IELTS Practice Tests Plus Volume 2
- Published on: 15 Dec 2017
- Tests taken: 263,834
Answer Keys:
Part 1: Question 1 - 13
- 1 B
- 2 D
- 3 A
- 4 C
- 5 A
- 6 ceiling vents
- 7 (the) (brick) chimneys
- 8 cement arches
- 9 (the) big fans
- 10 (the) (small) heaters
- 11 13 A,D,E
Part 2: Question 14 - 26
- 14 v
- 15 i
- 16 ix
- 17 viii
- 18 iii
- 19 vi
- 20 F
- 21 D
- 22 A
- 23 brands
- 24 untruthful
- 25 unconscious
- 26 children
Part 3: Question 27 - 40
- 27 NOT GIVEN
- 28 TRUE
- 29 FALSE
- 30 TRUE
- 31 NOT GIVEN
- 32 FALSE
- 33 B
- 34 F
- 35 D
- 36 G
- 37 A
- 38 B
- 39 A
- 40 D
Leaderboard:
| # | User | Score | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abhishek Wagh |
|
9.0 | 26:39 | |
| OSMAN IBNAUF Saddique |
|
9.0 | 33:43 | |
| huongnamlun1910 |
|
9.0 | 37:36 | |
| 4 | Ansh Patel |
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9.0 | 38:15 |
| 5 | Kop Bar |
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9.0 | 45:01 |
| 6 | Rushab Shah |
|
9.0 | 45:47 |
| 7 | San Nguyen |
|
9.0 | 47:36 |
| 8 | Minh Nguyễn |
|
9.0 | 49:15 |
| 9 | Manjyot Gill |
|
9.0 | 56:06 |
| 10 | Chau Tran Bao |
|
9.0 | 56:15 |
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How to avoid “silly” mistakes with telephone numbers in Part 1 IELTS listening
The focus of this lesson is on avoiding “silly” mistakes in part 1 listening.
Review & Explanations:
Questions 1-5
Choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
Why do termite mounds have a system of vents?
- A
- B
- C
- D
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Keywords in Questions |
Similar words in Passage |
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Q1. Why do termite mounds have a system of vents?
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Termites in Zimbabwe build gigantic mounds inside which they farm a fungus that is their primary food source. [….]. The termites achieve this remarkable feat by building a system of vents in the mound |
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+ The main clue of Q1 is termite mounds have a system of vents which we can find from above 2 sentences. + Looking at 2 sentences, we can infer that “this remarkable feat” in the 2nd sentence is “build gigantic mounds” in the 1st sentence. So we can combine these sentences as following: By building a system of vents in the mound, termites build gigantic mounds inside which they farm a fungus that is their primary food source. + From above understanding, we know that a system of vents can help termite farm their food. Therefore we can conclude that answer B. to enable the termites to produce food is correct answer of this question. |
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Why was Eastgate cheaper to build than a conventional building?
- A
- B
- C
- D
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Keywords in Questions |
Similar words in Passage |
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Q2. Why was Eastgate cheaper to build than a conventional building? A. Very few materials were imported. B. Its energy consumption was so low. C. Its tenants contributed to the costs. D. No air conditioners were needed. |
These efficiencies translated directly to the bottom line: the Eastgate’s owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air- conditioning plant didn't have to be imported. |
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+ The main topic of this question is about the reason why building Eastgate is cheaper than a conventional building. + In the text, we can easily found this information as it is mentioned that “the Eastgate’s owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air- conditioning plant didn't have to be imported” + So the answer for Q2 should be D. No air conditioners were needed. |
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Why would a building like Eastgate not work efficiently in New York?
- A
- B
- C
- D
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Keywords in Questions |
Similar words in Passage |
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Q3. Why would a building like Eastgate not work efficiently in New York? A. Temperature change occurs seasonally rather than daily. B. Pollution affects the storage of heat in the atmosphere. C. Summer and winter temperatures are too extreme. D. Levels of humidity affect cloud coverage. |
rapid temperature swings days as warm as 31°C commonly drop to 14°C at night. ‘You couldn’t do this in New York, with its fantastically hot summers and fantastically cold winters |
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+ We can find the answer for Q3 from above sentence. + The passage mentions that the reason why couldn’t do this in New York is because of “fantastically hot summers and fantastically cold winters”, while in Harare the temperature change between day and night. + So the correct answer of Q3 should be A. Temperature change occurs seasonally rather than daily |
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What does Ove Arup’s data suggest about Eastgate’s temperature control system?
- A
- B
- C
- D
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Keywords in Questions |
Similar words in Passage |
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Q4. What does Ove Arup’s data suggest about Eastgate’s temperature control system? A. It allows a relatively wide range of temperatures. B. The only problems are due to human error. C. It functions well for most of the year. D.The temperature in the atrium may fall too low. |
Ove Arup's graphs show that the temperature of the building has generally stayed between 23°C and 25°C. with the exception of the annual hot spell just before the summer rains in October |
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+ This Q4 requires us to find out what Ove Arup’s data show about this system and the phrase “Ove Arup's graphs” from above sentence is an indicator to us. + As the text, temperature “generally stayed between 23°C and 25°C”, except for “the annual hot spell” in October, so we can infer that the building can keep the temperature well in range almost the whole year + Therefore we can deduce that the right answer should be C. It functions well for most of the year. |
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Pearce believes that his building would be improved by
- A
- B
- C
- D
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Keywords in Questions |
Similar words in Passage |
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Q5. Pearce believes that his building would be improved by A. becoming more of a habitat for wildlife. B. even closer links with the history of Zimbabwe. C. giving people more space to interact with nature. D.better protection from harmful organisms. |
Pearce said he hoped plants would grow wild in the atrium and pigeons and bats would move into it |
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+ For this question, we have to look for way that Pearce think he can use to improve his building + According to the text, Pearce hoped the plants would grow and pigeons and bats would move into the building. “Plants”, “pigeons” and “bats” are related to habitat for wildlife so we can conclude that answer of Q5 should be A. becoming more of a habitat for wildlife |
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Questions 6-10
Complete the sentences below with words taken from Reading Passage 1.
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 6-10 on your answer sheet.
Warm air leaves the offices through 6
The warm air leaves the building through 7
Heat from the sun is prevented from reaching the windows by 8
When the outside temperature drops 9 bring air in from outside.
On cold days 10 raise the temperature in the offices.
- 6 Answer: ceiling vents
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q6. Warm air leaves the offices through _________
As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exits through forty- eight brick chimneys.
+ The main keywords of this question is “Warm air leaves the offices”
+ In the sentences “As it rises and warms … through forty- eight brick chimneys.”, “it” is mentioning about the “warm air” and the phrase “drawn out” paraphrase “leaves the offices” so we can figure out that warm air is drawn out via ceiling vents
+ So, the answer is ceiling vents
- 7 Answer: (the) (brick) chimneys
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q7. The warm air leaves the building through __________
As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exits through forty- eight brick chimneys.
+ It is said that after drawing out via the ceiling vents, the air “finally exits through” the brick chimneys.
+ The phrase “exits” in the text has same meaning as “leaves the building” in the question so we can conclude that the missing words of this question are (the) brick chimneys
- 8 Answer: cement arches
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q8. Heat from the sun is prevented from reaching the windows by __________
To keep the harsh, high yield sun from heating the interior, no more than 25% of the outside is glass, and all the windows are screened by cement arches that just out more than a metre.
+ The clause “To keep the harsh, high yield sun from heating the interior” has same meaning as “Heat from the sun is prevented from reaching the windows” in the question
+ As above sentence, the method used for preventing the heat are “no more than 25% of the outside is glass” and “all windows are screened by cement arches”.
+ So, we can easily figure out that cement arches is the missing information of Q8.
- 9 Answer: (the) big fans
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q9. When the outside temperature drops ……….. bring air in from outside
During summer’s cool nights, big fans flush air through the building seven times an hour to chill the hollow floors.
+ Q9 requires us to point out thing that brings air in from outside.
+ Thanks to phrase “summer’s cool nights”, which is another expression of temperature dropping, we can know that the sentence “During summer’s cool nights, big fans flush air through the building seven times an hour to chill the hollow floors” includes the answer for this question
+ From above connection, we can identify that big fans is the correct answer of Q9
- 10 Answer: (the) (small) heaters
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q10. On cold days …….. raise the temperature in the offices
For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.
+ The phrase “winter days” in the passage which has same meaning as “cold days ” in the question is an indicator for us.
+ From the reading, “there are small heaters” for winter days so we can reason out that these small heaters are to help raise the temperature
+ So, the missing words are (the) (small) heaters
Questions 11-13
Answer the question below, using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.
Which three parts of the Eastgate Building reflect important features of Zimbabwe’s history and culture?
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- 11-13 Answer: A,D,E
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q11-Q12-Q13. Which three parts of the Eastgate Building reflect important features of Zimbabwe’s history and culture?
A. entrances
B.quill
C. cages
D. elevators
E. fan covers
F. stone
Pearce, disdaining smooth glass skins as ‘igloos in the Sahara’, calls his building, with its exposed girder sand pipes, ‘spiky’. The design of the entrances is based on the porcupine-quill headdresses of the local Shona tribe. Elevators are designed to look like the mineshaft cages used in Zimbabwe's diamond mines. The shape of the fan covers , and the stone used in their construction, are echoes of Great Zimbabwe, the ruins that give the country its name.
+ The main idea of this question is to find out parts that reflect features of Zimbabwe’s history and culture and we can find the clues from above paragraph.
+ First, the “entrances” is mentioned to be based on the porcupine-quill headdresses of the local Shona tribe”, a feature of Zimbabwe’s history and culture so we can reason out that entrances is the 1st answer for this question
+ The second part – “Elevators” is mentioned to be designed like “the mineshaft cages used in Zimbabwe's diamond mines” so we can easily identify that Elevators is the 2nd answer
+ Then, “Fan covers” is described as “echoes of Great Zimbabwe, the ruins that give the country its name” so is Fan covers the 3rd answer
Therefore we can conclude that the right answers for 3 questions 11-12-13 are A – D – E IN EITHER ORDER
Reading Passage 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
Sustainable architecture - lessons from the ant
Termite mounds were the inspiration for an innovative design in sustainable living
Africa owes its termite mounds a lot. Trees and shrubs take root in them. Prospectors mine them, looking for specks of gold carried up by termites from hundreds of metres below. And of course, they are a special treat to aardvarks and other insectivores.
Now, Africa is paying an offbeat tribute to these towers of mud. The extraordinary Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, is said to be the only one in the world to use the same cooling and heating principles as the termite mound.
Termites in Zimbabwe build gigantic mounds inside which they farm a fungus that is their primary food source. This must be kept at exactly 30.5°C, while the temperatures on the African vield outside can range from 1.5°C at night only just above freezing to a baking hot 40°C during the day. The termites achieve this remarkable feat by building a system of vents in the mound. Those at the base lead down into chambers cooled by wet mud carried up from water tables far below, and others lead up through a flue to the peak of the mound. By constantly opening and closing these heating and cooling vents over the course of the day the termites succeed in keeping the temperature constant in spite of the wide fluctuations outside.
Architect Mick Pearce used precisely the same strategy when designing the Eastgate Building, which has no air conditioning and virtually no heating. The building the country's largest commercial and shopping complex uses less than I0% of the energy of a conventional building ns size. These efficiencies translated directly to the bottom line: the Eastgate’s owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air- conditioning plant didn't have to be imported. These savings were also passed on to tenants: rents are 20% lower than in a new building next door.
The complex is actually two buildings linked by bridges across a shady, glass-roofed atrium open to the breezes. Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents. As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exits through forty- eight brick chimneys.
To keep the harsh, highvield sun from heating the interior, no more than 25% of the outside is glass, and all the windows are screened by cement arches that just out more than a metre.
During summer’s cool nights, big fans flush air through the building seven times an hour to chill the hollow floors. By day, smaller fans blow two changes of air an hour through the building, to circulate the air which has been in contact with the cool floors. For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.
This is all possible only because Harare is 1600 feet above sea level, has cloudless skies, little humidity and rapid temperature swings days as warm as 31°C commonly drop to 14°C at night. ‘You couldn’t do this in New York, with its fantastically hot summers and fantastically cold winters,’ Pearce said. But then his eyes lit up at the challenge.' Perhaps you could store the summer's heat in water somehow.
The engineering firm of Ove Amp & Partners, which worked with him on the design, monitors daily temperatures outside, under the floors and at knee, desk and ceiling level. Ove Arup's graphs show that the temperature of the building has generally stayed between 23"C and 25°C. with the exception of the annual hot spell just before the summer rains in October, and three days in November, when a janitor accidentally switched off the fans at night. The atrium, which funnels the winds through, can be much cooler. And the air is fresh far more so than in air-conditioned buildings, where up to 30% of the air is recycled.
Pearce, disdaining smooth glass skins as ‘igloos in the Sahara’, calls his building, with its exposed girders and pipes, ‘spiky’. The design of the entrances is based on the porcupine-quill headdresses of the local Shona tribe. Elevators are designed to look like the mineshaft cages used in Zimbabwe's diamond mines. The shape of the fan covers, and the stone used in their construction, are echoes of Great Zimbabwe, the ruins that give the country its name.
Standing on a roof catwalk, peering down inside at people as small as termites below. Pearce said he hoped plants would grow wild in the atrium and pigeons and bats would move into it. like that termite fungus, further extending the whole 'organic machine’ metaphor. The architecture, he says, is a regionalised style that responds to the biosphere, to the ancient traditional stone architecture of Zimbabwe's past, and to local human resources.
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