IELTS Recent Mock Tests Volume 4

SECTION 2

Good morning everyone and welcome to the Annual Ski and Snowboard Exhibition held from April 8th to 17th. I am Mary Granger, coordinator of the event this year. The 10-day event features many highlights. As a snow sports lover, I know you are looking forward to a great time here. Now I’d like to offer you some practical information about the whole event and what to expect from it.

This might be the first time coming here for some of you. So for those who are still wondering about the right accommodation, I recommend Sky Hotel. It has its own health and sports clubs just like most of the hotels here, but I love it because of its incredibly cozy beds which guarantees good rest after an exhausting day of exploration. If you haven’t brought your own equipment, like poles, boots and skis, they are available for purchase or rent at Ski Set or Snow Rental. 

The exhibition this year provides a colorful look into the history of skiing and an inspiring peek into the future prospects of the sport. Apart from the fascinating photo exhibitions and the most up-to-date skiing gear like always, this year we have added four computers which can imitate the process of skiing, ensuring the same physical activity and sensations that appear during the skiing process on downhill slopes. But I have to warn you that it might be quite time-consuming to line up for the free trial experience. 

Many have posed the question as to how to enter the skiing and snowboarding competition. Well, rather than filling out the back of the entrance ticket or bombarding the committee with emails, the most effective method is by checking out the exhibition newsletter delivered every month for availability. As the most beloved local event, the exhibition has also drawn attention from the press. Last year, massive media coverage was on the worrisome amount of snowfall. In order to avoid the same predicament, several artificial skiing slopes have been built. With more participants this year, we have lowered the entrance fee which has been widely reported by local newspapers.          

A bonus for our participants is the ski program. It offers a wide variety of lessons and sessions with qualified instructors ensuring that all ages and abilities are catered to from the first timers to seasoned amateurs. I strongly advise you to sign up for the program as it is offering an unprecedented 30% discount. That’s mainly because we are cooperating with the program organiser who promises affordable prices only for the participants of the festival this year.

Now I would like to introduce to you the list of presentations during the following week so that you can better plan your schedule.

The first presenter Simon is one of our best ski instructors. As an experienced instructor, he will inform you about the dangers that face skiers and snowboarders. Accidents happen mostly to those who are careless or ignorant. Good risk management involves considering both the probability and consequences of an accident.

The next speech titled Solution is given by Jamie Kurt. A list of problems may occur to novice skiers and snowboarders, so he is going to offer useful information for first timers on choosing the appropriate gears, the right dress code and ways of protecting your skin. For instance, some of you may have rented the skiing equipment, but rental footwear is notoriously uncomfortable. Then Jamie will provide instructions to help make your footwear fit better.

The third speech is about a documentary introducing skiing and snowboarding and the difference between the two sports. It also depicts a group of snow lovers exploring new slopes with breath-taking views. The director Andy Fisher will be there, addressing the whole shooting experience.

The fourth talk is about the tricks of skiing, presented by Harry Tyson. It is most useful for those who have already tried skiing, yet still need more practice to master the sport. Harry will teach you how to turn more skillfully. A lot of people can keep their skis roughly parallel but there’s no point if you make it hard to work with and slide around out of control. Useful exercises will also be suggested to improve your parallel skiing technique so that you can tackle steeper slopes and enjoy yourself more.

Johnson Smith will be the last presenter, mainly addressing towards advanced skiers. He manages to apply snow climbing into skiing. Climbing in soft snow, you are floundering around. Walking becomes harder, so a good trick during climbing is to maintain a wider gait, approximately shoulder width, so that you are more stable while walking. This works for skiing as well.

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

Good afternoon and welcome to my talk on urban migration today. The world has experienced unprecedented urban growth in the recent decades. As much as 3% of Earth’s landmass has been urbanised, an increase of at least 50% over previous estimates. Today, people living in cities already outnumber those in rural areas and the trend does not appear to be reversing. In addition, cities have larger amounts of carbon consumption than rural areas. This is a result from two major aspects. First, with the increase of urban population around the world, the massive construction of urban infrastructure and residential housing is hard to avoid. Second, urban households have a higher rate of car ownership and use more gasoline products. 

Even though rural exodus is often negatively judged, there are also benefits of migration shared by the local environment and the society as a whole. Well, firstly, global trends of increasing urban migration and population urbanisation can provide opportunities for nature conservations, particularly in regions where deforestation is driven by agriculture. As rural dwellers leave their homes, local forests are left to recover.

What’s more, it is easier for city dwellers to get around. Living in the country means transport can be very difficult. For instance, after midnight there are no buses or taxis in the countryside. However, there is still a number of public transport modes to choose from in the city.

Finally, with more funds and advanced technology, cities endeavour to produce clean energy. New power plants have been built to take harmful methane gas created by the decomposition of rubbish, and convert it into electricity. By doing so, an important greenhouse gas is turned into useful energy rather than being directly emitted into the atmosphere.

The hustle and bustle of city life offers women :he opportunity to explore different professions and pursue their own careers. Women in cities work as engineers, managers and even football players. This change of roles has affected their marital status and family life. More women are choosing their careers over marriage, which raises the graph of late marriages. As a result, more are remaining single well into their late thirty’s. They want to be independent and earn money on their own. It is also easier for them to get a promotion while working in the city. Women are slowly achieving wider participation at work, while in rural areas the mindset is still very conservative.

However, cities also change the way that humans interact with each other and the environment, often causing multiple problems. In general, urban wages are significantly higher, so moving to the city is an opportunity to earn what was impossible in rural areas. However, the wage difference is often offset by the higher cost of living and absence of self-produced goods, including subsistence farming. A sizable proportion of new comers attach greater importance to money and gradually abandon their former way of life, thus risking losing their culture.

These new city residents are also faced with another problem. According to statistics, crime rates are significantly higher in densely populated urban regions than in rural areas. For instance, property crime rates in our metropolitan areas are three to four times as high in comparison to the rates in rural communities. Immigrants, upon arrival into cities, typically move into the poor, blighted neighbourhoods because that is where they can afford to live. Crime in these areas is high and reflects poor living conditions, as these neighbourhoods experience great levels of poverty. This pattern also occurs for violent crimes, which is much more common in large urban areas than elsewhere.

In addition, traffic congestion and industrial manufacturing are prominent features of the urban landscape, which take their toll on the natural environment and those who depend on it. Air pollution from both cars and factory emissions affect the health of countless urban residents.

Rural to urban migration can boost the urban economy. With a better economy, cities provide their residents with better welfare. But the concentration of services and facilities, such as education, health and technology in urban areas inevitably contributes to greater energy consumption. Another problem with life in the city is traffic congestion. It makes people late to work and thus stresses us out before we even get there. Deliveries can’t arrive on time. Gas costs money. The quality of life of those commuters starts to decline. What’s worse is that if congestion makes it harder to match the right workers to the best jobs, it is economically inefficient, as well.

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Great thanks to volunteer Hue Uriatp has contributed these explanations markings.

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