IELTS General Reading Test 24 With Answers
IELTS General Reading Test 24 With Answers
Section 1
Question 1-14
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on Reading Passages below.
Write answers to questions in boxes 1-14 on your answer sheet.
Read the text below and answer Questions 1-7.
THE BEST SUITCASES
Briggs and Riley Weekender
A weekend suitcase that’s sophisticated and unusually spacious for its type. The strong nylon outer fabric is water and abrasion resistant, so it should handle any knocks without showing signs of damage.
Mulberry Scotchgrain
Trimmed in brown leather, with gold details, this bag from the renowned fashion house is a truly indulgent buy. If you’re investing this much in a suitcase then you’d better be planning an amazing holiday to go with it.
Rimova Salsa
A design you can trust, this case is built from super light polycarbonate and is incredibly solid. The built-in combination lock offers state-of-the-art security so you can travel with peace of mind.
Tripp Holiday
Simple and affordable, the Tripp range offers a great selection of tough cases. They also come in a huge range of cheerful colours that should go with anything you choose to put on, and you’ll definitely be able to spot it on the luggage carousel at the airport.
Eastpak Tranverz Holdall
For those who want something in between an annual holiday suitcase and a weekend bag, this is a fantastic compromise. With two wheels and a telescopic handle, the bag is guaranteed for 30 years. Did we mention it also comes in colourful leopard print?
Herschel Parcel
From the brand behind some of today’s most popular rucksacks, this suitcase really is a delight. Custom printed, with Herschel’s signature leather toggles this well-crafted case is as cool, stylish and up to date as they come.
The Diplomat
Travel in style with this beautiful suitcase that goes back to the days when trains ran on steam and air travel was leisurely. The leather case, part of the Steamline Luggage range, features roller wheels and a metal frame to hold it in shape.
Questions 1 – 7
IELTS General Reading Test 24 With Answers
Look at the seven reviews of suitcases, A-G.
For which suitcase are the following statements true?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
1. This suitcase is for those who wish to purchase expensive luggage.
2. This suitcase is the right one for people who like to follow the latest fashion.
3. It is easy to choose one of these suitcases to match most clothing.
4. The manufacturer is confident that this suitcase will last a long time.
5. Items in this suitcase will not be affected if it gets wet.
6. This suitcase is of a useful, medium size.
7. Those who want to be reminded of an earlier age of travel will like this suitcase.
Read the text below and answer Questions 8-14.
THE OXFORD SCHOOL OF DRAMA
IELTS General Reading Test 24 With Answers
One-Year Acting Course
This is an intensive course which is designed for those who have completed their academic studies and have some theatre or film experience already. In order to be accepted, you should be a high achiever, knowledgeable about the industry and determined to succeed.
Term One: Technical classes in acting, voice, movement, applied movement and characterisation, music, singing, film, radio and professional development. The term finishes with an internal production given for tutors and students.
Term Two: All technical classes continue from term one. There is an internal performance of a one-act play, the recording of an audio showreel at a professional studio and the Showcase Drama in front of an invited audience including casting directors and agents.
Term Three: Technical classes continue with additional focus on audition technique, workshops and masterclasses. This term includes a public performance of a play outdoors in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, and the chance to act a short film recorded on location by a professional crew.
How to Apply
Entry to The Oxford School of Drama is by audition only and there are no academic requirements for any of our courses.
Once we have received your application form and audition fee, we will email you with a date for your audition and further details about what to expect when you are here.
For your initial audition, you will need to prepare two contrasting speeches from plays, lasting no longer than two minutes. There will also be some group work for which you will need to wear loose, comfortable clothing.
If you are applying from overseas, you will be able to submit your first audition by means of DVD, YouTube or link to a secure website. You will be invited to submit this once we have received your application form and audition fee. If you are successful in your first audition, you will be invited to attend future auditions here at the school. The school will provide a free bus from central Oxford for those attending auditions.
Questions 8-14
IELTS General Reading Test 24 With Answers
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
In boxes 8-14 on your answer sheet, 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
8. Students can begin the one-year course without any previous involvement in acting.
9. Students will act in a performance in front of their classmates at the end of the first term.
10. Family members may attend a performance during the second term.
11. Students are required to make a film on their own in the last term of the course.
12. In their first audition, candidates perform speeches they have worked on in advance.
13. The Oxford School of Drama will send candidates details of local accommodation.
14. Overseas candidates can do all their auditions via a digital link.
Read the text below and answer Questions 15-27.
RIGHTS OF PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE
1. An employer cannot fire a woman because she’s pregnant:
Sometimes, employers try to disguise the discrimination behind good intentions. They explain they’re worried about safety, for example. In other cases, the discrimination is more blatant. Either way, it’s illegal.
Take this example from a wings restaurant chain in the Houston-area. The company had a written policy to lay off female workers after the third month of their pregnancies. A federal investigation showed the company laid off eight pregnant employees. A manager told investigators that keeping pregnant employees at work any longer would “be irresponsible with respect to her child’s safety.”
But companies cannot fire employees for this reason. Exceptions are rare, even when a job entails being exposed to toxic chemicals or lifting heavy objects. Courts have ruled that decisions about the safety of the woman and fetus are up to the employee and her doctor, not her boss.
2. A company cannot refuse to hire a woman because she’s pregnant — or because she may become pregnant in the future:
Peggy Mastroianni, Legal Counsel in the EEOC, said this is very common, especially with workers applying for low wage jobs. This problem occurs even at companies that rely on pregnant women as their customers.
A Philadelphia-based franchise of clothes retailer Motherhood Maternity paid $375,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination and retaliation suit in 2007 after the company allegedly refused to hire three qualified female applicants because they were pregnant. It’s also illegal to not hire a woman because she may become pregnant in the future.
“There is still a stigma against hiring younger women for some jobs, where an employer wants to know somebody is going to be on a job for years without interruption,” said Vicki Shabo, vice president at the National Partnership for Women & Families.
3. New mothers have the right to pump breast milk at work in a safe place. A company cannot fire or discriminate against a woman because she’s lactating:
You can thank Obamacare for this protection. The Affordable Care Act requires employers to provide reasonable breaks to new mothers to pump breast milk for up to one year after a child’s birth. Employers are also required to provide a safe and private place other than a bathroom, to do so.
But there is an exception for small companies. If a company with fewer than 50 employees can prove that offering breaks or a private space would cause “undue hardship” to the company, it may not have to offer this accommodation to their employees.
4. In some cases, pregnancy-related conditions may entitle women to special accommodations:
A normal pregnancy without complications is not considered a disability under federal law, and it does not entitle a worker to special treatment. That said, women who have complications or temporary impairments related to their pregnancy must be treated the same as other workers with medical impairments.
If a company has a policy in place that, for example, offers a light-duty assignment for a few months to a worker who injured his back, the company is also expected to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a pregnant woman who requires light-duty due to her pregnancy.
Other examples of reasonable accommodations may include letting a worker sit on a stool rather than stand during her shift, changing her work schedule if she has severe morning sickness, or allowing her to keep a water bottle at her workstation.
.
The worker usually needs to provide a doctor’s note, establishing there’s a medical condition that may temporarily limit her work capabilities. In the case of a pregnancy, common impairments include severe morning sickness, back pain, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes and complications that require bed rest. There are some exceptions, but again, to avoid providing an accommodation, an employer has to prove that doing so would cause “undue hardship” to the company.
5. An employer cannot force you to take time off or change jobs if you’re still able to do your job:
Sometimes an employer thinks they’re acting in the best interest of the employee — or protecting itself from liabilities — when it decides to reassign a pregnant woman or new parent to a less strenuous job. Employers cannot base employment decisions on assumptions about pregnant women’s capabilities and health concerns.
For example, a boss cannot prevent a pregnant worker from travelling on business trips, because he’s concerned about her health. A company cannot deny a pregnant woman a promotion, assuming once she returns to work after childbirth, she will be less committed to her job. Employers also cannot reassign workers to less desirable jobs, even temporarily, due to concerns about a pregnancy.
Questions 15-20
IELTS General Reading Test 24 With Answers
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
Write your answer in boxes 15-20 on your answer sheet.
15. An employer cannot ………………………… a pregnant worker from the company.
16. It is against the law not to hire a woman because she may become ………………………… in the future.
17. A new mother is able to pump breast ………………………….. in a safe place.
18. The worker must provide a ……………………… note if they have complications that impact their daily work activities.
19. An employer cannot give a pregnant woman a less …………………… job.
20. A company cannot withhold a ……………………………. just because the employee is pregnant.
Questions 21-27
IELTS General Reading Test 24 With Answers
Answer the questions below.
Choose ONE OR TWO WORDS ONLY AND/OR A NUMBER from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 21-27 on your answer sheet.
21. Who decides if the workplace is safe for a pregnant employee?
22. What is very common, when pregnant women are applying for low earning roles?
23. What can new mothers do in the workplace in a safe place?
24. What can a pregnant worker keep at her workstation?
25. What does the worker have to provide if they have a medical condition related to pregnancy?
26. What do some new mothers have the chance of losing after returning to work?
27. What do some employers want to stop pregnant workers from doing?
Section 3
Question 28-40
You should spend about 20 minutes to complete this task.
Read the text below and answers questions 28-40 on your answer sheet.
Read the text below and answer Questions 28-36.
Questions 28-36
IELTS General Reading Test 24 With Answers
The text has nine paragraphs, A-I.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-xi, in boxes 28-36 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i. Various sources of supplies
ii. The effects of going outside
iii. Oymyakon past and present
iv. A contrast in the landscape
v. Animals that can survive the cold
vi. How Oymyakon is affected by its location
vii. Keeping out the cold
viii. Not the only challenging time of the year
ix. Better than its reputation
x. Very few facilities in buildings
xi. More snow than anywhere else in the world
28. Paragraph A
29. Paragraph B
30. Paragraph C
31. Paragraph D
32. Paragraph E
33. Paragraph F
34. Paragraph G
35. Paragraph H
36. Paragraph I
A visit to Oymyakon, the world’s coldest town
A.
You don’t need a sat nav to drive to Oymyakon. From Yakutsk, you cross the Lena River and simply follow the M56 almost all of the way before taking a left at Tomtor for the final few kilometres. The journey takes two days of hard driving; two days of glistening landscapes, frozen rivers and untouched snow; the two days of endless forest and breathtaking beauty; two days to penetrate the heart of Siberia and reach the coldest inhabited place on Earth. The beauty surprised me. Siberia isn’t known for its pleasant appearance. It’s always billed as a place of hardship. But for hour after hour, the wintry wonderland was bathed in a crisp, clean sunshine, presenting a continuous panorama of conifer trees wreathed in silence and snow.
B.
As we left the flat plain, the road began to twist and turn, leading us into untouched hills and on towards the Verkhoyansk Mountains. Beneath their snow-clad peaks, the slopes became steeper and the valleys deeper. Down in a valley, we stopped to look at a hot spring beside the road. It was immediately obvious against the snow – a spot shrouded in heavy mist. Trees emerged from the strange haze as ghostly silhouettes.
C.
Despite the magical ambience of the Siberian wilderness, its reputation for hardship hit me every time I climbed out of the vehicle. Within less than a minute, the skin all over my face began to feel as if it were burning. If I wasn’t wearing my two sets of gloves, I rapidly lost the feeling in my fingertips. I learned very quickly not to draw too deep a breath because the shock of the cold air in my lungs invariably set me off on an extended bout of coughing. Siberia in winter is a world barely fit for human habitation. This is a place of such searing cold that it bites through multiple layers of clothing as if they aren’t there.
D.
Oymyakon is a quiet little town – the world’s coldest – of about 550 inhabitants, with its own power station, a school, two shops and a small hospital. It probably originated as a seasonal settlement where reindeer herders spent the summer on the banks of the Indigirka River.
E.
The temperature when I arrived was -45°C – not particularly cold, I was informed. A number of factors combine to explain Oymyakon’s record low temperatures. It is far from the ocean, with its moderating effect on air temperature. In addition, the town sits in a valley, below the general level of the Oymyakon Plateau, which, in turn, is enclosed on all sides by mountains up to 2,000 metres in height. As the cold air sinks, it accumulates in the valley, with little wind to disturb it. Oymyakon’s average temperature in January is -50°C. Lower temperatures have been recorded in Antarctica, but there are no permanent inhabitants there.
F.
Day-to-day life in Oymyakon presents certain challenges during the long winters. There are hardly any modern household conveniences. Water is hacked out of the nearby river as great chunks of ice and dragged home on a sledge. The giant ice cubes are stacked outdoors and carried into the house one at a time to melt when needed. The lack of running water also means no showers or baths, or indeed flushing toilets. Since 2008, the town’s school has enjoyed the luxury of indoor toilets, however. It’s one of the small number of civic buildings in the centre of town that are linked to the power station.
G.
The power station provides winter heating in the form of hot water, but many houses lie outside its range and rely on their own wood-burning stove. Fuel is plentiful enough in the surrounding forest, but someone still has to venture out to cut the wood. Everybody in Oymyakon owns good boots, a hat made of animal fur and fur-lined mittens. The boots are usually made from reindeer hide, which is light but keeps your feet very warm – the individual hairs are hollow, like a thin tube with air inside. Since air is a poor conductor of heat, the skin makes excellent winter footwear, and felt soles give added insulation. Hats come in a variety of furs, including fox, raccoon, sable and mink.
H.
Oymyakon’s two shops keep a decent stock of basic foods in tins and packets, but locals also have do-it-yourself options, including hunting, trapping, ice-fishing, reindeer-breeding and horse-breeding. Indeed, being self-sufficient runs in the blood in Siberia. The Oymyakon diet relies heavily on meat for its protein, a primary source of energy in the prolonged winter. Unsurprisingly, given the weather, everyone eats heartily in Oymyakon. A typical meal I was offered consisted of a thick horse soup and huge piles of horse meatballs, all washed down with cloudberry cordial.
I.
Spring is the best season here, I’m told. The snow melts, the river flows once more and the forest is full of wildflowers. But it’s short. In the summer Oymyakon can be uncomfortably hot. Much of the forest becomes boggy, so mosquitoes are a constant presence. Oymyakon’s climate certainly wouldn’t suit me, but residents I spoke to said they wouldn’t live anywhere else.
Questions 37-40
IELTS General Reading Test 24 With Answers
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.
Why Oymyakon gets so cold
Oymyakon is a long way from any 37………..…….. which would prevent the temperature from falling so low. The town is located in a 38 ……..……….. within a plateau surrounded by 39 ……..……….. Because there is not much 40 …………..….. cold air collects in the town.