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IELTS Mock Test 2021 January

IELTS Mock Test 2021 January

3.8
(6,821 votes)
  • Published on: 20 Jan 2021
  • Tests taken: 2,828,987

Answer Keys:

Part 1: Question 1 - 13
  • 1 disgusting appearance
  • 2 domestic hygiene
  • 3 wasp
  • 4 flatten (bodies)
  • 5 FALSE
  • 6 TRUE
  • 7 FALSE
  • 8 NOT GIVEN
  • 9 pheromones
  • 10 co-operate
  • 11 admiration
  • 12 D
  • 13 B
Part 2: Question 14 - 26
  • 14 TRUE
  • 15 NOT GIVEN
  • 16 TRUE
  • 17 (the) bishop
  • 18 (to) accelerate play
  • 19 (Garry) Kasparov
  • 20 subliminal memory
  • 21 theoretical study
  • 22 huge population
  • 23 faster processing
  • 24 intelligence
  • 25 B
  • 26 C
Part 3: Question 27 - 40
  • 27 viii
  • 28 vii
  • 29 i
  • 30 v
  • 31 iii
  • 32 x
  • 33 iv
  • 34 spleen and liver
  • 35 sufficient numbers
  • 36 regulation
  • 37 antigens
  • 38 FALSE
  • 39 TRUE
  • 40 NOT GIVEN

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Tips for improving your ielts score

剑桥雅思4听力原文-TEST4

5.0
(1 votes)

19 Oct 2023

Review & Explanations:

Part 1: Questions 1-13

Questions 1-4

Answer the questions.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer

What aspect of cockroaches makes the author want them removed from the home?

1

What human aspect do they endanger?

2

Which insect is the best cockroach killer?

3

What can cockroaches do to easily hide?

4

  • 1 Answer: disgusting appearance

    Keywords in Questions

    Similar words in Passage

    Q1: What aspect of cockroaches makes the author want them removed from the home?

    It’s only a cockroach, but its large size, long antennae, shiny appearance, and spiny legs, all present a particularly disgusting appearance […] This is certainly the over-riding reason I want these creatures totally eradicated from my apartment

    The question asks for one specific characteristic of the cockroach that terrifies the author and makes her want to get rid of them. As we can see, in the passage, the cockroach is described with a lot of traits namely ‘’large size, long antennae, shiny appearance, and spiny legs’’ and overall, it is demonstrated as having disgusting appearance. Thus, we can infer that not any single characteristic but its entire body that the writer hates. Moving onto the next paragraph, the writer notes that ‘’this is the over-riding (main) reason’’ why she wishes it to totally eradicate (disappear) from her place. Note that ‘’eradicate’’ means no longer exists which is similar to ‘’move’’ and ‘’this’’ here indicates ‘’disgusting appearance’’. Thus, the answer is disgusting appearance

  • 2 Answer: domestic hygiene

    Keywords in Questions

    Similar words in Passage

    Q2: What human aspect do they endanger?

    they also pose a distinct threat to domestic hygiene.

    The answer can be found in the first sentence of paragraph 2. Note that ‘’they’’ is referred to the cockroaches while the words ‘’endanger’’ in the question is paraphrased to be ‘’pose a threat’’ as they have the same meaning of doing harm to something. According to the passage, cockroaches can possibly threaten domestic hygiene’’. Thus, the answer is domestic hygiene

  • 3 Answer: wasp

    Keywords in Questions

    Similar words in Passage

    Q3: Which insect is the best cockroach killer?

    The most precise cockroach killer is, typically, another insect. A specific species of wasp targets these creatures

    Note that the question does not ask for general cockroach killer but emphasise on the best or the most helpful and effective one and it must be a kind of insect. From the passage, we acknowledge that wasp, which can paralyse cockroach temporarily, is the most precise killer of cockroach. In paragraph 4, it is said that the most effective or the best cockroach predators are the house centipedes. However, centipades are not insects. Therefore, the only suitable answer to this question is wasp.

  • 4 Answer: flatten (bodies)

    Keywords in Questions

    Similar words in Passage

    Q4: What can cockroaches do to easily hide?

    cockroaches usually conceal themselves during the day, and with their ability to flatten their bodies, they can disappear into just about any tiny nook, crevice, and cranny

    Note the simple word ‘’hide’’ in the question is replaced by an academic word, conceal which suggests the same meaning. It is observed that what facilitates the cockroaches to disappear and hide in tiny (small) spaces lie on their bodies which could be flexibly flatten. As the word limit is NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS , flatten bodies is our answer

Questions 5-8

Questions 9-11

Complete the summary of the second half of the passage.

Choose ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.

Cockroaches use 9 in the air to communicate, and show a willingness to 10 , yet the author struggles to feel 11 for these insects.

  • 9 Answer: pheromones

    Keywords in Questions

    Similar words in Passage

    Q9: Cockroaches use, in the air to communicate

    They leave chemical messages in their droppings, as well as emit airborne pheromones to signal other cockroaches about sources of food and water, and alert them to their own presence.

    As we have pointed out in Q7, once the source of food or water is detected, the cockroach will not keep it for itself but send signals to muster other cockroaches. In addition to the chemicals released, they also communicate by the emissions of pheromones in the air. Hence, the answer is pheromones

  • 10 Answer: co-operate

    Keywords in Questions

    Similar words in Passage

    Q10: Cockroaches, show a willingness to  

    Research has shown that cockroaches make group-based decisions, and tend to co-operate

    As the conjunction ‘’and’’ is used between Q9 and Q10, we anticipate that the answer for Q10 is related to the answer in Q9. Indeed, when mentioning about food searching, the writer notes that the cockroaches are less likely to be violent with each other. By contrast, they volunteer or have willingness to co-operate which means to share foods with others. Hence, the answer is co-operate.

  • 11 Answer: admiration

    Keywords in Questions

    Similar words in Passage

    Q11: yet the author struggles to feel, for  these insects

    Should I therefore feel any admiration? It is hard

    Having observed that cockroaches set some good examples of collaboration, the writer, however, fails or struggles with feeling admire to this species. It is challenging/hard to think so, as justified by her, because their descriptions are typically dirty and disgusting. Hence, the answer is admiration.

Questions 12-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

12

Gregor

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
Answer: D

Keywords in Questions

Similar words in Passage

Q12: Gregor

A. becomes a cockroach.

B. is a famous character.

C. despises his friends.

D. needs companionship.

In the insect’s most famous literary appearance - Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’ - a man, Gregor, is transformed overnight into a monstrous insect, probably a cockroach (although the story never quite makes that clear). Gregor’s transformation results in very predictable responses from his family and friends, who can never accept him again. He eventually dies, outcast and lonely, despised and mistreated - a potent symbol of alienation and rejection.

Consider each option:

  1. it is not exactly correct to the description of Gregor because the writer uses ‘’probably’’ as well as mentions that the story doesn’t show clearly that he is a cockroach. Thus, she is uncertain about this belief.

  2. It is said that Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis is a famous literary work and Gregor is mentioned as one character, but we don’t know whether he is a famous character in the work or not. Thus, B is not the answer.

  3. Gregor does not despise (dislike) his friends. Conversely, he is despised and mistreated by them.

Thus, A, B, C are incorrect.

D is the answer. What we can observe from his story is his tragedy in which his insect-like appearance leads to his isolation as being rejected. It means he has lack of love and companionship. Hence, D is correct.

13

The author wants to

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
Answer: B

Keywords in Questions

Similar words in Passage

Q13: The author wants to

A. catch the cockroach.

B. kill the cockroach.

C. touch the cockroach.

D. fly like a cockroach.

If I try to grab it, it will dart away, and I doubt whether I’ll be able to catch it before it disappears into the numerous cracks and crevices of my old apartment. So, I carefully remove my slipper, determined to squash the insect

At first the author considers to catch the cockroach but she changes her minds as she might fail to catch this fast-running pest. Therefore, she manages to squash/kill it with her slipper. Thus, B is the answer

Part 1

Reading Passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage One.

It’s Only a Cockroach

I turn on the light in my kitchen that night, and then I see it. I draw back, and my first instinct is to scream. I control myself with difficulty, but find myself shuddering, unable to deal with the creature before me. It’s only a cockroach, but its large size, long antennae, shiny appearance, and spiny legs, all present a particularly disgusting appearance. And this is not just to me, but to everyone it seems, even to the point of phobic responses.

This is certainly the over-riding reason I want these creatures totally eradicated from my apartment, but with their offensive odour, passive transportation of microbes, and trails of droppings, they also pose a distinct threat to domestic hygiene. Clearly, cohabitation is not possible. So, I do all I can to keep these pests away. Food is stored in sealed containers, garbage cans have tight lids, my kitchen is kept spotlessly clean, and my apartment swept and mopped nightly. I have also sealed up possible entry points, but still, these loathsome things find their way inside. I need a way to kill them.

The most precise cockroach killer is, typically, another insect. A specific species of wasp targets these creatures. With a quick accurate swoop, it bites the cockroach at the main nerve centre of its body, which results in a temporary paralysis. This is very necessary, as we all know just how fast cockroaches can run. The wasp has only a few minutes to prepare its next sting, in the exact area of the brain which controls the cockroaches’ instinct to escape. After the paralysis departs, the cockroach is subdued and docile, and doomed. The wasp bites off the antennae to further discourage flight, then drags its victim away.

Faced with such predation, cockroaches usually conceal themselves during the day, and with their ability to flatten their bodies, they can disappear into just about any tiny nook, crevice, and cranny. There, they wait patiently for darkness before emerging to search for food, and will usually run away when exposed to light. Given this, I am told that the slim and agile house centipede is probably the most effective cockroach predator, able to track down and root out the most carefully hidden prey. Unfortunately, I would say that centipedes are even more disgusting to have in one’s house, if that’s possible. I just can’t win this game.

Can anyone win? These insects are just about the hardiest, on the planet. Some can wait for up to three months before meals, some can survive on the barest hint of nutrition (such as the glue on the back of postage stamps), and some can live without air for over half an hour. They do not, however, handle cold weather well, preferring the warm conditions and security found within buildings. Hidden there, the female lays egg capsules containing around 40 eggs, and with the insect’s relatively long lifespan (about a year), some 300 to 400 offspring can ultimately be produced. The result: once these insects have infested a building, they are very difficult to eradicate.

Cockroaches do, however, have some subtleties. They leave chemical messages in their droppings, as well as emit airborne pheromones to signal other cockroaches about sources of food and water, and alert them to their own presence. The latter is more important, for these insects are actually somewhat gregarious. Research has shown that cockroaches make group-based decisions, and tend to co-operate. One study placed a large number of cockroaches in a dish with three small shelters, and the insects divided themselves equally between two of them, leaving the third one empty. When these shelters were exchanged for two very large ones, all the cockroaches arranged themselves in just one. These creatures, it seems, prefer the company of others, and a rather fair al location of resources.

Should I therefore feel any admiration? It is hard - in fact, in Western culture, cockroaches are almost universally depicted as repulsive and dirty pests. In the insect’s most famous literary appearance - Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’ - a man, Gregor, is transformed overnight into a monstrous insect, probably a cockroach (although the story never quite makes that clear). Gregor’s transformation results in very predictable responses from his family and friends, who can never accept him again. He eventually dies, outcast and lonely, despised and mistreated - a potent symbol of alienation and rejection. Yet in the Pixar animated feature ‘Wall-E’, a cockroach provides essential companionship to a lone robot living on a planet scorched by a nuclear holocaust.

Whatever the case, I am faced with a big problem: a large ugly cockroach crawling slowly across my sink, antennae waving as it explores around. If I try to grab it, it will dart away, and I doubt whether I’ll be able to catch it before it disappears into the numerous cracks and crevices of my old apartment. So, I carefully remove my slipper, determined to squash the insect, but then almost scream again as it lifts on its legs, raises membranous wings, and with a loud buzzing noise, flies away. Oh, just what I need they can fly, too.

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