Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Practice Test 159
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 159 – PASSAGE – 3
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 159
READING PASSAGE – 3
Old dogs and new tricks
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
The first days of an animal’s life play a major part in shaping its future.
Cormorant birds are used in China and Japan to catch fish in a traditional method of river fishing that dates back thousands of years. A cormorant dives under the water, catches a fish, and then clings to a bamboo pole that the fisherman swings into the boat. It is easy to train a cormorant to behave like this because the bird has been imprinted on the fisherman instead of its natural mother.
The fisherman imprints the cormorant on himself by appearing to the chick when it hatches out of the egg. The young bird mistakes the fisherman for the mother bird and bonds with him, responding to his voice and, later, swimming alongside his boat. This ‘follow response’ is nature’s way of preventing young birds from straying from their mother. The process of imprinting lasts for a period of up to two days after hatching. After this sensitive period the effect of the imprinting remains unchanged for the lifetime of the bird and cannot be reversed.
Dogs, cats, sheep, horses and other animals go through a process of imprinting similar to birds. In the case of dogs, the sensitive period lasts for up to 12 weeks. During this time the puppy can imprint on both its natural mother and on humans. Puppies are born blind and deaf, and naturally stay close to their mothers so they do not need an immediate ‘follow response’.
The sensitive period lasts from the second week to the fourteenth week of life. It is critical that a dog is socialized with other dogs, family pets and with people within this time frame. If the basic social behaviour is not imprinted in a puppy by the fourteenth week it will lead to behavioural problems later in life that are difficult to change.
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
A puppy should be left with its natural mother and the litter for several weeks before being socialized with people. If a puppy is taken away from its natural mother too early and handled by people then it sees humans as its natural companions and dogs as complete strangers.
Dogs that have only been socialized with people are likely to be aggressive towards another person’s dog or even attack it. Conversely, a dog that has been kept with the mother and litter for too long will not regard humans as companions and is more likely to be aggressive towards people and bite them. Dogs that have not been adequately socialized with both dogs and people can be difficult to control and will not respond to training.
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
Negative experiences with humans during the imprinting stage can have lasting effects on a dog. It is a cliché, but bad behaviour in a dog is usually the fault of its owner. A rescue dog that was neglected and abused by its owner is likely to remain nervous and fearful of humans. It is possible for a dog to overcome behavioural problems that originate from imprinting but it requires a lot of training and may not be completely successful. Negative behaviours are often reinforced inadvertently when a dog receives more attention for behaving badly than for behaving well.
In obedience training, the dog is taught to respond to basic commands such as sit, stay, down and release. In one training technique, the owner shouts a command – for example, sit – and if the dog acts accordingly it is rewarded with its favourite toy and is verbally praised. The dog associates the action of sitting with praise from its owner and learns to comply. Punishment and negative experiences are best avoided to ensure a confident, happy and obedient dog. Even an old dog can be taught new tricks, or at least new behaviours, with training every day.
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
Not all dog behaviour can be explained by imprinting and training. Generations of breeding in captivity has domesticated dogs so that they can live in people’s homes as pets, or as working animals. Dogs have been selectively bred to have their natural abilities enhanced or suppressed to suit the needs of man. For example, Border Collies and Belgian Shepherd dogs are pure-bred to herd sheep and protect them, more so when a dog has been imprinted on the flock. Spaniels and Retrievers are used as gun dogs to retrieve game birds for hunters.
Scent hounds like the Beagle and the Fox Hound are used for their extra keen sense of smell when sniffing and tracking prey like rabbits and foxes. Some dogs, like Pit Bull Terriers, have been deliberately bred for fighting and can make dangerous pets. It is worth remembering that all dogs have been domesticated from wolves, so any dog has the potential to ‘bite the hand that feeds it’, no matter how well it has been socialized and trained.
Questions 28 – 32
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.
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
28. Cormorants imprinted on fishermen are difficult to train.
29. Imprinting stops young birds from getting separated from their mother.
30. Chicks are sensitive to imprinting for up to 48 hours after hatching.
31. Imprinting in birds is temporary.
32. Puppies can only imprint on other dogs and humans.
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
Questions 33 – 36
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
33. Socialization of puppies is very important
A. because they cannot hear or see anything.
B. for developing an immediate follow response.
C. for the first twelve weeks of their life.
D. between the second and fourteenth weeks.
34. Imprinting in puppies
A. is complete by the fourteenth week.
B lasts for twelve weeks from birth.
C. is impossible to change.
D. occurs only with the natural mother.
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
35. A puppy that is handled and petted too soon will not
A. be happy with people.
B be happy with dogs.
C. be happy with dogs and people.
D. have behavioural problems.
36. Bad behaviour is often
A. a cliché.
B. the fault of the dog rather than the owner.
C. encouraged by mistake.
D. due to insufficient training.
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
Questions 37 – 40
Choose FOUR letters A to I.
The writer describes how a dog can be trained and how its behaviour is instinctive.
Which FOUR of the following methods encourage good behaviour in dogs?
A. receiving punishment for bad behaviour
B. daily training
C. by being made to comply
D. using words of approval
E. by choosing a suitable breed
F. by acknowledging bad behaviour
G. by teaching new tricks
H. by using the toy it likes most
I. by encouraging the wolf instincts.
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
ANSWERS ARE BELOW
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
ANSWERS
28. FALSE
29. TRUE
30. TRUE
31. FALSE
32. NOT GIVEN
IELTS General Reading Practice Test
33. D
34. A
35. B
36. C
37 – 40 H D B E (any order)
IELTS General Reading Practice Test