General Training Reading 2025-03 Test 6 — IELTS General Training Reading Practice Test with Answers

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

Health Care Advertisements

There are 5 advertisements A - E. Answer the questions below by writing the letters of the appropriate advertisements, A-E. NB You may use any letter more than once.

A. GRANTSTOWN HEALTH CARE

At Grantstown Healthcare, our mission is to consistently provide superior, reliable and affordable healthcare services to our clients in the comfort of their homes. To fulfill this mission, we hire and retain highly qualified, dedicated, and compassionate personnel and match them closely with each client. We work with most major insurance companies or of course our bills can be met privately.

B. Compton Health Insurance

Quality healthcare and Compton have become synonymous, a fact reiterated by global healthcare experts and international accreditation bodies. We have a variety of plans that will cover your or your family's general health and dental requirements. A medical test is not required, but access to your medical records may be requested. Fill in our online form and one of our sales representatives will phone you within 24 hours at your preferred time.

C. Kingsley Private Hospital

Today's national health services are often over-stretched and people are often unwilling or unable to depend on them. Kingsley Private Hospital's services allow you to be examined and treated immediately. For most treatments at Kingsley Private Hospital, you need to be referred to us; for others, you can refer yourself. Check when you make your appointment. Normally, you will need to be referred by a General Practitioner to a consultant at Kingsley Private Hospital, who will then be responsible for your treatment. Your GP will usually write a referral letter to the consultant or, for certain specialties, you may be able to self-refer to some of our consultants. Please check on our relevant webpage or with the consultant's secretary before you make an appointment if you do not have a GP referral. We also offer a 'walk-in' private GP service available 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m on Saturdays.

D. Health Direct

This complimentary service allows people to access medical advice online when it is hard to access traditional services, such as weekends or at night. Phone the direct line or chat in writing with a health care professional to get an online diagnosis within minutes. Prescriptions can be issued through this service, though the actual medicines will have to be picked up at a local hospital.

E. Linda's Physiotherapy

Specialising in post-surgical physiotherapy, Linda Wilson can offer you a personalised and experienced service. Linda works out of her premises on the high street and so she is easily accessible to most people in the town. Call or email for an appointment and check the website for references.

1
Which advertisement offers a service that will help people following an operation?
2
Which advertisement states that another health professional must usually advise that service can be used?
3
Which advertisement can offer face-to-face medical services without the patient having to leave his or her home?
4
Which advertisement states that recommendations can be seen before making use of the service?
5
Which advertisement offers a call back service?
6
Which advertisement says that the service can be paid for someone else?
7
Which advertisement offers a free service?

Water Conservation

A step to conserve water is a step towards securing the future. The most essential of all the natural resources on earth is water. A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold for the thirsty man. If each one of us makes an effort to save water today, it will save us later. Water conservation is what can reduce the scarcity of water. It aims to improve the efficiency of the use of water, reduce losses and waste and save money. Water conservation has become essential in all regions, even where water seems abundant. That's because our water resources are finite and they are getting smaller every year.

Water is Life: Everything on Earth requires water to sustain itself. But abusing water means that we are lessening its ability to provide us with this basic necessity. Water is a limited resource and Earth always has, and will always have, the same amount of water. The population growth puts a strain on water supplies and clean water is reduced by the pollution and contamination we create. We are polluting the water for all of Earth's creatures, sending chemicals like oil and fertilizers through our rivers that ultimately end up in the oceans. Sure, we can rely on water treatment plants to send us cleaner water, but a baby dolphin obviously can't build these facilities. Let's determine what is at stake if we continue down this path of water waste.

Less and/or more expensive energy: The extraction of common sources of energy (oil, gas, coal, biomass etc.) requires water. Hydropower, energy derived from falling water, uses fresh water. The less fresh water that we have the more expensive energy becomes.

Less food: A full 70% of humanity's fresh water supply is used to grow crops. Freshwater fish, another major source of our diets and a large sector of the food chain require fresh water to survive. The more we pollute and/or abuse our water supply, the less likely we are to maintain a sustainable source of food. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 40 per cent of lakes prohibit fishing and swimming due to pollution.

What is to Blame? One of the other factors is population growth. While we can't spur the population, we can spur our abuse of water so that we can prevent millions more from dying from water-related illnesses.

Climate change is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The effects include reduced rainfall in some areas, halting the flow of fresh water to regions that were formerly accustomed to nature providing this very necessary resource. Deforestation has an impact that prevents our forests from collecting, storing, purifying and providing fresh water to populations that lie downstream.

What Can You Do? You can start by saving water at home. It can be achieved at a low cost. On a local level, do what you can to get involved in local events or non-profit organizations where factors that affect water - pollution, deforestation, poor agricultural practices etc. need to be addressed.

Questions 8–14: True/False/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? 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

8
Saving water at home does not require any significant cost outlay.
9
Earth is a self-contained ecosystem concerning water.
10
Taking measures to conserve water not only saves you money, it also is of benefit to the greater community.
11
The more we abuse our water supply, the more likely we are to maintain a sustainable source of food.
12
Pollution from human activities, especially agriculture, makes its way into lakes, streams and ultimately our oceans.
13
On a local level, we should turn a blind eye to the global impacts of water scarcity and conservation.
14
Climate change prevents us from collecting, storing, purifying and providing freshwater to populations that lie downstream.

Genetic Disorders

Researchers have identified more than 4,000 diseases that are caused by mutations. However, having a genetic mutation that may cause a disease or condition doesn't always mean that a person will develop that disease or condition. On average, people probably carry from 5 to 10 genes with mutations in each of their cells. Problems happen when the particular gene is dominant or when a mutation is present in both copies of a recessive gene pair. Problems can also happen when several variant genes interact with each other or with the environment to increase susceptibility to diseases.

If a person has a change in a dominant gene that is associated with a particular condition, he or she will usually have features of that condition. Each of the person's children will have a 1 in 2 (50%) chance of inheriting the gene and developing the same features. Diseases and conditions caused by a dominant gene include achondroplasia (a form of dwarfism), Marfan syndrome (a connective tissue disorder) and Huntington's disease (a degenerative disease of the nervous system).

People who have a change in just one copy of a recessive gene are called carriers. They don't usually have the disease because they have a normal gene copy of that pair that can do the job. When two carriers have a child together, however, the child has a 1 in 4 (25%) chance of getting a gene with a mutation from both parents, which would result in the child having the disease. Cystic fibrosis (a lung disease), sickle cell anaemia (a blood disorder), and Tay-Sachs disease (which causes nervous system problems) are caused by recessive mutations from both parents coming together in a child.

With recessive gene mutations on the X chromosome, usually, only guys can develop the disease because they have only one X chromosome. Girls have two X chromosomes since they have a back-up copy of another X chromosome, they don't always show features of X-linked conditions. These include the bleeding disorder haemophilia and colour blindness.

Sometimes when an egg and sperm unite, the new cell gets too many or too few chromosomes, which can cause issues for the child. For example, most children born with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome. Some individuals may have certain genetic conditions. Genetic testing usually involves taking a sample of someone's blood, skin, or amniotic fluid and checking it for genetic changes.

Questions 15–21: Genetic Disorders — Note Completion

Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

15. Achondroplasia is a disease caused by which type of gene?

16. Which gender doesn't always show features of X-linked conditions?

17. Tay-Sachs disease is caused by which type of mutations?

18. How many extra chromosomes do children born with Down syndrome have?

19. Name a degenerative disease of the nervous system which is caused by genetic mutations?

20. What do we call people who have a change in just one copy of a recessive gene?

21. Name a bleeding disorder which is an X chromosome-linked genetic disease.

Saving Water in the Home

Water is a precious resource that needs to be used carefully. By saving water in your home and garden, you can help the environment too.

The Restroom: One of the best ways to conserve water is to flush less in the restroom. Restroom flushing accounts for about a third of household water usage and you probably flush away as much water in a day as you drink in a whole month. There are easy ways to reduce this. Firstly, you can install a water displacement device in the cistern of a higher flush toilet - these reduce the amount of water used for each flush, typically by one or two litres. Secondly, choose a water-saving low-flush version when buying a new toilet. Thirdly, you can fit a variable flushing device to existing higher flush toilets - this will give you a choice of flush volumes. Finally, make sure that you throw waste in the bin, not the toilet.

Showers and Other Appliances: A quick shower uses much less water than a bath. Fitting a flow regulator or water-efficient shower head reduces the amount of water you use by 30 per cent without compromising shower performance. These should not, however, be fitted to electric showers, as this can lead to overheating of the water. Also, avoid high volume power showers, as you can easily use more water than if you had a bath. In addition, all new dishwashers and washing machines have a label that tells you the amount of water used per wash and how energy efficient they are.

Taps and Leaks: A dripping tap, losing just two drips a second, wastes up to 26 litres of water a day. Simple plumbing jobs can save a lot of water without being expensive. You can:

fix dripping taps or overflows; a new washer costs just a few cents and can be easily fitted.

install a leak detector to warn you about leaks in your house.

cover outside pipes with lagging to help avoid burst pipes and leaks in winter.

Leaving a tap running while cleaning your teeth, shaving or washing fruit and vegetables can waste about six litres of water a minute. To cut down on wastage you can:

collect the cold water that comes through before a tap runs hot and use it for watering plants.

keep a jug of water in the fridge instead of waiting for the tap to run cold.

wash fruit and vegetables in a washing up bowl full of water instead of running a tap.

only fill a kettle to the amount needed.

Another way to reduce water use is to fit an aerator or spray ends to washbasin taps. An aerator mixes air with water and can reduce water use by up to 50 per cent.

Make Use of Greywater and Rainwater: Any water that has been used in the home, except water from toilets, is called greywater, which can be re-used in the garden. Do be careful, though. Greywater can contain chemicals, bacteria, viruses and other pollutants that can pose a risk to health and the environment. The amount of pollutants carried by greywater varies depending on what goes down the drain. When people manage this, the amount of chemicals and pathogens can be reduced significantly. You can also collect rainwater to use in your house for flushing toilets, washing cars, watering plants or even for the washing machine. For this, you will need a harvesting system, which must be linked to your domestic plumbing.

Questions 22–27: Saving Water in the Home — Note Completion

Complete the notes below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.

Restroom flushing takes up a third of household water use. Less water in flushes can be done by installing a 22________, by using a low-flush toilet, by using a variable flush toilet and by disposing of 23________correctly. A flow regulator or water-efficient shower head can save water, but not in 24________. Power showers can use more water than a bath. With kitchen appliances, consult the 25. label for information on water and energy. Leaks can be fixed and detected, or avoided by using 26________ on pipes. Various actions can be done to reduce tap water waste. Greywater can be used in the garden, though care must be taken to avoid health risks. If the 27________ is not used to dispose of pollutants, the greywater will be safe.

25
With kitchen appliances, consult the 25. label for information on water and energy.

The Story of Vanilla

Vanilla is a member of the orchid family, a sprawling conglomeration of some 25,000 different species. Vanilla is a native of South and Central America and the Caribbean and the first people to have cultivated it seem to have been the Totonacs of Mexico's east coast. The flavor and fragrance of vanilla varies according to where it is grown and there are four main Vanilla-producing regions: Madagascar, Indonesia, Mexico, and Tahiti.

Vanilla grows as a clinging vine, reaching lengths of up to 300 feet, from which sprout pale greenish-yellow flowers, about four inches in diameter. Vanilla in its native habitat is pollinated by bees. Each flower remains open for just 24 hours, after which, if not pollinated, it wilts, dies, and drops to the ground. In terms of farming, this means that vanilla flowers need to be hand-pollinated. The problem with vanilla is that it costs a lot. It is the second most expensive spice in the world (after saffron) because its production is so labor-intensive. "Vanilla requires a fair amount of skill to grow," explains Tom McCullum, co-founder of a direct-trade chocolate and vanilla company. "You can't just put a seed in the ground, tend to it, and expect it to produce a yield. Hand pollination is a learned skill. Many farmers have been growing vanilla for three to four generations. Smallholder farmers have an absolute sixth sense as to when the orchids will bloom."

Once pollination is completed, in approximately nine months, a fully-grown green bean is ready to be picked. The characteristic vanilla aromas and flavors don't reveal themselves until the crop is cured and dried, so it's also important to know how to manage the beans once they're harvested. Farmer Alex Ellis explains. "Vanilla beans are sorted and graded. They are then blanched in hot water to halt fermentation and placed in large containers to sweat for 36 to 48 hours. It's at this stage, when the beans start to change from green to brown, that they start to develop aroma." From there, the beans undergo alternating periods of sun drying during the day and sweating at night, a process that ends with a period of slow drying. "This usually occurs indoors, in a well-ventilated room where beans are placed on racks," Ellis says. "It can take up to 30 days, depending on the grade." The entire process, from growing to preparing for export, takes around one year.

Vanilla is a stunningly complex and subtle spice, containing somewhere between 250 and 500 different flavor and fragrance components. Botanist Sylvia Karner explains that these wonderful attributes have created a different industry. "The most prominent of the components is vanillin, which can be artificially made from petrochemicals, and eugenol, a component of clove oil. As total worldwide vanilla production is only about 2000 metric tons, this does not satisfy demand. Therefore, the vast bulk of vanilla-flavored products on the market don't contain vanilla. 98 percent of the world's vanilla consumption is artificial, and only 2 percent is real. Products that are labeled as having vanilla essence in them contain this artificial vanillin."

Right now, this demand for inexpensive vanilla flavoring comes with an environmental cost. According to eco-farming lecturer Anna Winter, "the production of artificial vanillin creates a stream of wastewater that requires treatment before it can be released into surface water. Catalysts currently used in the manufacturing of vanillin are also polluting and can only be used one time." Scientists are trying to develop a new catalyst that removes the polluting step, but without success so far. This catalyst could theoretically be re-used and, they hope, lead to more environmentally friendly ways of manufacturing the alluring compound.

Vanilla production is also affected by changing world prices. "Vanilla's price volatility is historic," says Patricia Roberts, a dealer in vanilla. "In part, it is the result of cycles of tropical storms, something that may change in unpredictable ways due to climate change." Prices are also influenced by how the vanilla bean matures. Vanilla beans start to ferment as soon as they are harvested, so there is an urgent need for farmers to find buyers for their beans. Smaller producers typically sell green beans to middlemen, who collect larger amounts of beans and sell them to centralized curing facilities, or directly to the curing facilities themselves. However, as there is no set market price for green beans, these farmers have limited options when it comes to negotiating for a higher price. "The money starts to pick up," Roberts says, "when it reaches those who cure and dry the beans. The vanilla then goes through many more sets of hands, with prices going up each time." Those hands extend from traders who ship the beans to stores that stock them. "When prices for cured beans drop due to price speculation or an increased global supply," economist Salim Aziz explains, "farmers tear up crops. They can't afford to keep growing vanilla when prices stay so low. A decade ago, the prices for green beans dropped to 20 dollars a kilo and remained there for 5 years. The following price increase was built on speculation that, due to poor pollination, the vanilla crop would be small."

So how does all this affect the vanilla we buy in markets? Patricia Roberts says it's necessary to assess the vanilla bean before our purchase. "You should be able to take a bean, tie it around your finger, and untie it. That's how supple a good vanilla bean should be. Also, in terms of appearance, avoid extraordinarily large beans, as they were likely not cured properly."

Questions 28–35: The Story of Vanilla — Matching

The list of people is given below. Match each statement with the correct person's initials. NB You may use any letter more than once. i. TM: Tom McCullum ii. AE: Alex Ellis iii. SK: Sylvia Karner iv. AW: Anna Winter v. PR: Patricia Roberts vi. SA: Salim Aziz

28
Some chemicals used in the production of vanillin cannot be recycled.
29
It is when vanilla beans change color during treatment that they develop their important characteristics.
30
The quality of a vanilla pod can be assessed by its flexibility.
31
More vanilla is required than farmers can produce.
32
A lack of cash flow leads many farmers to stop growing vanilla.
33
Great skill and experience are required to know how to hand-pollinate the vanilla flower.
34
The quantities of vanilla produced are often subject to weather patterns.
35
Processing vanilla beans requires a location with good air circulation.

Questions 36–38: The Story of Vanilla — Short Answer

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer.

36
Vanilla flowers for only 24 hours, so pollination is needed, it's farmed, as the usual ________would not be reliable.
37
Following sorting and grading, blanching prevents ________
38
Gradual ________ ends the treatment process and the beans are exported.

Questions 39–40: The Story of Vanilla — Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

39
Vanilla farmers must sell their beans to dealers quickly
- A. to keep sustainable cash flow.
- B. as the beans will otherwise go bad.
- C. because poor weather can ruin a crop.
- D. as beans need to be processed in large quantities to be commercially viable.
40
Worries about a recent poor vanilla harvest
- A. led to farmers destroying their crops.
- B. led to dealers storing crops from the previous year.
- C. led to a rise in price
- D. led to some farmers going out of business

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1. E
2. C
3. A
4. E
5. B
6. A
7. D
8. TRUE
The passage says saving water at home "can be achieved at a low cost," which means it does not require significant spending.
9. TRUE
The passage states, "Earth always has, and will always have, the same amount of water," showing that Earth is self-contained for water.
10. TRUE
It says water conservation "aims to improve the efficiency of the use of water, reduce losses and waste and save money," and also benefits the community by reducing scarcity.
11. FALSE
The passage says, "The more we pollute and/or abuse our water supply, the less likely we are to maintain a sustainable source of food," so abusing water makes it harder, not easier, to have sustainable food.
12. TRUE
It mentions, "We are polluting the water for all of Earth's creatures, sending chemicals like oil and fertilizers through our rivers that ultimately end up in the oceans."
13. FALSE
The passage encourages us to "get involved in local events or non-profit organizations where factors that affect water... need to be addressed," so we should not ignore global impacts.
14. FALSE
It says deforestation, not climate change, "prevents our forests from collecting, storing, purifying and providing fresh water," so climate change is not the direct cause of this problem.
15. dominant
Achondroplasia is listed as a disease "caused by a dominant gene."
16. girls
Girls "have two X chromosomes... they don't always show features of X-linked conditions," so girls are less likely to show these features.
17. recessive
Tay-Sachs disease is described as being "caused by recessive mutations from both parents coming together in a child."
18. 21
Children with Down syndrome "have an extra chromosome," and Down syndrome is caused by having three copies of chromosome 21 (trisomy 21).
19. Huntington
Huntington's disease is described as "a degenerative disease of the nervous system" caused by a dominant gene mutation.
20. carriers
People with a change in just one copy of a recessive gene are called "carriers."
21. Hemophilia
Haemophilia is listed as "the bleeding disorder" that is an X chromosome-linked genetic disease.
22. water displacement device
The passage says you can "install a water displacement device in the cistern of a higher flush toilet" to use less water per flush.
23. waste
It says to "throw waste in the bin, not the toilet," to reduce water use.
24. electric showers
It says flow regulators or water-efficient shower heads "should not, however, be fitted to electric showers, as this can lead to overheating of the water."
25. label
The passage says new dishwashers and washing machines "have a label that tells you the amount of water used per wash and how energy efficient they are."
26. lagging
It says to "cover outside pipes with lagging to help avoid burst pipes and leaks in winter."
27. drain
It says greywater can be safer if "the amount of chemicals and pathogens can be reduced significantly" by managing "what goes down the drain."
28. iv
It says, "Catalysts currently used in the manufacturing of vanillin are also polluting and can only be used one time," so some chemicals cannot be recycled.
29. ii
It says, "when the beans start to change from green to brown, they start to develop aroma," showing the important characteristics develop during color change.
30. v
Patricia Roberts says, "You should be able to take a bean, tie it around your finger, and untie it. That's how supple a good vanilla bean should be," so flexibility shows quality.
31. iii
It says, "total worldwide vanilla production is only about 2000 metric tons, this does not satisfy demand," so more is needed than is produced.
32. vi
It says, "farmers tear up crops. They can't afford to keep growing vanilla when prices stay so low," showing lack of cash flow leads them to stop.
33. i
It says, "Hand pollination is a learned skill. Many farmers have been growing vanilla for three to four generations," showing great skill and experience are needed.
34. v
Patricia Roberts says, "Vanilla's price volatility is historic... cycles of tropical storms," showing weather patterns affect production.
35. ii
It says slow drying "usually occurs indoors, in a well-ventilated room where beans are placed on racks," showing good air circulation is needed.
36. bees
It says, "Vanilla in its native habitat is pollinated by bees... in terms of farming, this means that vanilla flowers need to be hand-pollinated," so bees are not reliable for farmed vanilla.
37. fermentation
It says, "They are then blanched in hot water to halt fermentation," so blanching prevents fermentation.
38. drying
It says, "a process that ends with a period of slow drying," so gradual drying ends the process.
39. B
The passage says, "Vanilla beans start to ferment as soon as they are harvested, so there is an urgent need for farmers to find buyers for their beans," so they must sell quickly or the beans will go bad. The tempting wrong answer A (cash flow) is not the main reason given.
40. C
It says, "The following price increase was built on speculation that, due to poor pollination, the vanilla crop would be small," so worries about a poor harvest led to a rise in price. The tempting wrong answer A (farmers destroying crops) is not what happened as a result of the poor harvest.

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