IELTS READING TEST 33

Section 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based
on ReadingPassage 1 below.
Bilingualism in Children
A
One misguided legacy of over a hundred years of writing on
bilingualism1 is that children’s . intelligence will suffer if they are bilingual.
Some of the earliest research into bilingualism examined whether bilingual
children were ahead or behind monolingual2 children on IQ tests. From the
1920s through to the 1960s, the tendency was to find monolingual children
ahead of bilinguals on IQ tests. The conclusion was that bilingual children
were mentally confused. Having two languages in the brain, it was said,
disrupted effective thinking. It was argued that having one well-developed
language was superior to having two half-developed languages.
B
The idea that bilinguals may have a lower IQ still exists among many
people, particularly monolinguals. However, we now know that this early
research was misconceived and incorrect. First, such research often gave
bilinguals an IQ test in their weaker language – usually English. Had
bilinguals been tested in Welsh or Spanish or Hebrew, a different result
may have been found. The testing of bilinguals was thus unfair. Second,
like was not compared with like. Bilinguals tended to come from, for
example, impoverished New York or rural Welsh backgrounds. The
monolinguals tended to come from more middle class, urban families.
Working class bilinguals were often compared with middle class
monolinguals. So the results were more likely to be due to social class
differences than language differences. The comparison of monolinguals
and bilinguals was unfair.
C
The most recent research from Canada, the United States and Wales
suggests that bilinguals are, at least, equal to monolinguals on IQ tests.
When bilinguals have two well- developed languages (in the research
literature called balanced bilinguals), bilinguals tend to show a slight
superiority in IQ tests compared with monolinguals. This is the received
psychological wisdom of the moment and is good news for raising bilingual
children. Take, for example, a child who can operate in either language in
the curriculum in the school. That child is likely to be ahead on IQ tests
compared with similar (same gender, social class and age) monolinguals.
Far from making people mentally confused, bilingualism is now associated
with a mild degree of intellectual superiority.
D
One note of caution needs to be sounded. IQ tests probably do not
measure intelligence. IQ tests measure a small sample of the broadest
concept of intelligence. IQ tests are simply paper and pencil tests where
only’right and wrong’answers are allowed. Is all intelligence summed up in
such right and wrong, pencil and paper tests? Isn’t there a wider variety of
intelligences that are important in everyday functioning and everyday life?
E
Many questions need answering. Do wc only define an intelligent person
as somebody who obtains a high score on an IQ test? Are the only
intelligent people those who belong to high IQ organisations such as
MENSA? Is there social intelligence, musical intelligence, military
intelligence, marketing intelligence, motoring intelligence, political
intelligence? Are all, or indeed any, of these forms of intelligence
measured by a simple pencil and paper IQ test which demands a single,
acceptable, correct solution to each question? Defining what constitutes
intelligent behaviour requires a personal value judgement as to what type
of behaviour, and what kind of person is of more worth.
F
The current state of psychological wisdom about bilingual children is that,
where two languages are relatively well developed, bilinguals have thinking
advantages over monolinguals.Take an example. A child is asked a simple
question: How many uses can you think offer a brick? Some children give
two or three answers only. They can think of building walls, building a
house and perhaps that is all. Another child scribbles away, pouring out
ideas one after the other: blocking up a rabbit hole, breaking a window,
using as a bird bath, as a plumb line, as an abstract sculpture in an art
exhibition.
G
Research across different continents of the world shows that bilinguals
tend to be more fluent, flexible, original and elaborate in their answers to
this type of open-ended question. The person who can think of a few
answers tends to be termed a convergent thinker.They converge onto a
few acceptable conventional answers. People who think of lots of different
uses for unusual items (e.g. a brick, tin can, cardboard box) are called
divergers. Divergers like a variety of answers to a question and are
imaginative and fluent in their thinking.
H
There are other dimensions in thinking where approximately’balanced’
bilinguals may have temporary and occasionally permanent advantages
over monolinguals: increased sensitivity to communication, a slightly
speedier movement through the stages of cognitive development, and
being less fixed on the sounds of words and more centred on the meaning
of words. Such ability to move away from the sound of words and fix on the
meaning of words tends to be a (temporary) advantage for bilinguals
around the ages four to six This advantage may mean an initial head start
in learning to read and learning to think about language.
1 
bilingualism: the ability to speak two languages
2 
monolingual: using or speaking only one language
Questions 1-3
Complete the sentences.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each
answer.
1  For more than______________________________ , books and articles
were wrong about
the intelligence of bilingual children.
2  For approximately 40 years, there was a mistaken belief that children
who spoke two
languages were_____________________________ .
3  It was commonly thought that people with a single were more effective
thinkers.
Questions 4-9
Reading Passage 1 has eight paragraphs, A-H.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-G from the list of headings
below.

List of Headings
i  No single definition of intelligence
ii  Faulty testing, wrong conclusion
iii  Welsh research supports IQ testing
iv  Beware: inadequate for Lesling intelligence
v  International research supports bilingualism
vi  Current thought on the advantage bilinguals have
vii  Early beliefs regarding bilingualism
viii  Monolinguals ahead of their bilingual peers
ix  Exemplifying the bilingual advantage

 
Example Paragraph A vii
4 Paragraph B  
5 Paragraph C  
6 Paragraph D  
7 Paragraph E  
8 Paragraph F  
9 Paragraph G  

Questions 10-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading
Passage 1? 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

10  Balanced bilinguals have more permanent than temporary advantages

over monolinguals.
11  Often bilinguals concentrate more on the way a word sounds than on
its meaning.
12  Monolinguals learn to speak at a younger age than bilinguals.
13  Bilinguals just starting school might pick up certain skills faster than
monolinguals.

Section 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based
on Reading
Passage 2 below.

Changing Rules for Health Treatment

People who are grossly overweight, who smoke heavily or drink
excessively could be denied surgery or drugs.The National Institute for
Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which advises on the clinical and
cost effectiveness of treatments for the National Health Service (NHS) in
the UK, said that in some cases the’self-inflicted’ nature of an illness
should be taken into account.
NICE stressed that people should not be discriminated against by doctors
simply because they smoked or were overweight. Its ruling should apply
only if the treatment was likely to be less effective, or not work because of
an unhealthy habit The agency also insisted that its decision was not an
edict for the whole NHS but guidance for its own appraisal committees
when reaching judgements on new drugs or procedures. But the effect is
likely to be the same.
NICE is a powerful body and the cause of much controversy. It is seen by
some as a new way of rationing NHS treatment Across the UK, primary
care trusts (PCTs) regularly wait for many months for a NICE decision
before agreeing to fund a new treatment. One group of primary care trusts
is ahead of NICE. Three PCTs in east Suffolk have already decided that
obese people would not be entitled to have hip or knee replacements
unless they lost weight The group said the risks of operating on them were
greater, the surgery may be less successful and the joints would wear out
sooner. It was acknowledged that the decision would also save money.
NICE said no priority should be given to patients based on income, social
class or social roles at different ages when considering the cost
effectiveness of a treatment. Patients should not be discriminated against
on the grounds of age either, unless age has a direct relevance to the
condition. NICE has already ruled that IVF should be available on the NHS
to women aged 23 to 39 as the treatment has less chance of success in
older women. It also recommends that flu drugs should be available to
over-65s, as older people are more vulnerable.
But NICE also said that if self-inflicted factors meant that drugs or
treatment would be less clinically and cost effective, this may need to be
considered when producing advice for the NHS. They state that If the self-
inflicted cause of the condition will influence the likely outcome of a
particular treatment, then it may be appropriate to take this into account in
some circumstances.’They acknowledge that it can be difficult to decide
whether an illness such as a heart attack was self-inflicted in a smoker. ‘A
patient’s individual circumstances may only be taken into account when
there will be an impact on the clinical and cost effectiveness of the
treatment’
Prof Sir Michael Rawlins, the chairman of NICE, said: ‘On age we are very
clear – our advisory groups should not make recommendations that
depend on people’s ages when they are considering the use of a particular
treatment unless there is clear evidence of a difference in its effectiveness
for particular age groups. Even then, age should only be mentioned when
it provides the only practical ‘marker 1 of risk or benefit NICE values people,
equally, at all ages.’
But Steve Webb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, said there was
a danger of primary care trusts following the same course of action. There
is no excuse for cash-strapped hospitals denying treatment to people
whose lifestyle they disapprove of/ he said. Treatment decisions involving
people’s lifestyle should be based on clinical reasons, not grounds of cost
The NHS is there to keep people healthy, not to sit in judgement on
individual lifestyles.’
A spokesman for NICE said: ‘We want to reassure people that in producing
our guidance we are not going to take into consideration whether or not a
particular condition was or is self-inflicted. The only circumstances where
that may be taken into account is where that treatment may be less
effective because of lifestyle choices.’
Jonathan Ellis, the policy manager at Help the Aged, said it was pleased
NICE had finally shown an understanding of the importance of tackling age
discrimination.’While this is a major feat, there is still some way to go to
banish the evident inherent age discrimination that exists within health care
services,’he said.The NHS now has much to leam. It will ensure a fairer
deal all round for older people using the NHS.’

Questions 14-16
Choose THREE letters A-H.
NB Your answers may be given in any order.

Which THREE of the following statements are true of NICE, according to

the text?
A It feels that people with bad health habits should not receive treatment.
B It is an agency that offers advice to the NHS.
C Some of the reports they produce discriminate against the elderly.
D It insists its decision should only be applicable in certain situations.
E It is an agency that controls all NHS policy regarding treatments.
F Its powers are not as extensive as those of the NHS.
G Many PCTs base their decisions concerning funding on ones made by
NICE. H It has made a statement that overweight people will not receive
new joints.

Questions 17-19
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

17  NICE argues that

A rich people should not be given special consideration over the poor.
B only patients from certain classes should be considered for treatmen
C social roles should be considered when deciding treatment.
D cost of treatment would depend on patients’ income.

18  What recommendations has NICE made?

A to provide older women with IVF treatments
B to make flu drugs accessible to women under 40
C to give people between 23-39 flu drugs
D to allow certain women to have 1 VF treatments

19  NICE admits that

A some drugs used by the NHS were not clinically effective.
B their advice is sometimes ignored by the NHS.
C it is often hard to determine if a patient has caused his or her condition.
D they are more concerned about cost effectiveness than patients.

Questions 20-26
Look at the following statements (Questions 20-26) and the list of people
below.
Match each statement with the correct person A-C.

20  This person was happy that-NICE realised age discrimination needed

dealing with.
21  This person holds a very high position in the NICE agency.
22  This person is a member of a political party.
23  This person says their policy regarding age is precise and easy to
understand.
24  This person does not agree with the position taken by NICE.
25  This person feels the NHS must further improve its relations with the
elderly.
26  This person says that NICE does not discriminate on the grounds of
age.
A Michael Rawlins
B Steve Webb
C Jonathan Ellis

Section 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based
on Reading Passage 3 below.
The Romantic Poets
One of the most evocative eras in the history of poetry must surely be that
of the Romantic Movement. During the late eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries a group of poets created a new mood in literary
objectives, casting off their predecessors’ styles in favour of a gripping and
forceful art which endures with us to this day.
Five poets emerged as the main constituents of this movement – William
Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, George Gordon Byron, Percy
Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. The strength of their works lies
undoubtedly in the power of their imagination. Indeed, imagination was the
most critical attribute of the Romantic poets. Each poet had the ability to
portray remarkable images and visions, although differing to a certain
degree in their intensity and presentation. Nature, mythology and emotion
were of great importance and were used to explore the feelings of the poet
himself.
The lives of the poets often overlapped and tragedy was typical in most of
them. Byron was born in London in 1788. The family moved to Aberdeen
soon after, where Byron was brought up until he inherited the family seat of
Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire from his great uncle. He graduated
from Cambridge University in 1808 and left England the following year to
embark on a tour of the Mediterranean. During this tour, he developed a
passion for Greece which would later lead to his death in 1824. He left for
Switzerland in 1816 where he was introduced to Shelley.
Shelley was bom to a wealthy family in 1792. He was educated at Eton
and then went on to Oxford. Shelley was not happy in England, where his
colourful lifestyle and unorthodox beliefs made him unpopular with the
establishment In 1818 he left for Italy, where he was reunited with Byron.
However, the friendship was tragically brought to an end in July 1822,
when Shelley was drowned in a boating accident off the Italian coast. In
somewhat dramatic form, Shelley’s body was cremated on the beach,
witnessed by a small group of friends, including Byron.
Historically, Shelley and Byron are considered to have been the most
outspoken and radical of the Romantic poets. By contrast, Wordsworth
appears to have been of a pleasant and acceptable personality, even
receiving the status of Poet Laureate in 1843. He was born in 1770 in
Cockermouth, Cumbria. By the time he entered his early teens, both his
parents had died. As he grew older, Wordsworth developed a passion for
writing.
In 1798 Wordsworth published a collection of poems with Coleridge, whom
he had met, a few years earlier, when he settled in Somerset with his sister
Dorothy. He married in 1802 and, as time passed, he deserted his former
political views and became increasingly acceptable to popular society.
Indeed, at the time of his death in the spring of 1850, he had become one
of the most sought-after poets of his time.
Wordsworth shared some of the years at Dove Cottage in Somerset with
his friend and poetical contemporary, Coleridge. Coleridge was born in
Devon in 1772. He was a bright young scholar but never achieved the
same prolific output of his fellow Romantic poets. In 1804 he left for a
position in Malta for three years. On his return he separated from his wife
and went to live with the Wordsworths, where he produced a regular
periodical.
With failing health, he later moved to London. In 1816 he went to stay with
a doctor and his family. He remained with them until his death in 1834.
During these latter years, his poetry was abandoned for other forms of
writing equally outstanding in their own right.
Perhaps the most tragic of the Romantic poets was Keats. Keats was born
in London in 1795. Similar to Wordsworth, both his parents had died by his
eariy teens. He studied as a surgeon, qualifying in 1816. However, poetry
was his great passion and he decided to devote himself to writing. For
much of his adult life Keats was in poor health and fell gravely ill in early
1820. He knew he was dying and in the September of that year he left for
Rome hoping that the more agreeable climate might ease his suffering.
Keats died of consumption in February 1821 at the age of twenty-five.
It is sad that such tragedy often accompanies those of outstanding artistic
genius. We can only wonder at the possible outcome had they all lived to
an old age. Perhaps even Byron and Shelley would have mellowed with
the years, like Wordsworth. However, the contribution to poetry by all five
writers is immeasurable. They introduced the concepts of individualism
and imagination, allowing us to explore our own visions of beauty without
retribution. We are not now required to restrain our thoughts and poetry to
that of the socially acceptable.

Questions 27-32
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading
Passage 3?
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

27  The Romantic Movement lasted for more than a century.

28  The Romantic poets adopted a style dissimilar to that of poets who had
come before them.
29  Unfortunately, the works of the Romantics had no lasting impression
on art.
30  The Romantics had no respect for any style of poetry apart from their
own.
31  The Romantics were gifted with a strong sense of imagination.
32  Much of the Romantics’ poetry was inspired by the natural world.

Questions 33-39
Complete the table below
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
 
Date of
  Education  
birth
 went on a journey around;
Cambridge
Byron 1788 came to love
University
34………………

some people disapproved

Eton and Oxford
Shelley 1972 of 35……….. and the
University
beliefs he held

became more accepted

Wordsworth 1770   when he changed his
36………….

his 37 ………….was
smaller than the other
Coleridge 1772 bright scholar Romantic poets’; left the
Wordsworths due to
38………….

qualified as a left England for a change

Keats 1795
surgeon of 39…………

Question 40
Complete the sentence.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for the
answer.

40 According to the writer, the Romantic poets left us with the ideas
of……………………….
 ANSWER KEY FOR IELTS READING PRACTICE TEST
1  a hundred years/100 years

2  mentally confused/behind monolingual children

3  (well-developed) language

4  ii

5  vi

6  iv

7  i

8  ix

9  v

10  FALSE because it says in the last paragraph: ‘”balanced” bilinguals may have temporary and occasionally permanent advantages over
monolinguals>.

11  FALSE because it says in the last paragraph: ‘being less fixed on the sounds of words and more centred on the meaning of words’

12  NOT GIVEN

13  TRUE because it says in the last paragraph: ‘This advantage may mean an initial head start in learning to read and learning to think about
language’ 14-16 (in any order)

14  B because it says in paragraph 1: which advises on the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments for the National Health Service (NHS)
in the UK’.

15  D because it says in paragraph 2: ‘Its ruling should apply only if the treatment was likely to be less effective, or not work because of an
unhealthy habit.’

16  G because it says in paragraph 3: ‘Across the UK, primary care trusts (PCTs) regularly wait for many months for a NICE decision before
agreeing to fund a new treatment’

17  A because it says in paragraph 4: ‘no priority should be given to patients based on income’

18  D because it says in paragraph 4: ‘NICE has already ruled that IVF should be available on the NHS to women aged 23 to 39′.

19  C because it says in paragraph 5: ‘They acknowledge that it can be difficult to decide whether an illness such as a heart attack was self-
inflicted in a smoker.’

20  C because it says in the last paragraph: ‘Jonathan Ellis, the policy manager at Help the Aged, said it was pleased NICE had finally shown
an understanding of the importance of tackling age discrimination.’

21  A because it says in paragraph 6: ‘Prof Sir Michael Rawlins, the chairman of NICE’

22  B because it says in paragraph 7: ‘Steve Webb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman’ The Liberal Democrats are a political party in
the UK.

23  A because it says in paragraph 6: ‘On age we are very clear’.

24  B because it says in paragraph 7: ‘There is no excuse for cash- strapped hospitals denying treatment to people whose lifestyle they
disapprove of’.

25  C because it says in the last paragraph: ‘The NHS now has much to learn. It will ensure a fairer deal all round for older people using the
NHS.’

26  A because it says in paragraph 6: ‘NICE values people, equally, at all ages.’

27  FALSE because it says in paragraph 1: ‘During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries ‘.

28  TRUE because it says in paragraph 1: casting off their predecessors styles in favour of a gripping and forceful art ‘.
29  FALSE because it says in paragraph 1: a gripping and forceful art which endures with us to this day ‘.

30  NOT GIVEN

31  TRUE because it says in paragraph 2, ‘Indeed, imagination was the most critical attribute of the Romantic poets. 5

32  TRUE because it says in paragraph 2: ‘Nature, mythology and emotion were of great importance ‘.

33  (the) Mediterranean

34  Greece

35  his (colourful) lifestyle

36  political views

37  output

38  failing health

39  climate

40  individualism and imagination, because it says in the last paragraph: ‘They introduced the concept of individualism and imagination.