[IELTS 5.] Unit 3.1 - Reading & Listening

Read the following passage then choose the best answer to each question.

The main elements required for survival are food, fire, shelter and water. Their order of importance will depend upon where you happen to be. In the desert water will head the list; in polar regions shelter and fire will be the main concerns. Ordering your priorities is the first step to survival.

It takes a healthy person quite a long time to die of starvation, for the body can use up its stored resources, but exposure to wind, rain and cold can be fatal even in mild climates and death comes in only minutes in the icy waters of the poles. Food is rarely the first priority. Even in those places where it is difficult to find, there are usually other problems to face first. Shelter will often be the prime necessity in extremes of climate or temperatures such as in the frozen polar regions or in the baking deserts. The need for fire is closely linked.

Water is something that most people in the modern world take for granted. They are so used to turning on a tap that until an extreme drought causes water rationing they seldom think about it. Yet the survivor at sea, or after a flood, though surrounded by water, may be desperate for drinkable water. And there are many places where, unless it rains, no obvious water is available. Although there could be other survival necessities to deal with, water is always universally important. 

The factor which decides the order of importance or the main elements required for survival is _____.

The basic need that may NOT be equally important as the others in extremely cold places is _____.

Fire is described as _____.

According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

Read the following passage then choose the best answer to each question.

The Psychology of Fame

Until the beginning of the 1990s western psychologists had not systematically studied the human desire to be famous. However, in the few years up to this time the amount of celebrity news in the media had been increasing dramatically. Scientists at various US universities then started to investigate the reasons why some humans seem to be driven to become famous, while others have no interest in attracting the limelight. Extensive research with people from different cultures led to the conclusion that people who desire fame are not the same people who want to be rich. The former group may have some desire for social acceptance based on previous experiences in their lives, it seems that many of these people used to find it difficult to make friends when they were younger or they didn’t use to receive praise or recognition from their parents. The psychologists believe that it is likely that these people would often demand attention from others as teenagers and this desire has remained in adulthood and is now expressed as a longing to be famous. Conversely, those who want to be rich are much more focused on the future than the past; in contrast to the former group, the study found that many of this group had learned from their parents that success is generated by hard work and that their friends and family had always encouraged them to strive for the best in life. These conclusions suggest that there is a link between our upbringing and how we measure our success. 

What reasons do scientists give to explain why some people may want to be famous? You can choose more than one answer.

What did the scientists do in order to reach their conclusions? 

In the study, how were the people who want to be rich different from those who want to be famous? 

Label the map below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

16. 8.1

17. 8.2

18. 8.3

19. 8.4

20. 8.5