IELTS reading

Reading Test 46

Try 4 real questions from this test. See how PrepGo turns practice into a clear next step.

4 free questions36 more in the full testIELTS Practice

Section 1

Reading Passage 1

Facial Expression

facial expression is one or more motions or positions of the muscles in the skin. These movements convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information among aliens, but also occur in most other mammals and some other animal species. Facial expressions and their significance in the perceiver can, to some extent, vary between cultures with evidence from descriptions in the works of Charles Darwin. Humans can adopt a facial expression to read as a voluntary action. However, because expressions are closely tied to emotion, they are more often involuntary. It can be nearly impossible to avoid expressions for certain emotions, even when it would be strongly desirable to do so; a person who is trying to avoid insulting an individual he or she finds highly unattractive might, nevertheless, show a brief expression of disgust before being able to reassume a neutral expression. Microexpressions are one example of this phenomenon. The close link between emotion and expression can also work in the order direction; it has been observed that voluntarily assuming an expression can actually cause the associated emotion. Some expressions can be accurately interpreted even between members of different species – anger and extreme contentment being the primary examples. Others, however, are difficult to interpret even in familiar individuals. For instance, disgust and fear can be tough to tell apart. Because faces have only a limited range of movement, expressions rely upon…

Questions 1–5

Complete the Summary paragraph below. In boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet, write the correct answer with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

1.The result of Ekman's study demonstrates that fear and surprise are persistently and made a conclusion that some facial expressions have something to do with certain

2. . Which is impossible covered, despite of

Section 2

Reading Passage 2

Aqua Product: New zealand's Algae Biodiesel

PreviewOpen passage →

The world’s first wild algae biodiesel, produced in New Zealand by Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation, was successfully test-driven in Wellington by the Minister for Energy and Climate Change Issues, David Parker. In front of a crowd of invited guests, media and members of the public, the Minister filled up a diesel-powered Land Rover with Aquaflow B5 blend bio-diesel and then drove the car around the forecourt of Parliament Buildings in Central Wellington. Green Party co-leader, Jeanette Fitzsimons was also on board. Marlborough-based Aquaflow announced on May 2006 that it had produced the world’s first bio-diesel derived from wild microalgae sourced from local sewage ponds. “We believe we are the first company in the world to test drive a car powered by wild algae-based biodiesel. This will come as a surprise to some international bio-diesel industry people who believe that this break-through is still years away,” explains Aquaflow spokesperson Barrie Leay. “A bunch of inventive Kiwis and an Aussie have developed this fuel in just over a year”, he comments. “This is a huge opportunity for New Zealand and a great credit to the team of people who saw the potential in this technology from day one.” Bio-diesel based on algae could eventually become a sustainable, low cost, cleaner-burning fuel alternative for New Zealand, powering family cars, trucks, buses and boats. It can also be used for other purposes such as heating or distributed electricity generation. There is now a global demand for billions of litres of biodiesel per year. Algae are also readily available and produced…

Questions 14–18

Reading Passage contains seven paragraphs A-G. Which paragraph stales the following information? Write the appropriate letter A-G, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.

14.It is unnecessary to modify vehicles driven by bio-diesel.

Section 3

Reading Passage 3

Book review on Musicophilia

PreviewOpen passage →

Norman M. Weinberger reviews the latest work of Oliver Sacks on music. Music and the brain are both endlessly fascinating subjects, and as a neuroscientist specialising in auditory learning and memory, I find them especially intriguing. So I had high expectations of Musicophilia, the latest offering from neurologist and prolific author Oliver Sacks. And I confess to feeling a little guilty reporting that my reactions to the book are mixed. Sacks himself is the best part of Musicophilia. He richly documents his own life in the book and reveals highly personal experiences. The photograph of him on the cover of the book-which shows him wearing headphones, eyes closed, clearly enchanted as he listens to Alfred Brendel perform Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata-makes a positive impression that is borne out by the contents of the book. Sacks’ voice throughout is steady and erudite but never pontifical. He is neither self-conscious nor self-promoting. The preface gives a good idea of what the book will deliver. In it, Sacks explains that he wants to convey the insights gleaned from the “enormous and rapidly growing body of work on the neural underpinnings of musical perception and imagery, and the complex and often bizarre disorders to which these are prone.” He also stresses the importance of “the simple art of observation” and “the richness of the human context.” He wants to combine “observation and description with the latest in technology,” he says, and to imaginatively enter into the experience of his patients and subjects. The reader can see that Sacks, who has been practicing…

Questions 27–30

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write your answers in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.

27.Why does the writer have a mixed feeling about the book?

Check your work

Answers & explanations

Every answer is available. The first 3 explanations are free; PrepGo Premium unlocks the rest.

40 answers3 explanations open

1
misidentified
The answer should be an Adjective or a Verb to follow the adverb "persistently". From the text, it clearly indicates that both fear and surprise were two expressions that were constantly (or persistently, or always) misidentified (or mistaken).
2
emotions
The answer should be a Noun to follow the adjective "certain". From the text, it clearly indicates that some facial expressions correspond to (or have relation, or have something to do with) particular (or certain) emotions.
3
cultural background
The answer should be a Noun to follow the phrase "despite of". Note that "regardless of" equals "despite of", "impossible" equals "cannot". The text suggests that certain facial expressions cannot be covere, regardless (despite) of cultural background.
4
isolated
Premium explanation
5
exposed
Premium explanation
6
C
Premium explanation
7
A
Premium explanation
8
D
Premium explanation
9
H
Premium explanation
10
D
Premium explanation
11
B
Premium explanation
12
B
Premium explanation
13
D
Premium explanation
14
D
Premium explanation
15
E
Premium explanation
16
C
Premium explanation
17
G
Premium explanation
18
F
Premium explanation
19
fuel
Premium explanation
20
power
Premium explanation
21
waste streams
Premium explanation
22
contaminant
Premium explanation
23
harvesting
Premium explanation
24
Government B5
Premium explanation
25
increase capacity
Premium explanation
26
photosynthesis
Premium explanation
27
B
Premium explanation
28
C
Premium explanation
29
A
Premium explanation
30
A
Premium explanation
31
YES
Premium explanation
32
NOT GIVEN
Premium explanation
33
NO
Premium explanation
34
NOT GIVEN
Premium explanation
35
YES
Premium explanation
36
NO
Premium explanation
37
F
Premium explanation
38
B
Premium explanation
39
A
Premium explanation
40
D
Premium explanation

Understand why, not only what.

Unlock 37 more step-by-step explanations for this test.

Ready to see your result?

Answer every preview question to get instant feedback.