IELTS reading

Reading Test 40

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Section 1

Reading Passage 1

The Loch Ness Monster

In the Scottish Highlands there, is believed to be a monster Jiving in the waters of Loch Ness. The waters of Loch Ness are one mile wide and 24 miles long, the largest body of freshwater in the United Kingdom. To many sceptics, this monster is only a modem day myth, but to others who claim they have seen it, the monster exists and still lurks in the waters of Loch Ness today.Throughout Scotland, research has been done at several lakes but Loch Ness Is the icon for monsters – Nessie, as the monster is affectionately named, being the most popular of them all. Both professionals and amateurs flock to this lake with their cameras in the hope of capturing a brief glimpse of Nessie and possibly solving the mystery of the Loch Ness monster.The very first sighting of Nessie was as far back as 565 AD. It is believed that she ate a local farmer and then dived back into the waters, with no accounts of being seen again for over 100 years. However, since the turn of the 20th century, several other people have claimed to see her. Some people believe that old Scottish myths about water creatures such as Kelpies and water horses have contributed to the idea of tills wondrous monster lurking beneath.2007 brought about the most recent sighting of Nessie. A tourist named Gordon Holmes from Yorkshire visited the Loch Ness waters and claims lie not only saw her, but has captured her on video. He claimed she was jet black, about 15 metres long and travelling in a very straight line at about 6 miles per hour. Despite this supposed evidence, controversy still reigns and opinion clearly divided…

Questions 1–6

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?

1.The first reported sighting of the Loch Ness monster was in 1962.

2.It is believed the idea for the Loch Ness monster may have been inspired by other stories of sea creatures.

Section 2

Reading Passage 2

Production Line

The ‘production line’ system of creating and assembling goods was for many years been the standard mode of operation for many industries. Cars, electronic equipment, packaging – many diverse companies have employed the same methods, and most have hit two main problems. The first is that unscheduled maintenance required on essential machinery has often held up production all along the line, and the second is the significant impact on employee morale. This has given rise to the increasingly adopted method of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) – a maintenance program which governs the maintenance of plants and equipment. The goal of the TPM program is to markedly increase production while, at the same time, increasing employee morale and job satisfaction. The concept of TPM was first developed in Japan in the late 1970s, only moving to the western world a decade later, initial success of the programme in countries such as Australia was limited, but in the late 1990s a ‘westernised’ version of TPM was launched. TPM brings maintenance into focus as a necessary and vitally important pan of the business. It is no longer regarded as a non-profit activity. Down time for maintenance is scheduled as a part of the manufacturing day and, in some cases, as an integral part of the manufacturing process. The goal is to keep emergency and unscheduled maintenance to a minimum. TPM involves directing participating companies and industries to move away from traditional methods of production to more efficient mechanisms. This is evident in TPM’s operational focus on lea production rather than…

Questions 14–20

Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs A-G. Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-G from the list of headings below.

14.Paragraph A

Section 3

Reading Passage 3

Co-educational Versus Single Sex Classrooms

It seems that across the western world, an increasing number parents are opting to return to more traditional divisions with regards their children’s education, with a significant rise in most western countries of single sex classrooms, in which the classroom set up involves the teacher working with only boy’s or only girls. For many, the issue is whether to opt for a mode of teaching that improves a child’s academic learning or to choose a co-educational schooling offering a more ‘rounded’ education. There is no doubt that boys and girls have a very different way of learning, with research showing that boys learn better through movement, sound and touch, whereas girls learn better through visual and oral means. One clear advantage of a single sex educational setting is that the teacher fs able to focus on specific styles of teaching to the gender they are teaching. Naturally, the resurgence of single sex education has meant that many teachers have had to undergo additional in appropriate techniques for the environment.There are many potential advantages for children studying in single sex schools, Some children succeed in single sex schools because of the lack of social pressure – children are more able to learn and grow at their own pace without the pressure commonly found between the genders in co-educational schools, Research done in a single sex school concluded that students thrived in what often became a dose-knit environment with closer interaction with teachers. In surveys of over 1000 single sex schools, it was reported that not having the opposite sex around was…

Questions 29–31

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

29.In single sex classes

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Answers & explanations

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40 answers3 explanations open
  1. 1

    FALSE

    The Loch Ness monster, as known as Nessie, was first seen in 565 AD, not in 1962. Therefore, this statement is FALSE.

  2. 2

    TRUE

    In this case, the Scottish myths about water creatures such as Kelpies and water horses are believed to be the basis for Loch Ness monster's idea. Therefore, this statement is TRUE.

  3. 3

    TRUE

    Even though the video footage is believed to have been tampered with, this statement is TRUE, as the statement doesn't concern the nature or characteristics of the video footage. Gordon Holmes, who was the last person claiming to see the Loch Ness monster, did have a video footage. Therefore, this statement is TRUE.

  4. 4

    FALSE

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  5. 5

    FALSE

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  6. 6

    FALSE

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  7. 7

    565 A.D.

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  8. 8

    Tampering

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  9. 9

    Otter

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  10. 10

    A flipper

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  11. 11

    (A) submarines

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  12. 12

    (nearby) road works

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  13. 13

    (the) film industry

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  14. 14

    ii

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  15. 15

    iv

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  16. 16

    x

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  17. 17

    vii

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  18. 18

    viii

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  19. 19

    v

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  20. 20

    i

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  21. 21

    Potential

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  22. 22

    Coordinator

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  23. 23

    Action teams

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  24. 24

    Team leaders

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  25. 25

    B

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  26. 26

    A

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  27. 27

    C

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  28. 28

    D

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  29. 29

    C

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  30. 30

    B

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  31. 31

    A

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  32. 32

    Stereotypes

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  33. 33

    Switzerland

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  34. 34

    Converse

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  35. 35

    Subjects

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  36. 36

    Teachers

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  37. 37

    TRUE

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  38. 38

    FALSE

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  39. 39

    NOT GIVEN

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  40. 40

    FALSE

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