READING - Choice Route

IELTS 5 Practice Tests, Academic Set 5 TEST 24 READING

93

READING

READING PASSAGE 1

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

below.

The Taipan

Paragraph A

Taipans have the unenviable reputation of being Australia’s most deadly snakes. There are three types

of taipan: the inland taipan, the coastal taipan and the central ranges taipan. The longest venomous

snake in Australia, the coastal taipan reaches an average length of 2.5 metres, with a maximum length of

3.35 metres. The head of a coastal taipan is large, rectangular-shaped and distinct from its narrow neck.

The eye is a reddish colour. Adult coastal taipans have a uniformly light or dark-brown colouration

above with a creamy-yellow belly that usually has reddish or pink spots towards the front. The inland

taipan is olive-coloured in the summer and dark brown in winter, with dark, smooth scales arranged in

diagonal rows. The colour change is an adaptation that allows it to absorb more heat in winter and less

heat in summer. The central ranges taipan is the third type of taipan, but it was only discovered in 2007.

Dr Mark Hutchinson, reptile and amphibian curator at the South Australian Museum, caught an

immature female taipan while it was crossing a dirt track. He said the reptile was about one metre long,

but, because it was one of the most venomous snakes in the world, he did not inspect the creature on

site. It was not until two weeks later that the snake was studied and the new species was confirmed. It is

similar in size and colouring to the western brown snake, with which it is often confused. The different

taipans have not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; however, they

are considered as ‘Near Threatened’ or ‘Rare’ in Queensland. They are protected by law and a special

permit is required to capture them, as well as a separate special license to own them.

Paragraph B

Although all three types of taipan are extremely venomous, they do not kill many people. For example,

in spite of the toxicity of its venom, there has been no single fatality recorded from the bite of an inland

taipan. On average, only one bite is recorded per year and sometimes none at all. This is because inland

taipans live far away from people and are usually only active in the early morning. Also, inland taipans

are shy snakes and when encountered by humans, they flee and hide rather than fight. The coastal

taipan is more of a naturally hostile snake, although if disturbed, it will generally retreat. Humans are

rarely bitten but, if a taipan is cornered or attacked, it will viciously defend itself, striking repeatedly with

speed and accuracy. Coastal taipans are found around human habitations, so they are commonly

encountered by people in sheds, farm buildings and waste heaps.

Paragraph C

The taipan is particularly dangerous to humans, because it is a mammal specialist, feeding almost

exclusively on mammals, which is quite uncommon. As a result of this specialism, the taipan’s venom

has evolved to be extremely lethal for all mammals, including humans. The snake’s venom is so potent

because it combines two types of toxic components that start affecting the human body very soon

TEST 24 READING IELTS 5 Practice Tests, Academic Set 5

Page 194

after entering the person’s system. The poison has a conglomerate of neurotoxins and haemotoxins,

which attack the body on multiple levels. Neurotoxins affect a person’s ability to control his or her

body. Within an hour of being bitten, a person will start experiencing symptoms such as slurred

speech, seizures, difficulty breathing or an inability to control his or her limbs. Haemotoxins affect the

blood’s ability to clot, leading to internal bleeding and organ damage.

Paragraph D

Like other snakes, the taipan is an ambush predator that silently stalks its prey and then strikes when

the time is right. Unlike other venomous snakes, though, the taipan doesn’t just deliver a single bite

and then wait for the animal to die from the venom. Rather, the inland taipan delivers up to eight bites

in a single strike, and then holds its prey. Now this may seem dangerous, since prey usually fight back,

but not for the inland taipan. The venom is so potent that the prey has no chance to put up a fight and

the inland taipan swallows it whole without a fuss. Although the different taipans are all fearsome

predators, they do have predators of their own. Newly-hatched and immature taipans have a number

of natural enemies, including various birds of prey and goannas. Adult taipans are eaten by the king

brown snake, which is immune to its venom, and the perentie, the fourth largest living lizard which can

grow over 8 feet long. Humans still routinely kill coastal taipans on sight, as they are the ones who can

live near human habitations.

Paragraph E

Taipans are among the oviparous snakes, which means they lays egg, usually in burrows abandoned by

mammals or in deep, wide cracks in the soil. They can lay as many as 20 eggs or as few as 11, the

average being 16. They can produce two clutches of eggs in a year, especially if there is a lot of food.

The eggs hatch after 9 to 11 weeks and the newly hatched snakes are around 18 inches long. They do

not receive any parental care, but already possess a deadly dose of venom with which to hunt and

defend themselves. Taipans hatched in captivity grow incredibly fast, and can reach over a metre in

their first year. Growth rates for taipans not in captivity are not known; however, the lack of small

specimens in museum collections may suggest that the species grows rapidly under natural conditions

as well.

Glossary

Goanna A large Australian monitor lizard.


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Questions 1 – 5

The text on the previous pages has 5 paragraphs A - E.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number (i – viii) in boxes 1 – 5 on your answer sheet.

1 Paragraph A

2 Paragraph B

3 Paragraph C

4 Paragraph D

5 Paragraph E

i Specially Adapted

ii Government Protection for All Species

iii A New Addition to a Familiar Pairing

iv Eating and Being Eaten

v Flee not Fight, but not Always

vi Habitat Degradation For the Coastal Taipan

vii Propagation and Proliferation

viii Genetic Diversification Protected by Zoo Programs


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Questions 6 – 9

Look at the information regarding different taipans (questions 6 - 9) and match them to the

appropriate taipan (A - D).

Write your answers in boxes 6 - 9 on your answer sheet.

Information Regarding Different Taipans

6 This snake adapts its colour according to the seasons.

7 It is illegal to kill this snake.

8 This snake is more aggressive.

9 This snake is often mistakenly identified as a different snake.

Questions 10 – 13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?

In boxes 10 – 13 on your answer sheet 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

10 The central ranges taipan was immediately identified as a new species on discovery.

11 The taipan’s highly toxic venom does not protect it from being eaten by other snakes.

12 Ancestors of taipans can be found on the relatively nearby Malay archipelago.

13 Wild taipans are known to grow rapidly after birth.

Taipans

A The Coastal Taipan

B The Inland Taipan

C The Central Ranges Taipan

D All Three Taipan Species


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READING PASSAGE 2

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

Threats to the Polar Bear

Polar bears are classified as marine mammals because they spend most of their lives on the sea ice of

the Arctic Ocean. They have a thick layer of body fat and a water-repellent coat that protects them

from the cold air and water. Considered talented swimmers, they can sustain a pace of six miles per

hour by paddling with their front paws and holding their hind legs flat to act like a rudder.

Iconic symbols of the Arctic, polar bears are distributed across the five Arctic coastal countries of

Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, and the United States. The worldwide population is

currently estimated to be between 22,000 and 25,000 bears. Scientists have divided the total polar

bear population into 19 units or subpopulations. Of those, the latest data from the IUCN Polar Bear

Specialist Group show that three subpopulations are in decline and that there is a high estimated risk

of future decline due to climate change.

Polar bears live throughout the ice-covered waters of the circumpolar Arctic, particularly in near shore

annual ice over the continental shelf, where productivity is highest. The most significant threat facing

the long-term survival of polar bears is the loss of this habitat due to climate change. Projected

reductions in the extent and thickness of sea ice in the polar bear’s range will have direct and indirect

effects on polar bears, with habitat loss and degradation and reduced prey availability respectively. The

latter is reduced, because polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt and store energy for the summer and

autumn, when food can be scarce. The bears need sea ice for hunting, as they cannot outswim seals,

their preferred prey. They get around this by waiting near holes in the ice and employing ambush to

kill the seals as they come up for air. Polar bears spend over 50 per cent of their time hunting for food,

yet they might catch only one or two out of ten seals they hunt, depending on the time of year and

other variables. Their diet mainly consists of ringed and bearded seals, because they need large

quantities of fat to stay alive.

In the short term, climatic warming may improve bear and seal habitats in higher latitudes over

continental shelves if currently thick multiyear ice is replaced by annual ice with more leads, making it

more suitable for seals. However, a cascade of impacts from reduced sea ice will take place. Firstly,

reduced fat stores will lead to lowered reproductive rates, because females will have less fat to invest

in cubs during the winter fast. Secondly, non-pregnant bears may have to fast on land or offshore on

the remaining multiyear ice through progressively longer periods of open water while they await

freeze-up and a return to hunting seals. Thirdly, as sea ice thins and becomes more fractured and

easily changed, it is likely to move more in response to currents, so that polar bears will need to walk

or swim more and thus use greater amounts of calories to maintain contact with the remaining

preferred habitats. Fourthly, as the bears spend longer periods without food, their health declines. For

example, for every week earlier the ice breaks up in Hudson Bay, bears come ashore roughly 10

kilograms lighter and in poorer condition. Unhealthy bears can lead to even fewer cubs being born

into these threatening circumstances.


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Another threat to polar bears is the oil and gas business, which is increasingly moving into the Arctic

as more accessible reserves in the south dry up. This is a danger, as contact with oil spills can reduce

the insulation of the bears’ fur. In addition, polar bears can also ingest oil through grooming and

through eating contaminated prey. The ingested oil can cause liver and kidney damage, and has long-

term toxicity; bears can be poisoned by even a limited amount of oil on their fur. Offshore operations

pose the greatest risk, since spills will be discharged directly into the sea or on the sea ice. Polar bear

populations are expected to come under increased pressure if oil developments in the Arctic go ahead

according to industry plans. Other pollution also threatens polar bears. Because of their role as the

apex predator, polar bears are exposed to high levels of pollutants through their food. The popular

image of polar bears living in a pure, frozen wilderness is misleading, as the Arctic food chain contains

high levels of some toxic chemicals. Bears with high levels of some persistent organic pollutants have

low levels of vitamin A, thyroid hormones, and some antibodies. These are important for a wide range

of biological functions, such as growth, reproduction, and the ability to fight off diseases. In some

areas, the mother bears’ milk contains particularly high concentrations of these chemicals and so the

milk can actually poison the cubs, leading to even lower survival rates.

It is the loss of habitat, however, that really threatens polar bears. The effects of climate change are

likely to show large geographic, temporal and even individual differences and be highly variable,

making it difficult to develop adequate monitoring and research programs. All bears show behavioural

plasticity, but given the rapid pace of ecological change in the Arctic, the long generation time, and

the highly specialised nature of polar bears, it is unlikely that polar bears will survive as a species if the

sea ice disappears completely, as has been predicted by some scientists.


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Questions 14 – 19

Complete the table below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.


Polar Bears

General Information Marine mammals of the Arctic.

Fat and hair protect them from the cold.

They swim well using legs as paddles and a (14) ____________.

19 subpopulations found in the 6 countries around the Arctic

and all are threatened.

(15) ____________ is best close to coastlines, so that’s where polar

bear are mostly found.

Threats Climate change causing habitat loss.

Less sea ice for finding their preferred food – (16) ____________ is

employed to catch seals.

Hunting is often unsuccessful, but seals are vital to obtain the

amount of fat needed for survival.

Climate change could temporarily help polar bears find prey,

but not in the long term.

Effects of Loss of Sea Ice Less fat means fewer cubs, due to reduced reproductive rates.

Bears will need to spend longer without food, because

(17) ____________ will be there for more of the year.

Sea ice will be moved away by (18) ____________, as it will break

more easily – bears will use up more energy to stay where they

want to.

Bears’ (19) ____________ worsens with less food; even fewer cubs

are born.


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Questions 20 – 25

Complete the summary below.



Question 26

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in box 26 on your answer sheet.

26 What is the writer’s purpose in Reading Passage 2?

A To explore the possible solutions to the dangers facing polar bears.

B To outline the different dangers to polar bears.

C To assign blame for the dangers facing polar bears.

D To describe the different habits of today’s polar bears.

Oil and Gas and Other Pollution

Due to the expansion of the oil and gas industry, oil has got into the polar bears’

habitat. Oil in fur can prevent effective (20) __________ and oil can be absorbed by

(21) __________ and feeding, causing organ damage. Oil is most likely to originate

from (22) __________ from offshore oil work. Industry plans foresee continued oil and

gas expansion. Polar bears are their environment’s top (23) __________ and so are

affected by pollution in their food, which can affect a variety of (24) __________. This

can particularly affect mother bears’ milk, leading to worse (25) __________.


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READING PASSAGE 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27 - 40, which are based on Reading Passage 3

below.

Nuclear Power

One of the most significant advantages of nuclear power is that compared to coal, gas, and other

electricity-generating plants, nuclear is the lowest by far in greenhouse gas release. Carbon dioxide

and similar gases, known for depleting the Earth’s atmosphere, have notoriously been an issue in the

climate change debate. Due to this fact, nuclear energy has once again been looked at for power

production and nuclear energy produces 62 percent of all emission-free electricity in the United States.

In nuclear reactors that utilise large cooling towers, it’s a common misconception that pollution is

massively dumped into the air. The large clouds people see leaving the smoke stacks are nothing more

than steam.

Another appealing reason for using nuclear energy is its excellent fuel to power ratio. It has the

capacity to meet all needs with just one reactor, let alone multiple, and a relatively small amount of

uranium can be used to fuel a 1000-megawatt electric plant providing enough electricity to power a

city of about half a million people. Renewable sources, such as solar and wind, provide only enough

power to meet residential needs. They don’t yet have the capacity of nuclear to handle large-scale

power needs, especially in the manufacturing world.

Although the initial costs to build nuclear plants are high, nuclear power produces very inexpensive

electricity once up and running. Electricity generated by nuclear reactors is cheaper than gas, coal, or

any other fossil fuel plants. Also, uranium is a fairly cheap fuel source, and just a little of it is needed to

produce massive power. When you combine all that with a lifecycle of 40 to 60 years, the low

operating costs far outweigh the high upfront costs to build.

Nuclear power also improves the state of the economy and local communities are, more often than

not, pro-nuclear due to the amount of jobs a new plant brings. On average, a new nuclear plant

creates 400 to 700 permanent jobs, not to mention thousands of others during its construction. This is

comparable to just 90 jobs for a coal plant, and 50 jobs for a natural gas plant. The main reason local

communities are so happy over nuclear plants is that each facility generates close to $500 million

annually in sales of goods and services. More workers at plants means more people who need lunches

and more people with money to spend.

Quite possibly the most important benefit of nuclear energy is that it doesn’t rely on fossil fuels and

this means it’s not affected by the unpredictability of oil and gas costs. It also means that we won’t be

depleting the Earth’s supply of resources nearly as quickly, as nuclear power requires much less fuel to

produce a higher amount of energy. With the current supply of uranium, it is estimated that the world

has at least another 80 years before supply becomes an issue, but there are also other forms of

uranium that can be used if needed, extending that timeline even further. This is plenty of time to find

alternative sources (such as nuclear fusion, the holy grail of energy), if need be. Nuclear energy,


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however, is not powered by a renewable fuel source. Uranium is in limited (although currently

abundant) supply, whereas typical renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, are in infinite

supply. Uranium has to be mined, synthesised, then activated to produce energy, and it’s expensive to

go through this process.

Nuclear energy has a number of positive aspects, making it appealing to more and more countries

worldwide; however, like all energy sources, it has its downsides. Many people are scared of nuclear

power due to the few, although very significant, accidents that have taken place over the years. And

while nuclear energy operates with little pollution to the environment, it certainly isn’t without its

environmental impacts.

Possibly the biggest concern among nuclear energy advocates is the environmental impact of uranium

as a fuel source. A typical nuclear power plant generates about 20 metric tons of used nuclear fuel per

year. The problem is that this spent fuel is highly radioactive and it’s not a fuel source you can take to

a landfill and leave without worry. It has to be carefully handled and stored, which costs a lot of

money, and it requires a significant amount of specially designed storage space. Spent nuclear fuel

takes hundreds of years to decompose before it reaches adequate levels of safety. For this reason

alone, it becomes an issue that other energy sources simply don’t have to deal with.

As well as spent fuel, there is also a significant amount of low-level nuclear waste to dispose of. Low-

level waste can include radioactively contaminated protective clothing, tools, filters, rags, medical

tubes, and many other items. Storage sites for this are always underground in a reinforced concrete

vault and covered with large amounts of topsoil, and immediately encircling the facility is a layer of

impermeable backfill. The waste is stored in canisters until the radioactivity has decayed away and can

be disposed of as ordinary trash.

Expense can also be a major deterrent for countries looking to build new nuclear plants. The

construction of a new plant can take anywhere from 5 to 10 years to build, costing billions of dollars.

Much of that and more is recouped throughout the lifetime of the plant, but it is clear how some

nations might be reluctant to pursue nuclear energy. Decommissioning expenses are also significant.

Although nuclear energy always provokes emotional debate, there is no denying that it remains as a

viable option to solving Earth’s increasing energy needs over the next hundred years.


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Questions 27 – 34

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.


27 Nuclear power offers better results in terms of _________________ when compared

with traditional power generation.

28 It is only _________________ that comes out of the large chimneys of nuclear power stations.

29 Nuclear power stations have an extremely advantageous _________________ of uranium to

energy production.

30 Current renewable energy can only satisfy _________________ requirements.

31 After the length of _________________ is taken into account, the construction costs of

nuclear power stations are not so significant.

32 Nuclear power stations provide more _________________ than traditional power plants.

33 Different types of uranium can lengthen the _________________ of uranium availability as a

fuel.

34 _________________ is regarded as being the best non-renewable way of solving the world’s

future energy needs.


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Questions 35 – 37

Label the diagram below.



Storage Facility for Low-level Nuclear Waste

Questions 38 – 40

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.


The Disadvantages of Nuclear Power

Whereas renewable resources have an (38) _____________, uranium is not a renewable fuel

source.

The processing of uranium is expensive.

Most objections to nuclear power relate to the (39) _____________ of its fuel – its

radioactivity means that used uranium takes a long time to be safe.

The costs of building the power stations and the costs of (40) _____________ them are high.

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