and the Mandarin In 1476, the farmers of Berne in Switzerland decided there was only one way to rid their fields of the cutworms attacking their crops They took the pests to court The worms were tried, found guilty and excommunicated by the archbishop In China, farmers had a more practical approach to pest control Rather than relying on divine intervention, they put their faith in frogs, ducks and ants Frogs and ducks were encouraged to snap up the pests in the paddies and the occasional plague of locusts But the notion of biological control began with an ant More specifically, it started with the predatory yellow citrus ant Oeco-phylla smaragdina, which has been polishing off pests in the orange groves of southern China for at least 1,700 years The yellow citrus ant is a type of weaver ant, which binds leaves and twigs with silk to form a neat, tent-like nest In the beginning, farmers made with the odd ants' nests here and there But it wasn't long before growing demand led to the development of a thriving trade in nests and a new type of agriculture - ant farming For an insect that bites, the yellow citrus ant is remarkably popular Even by ant standards, Oecophylla smaragdina is a fearsome predator It's big, runs fast and has a powerful nip - painful to humans but lethal to many of the insects that plague the orange groves of Guangdong and Guangxi in southern China And for at least 17 centuries, Chinese orange growers have harnessed these six-legged killing machines to keep their fruit groves healthy and productive Citrus fruits evolved in the Far East and the Chinese discovered the delights of their flesh early on As the ancestral home of oranges, lemons and pomelos, China also has the greatest diversity of citrus pests And the trees that produce 31 a generalisation about the patterns of use of vehicles on major roads 32 a summary of the different things affecting levels of noise on roads Questions 33-35 Label the diagram below Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer Write your answers in boxes 33-35 on your answer sheet Cross section of Kuijpers’ proposed noise-reducing road Questions 36-40 Complete the table below using the list of words (A-K) from the box below Write the correct letters in boxes 36- 40 on your answer sheet Kuijpers’ noise-reducing road: components and function Layer Component Function upper and lower stones • reduce oscillations caused by 36 ……… • create pores which help 37……… foundation slots • convert 38……… to heat • help to remove 39……… • can be adapted to absorb different 40……… A frequencies B the engine C rubbish D resonators E air flow F dissipation G sound energy H pores I lanes J drainage K sources Click the button to Show/ Hide Answers Answer: 27 G 28 D 29 J 30 B 31 I 32 C 33 asphalt 34 nine 35 concrete 36 E 37 J 38 G 39 C 40 A Academic IELTS Reading Sample 308 - The economic importance of coral reefs Last Updated: Wednesday, 06 September 2017 20:57 Written by IELTS Mentor Hits: 31172 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1- 13, which are based on Reading Passage 308 below The economic importance of coral reefs A lot of people around the world are dependent, or partly dependent, on coral reefs for their livelihoods They often live adjacent to the reef, and their livelihood revolves around the direct extraction, processing and sale of reef resources such as shell fish and seaweeds In addition, their homes are sheltered by the reef from wave action Reef flats and shallow reef lagoons are accessible on foot, without the need for a boat, and so allow women, children and the elderly to engage directly in manual harvesting, or ‘reef-gleaning’ This is a significant factor distinguishing reef-based fisheries from near-shore sea fisheries Near-shore fisheries are typically the domain of adult males, in particular where they involve the use of boats, with women and children restricted mainly to shore-based activities However, in a coral-reef fishery the physical accessibility of the reef opens up opportunities for direct participation by women, and consequently increases their independence and the importance of their role in the community It also provides a place for children to play, and to acquire important skills and knowledge for later in life For example, in the South West Island of Tobi, in the Pacific Ocean, young boys use simple hand lines with a loop and bait at the end to develop the art of fishing on the reef Similarly, in the Surin Islands of Thailand, young Moken boys spend much of their time playing, swimming and diving in shallow reef lagoons, and in doing so build crucial skills for their future daily subsistence Secondary occupations, such as fish processing and marketing activities, are often dominated by women, and offer an important survival strategy for households with access to few other physical assets (such as boats and gear), for elderly women, widows, or the wives of infirm men On Ulithi Atoll in the western Pacific, women have a distinct role and rights in the distribution of fish catches This is because the canoes, made from mahogany logs from nearby Yap Island, are obtained through the exchange of cloth made by the women of Ulithi Small-scale reef fisheries support the involvement of local women traders and their involvement can give them greater control over the household income, and in negotiating for loans or credit Thus their role is not only important in providing income for their families, it also underpins the economy of the local village Poor people with little access to land, labour and financial resources are particularly reliant on exploiting natural resources, and consequently, they are vulnerable to seasonal changes in the availability of those resources The diversity of coral reef fisheries, combined with their physical accessibility and the protection they provide against bad weather, make them relatively stable compared with other fisheries, or land-based agricultural production In many places, the reef may even act as a resource bank, used as a means of saving food for future times of need In Manus, Papua New Guinea, giant clams are collected and held in walled enclosures on the reef, until they are needed during periods of rough weather In Palau, sea cucumbers are seldom eaten during good weather in an effort to conserve their populations for months during which rough weather prohibits good fishing Coral reef resources also act as a buffer against seasonal lows in other sectors, particularly agriculture For example, in coastal communities in northern Mozambique, reef harvests provide key sources of food and cash when agricultural production is low, with the peak in fisheries production coinciding with the period of lowest agricultural stocks In Papua New Guinea, while agriculture is the primary means of food production, a large proportion of the coastal population engage in sporadic subsistence fishing In many coral-reef areas, tourism is one of the main industries bringing employment, and in many cases is promoted to provide alternatives to fisheriesbased livelihoods, and to ensure that local reef resources are conserved In the Caribbean alone, tours based on scuba-diving have attracted 20 million people in one year The upgrading of roads and communications associated with the expansion of tourism may also bring benefits to local communities However, plans for development must be considered carefully The ability of the poorer members of the community to access the benefits of tourism is far from guaranteed, and requires development guided by social, cultural and environmental principles There is growing recognition that sustainability is a key requirement, as encompassed in small-scale eco-tourism activities, for instance Where tourism development has not been carefully planned, and the needs and priorities of the local community have not been properly recognised, conflict has sometimes arisen between tourism and local, small-scale fishers Questions 1-7 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 307? In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, 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 In most places, coral-reef gleaning is normally carried out by men Involvement in coral-reef-based occupations raises the status of women Coral reefs provide valuable learning opportunities for young children The women of Ulithi Atoll have some control over how fish catches are shared out Boats for use by the inhabitants of Ulithi are constructed on Yap Island In coral reef fisheries, only male traders can apply for finance Coral reefs provide a less constant source of income than near-shore seas Questions 8-13 Complete the notes below Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer How coral-reef-based resources protect people during difficult times Coral reefs can provide • a resource bank, e.g for keeping clams and • a seasonal back-up, when products are insufficient,e.g in northern Mozambique • a tourist attraction, e.g 10 tours in the Caribbean Benefits for local people include: • The creation of jobs • Improvements to roads and 11 Important considerations: • Development must be based on appropriate principles • Need for 12 Poorly-planned development can create 13 with local fishers Click the button to Show/ Hide Answers Answer: FALSE TRUE TRUE TRUE NOT GIVEN FALSE FALSE sea cucumbers agricultural 10 scuba diving 11 communications 12 sustainability 13 conflict Academic IELTS Reading Sample 309 - Acquiring the principles of mathematics and science Last Updated: Wednesday, 06 September 2017 20:57 Written by IELTS Mentor Hits: 22646 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14- 26, which are based on Reading Passage 309 below Acquiring the principles of mathematics and science A It has been pointed out that learning mathematics and science is not so much learning facts as learning ways of thinking It has also been emphasised that in order to learn science, people often have to change the way they think in ordinary situations For example, in order to understand even simple concepts such as heat and temperature, ways of thinking of temperature as a measure of heat must be abandoned and a distinction between ‘temperature’ and ‘heat’ must be learned These changes in ways of thinking are often referred to as conceptual changes But how conceptual changes happen? How young people change their ways of thinking as they develop and as they learn in school? B Traditional instruction based on telling students how modern scientists think does not seem to be very successful Students may learn the definitions, the formulae, the terminology, and yet still maintain their previous conceptions This difficulty has been illustrated many times, for example, when instructed students are interviewed about heat and temperature It is often identified by teachers as a difficulty in applying the concepts learned in the classroom; students may be able to repeat a formula but fail to use the concept represented by the formula when they explain observed events C The psychologist Piaget suggested an interesting hypothesis relating to the process of cognitive change in children Cognitive change was expected to result from the pupils’ own intellectual activity When confronted with a result that challenges their thinking - that is, when faced with conflict - pupils realise that they need to think again about their own ways of solving problems, regardless of whether the problem is one in mathematics or in science He hypothesised that conflict brings about disequilibrium, and then triggers equilibration processes that ultimately produce cognitive change For this reason, according to Piaget and his colleagues, in order for pupils to progress in their thinking they need to be actively engaged in solving problems that will challenge their current mode of reasoning However, Piaget also pointed out that young children not always discard their ideas in the face of contradictory evidence They may actually discard the evidence and keep their theory D Piaget’s hypothesis about how cognitive change occurs was later translated into an educational approach which is now termed ‘discovery learning’ Discovery learning initially took what is now considered the Tone learner’ route The role of the teacher was to select situations that challenged the pupils’ reasoning; and the pupils’ peers had no real role in this process However, it was subsequently proposed that interpersonal conflict, especially with peers, might play an important role in promoting cognitive change This hypothesis, originally advanced by Perret-Clermont (1980) and Doise and Mugny (1984), has been investigated in many recent studies of science teaching and learning E Christine Howe and her colleagues, for example, have compared children’s progress in understanding several types of science concepts when they are given the opportunity to observe relevant events In one study, Howe compared the progress of to 12-year-old children in understanding what influences motion down a slope In order to ascertain the role of conflict in group work, they created two kinds of groups according to a pre-test: one in which the children had dissimilar views, and a second in which the children had similar views They found support for the idea that children in the groups with dissimilar views progressed more after their training sessions than those who had been placed in groups with similar views However, they found no evidence to support the idea that the children worked out their new conceptions during their group discussions, because progress was not actually observed in a post-test immediately after the sessions of group work, but rather in a second test given around four weeks after the group work F In another study, Howe set out to investigate whether the progress obtained through pair work could be a function of the exchange of ideas They investigated the progress made by 12-15-year-old pupils in understanding the path of falling objects, a topic that usually involves conceptual difficulties In order to create pairs of pupils with varying levels of dissimilarity in their initial conceptions, the pupils’ predictions and explanations of the path of falling objects were assessed before they were engaged in pair work The work sessions involved solving computer-presented problems, again about predicting and explaining the paths of falling objects A post-test, given to individuals, assessed the progress made by pupils in their conceptions of what influenced the path of falling objects Questions 14-19 Reading Passage 308 has SIX paragraphs, A-F Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet List of Headings i ii iii iv v vi A suggested modification to a theory about learning The problem of superficial understanding The relationship between scientific understanding and age The rejection of a widely held theory The need to develop new concepts in daily life The claim that a perceived contradiction can assist mental development vii Implications for the training of science teachers viii An experiment to assess the benefits of exchanging views with a partner ix Evidence for the delayed benefits of disagreement between pupils 14 Paragraph A 15 Paragraph B 16 Paragraph C 17 Paragraph D 18 Paragraph E 19 Paragraph F Questions 20-21 Choose TWO letters, A-E The list below contains some possible statements about learning Which TWO of these statements are attributed to Piaget by the writer of the passage? A Teachers can assist learning by explaining difficult concepts B Mental challenge is a stimulus to learning C Repetition and consistency of input aid cognitive development D Children sometimes reject evidence that conflicts with their preconceptions E Children can help each other make cognitive progress Questions 22-23 Choose TWO letters, A-E Which TWO of these statements describe Howe’s experiment with 8-12-yearolds? A The children were assessed on their ability to understand a scientific problem B All the children were working in mixed-ability groups C The children who were the most talkative made the least progress D The teacher helped the children to understand a scientific problem E The children were given a total of three tests, at different times Questions 24-26 Complete the summary below Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer How children learn Piaget proposed that learning takes place when children encounter ideas that not correspond to their current beliefs The application of this theory gave rise to a teaching method known as 24 At first this approach only focused on the relationship between individual pupils and their 25 Later, researchers such as Perret-Clermont became interested in the role that interaction with 26 might also play in a pupil’s development Click the button to Show/ Hide Answers Answer: 14 v 15 ii 16 vi 17 i 18 iv 19 viii 20 & 21 B, D [in either order] 22 & 23 A, E [in either order] 24 discovery learning 25 teacher 26 peers Academic IELTS Reading Sample 310 - Anxiety Last Updated: Wednesday, 06 September 2017 21:06 Written by IELTS Mentor Hits: 51981 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions - 13, which are based on Passage 310 below Anxiety Anxiety is a common experience that can be a useful motivator or even lifesaver in situations that are objectively dangerous However, when the anxiety is out of proportion to the danger inherent in a given situation, is persistent and is markedly disabling, an anxiety disorder can be developed Anxiety is an emotion that all people experience from time to time, and we that for very good reasons It has been built into us; we have inherited it from our evolutionary past, because, in general, anxiety has a survival function If there is a real danger for a primitive man, then anxiety kicks in in an adaptive way We freeze, we stop doing whatever we were doing, we devote all of your attention to the danger, and our bodies react with a big release of adrenalin, an increase in blood flow to the muscles, getting us ready to run as fast as we can or fight as fiercely as we can So some anxiety is adaptive, not only for primitive man, but in modern society as well It helps us to focus on things when we have deadlines and, if someone is driving too fast when we cross the road, it helps us to jump out of the way quickly So, there is nothing wrong with anxiety in general, and in fact, we would have difficulties if we did not experience it to some extent, but of course, it can get problematic if the danger is one that is imagined rather than real, or the danger is something that is exaggerated In those cases, particularly if the perceived danger is out of proportion to the real danger, and it is persistent and disabling, then there is a danger of an anxiety disorder About 17 per cent of the population will have an anxiety disorder at some stage in their life Anxiety can be caused in a variety of different ways, but any mental disorder is always difficult to diagnose Scientists are looking at what role genes play in the development of these disorders and are also investigating the effects of environmental factors, such as pollution, physical and psychological stress, and diet Several parts of the brain are key actors in the production of fear and anxiety Using brain imaging technology and neurochemical techniques, scientists have discovered that the amygdala plays a significant role in most anxiety disorders By learning more about how the brain creates fear and anxiety, scientists may be able to devise better treatments for these disorders Anxiety disorders are a very costly problem in terms of society Some published figures show that, in the US, it cost $60 billion in one year in terms of lost productivity and in terms of excessive medical investigations that many people with anxiety seek, often thinking they have a physical problem Given all of this, it is rather worrying that anxiety also has a rather low treatmentseeking rate Only 10 per cent of people with an anxiety disorder will seek treatment That seems to be largely because people not realise there are effective treatments available Most people tend to think they have had it for most of their lives, so it is just their personality and they cannot change their personality, and so they feel rather hopeless about it The first psychotherapy treatment that was shown to be effective was exposure therapy, which essentially encourages people in a graded way to go into their feared situations and stay in them as long as they can and build up their confidence that way Often, the therapist will accompany the person to a feared situation to provide support and guidance Group cognitive behaviour therapy has also been shown to be effective This is a talking therapy that helps people to understand the link between negative thoughts and mood and how altering their behaviour can enable them to manage anxiety and feel in control There are, of course, drugs that can help people with anxiety Medication will not cure an anxiety disorder, but it can keep it under control while the person receives psychotherapy The principal medications used for anxiety disorders are antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and beta-blockers to control some of the physical symptoms With proper treatment, many people with anxiety disorders can lead normal, fulfilling lives There is plenty of evidence that exercise can help with anxiety problems When stress affects the brain, with its many nerve connections, the rest of the body feels the impact as well Exercise and other physical activity produce endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers In addition to this, getting physically tired can help people fall asleep faster and have deeper and more relaxing sleep As many people suffering from anxiety often have problems with insomnia, just the ability to get a good night’s rest can change people’s whole perspectives Anxiety is a normal, but highly subjective, human emotion While normal anxiety serves a beneficial and adaptive purpose, anxiety can also become the cause of tremendous suffering for millions of people It is important that people recognise excessive anxiety in themselves as soon as possible, as treatment can be very successful and living untreated can be a misery Questions 1-3 Complete each sentence with the correct ending (A-E) below Write the correct letter (A-E) in answer boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet Experiencing small doses of anxiety can Imagining or exaggerating problems can Nearly one in five people can A be very beneficial B never have to deal with anxiety C lead to unhelpful levels of anxiety D experience anxiety at some point E increase the possibility of physical disease Questions 4-6 Answer the questions below Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the text for each answer Write your answers in boxes 4-6 on your answer sheet Which area of the brain have scientists identified as being significant in anxiety problems? What proportion of people look for treatment for their anxiety? What part of themselves most people blame for their anxiety? Questions 7-13 Complete the table below Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer Write your answers in boxes 7-13 on your answer sheet Treatment for Anxiety Exposure Therapy Patients face their fears in a fashion, often with their Group Cognitive Behaviour Therapy A talking therapy It explores the links between and feelings It explores how changing people’s 10 can help them regain control Drugs These cannot cure people, but they can help in conjunction with 11 Exercise By creating 12 , the body can help dull the pain of anxiety It can allow a good sleep for people who suffer from the 13 caused by their anxiety Click the button to Show/ Hide Answers Answer: A C D (The) amygdala 10 percent (Their) personality graded therapist (negative) thoughts 10 behaviour 11 psychotherapy 12 endorphins 13 insomnia ... much thinner - as little as one-third as thick as the arch in the conventional bridge D His first masterpiece, however, was the 1905 Tavanasa Bridge over the Rhine river in the Swiss Alps In this... a fifth lower than a similar string two-thirds its length This link between simple ratios and harmony has influenced music theory ever since Section C This music-is-math idea is often accompanied... reasons, Maillart wanted a thinner arch and his solution was to connect the arch to the roadway with transverse walls In this way, Maillart justified making the arch as thin as he could reasonably