Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 450
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 450 – PASSAGE – 2
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 450
READING PASSAGE – 2
Buy Nothing Day
“Buy Nothing Day” began in the 1990s in Vancouver, Canada. It was the idea of a man named Kalle Lasn and his organization Adbusters. Before starting Adbusters, Lasn worked for many years in advertising. He helped companies research what influenced people to buy things. But Lasn began to question the ways advertisers influenced people to buy things. He also questioned the culture of buying. Was it good to make people feel like they should always want more and more? “Buy Nothing Day” criticizes this culture of consumerism.
Lasn recognizes that people need to consume things. They have to buys things to eat, live and even enjoy life. But Lasn believes that many companies encourage people to consume far more than is necessary. Advertising this way helps companies make money. But Lasn believes it hurts people and culture.
IELTS General Reading Test
So Lasn decided to use advertising against companies. Adbusters tries to help people understand some of the false values and ideas behind advertising. The main value Adbusters fights is the idea, “You must consume more to be happy.” And one way they do this is by encouraging people to celebrate “Buy Nothing Day!”
“Buy Nothing Day” is celebrated on the fourth Friday of every November. Adbusters chose this day for a very important reason. It is the biggest buying day of the year. Advertisers call this day Black Friday.
Black Friday is particularly famous in the United States. It is the day after the country’s Thanksgiving holiday. On Thanksgiving, people in the United States gather with family and friends to eat a meal and give thanks. In recent years, stores began to reduce their prices the day after Thanksgiving. They wanted to encourage people to start buying gifts for the Christmas holiday in December.
IELTS General Reading Test
However, in recent years, Black Friday has become famous for something else: greed and violence. On Black Friday stores offer extremely reduced prices. But they only offer limited amounts of product. So, people come early in the morning – or even the night before – to stand in lines outside stores. Sometimes, people push or fight to be first into the store. Some people have even died in Black Friday riots!
“Buy Nothing Day” hopes to end the greed and violence of Black Friday. But its message is bigger than just Black Friday. “Buy Nothing Day” is for people in the United States and around the world. Many other countries also have growing problems with too much consumption. Sixty-two different countries, from Germany to Japan, already celebrate “Buy Nothing Day”. And the message is the same everywhere – buying too much hurts people, culture and the planet.
IELTS General Reading Test
Buy Nothing Day is a simple idea. It fights consumer culture by asking us to stop buying for a day. Anyone can do it if they spend a day without buying. For some people, “Buy Nothing Day” is a protest. For other people, it is a party. Some groups go to stores and encourage other people not to buy things. Other people gather together to make Christmas gifts – instead of buying them. And some people use the day to create works of art that protest against consumer messages. Often, people celebrate by enjoying the free gift of nature. They go for walks, or watch the sun set together. The only rule of “Buy Nothing Day” is not to buy anything!
Some people question if “Buy Nothing Day” can really change culture. It is only one day. And telling people not to do something often does not work! Other people say that consumers should not just buy less, but they should buy better. These people encourage consumers to buy things that are made in ways that do not hurt people or the environment.
IELTS General Reading Test
But “Buy Nothing Day” does get people thinking about the negative effects of buying too much. A lot of people have had deep learning experiences when they tried celebrating “Buy Nothing Day”. It was like giving up an addiction to drugs.
Buying more and more things can be like an addiction. Often, the more people buy things, the more things they want. People are happier and more satisfied when they spend money on experiences instead of things. Satisfaction over purchases decreases over time. A new car does not stay new for very long. But a satisfying experience often becomes more positive over time as we remember it.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 15-19
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Buy Nothing Day
“Buy Nothing Day” started in the 1990s in (15)…………. , Canada. It is held on the (16)…………. Friday of every November. It is the biggest buying day of the year. Advertisers call this day (17)………….
It is the day after the country’s (18)…………. holiday. Buy Nothing Day is a simple idea that fights (19)…………. culture by asking us to stop buying for a day.
IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer questions 20-28.
Legal information on call
What is Dial-A-Law?
Dial-A-Law is a library of pre-recorded messages to provide general information on specific topics of law. You can call this service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and listen to any tape from our complete library of pre-recorded messages.
Dial-A-Law provides information, not legal advice. Each legal problem is different so if you have a legal problem you should talk to a solicitor. If you don’t have a solicitor, the Legal Referral Service can refer you to a solicitor in your area.
While the Dial-A-Law information service is available 24 hours a day, the Legal Referral Service is open only during normal business hours.
IELTS General Reading Test
What if I need a solicitor?
If you listen to a Dial-A-Law message after business hours, you can phone the Legal Referral Service during business hours the following day on the number given to you at the end of the message.
If you listen to a Dial-A-Law message during business hours and decide you want a referral to a solicitor, press the appropriate number when prompted and you will be automatically transferred to the Legal Referral Service.
IELTS General Reading Test
You will be given the names of up to three solicitors in your suburb who practise in the specific area of law you require. You can simply arrange an appointment with one of these solicitors. Then you must contact the Legal Referral Service to obtain a referral letter. You must hand this to the solicitor at the beginning of your interview He or she will give you an initial interview of up to 30 minutes free of charge.
During the interview the solicitor will tell you if you have a legal case, what is involved, approximately how long it should take to solve the problem, and how much it is likely to cost. Then, if you and the solicitor agree, you may hire the solicitor to handle your problem at his or her normal fee.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 20-24
Choose the correct letter A-D.
20. Dial-A-Law is
A. a group of solicitors.
B. a law college library.
C. a legal telephone service.
D. a legal Internet message bank.
21. Dial-A-Law will
A. give legal counselling.
B. inform listeners about particular legal subjects.
C. suggest to clients which solicitor they should see.
D. supply advice on difficulties concerning the law.
IELTS General Reading Test
22. Dial-A-Law is available to customers
A. at any time.
B. on weekdays only.
C. during business hours.
D. for thirty minutes at a time.
23. The Legal Referral Service will
A. A recommend a legal consultant.
B. nominate three solicitors in the client’s vicinity.
C. choose the best of three solicitors for the client.
D. decide whether the client must pay for a legal problem.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 24-28
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text ‘Legal information on call’?
In boxes 24-28 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
24. The client can be transferred to a solicitor at any time.
25. The first consultation with a solicitor is always free.
26. The client must write ä letter of referral for the solicitor.
27. The solicitor will advise the client of the expense involved in a legal matter.
28. The client should take the first solicitor offered.
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
15. VANCOUVER
16. FOURTH
17. BLACK FRIDAY
18. THANKSGIVING
19. CONSUMER
20. C
21. B
22. A
23. B
24. FALSE
25. TRUE
26. FALSE
27. TRUE
28. NOT GIVEN