CAMBRIDGE IELTS BOOK 5 – READING TEST 3 – PASSAGE 1
Questions 1-4: Which paragraph contains the following information:
1. Details of the range of family types involved in an education programme.
Keywords: details, family types, education programme
In paragraph 6 in Section D, the writer describes in detail some types of families, based on their typical socio-economic status and age characteristics: “The four-year pilot study included 380 families who were about to have their first child and who represented a cross-section of socio-economic status, age and family configurations. They included single-parent and two-parent families, families in which both parents worked, and families with either the mother or father at home.”
— four-year pilot study: a trial survey or study programme carried out over 4 years.
— cross-section: a typical, notable example
=> ANSWER: D
2. Reasons why a child’s early years are so important
Keywords: reasons, child,s early years, important.
In paragraph 2, Section B, the writer reports that: “by the age of three, most children have the potential to understand about 1000 words – most of the language they will use in ordinary conversation for the rest of their lives”. This means that language is developed from the very early years of a child. In paragraph 3, Section B, the writer continues to argue that: “Furthermore, research has shown that while every child is born with a natural curiosity, it can be suppressed dramatically during the second and the third years of life. Researchers claim that the human personality is formed during the first two years of life, and during the first three years children learn the basic skills they will use in all their later learning both at home and at school. Once over the age of three, children continue to expand on existing knowledge of the world”. So, human personality and basic skills are developed in the first two or three years of life. We see that the child’s early years are so important because their language, personality and skills are formed in this period.
=>ANSWER: B
3. Reasons why an education programme failed
Keywords: reasons, educational programme, failed
Paragraph 4, Section C says about an educational programme: “In an attempt to overcome that educational under-achievement, a nationwide programme called „Headstart‟ was launched in the United States in 1965. A lot of money was poured into it. It took children into pre-school institutions at the age of three and was supposed to help the children of poorer families succeed in school” Paragraph 5, Section C explains why the programme failed: “Despite substantial funding, results have been disappointing. It is thought that there are two explanations for this. First, the programme began too late. Many children who entered it at the age of three were already behind their peers in language and measurable intelligence. Second, the parents were not involved. At the end of each day, “Headstart” children returned to the same disadvantaged home environment.”
— failed = results have been disappointing
— reasons = two explanations for this
=>ANSWER: C
4. A description of the positive outcomes of an education programme
Keywords: description, positive, outcomes, programme
In papragraph 9, Section E, the writer says about the “Missouri” programme and its outcome: “The results were phenomenal. By the age of three, the children in the programme were significantly more advanced in language development than their peers, had made greater strides in problem solving and other intellectual skills, and were further along in social development. In fact, the average child on the programme was performing at the level of the top 15 to 20 per cent of their peers in such things as auditory comprehension verbal ability and language ability”.
— outcomes = results. Positive outcomes included more significantly advanced language development, greater strides in problem solving and intellectual skills, and further social development.
=> ANSWER: E
Questions 5-10: Write the correct letter A, B, C, or D.
A the “Headstart” programme
B the “Missouri” programme
C both the “Headstart” and the “Missouri” programmes
D neither the “Headstart” nor the “Headstart” programme
5. Was administered to a variety of poor and wealthy families
Keywords: administered, variety, poor, wealthy families
Section D discusses the „Missouri‟ programme. In paragraph 6 in Section D, the writer says that: “The four-year pilot study included 380 families who were about to have their first child and who represented a cross-section of socio-economic status, age and family configurations.” a variety of poor and wealthy families = a cross-section of socio-economic status
And in paragraph 9 in Section E, the writer states that “At the age of three, the children who had been involved in the „Missouri‟ programme were evaluated alongside a cross-section of children selected from the same range of socio-economic backgrounds and family situations”
=> ANSWER: B
6. Continued with follow-up assistance in elementary schools
Keywords: follow-up assistance, elementary schools.
Both the “Headstart” and “Missouri” programmes focused on children’s early education before the age of three. So neither “Headstart” nor “Missouri” continued with further assistance in elementary schools.
=> ANSWER: D
7. Did not succeed in its aim
Keywords: not succeed, aim
Paragraph 5 of Section C reports on the „Headstart‟ programme and its failure: “Despite substantial funding, results have been disappointing”.
— not succeed in its aim = results have been disappointing
=> ANSWER: A
8. Supplied many forms of support and training to parents
Keywords: support, training, parents
We can see that “Headstart” did not provide support and training to parents, as stated in paragraph 5, Section C that: “Second, the parents were not involved. At the end of each day, “Headstart” children returned to the same disadvantaged home environment”.
The parents were not involved: parents were not the subject of the programme. „Headstart‟ only took children at the age of three to pre-school institutions and taught them in schools. However, the “Missouri” programme offered support and training to parents, as indicated in paragraphs 6 and 7, Section D: “a pilot programme was launched in Missouri in the US that focused on parents as the child’s first teachers… The programme involved trained parent-educators visiting the parent’s home and working with the parent, or parents, and the child. Information on child development, and guidance on things to look for and expect as the child grows were provided, plus guidance in fostering the child’s intellectual, language, social and motor-skill development.”
=> ANSWER: B
9. Received insufficient funding
Keywords: insufficient, funding
In paragraphs 4 and 5, the writer says that “Headstart” received substantial funding: “A lot of money was poured into it”. “Missouri” also gained a lot of funding, as described in paragraph 6, Section D: “As a result of the growing research evidence of the importance of the first three years of a child’s life and the disappointing results from that “Headstart” a pilot programme was launched in Missouri in the US that focused on parents as the child’s first teachers”. “Missouri” provided a lot of guidance and support to parents and the children, so it could not have received insufficient funding.
=> ANSWER: D
10. Was designed to improve pre-schooler’s educational development
Keywords: improve, pre-schoolers’ education development
Paragraph 6, Section D says that “Missouri” “included 380 families who were about to have their first child” and this programme lasted in 4 years. During these 4 years, the programme offered training and support to the parents and medical check-ups for the children. So this programme was designed to improve the pre-schoolers educational development. Pre-school education : children’s education before 3 – the age of going to school. In paragraph 4, Section C, the writer states that “Headstart” “took children into pre-school institutions at the age of three and was supposed to help the children of poorer families succeed in school.”
=> ANSWER: C
Questions 11-13: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
11. Most “Missouri” programme three-year-olds scored highly in areas such as listening, speaking, reasoning and interacting with others.
Keywords: Missouri, scored highly, listening, speaking, reasoning, interacting
Paragraph 9, Section E reports on the results of the “Missouri” programme. It states that: “By the age of three, the children in the programme were significantly more advanced in language development than their peers, had made greater strides in problem solving and other intellectual skills, and were further along in social development.”
— scored highly = advanced
=> ANSWER: TRUE
12. “Missouri” programme children of young, uneducated, single parents scored less highly on the tests.
Keywords: Missouri, young, uneducated, single, less highly
In paragraph 10, the writer argues that: “Most important of all, the traditional measures of “risk”, such as parent’s age and education, or whether they were a single parent, bore little or no relationship to the measures of achievement and language development. Children in the programme performed equally well regardless of socio-economic disadvantages.” Children of young, uneducated, single parents are examples of children who have socio-economic disadvantages.
— scored less highly = performed equally well
=>ANSWER: FALSE
13. The richer families in the „Missouri‟ programme had higher stress levels.
Keywords: richer, families, Missouri, higher, stress
Paragraph 10, Section E says that ” The one factor that was found to affect the child‟s development was family stress leading to a poor quality of parent-child interaction. That interaction was not necessarily bad in poorer families”. This means that both poor and rich families may suffer from stress, which will affect the interaction between parents and the child. However, the writer does not say that richer families had higher stress levels than poor families.
=> ANSWER: NOT GIVEN
CAMBRIDGE IELTS BOOK 5 – READING TEST 3 – PASSAGE 2
Questions 14-17: Choose the correct heading
14. Paragraph B => iv. Interrupting a natural process
Keywords: interrupting, natural process
In paragraph B, the writer describes the loss/changes of the sediment that used to flow down the river when the two dams at Aswan were built. “Before the dams were built, the Nile flowed freely, carrying huge quantities of sediment north from Africa’s interior to be deposited on the Nile delta. This continued for 7,000 years”, …But when the Aswan dams were constructed in the 20 century to provide electricity and irrigation ¼. most of the sediment with its natural fertilizer accumulated up above the dam in the southern, upstream half of Lake Nasser, instead of passing down to the delta.” So, paragraph B describes the natural process of sedimentation and this was interrupted by the construction of the two dams, which resulted in serious impacts.
=> ANSWER: iv
15. Paragraph D = > i. Effects of irrigation on sedimentation
Keywords: effects, irrigation, sedimentation
In paragraph D, the writer says that: “The water in the irrigation canals is still or very slow-moving and thus cannot carry sediment … The sediment sinks to the bottom of the canals and then is added to fields by farmers or pumped with the water into the four large freshwater lagoons that are located near the outer edges of the delta. So very little of it actually reaches the coastline to replace what is being washed away by the Mediterranean currents.”
— effects = thus, so
=> ANSWER: i
16. Paragraph E => v. The threat to food production
Keywords: threat, food, production
In paragraph E, the writer describes the impacts on the food supply: “The farms on the delta plains and fishing and aquaculture in the lagoons account for much of Egypt‟s food supply. But by the time the sediment has come to rest in the fields and lagoons it is loaded with municipal, industrial and agricultural waste…These poisons can easily enter the food chain, affecting the productivity of fishing and farming.”
— food production = food chain, food supply
=> ANSWER: v
17. Paragraph F => viii. Looking at the long-term impact
Keywords: long-term, impact
In paragraph F, the writer discusses whether a short-term or long-term
iii. Causing pollution in the Mediterranean. Paragraph E refers to the pollution /impacts on the food supply of Egypt, not about the pollution in the Mediterranean.=>iii is incorrect
Less valuable sediment than before. At the end of paragraph D, the writer says that “So very little of it actually reaches the coastline to replace what is being washed away by the Mediterranean currents”. The writer only says that the amount of sediment to the coastline has reduced, although it has now accumulated in a different region, according to paragraph B. Solution would be suitable for Egypt. He prefers a long-term solution when looking at the long-term impact: “But there are no easy solutions. In the immediate future, Stanley believes that one solution would be to make artificial floods to flush out the delta waterways, in the same way that natural floods did before the construction of the dams. He says, however, that in the long term an alternative process such as desalination may have to be used to increase the amount of water available”.
=>ANSWER: Viii
Explanation for other headings:
ii. The danger of flooding the Cairo area
Paragraph B mentions that one of the dam construction‟s purposes is to protect “the huge population centre of Cairo and its surrounding areas from annual flooding and drought”. However, it does not refer to the danger of flooding in the Cairo area.
=> ii is incorrect
=> vi is incorrect
Questions 18 -23: YES/ NO/ NOT GIVEN
18. Coastal erosion occurred along Egypt‟s Mediterranean coast before the building of the Aswan dams.
Keywords: coastal, erosion, Egypt‟s Mediterranean coast, before, Aswan dams
In paragraph A, the writer says that: “The fertile land of the Nile delta is being eroded along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast at an astounding rate, in some parts estimated at 100 metres per year. In the past, land scoured away from the coastline by the currents of the Mediterranean Sea used to be replaced by sediment brought down to the delta by the River Nile, but this is no longer happening”. This indicates that the coastal erosion had happened in the past, before they built the dams.
— coastal erosion = land scoured away from the coastline
=>ANSWER: YES
19. Some people predicted that the Aswan dams would cause land loss before they were built.
In paragraph B: ” Up to now, people have blamed this loss of delta land on the two large dams at Aswan in the south of Egypt which hold back virtually all of the sediment that used to flow down the river”. The writer says: ” people have blamed”, not predicted. We do not know if land loss was predicted
=> ANSWER: NOT GIVEN
20. The Aswan dams were built to increase the fertility of the Nile delta.
Keywords: dams, built, increase, fertility, delta
In paragraph B: “But when the Aswan dams were constructed in the 20th century to provide electricity and irrigation, and to protect the huge population centre of Cairo and its surrounding areas from annual flooding and drought, most of the sediment with its natural fertilizer accumulated up above the dam in the southern, upstream half of Lake Nasser, instead of passing down to the delta.”. This means that the construction of the dams was intended to prevent flooding and drought in the Cairo area. The fertility of the Nile delta actually decreased as a result. — increase the fertility of the delta = sediment with natural fertilizer accumulated…,instead of passing down the delta
=>ANSWER: NO
21. Stanley found that levels of sediment in the river water in Cairo were relatively high.
Keywords: Stanley, levels of sediment, river water, Cairo, high.
In paragraph C, the writer states that: “Daniel Jean Stanley of the Smithsonian Institute noticed that water samples taken in Cairo, just before the river enters the delta, indicated that the river sometimes carries more than 850 grams of sediment per cubic metre of water – almost half of what it carried before the dams were built”. And “There is still a lot of sediment coming into the delta, but virtually no sediment comes out into the Mediterranean to replenish the coastline. So this sediment must be trapped on the delta itself.”
— relatively high = still a lot
=> ANSWER: YES
22. Sediment in the irrigation canals on the Nile delta causes flooding.
Keywords: sediment, irrigation canals, causes, flooding
In paragraph D, the writer says about the sediment in the canal that: “The water in the irrigation canals is still or very slow-moving and thus cannot carry sediment, Stanley explains”. And “so very little of it actually reaches the coastline to replace what is being washed away by the Mediterranean currents”. However, the writer does not say that the sediment causes flooding.
=>ANSWER: NOT GIVEN
23. Water is pumped from the irrigation canals into the lagoons.
In paragraph D, the writer says that: “Sediment sinks to the bottom of the canals and then is added to fields by farmers or pumped with the water into the four large fresh-water lagoons that are located near the outer edges of the delta”.
— water is pumped = pumped with the water
=> ANSWER: YES
Questions 24-26: Complete the summary of paragraphs E and F
24. In addition to the problem of coastal erosion, there has been a marked increase in the level of 24….. contained in the silt deposited in the Nile delta.
Keywords: marked, increase
In Paragraph E:” Pollutants are building up faster and faster‟, says Stanley. Based on his investigations of sediment from the delta lagoons, Frederic Siegel of George Washington University concurs. “In Manzalah Lagoon, for example, the increase in mercury, lead, copper and zinc coincide with the building of the High Dam at Aswan”.
— a marked increase in pollutants = pollutants are building up faster and faster/The increase in mercury, lead, copper and zinc
=>ANSWER: [pollutants]
25. To deal with this, Stanley suggests the use of 25..…in the short term,
Keywords: Stanley, use, short term
In Paragraph F, the writer says that: “In the immediate future, Stanley believes that one solution would be to make artificial floods to flush out the delta waterways, in the same way that natural floods did before the construction of the dams”.
—in the short term = in the immediate future
=> ANSWER: [artificial floods]
26. and increasing the amount of water available through 26.…in the longer term
Keywords: increasing, amount of water, longer term
In paragraph F, the writer states that: “He says, however, that in the long term an alternative process such as desalination may have to be used to increase the amount of water available”.
=>ANSWER: [desalination]
CAMBRIDGE IELTS BOOK 5 – TEST 3 – PASSAGE 3
Questions 27-31: Which paragraph contains the following information:
27. How AI might have a military impact
Keywords: how, AI, military impact
In Paragraph E, it is stated that ” HNC claim that their system, based on a cluster of 30 processors, could be used to spot camouflaged vehicles on a battlefield or extract a voice signal from a noisy background – tasks humans can do well, but computers cannot”. So AI can be used for military purposes in order to detect camouflaged vehicles on a battlefield.
— military = camouflaged vehicles, battlefield
=>ANSWER: E
28. The fact that AI brings together a range of separate research areas
Keywords: AI, together, separate research areas
In Paragraph B, the writer says that: “The expression provided an attractive but informative name for a research programme that encompassed such previously disparate fields as operations research, cybernetics, logic and computer science.”
— separate = disparate
— brings together a range of separate research areas = encompassed such previously disparate fields as operation research, cybernetics, logic and computer science
=>ANSWER: B
29. The reason why AI has become a common topic of conversation again
Keywords: reason, a common topic, conversation, again
In paragraph A, the writer indicates that: “After years in the wilderness, the term „artificial intelligence‟ (AI) seems poised to make a comeback. AI was big in the 1980s but vanished in the 1990s. It re-entered public consciousness with the release of AI, a movie about a robot boy. This has ignited public debate about AI, but the term is also being used once more within the computer industry”. This explains that AI has become a common topic of conversation again because of the release of AI, a movie about a robot boy.
— became a topic of conversation again = re-entered public consciousness
=>ANSWER: A
30. How AI could help deal with difficulties related to the amount of information available electronically.
Keywords: deal with, difficulties, amount of information, electronically
In paragraph F, the writer says that: “In particular, the problem of information overload, exacerbated by the growth of e-mail and the explosion in the number of web pages, means there are plenty of opportunities for new technologies to help filter and categorise information – classic AI problems.
— difficulties = problems
— amount of information available = information overload, i.e. the growth of e-mail and the explosion in the number of web pages
=>ANSWER: F
31. Where the expression AI was first used.
Keywords: where, expression, first, used
In paragraph B, the writer says that: “The field was launched, and the term „artificial intelligence‟ coined, at a conference in 1956 by a group of researchers that included Marvin Minsky, John McCarthy, Herbert Simon and Alan Newell, all of whom went on to become leading figures in the field.
— first used = coined
—the expression AI = the term „Artificial intelligence‟
=>ANSWER: B
Questions 32-37: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
32. The researchers who launched the field of AI had worked together on other projects in the past.
Keywords: researchers, AI, worked together, other projects, past
Paragraph B says: “That said, different groups of researchers attacked different problems, from speech recognition to chess playing, in different ways; AI unified the field in name only”. It means that a lot of researchers working on different problems and in different ways worked together in the field of AI, but we do not know if they had worked together on other projects before.
=> NOT GIVEN
33. In 1985, AI was at its lowest point.
Keywords: 1985, lowest, point
In paragraph C, the writer says: “Most researchers agree that AI peaked around 1985”.
— lowest point ><peaked
=>ANSWER: FALSE
34. Research into agent technology was more costly than research into neural networks.
Keywords: research, agent, technology, costly, neural, networks
Paragraph C states that: “Then when people realised these were hard problems, there was retrenchment. By the late 1980s, the term AI was being avoided by many researchers, who opted instead to align themselves with specific sub-disciplines such as neural networks, agent technology, case-based reasoning, and so on”.
— retrenchment: cutting down expenses, cost reduction.
— The writer gives no information about the cost comparison between research into agent technology and research into neural networks.
=>ANSWER: NOT GIVEN
35. Applications of AI have already had a degree of success.
Keywords: AI, degree of success
In paragraph C, we learn that: “Prototypes of medical-diagnosis programs and speech-recognition software appeared to be making progress…” Then, in paragraph D, the writer says that: “Ironically, in some ways AI was a victim of its own success”.
— a degree of success = making progress
=>ANSWER: TRUE
36. The problems waiting to be solved by AI have not changed since 1967
Keywords: problems, solved, not changed, 1967
In paragraph C, the writer states that: “Marvin Minsky said in 1967 that within a generation the problem of creating „artificial intelligence‟ would be substantially solved”. However, in fact, it proved to be a failure. Therefore, “By the late 1980, the term AI was being avoided by many researchers, who opted instead to align themselves with specific sub-disciplines such as neural networks, agent technology, case-based reasoning, and so on”. Furthermore, in paragraph D, the writer says that ” Meanwhile, the technologies that made it onto the market, such as speech recognition, language translation and decision-support software, were no longer regarded as AI. Yet all three once fell well within the umbrella of AI research.”
three once fell well within the umbrella of AI research: speech recognition, language translation and decision-support software used to be areas of AI research. But later they were no longer regarded as AI.
=>this evidence shows that problems waiting to be solved by AI have changed since 1967
=>ANSWER: FALSE
37. The film 2001: A Space Odyssey reflected contemporary ideas about the potential of AI computers
Keywords: 2001: A space Odyssey, reflected, ideas, potential, AI computers
In paragraph G, the writer says that “The 1969 film, 2001: A space Odyssey, featured an intelligent computer called HAL 9000. As well as understanding and speaking English, HAL could play chess and even learned to lipread. HAL thus encapsulated the optimism of the 1960s that intelligent computers would be widespread by 2001”.
— reflected contemporary ideas = encapsulated the optimism of the 1960s
=> ANSWER: TRUE
Questions 38-40: Choose the correct letter
38. According to researchers, in the late 1980s there was a feeling that
B. original expectations of AI may not have been justified.
In paragraph C, the writer says that: “There was undue optimism in the early 1980s” says David Leake, a researcher at Indiana University. “Then when people realised there were hard problems, there was retrenchment. By the late 1980s, the term AI was being avoided by many researchers, who opted instead to align themselves with specific sub-disciplines such as neural networks, agent technology, case-based reasoning, and so on”.
— original expectations of AI = overdue optimism in the early 1980s
— [not] justified = undue
This means that there was at first optimism about the possibilities of AI. Then, researchers and the public realised in the late 1980s that there were many hard problems to overcome.
=> ANSWER: B
39. In Dr Leake’s opinion, the reputation of AI suffered as a result of….
A. changing perceptions
In paragraph G, the writer says that: “It may be, however, that the comparison with HAL no longer seems quite so important, and AI can now be judged by what it can do, rather than by how well it matches up to a 30-year-old science-fiction film. “People are beginning to realise that there are impressive things that these systems can do”, says Dr Leake hopefully”
— the reputation of AI = judged by how well it matches up to a 30-year old science-fiction film
— changing perceptions = comparison with HAL no longer seems quite so important
=> ANSWER: A
40. The prospects for AI may benefit from….
D. New investment priorities.
In paragraph F, the writer says that: “Another factor that may boost prospects for AI in the near future is that investors are looking for firms using clever technology, rather than just a clever business model, to differentiate themselves.
— benefit from = factor that may boost
=> ANSWER: D
Be First to Comment