IELTS READING

Practice Reading Passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on  Questions 1-15 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below. 

A SPARK, A FLINT: HOW FIRE LEAPT TO LIFE

The control of fire was the first and perhaps greatest of humanity’s steps towards a life-enhancing technology

To early man, fire was a divine gift randomly delivered in the form of lightning, forest fire or burning lava. Unable to make flame for themselves, the earliest peoples probably stored fire by keeping slow-burning logs alight or by carrying charcoal in pots.

How and where man learnt how to produce flame at will is unknown. It was probably a secondary invention, accidentally made during tool-making operations with wood or stone. Studies of primitive societies suggest that the earliest method of making fire was through friction. European peasants would insert a wooden drill in a round hole and rotate it briskly between their palms. This process could be speeded up by wrapping a cord around the drill and pulling on each end.

The Ancient Greeks used lenses or concave mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays and burning glasses were also used by Mexican Aztecs and the Chinese.

Percussion methods of fire-lighting date back to Paleolithic times, when some Stone Age tool-makers discovered that chipping flints produced sparks. The technique became more efficient after the discovery of iron about 5000 years ago. In Arctic North America, the Eskimos produced a slow-burning spark by striking quartz against iron pyrites, a compound that contains sulphur. The Chinese lit their fires by striking porcelain with bamboo. In Europe, the combination of steel, flint, and tinder remained the main method of steel, flint, and tinder remained the main method of fire-lighting until the mid-19^th century.

Fire-lighting was revolutionized by the discovery of phosphorus, isolated in 1669 by a German alchemist trying to transmute silver into gold. Impressed by the element’s combustibility, several 17th-century chemists used it to manufacture fire-lighting devices, but the results were dangerously inflammable. With phosphorus costing the equivalent of several hundred pounds per ounce, the first matches were expensive.

The quest for a practical match really began after 1781 when a group of French chemists came up with the Phosphoric Candle or Ethereal Match, a sealed glass tube containing a twist of paper tipped with phosphorus. When the tube was broken, air rushed in, causing the phosphorus to self-combust. An even more hazardous device, popular in America, was the Instantaneous LightBox – a bottle filled with sulphuric acid into which splints treated with chemicals were dipped.

The first matches resembling those used today were made in 1827 by John Walker, an English pharmacist who borrowed the formula from a military rocket-maker called Congreve. Costing a shilling a box, Congreves were splints coated with sulphur and tipped with potassium chlorate. To light them, the user drew them quickly through folded glass paper.

Walker never patented his invention, and three years later it was copied by a Samuel Jones, who marketed his product as Lucifers. About the same time, a French chemistry student caked Charles Sauria produced the first ‘strike-anywhere’ match by substituting while phosphorus for the potassium chlorate in the Walker formula. However, since white phosphorus is a deadly poison, from 1845 match-makers exposed to its fumes succumbed to necrosis, a disease that eats away jaw-bones. It wasn’t until 1906 that the substance was eventually banned.

That was 62 years after a Swedish chemist called Pasch had discovered non-toxic red or amorphous phosphorus, a development exploited commercially by Pasch’s compatriot J E Lundstrom in 1885. Lundstrom’s safety matches were safe because the red phosphorus was non-toxic; it was painted on to the striking surface instead of the match tip, which contained potassium chlorate with a relatively high ignition temperature of 182 degrees centigrade.

America lagged behind Europe in match technology and safety standards. It wasn’t until 1900 that the Diamond Match Company pioneered book matches. The innovation didn’t catch on until after 1896 when a brewery had the novel idea of advertising its product in matchbooks. Today book matches are the most widely used type in the US, with 90 percent handed out free by hotels, restaurants, and others.

Other American innovations include an anti-afterglow solution to prevent the match from smoldering after it has been blown out; and the waterproof match, which lights after eight hours in water.

Questions 1-8

Complete the summary below. Choose your answers from the box at the bottom of the page and write them in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.

NB There are more words than spaces so you will not use them all. You may use any of the words more than once.

EARLY FIRE-LIGHTING METHODS   

Primitive societies saw fire as a … (Example) … gift.             Answer:  heavenly

They tried to … (1) … burning logs or charcoal …(2) … that they could create fire themselves. It is suspected that the first man-made flames were produced by … (3) …

The very first fire-lighting methods involved the creation of …(4) … by, for example, rapidly … (5) …a wooden stick in a round hole. The use of … (6) … or persistent chipping was also widespread in Europe and among other peoples such as the Chinese and … (7) … European practice of this method continued until the 1850s … (8) … the discovery of phosphorus some years earlier.

                            List of Words

Mexicans            random                    rotating

Despite               preserve                   realizing

Sunlight              lacking                    heavenly

Percussion          chance                    friction

Unaware              without                  make

Heating               Eskimos                 surprised

Until                   smoke  

Questions 9-15

Look at the following that has been made about the matches described in Reading Passage 1. Decide which type of match (A-H) corresponds with each description and write your answers in boxes 9-15 on your answer sheet.

NB There are more matches than descriptions so you will not use them all. You may use any match more than once.

Example                                                   Answer

Could be lit after soaking in water                 H

                                

  NOTES

9. made using a less poisonous type of

    phosphorus

10. identical to a previous type of match

11. caused a deadly illness

12. first to look like modern matches

13. first matches used for advertising

14. relied on an airtight glass container

15. made with the help of an army design

Types of Matches

A     the Ethereal Match

B     the Instantaneous Lightbox

C    Congreves

D    Lucifers

E    the first strike-anywhere match

F    Lundstrom’s safety match

G    book matches

H    waterproof matches 

Practice Reading Passage 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on  Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. 

THE VALUE OF A COLLEGE DEGREE

The escalating cost of higher education is causing many to question the value of continuing education beyond high school. Many wonder whether the high cost of tuition, the opportunity cost of choosing college over full-time employment, and the accumulation of thousands of dollars of debt is, in the long run, worth the investment. The risk is especially large for low- income families who have a difficult time making ends meet without the additional burden of college tuition and fees.

In order to determine whether higher education is worth the investment, it is useful to examine what is known about the value of higher education and the rates of return on investment to both the individual and to society.

THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

There is considerable support for the notion that the rate of return on investment in higher education is high enough to warrant the financial burden associated with pursuing a college degree. Though the earnings differential between college and high school graduates varies over time, college graduates, on average, earn more than high school graduates. According to the Census Bureau, over an adult's working life, high school graduates earn an average of $1.2 million; associate’s degree holders earn about $1.6 million; and bachelor’s degree holders earn about $2.1 million (Day and Newburger, 2002).

These sizeable differences in lifetime earnings put the costs of college study in a realistic perspective. Most students today—about 80 percent of all students—enroll either in public four- year colleges or in public two-year colleges. According to the U.S. Department of Education report. Think College Early, a full-time student at a public four-year college pays an average of $8,655 for in-state tuition, room, and board (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). A full-time student in a public two-year college pays an average of $1,359 per year in tuition (U.S. Department of Education, 2002).

These statistics support the contention that, though the cost of higher education is significant, given the earnings disparity that exists between those who earn a bachelor's degree and those who do not, the individual rate of return on investment in higher education is sufficiently high to warrant the cost.

OTHER BENEFITS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

College graduates also enjoy benefits beyond increased income. A 1998 report published by the Institute for Higher Education Policy reviews the individual benefits that college graduates enjoy, including higher levels of saving, increased personal/professional mobility, improved quality of life for their offspring, better consumer decision making, and more hobbies and leisure activities (Institute for Higher Education Policy, 1998). According to a report published by the Carnegie Foundation, nonmonetary individual benefits of higher education include the tendency for postsecondary students to become more open-minded, more cultured, more rational, more consistent, and less authoritarian; these benefits are also passed along to succeeding generations (Rowley and Hurtado, 2002). Additionally, college attendance has been shown to "decrease prejudice, enhance knowledge of world affairs and enhance social status" while

increasing economic and job security for those who earn bachelor’s degrees (Ibid.). Research has also consistently shown a positive correlation between completion of higher education and good health, not only for oneself but also for one’s children. In fact, "parental schooling levels (after controlling for differences in earnings) are positively correlated with the health status of their children" and Increased schooling (and higher relative income) are correlated with lower mortality rates for given age brackets" (Cohn and Geske, 1992).

THE SOCIAL VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

A number of studies have shown a high correlation between higher education and cultural and family values, and economic growth. According to Elchanan Cohn and Terry Geske (1992), there is the tendency for more highly educated women to spend more time with their children; these women tend to use this time to better prepare their children for the future. Cohn and Geske (1992) report that "college graduates appear to have a more optimistic view of their past and future personal progress."

Public benefits of attending college include increased tax revenues, greater workplace productivity, increased consumption, increased workforce flexibility, and decreased reliance on government financial support (Institute for Higher Education Policy, 1998)...

CONCLUSION

While it is clear that investment in a college degree, especially for those students in the lowest income brackets, is a financial burden, the long-term benefits to individuals as well as to society at large, appear to far outweigh the costs.

Questions 1-4

Do the following statements agree with the information in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-4 on your Answer Sheet, write

TRUE   if the statement is true according to the passage.

FALSE   if the statement contradicts the passage.

NOT GIVEN   if there is no information about this in the passage.

1. The cost of a college education has remained steady for several years.

2. Some people have to borrow large amounts of money to pay for college.

3. About 80 percent of college students study at public colleges.

4. Public colleges cost less than private colleges.

Questions 5-9

Complete the fact sheet below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 5-9 on your Answer Sheet

Financial Costs and Benefits of Higher Education

—  The average high school graduate makes a little more than one million dollars in 5 ____________

—  The average person with an associate’s degree earns 6 ____________

—  The average 7 ____________  makes over two million dollars.

—  The average student at a four year college spends 8 $ ____________   a year on classes, housing, and food.

—  The average student at a two-year college spends $1,359 on 9 ____________

Questions 10-13

The list below shows some benefits which college graduates may enjoy more of as compared to noncollege graduates.

Which four of these benefits are mentioned in the article?

Write the appropriate letters A-G in boxes 10-13 on your Answer Sheet

A  They own bigger houses.

B  They are more optimistic about their lives.

C  They save more money.

D  They enjoy more recreational activities.

E  They have healthier children.

F  They travel more frequently.

G  They make more purchases.

READING PASSAGE 4

Questions 1-14

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14 which are based on Reading Passage 2 on the following pages.

INSOMNIA – THE ENEMY OF SLEEP

A

It is not unusual to have sleep troubles from time. But, if you feel you do not get enough sleep or satisfying sleep, you may have insomnia, a sleep disorder. People with insomnia have one or more of the following: difficulty falling asleep, waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep, waking up too early in the morning and unrefreshing sleep. Insomnia is not defined by the number of hours you sleep every night. The amount of sleep a person needs varies. While most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night, some people do well with less, and some need more.

B  

Insomnia occurs most frequently in people over age 60, in people with a history of depression, and in women, especially after menopause. Severe emotional trauma can also cause insomnia with divorced, widowed and separated people being the most likely to suffer from this sleep disorder. Stress, anxiety, illness and other sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome are the most common causes of insomnia. An irregular work schedule, jet lag or brain damage from a stroke or Alzheimer's disease can also cause insomnia as well as excessive use of alcohol or illicit drugs. It can also accompany a variety of mental illnesses.

C  

The mechanism that induces sleep is not known. When it becomes dark, the pineal gland in the brain secretes a hormone called melatonin, which is thought to induce sleep. Exactly why sleep is necessary for good health and efficient mental functioning is unknown. We do know that sleep consists of two very different states: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. In REM sleep, dreams occur, the eyes move under the closed lids and there is an increase in oxygen consumption, blood flow, and neural activity. REM sleep occurs four or five times during a night. Beginning periods last about ten to fifteen minutes but the periods get longer as the night goes on. The periods of REM sleep alternate with longer periods of non-REM sleep, when the body functions slow. Non-REM sleep has four stages. During the deepest stages (3 and 4) it is hard to rouse a sleeper. As the night goes on, the periods of non-REM sleep become progressively lighter. Sleep in stages 1 and 2 are felt to be restorative as during this time the body repairs itself utilizing a hormone called somatostatin. Lack of stage 4 sleep is believed to be important in chronically painful conditions such as fibromyalgia.

D 

Healthcare providers diagnose insomnia in several ways. One way is to categorize insomnia by how often it occurs. Another way is to identify insomnia by what is causing the sleep deprivation. The two main types of insomnia have been described as Primary Insomnia and Secondary Insomnia. Primary Insomnia is a chronic condition with little apparent association with stress or a medical problem. The most common form of primary insomnia is psychophysiological insomnia. Secondary insomnia is caused by symptoms that accompany a medical condition such as anxiety, depression or pain.

E   

Improving one’s sleep hygiene helps improve insomnia in all patients. Relaxing during the hour before you go to sleep and creating a comfortable environment suited for sleep can be helpful. Older people who wake up earlier than normal or have trouble falling asleep may need less sleep than they used to. Changing one’s sleep pattern, either by going to bed later or waking up earlier, can be effective in dealing with insomnia in older people. Therapy also depends on the cause and severity of insomnia. Transient and intermittent insomnia may not require any direct action since these conditions last only a few days at a time. However, if insomnia interferes with a person’s daily activities, something should be done. Usually, the best method of dealing with insomnia is by attacking the underlying cause. For example, people who are depressed often have insomnia and looking at this problem may eliminate it.

F     

Not getting enough sleep can make you less productive, irritable and unable to concentrate. Lack of sleep can make it seem as if you “got up out of the wrong side of the bed.” Early morning headaches and waking up feeling as if you never went to sleep can result in frustration. Stress can cause insomnia can result in missed work, which can cause you to become less productive and miss promotions. It can leave you feeling as in you just can’t get enough done. Insomnia can also mask serious mental disorders. People with insomnia may think that not getting enough sleep is their only problem, but insomnia may actually be one symptom of a larger disorder, such as depression. Studies show that people with insomnia are four times more likely to be depressed than people with a healthy

sleeping pattern. In addition, lack of sleep can tax the heart and lead to serious conditions like heart disease. All of these are important problems that can affect every part of your life.

G   

Establishing certain set routines can help insomniacs get better sleep. Examples of these routines include: going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, avoiding napping, avoiding caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and eating heavily late in the day, exercising regularly and making your bedroom comfortable in terms of the bed, noise and temperature. Insomniacs should also only use their bedroom for sleep so that their bodies associate the room with sleep. Finally, if you can’t get to sleep, don’t toss and turn all night. Get up and read or do something that is not overly stimulating until you feel really sleepy again.

Questions 1-6

The reading passage on Insomnia has 7 paragraphs (A-G).

From the list of headings below choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs

B – G.

Write the appropriate number (I – xi) in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

NB There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use them all.

Example                                Answer

Paragraph A                              iv

i      The Role of Sleep

 ii       Insomnia Medication

iii      Habits to Promote a Good Night’s Sleep

iv     What is Insomnia

V     Complications for Insomniacs

Vi        Government Action

Vii      Available Treatment for Insomnia

Viii    The Causes of Insomnia

ix      Therapy Solutions

X      Types of Insomnia

Xi     Current Research  

1. Paragraph  B

2. Paragraph  C

3. Paragraph  D

4. Paragraph  E

5. Paragraph  F

6. Paragraph  G

Questions 7-14

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer of the reading passage on Insomnia?

In Boxes 7-14 write:

YES    if the statement agrees with the writer

NO     if the statement doesn’t agree with the writer

NOT GIVEN   if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

7. Someone who only gets four hours of sleep a night must be suffering from insomnia.

8. Travelling can cause insomnia.

9. REM sleep is felt to be the most important for the body’s rest.

10. Secondary insomnia is far more common than primary insomnia.

11. Suffers of insomnia can attend specialist sleep clinics.

12. Many people suffering from insomnia don’t realize that they suffer from it.

13. There is no actual correlation linking insomnia and depression.

14. Sleeping during the day can make insomnia worse.

READING PASSAGE 5

You should spend about 20 minutes on  Questions 1-14 which are based on Reading Passage 5 below.

      MOLES HAPPY AS HOMES GO UNDERGROUND

A     The first anybody knew about Dutchman Frank Siegmund and his family was when workmen tramping through a field found a narrow steel chimney protruding through the grass. Closer inspection revealed a chink of sky-light window among the thistles, and when amazed investigators moved down the side of the hill they came across a pine door complete with leaded diamond glass and a brass knocker set into an underground building. The Siegmund had managed to live undetected for six years outside the border town of Breda, in Holland. They are the latest in a clutch of individualistic homemakers who have burrowed underground in search of tranquility.

B      Most, falling foul of strict building regulations, have been forced to dismantle their individualistic homes and return to more conventional lifestyles. But subterranean suburbia. Dutch-style is about to become respectable and chic. Seven luxury homes cosseted away inside a high earth-covered noise embankment next to the main Tilburg city road recently went on the market for $296,500 each. The foundations had yet to be dug, but customers queued up to buy the unusual part-submerged houses, whose back wall consists of a grassy mound and whose front is a long glass gallery.

C     T Dutch is not the only would-be moles. Growing numbers of Europeans are burrowing below ground to create houses, offices, discos and shopping malls. It is already proving a way of life in extreme climates; in winter months in Montreal, Canada, for instance, citizens can escape the cold in an underground complex complete with shops and even health clinics. In Tokyo, builders are planning a massive underground city to be begun in the next decade, and underground shopping malls are already common in Japan, where 90 percent of the population is squeezed into 20 percent of the land space.

D     Building big commercial buildings underground can be a way to avoid disfiguring or threatening a beautiful or ‘environmentally sensitive’ landscape. Indeed many of the buildings which consume most land-such as cinemas, supermarkets, theaters, warehouses or libraries-have no need to be on the surface since they do not need windows.

E     There are big advantages, too, when it comes to private homes. A development of 194 houses which would take up 14 hectares of land above ground would occupy 2.7 hectares below it, while the number of roads would be halved. Under several meters of earth, noise is minimal and insulation is excellent. ‘we get 40 to 50 inquiries a week, says Peter Carpenter, secretary of the British Earth Sheltering Association, which builds similar homes in Britain, ‘People see this as a way of building for the future.’ An underground dweller himself, Carpenter has never paid a heating bill, thanks to solar panels and natural insulation.

F       In Europe, the obstacle has been conservative local authorities and developers who prefer to ensure quick sales with conventional mass-produced housing. But the Dutch development was greeted with undisguised relief by South Limburg planners because of Holland’s chronic shortage of land. It was the Tilburg architect Jo Hurkmans who hit on the idea of making use of noise embankments on main roads. His two-floored, four-bedroomed, two-bath roomed detached homes are now taking shape. ‘They are not so much below

the earth as in it,’ he says. ‘All the light will come through the glass front, which runs from the second-floor ceiling to the ground. Areas which do not need much natural lighting are at the back. The living accommodation is to the front so nobody notices that the back is dark.’

G       In the US, where energy-efficient homes became popular after the oil crisis of 1973, 10,000 underground houses have been built. A terrace of five homes, Britain’s first subterranean development, is underway in Nottinghamshire. Italy’s outstanding example of subterranean architecture is the Olivetti residential center in Ivrea. Commissioned by Roberto Olivetti in 1969, it comprises 82 one-bedroomed apartments and 12 maisonettes and forms a house hotel for Olivetti employees. It is built into a hill and little can be seen from outside except a glass façade. Patrizia Vallecchi, a resident since 1992, says it is little different from living in a conventional apartment.

H     Not everyone adapts so well, and in Japan scientists at the Shimizu Corporation have developed ‘space creation’ systems which mix light, sounds, breezes and scents to stimulate people who spend long periods below ground. Underground offices in Japan are being equipped with ‘virtual’ windows and mirrors, while underground departments in the University of Minnesota have periscopes to reflect views and light.

I     But Frank Siegmund and his family love their hobbit lifestyle. Their home evolved when he dug a cool room for his bakery business in a hill he had created. During a heatwave, they took to sleeping there. ‘we felt at peace and so close to nature,’ he says. ‘Gradually I began adding to the rooms. It sounds strange but we are so close to the earth we draw strength from its vibrations. Our children love it; not every child can boast of being watched through their playroom windows by rabbits.’

Questions 1-14

Reading Passage 2 has nine paragraphs (A-1). Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (i-xii) in boxes 13-20 on your answer sheet. Paragraph A has been done for you as an example.

NB  There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.

                         List of Headings   

i      A designer describes his houses

ii     Most people prefer conventional housing

iii    Simulating a natural environment

iv    How an underground family home

       developed

V   Demands on space and energy are reduced

Vi   The plans for future homes

Vii   Worldwide examples of underground living

        accommodation

Viii   Some buildings do not require natural light

ix   Developing underground services around the

      world

X     Underground living improves health

Xi    Homes sold before completion

Xii    An underground home is discovered

Example                                       Answer

Paragraph A                                      xii

1.  Paragraph  B

2.  Paragraph  C

3.  Paragraph  D

4.  Paragraph  E 

5.  Paragraph  F

6.  Paragraph  G

7.  Paragraph  H

8.  Paragraph  I

Questions9-14

Complete the sentences below with words taken from the reading passage. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 9-14 on your answer sheet.

9.  Many developers prefer mass-produced houses because they…

10.  The Dutch development was welcomed by...

11.  Hurkmans’ houses are built into …

12.  The Ivrea center was developed for …

13.  Japanese scientists are helping people …underground life.

14.  Frank Siegmund’s first underground room was used for …

READING PASSAGE 6

                      

QUESTIONS 1-14

You are advised to spend about 15 minutes on Questions 1-14

        HOW TO RAISE A BRIGHT CHILD

Teachers and other specialists in early childhood education recognize that children develop at different rates Given anything that resembles a well-rounded life – with adults and other children to listen to, talk to, to do things with – their minds will acquire naturally all the skills required for further learning.

Take, for example, reading The two strongest predictors of whether children will learn to read easily and well at school are whether they have learned the names and the sounds of the letters of the alphabet before they start school That may seem to imply that letter names and sounds should be deliberately taught to young children, because these skills will not happen ‘naturally’

But in all the research programs where they have done just that – instructed children, rehearsed the names and sounds over and over – the results are disappointing The widely accepted explanation is that knowledge of the alphabet, for it to work in helping one to read, has to be deeply embedded in the child’s mind That comes from years of exposure and familiarity with letters, from being read to, from playing with magnetic letters, drawing and fiddling with computers

So parents can do some things to help. Although many do these things spontaneously Instead of reading a story straight through, the reader should pause every so often and ask questions – but not questions which can be answered by a yes or no Extend their answers, suggest alternative possibilities and pose Progressively more challenging questions.

And with arithmetic, do not explicitly sit down and teach children about numbers, but all through those early years cunt when walking up steps Recite nursery rhymes Talk to children Say this is a red apple, that is a green one Please get three eggs out of the fridge for me.

The technical term in vogue for this subtle structuring of children’s early learning is ‘scaffolding’ Based on recent extensions of the work of the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, the idea is that there are things a child may be almost ready to do Anna, for example, cannot tie a shoelace by herself, but if an adult or a competent child forms one of the loops for her, she will soon learn to do the rest Applying this concept to older children keep lists of ‘Words I Can Almost Spell’.

While this has all the hallmarks of common sense, it represents a significant change of emphasis from the ideas of Piaget, which have dominated the theory of early childhood learning The child in Piaget’s theory looks, more than anything, like a little scientists – exploring the environment, observing, experimenting, thinking and slowly coming to his or her conclusions about how the world works The image is of a rather solitary pursuit with all the real action in the child’s head.

The Vygotsky model re-introduces all the people who also inhabit the child’s world – parents, caregivers, relatives, siblings and all those other children at play or school They are not simply noise, clattering in the background while the child’s developing mind struggles on its own The cognitive development of the child, that is, the learning of colors or numbers or letters – depends on learning how to interact socially, how to learn from the people (as well as the things) in the environment.

What is important is that the child develops the range of social skills – being able to express a preference, knowing how to take turns, being able to stand up for themselves, being able to get into a group, being able to make decisions, being able to share, having the confidence to go off on their own. These all require careful nurturing. No one is telling parents to not think about their children’s development.

It is just that it is more important to think about a child’s desire to chat and the importance of social behavior and play activity, than the actually more trivial markers of intellectual achievement such as being the first kid in the group to cut out a circle that looks like a circle.

Questions 1-3

Read each of the following statements. According to the information in the passage, if the statement is true write T, if the statement is false write F, and if there is no information about the statement in the passage, write NG. Write your answers in the spaces numbered 1-3 on the answer sheet. One has been done for you as an example.

Example: It is generally accepted that children learn at different rates. (Answer)  T 

1.      Sounds of letters have to be taught.

2.      Children learn by asking questions.

3.      Children should be taught to count before they start school.

Questions 4-8

Each of following statements represents the theory of Vygotsky, write V. If the statement represents the theory of Piaget, write P. If the statement does not represent the theory of either Piaget or Vygotsky, write N. Write the answers in the spaces numbered 4-8 on the answer sheet. One has been done for you as an example.

Example:  ‘Scaffolding’ is a term meaning subtle structuring. (Answer)  V

4.      There is always something a child can just about do or learn.

5.      Children learn by watching and doing.

6.      Children learn when they have time alone to reflect.

7.      Regular study habits are important for cognitive and moral development.

8.      Play helps to learn.

Questions 9-14

The following paragraph is the final paragraph of the reading passage. There are some words missing. Choose ONE word for each space from the list of words below.

Write the correct word in the spaces numbered 9-14 on the answer sheet. One has been done for you as an example.

There are more words than spaces so you won’t use all the words.

What in fact, worries the…Example…and professional caregivers far more…

Answer:     Teachers

Then any possible slowness in a child’s developing a few 9--------------tasks is the pressure that some parents exert for their children to be made to learn too quickly.

It has to be admitted that 10-------------often appears to work. It is possible to speed up their acquisition of academic 11-----------, to give them an edge, as it were. But there is a price – because there is a paradox. Though it looks as if the children are 12------------, more often than not they are losing the one ingredient

That will determine 13----------in the longer term. Their self-direction, self-motivation, is being taken away from them. By being told what to do, being told

What is really important, by being channeled, they do not develop the essential ability to find 14---------for themselves.

List of words

success             teachers            cognitive

ability              goals                 achievement

successful       intelligent         skills

pushing           achieving          academic