IELTS general reading practice test online Computer based
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| IELTS general reading practice test online Computer based |
Reading passage 1
Read the descriptions below and answer questions 1-6.
Free wireless connection in great outdoor locations
With summer fading, the more time spent outdoors the better…and work doesn’t have to keep you from enjoying the day! From entire downtown stores to tiny cafes, many locations now offer free, wireless internet connection. Here’s a guide to hotspots here where you can connect up, email friends or get some work done while enjoying a coffee, a drink or meal outdoors.
A. Fairview Park
Make a park bench in your office, and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature in the middle of the city. Pack a picnic and soak up the sun. As an extra attraction, lunchtime concerts run between noon and 2pm every Tuesday and Thursday.
B. Dragon’s tail
Shake off jet lag while munching on homemade chicken fingers and sipping one of the 14 special drinks. Only four blocks from the airport, the patio, restaurant and lounge are all wired.
C. Southport landing
Pull your boat right up to this neighbourhood favourite on the river. Great seafood reasonably priced. Only 5 minutes from downtown, this is the place for a long lunch. With wireless access on the 100 seat patio, you’ll get a spot even on the sunniest days.
D. One World Cafe and Language Centre
Get online at Gazebo while deciding which ethnic dish to try. Wood oven pizzas are a speciality. Take and English or Spanish lessons for dessert while sipping on fair trade coffee.
E. Harvest Moon
Farm fresh organic salads and homemade soup are as delightful as the street-side tables. Like the internet, this cafe never closes, freeing you up to set your own business hours. Don’t forget the organic pastries and fair trade espresso for dessert. Check out the poetry special events nights.IELTS general reading practice test online
Using LP Gas Safely Around the Home
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LP Gas) – also known as bottled gas – is widely used in the home for cooking, room and water heating. It may also be used on a range of leisure appliances such as camping equipment, barbecues and caravans.
LP Gas is propane gas, stored in cylinders under pressure as liquid and then used as a gas when connected to domestic and portable appliances. It is not the same as Automotive LP Gas ( known as Autogas) which is used in specially converted cars. Autogas is a mixture of propane and butane and therefore must not be used in domestic or portable outdoor appliances.
LP Gas is clean burning, heavier than air and non-toxic. In its natural state LP Gas is odourless. So that gas leaks can be detected, a chemical is added which gives it a very distinctive smell.
Domestic and portable LP Gas appliances are designed only for use with propane gas.
LP Gas is not the same as natural gas – gas which is piped to your house by a gas company. LP Gas must never be used in natural gas appliances and vice-versa. Operating an appliance on the wrong type of gas can be hazardous. LP gas contains much more energy than natural gas and as such presents a fire risk if connected the wrong appliance.
Identification dates on LP Gas( propane) appliances have red writing on silver. Natural gas appliances have black writing on silver. Always check the id plate to make sure the appliance uses LP Gas.
If You Smell Gas Indoors
You should never use a naked flame to try and find a gas leak.
It may not be a gas leak – people sometimes accidentally leave gas cooker burners turned on and unlit and this may be the cause of gas smell. Also, check that any heaters have been properly lit. Turn the burner off and wait until you can no longer smell the gas before trying to use a gas appliance.
Open doors and windows. Don’t operate power or light switches, don’t turn electrical appliances on or off, and don’t use your telephone, as they might spark and create a fire. In particular, don’t use a fan to provide ventilation.
If burners haven’t been accidentally been left on, leave the premises and turn the gas supply off at the cylinder. If safe to do so, switch off the power at the fuse box so that electrical appliances can’t operate and generate a spark.
Call a licensed gas fitter from a neighbour’s telephone or use a cell phone outside – it may be unsafe to use your home phone. Don’t go back into the house until the gas is turned off at the cylinder and the smell of the gas is cleared.
Reading Passage 2
Read the film career information below and answer questions 15-21 which follow:
Have You Considered A Career in Film?
If you ask everyone who works in the film industry how they got there you will find probably as many stories as there are people. There are literally hundreds of different jobs in the film industry, each one requiring a unique combination of specialist skills. You have only to watch the credits at the end of the film to get an idea of how many different types of jobs there are. The film industry is divided into three key sections: development, production and post production. The development stage involves writing, packaging and financing film ideas and scripts. The production stage is where the majority of the people are employed. This is the process of setting up and shooting each scene in a film. In the post production phase, all the shots are assembled, treated and mixed into the final product.
Professional film makers work long hours, sometimes under enormous pressure. Some people in the motion picture industry belong to labour unions, but many others are freelance. Jobs are seldom permanent but begin and end in each production. While movies can be made anywhere, most people in the film business will find they must live close to one of the production centres for the industry.
There is tremendous competition in the film production industry but there is also great shared camaraderie. The nature of the work in some ways sets movie people apart from people who work “nine to five” jobs. Demand for people in the film making industry is expected to rise faster than average over the next decade; however men and women seeking the available jobs in this exciting industry will always exceed the amount of work available.
Film schools are vocational training institutions specializing in courses related to motion pictures. The specific curriculum varies rather widely from school to school but in general, in film school teaches the fundamentals of movie-making; the dynamics of storytelling production and editing. Not only do you study these things in a classroom, but you learn by actually doing them. Making your own movies and helping others making theirs will also reveal your own strengths and weaknesses and will help you discover whether this career is what you really want to have, and if so, what professional path to take.
Most film schools have a 1-year program that is broken into 3 or 4 sections. If you are interested in a specialised 8 week workshop you should expect to pay around $4000. A one year total immersion program can cost as much as $30,000, not counting supplies and equipment charges. There are even some film schools that charge by the unit ( usually around $1000). Since most film schools are private institutions they are not eligible for government grants and loans. There are scholarships available for the most deserving students. Nearly all film schools provide a diploma to competing students and some even issue BA degrees.
If you are serious about becoming a practitioner, aim for a hands-on course rather than theory. Computer editing and animation offer exciting creative opportunities in areas that they have expanded rapidly in recent years. Do your homework when selecting a school, visit the facilities, see what is on offer and talk to students there. They will give you the best insight to the school.
Studio Ten Film School
Application for Admission
Minimum grade 12 to 19 years of age. Copy of high school diploma and/or Birth certificate required.
- Most recent copy of transcript of marks from High School, college or university.
- Detailed resume outlining work history and education. Include volunteer work if available.
- Headshots. Supply two small paragraphs, 2.5 cm x 3 cm approximately, colour or black & white. One will be kept on file and the other used to prepare a student identification card.
- Two references from past employers or instructors. References will be checked. Please supply names and phone numbers. Reference letters are not required, simply the names and phone numbers.
- Type written personal statements of goals and objectives. The personal statement should outline the applicant’s background, any acting or film experience aspirations, level of determination and long term career goals. Preference will be given to those who are highly motivated with a clear sense of direction.
- Audition tape. One minute minimum, rehearsed monologue to be submitted on ½” VHS tape. Applicants introduce themselves, state the full name of the program they are applying for, the start date of the program, and then begin a monologue. Applicant to choose their own material for the monologue.
- Film critique. Applicant to view film and submit typewritten critique from a technical standpoint . Contact Director for Admissions for film list.
- Advanced level of English for English as a second language student. Minimum IELTS 6, TOEIC 700 score or TOEFL 500 score required. Supply the most recent copy of IELTS, TOEIC or TOEFL score equivalent, if available.
- Interview(s) with the director of Educational programs. To be arranged once all prerequisites have been submitted. Because of the demands of the program, the applicant’s maturity, self motivation and commitment will be considered. Telephone interviews will be arranged for out of town applicants.
For more information about how to register and complete the process, please contact our admission Office
Reading Passage 3
Questions 29-41
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow
Seadragon Search
In appearance, they are unmistakably dragons, but in other ways these delicate creatures of the sea bear little resemblance to their fierce, mythical namesake. They are only 45 cm long, fragile, harmless and vulnerable. Belonging to the same family as seahorses, seadragons come in two different species: ‘weedy’ (resembling blades of brown seaweed) and the more showy and more endangered ‘leafy’ (looking like aquatic leaves). They are found only in coastal southern Australian waters and because they resemble swaying seaweed can be difficult to find in their natural habitat.
Though well camouflaged, their brilliant colours are visible in sun-dappled waters. Both species inhabit rocky reefs, seaweed beds and seagrass meadows colonised by seaweed. They are most often seen in shallow coastal waters. Camouflage is their only protection. Otherwise, sea dragons are poorly equipped for fleeing from pursuers. Their outer skin is composed of solid bony plates, which limit mobility. The only way they can propel themselves along is through rapidly oscillating their ventral and dorsal fins. Like seahorses they possess an internal air bladder, used for vertical motion. With little effort, they can rise or settle to another depth simply by changing the air volume within the bladder. Because they blend easily with the background, sea dragons are agile enough to hunt down tiny shrimps, their main quarry.
Perhaps, the most extraordinary thing about sea dragons is that it is actually the male of the species which carries the young. During mating, the female lays 100-250 eggs onto the underside of the male’s tail, where they are attached and fertilized. After a period of about four to six weeks from conception the male gives birth to miniature juvenile versions of itself. As soon as a baby sea dragon leaves the safety of its father’s tail, it is independent and receives no further help from its parents.
There is increasing concern about the future of these vulnerable and fragile creatures. Both sea dragons and their close relatives, sea horses, are threatened globally by habitat destruction. The inshore areas of seagrass they inhabit are threatened by pollution and excessive fertiliser runoff. Each year, an estimated 20 million seahorses ( but not sea dragons) are taken for traditional Asian medicines. The international trade in seahorses involves more than 30 countries and is growing. Fortunately, sea dragons are currently not used for the medicine trade; however they have been targeted by the aquarium fish trade. Unscrupulous ‘collectors’ have denuded the more accessible sea grass areas of this amazing creature.
Keeping live sea dragons is extremely difficult and collectors often target males with eggs, hatching out and selling the young. Removing breeding animals from the wild populations may have an impact on local populations of sea dragons. To date, no successful closed cycle captive breeding program has occurred. There has not yet been a generation of captive sea dragons which has bred. Economically and environmentally it makes sense to limit collection and export of this species until more is known about them. Because sea dragons require live food and an exact water temperature, most die quickly in captivity. It is illegal to take or export them without a permit. Concerned by the rapidly decreasing numbers of the sea dragon, the department of fisheries declared it a totally protected species in 1991.
It is for these reasons that Dragon search has been initiated. The community based monitoring programs involve nearly 20 organizations around Australia. The project encourages members of the community to provide information on sea dragon sightings. Recreational divers and snorkelers are invited to record sightings of sea dragons in their dive logs and to transfer relevant information to Dragon search sighting sheets. Likewise, anyone who visits the beach and spots either live sea dragons in water or their remains washed up on shore may also participate. The information submitted is entered into a confidential database and is used to encourage the protection of these wonderful creatures and to promote the establishment of marine reserves. It is hoped that increased awareness and involvement of local communities will help prevent poaching of sea dragons and encourage the protection of both species and their habitat.
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