Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 14
General Reading Test 14
General Reading Test 14
Reading Passage – 1
Read the text below and answer questions 1-8.
THE CULINARY BASICS
Cooking is, without a doubt, one of the most important skills a person can ever learn and share. Before chefs become chefs, they learn the basics of cooking. Here are some skills that help in cooking:
1 Hygiene and food safety is of utmost importance. The kitchen can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Follow safe food handling procedures to control spread of harmful bacteria to avoid food poisoning.
2 Make sure you do not have to go to the supermarket everyday. The best approach is to make a weekly plan and jot down the detailed shopping list.
3 Store spices in a cool, dark place, not above your cooking range. Humidity, light and heat will cause herbs and spices to lose their flavour.
4 Use good cooking oil. Smell and taste it. If it doesn’t taste good alone, it won’t taste good in your
5 An understanding of variety of sauces will take your cooking to the next level.
6 When you’re ready to cook, take a moment and go through your recipe. Though we want to experiment using different ingredients, add or skip something; for sure success, follow the recipe.
7 Sprinkle an appropriate amount of salt and seasoning so it doesn’t ruin the entire meal. Spices and herbs used for seasoning vary depending on the cuisine and dish being prepared.
8 When frying, the oil should be at correct temperature. If it’s too hot, the outside will get browned up too quickly before the inside gets cooked. If it’s not hot enough, the fried food will absorb too much oil before getting cooked.
9 Taste what you make before you serve it. Mostly people will follow a recipe but will not taste the dish to see if it needs more salt, pepper or spices.
10 Shoes off, music on, favourite beverage in hand-enjoy your time in the kitchen.
11 Have fun with cooking. Don’t be too hard on yourself—mistakes make some of the best recipes. food.
Questions 1-4:
Answer the following questions with appropriate information from the passage. Write
Yes – if the statement agrees with the views of the author
No – if the statement contradicts the views of the author
Not given if there is not enough information about the statement in the text
1. Use smelly cooking oil as it tastes good.
2. Follow the recipe; don’t experiment.
3. Overly hot oil will leave food burnt on the inside.
4. You can afford to make mistakes.
Questions 5–8:
Complete the sentences below. Use No More Than Two Words from the text for each answer:
5. Hygiene and food safety can prevent
6. Dampness in herbs can kill their
7. Excess seasoning can spoil the
8. Different dishes require different
Read the text below and answer questions 9–14.
THE TRYP CAYO COCO
The Tryp is situated on the beach at Cayo Coco, along Cuba’s north coast. It takes approx. 20 to 45
minutes to reach here from Cayo Coco airport. The Tryp Cayo Coco is an excellent combo of luxurious
accommodation and fabulous amenities. The hotel’s team ensures that there’s a plethora of entertain-
ment throughout the day for all age groups. Of course, you can chill out by the meandering pool or on
the beautiful white sandy beach getting sun drenched.
Facilities Available:
• Two outdoor swimming pools*
• Sun terrace with loungers
• Internet cafe
Regular daytime activities and evening entertainment
(“Only a section of the main pool is open for children)
Accommodation Available:
• Double room
• Double room with a sea view
• Single rooms
• Rooms for 3 adults; or 2 adults and 2 children
Facilities in Rooms:
• Air conditioning
• Satellite TV
• A balcony or terrace
Family adjacent rooms, for sole use
Other Facilities:
• Buffet breakfast
• Lunch and dinner
• snacks served 24 hours
Questions 9–14
Complete the sentences below. Use No More Than Two Words from the text for each answer.
9 The Tryp at Cayo Coco is located in……………………..
10 The Tryp Cayo Coco arranges for various types of……………………..for young and old alike.
11 The guests can take sunbath leisurely on the……………………..
12 Children can use only………………………of one of the outdoor pools.
13 No more than……………………..members of a family can share a room.
14 Round the clock service of …………………….. is available.
Reading Passage – 2
Read the text below and answer questions 15-20.
EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS
Employment tribunals in England, Scotland and Wales act as courts of law and have statutory jurisdiction to hear many kinds of disputes between employers and employees. The most common disputes heard are concerned with unfair dismissals. However, the tribunals also listen to cases regarding redundancy payments and discrimination. The tribunals are administered by the Tribunal Service, which in turn is regulated and supervised by the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council.
The tribunals were originally created as industrial tribunals set up by the Industrial Training Act of 1964. These tribunals were judicial bodies that consisted of a lawyer, acting as a chairman, an individual nominated by the employer and one other who represented the worker(s) generally on behalf of the Trade Union Congress. It was not until 1998 that the names of these tribunals were changed from Industrial to Employment, due to the Employment Rights Act of 1998. These tribunals continue to perform the same functions as they did as Industrial Tribunals.
According to the Employment Tribunal Service’s annual report for 2005-2006, over 115,000 cases were accepted for hearings. During this time period, 18% of all claims were successful at a full hearing. Rest of the cases were settled, withdrawn, unsuccessful or otherwise disposed of. On an average, the award given for unfair dismissal was £8679. For discrimination, the awards given varied from £5000 to £10,000, based on severity and type of discrimination experienced. During this time period, the median cost for a tribunal was over £1000 which was either awarded against claimants or against respondents; most of these against the respondents. In a total of 867 appeals, nearly 200 were with- drawn, 378 dismissed and 300 allowed to proceed.
Questions 15–20
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? 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
15 The Employment Tribunals could not hear cases pertaining to monetary claims between employ-
16 Cases of both gender and racial discrimination could be heard by the Employment Tribunals.
17 The Industrial Tribunals usually had three members.
18 For the year 2005–2006, more than 80% of the claims were rejected outright.
19 The costs of tribunal proceedings were generally awarded against the losing party-either the claimant or the respondent.
20 More than half the appeals never got a decision.
Read the text below and answer questions 21–27.
HOW TO START A COST EFFECTIVE RECYCLING TRADE
Recycling is always a profitable part of a business and it can also be a profitable business in itself. Besides, these days it is a great endeavour towards making a positive effect on the environment. How will you feel if you come to know that recycling is a pretty good money-making and rewarding career? Here are five basic steps if you wish to start a trade in recycling.
Materials to be recycled
Through market research, you would be able to know which recyclable materials are in high demand and are easily accessible in huge volumes. These can be cardboard, plastic, metal, textiles, paper, cans and bottles. These are the items which are labour intensive and do not fetch much revenue. Some materials like recyclable cell phones, computers and other items containing gold are also labour intensive and yield a significant amount of revenue. Recycling of household items for reusable purposes is also a very rewarding and profitable business.
Collection of waste materials
The most important fact here is a regular supply of huge volumes of waste materials for a long period of time. The nearness of the source of the material is also significant. You must calculate the costs of transportation in order to earn profits from this business.
Prospective buyers
You have to collect the data regarding your ‘to be buyers’ of reusable materials. You have to consider which buyer is going to consume how much of your material; as this data will determine your prospective buyers.
Finances required for your business
Since yours is an eco-friendly business, you can be aware of the special loans or grants being provided by the government. Your major costs will include space, staff, equipments and facilities.
Profit quotient in the business
Now you have to search for the people as well as the equipments which will help you to make this business a profitable one. Efficient and low cost equipments, and experienced and enthusiastic staff members will help in profitable earnings through this business.
Questions 21–27:
Complete the sentences below. Use No More Than Two Words from the text for each answer.
21 A new venture in the recycling business could well turn out to be a profitable business and a
22 A major factor that determines profitability in this business is high demand and of materials that are easily available.
23 Like high volume items, recycling of cell phones, computers and other electronic materials is also
24 Distance becomes an important factor in profitability because of
25 Statistical figures are of great help in determining expected quantum of consumption by
26 You are able to enjoy some of the subsidies provided by the government because this business is
27 The importance of committed staff and proper is extremely important for success in this business.
Reading Passage – 3
Read the text below and answer questions 28-40.
THE AD CULTURE
1 The growing world of ads has taken up the job of shaping our opinions. Ads have undoubtedly changed the routine scenario of every media, be it TV, Internet or print media. All have various ads on them vying for our attention. Competition among various ads is on to grab the consumer’s attention. However, the picture is not quite as rosy as it appears. A controversy is brewing regarding the authenticity of their claims about the quality of the products advertised and about the other features.
2 As a viewer or consumer we can say that the solitary benefit of these ads is that we do not have to pay for them. It is the advertiser who has to bear the expenses of advertisements. An illustration for this is the expenses an advertiser pays to the various channels to purchase the ad slots in between and within soap operas. (These advertisements bug us between our favourite programs.)
3 The anti-ad activists argue that through these ads the advertisers get too much power to influence the purchasing decision of the consumer. Their product can be of low quality but the deceptive ads defraud the consumer by portraying the same as of very high quality. Another red flag that the activists wave, is that these ads promote materialistic lifestyle in consumers. They allure them into an extravagant life style. The third disadvantage of ads, according to the anti-ad lobby, is that they are capable of controlling the consumer behaviour. They can change the mind of the consumers about a product. The influence sometimes is so profound that the consumer overlooks the quality of the product. Also, according to the aforementioned activists, more and more buying decisions are based on want rather than need.
4 The pivotal issue is: do the ads control our decisions regarding purchase of a product/service? Probably there are a few who become wholly influenced by the marketing rhetoric. But those who have a judgmental thinking assess the product by weighing the pros and cons. They are not struck by the claims made in ads.
5 One’s purchasing power is primarily based on one’s finances, so blaming ads alone would be irrational. Ads exist because they help companies in bringing lucrative gains by sale of products. More or less the ads are used to help reach the target markets at a low cost and with the desired message. Hence, it would be too demanding if we expect them to provide information; that is the truth, and nothing but the truth. Ads are there to make products look more desirable.
6 One school of thought is that banning the ads is the solution to this problem. When Internet usage increased, we wanted it to stay free from the world of advertisement, but today when years have passed and Internet has established itself as an inseparable part of modern life, people have devised new ways to advertise on it. Earlier, only banner ads were allowed. However, the dick through rates of banners had fallen from 10% to low decimals by 2008. The advertisement designers have found out new ways to catch the imagination of the consumers. Every site on Internet today has pop up ads and spyware. This hidden advertising is creating much hue and cry. It is infringing on the site owners’ rights.
7 The issue of pop up ads has snowballed into a big controversy because they are surely increasing on every site. The moment we search a site, innumerable pictures and texts flash on our screen. They disturb our concentration and in some cases overwrite the useful information. Internet user’s consent for viewing the pop up ads is taken for granted. Nobody has raised the question of seeking Internet user’s consent for viewing the pop up ads.
8 Spam is related to bandwidth and mail designed to lure the Internet user into entering into fraudulent activity or to watch ads disguised as spam mail. Spam occupies a lot of bandwidth, though in monetary terms, it does not cost much. A lot of spyware, too, is being fought against by the Internet users. It is indeed disturbing to know that someone is stealing viral information related to the user without the user’s knowledge. It is bugging to see people installing programs on one’s computer without one’s approval.
9 So, in general, the ad culture has no taboos connected to it. Yet mutual consent is important. Ad world. Which claims freedom of expression as its birth right, should adopt some measures for its self-regulation so that deceptive ads are not patronised. Otherwise the controversy between the prying ad world and the anti-ad activists will go on forever.
Questions 28–34:
Look at the following incomplete statements (28–34). Select the correct phrase (i–xi) listed in the box below to match each statement.
Note: There are more phrases than statements, so you will not need to use them all. You may use each phrase once only.
28 All ads invariably compete for……………………….
29 The claims about quality of the product are……………………..
30 The only advantage of advertisements for the consumer is that……………………..
31 Advertisements exercise a strong……………………..
32 The ad culture also……………………..
33 There is surely a difference between……………………..
34 Ads alone don’t govern……………………..
List of Phrases
i. they come free
ii. right and wrong decisions
iii. makes us materialistic in outlook
iv. sense of competition
v. the consumer’s attention
vi. want and need
vii. influence on the consumer’s choice
viii. glorify qualities of the product
ix. often inauthentic
X. the decision to purchase
xi. more visibility
Question 35-40:
Answer the following questions with appropriate information from the passage. Write
Yes – if the statement agrees with the views of the author
No – if the statement contradicts the views of the author
Not given – if there is not enough information about the statement in the text
35 Undesirable ads should be banned altogether.
36 Hidden advertising is a violation of consumers’ rights.
37 Pop up ads may hide the information that the user is looking for.
38 Spyware is nothing but theft.
39 The ad world needs to be regulated from above.
40 The dispute between the ad world and the anti-ad activists will never end.
ANSWER KEY:-
1 Not given
2 Yes
3 No
4 Yes
5 food poisoning
6 flavour
7 entire meal
8 seasoning
9 Cuba
10 entertainment
11 sandy beach
12 a section/one section
13 four
14 snacks
15 True
16 Not given
17 True
18 False
19 Not given
20 False
21 rewarding career/money-making career
22 huge volumes
23 labour intensive
24 transportation costs
25 prospective buyers
26 eco-friendly
27 equipments
28 i
29 ix
30 i
31 vii
32 iii
33 vi
34 x
35 Not given
36 Not given
37 Yes
38 Yes
39 Not given
40 No
