Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 93
GENERAL READING TEST 93 – PASSAGE – 2
GENERAL READING TEST – 93
READING PASSAGE – 2
STUDENT ACCOMMODATION AT NORTHSIDE UNIVERSITY
Situated about 20km from the city centre, Northside University is easy to get to by public transport. However, for students wanting to live on or near the university campus there are several different alternatives for accomodation.
Firstly, the university has several residential colleges: Burnside College, Boronia College and Helen Turner College. Each of these colleges provides a single fully furnished room with shared bathroom facilities, and meals. Burnside College is the most expensive, with fees ranging from $154 – $165 per week. However, each student room is equipped with a private telephone and voice-mailing facilities, and with the recent upgrade college students were given access to the Internet and on-line library via a network with the university. Boronia College has similar room facilities but does not offer the same computer access. It also offers only 17 meals per week, compared to Burnside’s 21. Fees vary from $147 – $157 per week. Helen Turner College is a college exclusively for women, with similar fees to Boronia College. To attend classes, students have a short walk from the residential colleges to the main University campus.
The university also provides 23 self-contained furnished townhouses. These townhouses have either 3, 4 or 6 bedrooms each and student residents are expected to be studying full-time. Last year’s rents ranged from $54 per week for a room in a six-bedroom house to $68.50 per week for a room in a three-bedroom house. As the university year begins each September, students wanting to live in university housing should apply to the university housing officer in August of the previous year, because of high demand. Smoking is banned in university housing.
Off campus, there are many flats, town houses and houses for rent in the local area. These can be found by looking in the local newspaper under ACCOMMODATION, or by checking advertisements pinned up on notice boards around the university. There are always students advertising for housemates and you can add a notice of your own to these boards. However, even sharing accommodation with others can be expensive; tenants are usually required to pay a rental bond, rent in advance, and telephone/electricity/gas bills in addition to food bills. Be sure that you know what you will be required to pay before you enter into any written agreement.
Question 15-17
Choose the appropriate letter A-C and write it in boxes 15-17 on your answer sheet.
15. The University Residential Colleges provide
A. a place to live and regular classes
B. regular classes only
C. a place to live only
16. Students who want to reside on campus
A. are not allowed to smoke.
B. should submit an application a year in advance.
C. may have difficulty finding housing.
17. To find accommodation in surrounding areas of the university you can
A. place an advertisement in the local newspaper
B. advertise on the internet.
C. look at the advertisements on the notice board
Question 18-22
Complete the summary. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage.
Write your answers in boxes 18-22 on your answer sheet.
Northside University is a fair distance from the city but easily accessible by public transport. There is a variety of options for student accommodation. In fact, the university has three main colleges, namely Burnside, Boronia and Helen Turner on its (18)…………. and resident housing within walking distance of the university. Residential college accommodation at Northside consists of a single (19)………. room, (20)…………. and daily meals. While all colleges provide similar equipment and services, Boronia is the exception with limited (21)…………. . The fee structure for Boronia and Helen Turner Colleges is (22)…………. and both are less expensive than Burnside, which is the most expensive. Living on or near the university is convenient for students to attend classes.
Read the text below and answer Questions 23-27.
SELKIRK MARITIME SERVICES RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYEES
The purpose of this document is to advise Selkirk Maritime Services’ [SMS) employees of their rights and responsibilities in terms of their Employment Contract, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Discrimination and Harassment. Rights refer to what employees are entitled to and the way they can expect to be treated, while responsibilities refer to their expected work output and behaviour towards fellow employees.
Contract of Employment
The employment contract is an agreement between you, the employee, and SMS, the employer, about your conditions of employment. It covers the rights, obligations and entitlements of both parties.
This written agreement spells out your rate of pay, the number of hours you are expected to work, any penalty rates you would be entitled to should you work public holidays or in excess of the forty hours in a working week and also includes contributions to a superannuation fund. Other entitlements such as personal and annual leave are also set out.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
SMS is obliged to provide a safe and healthy workplace for its employees. Under the law, it provides training courses for working safety as well as any personal protective clothing or equipment at no cost to you. As an employee you are required to cooperate with SMS to ensure safety.
By law you must wear and use the safety equipment and clothing supplied by SMS as well as follow safety standards when operating machinery and equipment. It is your responsibility to perform your work activities in a safe manner and not endanger the welfare of your fellow employees.
Discrimination and Harassment (DH)
It is every employee’s right to work in an environment free from discrimination and harassment (DH). SMS does not tolerate any form of DH in the workplace, and any instances are taken seriously and dealt with promptly and confidentially.
Discrimination and harassment are to be understood as any form of unwanted behaviour which humiliates, offends, insults or intimidates an employee. It may be verbal, non-verbal or physical in nature and include circulating racist or sexually explicit material, making offensive comments, telling insulting jokes or isolating a fellow employee because of his/her sexuality, religion, national or ethnic origin.
Questions 23-27
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 23-27 on your answer sheet.
Rights and Responsibilities of Employees
• Advises on Employment Contract, Occupational Health and Safety, Discrimination and Harassment.
Contract of Employment
• Sets out (23)…………… .
• Includes rights, obligations and entitlements.
• Details wage-related information including superannuation (24)…………… .
Occupational Health and Safety
• Promotes healthy and safe practices.
• Trains employees on (25)…………… .
• Issues protective clothing and safely equipment.
• Requires that the (26)…………… of a co-worker is not placed in danger.
Discrimination and Harassment (DH)
• Does not tolerate DH in the work environment.
• Investigates any allegations of DH in confidence.
• Provides instances of unwelcome (27)…………… including segregating a co-worker because of his/her race.
ANSWERS ARE BELOW
ANSWERS
15. C
16. B
17. C
18. CAMPUS
19. FULLY FURNISHED
20. SHARED BATHROOM/BATHROOM FACILITIES
21. COMPUTER ACCESS
22. SIMILAR
23. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
24. CONTRIBUTIONS
25. WORKING SAFETY
26. WELFARE
27. BEHAVIOR/BEHAVIOUR