IELTS 5.

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Unit 5 – Reading 1 & 2

Lesson − Reading 1: Sentence completion
objectives − Reading 2: Pick from a list

I. READING 1 – SENTENCE COMPLETION

1. Work in pairs. You are going to read about a colourful species of bird. Before you read the whole
passage, look at the title and subheading of the passage. What do you expect the passage to contain?

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2. Read the passage quickly.

1. What is the bee-eater's habitat?
The bee-eater’s habitat includes farmland, river valleys, and areas with plenty of insects.
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2. How long do they live?

They live for five to six years
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3. Underline these words (1-7) in the passage, decide what type of word each one is, then match it with its
definition from the CLD (a-g).

Type of word Definition

1. diet noun f a. group of birds
2. prey ....................... g
........ b. home built by birds for their eggs
3. breed ....................... d
........ c. animal that kills and eats other animals
4. flock ....................... a
........ d. produce a young animal
5. migration ....................... e
........ e. journey from one place to another at the same time each year
6. predator ....................... ........
c f. the type of food that a person or animal usually eats
7. nest ....................... ........
b g. an animal that is hunted and killed by another animal

The life of the European bee-eater

A brilliant movement of colour as it catches its food in the air, the European bee-eater moves between three continents.
True to their name, bee-eaters eat bees (though their diet includes just about any flying insect). When the bird catches
a bee, it returns to its tree to get rid of the bee's poison, which it does very efficiently. It hits the insect's head on one
side of the branch, then rubs its body on the other. The rubbing makes its prey harmless.
European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) form families that breed in the spring and summer across an area that extends
from Spain to Kazakhstan. Farmland and river valleys provide huge numbers of insects. Flocks of bee-eaters Follow
tractors as they work fields. When the birds come upon a beehive, they eat well - a researcher once found a hundred
bees in the stomach of a bee-eater near a hive.
European bees pass the winter by sleeping in their hives, which cuts off the bee-eater's main source of food. So, in
late summer, bee-eaters begin a long, dangerous journey. Massive flocks from Spain, France and northern Italy cross
the Sahara desert to their wintering grounds in West Africa. Bee-eaters from Hungary and other parts of Central and

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Eastern Europe cross the Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Desert to winter in southern Africa. 'It's an extremely risky
stratagem, this migration,' says C. Hilary Fry, a British ornithologist who has studied European bee-eaters For more
than 45 years. 'At least 30 percent of the birds will be killed by predators before they make it back to Europe the
following spring.'
In April, they return to Europe. Birds build nests by digging tunnels in riverbanks. They work for up to 20 days. By
the end of the job, they've moved 15 to 26 pounds of soil - more than 80 times their weight.
The nesting season is a time when families help each other, and sons or uncles help feed their father's or brother's
chicks as soon as they come out of their eggs. The helpers benefit, too: parents with helpers can provide more food
For chicks to continue the family line.
It's a short, spectacular life. European bee-eaters live for five to six years. The difficulties of migration and avoiding
predators along the way affect every bird. Bee-eaters today also find it harder to find food, as there are fewer insects
around as a result of pesticides. Breeding sites are also disappearing, as rivers are turned into concrete-walled canals.
by Bruce Barcott, National Geographic magazine, 2008

4. Read Questions 1-8 below.

1. Underline the key ideas.
2. Decide what type of information you need for each gap.

Questions 1-8
1. Bee-eaters' prey are bees and other ………………
flying insects
poison
2. Bee-eaters need to remove the ……………… from bees before eating them.
3. There is plenty of food for bee-eaters on agricultural land and in ………………
river valleys
4. Bee-eaters migrate to spend the winter in different parts of ………………
southern Africa
5. Because of ……………… , almost one-third of bee-eaters do not survive migration.
predators
6. Bee-eaters make nests in ………………
riverbanks , which they build themselves.
7. When nesting, the ………………
chicks receive food from different family members.
8. One problem for bee-eaters is ………………
pesticides , which have reduced the amount of food available.

5. Now complete Questions 1-8 in Exercise 4. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage
for each answer.

Exam advice: Sentence completion

• Underline the key idea in each question.
• Decide what type of information you need to complete the sentence.
• Read the section of the passage which deals with the key idea and choose your answer.
• Read the completed sentence to make sure it is grammatically correct.

6. Work in small groups.

1. Are there any animals in your country which are in danger of disappearing?
Yes, there are animals in my country, such as pangolins and Saola, which are in danger of disappearing.
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2. Is this because their habitat or food is disappearing, or is there another cause?

This is because their habitat is being destroyed, food sources are disappearing, and illegal hunting is a significant
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factor.
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II. READING 2 – PICK FROM A LIST

1. Work in small groups. You are going to read about an unusual whale. Before you read, decide whether
these sentences are true (T) or false (F). If they are false, correct them.
1. Whales are fish. F (Whales are mammals.)
2. Whales are the largest living creatures. t
............
t
3. Many whales are predators. ............
4. Some whales are never seen because they live deep under the ocean. t
............
t
5. Some whales sing. ............
6. There are only ten species of whale. f
............
7. Some species of whale are endangered. t
............

2. Look at the title and subheading of the passage. What do you think it will be about?
The passage will likely discuss a record-breaking migration of a humpback whale, including its unusual journey and
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implications for research on whale behavior.
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3. Read the passage quickly. Which of these sentences is the best summary of it?
A. Researchers have quite a complete picture of whales’ behaviour.
B. Researchers have many things to learn about whales’ behaviour.

Humpback whale breaks migration record

A whale surprises researchers with her journey.
A lone humpback whale travelled more than 9,800 kilometres from breeding areas in Brazil to those in Madagascar,
setting a record for the longest mammal migration ever documented.
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are known to have some of the longest migration distances of all
mammals, and this huge journey is about 400 kilometres farther than the previous humpback record. The finding was
made by Peter Stevick, a biologist at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine.
The whale's journey was unusual not only for its length, but also because it travelled across almost 90 degrees of
longitude from west to east. Typically, humpbacks move in a north—south direction between cold feeding areas and
warm breeding grounds — and the longest journeys which have been recorded until now have been between breeding
and feeding sites.
The whale, a female, was first spotted off the coast of Brazil, where researchers photographed its tail fluke and took
skin samples for chromosome testing to determine the animal's sex. Two years later, a tourist on a whale-watching boat
snapped a photo of the humpback near Madagascar.
To match the two sightings, Stevick's team used an extensive international catalogue of photographs of the undersides
of tail flukes, which have distinctive markings. Researchers routinely compare the markings in each new photograph
to those in the archive.
The scientists then estimated the animal's shortest possible route: an arc skirting the southern tip of South Africa and
heading north-east towards Madagascar. The minimum distance is 9,800 kilometres, says Stevick, but this is likely to
be an underestimate, because the whale probably took a detour to feed on krill in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica
before reaching its destination.
Most humpback-whale researchers focus their efforts on the Northern Hemisphere because the Southern Ocean near
the Antarctic is a hostile environment and it is hard to get to, explains Rochelle Constantine, who studies the ecology
of humpback whales at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. But, for whales, oceans in the Southern Hemisphere
are wider and easier to travel across, says Constantine. Scientists will probably observe more long-distance migrations
in the Southern Hemisphere as satellite tracking becomes increasingly common, she adds.

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Daniel Palacios, an oceanographer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, says that the record-breaking journey could
indicate that migration patterns are shifting as populations begin to recover from near-extinction and the population
increases. But the reasons why the whale did not follow the usual migration routes remain a mystery. She could have
been exploring new habitats, or simply have lost her way. 'We generally think of humpback whales as very well studied,
but then they surprise us with things like this,' Palacios says. 'Undoubtedly there are a lot of things we still don't know
about whale migration.'
by Janelle Weaver, published online in Nature

4. Look at Questions 1-7 below. Underline the key ideas in the questions, but not the options.

Questions 1-7

1. What TWO aspects of the whale’s journey surprised researchers?

A. the destination D. the reason
B. the direction E. the season
C. the distance
2. The passage mentions reasons why whales generally migrate. What TWO reasons are given?
A. to avoid humans D. to keep warm
B. to be safe E. to produce young
C. to eat
3. What TWO methods did researchers use to record the identity of the whale near Brazil?
A. They analysed part of the whale's body.
B. They marked its tail.
C. They made notes of its behaviour.
D. They recorded the sounds it made.
E. They took a picture.
4. The passage mentions places the whale may have passed close to on its journey. Which TWO places may the
whale have passed
A. Antarctica D. New Zealand
B. Hawaii E. South Africa
C. Maine
5. The passage says that more research is done in the Northern Hemisphere. Which TWO reasons are given for
this?
A. It contains more whales.
B. It has friendlier surroundings.
C. There are more samples available.
D. It is easier to reach.
E. It contains smaller whales.
6. The passage suggests why the whale made a different journey from usual. Which TWO reasons does it
suggest?
A. She did not know where she was going.
B. She did not want to breed.
C. She wanted to escape a danger.
D. She was looking for a new place to live.
E. She was recovering from an illness.
7. Which TWO methods of finding out where whales migrate are mentioned in the passage?
A. attaching radio transmitters
B. comparing pictures taken in different place
C. following them in boats
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D. placing cameras in key positions
E. following their movements from space

5. Read the passage again to find where the key ideas are mentioned. Read those parts of the passage
carefully and choose TWO letters (A-E) for Questions 1-7.

Exam advice: Pick from a list

• Underline the key ideas in the questions to help you find the right place in the passage.
• Match ideas in the passage to the options.

III. READING 1 – SENTENCE COMPLETION – PRACTICE

1. Quickly read the passage on the right and answer these questions.
1. Where do honey badgers live?

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2. What do they look like?

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3. Why is 'honey badger' not a good name for this animal?

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2. Read Questions 1-8 below.

1. Underline the key words.
2. Decide what type of information you need for each gap.

Questions 1-8
aggressive and tough.
1. Although they are not big animals, honey badgers are fearless, ………………
humans
2. Honey badgers will attack ……………… if they need to protect themselves.
3. The pattern and colours on the honey badger's back make it ………………
instantly recognisable
4. The food they eat is meat-based and ………………
varied
5. ………………
small creaturesform the biggest part of a honey badger's diet.
6. Honey badgers find the creatures they eat by their ………………
sense of smell
7. ………………
special traps are often used to catch honey badgers which attack beehives.
relationship with another creature.
8. For one particular type of food, the honey badger has a ………………

The honey badger

It looks harmless and vulnerable. But the honey badger is afraid of nothing... and will attack and eat almost
anything
The honey badger (Melivora capensis), is an African and south-Asian mammal that has a reputation for being one of
the world's most fearless animals, despite its small size. And in spite of its gentle-sounding name, it is also one of its
most aggressive. Honey badgers have been known to attack lions, buffalo, and snakes three times their size. Even
humans are not safe from a honey badger if it thinks the human will attack or harm it. They are also extremely tough
creatures, and can recover quickly from injuries that would kill most other animals.
At first glance, honey badgers look like the common European badger. They are usually between 75cm and 1 metre
long, although males are about twice the size of females. They are instantly recognisable by grey and white stripes
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that extend from the top of the head to the tail. Closer inspection, which is probably not a wise thing to do, reveals
pointed teeth, and sharp front claws which can be four centimetres in length.
Honey badgers are meat-eating animals with an extremely varied diet. They mainly eat a range of small creatures like
beetles, lizards and birds, but will also catch larger reptiles like snakes and small crocodiles. Some mammals, such
as foxes, antelope and wild cats I also form part of their diet.
The badgers locate their prey mainly using their excellent sense of smell, and catch most of their prey through digging.
During a 24-hour period, they may dig as many as fifty holes, and travel more than 40 kilometres. They are also good
climbers, and can easily climb very tall trees to steal eggs from birds' nests, or catch other tree-dwelling creatures.
As their name suggests, honey badgers have always been associated with honey, although they do not actually eat it.
It is the highly nutritious bee eggs (called 'brood') that they prefer, and they will do anything to find it. They usually
cause a lot of damage to the hive in the process, and for this reason, humans are one of their main predators. Bee-
keepers will often set special traps for honey badgers, to protect their hives.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the honey badger is its working relationship with a bird called the greater
honeyguide (Indicator indicator). This bird deliberately guides the badger to beehives, then waits while the badger
breaks into the hive and extracts the brood. The two creatures, bird and mammal, then share the brood between them.

3. Now complete Questions 1-8. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each
answer.

IV. READING 2 – PICK FROM A LIST – PRACTICE

1. You are going to read more about the honey badger. Before you do this, look at the exam question in the
box and answer the questions 1-4.
1. Why did the wildlife experts visit the Kalahari desert? Choose two reasons.
A. To find where honey badgers live.
B. To observe how honey badgers behave.
C. To try to change the way honey badgers behave.
D. To temporarily catch some honey badgers.
E. To find out why honey badgers have such a bad reputation.
1. Underline the key words in the question.
2. Find the paragraph in the passage where the question is dealt with.
3. Now look at these five options for the question above. Look for the answers in the text. Delete three answers
which are NOT possible.
4. Which two options are you left with? ……………… and ………………

On the trail of the honey badger

Researchers learn more about this fearless African predator
On a recent field trip to the Kalahari Desert, a team of researchers learnt a lot more about honey badgers. They were
rewarded with a detailed insight into how these fascinating creatures live and hunt.
The team employed a local wildlife expert, Kitso Khama, to help them locate and follow the badgers across the desert.
Their main aim was to study the badgers' movements and behaviour as discreetly as possible, without frightening
them away or causing them to change their natural behaviour. They also planned to trap a few and study them close
up before releasing them. In view of the animal's reputation, this was something that even Khama was reluctant to
do.
'The problem with honey badgers is they are naturally curious animals, especially when they see something new,' he
says. 'That, combined with their unpredictable nature, can be a dangerous mixture. If they sense you have food, for
example, they won't be shy about coming right up to you for something to eat. They're actually quite sociable creatures

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around humans, but as soon as they feel they might be in danger, they can become extremely vicious. Fortunately this
is rare, but it does happen.'
The research confirmed many things that were already known. As expected, honey badgers ate any creatures they
could catch and kill. Even poisonous snakes, feared and avoided by most other animals, were not safe from them.
The researchers were surprised, however, by the animal's fondness for local melons, probably because of their high
water content. Previously researchers thought that the animal got all of its liquid requirements from its prey. The team
also learnt that, contrary to previous research findings, the badgers occasionally formed loose family groups. They
were also able to confirm certain results from previous research, including the fact that female badgers never
socialised with each other.
Following some of the male badgers was a challenge, since they can cover large distances in a short space of time.
Some hunting territories cover more than 500 square kilometres. Although they seem happy to share these territories
with other males, there are occasional fights over an important food source, and male badgers can be as aggressive
towards each other as they are towards other species.
As the badgers became accustomed to the presence of people, it gave the team the chance to get up close to them
without being the subject of the animals' curiosity - or their sudden aggression. The badgers' eating patterns, which
had been disrupted, returned to normal. It also allowed the team to observe more closely some of the other creatures
that form working associations with the honey badger, as these seemed to adopt the badgers' relaxed attitude when
near humans.

2. Read the rest of the passage and choose TWO letters, A-E, for Questions 2-5.

Questions 2-5

2. What two things does Kitso Khama say about honey badgers?
A. They show interest in things they are not familiar with.
B. It's hard to tell how they will behave.
C. They are always looking for food.
D. They do not enjoy human company.
E. It is common for them to attack people.
3. What two things did the team. find out about honey badgers?
A. There are some creatures they will not eat.
B. They were afraid of poisonous creatures.
C. They may get some of the water they need from fruit.
D. They do not always live alone.
E. Female badgers do not mix with male badgers.
4. According to the passage, which of these two features are typical of male badgers?
A. They don't run very quickly.
B. They hunt over a very large area.
C. They defend their territory from other badgers.
D. They sometimes fight each other.
E. They are more aggressive than females.
5. What two things happened when the honey badgers got used to humans being around them?
A. The badgers lost interest in people.
B. The badgers became less aggressive towards other creatures.
C. The badgers started eating more.
D. Other animals started working with the badgers.
E. Other animals near them became more relaxed.