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| IELTS Reading Practice Test - 6 With Answers |
READING PASSAGE 1
You
should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which
are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
World Ecotourism in the developing countries
A
The
Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “a responsible travel to natural areas
which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people”. It
is recognised as being particularly conducive to enriching and enhancing the
standing of tourism, on the basis that this form of tourism respects the
natural heritage and local populations and are in keeping with the carrying
capacity of the sites.
B
Cuba
Cuba
is undoubtedly an obvious site for ecotourism, with its picturesque beaches,
underwater beauty, countryside landscapes, and ecological reserves. An educated
population and improved infrastructure of roads and communications add to the
mix. In the Caribbean region, Cuba is now the second most popular tourist
destination.
Ecotourism
is also seen as an environmental education opportunity to heighten both
visitors’ and residents’ awareness of environmental and conservation issues,
and even to inspire conservation action.
Ecotourism
has also been credited with promoting peace, by providing opportunities for
educational and cultural exchange. Tourists’ safety and health are guaranteed.
Raul
Castro, brother of the Cuban president, started this initiative to rescue the
Cuban tradition of herbal medicine and provide natural medicines for its
healthcare system. The school at Las Terrazas Eco-Tourism Community teaches
herbal healthcare and children learn not only how to use medicinal herbs, but
also to grow them in the school garden for teas, tinctures, ointments and
creams.
In
Cuba, ecotourism has the potential to alleviate poverty by bringing money into
the economy and creating jobs. In addition to the environmental impacts of
these efforts, the area works on developing community employment opportunities
for locals, in conjunction with ecotourism.
C
South
America
In
terms of South America, it might be the place which shows the shortcoming of
ecotourism. Histoplasma capsulatum (see chapter “Histoplasmosis and HIV”), a
dimorphic fungus, is the most common endemic mycosis the United States,(12) and
is associated with exposure to a bat or bird droppings. Most recently,
outbreaks have been reported in healthy travelers who returned from Central and
South America after engaging in recreational activities associated with
spelunking, adventure tourism, and ecotourism. It is quite often to see
tourists neglected sanitation while travelling. After engaging in high-risk
activities, boots should be hosed off and clothing placed in airtight plastic
bags for laundering. HIV-infected travelers should avoid risky behaviors or
environments, such as exploring caves, particularly those that contain bat
droppings.
D
Nowhere
is the keen eye and intimate knowledge of ecotourism are more amidst this
fantastic biodiversity, as we explore remote realms rich in wildlife rather
than a nature adventure. A sustainable tour is significant for ecotourism, one
in which we can grow hand in hand with nature and our community, respecting
everything that makes us privileged. Travelers get great joy from every step
that takes forward on this endless but exciting journey towards sustainability.
The primary threats to South American’s tropical forests are deforestation
caused by agricultural expansion, cattle ranching, logging, oil extraction and
spills, mining, illegal coca farming, and colonization initiatives.
Deforestation has shrunk territories belonging to indigenous peoples and wiped
out more than 90% of the population. Many are taking leading roles in
sustainable tourism even as they introduce protected regions to more travelers.
E
East
Africa
In
East Africa, significantly reducing such illegal hunting and allowing wildlife
populations to recover would allow the generation of significant economic
benefits through trophy hunting and potentially ecotourism. “Illegal hunting is
an extremely inefficient use of wildlife resources because it fails to capture
the value of wildlife achievable through alternative forms of use such as
trophy hunting and ecotourism,” said Peter Lindsey, author of the new study.
Most residents believed that ecotourism could solve this circumstance. They
have passion for local community empowerment, loves photography and writes to
laud current local conservation efforts, create environmental awareness and
promote ecotourism.
F
Indonesia
In
Indonesia, ecotourism started to become an important concept from 1995, in
order to strengthen the domestic travelling movement, the local government
targeting the right markets is a prerequisite for successful ecotourism. The
market segment for Indonesian ecotourism consists of: (i) “The silent
generation”, 55-64 year-old people who are wealthy enough, generally
well-educated and have no dependent children, and can travel for four weeks;
(ii) “The baby boom generation”, junior successful executives aged 35-54 years,
who are likely to be travelling with their family and children (spending 2-3
weeks on travel) – travelling for them is a stress reliever; and (iii) the “X
generation”, aged 18-29 years, who love to do ecotours as backpackers – they
are generally students who can travel for 3-12 months with monthly expenditure
of US$300-500. It is suggested that the promotion of Indonesian ecotourism
products should aim to reach these various cohorts of tourists. The country
welcomes diverse levels of travelers.
G
On
the other hand, ecotourism provides as many services as traditional tourism.
Nestled between Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean Sea is the country of
Belize. It is the wonderful place for Hamanasi honeymoon, a bottle of champagne
upon arrival, three meals daily, private service on one night of your stay and
a choice of adventures depending on the length of your stay. It also offers
six-night and seven-night honeymoon packages. A variety of specially tailored
tours, including the Brimstone Hill Fortress, and a trip to a neighboring
island. Guided tours include rainforest, volcano and off-road plantation tours.
Gregory Pereira, an extremely knowledgeable and outgoing hiking and tour guide,
says the following about his tours: “All of our tours on St.Kitts include
transportation by specially modified Land Rovers, a picnic of island pastries
and local fruit, fresh tropical juices, CSR, a qualified island guide and a
full liability insurance coverage for participants.
H
Kodai
is an ultimate splendor spot for those who love being close to mother nature.
They say every bird must sing it’s own throat while we say every traveler
should find his own way out of variegated and unblemished paths of deep valleys
and steep mountains. The cheese factory here exports a great quantity of cheese
to various countries across the globe. It is located in the center of the
forest. Many travelers are attracted by the delicious cheese. The ecotourism is
very famous this different eating experience.
Questions
1-5
Use
the information in the passage to match the place (listed A-D) with
opinions or deeds below.
Write
the appropriate letters A-D in boxes 1-5 on
your answer sheet.
NB You
may use any letter more than once.
A Cuba
B East Africa
C South America
D Indonesia
1 a place to
improve local education to help tourists
2 a place
suitable for both rich and poor travelers
3 a place where
could easily get fungus
4 a place
taking a method to stop unlawful poaching
5 a place where
the healthcare system is developed
Questions
6-9
Use
the information in the passage to match the companies (listed A-D)
with opinions or deeds below.
Write
the appropriate letters A, B, C or D in
boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.
A eating the
local fruits at the same time
B find job opportunities in the community
C which is situated in the heart of the jungle
D with private and comfortable service
6 Visiting the
cheese factory
7 Enjoying the
honeymoon
8 Having the
picnic while
9 The residents
in Cuba could
Questions
10-13
Summary
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 10-13 on your answer sheet.
Ecotourism
is not a nature 10…………………………….but a 11…………………………tour.
The reason why South America promotes ecotourism is due to the destruction
of 12……………………. In addition, East Africa also encourages this kind
of tourism for cutting the 13…………………….. in order to save wild
animals.
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.
Smell and Memory
SMELLS LIKE
YESTERDAY
Why does the scent of a fragrance or the mustiness
of an old trunk trigger such powerful memories of childhood? New research has
the answer, writes Alexandra Witze.
A
You
probably pay more attention to a newspaper with your eyes than with your nose.
But lift the paper to your nostrils and inhale. The smell of newsprint might
carry you back to your childhood when your parents perused the paper on Sunday
mornings. Or maybe some other smell takes you back – the scent of your mother’s
perfume, the pungency of a driftwood campfire. Specific odours can spark a
flood of reminiscences. Psychologists call it the “Proustian phenomenon”, after
French novelist Marcel Proust. Near the beginning of the masterpiece In
Search of Lost Time, Proust’s narrator drunks a madeleine cookie into a cup
of tea – and the scent and taste unleash a torrent of childhood memories for
3000 pages.
B
Now,
this phenomenon is getting scientific treatment. Neuroscientists Rachel Herz, a
cognitive neuroscientist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, have
discovered, for instance, how sensory memories are shared across the brain,
with different brain regions remembering the sights, smells, tastes and sounds
of a particular experience. Meanwhile, psychologists have demonstrated that
memories triggered by smells can be more emotional, as well as more detailed,
than memories not related to smells. When you inhale, odour molecules set brain
cells dancing within a region known as the amygdala, a part of the brain that
helps control emotion. In contrast, the other senses, such as taste or touch,
get routed through other parts of the brain before reaching the amygdala. The
direct link between odours and the amygdala may help explain the emotional
potency of smells. “There is this unique connection between the sense of smell
and the part of the brain that processes emotion,” says Rachel Herz.
C
But
the links don’t stop there. Like an octopus reaching its tentacles outward, the
memory of smells affects other brain regions as well. In recent experiments,
neuroscientists at University College London (UCL) asked 15 volunteers to look
at pictures while smelling unrelated odours. For instance, the subjects might
see a photo of a duck paired with the scent of a rose, and then be asked to
create a story linking the two. Brain scans taken at the time revealed that the
volunteers’ brains were particularly active in a region known as the olfactory
cortex, which is known to be involved in processing smells. Five minutes later,
the volunteers were shown the duck photo again, but without the rose smell. And
in their brains, the olfactory cortex lit up again, the scientists reported
recently. The fact that the olfactory cortex became active in the absence of
the odour suggests that people’s sensory memory of events is spread across
different brain regions. Imagine going on a seaside holiday, says ULC team
leader, Jay Gottfried. The sight of the waves becomes stored in one area,
whereas the crash of the surf goes elsewhere, and the smell of seaweed in yet
another place. There could be advantages to having memories spread around the
brain. “You can reawaken that memory from any one of the sensory triggers,”
says Gottfried. “Maybe the smell of the sun lotion, or a particular sound from
that day, or the sight of a rock formation.” Or – in the case of an early
hunter and gatherer (out on a plain – the sight of a lion might be enough to
trigger the urge to flee, rather than having to wait for the sound of its roar
and the stench of its hide to kick in as well.
D
Remembered
smells may also carry extra emotional baggage, says Herz. Her research suggests
that memories triggered by odours are more emotional than memories triggered by
other cues. In one recent study, Herz recruited five volunteers who had vivid
memories associated with a particular perfume, such as opium for Women and
Juniper Breeze from Bath and Body Works. She took images of the volunteers’
brains as they sniffed that perfume and an unrelated perfume bottle.) Smelling
the specified perfume activated the volunteers brains the most, particularly in
the amygdala, and in a region called the hippocampus, which helps in memory
formation. Herz published the work earlier this year in the journal Neuropsychologia.
E
But
she couldn’t be sure that the other senses wouldn’t also elicit a strong
response. Do in another study Herz compared smells with sounds and pictures. She
had 70 people describe an emotional memory involving three items – popcorn,
fresh-cut grass and a campfire. Then they compared the items through sights,
sounds and smells. For instance, the person might see a picture of a lawnmower,
then sniff the scent of grass and finally listen to the lawnmower’s sound.
Memories triggered by smell were more evocative than memories triggered by
either sights or sounds.
F
Odour-evoked
memories may be not only more emotional but more detailed as well. Working with
colleague John Downes, psychologist Simon Chu of the University of Liverpool
started researching odour and memory partly because of his grandmother’s
stories about Chinese culture. As generations gathered to share oral histories,
they would pass a small pot of spice or incense around; later, when they wanted
to remember the story in as much detail as possible, they would pass the same
smell around again. “It’s kind of fits with a lot of anecdotal evidence on how
smells can be really good reminders of past experiences,” Chu says. And
scientific research seems to bear out the anecdotes. In one experiment, Chu and
Downes asked 42 volunteers to tell a life story, then tested to see whether
odours such as coffee and cinnamon could help them remember more detail in the
story. They could.
G
Despite
such studies, not everyone is convinced that Proust can be scientifically
analysed. In the June issue of Chemical Senses, Chu and Downes exchanged
critiques with renowned perfumer and chemist J. Stephan Jellinek. Jellinek
chided the Liverpool researchers for, among other things, presenting the smells
and asking the volunteers to think of memories, rather than seeing what
memories were spontaneously evoked by the odours. But there’s only so much
science can do to test a phenomenon that’s inherently different for each
person, Chu says. Meanwhile, Jellinek has also been collecting anecdotal
accounts of Proustian experiences, hoping to find some common links between the
experiences. “I think there is a case to be made that surprise may be a major
aspect of the Proust phenomenon,” he says. “That’s why people are so struck by
these memories.” No one knows whether Proust ever experienced such a transcendental moment.
But his notions of memory, written as fiction nearly a century ago, continue to
inspire scientists of today.
Questions
14-18
Use
the information in the passage to match the people (listed A-C)
with opinions or deeds below.
Write
the appropriate letters A-C in boxes 14-18 on
your answer sheet.
NB You
may use any letter more than once
A Rachel Herz
B Simon Chu
C Jay Gottfried
14 The found
pattern of different sensory memories stored in various zones of the brain.
15 The smell
brings detailed event under the smell of a certain substance.
16 Connection of
smell and certain zones of the brain is different from that of other senses.
17 Diverse
locations of stored information help us keep away the hazard.
18 There is no
necessary correlation between smell and processing zone of the brain.
Question
19-22
Choose
the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxer 19-22 on your answer sheet
19 In paragraph
B, what do the experiments conducted by Herz and other
scientists show?
A Women
are more easily addicted to opium medicine
B Smell
is superior to other senses in connection to the brain
C Smell
is more important than other senses
D certain
part of the brain relates the emotion to the sense of smell
20 What does
the second experiment conducted by Herz suggest?
A Result
directly conflicts with the first one
B Result
of her first experiment is correct
C Sights
and sounds trigger memories at an equal level
D
Lawnmower is a perfect example in the experiment
21 What is the
outcome of an experiment conducted by Chu and Downes?
A smell
is the only functional under Chinese tradition
B half
of the volunteers told detailed stories
C smells
of certain odours assist storytellers
D odours
of cinnamon are stronger than that of coffee
22 What is the
comment of Jellinek to Chu and Downes in the
issue of Chemical Senses:
A
Jellinek accused their experiment of being unscientific
B
Jellinek thought Liverpool is not a suitable place for experiment
C
Jellinke suggested that there was no further clue of what specific
memories aroused
D
Jellinek stated that the experiment could be remedied
Questions
23-26
Summary
Complete
the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage
Using NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.
Write
your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.
In
the experiments conducted by UCL, participants were asked to look at a picture
with the scent of a flower, then in the next stage, everyone would have
to 23………………………..for a connection. A method called 24………………………suggested
that specific area of the brain named 25…………………….were quite active.
Then in another paralleled experiment about Chinese elders, storytellers could
recall detailed anecdotes when smelling a bowl of 26………………….. or
incense around.
READING
PASSAGE 3
You
should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are
based on Reading Passage 3 below.
The Persuaders
A
We
have long lived in an age where powerful images, catchy soundbites and
too-good-to miss offers to bombard us from every quarter. All around us the
persuaders are at work. Occasionally their methods are unsubtle –the planting
kiss on a baby’s head by a wannabe political leader, or a liquidation sale in a
shop that has been “closing down” for well over a year, but generally the
persuaders know what they are about and are highly capable. Be they
politicians, supermarket chains, salespeople or advertisers, they know exactly
what to do to sell us their images, ideas or produce. When it comes to
persuasion, these giants rule supreme. They employ the most skilled image-makers
and use the best psychological tricks to guarantee that even the most cautious
among us are open to manipulation.
B
We
spend more time in them than we mean to, we buy 75 percent of our food from
them and end up with products that we did not realize we wanted. Right from the
start, supermarkets have been ahead of the game. For example, when Sainsbury
introduced shopping baskets into its 1950s stores, it was a stroke of marketing
genius. Now shoppers could browse and pick up items they previously would have
ignored. Soon after came trolleys, and just as new roads attract more traffic,
the same applied to trolley space. Pro Merlin Stone, IBM Professor of
Relationship Marketing at Bristol Business School, says aisles are laid out to
maximize profits. Stores pander to our money-rich, time-poor lifestyle. Low
turnover products —clothes and electrical goods—are stocked at the back while
high—turnover items command position at the front.
C
Stone
believes supermarkets work hard to “stall” us because the more time we spend in
them, the more we buy. Thus, great efforts are made to make the environment
pleasant. Stores play music to relax us and some even pipe air from the
in-store bakery around the shop. In the USA, fake aromas are sometimes used.
The smell is both the most evocative and subliminal sense. In experiments,
pleasant smells are effective in increasing our spending. A casino that
fragranced only half its premise saw profit soar in the aroma—filled areas. The
other success story from the supermarkets’ perspective is the loyalty card.
Punters may assume that they are being rewarded for their fidelity, but all the
while they are trading information about their shopping habits. Loyal shoppers
could be paying 30% more by sticking to their favourite shops for essential
cosmetics.
D
Research
has shown that 75 percent of profit comes from just 30 percent of customers.
Ultimately, reward cards could be used to identify and better accommodate these
“elite” shoppers. It could also be used to make adverts more relevant to
individual consumers – rather like Spielberg’s futuristic thriller Minority
Report, in which Tom Cruise’s character is bombarded with interactive
personalized ads. If this sounds far-fetched, the data-gathering revolution has
already seen the introduction of radio – frequency identification – away to
electronically tag products to see who is buying what, FRID means they can
follow the product into people homes.
E
No
matter how savvy we think we are to their ploys, the ad industry still wins.
Adverts focus on what products do or on how they make us feel. Researcher
Laurette Dube, in the Journal of Advertising Research, says when attitudes are
base on “cognitive foundations” (logical reasoning), advertisers use
informative appeals. This works for products with a little emotional draw but
high functionality, such as bleach. Where attitude is based on effect (i.e,
emotions), ad teams try to tap into our feelings. Researchers at the University
of Florida recently concluded that our emotional responses to adverts dominate
over “cognition”.
F
Advertisers
play on our need to be safe (commercials for insurance), to belong (make a customer
feel they are in the group in fashion ads) and for self-esteem (aspirational
adverts). With time and space at a premium, celebrities are often used as a
quick way of meeting these needs – either because the celeb epitomizes success
or because they seem familiar and so make the product seem “safe”. A survey of
4,000 campaigns found ads with celebs were 10 percent more effective than
without. Humor also stimulates a rapid emotional response. Heiman Chung,
writing in the International Journal of Advertising, found that funny ads were
remembered for longer than straight ones. Combine humor with sexual imagery –
as in Wonderbra’s “Hello Boys” ads—and you are on to a winner.
G
Slice-of-life
ads are another tried and tested method—they paint a picture of life as you
would like it, but still, one that feels familiar. Abhilasha Mehta, in the
Journal of Advertising Research, noted that the more one’s self-image tallies
with the brand being advertised, the stronger the commercial. Ad makers also
use behaviorist theories, recognizing that the more sensation we receive from
an object, the better we know it. If an advert for a chocolate bar fails to
cause salivation, it has probably failed. No wonder advertisements have been
dubbed the “nervous system of the business world”.
H
Probably
all of us could make a sale if the product was something we truly believed in,
but professional salespeople are in a different league—the best of them can
always sell different items to suitable customers in the best time. They do
this by using very basic psychological techniques. Stripped to its simplest
level, selling works by heightening the buyer’s perception of how much they
need a product or service. Buyers normally have certain requirements by which
they will judge the suitability of a product. The seller, therefore, attempts
to tease out what these conditions are and then explains how their products’
benefit can meet these requirements.
I
Richard
Hession, author of Be a Great Salesperson says it is human nature to prefer to
speak rather listen, and good salespeople pander to this. They ask punters
about their needs and offer to work with them to achieve their objectives. As a
result, the buyer feels they are receiving a “consultation” rather than a sales
pitch. All the while, the salesperson presents with a demeanour that takes it
for granted that the sale will be made. Never will the words “if you buy” be
used, but rather “when you buy”.
J
Dr
Rob Yeung, a senior consultant at business psychologists Kiddy and Partner,
says most salespeople will build up a level of rapport by asking questions
about hobbies, family and lifestyle. This has the double benefit of making the
salesperson likeable while furnishing him or her with more information about
the client’s wants. Yeung says effective salespeople try as far as possible to
match their style of presenting themselves to how the buyer comes across. If
the buyer cracks jokes, the salespeople will respond in kind. If the buyer
wants detail, the seller provides it, if they are more interested in the feel
of the product, the seller will focus on this. At its most extreme, appearing
empathetic can even include the salesperson attempting to “mirror” the hobby
language of the buyer.
K
Whatever
the method used, all salespeople work towards one aim: “closing the deal”. In
fact, they will be looking for “closing signals” through their dealings with
potential clients. Once again the process works by assuming success. The buyer
is not asked “are you interested?” as this can invite a negative response.
Instead, the seller takes it for granted that the deal is effectively done:
when the salesman asks you for a convenient delivery date or asks what color
you want, you will probably respond accordingly. Only afterwards might you
wonder why you proved such a pushover.
Questions
27-29
Choose
the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Write your answer in boxes 27-29 on your answer sheet.
27 What is the
supermarket’s purpose of using “basket” in paragraph B?
A Create
a convenient atmosphere of supermarket
B Make
customers spend more time on shopping
C
Relieve pressure on the supermarket’s traffic
D More
than half items bought need to be carried
28 What is the
quality of the best salesman possessed according to this passage?
A Sell
the right product to the right person
B
Clearly state the instruction of one product
C Show
professional background of one product
D
Persuade customers to buy the product they sell
29 What’s the
opinion of Richard Hession?
A
Pretend to be nice instead of selling goods
B Prefer
to speak a lot to customers
C Help
buyers to conclude their demands for ideal items
D Show
great interpersonal skill
Questions
30-35
Reading
Passage 3 has 7 paragraphs A-K. which paragraph contains the
following information?
Write
your answers in boxes 30-35 on your answer sheet.
NB You
may use any letter more than once.
30 how do
supermarkets distract consumers
31 how to build
a close relationship between salespeople and buyer
32 people would
be impressed by the humor advertisement
33 methods for
salespeople to get the order
34 how question
work for salespeople
35 different
customer groups bring different profits
Questions
36-40
Complete
the notes below using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage.
Write your answers in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.
Trolleys are born for the increasing traffic in the supermarket. The width of 36………………………..in supermarkets is broadened in order to generate the most profits. Research from 37…………………., satisfying aromas can motivate people to buy more products. Except for the effort of creating a comfortable surrounding, 38……………………….. is another card that supermarkets play to reward their regular customers. For example, loyal customers spend 30% more in their loved shops for everyday necessary 39………………………. Clothes shops use advertisements to make the buyer think they are belonging to part of a 40……………………; research from 4,000 campaigns reflect that humor advertisement received more emotional respect.
ANSWERS
1. A
2. D
3. C
4. B
5. A
6. C
7. D
8. A
9. B
10. adventure
11. sustainable
12. tropical forest
13. illegal killing
14. A
15. B
16. A
17. C
18. C
19. D
20. B
21. C
22. C
23. create a story
24. brain scans
25. olfactory cortex
26. spice
27. B
28. A
29. D
30. C
31. J
32. F
33. K
34. K
35. D
36. aisles
37. experiments
38. loyalty card
39. cosmetics
40. group
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