BEST IELTS General Reading Test 42

BEST IELTS General Reading Test 42

GENERAL READING TEST 42 – PASSAGE – 1

GENERAL READING TEST – 42

READING PASSAAGE – 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Question 14-27, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

SCARLET MACAW – AN AMERICAN PARROT

The Scarlet Macaw is a large, red, yellow and blue South America parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. It is native to humid evergreen forests of tropical South America. Range extreme south Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil in lowland up to 500 m (1,640 ft) (at least formerly) up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft). It has suffered from local extinction through habits destruction and capture for the parrot trade, but locally it remains fairly common. Formerly it ranged north to southern Tamaulipas. It can still be found on the island of Coiba. It is the national bird of Honduras.

It is about 81 centimeters long, of which more than half is the pointed, graduated tail typing of all macaws, though the Scarlet Macaw has a larger percentage of tail than the other large Macaws. The average weight is about 1 kilogram. The plumage is mostly scarlet, but the rump and tail-covert feathers are light blue, the greater upper wing coverts are yellow, the upper sides of the flight feathers of the wings are dark blue as are the ends of the tail feathers, and the undersides of the wing and tail flight feathers are dark red with metallic gold iridescence. Some individuals may have green in the wings. There is bare white skin around the eye and from there to the bill. Tiny white feathers are contained on the face patch. The upper mandible is mostly pale horn in color and the lower is black. Juveniles have dark eyes; adults have light yellow eyes.

It is frequently confused with the slightly larger Green-winged Macaw, which has more distinct red lines in the face and no yellow in the wing. Scarlet Macaw make very loud, high and sometime low pitched, throaty squawks, squawks and screams designed to carry many miles to call for their groups. The Scarlet Macaw can live up to 75 years in captivity, although a more typical lifespan in 40 to 50 years. In May 2013 it was announced that a team of scientists, led by Dr. Christopher M. Seabury and Dr. lan Tizard of Taxes A&M University had sequenced the complete genome of the Scarlet Macaw.

A typical sighting is of a single bird or a pair flying above the forest canopy, though in some areas flocks can be seen. They may gather at clay licks. Scarlet Macaws eat mostly fruits, nuts and seeds, including large, hard seeds. Scarlet Macaws mate for life. The hen lays two or three white eggs in a tree cavity. The female incubates the eggs for about five weeks, and the chicks fledge from the nest about 90 days after hatching and leave their parents about a year later. Juveniles reach sexual maturity at five years of age.

The South America range is extensive and covers the Amazon basin; extending to Peru east of the Andes, to Bolivia, and Paraguay. In Central American the range extends from extreme eastern and southern Mexico and Panama though Guatemala and Belize, the island of Coiba and infrequently on the mainland of panama, and two isolated regions on the Pacific Coast Rica; the Carara national park and Peninsula de Osa.

Scarlet Macaws inhabit humid lowland subtropical rain forests, open woodlands, river edges, and savannas. The habitat of Scarlet Macaws is considered to have the greatest latitudinal range for any bird in the genus Ara, as the estimated maximum territorial range covers 6,700,000 km². Nevertheless, the Scarlet Macaw’s habitat is fragmented, and the bird is mostly confined to tiny populations scattered thoughout its original range in Middle America. However, as they still occur in large numbers over most of their original range in South America, the species is classified by IUCN as “Least Concern”.

Question 1-4

Write the correct letters A-F in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

The writer brings up a number of important features of Scarlet Macaws, as explained in the passage.

Which four of the following features are mentioned by the author in the text?

A. Neotropical parrots

B. National bird

C. Protracted tail

D. Flamboyant feathers

E. Strident and high sounds

F. Live up to elderly age

Question 5-10

Complete the following sentences below.

Choose the words from the passage.

Write your answers in boxes 5-10 on your answer sheet.

Question 11-14

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

Write your answers in boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet.

11. Where does Scarlet Macaw dwell in?

12. What is the shade of upper side of the flight feathers of the wings of the parrot?

13. What is the emblematic life span of the bird?

14. At which age Scarlet Macaw has dark eyes?

ANSWERS ARE BELOW

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ANSWER KEY

1 – 4 IN ANY ORDER

C

D

E

F

5. CANOPY

6. FLOCKS

7. CAVITY

8. INCUBATION

9. HATCHING

10. JUVENILES

11. HUMID EVERGREEN FOREST

12. DARK BLUR

13. 40-50 YEARS

14. JUVENILE