IELTS Reading - Chau Thien Hiep - chiep@ctu.edu.

vn

CAMBRIDGE IELTS 19
PRACTICE TEST 3
READING PASSAGE 1

Archaeologists Discover Evidence of Prehistoric Island Settlers Commented [A1]: nhà khảo cổ
Commented [A2]: người định cư trên đảo
1. In early April 2019, Dr Ceri Shipton and his colleagues from Australian National
University became the first archaeologists to explore Obi, one of many tropical islands in
Indonesia’s Maluku Utara province. The research team’s discoveries suggest that the
prehistoric people who lived on Obi were adept on both land and sea, hunting in the Commented [A3]: /əˈdept/ = skillful

dense rainforest, foraging on the seashore, and possibly even voyaging between islands. Commented [A4]: dày đặc  density (n) = mật độ
Commented [A5]: to forage (for food) = đi tìm thức ăn
2. The excavations were part of a project to learn more about how people first dispersed Commented [A6]: to voyage /ˈvɔɪɪdʒ/ = to travel by sea or in
from mainland Asia, through the Indonesian archipelago and into the prehistoric space over a long distance
continent that once connected Australia and New Guinea. The team’s earlier research Commented [A7]: to excavate = khai quật
suggested that the northernmost islands in the group, known as the Wallacean islands, Commented [A8]: to disperse = phân tán
including Obi, would have offered the easiest migration route. It also seemed likely that Commented [A9]: quần đảo
these islands were crucial ‘stepping stones’ on humans’ island-hopping voyages through Commented [A10]: những bước đệm quan trọng
this region millennia ago. But to support this idea, they needed archaeological evidence Commented [A11]: những chuyến đi nhảy qua đảo khác
for humans living in this remote area in the ancient past. So, they travelled to Obi to
look for sites that might reveal evidence of early occupation. Commented [A12]: to occupy = chiếm đóng

3. Just inland from the village of Kelo on Obi’s northern coast, Shipton and his colleagues Commented [A13]: nội địa (sâu trong đất liền)

found two caves containing prehistoric rock shelters that were suitable for excavation. Commented [A14]: nơi trú ẩn
With the permission and help of the local people of Kelo, they dug a small test Commented [A15]: to dig – dug – dug = đào
excavation in each shelter. There they found numerous artefacts, including fragments of Commented [A16]: vật tạo tác (do con người làm ra)
axes, some dating to about 14,000 years ago. The earliest axes at Kelo were made using Commented [A17]: những mảnh rìu
clam shells. Axes made from clam shells from roughly the same time had also previously
been found elsewhere in this region, including on the nearby island of Gebe to the
northeast. As on Gebe, it is highly likely that Obi’s axes were used in the construction of
canoes, thus allowing these early peoples to maintain connections between Commented [A18]: các dân tộc
communities on neighbouring islands.

4. The oldest cultural layers from the Kelo site provided the team with the earliest record Commented [A19]: di tích; vật lưu lại
for human occupation on Obi, dating back around 18,000 years. At this time the climate
was drier and colder than today, and the island’s dense rainforests would likely have
been much less impenetrable than they are now. Sea levels were about 120 metres Commented [A20]: không thể xâm nhập
to penetrate = xâm nhập
lower, meaning Obi was a much larger island, encompassing what is today the separate
island of Bisa, as well as several other small islands nearby.

5. Roughly 11,700 years ago, as the most recent ice age ended, the climate became
significantly warmer and wetter, no doubt making Obi’s jungle much thicker. According Commented [A21]: rừng rậm
wood(s) – forest - jungle

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to the researchers, it is no coincidence that around this time the first axes crafted from Commented [A22]: sự trùng hợp

stone rather than sea shells appear, likely in response to their heavy-duty use for Commented [A23]: được làm thủ công
clearing and modification of the increasingly dense rainforest. While stone takes about Commented [A24]: việc phát quang và sự làm bớt đi
twice as long to grind into an axe compared to shell, the harder material keeps its sharp Commented [A25]: mài; nghiền
edge for longer. Commented [A26]: lưỡi sắc (bén) của nó

6. Judging by the bones which the researchers unearthed in the Kelo caves, people living Commented [A27]: khai quật
there mainly hunted the Rothschild’s cuscus, a possum-like creature that still lives on Commented [A28]: chồn có túi
Obi today. As the forest grew more dense, people probably used axes to clear patches Commented [A29]: một sinh vật giống thú có túi
of forest and make hunting easier. Shipton’s team’s excavation of the shelters at the Commented [A30]: những mảng rừng
Kelo site unearthed a volcanic glass substance called obsidian, which must have been Commented [A31]: chất thủy tinh núi lửa
brought over from another island, as there is no known source on Obi. It also revealed
particular types of beads, similar to those previously found on islands in southern Commented [A32]: hạt (làm chuỗi)
Wallacea. These finds again support the idea that Obi islanders routinely travelled to Commented [A33]: = findings; những phát hiện
other islands.

7. The excavations suggest people successfully lived in the two Kelo shelters for about
10,000 years. But then, about 8,000 years ago, both were abandoned. Did the residents Commented [A34]: bị bỏ hoang

leave Obi completely, or move elsewhere on the island? Perhaps the jungle had grown
so thick that axes were no longer a match for the dense undergrowth. Perhaps people Commented [A35]: bụi cây thấp; buội rậm
simply moved to the coast and turned to fishing rather than hunting as a means of
survival.

8. Whatever the reason for the departure, there is no evidence for use of the Kelo shelters Commented [A36]: Cho dù lý do ra đi là gì đi nữa,
after this time, until about 1,000 years ago, when they were re-occupied by people who
owned pottery as well as items made out of gold and silver. It seems likely, in view of Commented [A37]: đồ gốm

Obi’s location, that this final phase of occupation also saw the Kelo shelters used by Commented [A38]: = stage; giai đoạn; phân đoạn
people involved in the historic trade in spices between the Maluku islands and the rest Commented [A39]: to be involved in = tham gia
of the world.

Questions 1-7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-
7 on your answer sheet, write: TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.

1. Archaeological research had taken place on the island of Obi before the arrival of Ceri
Shipton and his colleagues. Commented [A40]: 1. FALSE
2. FALSE
2. At the Kelo sites, the researchers found the first clam shell axes ever to be discovered in 3. TRUE
4. NOT GIVEN
the region. 5. TRUE
6. NOT GIVEN
3. The size of Obi today is less than it was 18,000 years ago. 7. FALSE

4. A change in the climate around 11,700 years ago had a greater impact on Obi than on
the surrounding islands.

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5. The researchers believe there is a connection between warmer, wetter weather and a
change in the material used to make axes.
6. Shipton's team were surprised to find evidence of the Obi islanders’ hunting practices.
7. It is thought that the Kelo shelters were occupied continuously until about 1,000 years
ago.

Questions 8-13

Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Write
your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

Archaeological findings on Obi

Excavations of rock shelters inside 8 ______________ near the village of Kelo revealed: Commented [A41]: 8. caves

 axes from around 14,000 years ago, probably used to make canoes
 axes made out of 9 _______________ , dating from around 11,700 years ago Commented [A42]: 9. stone

 10 _______________ of an animal: evidence of what ancient islanders ate Commented [A43]: 10. bones

 evidence of travel between islands:

o obsidian: a material that is not found naturally on Obi
o 11 ______________ which resembled ones found on other islands. Commented [A44]: 11. beads

It is thought that from 8,000 years ago, Obi islanders:

 may have switched from hunting to fishing
 had 12 _______________ as well as items made out of metal Commented [A45]: 12. pottery

 probably took part in the production and sale of 13 _______________ Commented [A46]: 13. spices

READING PASSAGE 2

The global importance of wetlands

A. Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the
surface of the soil, for all or part of the year. These are complex ecosystems, rich in
unique plant and animal life. But according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWFN),
half of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since 1990 – converted or destroyed for
commercial development, drainage schemes and the extraction of minerals and peat.
Many of those that remain have been damaged by agricultural pesticides and fertilizers,
industrial pollutants, and construction works.

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B. Throughout history, humans have gathered around wetlands, and their fertile
ecosystems have played an important part in human development. Consequently, they
are of considerable religious, historical and archaeological value to many communities
around the world. ‘Wetlands directly support the livelihoods and well-being of millions
of people,’ says Dr Matthew McCartney, principal researcher and hydrologist at the
International Water Management Institute (IWMI). ‘In many developing countries, large
numbers of people are dependent on wetland agriculture for their livelihoods.’

C. They also serve a crucial environmental purpose. ‘Wetlands are one of the key tools in
mitigating climate change across the planet,’ says Pieter van Eijk, head of Climate
Adaptation at Wetlands International (WI), pointing to their use as buffers that protect
coastal areas from sea-level rise and extreme weather events such as hurricanes and
flooding. Wetland coastal forests provide food and water, as well as shelter from
storms, and WI and other agencies are working to restore those forests which have
been lost. ‘It can be as simple as planting a few trees per hectare to create shade and
substantially change a microclimate,’ he says. ‘Implementing climate change projects
isn’t so much about money.’

D. The world’s wetlands are, unfortunately, rich sources for in-demand commodities, such
as palm oil and pulpwood. Peatlands – wetlands with a waterlogged organic soil layer –
are particularly targeted. When peatlands are drained for cultivation, they become net
carbon emitters instead of active carbon stores, and, according to Marcel Silvius, head
of Climate-smart Land-use at WI, this practice causes six per cent of all global carbon
emissions. The clearance of peatlands for planting also increases the risk of forest fires,
which release huge amounts of CO₂. ‘We’re seeing huge peatland forests with extremely
high biodiversity value being lost for a few decades of oil palm revenues,’ says Silvius.

E. The damage starts when logging companies arrive to clear the trees. They dig ditches to
enter the peat swamps by boat and then float the logs out the same way. These are
then used to drain water out of the peatlands to allow for the planting of corn, oil palms
or pulpwood trees. Once the water has drained away, bacteria and fungi then break
down the carbon in the peat and turn it into CO₂ and methane. Meanwhile, the
remainder of the solid matter in the peat starts to move downwards, in a process known
as subsidence. Peat comprises 90 per cent water, so this is one of the most alarming
consequences of peatland clearances. ‘In the tropics, peat subsides at about four
centimetres a year, so within half a century, very large landscapes on Sumatra and
Borneo will become flooded as the peat drops below water level,’ says Silvius. ‘It’s a
huge catastrophe that’s in preparation. Some provinces will lose 40 per cent of their
landmass.’

F. And while these industries affect wetlands in ways that can easily be documented, Dr
Dave Tickner of the WWFN believes that more subtle impacts can be even more
devastating. ‘Sediment run-off and fertilizers can be pretty invisible,’ says Tickner. ‘Over-
extraction of water is equally invisible. You do get shock stories about rivers running red,
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or even catching fire, but there’s seldom one big impact that really hurts a wetland.’
Tickner does not blame anyone for deliberate damage, however. ‘I’ve worked on
wetland issues for 20 years and have never met anybody who wanted to damage a
wetland,’ he says. ‘It isn’t something that people generally set out to do. Quite often,
the effects simply come from people trying to make a living.’

G. Silvius also acknowledges the importance of income generation. ‘It’s not that we just
want to restore the biodiversity of wetlands – which we do – but we recognise there’s a
need to provide an income for local people.’ This approach is supported by IWMI. ‘The
idea is that people in a developing country will only protect wetlands if they value and
profit from them,’ says McCartney. ‘For sustainability, it’s essential that local people are
involved in wetland planning and decision making and have clear rights to use
wetlands.’

H. The fortunes of wetlands would be improved, Silvius suggests, if more governments

recognized their long-term value. ‘Different governments have different attitudes,’ he
says, and goes on to explain that some countries place a high priority on restoring
wetlands, while others still deny the issue. McCartney is cautiously optimistic, however.
‘Awareness of the importance of wetlands is growing,’ he says. ‘It’s true that wetland
degradation still continues at a rapid pace, but my impression is that things are slowly
changing.’

Questions 14-17

Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H. Which paragraph contains the following
information? Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

14. reference to the need to ensure that inhabitants of wetland regions continue to benefit
from them Commented [A47]: 14. G
15. A
15. the proportion of wetlands which have already been lost 16. H
17. B
16. reference to the idea that people are beginning to appreciate the value of wetlands
17. mention of the cultural significance of wetlands

Questions 18-22

Complete the sentences below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 18-22 on your answer sheet.

18. Peatlands which have been drained begin to release ____________ instead of storing it. Commented [A48]: 18. carbon

19. Once peatland areas have been cleared, ________________ are more likely to occur. Commented [A49]: 19. fires

20. Clearing peatland forests to make way for oil palm plantations destroys the
_______________ of the local environment. Commented [A50]: 20. biodiversity

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21. Water is drained out of peatlands through the ________________ which are created by Commented [A51]: 21. ditches

logging companies.
22. Draining peatlands leads to ________________ : a serious problem which can Commented [A52]: 22. subsidence

eventually result in coastal flooding and land loss.

Questions 23-26

Look at the following statements (Questions 23-26) and the list of experts below. Match each
statement with the correct expert, A-D. Write the correct letter, A-D, in boxes 23-26 on your
answer sheet.

List of Experts

A. Matthew McCartney
B. Pieter van Eijk
C. Marcel Silvius
D. Dave Tickner

23. Communities living in wetland regions must be included in discussions about the future
of these areas. Commented [A53]: 23. A
24. C
24. Official policies towards wetlands vary from one nation to the next. 25. D
26. B
25. People cause harm to wetlands without having any intention to do so.
26. Initiatives to reverse environmental damage need not be complex.

READING PASSAGE 3

Is the era of artificial speech translation upon us?

Once the stuff of science fiction, technology that enables people to talk using different
languages is now here. But how effective is it?

A. Noise, Alex Waibel tells me, is one of the major challenges that artificial speech
translation has to meet. A device may be able to recognize speech in a laboratory, or a
meeting room, but will struggle to cope with the kind of background noise I can hear in
my office surrounding Professor Waibel as he speaks to me from Kyoto station in Japan.
I’m struggling to follow him in English, on a scratchy line that reminds me we are nearly
10,000 kilometers apart—and that distance is still an obstacle to communication even if
you’re speaking the same language, as we are. We haven’t reached the future yet. If we
had, Waibel would have been able to speak more comfortably in his native German and
I would have been able to hear his words in English.

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B. At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, where he is a professor of computer science,

Waibel and his colleagues already give lectures in German that their students can follow
in English via an electronic translator. The system generates text that students can read
on their laptops or phones, so the process is somewhat similar to subtitling. It helps that
lecturers speak clearly, don’t have to compete with background chatter, and say much
the same thing each year.

C. The idea of artificial speech translation has been around for a long time. Douglas Adams’
science fiction novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, published in 1979, featured a
life form called the ‘Babel fish’ which, when placed in the ear, enabled a listener to
understand any language in the universe. It came to represent one of those devices that
technology enthusiasts dream of long before they become practically realizable, like TVs
flat enough to hang on walls: objects that we once could only dream of having but that
are now commonplace. Now devices that look like prototype Babel fish have started to
appear, riding a wave of advances in artificial translation and voice recognition.

D. At this stage, however, they seem to be regarded as eye-catching novelties rather than
steps towards what Waibel calls ‘making a language-transparent society.’ They tend to
be domestic devices or applications suitable for hotel check-ins, for example, providing a
practical alternative to speaking traveler’s English. The efficiency of the translator is less
important than the social function. However, ‘Professionals are less inclined to be
patient in a conversation,’ founder and CEO at Waverly Labs, Andrew Ochoa, observes.
To redress this, Waverly is now preparing a new model for professional applications,
which entails performance improvements in speech recognition, translation accuracy
and the time it takes to deliver the translated speech.

E. For a conversation, both speakers need to have devices called Pilots (translator
earpieces) in their ears. ‘We find that there’s a barrier with sharing one of the
earphones with a stranger,’ says Ochoa. That can’t have been totally unexpected. The
problem would be solved if earpiece translators became sufficiently prevalent that
strangers would be likely to already have their own in their ears. Whether that happens,
and how quickly, will probably depend not so much on the earpieces themselves, but on
the prevalence of voice-controlled devices and artificial translation in general.

F. Waibel highlights the significance of certain Asian nations, noting that voice translation
has really taken off in countries such as Japan with a range of systems. There is still a
long way to go, though. A translation system needs to be simultaneous, like the
translator’s voice speaking over the foreign politician being interviewed on the TV,
rather than in sections that oblige speakers to pause after every few remarks and wait
for the translation to be delivered. It needs to work offline, for situations where internet
access isn’t possible, and to address apprehensions about the amount of private speech
data accumulating in the cloud, having been sent to servers for processing.

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G. Systems not only need to cope with physical challenges such as noise, they will also
need to be socially aware by addressing people in the right way. Some cultural traditions
demand solemn respect for academic status, for example, and it is only polite to respect
this. Etiquette-sensitive artificial translators could relieve people of the need to know
these differing cultural norms. At the same time, they might help to preserve local
customs, slowing the spread of habits associated with international English, such as its
readiness to get on first-name terms.

H. Professors and other professionals will not outsource language awareness to software,
though. If the technology matures into seamless, ubiquitous artificial speech translation,
it will actually add value to language skills. Whether it will help people conduct their
family lives or relationships is open to question—though one noteworthy possibility is
that it could overcome the language barriers that often arise between generations after
migration, leaving children and their grandparents without a shared language.

I. Whatever uses it is put to, though, it will never be as good as the real thing. Even if
voice-morphing technology simulates the speaker’s voice, their lip movements won’t
match, and they will look like they are in a dubbed movie. The contrast will underline
the value of shared languages, and the value of learning them. Sharing a language can
promote a sense of belonging and community, as with the international scientists who
use English as a lingua franca, where their predecessors used Latin. Though the practical
need for a common language will diminish, the social value of sharing one will persist.
And software will never be a substitute for the subtle but vital understanding that
comes with knowledge of a language.

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

27. What does the reader learn about the conversation in the first paragraph?
A. The speakers are communicating in different languages.
B. Neither of the speakers is familiar with their environment.
C. The topic of the conversation is difficult for both speakers.
D. Aspects of the conversation are challenging for both speakers.

28. What assists the electronic translator during lectures at Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology?
A. the repeated content of lectures
B. the students’ reading skills
C. the languages used
D. the lecturers’ technical ability
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29. When referring to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the writer suggests that

A. the Babel fish was considered undesirable at the time.

B. this book was not seriously intending to predict the future.
C. artificial speech translation was not a surprising development.
D. some speech translation techniques are better than others.

30. What does the writer say about sharing earpieces?

A. It is something people will get used to doing.

B. The reluctance to do this is understandable.
C. The equipment will be unnecessary in the future.
D. It is something few people need to worry about.

Questions 31-34

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below. Write the correct letter, A-F, in
boxes 31-34 on your answer sheet.

31. Speech translation methods are developing fast in Japan Commented [A54]:
31. C
32. TV interviews that use translation voiceover methods are successful 32. E
33. F
33. Future translation systems should address people appropriately 34. B

34. Users may be able to maintain their local customs

Questions 35-40

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes
35-40 on your answer sheet, write: YES, NO or NOT GIVEN.

35. Language translation systems will be seen as very useful throughout the academic and
professional worlds. Commented [A55]: 35. NO
36. YES
36. The overall value of automated translation to family life is yet to be shown. 37. NO
38. NOT GIVEN
37. Automated translation could make life more difficult for immigrant families. 39. NOT GIVEN
40. YES
38. Visual aspects of language translation are being considered by scientists.
39. International scientists have found English easier to translate into other languages than
Latin.
40. As far as language is concerned, there is a difference between people’s social and
practical needs.

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IELTS READING TIPS

These IELTS Reading Tips can help you get the score you need in the exam.
1. Skim the reading first to get an understanding of what it is about. Look at the title of the reading, any
subheadings, and pictures. Then look at the questions as the type of question will influence the strategies
you use. However, people read in different ways and what works for one person may not work for
another. Do whatever works best for you.
2. Read the questions carefully. The instructions differ for each question, for example telling you how many
words you can use or whether you can take the words you will use directly from the text or not.
3. Take care with spelling and grammar. You’ll lose the mark if your spelling/grammar is wrong.
4. Move on if you don't know the answer. Don't spend too long on one question. You may not get the
chance to do later questions that you DO know the answer to.
5. Highlight key words in the text and such things as proper nouns (e.g. names of people, places, things).
Looking at the questions before you do the full reading will give you an idea of what kinds of things you
may need to scan/look for.
6. Beware of synonyms. The word in the text will likely be a synonym of the word you have underlined in
the question. So look out for synonyms to find the right place for the answer.
7. Guess the meaning from context. Make an educated guess. However, do this as quickly as you can. If you
don't know, keep moving on as the word may not be important anyway.
8. Understand main ideas. Practice identifying the main idea of a paragraph as this will help you in matching
headings to paragraphs. The main idea is often in the topic sentence; however, you may have to read the
whole paragraph to be sure of the central point.
9. Move down the text as you answer questions. The questions in each question set will nearly always
follow the order of the text. However, remember that this doesn't apply to certain types of question,
such as paragraph to heading matching in which the order is mixed up.
10. Learn the skills of skimming and scanning. These are methods of speed reading and you should practice
both. Skimming is when you run your eyes over the whole text from beginning to end to get an idea of
what it is about, whereas scanning is when you find one specific piece of information in a text.
11. Read some parts of the text in detail. When you identify where the answer is in the text, you may need to
read in detail to make sure you can work out the correct answer.
12. Start practice tests slowly until you get to know the questions, develop your skills and strategies and
have decided the best way for you to approach the test. Gradually increase your speed when you
practice. The lower your level, the longer this will take.
13. Spend 20 minutes on each reading. Unlike the listening test, you don't have 10 minutes to transfer your
answers at the end. So transfer your answers to the answer sheet in the 20 minutes too.
14. Practice with interesting texts. This will improve your vocabulary, reading speed, and other reading skills.

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