Reading 2026-07 Test 6 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

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Reading Passage 1: The Impact of Sports Tourism on Urban Areas

A Sports tourism may be defined as travel for non-commercial reasons, when people go to observe or participate in sporting activities away from their hometowns. It may involve the development of sporting infrastructure and be a form of promotional vehicle for cities. Tourists who travel to actually participate in sporting activities can be divided into two groups. Some of them pursue sport as a form of leisure for their own personal enrichment, and for the development and expression of their skills and knowledge. Others are more competitive in their approach; their aim is 'to experience uncommon rewards from the endeavour' (Stebbins, 1982). However, the number of tourists involved in both these types of participation, although significant for some smaller urban destinations, is relatively small. The majority of sports tourists do not travel to participate, but attend sports events simply for purposes of observation. Overall, sport plays an important role in motivating tourist activity, particularly among domestic travellers.

B The high profile attached to many one-off or regular sporting events has led many governments and municipalities to subsidise the construction and operation of stadiums, arenas, and associated sporting infrastructure. Okner (1974) notes a number of reasons for such involvement. Sport may be seen as contributing to civic prestige. It may lead to the generation of new industry through the relocation of existing businesses from other areas, and the establishment of new ones. It thus generates additional employment as well as higher taxes resulting from sporting events. There may also be additional recreational opportunities for community residents, which could be especially welcome in social terms if they replace other activities which have caused disruption in the past. Interest in sports among the young may also be encouraged, and the presence of a successful sports team may have beneficial effects on the citizens generally.

C The potential attraction of sports tourism for urban areas is illustrated by Rawn's (1990) study of sports fans in Indianapolis, US. She describes the transition of Indianapolis from manufacturing city to international sports venue under the heading of 'smokestacks to stadiums', noting that affluent sports fans are a highly desirable demographic for urban planners. These visitors tend to spend significantly more per day than conventional tourists, particularly on accommodation, dining, and merchandise. Furthermore, sports events often fill hotel rooms during off-peak seasons, smoothing out seasonal fluctuations in tourism revenue. However, Rawn also cautions that the economic benefits are often overestimated, as many studies fail to subtract public subsidies or account for the displacement of regular tourists by sports events.

D Despite the apparent benefits, critics argue that sports tourism can have negative consequences for host cities. One major concern is the so-called 'substitution effect' – when local residents reduce their usual spending on entertainment or dining out because they attend sporting events instead, the net gain to the local economy may be close to zero. Additionally, the construction of large stadiums often requires public funding that could have been spent on schools, hospitals, or public transport. In some cases, cities have incurred massive debts to build facilities that are used only a few times per year. Another criticism is that the jobs created are frequently low-skilled, part-time, or seasonal, offering little long-term economic security for local workers.

E Environmental impacts also deserve attention. The development of sports infrastructure can lead to the loss of green spaces, increased traffic congestion, and higher levels of air and noise pollution during events. Moreover, major tournaments such as the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup have been linked to the displacement of low-income residents from areas designated for redevelopment. In response, some cities have begun adopting 'legacy planning' – designing sports facilities with post-event use in mind, such as converting stadiums into community recreation centres or affordable housing. This approach aims to ensure that the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term disruptions.

F In conclusion, sports tourism offers both opportunities and risks for urban areas. When managed strategically, it can revitalise declining cities, attract outside investment, and enhance civic pride. However, without careful planning and transparent accounting of costs and benefits, it can also lead to financial strain, social inequality, and environmental degradation. The key lies in tailoring sports tourism strategies to the unique characteristics and needs of each city, rather than simply copying models from elsewhere.

1
A warning that economic benefits from sports tourism may be exaggerated
2
The definition of sports tourism
3
Environmental problems caused by sports infrastructure
4
Reasons why governments financially support sports events and facilities
5
The concept of 'legacy planning' to ensure long-term benefits
6
The first type plays sport for personal satisfaction and skill development, which is called a form of ________.
7
The second type is more ________ in nature, seeking unique rewards from their efforts.
8
Governments often support sports infrastructure because it can create new industries and increase ________ from events.
9
One study of Indianapolis noted that sports fans spend more per day than ordinary tourists, but the same study warned that ________ are frequently not taken into account when calculating net gains.
10
Sports tourism is mainly an international phenomenon, with few domestic travellers.
- A. TRUE
- B. FALSE
- C. NOT GIVEN
11
The presence of a successful sports team can have positive effects on local citizens.
12
All studies agree that sports tourism brings clear and measurable economic benefits without any downsides.
13
Some cities have designed sports facilities that can be converted into housing after major events.

Reading Passage 2: Born to Trade

A Humans are born to trade and we don’t need shops or money to do it—the heart of commerce is an instinctive ability for what anthropologists call “reciprocity”. This is an ability to exchange goods of equal worth, and it evolved as the brains of our ancient ancestors and societies became more complex, allowing individuals to keep a running tally of their interactions with others. Evidence from modern hunter-gatherers leaves little doubt that the exchange of food and favours is innate, as is the ability to keep track of the credits and debits that accrue as a result. Combine this skill for mental book-keeping with even the most basic material culture, and trade inevitably follows.

B Once trade gets off the ground, the economic benefits quickly make it irresistible. But exchanging tools, food and other essentials of life in a barter economy is a far cry from the shopping mall. Modern consumerism extends beyond subsistence and utilitarianism to encompass everything from Gucci handbags and BMW convertibles to valuable paintings. Clearly, the worth of such goods is not inherent but resides in certain intangible qualities that we invest in them. When did humans start holding these goods in such high esteem?

C All the archaeological evidence for the flowering of consumer culture has up to now pointed to a date of around 40,000 years ago. That’s when early modern humans started making increasingly intricate bone and stone tools, carving patterns into rocks and creating representational art such as carved figurines, jewellery and cave paintings. However, discoveries in Africa are pushing the origins of consumerism much further back into human prehistory.

A few years ago, reports began to emerge of discoveries made at the Blombos Cave, a site of ancient human habitation in South Africa. Christopher Henshilwood and colleagues from the University of Bergen in Norway dated thousands of pieces of ochre from the cave, and many of them proved to be more than 100,000 years old — before the time that early humans moved out of Africa. Ochre, a coloured clay that comes in various shades from red to black, does not occur naturally around Blombos and must have been imported from quarries at least 30 kilometres away, either directly by Blombos residents or through trade. Although ochre can be used to dry and preserve (cure) animal hides, the researchers are convinced the Blombos ochre had a symbolic purpose. For a start, it is predominantly red—any of the other colours available would have done for curing—and the surfaces of the clay had been scraped in a way that indicates they were used to yield pigment for dyes.

D An even more intriguing discovery from Blombos was of 41 beads dating from 76,000 years ago, found in clusters and made from the shells of a tiny mollusc. These cannot be natural deposits, argue the researchers, as each cluster contains shells of a similar size and colour with consistently placed holes. What’s more, all the beads display a pattern of wear suggesting friction from rubbing against thread, clothes or other beads. The previous oldest find of beads in Africa dates back to just 45,000 years ago. And it seems the Blombos people’s taste for beautiful items was not an isolated phenomenon. Jessica Thompson of Arizona State University in Tempe has described finding shell fragments from a site in Tanzania that she believes may represent debris from bead manufacture. They are at least 45,000—and possibly 280,000—years old. Although there is no evidence of how the ancient beads were used, their modern counterparts are often traded. So it looks as though our taste for jewellery and art is much older than we thought.

E But why did we come to value these objects in the first place? In many animal species, individuals signal their genetic fitness by showing off with attention-grabbing adornment. Some researchers think that in humans, consumer products play a similar role. Archaeologist Aimee Plourde, from the University of California, also argues that even in egalitarian societies, some people are more successful than others. Among our ancestors, superior skills in areas such as hunting, crafts, environmental knowledge and contact with neighbouring groups would have brought respect—in other words, prestige.

And because prestige brings social benefits, people would want to show off their talents. The best way to do this would be through demonstrating possession of material items that are hard to fake. ‘A good hunter, for instance, could advertise his skills by wearing the tooth of an animal that is elusive or dangerous,’ says Plourde. The benefits of prestige would also lead to competition to acquire it. As a result, the value and variety of prestige goods would spiral and there would be a parallel increase in the ranking of social systems.

If Plourde is correct, prestige goods form a direct link between our innate drive for trade and the development of structured, hierarchical societies. They are arguably the first step on the road to modern civilisation, paving the way for agriculture and urbanisation. We may not be impressed by beads any more, but their modern equivalents have the same fascination. Nobody believes the guy who spends €670,000 on a Bugatti Veyron car does so because he needs to travel at 250 mph. We all know in today’s consumer society he’s buying an exclusive status symbol.

14
Section A
- i. The desire to make expensive jewellery
- ii. The clues that indicate ancient items were decorative
- iii. Querying the changes in the value of traded items
- iv. A natural human talent
- v. How status can be gained from ownership of goods
- vi. Recent finds alter theories about when consumerism started
- vii. Changes in research methods
15
Section B
16
Section C
17
Section D
18
Section E
19
In section A, ‘reciprocity’ refers to our ancestors’ ability to
- A. keep written records of different goods traded
- B. monitor the balance between goods given and received
- C. produce more materials for trading purposes
- D. make money from trading goods and services
20
What is said about the ochre found at Blombos Cave?
- A. It is of a type only found in this particular area.
- B. It has all been dyed to give the same shade of red.
- C. It has been perfectly preserved despite its age.
- D. It appears it was selected for its colour.
21
What made the researchers realise the purpose of the beads found at Blombos Cave?
- A. They are of many different shapes and sizes.
- B. They were found in large numbers, clustered together.
- C. They have patterns in many different colours.
- D. They have holes and markings suggesting they were joined together.
22
Some researchers argue that we may use ownership of desirable goods to demonstrate our strength and fitness as other ________ use their attractive physical features.
23
Showing off one’s superiority is not a new phenomenon and even in ancient times successful people would have gained ________ from this.
24
A desire for status could have led to an increase in the worth of prestige goods and to ________ among people wishing to achieve this status.
25
It is thought that our natural desire to trade provided a basis for organised farming and ________ development and finally resulted in the complex societies which can be seen today.
26
Whilst we do not value things such as beads nowadays, other items hold the same appeal for us and bring the same status as owning beads did for our ________.

Reading Passage 3: Multitasking

Driving, eating, talking on the phone, sending emails... in today's busy world most of us find ourselves doing two or three things at once. Ours is a multitasking, multi-achieving society - or is it?

Scientific research has identified a bottleneck in our brains that could suggest we are fundamentally incapable of true multitasking. If experimental findings reflect real-world performance, people who think they are multitasking are probably just underperforming in all of their parallel pursuits.

The problem, according to René Marois, a psychologist at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, is that there's a sticking point in the brain. In order to locate this, Marois asked volunteers to watch a screen and press a key with a specific finger when a particular image appeared. Then, in a separate activity, they learned to listen to different recordings and to respond by making a specific sound. In both tasks, typical response time was about half a second, and volunteers quickly reached their peak performance. The trouble came when Marois showed participants an image, then almost immediately played them a sound. It appeared that if the second task is introduced within the half-second or so it takes to process and react to the first, it will simply be delayed until the first one is done. Delays progressively shorten as the interval between presenting the tasks lengthens.

There are at least three points where we seem to get stuck, says Marois. The first is simply identifying what we're looking at. This can take a few tenths of a second, during which crucial window of concentration we are incapable of seeing and recognising a second item. This limitation is known as the attentional blink. A second limitation is our short-term visual memory. This capacity shortage is thought to explain, in part, our astonishing inability to detect even huge changes in scenes that are otherwise identical, so-called change blindness. A third limitation is that choosing a response also takes brainpower. Selecting a response to one stimulus will hold back by some tenths of a second your ability to respond to a parallel one. This is called the response selection bottleneck theory, first proposed in 1952, and elaborated on by Marois and his colleagues in 2006.

But David Meyer of the University of Michigan has other ideas. Known as something of an optimist by his peers, Meyer has written papers with titles like 'Virtually perfect time-sharing in dual-task performance'. His experiments have shown that with enough practice at least 200 tries-some people can execute two tasks simultaneously as competently as if they were doing them one after another. Not all people manage this harmonious time-share, however. Meyer argues that individual differences come down to variations in the character of the processor-some brains are just more 'cautious', some more 'daring'. And contrary to popular belief, there are no noticeable difference between men and women. Meyer believes that it's not a central bottleneck which causes dual-task 'interference' but rather adaptive executive control which 'schedules task processes appropriately to obey instructions about their relative priorities and serial order'.

Marois's volunteers have also shown a huge improvement at managing concurrent tasks through regular practice. Where he disagrees with Meyer is in what the brain is doing to achieve this. Marois speculates that practice might give us the chance to find less congested circuits to execute a task – like finding trusty back streets to avoid heavy traffic on main roads – effectively making our response to the task subconscious. But while some dual tasks benefit from practice, others simply do not, according to Pierre Jolicoeur of the University of Montreal. Dual tasks involving visual stimulus and a motor response (which he dubs 'in the eye and out the hand') and auditory stimulus with a verbal response (in the ear and out the mouth) can, with enough training, be performed as well together as apart. He speculates that the brain connections they use may be somehow special, because we learn to speak by hearing and learn to move by looking. But pair visual input with verbal response, or sound to motor, and there's no such dramatic improvement.

For research purposes, these experiments have to be kept simple. Real-world multitasking poses much greater challenges. Needless to say, there appear to be no researchers who believe that you can safely drive and have a phone conversation. And according to results from a study at the University of Utah, even using a hands-free phone does not improve a driver's response time. The study confirms that what distracts a driver so badly is the very act of talking to someone who isn't present in the car and therefore is unaware of the hazards facing the driver. And the general preconception that we tend to get worse at multitasking as we age is borne out. In one study conducted by Art Kramer at the University of Illinois, for example, both young and old participants were asked to do a simulated driving task while carrying on a conversation. He found that while younger drivers tended to miss background changes, older drivers failed to notice things that were highly relevant as well, and likewise had more trouble paying attention to the more important parts of the scene.

However, Kramer also found that older people improved their performance with practice, and that brain scans showed that underlying that improvement was a change in the way their brains became active. While it's clear that practice can often make a difference, the basic facts remain sobering. For most of our history, says Marois, we probably never needed to do more than one thing at a time, so we haven't evolved to be able to. 'We have this impression of an almighty, complex brain,' he says, 'and yet we have very humbling and crippling limits.'

27
The main purpose of René Marois's experiment was to establish
- A. whether some people are more capable of multitasking than others.
- B. the stage at which people become too overloaded with input to respond efficiently.
- C. whether a person can perform tasks simultaneously in different situations.
- D. the difference in a person's reactions to visual and auditory stimuli.
28
What does David Meyer say about dual-task performance?
- A. Certain types of tasks are easier to carry out concurrently than others.
- B. Success rates vary according to the complexity of the responses required.
- C. Anybody can achieve dual-task competence if they repeat the exercise enough times.
- D. Success at dual-task activities depends on the person concerned.
29
On what point do Marois and Meyer agree?
- A. the role of the subconscious in interpreting dual-task stimuli
- B. the reason underlying the delay in response to dual-task stimuli
- C. the value of repetition in improving performance in dual-task situations
- D. the cognitive process enabling us to perform dual tasks competently.
30
According to Pierre Jolicoeur, the kind of dual tasks which can benefit from practice are those involving
- A. combinations which mirror the way people acquire basic skills.
- B. procedures which form part of people's everyday activities.
- C. a spoken response to a visual prompt.
- D. a motor response to an auditory stimulus.
31
In his dual-task experiments, Art Kramer observed that, compared with younger participants, older people
- A. performed better in some aspects of the study.
- B. found it harder to concentrate on key aspects of driving.
- C. were less able to respond to the conversational input.
- D. gained little from repeated practice of the tasks.
32
The phrase 'attentional blink' describes
- A. the delay in deciding on an appropriate reaction to a stimulus.
- B. variations between people in their ability to respond to dual-task situations.
- C. the period when we are processing input and therefore unable to take in further information.
- D. a mechanism which places task in sequence according to their perceived importance.
- E. a failure to identify differences between similar images.
33
Scientists talk about 'change blindness' to denote
34
The idea of the 'response selection bottleneck' was suggested as an explanation for
35
Meyer uses the term 'adaptive executive control' to refer to
36
In the scientific community, Meyer's theories receive less support than those of Marois.
37
It is commonly thought that gender plays a significant role in determining dual-task performance.
38
Jolicoeur's experiments on dual-task competence took place under laboratory conditions.
39
Research into phone use while driving has produced some surprising results.
40
Kramer's initial findings about cognitive abilities and aging confirm popular assumptions.

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1. C
C is correct because it mentions that economic benefits from sports tourism are often overstated, warning that 'public subsidies are frequently not taken into account when calculating net gains.'
2. A
A is correct as it provides the definition of sports tourism, explaining what it means and who participates in it.
3. E
E is correct because it discusses environmental problems caused by building sports infrastructure, such as damage to local habitats.
4. B
B is correct since it lists reasons why governments support sports events, like creating new industries and increasing tax revenue.
5. E
E is correct because it explains 'legacy planning' as a way to ensure long-term benefits from sports facilities after events are over.
6. leisure
The answer is 'leisure' because the first type plays sport for personal satisfaction and skill development, which is described as a form of leisure.
7. competitive
The answer is 'competitive' because the second type is described as seeking unique rewards and being more competitive in nature.
8. higher taxes
The answer is 'higher taxes' because governments support sports infrastructure to create new industries and increase higher taxes from events.
9. public subsidies
The answer is 'public subsidies' because the study warned that these are often not included when calculating net gains from sports tourism.
10. FALSE
The answer is FALSE because the passage says there are many domestic sports tourists, not just international ones.
11. TRUE
The answer is TRUE because the passage states that a successful sports team can have positive effects on local citizens.
12. FALSE
The answer is FALSE because the passage says not all studies agree that sports tourism always brings clear and measurable economic benefits.
13. TRUE
The answer is TRUE because the passage mentions some cities have designed sports facilities that can be turned into housing after events.
14. iv
iv is correct because Section A talks about a natural human talent, such as the ability to trade and exchange goods.
15. iii
iii is correct because Section B questions how the value of traded items has changed over time.
16. vi
vi is correct because Section C discusses how recent finds have changed theories about when consumerism started.
17. ii
ii is correct because Section D gives clues that ancient items were decorative, such as beads with markings.
18. v
v is correct because Section E explains how owning goods can bring status.
19. B
B is correct because 'reciprocity' refers to our ancestors' ability to monitor the balance between goods given and received.
20. D
D is correct because the ochre was chosen for its colour, showing it was selected for appearance, not just function. The other options do not match the passage.
21. D
D is correct because the beads have holes and markings, suggesting they were joined together, which helped researchers understand their purpose.
22. species
The answer is 'species' because the passage compares how people use goods to show strength, like other species use physical features.
23. respect
The answer is 'respect' because even in ancient times, successful people gained respect from showing their superiority.
24. competitiveness
The answer is 'competitiveness' because a desire for status led to more competitiveness among people wanting prestige goods.
25. city
The answer is 'city' because trading led to organised farming and city development, resulting in complex societies.
26. ancestors
The answer is 'ancestors' because the passage says beads brought status to our ancestors, just as other items do for us now.
27. B
B is correct because the experiment aimed to find the stage when people become too overloaded to respond efficiently, not just differences between people.
28. D
D is correct because Meyer says success at dual-task activities depends on the person, not just the type or complexity of the task.
29. C
C is correct because both Marois and Meyer agree that practice can improve performance in dual-task situations.
30. A
A is correct because Jolicoeur says practice helps with dual tasks that are similar to how people learn basic skills.
31. B
B is correct because older people found it harder to concentrate on key aspects of driving compared to younger participants.
32. C
C is correct because 'attentional blink' is the time when we are processing input and cannot take in more information.
33. E
E is correct because 'change blindness' means failing to notice differences between similar images.
34. A
A is correct because the 'response selection bottleneck' explains the delay in deciding how to react to a stimulus.
35. D
D is correct because 'adaptive executive control' is about a mechanism that puts tasks in order based on importance.
36. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not say if Meyer's theories are less supported than Marois's.
37. YES
YES is correct because it is commonly thought that gender affects dual-task performance.
38. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not say where Jolicoeur's experiments took place.
39. NO
NO is correct because research into phone use while driving did not produce surprising results; the findings matched expectations.
40. YES
YES is correct because Kramer's findings about aging and cognitive abilities confirm what people usually think.

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Reading Passage 1: The Impact of Sports Tourism on Urban Areas

Reading Passage 2: Born to Trade

Reading Passage 3: Multitasking

Answer sheet

Answer key