Reading 2026-06 Test 3 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

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Reading Passage 1 — A River Reveals its Roman Past

2,000 years ago the town of Arles, in what is now south-western France, was a busy gateway to the area of the Roman Empire known as Gaul. Goods from all over the Mediterranean were transferred there to barges – long, shallow riverboats – then pulled up the Rhone river to supply the northern half of the great empire. Today, Arles is a small, quiet place, and the Rhone is polluted and mostly ignored.

In 1986, a friend persuaded Luc Long, a keen diver, to dive for the first time in his home river. Long reluctantly agreed. The two men entered the river on a chilly November morning, when the water was around 8°C, thick, cloudy and foul-smelling. They could see no more than a metre ahead through the murky water. At a depth of about six metres, Long saw a sunken truck. To his surprise, he discovered an ancient Roman jar known as an amphora on the driver's seat. These containers were used throughout the Roman Empire to transport olive oil, fish sauce, and other products. When empty, they would simply be discarded. Within a short time the divers had located dozens more amphorae, and he has been mapping this Roman rubbish dump ever since.

For the first 20 years or so, no one paid much attention to what Long was doing. In 2004, one of his colleagues came across a 34-metre-long Roman barge. Long doubted that there would ever be enough money available to raise it. In 2007, Long handed over the study of this barge to a young archaeologist, Sabrina Marlier, and concentrated on a survey of the rest of the dump, around 50 metres upstream. This was where he started finding pieces of the Roman town of Arles, including statues. Word began to leak out. The French customs police warned Long that antiquities thieves might be watching his operation. So when a rare marble bust of the Roman emperor Caesar was found, Long hid it in a friend's garage.

Before the diving season was over, divers had discovered a rare marble bust of the Roman emperor Caesar. News of the find spread around the world. The exhibition's success was astonishing,' said Claude Sintes, director of Arles' local antiquities museum, where the exhibition was held. 'When a modest town like ours got 400,000 visitors, the politicians understood that the economic return was strong.' By the autumn of 2010, the Caesar exhibition was nearing its end, and those same politicians were looking for more culture to invest in, because the European Union had designated the region around Arles a 2013 European Capital of Culture. Suddenly nine million euros became available to build a new wing on the museum and put a Roman barge into it. There was just one problem. The project would need to be completed by 2013. That meant the barge needed to be extracted during the one diving season in 2011. This was because although the wood of the boat had suffered no microbial decay, water had filled its cells, leaving the whole structure soft and spongy. If that water were to evaporate, the boat would collapse. The solution was to leave the boat in water, gradually infusing it with a polymer before extracting the water. The process would take nearly two years.

So there was only one diving season to extract the boat from the Rhone. 'We all thought the deadline was impossible,' said Benoit Poinard, who led the diving team. Normally, Poinard explained, the Rhone is safe for diving only from late June to October; otherwise the current is too strong. Three or four months would not be enough to excavate Arles-Rhone 3. Then 2011 arrived. It hardly snowed in the Alps that winter and that spring it barely rained. The Rhone's current was so gentle that the team got in the water by early May. The team worked straight into November, losing only a single week to bad weather and completed the job. 'Two hours after we finished,' Poinard said, 'the Rhone became undiveable for the whole winter.'

When Arles-Rhone 3 sank, it was carrying 33 tons of stone for building work. It had come from a quarry just north of Arles, and was probably heading towards a construction site further down the river. The boat was pointed upstream, though, rather than downstream, indicating it had been moored at the quay when it sank. A flash flood had probably swamped it. As soon as the flood subsided, the barge would have been covered in a coating of fine clay no more than 20 cm thick. This was where the archaeologists discovered the personal effects that the crew had left on the boat, including cooking utensils and plates. When the restorers were taking the boat apart, they found a silver coin dated to 30 BCE – the year before the battle of Actium – under the floorboards. They guessed someone had left it there to bring good luck. And it did – 2,000 years later. Arles-Rhone 3 was able to take its place in the new wing of the museum, on schedule, just over two years after re-emerging from the cloudy depths of the Rhone.

Questions 1–6: True/False/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? Choose 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
In 1986 Luc Long had been looking for an opportunity to dive in the Rhone for some time.
2
Long and his friend were the first divers to find Roman remains in the Rhone.
3
Long's work in the Rhone attracted immediate interest.
4
It was thought that the Neptune statue would be of interest to thieves.
5
Benoit Poinard doubted that the barge could be raised in one diving season.
6
The restorers were surprised to discover a silver coin in the barge.

Questions 7–13: Note Completion

Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

The Roman barge *Arles-Rhone 3*

The discovery and condition of the barge:

7. n The barge was 34 metres long and was found by one of Long’s _______________ in 2004.

8. n The wood had not decayed, but water had filled its cells, making the structure soft and_______________.

Extraction from the Rhone:

9. n Normally, the Rhone is safe for diving only from late June to ______________.

10. n In 2011, because it hardly snowed in the Alps, the river’s _______________ was very gentle.

11. n The diving team lost only one _______________ to bad weather.

What was found on or near the barge:

12. n The barge was carrying 33 tons of _______________ for building work.

13. n Under the floorboards, restorers found a silver _______________ dated to 30 BCE.

Reading Passage 2 — American Businesses Aim to Support Employees and Their Families

A Companies of all sizes in the US recognize the importance of family-friendly policies, thanks in large part to the increasing number of people-centered entrepreneurs and company CEOs. Many of these go into business themselves as a result of negative experiences they have had in the workplace. So says Jennifer West, Managing Director of the Ohio-based Business Research Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to studying work-life balance. 'Taking a people-centered view is a good recruitment and retention strategy,' says West. 'Employers who care about their employees and help them grow take into account the full range of issues and the external pressures that employees have and arrange things so that people can manage their lives. These considerations are a conscious part of how people-centered bosses organize their practices and strategies.'

B One employer who exemplifies this philosophy is Stephen Harper, co-owner and CEO of Plastic Solutions in California. His company manufactures custom plastics, mainly for medical devices, and offers engineering solutions for other plastics needs. Harper believes in having employees who understand the business. That's why every two weeks, when his employees receive their salary, they also get an update about the company, including who their new customers are, what successes they've had, and what challenges they are facing. Harper also includes a 'coaching' section. This addresses issues like gossip, which employees sometimes indulge in around the water cooler or the rest rooms, and which can negatively impact on the morale of staff. He encourages people to work their way up in the company, and pays, at least partially, for educational opportunities and textbooks. His employees line up to attend his monthly invitation-only Business Pragmatics seminar, in which communication and other vital skills are taught, along with ethics and workplace morals and philosophy. The structure of his company is very family-friendly, and includes a regular Open House day for employees' families where, among other things, kids can experiment with the company's machines that manufacture their products and so on. The Harper philosophy pays off. Attrition at the company is low, and many employees remain with the company for much of their career.

C In Vermont, the Margaret Mills Corporation also strives to be people-centered. It is a third generation, family-run business that sells children's wooden toys internationally, and the company's founder (Margaret Mills) understood all too well the challenges of raising a family while running a business. Like many other like-minded companies, the Margaret Mills Corporation offers liberal leave, flexi-time, good health and retirement packages, and other benefits. The corporation also allows workers to have their children dropped off when school is over, or to spend time with them during the vacations. Annual Christmas and summer parties are standard, and this year, to celebrate an especially strong performance, the company took all employees and their families on a 2-day trip to Montreal, Canada. Says Victor Davies, Human Resources Director, 'We enable employees to maintain equilibrium between work and home, a policy which ultimately results in a more productive and stable workforce.' It works – this year the company will celebrate six 5-year anniversaries, and one 25-year anniversary among its employees.

D For Hazel Gibbs, CEO of Disposal Systems Inc. in Houston, Texas, a waste disposal and environmental cleanup and consultancy firm, the bottom line is keeping her business going. But she realizes that it takes a certain kind of mutuality to do that. 'I'm not altruistic,' she says, 'but if everyone understands what it takes to be in business, that's good for all of us.' That's why she works hard to ensure that everyone, from managers to workers, realizes that they count. 'It's not about "us" and "them", we are a team,' Gibbs says. 'When our employees understand what it takes to keep a business going, then it works and we can accommodate each other's needs.' Despite her success, Gibbs sometimes struggles with being taken seriously. She sees this as a long-term challenge. 'Working mothers still need to be taken more seriously, and so do mothers who are business owners.' She has two children of her own to think about.

E Family-friendly entrepreneurs are becoming more commonplace internationally, and they clearly influence those companies which have so far been slow to accommodate employee needs. According to West, it is already possible to document the dwindling workforces of these latter businesses, or the migration of labor to more family-friendly ones. What is more, parents are important consumers and investors who can change buying practices. Further, in the public policy arena, multinational corporations and aid agencies are beginning to recognize the need to integrate social and economic policy and practice. Family-friendly employers are creating a groundswell of awareness that can only result in changing business practices. And as Hazel Gibbs says, when that happens, 'you've got it working.'

Questions 14–18: Matching headings

The text has five paragraphs, A–E. Which paragraph contains the following information?

14
a description of a company that provides financial assistance for employees to continue their learning.
15
a mention of worldwide trends in the changing attitudes of businesses and customers.
16
details about years of continuous service by employees at one company.
17
a reference to the reason why many people-centred workers first start their own businesses.
18
a comment about how certain groups are still fighting for respect in the business world.

Questions 19–21: Matching (Business person)

Choose the correct business person, A–E, for each statement.

A Jennifer West

B Stephen Harper

C Margaret Mills

D Victor Davies

E Hazel Gibbs

19
Employees should be kept informed about business development and performance.
- A. Jennifer West
- B. Stephen Harper
- C. Margaret Mills
- D. Victor Davies
- E. Hazel Gibbs
20
Work output increases when employees have a good balance between company and family responsibilities.
21
It is critical to business success that all company members recognise that they matter.

Questions 22–26: Summary Completion

Complete the summary. Write ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.

Family-friendly practices at Plastic Solutions and the Margaret Mills Corporation

At Plastic Solutions, a bi-weekly update is issued to workers at the same time as their pay. This includes a section dealing with problems such as 22.......... in communal areas of the workplace.

The CEO also arranges a regular 23.......... for selected employees for whom places are in great demand.

Finally, employees' families are invited to company open days, when they are allowed to try out the 24..........

The Margaret Mills Corporation allows employees a great deal of flexibility with their children, who can be brought to the office once 25.......... has finished.

Mills likes to reward employees for company performance with a party or even a 26.......... for families. There is considerable evidence that these practices are having the desired effect.

22
This includes a section dealing with problems such as 22.......... in communal areas of the workplace.
23
The CEO also arranges a regular 23.......... for selected employees for whom places are in great demand.
24
Finally, employees' families are invited to company open days, when they are allowed to try out the 24..........
25
The Margaret Mills Corporation allows employees a great deal of flexibility with their children, who can be brought to the office once 25.......... has finished.
26
Mills likes to reward employees for company performance with a party or even a 26.......... for families.

Reading Passage 3 — Linguistic Diversity

More than half of the world's languages are at risk, but an unlikely saviour is at hand. What is an endangered language? As a rough guide, any language with fewer than 10,000 speakers is in danger. However, the total number of speakers is not always a clear indication of the health of a language. In the South Andaman Islands, for example, fewer than 100 people speak Onge, but it is the primary language of those who do, and, critically, the first language of all the islands' children. Consequently, it would be considered less threatened than a language such as Chipewyan in Canada, where more than 4,000 belong to the ethnic group that uses the language, but there is little use among the new generation.

It could be argued that in today's globalised world, we would be better off all speaking the same language, be it Chinese, English or Spanish. It might bring us closer together, and we would certainly be more likely to make our ideas comprehensible. The majority of linguists argue, however, that when it comes to language, diversity matters "People's understanding of themselves, and their relationship with their environment are all framed in terms of concepts expressed in their own languages," says Marcus Colchester, director of the Forest Peoples Programme. "Many indigenous peoples derive their identities from the way they live off their land. Day-to-day activities such as hunting, fishing and farming are directly connected to the spirits and mythic beings whose stories make these people who they are."

Louisa Maffi of Terralingua, an organisation that protects cultural and biological diversity, believes linguistic diversity is of immense value to humanity as a whole. As we lose each language, we lose a repository of knowledge, values and beliefs that, in many cases, provide alternative solutions to human problems; we diminish that pool of creativity and inventiveness, and our ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

Nicholas Ostler, chairman of the Foundation for Endangered Languages points out the scientific interest in maintaining linguistic diversity. To lose diversity will mean losing awareness of the many and varied features of human language— what part of our vocal tract we use for communication, the different ways we use words to reflect meaning, and so on.

Historically, colonial governments practised policies of compelling minority cultures to speak the majority language. But even where there was little or no forced assimilation, imperialism still took its toll. Ostler cites the example of the ancient Roman Empire, which had no specific policy of forcing subjects to speak Latin, but still greatly reduced linguistic diversity across Europe. There was some prestige associated with the language— it was the medium of trade and administration and people who wanted to get on in life tended to learn it. And similar processes are threatening minority languages today, says Ostler "The Romans succeeded in making people live in larger communities, what we now call urbanisation. And nowadays people move from the countryside to cities where regional languages aren't maintained. The new generation grows up with their lives focused on the wider community. It may take several generations for the traditional language to fall out of use completely."

"Many nation states see cultural diversity as a threat to national unity," says Maffi, "so monolingualism is promoted in specific contexts particularly schools, where there is no multilingual education offered, and in government, where politics is only conducted in the national language. Such implicit endorsement of monolingualism conspires to place pressure on minority peoples to assimilate. There is essentially a misconceived either/or ideology: either you maintain your mother tongue, in which case you can't participate in national life, or you forget your mother tongue and learn the majority language. In recent decades, the mass media have reinforced this process further and extended the penetration of metropolitan languages like English and Spanish beyond urban centres into smaller communities. The pervasive influence of the media has effectively created a cultural divide between the generations. Ostler continues, where young people speak their traditional language with their elders, but English among themselves. Maffi describes similar trends among indigenous minority groups worldwide. "All of the images children see in the media are of the glamorised lifestyle of the majority, and that lifestyle is communicated in the majority language. So it becomes very difficult for them to find a reason to value their own language."

When the internet first took off during the mid-1990s, many feared it represented the end of the road for endangered languages. Because it was only available to English-speakers, it would only serve to continue the decline. However, these fears proved to be unfounded, as the diversity of languages on the web increased rapidly in the years that followed. Peter Austin, of London's School of Oriental and African Studies, attributes this to the lack of control on the internet. "Unlike most TV or radio, the web isn't in the hands of big media corporations. All you need is an internet account and a little technology, and you can produce information, news, videos, and so on, as much as you want. Minority groups around the world— in Hawaii, Mexico, Siberia, and many other places — are now taking advantage of this autonomy to document their language in written, audio and visual format. And, crucially, it is in a form which appeals to young people. It seems that the mass media could, after all, be the salvation of the world's most threatened languages.

Questions 27–31: Yes/No/Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3? YES if the statement agrees with the writer NO if the statement contradicts with the writer NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage.

27
The Onge language has a particularly poor chance of survival.
28
Most linguists oppose the idea of a single global language.
29
Many citizens of the Roman Empire chose to become Latin speakers.
30
Majority languages such as Spanish and English are now spreading faster within smaller communities than larger ones.
31
There is a greater proportion of English used on the internet nowadays than in the 1990s.

Questions 32–35: Summary Completion (box)

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I, below. Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet

A ideas

B speakers

C connections

D surroundings

E families

F occupations

G relationship

H words

I misunderstandings

32
If everybody spoke the same language, whether Spanish, English or Chinese, there would certainly be less chance of 32........... between people.
- A. ideas
- B. speakers
- C. connections
- D. surroundings
- E. families
- F. occupations
- G. relationship
- H. words
- I. misunderstandings
33
He also emphasises the link to how they relate to their 33..........
34
between indigenous people's traditional 34.......... and the recounting of the myths and folk tales which are integral to their sense of identity.
35
so there could be fewer 35.......... available to help solve problems in the world.

Questions 36–40: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet

36
In the first paragraph, the writer mentions two particular languages in order to indicate
- A. a key factor in determining how endangered a language is.
- B. alternative methods of interpreting data about languages at risk.
- C. different reasons why a minority language might be under threat.
- D. difficulties involved in assessing a language's survival prospects.
37
What similarity between the Roman Empire and the present day does Nicholas Ostler mention?
- A. the growth of international trade.
- B. the shift towards living in more extended social groups.
- C. the attitude of governments towards minority languages.
- D. the speed with which minority languages fall out of use.
38
According to Louisa Maffi, many people wrongly believe that
- A. it is more difficult for minority-language speakers to access education.
- B. majority-language speakers can participate better in national life.
- C. their national government is opposed to the use of minority languages.
- D. they need to choose between being a minority- or majority-language speaker.
39
What problem among minority-language speakers is mentioned in the eighth paragraph?
- A. younger people's perceptions of their mother tongue.
- B. breakdown of communication between the generations.
- C. older people's attitudes to their children's language use.
- D. generational differences in ability to access the mass media.
40
What does Peter Austin see as the main advantage of the internet for minority language groups?
- A. the variety of media it can use.
- B. the freedom its users can have.
- C. the wide geographical area it can reach.
- D. the range of people it can be accessed by.

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Hiện đáp án

1. FALSE
This is FALSE because the passage says Long was 'reluctantly' persuaded by a friend to dive for the first time, so he was not actively looking for an opportunity.
2. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not say whether Long and his friend were the first to find Roman remains in the Rhone.
3. FALSE
This is FALSE because the passage states that for the first 20 years, 'no one paid much attention to what Long was doing.'
4. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the French customs police warned Long that antiquities thieves might be watching, so he hid the Caesar bust.
5. TRUE
TRUE is correct because Benoit Poinard said, 'We all thought the deadline was impossible,' showing he doubted the barge could be raised in one season.
6. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage says the restorers 'guessed' about the coin's purpose but does not mention whether they were surprised to find it.
7. colleagues
'Colleagues' is correct because the passage says the barge was found by 'one of his colleagues' in 2004.
8. spongy
'Spongy' is correct because the passage says water had filled the wood's cells, 'leaving the whole structure soft and spongy.'
9. October
'October' is correct because the passage says the Rhone is safe for diving only from late June to October.
10. current
'Current' is correct because the passage says the Rhone's current was gentle due to little snow and rain.
11. week
'Week' is correct because the team 'lost only a single week to bad weather.'
12. stone
'Stone' is correct because the barge was carrying '33 tons of stone for building work.'
13. coin
'Coin' is correct because the restorers found 'a silver coin dated to 30 BCE' under the floorboards.
14. B
B is correct because Stephen Harper pays for educational opportunities and textbooks for employees.
15. E
E is correct because it mentions international trends and how family-friendly employers are influencing business and consumer practices worldwide.
16. C
C is correct because it describes employees celebrating 5-year and 25-year anniversaries, showing years of continuous service.
17. A
A is correct because it says many people-centered entrepreneurs start their own businesses due to negative workplace experiences.
18. D
D is correct because Hazel Gibbs says working mothers and mothers who are business owners still need to be taken more seriously.
19. B
B (Stephen Harper) is correct because he gives employees regular updates about the company’s performance and new customers.
20. D
D (Victor Davies) is correct because he says that helping employees balance work and home 'results in a more productive and stable workforce.'
21. E
E (Hazel Gibbs) is correct because she says, 'it's not about "us" and "them", we are a team,' and everyone needs to realize they count.
22. gossip
'Gossip' is correct because Harper includes a coaching section that addresses issues like gossip in communal areas.
23. seminar
'Seminar' is correct because Harper’s monthly Business Pragmatics seminar is in high demand among employees.
24. machines
'Machines' is correct because on Open House days, employees’ families, especially kids, can try out the company’s machines.
25. school
'School' is correct because the company allows children to be dropped off at the office when school is over.
26. trip
'Trip' is correct because the company rewarded employees with a 2-day trip to Montreal for strong performance.
27. NO
NO is correct because the passage says Onge is less threatened since it is the first language of all the island’s children.
28. YES
YES is correct because the passage says 'the majority of linguists argue...diversity matters,' so most oppose a single global language.
29. YES
YES is correct because the passage says people in the Roman Empire learned Latin for trade and administration, even without being forced.
30. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not compare the speed of spread of majority languages in smaller versus larger communities.
31. NO
NO is correct because the passage says the diversity of languages on the web increased, not the proportion of English.
32. I
I ('misunderstandings') is correct because the passage says a single language would make our ideas more comprehensible, meaning fewer misunderstandings.
33. D
D ('surroundings') is correct because the passage says people’s relationship with their environment is framed in their own language.
34. F
F ('occupations') is correct because the passage links day-to-day activities like hunting and farming with myths and identity.
35. A
A ('ideas') is correct because the passage says losing languages means losing alternative solutions to human problems, i.e., ideas.
36. A
A is correct because the writer uses Onge and Chipewyan to show that the number of speakers is not the only key factor in how endangered a language is.
37. B
B is correct because Ostler mentions both the Roman Empire and today caused people to live in larger communities, affecting language use.
38. D
D is correct because Maffi says there is a 'misconceived either/or ideology' that people must choose between their mother tongue and the majority language.
39. A
A is correct because the passage says young people find it difficult to value their own language due to media influence.
40. B
B is correct because Peter Austin says the main advantage of the internet is the autonomy and lack of control, giving users freedom.

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