Cambridge IELTS 19 Reading Test 4

Part 1 Questions

Questions 1-6

Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information given in the text, choose FALSE if the statement contradicts the information, or choose NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.

1. Forty years ago, there were fewer butterflies in Britain than at present.

2. Caterpillars are eaten by a number of different predators.

3. ‘Phenology’ is a term used to describe a creature’s ability to alter the location of a lifecycle event.

4. Some species of butterfly have a reduced lifespan due to spring temperature increases.

5. There is a clear reason for the adaptations that butterflies are making to climate change.

6. The data used in the study was taken from the work of amateur butterfly watchers.

Questions 7-13

Complete the notes.
Write ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.

Butterflies in the UK

The Small Blue

• lives in large 7.

• first appears at the start of 8.

• completes more than one reproductive cycle per year

The High Brown Fritillary

• has one reproductive cycle

• is considered to be more 9.  than other species

its caterpillars occupy a limited range of 10.

The Silver-studded Blue

• is already able to reproduce twice a year in warm areas of 11.

The White Admiral

• is found in 12. areas of England

• both climate change and the 13. of the caterpillar are possible reasons for decline

Part 2 Questions

Questions 14-17

Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Choose the correct letter.

A B C D E F
14. reference to the rapidly increasing need for one raw material in the transport industry
15. a rough estimate of the area of the Earth covered by the oceans
16. how a particular underwater habitat, where minerals and organisms co-exist, is formed
17. reference to the fact that the countries of the world have yet to agree on rules for the exploration of the seabed
Questions 18-23

Look at the following statements and the list of people below.
Match each statement with the correct person or people, A-E.

Choose the correct letter, A-E.
NB You may use any letter more than once.

List of People
A Professor Mat Upton
B Julie Hunter, Julian Aguon and Pradeep Singh
C Dr Jon Copley
D Mike Johnston
E Verena Tunnicliffe

A B C D E
18. A move away from the exploration of heavily mined reserves on land is a good idea.
19. The negative effects of undersea exploration on local areas and their inhabitants are being ignored.
20. There are more worthwhile things to extract from the sea than minerals.
21. No other form of human exploration will have such a destructive impact on marine life as deep-sea mining.
22. More is known about outer space than about what lies beneath the oceans.
23. There is one marine life habitat where experts agree mining should not take place.
Questions 24-26

Complete the summary.
Write ONE WORD ONLY from the text in each gap.

Mining the sea floor

Mining corporations believe that the mineral resources lying under the sea may be superior to those found in the earth. They also say that these can be removed without producing much 24..

The extraction is often done by adapting the 25. that has already been used to work on land. The method of excavation involves removing the seawater from the slurry that is brought up to ships and returning it to the seabed. However, concerned groups strongly believe that 26. is necessary due to the possible number of unidentified consequences.

Part 3 Questions

Questions 27-30

Choose the correct letter.

27. What is the writer doing in the first paragraph?

28. What point is made about Richard Dawkins’ book The Selfish Gene?

29. What does the writer suggest about the prehistoric era in the fourth paragraph?

30. The writer refers to Bruce Knauft’s work as support for the idea that

Questions 31-35

Complete the summary.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.

Contemporary hunter-gatherer societies

Bruce Knauft’s research shows that contemporary hunter-gatherer societies tend to exhibit a high level of 31. in all areas of life. In these cultures, distributing resources fairly among all members is a moral obligation. These societies also employ strategies to prevent differences in 32. occurring: for example, the !Kung follow a custom whereby the credit for one person’s success at 33. is given to another member of the group. Individuals who behave in a 34. manner are punished by being excluded from the group, and women have a considerable amount of 35. in choices regarding work and marriage.

Questions 36-40

Choose YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer, choose NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer, or choose NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

36. Some anthropologists are mistaken about the point when the number of societies such as the !Kung began to decline.

37. Humans who developed warlike traits in prehistory would have had an advantage over those who did not.

38. Being peaceful and cooperative is a natural way for people to behave.

39. Negative traits are more apparent in some modern cultures than in others.

40. Animal research has failed to reveal a link between changes in the environment and the emergence of aggressive tendencies.