Reading 2026-09 Test 13

Exam month: 2026-09

In this test

About this set: compiled and lightly cleaned up from real test material that test-takers recalled. IELTS draws from a global question pool, so this material circulates worldwide. To give you a complete, sittable test, material reported around the same period is assembled together — so a set may combine content from several exam dates, not one single sitting. Any audio is a recreation for practice. Organized for study convenience. Based on test-taker recalls — not official IELTS material.

Reading Passage 1: The Slow Food Organization

Taking time with food
(A) Slow Food began when Carlo Petrini, an Italian journalist, was dismayed by the opening of a fast food restaurant on the famous Piazza di Spagna in Rome. He decided it was time to celebrate the fast-disappearing virtues of the slow production, preparation and eating of food. What he had in mind when he began the Slow Food organization were local foods which were prepared in their traditional manner and eaten at leisurely meals with family and friends. Slow Food is the antithesis of everything fast food stands for, and it is now a thriving international organization with members in 45 countries, a successful publishing operation and a biannual trade show. In addition, Slow Food has launched a project called the 'Ark of Taste' and a concept called 'virtuous globalization'.
(B) The Ark of Taste is the catalog of endangered food plant and animal species that Slow Food has resolved to protect against the rising global tide of fast food. Some examples of the biodiversity promoted by the Ark of Taste include Iroquois white corn and the Narragansett turkey, both of which are old, or heritage, foods in North America. Biodiversity is a term commonly associated with discussions of threats to wild species, but according to Slow Food the biodiversity of the domesticated species people have depended on for centuries is no less important. For example, when the latest patented hybrid variety of plant proves unable to withstand fungal or bacterial disease, plant breeders will need the disease-resistant genes which can be obtained from heritage plant varieties. If Iroquois white corn had fallen out of production, as it very nearly did two decades ago due to the commercial launch of a new hybrid corn, irreplaceable and possibly crucial sets of corn genes would have been lost forever.
(C) For some time, plant-saver groups have been preserving heritage plant varieties, but Slow Food takes that project a step further. The movement understands that all the food and plant species in its Ark of Taste carry not only information about genetic traits but they also embody a set of social practices, and in some cases even a way of life of previous generations. Slow Food teaches that when a variety of food or breed of animal disappears, something greater also disappears: a specific, irreplaceable mode of life that a particular people have devised for living in a particular part of the Earth. An example of this is the Iroquois white corn. By working to find new markets for this ancient variety of corn, Slow Food is ensuring a source of income for the Native Americans who grow, roast, and grind this corn and, at the same time, helping to preserve the specific cookery and religious uses that the corn has been selected to support over hundreds of years.
(D) Slow Food has moved away from the traditional locations for preserving rare animal and plant species. For example, instead of zoos for rare animals and botanic gardens for rare plants, Slow Food maintains that its plants and animals are best preserved on the dishes and plates of discerning customers. To this end, Slow Food has introduced the concept of virtuous globalization, which recognizes that the best way to ensure a safe future for distinctive local products and practices is to find a global market for them. In this way, local producers will be able to continue producing the food which for many years has been a defining factor of their cultural identity. The characteristics of the virtuous globalization of Slow Foods show how different the concept is from the globalization of fast foods. Whereas global fast food companies aim to sell food that has an unchanging taste wherever in the world it is eaten, the taste of a recognized Slow Food is unique to that food. Another aspect is the quantities sold of these two types of food. In the case of fast food, these are enormous, but the quantities of Slow Food products which are available for selling are limited, due to the rarity of the plants or animals. The customers of virtuous globalization Slow Foods are affluent people who value novelty and are undeterred by the costs, which are high when compared to fast food.
(E) Some years ago, a network of farmers in the USA volunteered to take part in a national Slow Food project. The project was for the farmers to raise a total of 5,000 turkeys from eggs which had been selected from four varieties of endangered turkey. The farmers had to begin by hatching the eggs they had been supplied with, then raising the young turkeys to adults. They were promised a guaranteed price per pound for the adult turkeys. The object of the enterprise was to raise heritage turkeys for the North American holiday of Thanksgiving. Although chefs in some restaurants where the turkeys were on the menu complained that the Slow Food turkeys were smaller than industrially produced turkeys, the distinctive flavors were very well received by consumers. By the following year, the world population of these turkeys had nearly doubled.
(F) It may seem strange that taking pleasure in eating could be a strategy for preserving biodiversity because pleasure is not normally associated with environmentalism. However, pleasure is part of what Slow Food aims to bring back, by demonstrating that, at least when it comes to the politics of food, the best choice is often the one that provides the most enjoyment.
  1. 1

    The Ark of Taste lists food plant and animal species in danger of extinction.

    • A. TRUE
    • B. FALSE
    • C. NOT GIVEN
  2. 2

    Slow Food considers that the term 'biodiversity' should be restricted to wild species.

  3. 3

    The genes of heritage plants may be of vital importance to modern plant breeders.

  4. 4

    Countries can sell the genes of their heritage plant varieties internationally.

  5. 5

    Slow Food maintains that food and culture exist independently of each other.

  6. 6

    Some Native Americans are now giving cookery classes featuring Iroquois white corn.

  7. 7

    Complete the table: The taste of a recognized Slow Food is ____ to that food.

  8. 8

    Complete the table: The quantities of Slow Food products which are available for selling are ____.

  9. 9

    Complete the table: Global fast food companies aim to sell food that has an ____ taste wherever in the world it is eaten.

  10. 10

    What were farmers in the USA given so that they could raise endangered turkeys?

  11. 11

    How many varieties of endangered turkey benefited from the project?

  12. 12

    Who was not happy with the size of the turkeys?

  13. 13

    Who liked the taste of the endangered turkeys?

Reading Passage 2: The Longest Conservation Fence In The World

(A) When a wooden post was hammered into a path of Kenyan soil on 28 August 2009, it marked the completion of the longest conservation fence in the world. The 400-kilometre-long, two-metre-high electrified barrier, which protects more than 2,000 square kilometres of lush, green rainforest, took more than 20 years to construct. It was originally built by an animal conservation charity to conserve the black rhino – an endangered species of rhino whose numbers in the region had fallen from hundreds to dozens. However, its effects and beneficiaries have proved to be considerably more wide-ranging.
(B) The fence encircles part of the Aberdare mountains, a 160-kilometre-long range that forms the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley just north of the capital Nairobi. Well loved by safari-goers, it's a water-rich region that contains a mixture of habitats, including rainforest, bamboo forest and moorland. But its wildlife had been suffering as Nairobi's growing population crept up into the highlands to farm its volcanic soils. Kenya's population has grown from about three million at the start of the 20th century to around 40 million today, and although many have migrated into the country's cities, about three quarters of Kenyans still live off the land. But unfortunately, Kenya doesn't have much fertile land. Vast areas of the country are little more than desert, and only around 17 per cent is suitable for farming. As people moved up into the Aberdares' forests the region became degraded, as trees were felled for firewood or to make way for farming and cattle grazing, and local wildlife was hunted.
(C) Various government and conservation organisations had tried to halt the destruction, but it was difficult to stop illegal uses of the forest, including poaching – the unlawful hunting of animals – when there was no barrier to prevent entry. 'One of the problems was that people couldn't really tell where the state-owned, out-of-bounds area began,' explains Colin Church, the chairman of the animal conservation charity. 'We needed to communicate to local people which land was theirs and which was for the benefit of all Kenyans.'
(D) Initially, there were concerns that the fence would be rejected by the people living in the nearby area, who had become accustomed to supplementing their income with the forest's resources. However, that doesn't seem to have been the case. 'When we were carrying out the assessments, we held five meetings with fence-adjacent communities and most of them were very happy with the fence,' says Professor David Mungai of the University of Nairobi, who led the team that prepared a report on the fence's impact.
(E) It soon became clear that the fence has been welcomed because it doesn't just protect animals from people, it also protects people from animals. Before it was built, farmers near the forests would regularly lose a substantial proportion of their harvest to marauding wild animals, and children were often attacked on their way to school by predators. 'In this situation, it was difficult for those living near the fence to care too much about conserving the area and its wildlife,' says Church. But the fence has changed that relationship. Since its construction, the 40,000 farmers whose lands border the fence have gained considerably. 'Most are now able to harvest 100 per cent of their crops,' says Church. The improved security has seen land values increase by up to 300 per cent, and poaching is down by 99 per cent, according to Dr Julius Kipng'etich, Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service.
(F) Further local support has been secured by hiring local people to build the fence and act as its guardians – living in specially created cabins beside the fence and patrolling sections up to 20 kilometres in length on a daily basis. 'The fence isn't possible without the support of the local community,' says Mungai. He believes that the increased support of local people – many of whom are under-educated and unemployed – will be secured through government investment in schools and job creation, including the setting up of more ecotourism businesses. The area currently receives around 50,000 visitors a year, but there is a widespread view that its tourism potential remains relatively untapped.
(G) As the region's forests start to recover – reports show that indigenous forest cover within the enclosure has increased by 20 per cent – its rivers have also started to stabilize. 'If you remove an area's vegetation, the troughs and peaks of water flow are increased – so the base flow becomes lower, and flooding and erosion become an issue,' says Mungai. 'What's important is that a river is stable, so the local people can trust in what that river will be able to deliver.' Colin Church also sees the Aberdare fence as a true success story. 'The conservation struggle is so often presented as man versus nature. But with the right management, that doesn't need to be the case,' he says. 'The two can benefit each other and live sustainably side by side. We've proved it.'
(H) The success of the Aberdare fence has attracted international attention. Conservationists from other African countries, as well as from Asia and South America, have visited the site to learn from the experience. The key lesson, according to Church, is that conservation must work with local communities, not against them. 'Too many conservation projects fail because they try to exclude people,' he says. 'But people are part of the ecosystem. If they don't benefit from protecting nature, they will have no reason to protect it.' The fence model is now being considered for other sensitive habitats, including national parks in Tanzania and wildlife corridors in India.
(I) Looking ahead, the challenge will be to maintain the fence and the goodwill it has generated. The electrified barrier requires regular maintenance, and the guardians need ongoing support and training. Climate change poses a new threat, with more erratic rainfall potentially affecting both the forest and the farms that depend on it. Yet the project's founders remain optimistic. 'We've shown that it's possible to balance human needs with conservation,' says Mungai. 'The fence is just a tool. The real achievement is the change in people's attitudes.'
  1. 14

    The fence was constructed as protection for a rare type of _____.

  2. 15

    A large number of trees from the Aberdares' forests had been cut down to be used for _____.

  3. 16

    According to the director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, there has been a great reduction in _____ since the fence was constructed.

  4. 17

    According to Professor Mungai, the continued success of the fence depends on the _____ spending money on education and jobs.

  5. 18

    18-19. According to the text, which TWO benefits of the fence have been observed?

    • A. an improvement in soil quality
    • B. a more reliable water supply
    • C. growth in tourism
    • D. larger harvests
    • E. increased opportunities for research
  6. 19

    20. The fence took more than two decades to complete.

    • A. TRUE
    • B. FALSE
    • C. NOT GIVEN
  7. 20

    21. Less than 10 per cent of Kenya's land is suitable for farming.

  8. 21

    22. Local communities were initially opposed to the construction of the fence.

  9. 22

    23. Children were sometimes attacked by wild animals before the fence was built.

  10. 23

    24. The fence has eliminated all conflict between humans and wildlife in the region.

  11. 24

    25. What does Colin Church identify as the main reason for the failure of many conservation projects?

    • A. lack of funding from international donors
    • B. opposition from local communities
    • C. trying to exclude people from conservation areas
    • D. poor design of conservation barriers
  12. 25

    26. What new challenge does the passage mention for the future of the Aberdare region?

    • A. declining interest from tourists
    • B. climate change affecting rainfall patterns
    • C. increasing poaching despite the fence
    • D. government cuts to conservation funding

Reading Passage 3: The Hazards of Multitasking

Doing more than one thing at once – is it always a good idea?
(A) You arrive at the office, review your to-do list and start to feel a headache coming on. You resolve to tackle the items as quickly as possible. While you return calls, you sort e-mail and other letters. You begin keying in slides for tomorrow’s presentation. Then your manager comes in wanting an immediate update on sales figures. You have just opened the spreadsheet when a very important customer calls. With the receiver held between your shoulder and your ear, you continue adding up the sales totals until, 15 minutes later, you finally manage, politely, to get rid of the client. You’ve been multitasking again.
(B) You may believe that anyone who wants to get ahead today should master the art of multitasking. However, a recent study by the Families and Work Institute in New York City has found that 45 per cent of US workers believe that they are asked or expected to work on too many tasks at once. Managers may be surprised to learn that they are actually wasting their workers’ time. As it turns out, the human brain cannot really master the computer’s art of crunching data in the background while moving between process windows. Instead, a growing number of studies show that trying to juggle jobs rather than completing them sequentially can take longer and leave workers with a reduced ability to perform each task. In addition, the stress associated with multitasking may contribute to short-term memory difficulties. The combination results in inefficiency, careless thinking and mistakes – not to mention the possible dangers of divided attention for drivers, air-traffic controllers and others who handle machinery.
(C) How can a time-management strategy that has become part of the common wisdom actually be so wrong? Exploring that question requires a closer look at an area of consciousness research that examines how the brain focuses attention. One of the modern foundations of current knowledge of multitasking was laid in 1935, when the American psychologist John Ridley Stroop reported that processing information from one task could cause interference with another. Stroop noticed that when study participants were asked to name the colour of a word – such as ‘green’ – printed in a different colour – red, for example – they experienced difficulty saying the name of the colour. This phenomenon is thought to occur when two tasks get tangled: the brain must suppress one that has been learned so well that it has become automatic (reading) to attend to a second task that requires concentration (naming the colour).
(D) During the past couple of decades, psychologists have probed more deeply into the nature and limitations of multitasking. Psychologist and brain-researcher Ernst Pöppel, of the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, believes that it is impossible to carry out two or three different tasks simultaneously with the same degree of concentration. He says that seemingly simultaneous awareness and processing of information actually take place in ‘three-second windows’.
(E) In these three-second segments, the brain takes in, as a block, all the data about the environment streaming in from the sensory systems; subsequent events are processed in the next window. So a person can concentrate on a conversation for three seconds, then for three seconds on a crying child, and three seconds on a computer screen. While one subject at a time occupies the foreground of consciousness, the others stay in the background until they, in turn, are given access to the central processor.
(F) Another experiment by psychologist David E. Meyer, of the University of Michigan, quantified just how much time we can lose when we shuttle between tasks. The researchers asked test participants to write a report and check their e-mail at the same time. Those individuals who constantly jumped back and forth between the two tasks took about one and a half times as long to finish as those who completed one job before turning to the other. Each switchover from one task to another meant re-thinking and thus involved additional neural resources. In effect, the brain needs time to shut off the rules for one task and to turn on the rules for another. ‘Multitasking saves time only when it is a matter of relaxed, routine tasks,’ Meyer says. It also takes the brain longer to adapt when switching rapidly back to an interrupted task rather than waiting longer before switching back.
(G) By its nature multitasking is stressful, and the area in the brain most involved with multitasking is also most affected by the resulting stress. Located behind the forehead, the prefrontal cortex – which neuroscientists call the ‘executive’ part of the brain – helps us to assess tasks, prioritise them and assign mental resources. It also ‘marks’ the spot at which a task has been interrupted, so that we can return to it later. This stress can also affect brain cells in another region, the hippocampus, which is important for forming new memories; damage in that area also makes it difficult for a person to acquire new skills.
(H) Psychiatrists Edward Hallowell and John Ratey, of Harvard University, say that multitasking can bring about a brain condition that causes sufferers to constantly seek new information while having difficulties concentrating on its content. All in all, it may be wise to let the e-mail wait while you work on your presentation. You will save time and perform each task better.
  1. 26

    27. Less attention will be paid to each task when more than one task is attempted at the same time.

    • A. John Ridley Stroop
    • B. Ernst Pöppel
    • C. David E. Meyer
    • D. Edward Hallowell & John Ratey
  2. 27

    28. Repeated changes of task mean that the brain will take a while to adjust.

  3. 28

    29. Using the skills required for one task may make performing another one more difficult.

  4. 29

    30. When multitasking, the brain can only focus on single tasks for very short periods.

  5. 30

    31. Multitasking can lead to a medical problem.

  6. 31

    32. What is suggested about the worker in the opening paragraph?

    • A. Anxiety deprived him of sleep the previous night.
    • B. He feels overwhelmed by his workload.
    • C. His manager has expressed disapproval.
    • D. He finds his work dull and uninteresting.
  7. 32

    33. Drivers and air-traffic controllers are mentioned in the passage because they

    • A. need to perform several tasks at once.
    • B. are unable to maintain concentration.
    • C. use their time efficiently.
    • D. cannot afford to make mistakes.
  8. 33

    34. In John Ridley Stroop’s experiment, participants found it difficult to

    • A. tell one colour from another.
    • B. match up pairs of similar colours.
    • C. read out the name of one colour printed in another colour.
    • D. decide what colour looks appropriate for a particular word.
  9. 34

    35. The stressful nature of multitasking has been shown to affect parts of the brain. The area most affected is the prefrontal cortex, which is found to the rear of the ____.

  10. 35

    36. It is the part of the brain which judges tasks, then puts them in order of importance and allocates ____.

  11. 36

    37. A second area, the hippocampus, may also be affected by the stress of multitasking. If any ____ in the hippocampus are affected, people may have problems with storing ____.

  12. 37

    38. If any cells in the hippocampus are affected, people may have problems with storing ____.

  13. 38

    39. ...as well as learning ____.

  14. 39

    40. The main aim of this passage is to

    • A. describe areas where multitasking is useful.
    • B. challenge widely held opinions on multitasking.
    • C. show the physical damage that multitasking can cause.
    • D. call for better psychological experiments on multitasking.

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Answer key

  1. 1. A

    The answer is TRUE because the passage says the Ark of Taste lists food plant and animal species that are in danger of extinction.

  2. 2. B

    The answer is FALSE because the passage explains that Slow Food includes both wild and domestic species in their definition of biodiversity, not just wild ones.

  3. 3. A

    The answer is TRUE because the passage states that the genes of heritage plants could be very important for modern plant breeders.

  4. 4. C

    The answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage does not mention whether countries can sell the genes of their heritage plant varieties internationally.

  5. 5. B

    The answer is FALSE because the passage says Slow Food believes food and culture are closely linked, not independent.

  6. 6. C

    The answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage does not say if Native Americans are giving cookery classes with Iroquois white corn.

  7. 7. unique

    The answer is 'unique' because the table shows that the taste of a recognized Slow Food is special to that food.

  8. 8. limited

    The answer is 'limited' because the table says the amounts of Slow Food products available for sale are not large.

  9. 9. unchanging

    The answer is 'unchanging' because the table says global fast food companies want their food to taste the same everywhere.

  10. 10. eggs

    The answer is 'eggs' because the passage says farmers in the USA were given eggs to help them raise endangered turkeys.

  11. 11. 4 / four

    The answer is '4 / four' because the passage says four varieties of endangered turkey benefited from the project.

  12. 12. chefs

    The answer is 'chefs' because the passage says chefs were not happy with the size of the turkeys.

  13. 13. consumers

    The answer is 'consumers' because the passage says consumers liked the taste of the endangered turkeys.

  14. 14. rhino

    The answer is 'rhino' because the passage says the fence was built to protect a rare type of rhino.

  15. 15. firewood

    The answer is 'firewood' because the passage says many trees from the Aberdares' forests were cut down to be used for firewood.

  16. 16. poaching

    The answer is 'poaching' because the director of the Kenya Wildlife Service says there has been a big drop in poaching since the fence was built.

  17. 17. government

    The answer is 'government' because Professor Mungai says the fence's success depends on the government spending money on education and jobs.

  18. 18. B / D

    The answers are B and D because the passage mentions a more reliable water supply and larger harvests as benefits of the fence. Options A, C, and E are not mentioned as observed benefits.

  19. 19. A

    The answer is TRUE because the passage says the fence took more than twenty years (two decades) to finish.

  20. 20. B

    The answer is FALSE because the passage says more than 10% of Kenya's land is suitable for farming.

  21. 21. B

    The answer is FALSE because the passage says local communities supported, not opposed, the construction of the fence.

  22. 22. A

    The answer is TRUE because the passage says children were sometimes attacked by wild animals before the fence was built.

  23. 23. B

    The answer is FALSE because the passage says the fence has reduced, but not eliminated, conflict between humans and wildlife.

  24. 24. C

    The answer is C because Colin Church says many conservation projects fail because they try to keep people out of conservation areas. Options A, B, and D are not given as the main reason.

  25. 25. B

    The answer is B because the passage says a new challenge for the Aberdare region is climate change affecting rainfall patterns. The other options are not mentioned as future challenges.

  26. 26. B

    The answer is B because Ernst Pöppel says when more than one task is attempted at the same time, less attention is paid to each task.

  27. 27. C

    The answer is C because David E. Meyer says that when people switch tasks, the brain needs time to adjust.

  28. 28. A

    The answer is A because John Ridley Stroop's experiment showed that using the skills for one task can make another task harder.

  29. 29. B

    The answer is B because Ernst Pöppel says the brain can only focus on single tasks for very short periods when multitasking.

  30. 30. D

    The answer is D because Edward Hallowell & John Ratey say multitasking can lead to a medical problem.

  31. 31. B

    The answer is B because the worker feels overwhelmed by his workload, as described in the opening paragraph. Option A is tempting, but the passage does not mention sleep.

  32. 32. D

    The answer is D because drivers and air-traffic controllers are mentioned as people who cannot afford to make mistakes. Option A is tempting, but the focus is on the need for accuracy, not multitasking.

  33. 33. C

    The answer is C because in Stroop’s experiment, participants found it hard to read the name of one colour printed in another colour.

  34. 34. forehead

    The answer is 'forehead' because the passage says the prefrontal cortex is found to the rear of the forehead.

  35. 35. mental resources

    The answer is 'mental resources' because the passage says this part of the brain allocates mental resources.

  36. 36. cells

    The answer is 'cells' because the passage says if any cells in the hippocampus are affected, people may have problems.

  37. 37. new memories

    The answer is 'new memories' because the passage says people may have problems with storing new memories if cells in the hippocampus are affected.

  38. 38. new skills

    The answer is 'new skills' because the passage says people may have problems with learning new skills if the hippocampus is affected.

  39. 39. B

    The answer is B because the main aim of the passage is to challenge widely held opinions on multitasking, not just describe, show damage, or call for more experiments.

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