[IELTS 6.] - Mindset 1: Unit 5.1 - Reading & Writing

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(Vui lòng xem hết bài giảng trước khi ấn nút "Next" để làm bài tập.)

Match to make correct sentences.

1 - 1.1

2 - 1.2

3 - 1.3

4 - 1.4

Choose the best introductory paragraph – A, B or C – to go with the next paragraph.

The holiday started well. The weather was beautiful and the views from the hotel were fantastic. There was so much to do – tennis in the morning, walks after lunch, dinner on the terrace. We thought nothing could go wrong. It was only after a couple of days that we began to notice the problem.

=> Answer:

Here is the introduction and topic sentence for the essay with the title ‘My favourite sport’.

Choose the next four sentences to complete the body paragraph. Number them in order. Write 1, 2, 3 and 4 in each blank at the beginning of the correct sentences, write x for the rest.

3.1 A. You can also throw the ball.

3.2 B. However, I don’t like playing football.

3.3 C. The aim of this game is to shoot the ball through the hoop and to score points.

3.4 D. However, you cannot walk with the ball, but you can run and bounce the ball at the same time.

3.5 E. Basketball is a team game with five players on each side.

3.6 F. The best time for running is in the evening.

The following reading passage has four sections, A-D. Choose the correct heading, i-viii, for each section from the list of headings.

There are more headings than sections, so you will not use them all.

A. Although the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico is a desert, it does rain there. In fact, for a desert, it is fairly wet, with 3 to 16 inches of rain a year. It is also one of the hotter deserts of North America. The average high temperature is 86 degrees, although temperatures can reach well over 100 degrees in some southern areas. On the other hand, nighttime temperatures can fall to freezing in other parts of the desert.

B. The magnificent saguaro cactus, which can grow as high as fifty feet tall, lives only in the Sonoran Desert, and then only in those parts of the desert where conditions are right. It is found only in elevations below 3,500 feet as it cannot withstand freezing temperatures. This mighty plant is well-adapted to the dry Sonoran climate. In addition to the large taproot, which helps hold it up, it also has a system of roots that spread out just below the surface of the ground, ready to soak up the rain when it does fall. The spines that cover the cactus stem point downward, directing the raindrops toward the base of the plant where the roots are. The stems can absorb and store large amounts of water. The pores of the cactus open only at night, closing up during the sunny daytime to prevent moisture loss.

C. The saguaro provides shelter for a variety of desert birds. Gila woodpeckers and gilded flickers hollow out holes in the sides of the cactus to make their nests. After they abandon their cactus homes, other birds move in and nest in the hollows the woodpeckers created. Screech owls, purple martins, and house finches are among the birds that call the saguaro home.

D. In addition to shelter, the saguaro is also a source of food for many animals. When the cactus reaches sixty or seventy years old, it is finally ready to flower. Each flower blooms for only a day and, during that short time, animals swoop in to take advantage. Long-nosed bats suck up the sweet nectar. Bees, wasps, ants, and butterflies all enjoy a sweet meal from the flower. Later in the season, the fruit and seeds provide nourishment for birds, mice, rats, squirrels, skunks, and foxes. Just about any animal can find something good to eat on a saguaro cactus.

Paragraph A: 4.1

Paragraph B: 4.2

Paragraph C: 4.3

Paragraph D: 4.4

The reading passage below has seven paragraphs, A-G. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings.

Wily, wired consumers
The Internet has empowered shoppers both online and offline

A. The amount of time people spend researching, checking prices, visiting stores, and seeking advice from friends tends to rise in proportion to the value of the product they are thinking of buying. A new car is one of the biggest purchases people make, and buyers typically spend four to six weeks mulling over their choices. So why are some people now walking into car showrooms and ordering a vehicle without asking for a test drive? Or turning up at an electrical store and pointing out the washing machine they want without seeking advice from a sales assistant? Welcome to a new style of shopping shaped by the Internet.

B. More people are buying products online, especially at peak buying periods. The total value of e-commerce transactions in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2004 reached $18 billion, a 22% increase over the same period in 2003, according to the Department of Commerce in Washington DC. But that just represents 2% of America's total retail market and excludes services, such as online travel, the value of goods auctioned on the Internet, and the $34 billion worth of goods that individuals trade on eBay.

C. If you consider the Internet's wider influence over what people spend their money on, then the figures escalate out of sight. Some carmakers in America now find that eight out of ten of their buyers have logged on to the Internet to gather information about not just the exact vehicle they want, but also the price they are going to pay. Similar to consumer electronics, nowadays if a customer wants to know which flat-screen TV they should buy, they are likely to start their shopping online - even though the vast majority will not complete the transaction there.

D. The Internet is moving the world closer to perfect product and price information. The additional knowledge it can provide makes consumers more self-assured and bold enough to go into a car dealership and refuse to bargain. As a result, the process of shopping is increasingly being divorced from the transaction itself. Consumers might surf the web at night and hit the shops during the day. Visiting bricks-and-mortar stores can provide the final confirmation that the item or group of items that they are interested in is right for them.

E. Far from losing trade to online merchants, stores that offer the sorts of goods people find out about online can gain from this new form of consumer behavior. This is provided they offer attractive facilities, good guarantees, and low prices.

F. Merchants who charge too much and offer poor service, however, should beware. The same, too, for shaky manufacturers: smarter consumers know which products have a good reputation and which do not, because online they now read not only the sales blurb but also reviews from previous purchasers. And if customers are disappointed, a few clicks of the mouse will take them to places where they can let the world know. 

G. Some companies are already adjusting their business models to take account of these trends. The stores run by Sony and Apple, for instance, are more like brand showrooms than shops. They are there for people to try out devices and to ask questions of knowledgeable staff. Whether the products are ultimately bought online or offline is of secondary importance. Online traders must also adjust. Amazon, for one, is rapidly turning from being primarily a bookseller to becoming a mass retailer, by letting other companies sell products on its site, rather like a marketplace. Other transformations in the retail business are bound to follow.

Paragraph A: 5.1

Paragraph B: 5.2

Paragraph C: 5.3

Paragraph D: 5.4

Paragraph E: 5.5

Paragraph F: 5.6

Paragraph G: 5.7

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write at least 250 words about the following topic: 

Governments alone cannot be expected to solve environmental problems. It is also the responsibility of businesses and individuals to help. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.