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IELTS Reading 1

The passage summarizes the key differences between dragonflies and damselflies: 1) Dragonflies hold their wings out to the sides when resting, while damselflies fold their wings back. 2) Dragonflies have very large eyes that touch, while damselflies have smaller eyes with a space between them. 3) Dragonflies are larger and stronger fliers that can be found farther from water, while damselflies are weaker fliers that stay close to water.

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376 views

IELTS Reading 1

The passage summarizes the key differences between dragonflies and damselflies: 1) Dragonflies hold their wings out to the sides when resting, while damselflies fold their wings back. 2) Dragonflies have very large eyes that touch, while damselflies have smaller eyes with a space between them. 3) Dragonflies are larger and stronger fliers that can be found farther from water, while damselflies are weaker fliers that stay close to water.

Uploaded by

amaral.joce
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reading Passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage
1 below.

Odonata
Odonata is the order of insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies. To
the human eye, their shining colors 1 and delicate-looking wings make them
beautiful creatures to behold. In the natural world, however, they are fearsome
predators. Dragonflies and damselflies get their name from the powerful serrated
jaws they use to tear apart their prey. The word odonata means "toothed jaw."
Dragonflies and damselflies are often confused with each other because they
are very similar. Close observation reveals the differences between them. The
most obvious difference is the way they hold their wings while at rest. Dragonflies
hold their wings out to the side while damselflies fold their wings back. Dragonflies
have very large eyes that seem to cover the entire face because they are so close
together that they touch each other. Damselflies' eyes are smaller, and there is a
space between them. Dragonflies are larger and stronger animals than damselflies
and fly longer distances. Thus, they can be found in woods and fields away from
the water. Damselflies are not such strong fliers and are most often seen around
the edges of ponds and streams since they do not normally fly far from the water.
The largest odonata living today are the Hawaiian endemic dragonfly and
the Central American damselfly, each of these species having a wingspan of
19 centimeters. The smallest is the libellulid dragonfly, native to east Asia, with
a wingspan of just 20 millimeters. Fossils have been discovered that prove that
dragonflies have been in existence for over 300 million years. The largest dragon­
fly fossil ever found belongs to the now-extinct meganeura monyi, which lived 300
million years ago and had a wingspan of75 centimeters. This giant was a fearsome
predator indeed, which feasted on small amphibians as well as on other insects.
Dragonflies and damselflies both lay their eggs on or just below the surface
of the water in a pond or stream. Some species lay their eggs on the stem of an
aquatic plant. The babies emerge from the eggs in the form of nymphs. They live
underwater, breathing through gills and preying upon water insects, tadpoles,
small fish, and even other nymphs. They hunt by hiding in the shadows at the
bottom of a pond or stream, waiting for prey animals to swim by. They have a spe­
cial lip that they can extend far forward in order to grab their prey when it comes
close. Depending on the species, they live this way for several months or even
several years. As the nymph grows, it sheds its skin several times. Finally, it leaves
the water and sheds its skin one last time. The adult emerges, ready to live the next
few weeks or months on land and in the air. The adults do not live for more than
four months, and many species live as adults for only a few weeks.

1 British: colours

24 IELTS PRACTICE EXAMS


The exceptional visual abilities and flying skills of dragonflies and damselflies
make them very adept hunters. Their special eyes give them a nearly 360-degree
field of vision, and they can detect even the smallest movement or flash of light
caused by other flying insects. They have two sets of wings that can move inde­
pendently of each other. This gives them great maneuverability 1 in the air, which
is important to these creatures because they catch their prey while flying. They
can hover, make sharp turns, and fly backward. Some species of dragonflies can
fly 60 kilometers an hour or more. Their prey consists of flying insects such as
mosquitoes, deerflies, smaller dragonflies, and butterflies and moths. One species
of dragonfly takes spiders out of their webs.
Bloodthirsty predators that they are, dragonflies and damselflies are prey for
other animals in their turn. The nymphs are eaten by fish, frogs, toads, and other
aquatic creatures. In the adult stage, they are hunted by birds, frogs, and larger
dragonflies and damselflies. They might also be caught in a spider's web. What
goes around comes around.

Questions 1-6
Which of the facts below are true of dragonflies, and which are true of damselflies, according
to the information in the passage? On lines 1-6 on your answer sheet, write:

A if it is a fact about dragonflies only


B if it is a fact about damselflies only
C if it is a fact about both dragonflies and damselflies

1 They have sawlike jaws.


2 They hold their wings on their backs while resting.
3 Their eyes have a gap between them.
4 They can be seen in fields at a distance from ponds and streams.

5 The largest species has a wingspan of 19 centimeters.


6 The largest fossil has a wingspan of 75 centimeters.

1 British: manoeuvrability

ACADEMIC MODULE-PRACTICE TEST 1 25


Questions 7-13
Complete the notes about the life cycle of odonata below. Choose your answers from the box
below and write the correct letter, A-K, on lines 7-13 on your answer sheet.

A in the air
B with their lips
C tadpoles
D fliers
E near the water's surface
F nymphs
G at the bottom of a pond
H months or years
I weeks or months
J swimmers
K with their wings

The eggs are laid 7 ................................ The young dragonflies and damselflies,
called 8 ............................... , live underwater for a few 9 ............................... .
They eat small water animals, catching their food 1 O ................................ When
they are almost fully grown, they leave the water. The adults live for only a few
11 ................................ They are skillful1 12 ............................... and catch their
prey 13 ............................... .

Reading Passage 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage
2 below.

History of Fire Fighting and Prevention


More than two thousand years ago, Roman emperor Augustus organized2
a group of watchmen whose job was mainly to look out for fires and sound an
alarm in the event of one. For many centuries that followed, fire equipment was
limited to buckets of water that got passed from person to person. The ax3 was
later found to be a useful tool both for removing fuel in large fires and for opening
holes to allow smoke and flames to escape from burning buildings. Watchmen
also learned to create firebreaks with long hooked poles and ropes in order to pull
down structures that provided fuel for a fire. In 1066, in order to reduce the risk of

1British: skilful
2British: organised
3British: axe

26 IELTS PRACTICE EXAMS

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