PRACTICE TEST 30’ – IELTS FOUNDATION

I. Read the text and answer questions 1-3, using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for
each answer.
Illness is defined in a variety of ways, which depend on a number of factors. One of these factors
is age differences. Older people tend to accept as 'normal' a range of pains and physical
limitations which younger people would define as symptoms of some illness or disability. As we
age, we gradually redefine health and accept greater levels of physical discomfort.
In Blaxter's (1990) national survey of health definitions, she found that young people tend to
define health in terms of physical fitness, but gradually, as people age, health comes to be
defined more in terms of being able to cope with everyday tasks. She found examples of older
people with really serious arthritis, who nevertheless defined themselves as healthy, as they were
still able to carry out a limited range of routine activities.
Read the text and answer questions 1-3, using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for
each answer
1. Why do some people accept pain as a part of life?
Because they old
2. What did Blaxter want to find out about?
Young defined health
3. What does the text say about how older people define health?
They health
Exercise 3. Answer questions 1-6. Complete the table. Choose no more than TWO WORDS
from the passage for your answer.
EATING CHOCOLATE IS GOOD FOR YOU
A Chocolate makes you live longer. Researchers at Harvard University concluded that this is likely to be
due to the fact that cocoa contains antioxidants called polyphenols, also found in red wine, which prevent
the oxidation of harmful cholesterol. Antioxidants are also known to protect against cancer.

B Chocolate is good for stress. This is thought to be because it contains valeric acid, which is a relaxant and
tranquillizer. Also, the sugar in chocolate may reduce stress - sugar has been shown to have a calming and
pain-relieving effect on babies and animals because sweet tastes activate the opiate-like substances in our
brain.

C We all know that chocolate makes us feel better. The smell of chocolate has been found to slow down brain
waves, making us feel calm. Also, because most of us find eating chocolate so pleasurable, we release
endorphins, which have similar pharmacological actions as morphine, acting as pain-relievers and giving us
a sense of wellbeing.

D Chocolate could boost concentration. This can occur, for example, if you eat it mid- afternoon, when blood
sugar levels get a bit low. Chocolate has a reasonably low glycaemic index (GI), which means it gives long-
lasting energy because it doesn't raise blood sugar too quickly. Also, chocolate is a good source of chromium,
which helps control blood sugar because it is involved in making glucose available in the body.

E Chocolate helps us digest milk. Researchers at Rhode Island University have shown that cocoa stimulates
activity of the enzyme lactase in the intestine. We need this to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk.
Lactose-intolerant patients showed a reduction in bloating, cramping and diarrhea when one-and-a-half
teaspoons of cocoa were added to a cup of milk.

F Chocolate can make you more alert. It contains a stimulant called theobromine, a caffeine-like substance
that is thought to make us more alert. But theobromine doesn't have the side-effect of giving us the jitters,
like caffeine, and chocolate contains only minute amounts of caffeine - a mug of coffee has about 85mg
compared with just 1mg in three squares of chocolate.

1. Harmful cholesterol.
2. Tress – sugar
3. release endorphins
4. blood sugar
5. enzyme lactase
 6. theobromine

IV. Complete the table. Use no more than TWO WORDS from the text.
The future for petroleum use at the moment looks rather uncertain, despite enjoying the major
benefit of a very advanced infrastructure already in place. The downsides from the
environmental point of view are patently obvious: harm to public health through carbon dioxide
emissions in exhaust fumes, which are linked to respiratory problems, and to precious
ecosystems from oil spills and seepage. But the most significant weakness is that oil is a finite
resource.
The picture for natural gas is similarly mixed, while its main strength lies in its being a relatively
clean fuel involving little processing and being easily transportable via pipelines, natural gas
requires compression or low temperatures if it is to be used for cars or other vehicles. Thus, it has
not previously been a serious contender to provide private transportation. There are now signs,
however, that this obstacle may have been overcome. Yet there is another problem with natural
gas. It may produce less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels, but the major stumbling block to
its use is that the methane 15 released lives for a long time in the atmosphere. In addition, as it is
a nonrenewable energy source like petroleum, in coming years natural gas will not be in use. But
in the short term at least, the situation looks rosy.
Ethanol, despite the drawback of a dearth of commercial outlets, heralds a new dawn for the
energy market. But, before we consider ethanol in depth, let US look 20 at hydrogen. It is
perhaps the most attractive of all renewable fuels. Its greatest appeal is that it is readily available
everywhere in the form of water (H20). Solar energy is used to split the water into hydrogen and
oxygen and then recombine it, with water being the waste by-product in the form of steam in
vehicles. Perhaps its main drawback is making the hydrogen production units small enough to fit
cars. But once this happens, the future of hydrogen is bright indeed.

1. Finite resource
2. Methane
3. short term
4. commercial outlets
5. new dawn
 6.
7. bright indeed
V. Read the text and answer the questions using NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS.
A Many Australians celebrate New Year's Eve on 31 December each year. It is the day before
New Year's Day, the 1 January. New Year's Eve is not a public holiday in Australia but schools
and colleges are closed because it is a holiday period. Some offices may also be closed because a
lot of people don't go to work during this time.
B Many Australian cities have special New Year's Eve events that include parades, music and
entertainment. Some people go to masquerade parties. Other people have picnics in parks or have
special parties and barbeques in their own homes or on boats and beaches.
C The largest New Year's Eve celebrations take place in Sydney and Melbourne. In Sydney over
1.5 million people go to a massive firework display with around 5 000 fireworks let off from the
bridge and from boats in the harbor.
D Firework displays mark the end of the old year and the beginning of the New Year. The largest
and most impressive firework displays are at midnight on New Year's Eve. It is a way of saying
goodbye to the past and saying hello to the future.

Questions 1 – 5

1 When is New Year’s Day?

________on 31 December _______

2 What are some special events of Australian cities during the occasion?
____________parades, music and entertainment.____________
3 In which two cities do the largest New Year celebrations take place?
____Sydney and Melbourne_______________
4 How many people watch the firework display in Sydney?
______1.5 million people _________
5 What are characteristics of the firework displays during midnight of New Year’s Eve?
______largest and most impressive___________