IELTS reading

Reading Test 47

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Section 1

Reading Passage 1

Animal Minds: Parrot Alex

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A In 1977 Irene Pepperberg, a recent graduate of Harvard University, did something very bold. At a time when animals still were considered automatons, she set out to find what was on another creature’s mind by talking to it. She brought a one-year-old African gray parrot she named Alex into her lab to teach him to reproduce the sounds of the English language. “I thought if he learned to communicate, I could ask him questions about how he sees the world.” B When Pepperberg began her dialogue with Alex, who died last September at the age of 31, many scientists believed animals were incapable of any thought. They were simply machines, robots programmed to react to stimuli but lacking the ability to think or feel.Any pet owner would disagree. We see the love in our dogs' eyes and know that, of course, they has thoughts and emotions. But such claims remain highly controversial. Gut instinct is not science, and it is all too easy to project human thoughts and feelings onto another creature. How, then, does a scientist prove that an animal is capable of thinking – that it is able to acquire information about the world and act on it? "That's why I started my studies withAlex," Pepperberg said. They were seated – she at her desk, he on top of his cage – in her lab, a windowless room about the size of a boxcar, at Brandeis University. Newspapers lined the floor; baskets of bright toys were stacked on the shelves. They were clearly a team – and because of their work, the notion that animals can think is no longer so fanciful. Certain skills are considered key signs of higher mental…

Questions 1–6

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage? In boxes 1-6 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.

1.Firstly, Alex has grasped quite a lot of vocabulary.

2.At the beginning of study, Alex felt frightened in the presence of humans.

Section 2

Reading Passage 2

Developing Courtiers

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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. 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 adds 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…

Questions 14–18

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 14-18 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.

14.a place to improve local education as to help tourists

Section 3

Reading Passage 3

Soviet's New Working Week

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“There are no fortresses that Bolsheviks cannot storm”. With these words, Stalin expressed the dynamic self-confidence of the Soviet Union’s Five Year Plan: weak and backward Russia was to turn overnight into a powerful modern industrial country. Between 1928 and 1932, production of coal, iron and steel increased at a fantastic rate, and new industrial cities sprang up, along with the world’s biggest dam. Everyone’s life was affected, as collectivised farming drove millions from the land to swell the industrial proletariat. Private enterprise disappeared in city and country, leaving the State supreme under the dictatorship of Stalin. Unlimited enthusiasm was the mood of the day, with the Communists believing that iron will and hard-working manpower alone would bring about a new world. Enthusiasm spread to time itself, in the desire to make the state a huge efficient machine, where not a moment would be wasted, especially in the workplace. Lenin had already been intrigued by the ideas of the American Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), whose time-motion studies had discovered ways of stream-lining effort so that every worker could produce the maximum. The Bolsheviks were also great admirers of Henry Ford’s assembly line mass production and of his Fordson tractors that were imported by the thousands. The engineers who came with them to train their users helped spread what became a real cult of Ford. Emulating and surpassing such capitalist models formed part of the training of the new Soviet Man, a heroic figure whose unlimited capacity for work would benefit everyone in…

Questions 27–34

Reading Passage 3 has nine paragraphs A-I. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number i-xii in boxes 27-34 on your answer sheet

27.Paragraph A

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Answers & explanations

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40 answers3 explanations open
  1. 1

    NOT GIVEN

    As we reading the whole paragraph, we may find that after the study, Alex can imitate almost one hundred English words, but in the beginning, no sign of vocabulary or word related to Alex is mentioned.

  2. 2

    NOT GIVEN

    The beginning of the study is mentioned in paragraph B, yet we can't find any word/sentence that describe the feeling of Alex toward humans.

  3. 3

    FALSE

    Take a look at the first sentence of paragraph B, "When Pepperberg began her dialogue with Alex" mean "Previously" "many scientists believed" animals were incapable of any thought, which means being unable to think, this is contradicted with the question: "animals possess the ability of thinking".

  4. 4

    TRUE

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  5. 5

    TRUE

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  6. 6

    FALSE

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  7. 7

    100 English words

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  8. 8

    chimpanzees

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  9. 9

    avian cognition

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  10. 10

    particularly chosen

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  11. 11

    color

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  12. 12

    wrong pronunciation

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  13. 13

    teenager

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  14. 14

    A

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  15. 15

    D

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  16. 16

    C

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  17. 17

    B

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  18. 18

    A

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  19. 19

    C

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  20. 20

    D

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  21. 21

    A

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  22. 22

    B

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  23. 23

    adventure

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  24. 24

    sustainable

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  25. 25

    tropical forest

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  26. 26

    illegal hunting

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  27. 27

    iv

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  28. 28

    xii

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  29. 29

    ii

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  30. 30

    x

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  31. 31

    i

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  32. 32

    ix

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  33. 33

    v

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  34. 34

    vii

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  35. 35

    C

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  36. 36

    B

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  37. 37

    A

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  38. 38

    Yuri Larin

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  39. 39

    Colour-coding / Color-coding

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  40. 40

    family

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Understand why, not only what.

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