True False Not Given IELTS Reading Example 1

Questions:
1. We can decide what to dream
2. Not all day dreams come true.
3. Day dreaming helps in formation of new ideas.
4. Day dreams may become dreams.
5. Issac Newton said that imagination is more important than knowledge

True False Not Given IELTS Reading Example 2

Questions:
 The Thames Tunnel was the first tunnel ever built under a river.
 The Thames Tunnel was the Eighth Wonder of the World.
 The tunnel was used more by the middle and upper classes.
 People were able to travel by sea or land in those days.
 The aim of the tunnel was to turn a profit as a tourist attraction.

The Pyramid of Giza

The most famous pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Giza which is actually only one of over a
hundred
surviving pyramids. There is a long-standing question about how the pyramids were built
given the
lack of technology over 4,000 years ago but scientists are piecing together the puzzle. The
blocks
which make up the pyramids were hewn from quarries and then transported to the pyramids
for
construction.
This was an incredible feat considering the distance that the raw materials had to travel and
their
enormous weight. The transportation of the materials was either by river using a boat or by
land using
a wooden sledge. Given the softness of the ground, the wheel would have been of little use
had it been
invented at that time. It is believed that the sand in front of the sledge was wet with water in
order to
facilitate the movement of the sledge and reduce friction. These sledges were pulled
manually or
sometimes by using beasts of burden depending on the ease at which the sledges could
move over the
ground. Interestingly, two thousand years after the pyramid building era of the Ancient
Egyptians, the
Romans moved stones using similar techniques at Baalbek. Once the blocks arrived at the
pyramid
construction site, it is thought they were moved into place using a ramp and pulley
system.The Old
Kingdom period in Ancient Egyptian history is also known as the pyramid building era. The
Ancient
Egyptians achieved the most remarkable feats of building work which have still not been
surpassed,
particularly given the primitive technology used to build them. There is nothing remotely
mystical or
magical about how the pyramids were built as is commonly thought. Further still, while
popular belief
is that the Great Pyramid was built using slave labour, this theory has since been debunked.
The first

byilding made in a pyramid shape is thought to be the Stepped Pyramid which consists of six
steps
placed on top of each other in a pyramid shape to create the world's first superstructure. The
credit to
finally achieving a smooth-sided pyramid goes to Imhotep, an architect commissioned by
King
Sneferu. The pyramids were not an instant achievement, but the achievement of trial and
error.

Cells vary in size, but with few exceptions, individual cells are too small to be seen with the
naked eye.
For instance, a typical human red blood cell is about eight millionths of a metre or eight
micrometres
(abbreviated as μm) in diameter; the head of a pin is about two thousandths of a metre
(millimetres, or
mm) in diameter. This means that approximately 250 red blood cells could fit on the head of
a pin.
Given their size, scientists use microscopes, instruments that magnify objects, to study cells.
Had it
not been for the invention of the microscope, scientists would potentially still be unaware of
the
existence of cells and believe that life spontaneously arises from non-living things.

Modern-day microscopes can be divided into a few main categories. Most of the ones used
by
students are classified as light microscopes. With these, visible light both passes through
and is bent
by the lens system to enable the user to see the specimen. Due to the fact that they use two
sets of
lenses to magnify the image, light microscopes produce an inverted image. That is, a
specimen that is
right side up and facing right on the microscope slide will appear upside down and facing left
when
viewed through a microscope, and vice versa. Similarly, if the slide is moved left while
looking through
the microscope, it will appear to move right, and if moved down, it will seem to move up.
Light
microscopes commonly used in undergraduate laboratories magnify specimens up to
approximately
400 times, but specimens can be magnified up to 1,000 times when oil immersion is used.
This makes
it possible to study smaller cells, such as most prokaryotic cells. Light microscopes are
advantageous

for viewing living organisms, but since individual cells are generally transparent, their
components are
not distinguishable unless they are coloured with stains. This process, however, usually kills
the cells.
A second type of microscope used in laboratories is the dissecting microscope. These
microscopes are
often used to study surfaces because they have a lower magnification (20 to 80 times the
object size)
than light microscopes. Like light microscopes, most modern dissecting microscopes are
binocular,
meaning that they use dual lens systems – one for each eye – creating a three-dimensional
view of the
specimen. Dissecting microscopes also have optics that correct the image so that it appears
as if being
seen by the naked eye and not as an inverted image. The light illuminating a sample under a
dissecting
microscope typically comes from above the sample, but may also be directed from below.
In contrast to light microscopes, electron microscopes use a beam of electrons instead of a
beam of
light as a source of illumination. Not only does this allow for higher magnification and, thus,
more
detail, it also provides higher resolving power. The method to prepare the specimen for
viewing with
an electron microscope kills the specimen. Electrons have short wavelengths (shorter than
photons)
that move best in a vacuum, so it is not possible to view living cells with an electron
microscope. The
cost of electron microscopes makes them quite an investment, and they are considerably
bulkier than
light microscopes.

The microscopes we use today are far more complex than those used in the 1600s by
Antony van
Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch shopkeeper who had great skill in crafting lenses. Despite the
limitations of his
now-ancient lenses, van Leeuwenhoek observed the movements of protists (a type of single-
celled
organism) and sperm, which he collectively termed animalcules. In a 1665 publication called
Micrographia, experimental scientist Robert Hooke coined the term cell – derived from the
Latin cella,
meaning small room – for the box-like structures he observed when viewing cork tissue
through a
lens. In the 1670s, van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria and protozoa. Later advances in
lenses and
microscope construction enabled other scientists to see different components inside cells.
By the late
1830s, botanist Matthias Schleiden and zoologist Theodor Schwann were studying tissues
and
proposed the unified cell theory, which states that all living things are composed of one or
more cells,
that the cell is the basic unit of life, and that all new cells arise from existing cells. These
principles still
stand today.

Questions:
1. The controversy over the method used in the construction of the pyramids has been solved by scie
2. It is possible that Ancient Egyptians could have lubricated paths to aid transportation by sledge.
3. Sledges were dragged by animals not humans.
4. The Romans learned the techniques of moving huge stones from the Ancient Egyptians.
5. The building work of the Ancient Egyptians is unrivalled.

True False Not Given IELTS Reading Example 3

A Secret Well Kept Reading Passage

Political leaders in the days before the internet and 24-hour cable news were not subjected
to the
intense media scrutiny that their modern counterparts face. It was possible to rise to power
and stay
in office despite having skeletons in the closet that would now see one disgraced in a
scandal. One of
the best examples of keeping damaging secrets from the public was Canadian Prime
Minister, Lyon
Mackenzie King, (almost always referred to as Mackenzie King).

Mackenzie King was born in 1874 with the proverbial silver spoon. He accumulated five
university
degrees, including a PhD from Harvard in economics, a subject he went on to teach at that
institute.
In addition to being a professor and an economist, King was a lawyer and a journalist. He
was also a civil
servant and was appointed as Canada's first Minister of Labour. He was elected to
Parliament as a
Liberal and would go on to become Canada’s, and the Commonwealth's longest-serving
prime
minister, serving for nearly 22 years.

Mackenzie King cut his political teeth as a labour negotiator. He was successful in part
because he
mastered the art of conciliation. Conciliation, along with half measures, would become his
trademark.
"Do nothing by halves that can be done by quarters,” one detractor wrote of him. And so,
King sought
the middle ground in order to keep the country’s many factions together. He would go out of
his way
to avoid debate and was fond of saying "Parliament will decide," when pressed for an
answer. He was
pudgy, plodding, wooden and cold, and his speeches were slumber-inducing. Unloved, but
practical
and astute, he has been called Canada's greatest prime minister. He created old age
pensions,
unemployment insurance, and family allowance, and he left the country in much better
shape than
when he inherited it.
Mackenzie King died in 1950, thus passing into the mildly-interesting annals of Canadian
history.
Then, during the seventies, his diaries (all 30,000 pages of them) were published, and
millions of
Canadian jaws dropped. It turns out that King, that monotonous embodiment of Presbyterian
morals,
was a dedicated occultist who communicated with the dead, including his mother (who he
revered),
former President Roosevelt, Leonardo da Vinci, and his dogs. And he did this almost every
evening for
the last 25 years of his life.
King used a Ouija board and owned a crystal ball. He read tea leaves. He employed
mediums and
consulted a psychic. He visited palmists. He was a numerologist, always sensitive to what
the numbers
7 and 17 were attempting to reveal to him. He thought that when he looked at the clock and
found
both hands in alignment, someone from the other side must have been watching over him.
King was
careful not to reveal any of his "psychical research" to the public, his departed mother having
warned
him that people wouldn't understand.

Questions 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
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 in the passage

1. Mackenzie King came from a privileged background.

2. He taught economics at Harvard University.
3. Mackenzie King was known for his stubbornness and extreme political views.
4. Mackenzie was not liked by his people and did nothing for their welfare.
5. His diaries were published when he was in his seventies.

True False Not Given IELTS Reading Example 4

The Hottest Month

According to the Met Office, the UK had its warmest July day ever on July 1, when
temperatures hit
36.7 C near London. There were record heat waves in many countries including Spain, while
the
African continent had the second-warmest July on record.
While the impact of increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a key driver of
rising
temperatures, another important factor is El Nino. This natural phenomenon, which appears
as a large
swathe of warm water in the Pacific every few years, is known to push up global
temperatures. In
recent days there have been reports that this year's El Nino will be particularly intense. As a
result,
many experts believe that 2015 will be the warmest year on record by some margin.

The seas have also been soaking up a large amount of heat, the NOAA said, with record
warming in
large expanses of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Peter Stott, head of climate monitoring and
attribution at the UK Met Office, said:"A strong El Nino is underway in the tropical Pacific and
this,

combined with the long-term global warming trend, means there is the potential to see some
very
warm months throughout this year - as the new figures for July appear to show.

Questions 1–5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write
● TRUE ifthe statement agrees with the information
● FALSE ifthe statement contradicts the information
● NOT GIVEN ifthere is no information on this in the passage

1. Africa had the warmest July day ever on July 1.

2. The temperature is rising due to the increased level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
3. 2015 might be the hottest year in history.
4. Record warming was recorded in various seas, such as Black and Azov Sea.
5. The year 2015 might very well consist of a number of very warm months.
True False Not Given IELTS Reading Example 5

The Pyramid of Giza

The most famous pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Giza which is actually only one of over a
hundred
surviving pyramids. There is a long-standing question about how the pyramids were built
given the
lack of technology over 4,000 years ago but scientists are piecing together the puzzle. The
blocks
which make up the pyramids were hewn from quarries and then transported to the pyramids
for
construction.
This was an incredible feat considering the distance that the raw materials had to travel and
their
enormous weight. The transportation of the materials was either by river using a boat or by
land using
a wooden sledge. Given the softness of the ground, the wheel would have been of little use
had it been
invented at that time. It is believed that the sand in front of the sledge was wet with water in
order to
facilitate the movement of the sledge and reduce friction. These sledges were pulled
manually or
sometimes by using beasts of burden depending on the ease at which the sledges could
move over the
ground. Interestingly, two thousand years after the pyramid building era of the Ancient
Egyptians, the
Romans moved stones using similar techniques at Baalbek. Once the blocks arrived at the
pyramid
construction site, it is thought they were moved into place using a ramp and pulley
system.The Old
Kingdom period in Ancient Egyptian history is also known as the pyramid building era. The
Ancient
Egyptians achieved the most remarkable feats of building work which have still not been
surpassed,
particularly given the primitive technology used to build them. There is nothing remotely
mystical or
magical about how the pyramids were built as is commonly thought. Further still, while
popular belief
is that the Great Pyramid was built using slave labour, this theory has since been debunked.
The first

byilding made in a pyramid shape is thought to be the Stepped Pyramid which consists of six
steps
placed on top of each other in a pyramid shape to create the world's first superstructure. The
credit to
finally achieving a smooth-sided pyramid goes to Imhotep, an architect commissioned by
King
Sneferu. The pyramids were not an instant achievement, but the achievement of trial and
error.

Cells vary in size, but with few exceptions, individual cells are too small to be seen with the
naked eye.
For instance, a typical human red blood cell is about eight millionths of a metre or eight
micrometres
(abbreviated as μm) in diameter; the head of a pin is about two thousandths of a metre
(millimetres, or
mm) in diameter. This means that approximately 250 red blood cells could fit on the head of
a pin.
Given their size, scientists use microscopes, instruments that magnify objects, to study cells.
Had it
not been for the invention of the microscope, scientists would potentially still be unaware of
the
existence of cells and believe that life spontaneously arises from non-living things.

Modern-day microscopes can be divided into a few main categories. Most of the ones used
by
students are classified as light microscopes. With these, visible light both passes through
and is bent
by the lens system to enable the user to see the specimen. Due to the fact that they use two
sets of
lenses to magnify the image, light microscopes produce an inverted image. That is, a
specimen that is
right side up and facing right on the microscope slide will appear upside down and facing left
when
viewed through a microscope, and vice versa. Similarly, if the slide is moved left while
looking through
the microscope, it will appear to move right, and if moved down, it will seem to move up.
Light
microscopes commonly used in undergraduate laboratories magnify specimens up to
approximately
400 times, but specimens can be magnified up to 1,000 times when oil immersion is used.
This makes
it possible to study smaller cells, such as most prokaryotic cells. Light microscopes are
advantageous

for viewing living organisms, but since individual cells are generally transparent, their
components are
not distinguishable unless they are coloured with stains. This process, however, usually kills
the cells.
A second type of microscope used in laboratories is the dissecting microscope. These
microscopes are
often used to study surfaces because they have a lower magnification (20 to 80 times the
object size)
than light microscopes. Like light microscopes, most modern dissecting microscopes are
binocular,
meaning that they use dual lens systems – one for each eye – creating a three-dimensional
view of the
specimen. Dissecting microscopes also have optics that correct the image so that it appears
as if being
seen by the naked eye and not as an inverted image. The light illuminating a sample under a
dissecting
microscope typically comes from above the sample, but may also be directed from below.
In contrast to light microscopes, electron microscopes use a beam of electrons instead of a
beam of
light as a source of illumination. Not only does this allow for higher magnification and, thus,
more
detail, it also provides higher resolving power. The method to prepare the specimen for
viewing with
an electron microscope kills the specimen. Electrons have short wavelengths (shorter than
photons)
that move best in a vacuum, so it is not possible to view living cells with an electron
microscope. The
cost of electron microscopes makes them quite an investment, and they are considerably
bulkier than
light microscopes.

The microscopes we use today are far more complex than those used in the 1600s by
Antony van
Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch shopkeeper who had great skill in crafting lenses. Despite the
limitations of his
now-ancient lenses, van Leeuwenhoek observed the movements of protists (a type of single-
celled
organism) and sperm, which he collectively termed animalcules. In a 1665 publication called
Micrographia, experimental scientist Robert Hooke coined the term cell – derived from the
Latin cella,
meaning small room – for the box-like structures he observed when viewing cork tissue
through a
lens. In the 1670s, van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria and protozoa. Later advances in
lenses and

microscope construction enabled other scientists to see different components inside cells.
By the late
1830s, botanist Matthias Schleiden and zoologist Theodor Schwann were studying tissues
and
proposed the unified cell theory, which states that all living things are composed of one or
more cells,
that the cell is the basic unit of life, and that all new cells arise from existing cells. These
principles still
stand today.
Questions 1 – 5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write
● TRUE ifthe statement agrees with the information
● FALSE ifthe statement contradicts the information
● NOT GIVEN ifthere is no information on this in the passage