Reading 2026-02 Test 5 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

Rebuilt from test-taker recalls — not official IELTS material. Audio and passages are recreations for practice.

Reading Passage 1 — Effect and Cause

A chance finding by a Swiss research team explain an event that happened centuries ago around Lake Geneva. In the sixth century Gregory of Tours, a chronicler of the Germanic people known as the Franks, told of an extraordinary event in what is now Switzerland, where the Rhone River spills into Lake Geneva. He wrote of a big rockfall in the year 563 AD in the vicinity of a place called Tauredunum. The debris plunged into the river, and a great mass of water 'overwhelmed with a sudden and violent flood all that was on the banks as far as the city of Geneva,' more than 64 kilometres across the lake. The Geneva bridge was demolished, and several people inside the city walls of Geneva were killed. Historians and scientists have long believed that Gregory and another chronicler, Marius of Avenches, who told a similar tale, were describing a tsunami that raced across the lake. But there has not been any direct evidence of it until now.

Researchers at the University of Geneva now say they have found that evidence, in the form of a large deposit of sediment in the middle of the lake. In a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, they also propose the sequence of events that caused the deadly surge. The researchers think that large boulders crashed down onto soft sediments which had accumulated at the river mouth because of the slowing of the river's flow when it enters the lake. These sediments formed an underwater delta that had several canyon-like channels. When the falling rocks hit the delta they destabilised the sediments and caused the canyons to collapse. It was this collapse that created the tsunami. The sediments from this collapse would have been propelled towards the lake's centre.

Guy Simpson, a lecturer in the University of Geneva's Department of Geology and Paleontology, says the thick layer of sediment, which has the same curved shape as a lens, lies more than 305 metres down in the deepest part of the lake, and was found largely by chance. Katrina Kremer, a University of Geneva doctoral student and the study's lead author, had been conducting seismic soundings, searching for thin sediment layers that might be evidence of major floods that had taken place in pre-historic times, long before the event described by Gregory of Tours. 'We didn't know straight away that it was the deposit that caused the sixth-century tsunami.

But we came across this enormous deposit,' Simpson says. 'But it was a jumbled mess of sediment. It was quite obvious that it was deposited rapidly.' The researchers then took samples of the sediments and used carbon-dating techniques on remains of leaves and other organic matter they found to determine when the deposit formed. This narrowed the range to a period between the late fourth century and the early seventh century. Other than the rockfall, there is no record of any special event during that period, Simpson says.

The researchers estimated that the deposit, which is at least 9.6 kilometres long by 4.8 kilometres wide, and averages about five metres thick, contains 'more than 248 million cubic metres of material.' They ran multiple computer simulations showing that the collapse of that much sediment at the mouth of the Rhone would have caused a tsunami with an estimated height of 7.9 metres at Geneva - where it would have arrived in about 70 minutes. The rockfall itself may have been set off by a major earthquake, as some scientists have speculated.

Lake tsunamis, although unusual, are not unknown, says Richard Schweickert, an Emeritus Professor of Geology at the University of Nevada in Reno, in the United States. He cites evidence that the collapse of part of the shoreline of Lake Tahoe in northern California within the past 20,000 years caused a tsunami with wave heights of about 30 metres. There are two faults under the lake that could have caused an earthquake, he says and that the collapse of the Rhone delta sediments, as calculated by the Swiss researchers, 'would certainly be capable of moving a large amount of material into the lake.' He suggests that the findings could be corroborated by careful mapping of the shoreline to look for unusual deposits or erosion left behind by the giant waves.

Simpson says the Rhone delta sediments might collapse again, perhaps from an earthquake or even their own weight. In the sixth century, Geneva was a small community, mostly behind walls on a hill, whereas today it is home to international organisations and about 200,000 people, many living in low-lying areas near the water. Testing the stability of nearby slopes, and creating more detailed models of how a tsunami could affect Geneva today, would provide a more accurate assessment of whether or not this is something the lakeside city should be concerned about.

Most tsunamis occur in oceans and are generated by earthquakes. However, the study is a reminder that even a landlocked nation like Switzerland is not immune to catastrophic waves.

Questions 1–7: True/False/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, 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.

1
According to Gregory of Tours, the landslide which caused the flood happened near Tauredunum.
2
The city of Geneva was undamaged by the tsunami that Gregory described.
3
The work of Marius of Avenches supported the idea that there was a tsunami.
4
The rocks which fell into the delta were very hard and dense.
5
Richard Schweickert has published studies on lake tsunamis that have occurred in several countries.
6
The shoreline of Lake Tahoe has remained unchanged for 20,000 years.
7
Parts of the population of Geneva now live closer to the lake than was the case in the sixth century.

Questions 8–13: Flow-chart Completion

Complete the flow-chart below. Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

The evidence for a tsunami in Lake Geneva

8. Researchers were looking for evidence of major ________ when they found a large deposit of sediment.

They analysed organic matter such as 9 ________ to date the deposit to between the fourth and early 10 ________ centuries.

They 11 ________ that the tsunami would have been almost 8 metres in 12 ________ when it reached Geneva.

13. They think the rockfall may have been caused by a major ________.

Reading Passage 2 — Facial Expression

A. A facial expression is one or more motions or positions of the muscles in the skin. These movements convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information among aliens, but also occur in most other mammals and some other animal species. Facial expressions and their significance in the perceiver can, to some extent, vary between cultures with evidence from descriptions in the works of Charles Darwin.

B. Human can adopt a facial expression to read as a voluntary action. However, because expressions are closely tied to emotion, they are more often involuntary. It can be nearly impossible to avoid expressions for certain emotions, even when it would be strongly desirable to do so; a person who is trying to avoid insulting an individual he or she finds highly unattractive might, nevertheless, show a brief expression of disgust before being able to reassume a neutral expression. Microexpressions are one example of this phenomenon. The close link between emotion and expression can also work in the other direction; it has been observed that voluntarily assuming an expression can actually cause the associated emotion.

C. Some expression can be accurately interpreted even between members of different species - anger and extreme contentment being the primary examples. Others, however, are difficult to interpret even in familiar individuals. For instance, disgust and fear can be tough to tell apart. Because faces have only a limited range of movement, expressions rely upon fairly minuscule differences in the proportion and relative position of facial features, and reading them requires considerable sensitivity to some. Some faces are often falsely read as expressing some emotion, even when they are neutral, because their proportions naturally resemble those another face would temporarily assume when emoting.

D. Also, a person’s eyes reveal much about how they are feeling, or what they are thinking. Blink rate can reveal how nervous or at ease a person may be. Research by Boston College professor Joe Tecce suggests that stress levels are revealed by blink rates. He supports his data with statistics on the relation between the blink rates of presidential candidates and their success in their races. Tecce claims that the faster blinker in the presidential debates has lost every election since 1980. Though Tecce’s data is interesting, it is important to recognize that non-verbal communication is multi-channeled, and focusing on only one aspect is reckless. Nervousness can also be measured by examining each candidates’ perspiration, eye contact and stiffness.

E. As Charles Darwin noted in his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals: the young and the old of widely different races, both with man and animals, express the same state of mind by the same movements. Still, up to the mid-20th century most anthropologists believed that facial expressions were entirely learned and could therefore differ among cultures. Studies conducted in the 1960s by Paul Ekman eventually supported Darwin’s belief to a large degree.

F. Ekman’s work on facial expressions had its starting point in the work of psychologist Silvan Tomkins. Ekman showed that contrary to the belief of some anthropologists including Margaret Mead, facial expressions of emotion are not culturally determined, but universal across human cultures. The South Fore people of New Guinea were chosen as subjects for one such survey. The study consisted of 189 adults and 130 children from among a very isolated population, as well as twenty three members of the culture who lived a less isolated lifestyle as a control group. Participants were told a story that described one particular emotion; they were then shown three pictures (two for children) of facial expressions and asked to match the picture which expressed the story’s emotion.

G. While the isolated South Fore people could identify emotions with the same accuracy as the non-isolated control group, problems associated with the study include the fact that both fear and surprise were constantly misidentified. The study concluded that certain facial expressions correspond to particular emotions and can not be covered, regardless of cultural background, and regardless of whether or not the culture has been isolated or exposed to the mainstream.

H. Expressions Ekman found to be universal included those indicating anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise (note that none of these emotions has a definitive social component, such as shame, pride, or schadenfreude). Findings on contempt (which is social) are less clear, though there is at least some preliminary evidence that this emotion and its expression are universally recognized. This may suggest that the facial expressions are largely related to the mind and each parts on the face can express specific emotion.

Questions 14–18: Summary Completion

Complete the Summary paragraph described below, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet. Write the correct answer with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

The result of Ekman’s study demonstrates that fear and surprise are persistently 14.................... and made a conclusion that some facial expressions have something to do with certain 15.................... which is impossible to be covered, in spite of 16.................... and whether the culture has been 17.................... or 18.................... to the mainstream.

14
The result of Ekman’s study demonstrates that fear and surprise are persistently 14....................
15
and made a conclusion that some facial expressions have something to do with certain 15....................
16
which is impossible to be covered, in spite of 16....................
17
and whether the culture has been 17....................
18
or 18.................... to the mainstream.

Questions 19–24: Paragraph Matching

The Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A-H. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-H, in boxes 19-24 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.

19
the difficulty identifying the actual meaning of facial expressions
20
the importance of culture in facial expressions is initially described
21
collected data for the research on the relation between blink and the success in elections
22
the features on sociality of several facial expressions
23
an indicator to reflect one’s extent of nervousness
24
the relation between emotion and facial expressions

Questions 25–26: Multiple Choice (Choose TWO)

Which TWO of the following statements are true according to Ekman’s theory? Write your answers in boxes 25-26 on your answer sheet.

A. No evidence shows animals have their own facial expressions.

B. The potential relationship between facial expressions and state of mind exists.

C. Facial expressions are concerning different cultures.

D. Different areas on face convey certain state of mind.

E. Mind controls men’s facial expressions more obviously than women’s.

25
Which TWO of the following statements are true according to Ekman’s theory?
- A. No evidence shows animals have their own facial expressions.
- B. The potential relationship between facial expressions and state of mind exists.
- C. Facial expressions are concerning different cultures.
- D. Different areas on face convey certain state of mind.
- E. Mind controls men’s facial expressions more obviously than women’s.

Reading Passage 3 — Global Warming in New Zealand

A. For many environmentalists, the world seems to be getting warmer. As the nearest country of South Polar Region, New Zealand has maintained an upward trend in its average temperature in the past few years. However, the temperature in New Zealand will go up 4°C in the next century while the polar region will go up more than 6°C. The different pictures of temperature stem from its surrounding ocean which acts like the air conditioner. Thus New Zealand is comparatively fortunate.

B. Scientifically speaking, this temperature phenomenon in New Zealand originated from what researchers call “SAM (Southern Annular Mode), which refers to the wind belt that circles the Southern Oceans including New Zealand and Antarctica. Yet recent work has revealed that changes in SAM in New Zealand have resulted in a weakening of moisture during the summer and more rainfall in other seasons. A bigger problem may turn out to be heavier droughts for agricultural activities because of more water loss from soil, resulting in poorer harvest before winter when the rainfall arrives too late to rescue.

C. Among all the calamities posed by drought, moisture deficit ranks the first. Moisture deficit is the gap between the water plants need during the growing season and the water the earth can offer. Measures of moisture deficit were at their highest since the 1970s in New Zealand. Meanwhile, ecological analyses clearly show moisture deficit is imposed at different growth stage of crops. If moisture deficit occurs around a crucial growth stage, it will cause about 22% reduction in grain yield as opposed to moisture deficit at vegetative phase.

D. Global warming is not only affecting agriculture production. When scientists say the country’s snow pack and glaciers are melting at an alarming rate due to global warming, the climate is putting another strain on the local places. For example, when the development of global warming is accompanied by the falling snow line, the local skiing industry comes into a crisis. The snow line may move up as the temperature goes up, and then the snow at the bottom will melt earlier. Fortunately, it is going to be favourable for the local skiing industry to tide over tough periods since the quantities of snowfall in some areas are more likely to increase.

E. What is the reaction of glacier region? The climate change can be reflected in the glacier region in southern New Zealand or land covered by ice and snow. The reaction of a glacier to a climatic change involves a complex chain of processes, over time periods of years to several decades, cumulative changes in mass balance cause volume and thickness changes, which will affect the flow of ice via altered internal deformation and basal sliding. This dynamic reaction finally leads to glacier length changes, the advance or retreat of glacier tongues. Undoubtedly, glacier mass balance is a more direct signal of annual atmospheric conditions.

F. The latest research result of National Institute of Water and Atmospheric (NIWA) Research shows that glaciers line keeps moving up because of the impacts of global warning. Further losses of ice can be reflected in Mt. Cook Region. By 1996, a 14 km long sector of the glacier had melted down forming a melt lake (Hooker Lake) with a volume. Melting of the glacier front at a rate of 40 m/yr will cause the glacier to retreat at a rather uniform rate. Therefore, the lake will continue to grow until it reaches the glacier bed.

G. A direct result of the melting glaciers is the change of high tides that serves the main factor for sea level rise. The trend of sea level rise will bring a threat to the ground water system for its hyper-saline groundwater and then pose a possibility to decrease the agricultural production. Many experts believe that the best way to counter this trend is to give a longer-term view of sea level change in New Zealand. Indeed, the coastal boundaries need to be upgraded and redefined.

H. There is no doubt that global warming has affected New Zealand in many aspects. The emphasis on the global warming should be based on the joints efforts of local people and experts who conquer the tough 3. For instance, farmers are taking a long term, multi-generational approach to adjust the breeds and species according to the temperature. Agriculturists also find ways to tackle the problems that may bring to the soil. In broad terms, going forward, and the systemic resilience that’s been going on a long time in the ecosystem will continue.

I. How about animal’s reaction? Experts have surprisingly realised that animal’s have unconventional adaptation to global warming. A study has looked at sea turtles on a few northern beaches in New Zealand and it is very interesting to find that sea turtles can become male or female according to the temperature. Further researches will try to find out how rising temperatures would affect the ratio of sex reversal in their growth. Clearly, the temperature of the nest plays a vital role in the sexes of the baby turtles.

J. Tackling the problems of global warming is never easy in New Zealand; because records show the slow process of global warming may have a different impact on various regions. For New Zealand, the emission of carbon dioxide only accounts for 0.5% of the world’s total, which has met the governmental standard. However, New Zealand’s effort counts only a tip of the iceberg. So far, global warming has been a world issues that still hangs in an ambiguous future.

Questions 27–32: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet.

27
What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
- A. The temperature in the polar region will increase less than that in New Zealand in the next century
- B. The weather and climate of New Zealand is very important to its people because of its close location to the polar region.
- C. The air condition in New Zealand will maintain a high quality because of the ocean.
- D. The temperature of New Zealand will increase less than that of other regions in the next 100 years it is surrounded by sea.
28
What is one effect of the wind belt that circles the Southern Oceans?
- A. New Zealand will have more moisture in winds in summer.
- B. New Zealand needs to face droughts more often in hotter months in a year.
- C. Soil water will increase as a result of weakening moisture in the winds.
- D. Agricultural production will be reduced as a result of more rainfall in other seasons.
29
What does “moisture deficit” mean to the grain and crops?
- A. The growing condition will be very tough for crops.
- B. The growing season of some plants can hardly be determined.
- C. There will be a huge gap between the water plants needed and the water the earth can offer.
- D. The soil of grain and crops in New Zealand reached its lowest production since 1970s.
30
What changes will happen to skiing industry due to the global warming phenomenon?
- A. The skiing station may lower the altitude of skiing.
- B. Part of the skiing station needs to move to the north.
- C. The snowfall may increase in part of the skiing station.
- D. The local skiing station may likely to make a profit because of the snowfall increase.
31
Cumulative changes over a long period of time in mass balance will lead to
- A. alterations in the volume and thickness of glaciers
- B. faster changes in internal deformation and basal sliding
- C. bigger length of glaciers
- D. retreat of glacier tongues as a result of change in annual atmospheric conditions.
32
Why does the writer mention NIWA in the sixth paragraph?
- A. To use a particular example to explain the effects brought by glacier melting.
- B. To emphasize the severance of the further loss of ice in Mt. Cook Region.
- C. To alarm the reader of melting speed of glaciers at a uniform rate.
- D. To note the lake in the region will disappear when it reach the glacier bed.

Questions 33–35: Summary Completion

Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Research data shows that sea level has a closely relation with the change of climate. The major reason for the increase in sea level is connected with 33………………………….., the increase in sea level is also said to have a threat to the underground water system, the destruction of which caused by rise of sea level will lead to a high probability of reduction in 34……………………… In the long run, New Zealanders may have to improve the 35………………….. if they want to diminish the effect change in sea levels.

33
The major reason for the increase in sea level is connected with 33…………………………..
34
the destruction of which caused by rise of sea level will lead to a high probability of reduction in 34………………………
35
In the long run, New Zealanders may have to improve the 35………………….. if they want to diminish the effect change in sea levels.

Questions 36–40: Yes/No/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet, write YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer. NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer. NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

36
Farmers are less responsive to climate change than agriculturists.
37
Agricultural sector is too conservative and deal with climate change.
38
Turtle is vulnerable to climate change.
39
The global warming is going slowly, and it may have different effects on different areas in New Zealand
40
New Zealand must cut carbon dioxide emission if they want to solve the problem of global warming.

Answer sheet

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Show answer key

1. TRUE
Gregory of Tours wrote about a big rockfall in 563 AD near Tauredunum, which caused the flood, so this matches the statement.
2. FALSE
The passage says the Geneva bridge was demolished and several people inside the city walls of Geneva were killed, so the city was damaged.
3. TRUE
Marius of Avenches told a similar tale to Gregory, supporting the idea that a tsunami happened.
4. NOT GIVEN
There is no information in the passage about the rocks being hard or dense, so this is not given.
5. NOT GIVEN
The passage only says Richard Schweickert cites evidence from Lake Tahoe, but does not mention studies in several countries.
6. FALSE
The passage says the collapse of part of the shoreline of Lake Tahoe caused a tsunami, so the shoreline has changed.
7. TRUE
It says today Geneva has about 200,000 people, many living in low-lying areas near the water, while in the sixth century most people lived behind walls on a hill, so now more people live closer to the lake.
8. floods
Katrina Kremer was searching for thin sediment layers that might be evidence of major floods.
9. leaves
They used carbon-dating on remains of leaves and other organic matter to date the deposit.
10. seventh
The dating narrowed the range to between the late fourth century and the early seventh century.
11. estimated
The researchers estimated that the tsunami would have been almost 8 metres high when it reached Geneva.
12. height
They estimated the tsunami would have been almost 8 metres in height at Geneva.
13. earthquake
The rockfall may have been set off by a major earthquake, as some scientists have speculated.
14. misidentified
The study found that both fear and surprise were constantly misidentified by participants.
15. emotions
The study concluded that certain facial expressions correspond to particular emotions.
16. cultural background
The study found that these expressions cannot be covered, regardless of cultural background.
17. isolated
The study included both isolated and non-isolated groups, so whether the culture has been isolated is mentioned.
18. exposed
The passage says 'regardless of whether or not the culture has been isolated or exposed to the mainstream.'
19. C
Paragraph C discusses how some expressions are difficult to interpret, showing the difficulty in identifying the meaning of facial expressions.
20. A / D
Paragraph A introduces the idea that facial expressions can vary between cultures, and D gives an example with blink rate, so both are correct.
21. D
Paragraph D mentions Joe Tecce's research on blink rates and election success.
22. H
Paragraph H discusses which facial expressions are universal and mentions social emotions like contempt, showing features of sociality.
23. D
Paragraph D explains that blink rate can reveal nervousness, making it an indicator of nervousness.
24. B
Paragraph B explains the relationship between emotion and facial expressions, including involuntary and voluntary expressions.
25. B / D
B is correct because the passage says facial expressions are related to the mind; D is correct because it says different parts of the face can express specific emotions. Other options are not supported by the passage.
27. D
Option D is correct because the passage says New Zealand's temperature will increase less than other regions due to being surrounded by sea.
28. B
Option B is correct because the passage says changes in SAM have resulted in a weakening of moisture during summer, leading to heavier droughts.
29. A
Option A is correct because moisture deficit means there is not enough water for crops, making growing conditions tough.
30. C
Option C is correct because the passage says snowfall in some areas is more likely to increase, which affects the skiing industry.
31. A
Option A is correct because cumulative changes in mass balance cause volume and thickness changes in glaciers.
32. A
Option A is correct because the passage uses the Mt. Cook Region as an example to explain the effects of glacier melting.
33. High tides
The passage says the melting glaciers cause high tides, which are the main factor for sea level rise.
34. Agricultural production
The passage says sea level rise threatens the groundwater system and may decrease agricultural production.
35. Coastal boundaries
The passage says coastal boundaries need to be upgraded and redefined to deal with sea level changes.
36. NOT GIVEN
There is no information comparing how responsive farmers and agriculturists are to climate change.
37. NOT GIVEN
The passage does not say the agricultural sector is too conservative in dealing with climate change.
38. NO
The passage says turtles have unconventional adaptation to global warming, so they are not vulnerable.
39. YES
The passage says global warming is going slowly and may have different effects on different areas in New Zealand.
40. NO
The passage says New Zealand's carbon dioxide emissions are already low and meeting standards, so it does not say they must cut emissions to solve global warming.

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