Reading 2026-06 Test 12 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

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Reading Passage 1: Lessons from the Titanic

A From the comfort of our modern lives we tend to look back at the turn of the twentieth century as a dangerous time for sea travellers. With limited communication facilities, and shipping technology still in its infancy in the early nineteen hundreds, we consider ocean travel to have been a risky business. But to the people of the time, it was one of the safest forms of transport. At the time of the Titanic’s maiden voyage in 1912, there had only been four lives lost in the previous forty years on passenger ships on the North Atlantic crossing. And the Titanic was confidently proclaimed to be unsinkable. She represented the pinnacle of technological advance at the time. Her builders, crew and passengers had no doubt that she was the finest ship ever built. But still, she did sink on April 14, 1912, taking 1,517 of her passengers and crew with her.

B The RMS Titanic left Southampton for New York on April 10, 1912. Onboard were some of the richest and most famous people of the time who had paid large sums of money to sail on the first voyage of the most luxurious ship in the world. Imagine her placed on her end: she was larger at 269 metres than many of the tallest buildings of the day. And with nine decks, she was as high as an eleven storey building. The Titanic carried 329 first-class, 285-second class and 710 third-class passengers with 899 crew members, under the care of the very experienced Captain Edward J. Smith. She also carried enough food to feed a small town, including 40,000 fresh eggs, 36,000 apples, 111,000 lbs of fresh meat and 2,200 lbs of coffee for the five-day journey.

C RMS Titanic was believed to be unsinkable because the hull was divided into sixteen watertight compartments. Even if two of these compartments flooded, the ship could still float. The ship’s owners could not imagine that, in the case of an accident, the Titanic would not be able to float until she was rescued. It was largely as a result of this confidence in the ship and in the safety of ocean travel that the disaster could claim such a great loss of life.

D In the ten hours prior to the Titanic’s fatal collision with an iceberg at 11.40 pm, six warnings of icebergs in her path were received by the Titanic's wireless operators. Only one of these messages was formally posted on the bridge; the others were in various locations across the ship. If the combined information in these messages of iceberg positions had been plotted, the ice field which lay across the Titanic’s path would have been apparent. Instead, the lack of formal procedures for dealing with information from a relatively new piece of technology, the wireless, meant that the danger was not known until too late. This was not the fault of the Titanic crew. Procedures for dealing with warnings received through the wireless had not been formalised across the shipping industry at the time. The fact that the wireless operators were not even Titanic crew, but rather contracted workers from a wireless company, made their role in the ship’s operation quite unclear.

E Captain Smith’s seemingly casual attitude in increasing the speed on this day to a dangerous 22 knots or 41 kilometres per hour, can then be partly explained by his ignorance of what lay ahead. But this only partly accounts for his actions, since the spring weather in Greenland was known to cause huge chunks of ice to break off from the glaciers. Captain Smith knew that these icebergs would float southward and had already acknowledged this danger by taking a more southerly route than at other times of the year. So why was the Titanic travelling at high speed when he knew, if not of the specific risk, at least of the general risk of icebergs in her path? As with the lack of coordination of the wireless messages, it was simply standard operating procedure at the time. Captain Smith was following the practices accepted on the North Atlantic, practices which had coincided with forty years of safe travel. He believed, wrongly as we now know, that the ship could turn or stop in time if an iceberg was sighted by the lookouts.

F There were around two and a half hours between the time the Titanic rammed into the iceberg and its final submersion. In this time 705 people were loaded into the twenty lifeboats. There were 473 empty seats available on lifeboats while over 1,500 people drowned. These figures raise two important issues. Firstly, why there were not enough lifeboats to seat every passenger and crew member on board. And secondly, why the lifeboats were not full.

G The Titanic had sixteen lifeboats and four collapsible boats which could carry just over half the number of people on board her maiden voyage and only a third of the Titanic’s total capacity. Regulations for the number of lifeboats required were based on outdated British Board of Trade regulations written in 1894 for ships a quarter of the Titanic’s size, and had never been revised. Under these requirements, the Titanic was only obliged to carry enough lifeboats to seat 962 people. At design meetings in 1910, the shipyard’s managing director, Alexander Carlisle, had proposed that forty-eight lifeboats be installed on the Titanic, but the idea had been quickly rejected as too expensive. The discussion then turned to the ship’s décor, and as Carlisle later described the incident … ’we spent two hours discussing carpet for the first-class cabins and fifteen minutes discussing lifeboats’.

H The belief that the Titanic was unsinkable was so strong that passengers and crew alike clung to the belief even as she was actually sinking. This attitude was not helped by Captain Smith, who had not acquainted his senior officers with the full situation. For the first hour after the collision, the majority of people aboard the Titanic, including senior crew, were not aware that she would sink, that there were insufficient lifeboats or that the nearest ship responding to the Titanic’s distress calls would arrive two hours after she was on the bottom of the ocean. As a result, the officers in charge of loading the boats received a very halfhearted response to their early calls for women and children to board the lifeboats. People felt that they would be safer, and certainly warmer, aboard the Titanic than perched in a little boat in the North Atlantic Ocean. Not realising the magnitude of the impending disaster themselves, the officers allowed several boats to be lowered only half full.

I Procedures again were at fault, as an additional reason for the officers’ reluctance to lower the lifeboats at full capacity was that they feared the lifeboats would buckle under the weight of 65 people. They had not been informed that the lifeboats had been fully tested prior to departure. Such procedures as assigning passengers and crew to lifeboats and lifeboat loading drills were simply not part of the standard operation of ships nor were they included in crew training at this time.

J As the Titanic sank, another ship, believed to have been the Californian, was seen motionless less than twenty miles away. The ship failed to respond to the Titanic’s eight distress rockets. Although the officers of the Californian tried to signal the Titanic with their flashing Morse lamp, they did not wake up their radio operator to listen for a distress call. At this time, communication at sea through wireless was new and the benefits not well appreciated, so the wireless on ships was often not operated around the clock. In the case of the Californian, the wireless operator slept unaware while 1,500 Titanic passengers and crew drowned only a few miles away.

K After the Titanic sank, investigations were held in both Washington and London. In the end, both inquiries decided that no one could be blamed for the sinking. However, they did address the fundamental safety issues which had contributed to the enormous loss of life. As a result, international agreements were drawn up to improve safety procedures at sea. The new regulations covered 24-hour wireless operation, crew training, proper lifeboat drills, lifeboat capacity for all on board and the creation of an international ice patrol.

1
The North Atlantic Ocean crossing on the Titanic was expected to set a new standard for ___1___ travel in terms of comfort and ___2___. The shipping industry had an excellent safety ___3___ on the North Atlantic Crossing over the previous forty years and the Titanic was the finest and safest liner ever built. The Titanic combined the greatest technology of the day with sheer ___4___ luxury and new safety features. The Titanic’s owners were ___5___ that even if the Titanic were letting in ___6___ she would ___7___ indefinitely until help arrived. In hindsight, we know that the Titanic was not unsinkable and that technology alone could not save lives when facilities were ___8___ and humans did not follow safe ___9___ whether because of arrogance or ignorance.
2
Choose the heading which best sums up the primary cause of the problem described in paragraph D.
- i. Ignorance of the impending disaster
- ii. Captain’s orders ignored
- iii. Captain’s over-confidence
- iv. Rough sea conditions
- v. Faulty design
- vi. Iceberg locations not plotted
- vii. Low priority placed on safety
- viii. Number of lifeboats adequate
- ix. Inadequate training
- x. Ice warnings ignored
3
Choose the heading which best sums up the primary cause of the problem described in paragraph E.
4
Choose the heading which best sums up the primary cause of the problem described in paragraph G.
5
Choose the heading which best sums up the primary cause of the problem described in paragraph H.
6
Choose the heading which best sums up the primary cause of the problem described in paragraph I.

Reading Passage 2: The Tasmanian Tiger

The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, was a carnivorous marsupial (a meat-eating mammal which carries its young in a pouch). It was given the name ‘tiger’ because it had striped fur, and because it was ferocious. Between 24 million and 15 million years ago, many types of thylacine roamed across Australia, their powerful jaws playing a role in maintaining a balance in the ecosystems of their day. Some species were fox-sized, while others were barely the size of kittens.

But when a period of climate change cooled Australia about 12 million years ago, the numbers of these ancient thylacines began to decline. By about 3 million years ago, only one species was left. About 4,000 years ago, these vanished completely from the Australian mainland, so that Tasmania, a large island to the south of Australia, became the last remaining place where thylacines existed. They ruled the island’s animal life unchallenged until Europeans—with sheep, dogs and a great indifference to native flora and fauna—seem to have brought about their extinction. In 1936, the last captive Tasmanian tiger died in Hobart Zoo. Since then, many expeditions have searched for tigers in the Tasmanian bush, but no definitive evidence has been found. Despite this, there are many who keep searching.

In 1981, Dutch-born zoologist Hans Naarding was in Tasmania conducting a survey of Latham’s snipe, a species of endangered bird. One night, he saw an animal in the light from the searchlight mounted on his vehicle. He described it as about the size of a large dog, but with slightly sloping hindquarters and a fairly thick tail continuing straight on from its backbone. He said that it had 12 distinct stripes on its back, running down to the point where the tail began. He reported the sighting to the Director of Tasmania’s National Parks. “When the news broke,” said Naarding, “I was besieged by television crews, including four or five from Japan, and others from the United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand and South America.”

Government and private search parties combed the region, but no further sightings were made. The tiger, as always, had escaped to its lair—a place that many insist exists only in the imagination. Others disagree: there have been more than 4,000 claimed sightings of the animal since it supposedly died out, and the average number of claims reported to the authorities each year is now 150. So is it out there? Even experts differ in opinion.

Randolph Rose, Associate Professor of Zoology at the University of Tasmania, says that he once dreamed of seeing a thylacine, but is now convinced that his dream will go unfulfilled. The consensus among conservationists is that any animal with a population base of less than 1,000 is headed for extinction within 60 years. “Sixty years ago,” he says, “there was only one thylacine that we know of, and that was in Hobart Zoo. Take it from me, the tiger is gone.” But Dr David Pemberton, curator of zoology at the Tasmanian Museum, states that, despite scientific thinking that a relatively large population is required to sustain a species, “the Florida panther is down to a dozen or so animals, and, while it does have some inbreeding problems, it’s still ticking along! After all, animals can be notoriously elusive. The strange fish known as the coelacanth, with its ‘proto legs,’ was thought to have died out with the dinosaurs 700 million years ago, until a specimen was dragged to the surface in a shark net off the coast of South Africa in 1938.”

Wildlife biologist Nick Mooney has the unenviable task of investigating all so-called sightings of the tiger. It was Mooney who was first consulted in late February 2005 about the authenticity of new digital photographic images of a thylacine allegedly taken by a tourist. “On face value,” Mooney says, “this particular account of a sighting and the photographs submitted as proof amount to one of the most convincing cases for the species’ survival that I have seen.” Many other ‘sightings’ have been hoaxes, and many sincere seekers are victims of obsession. “It is a blind optimism that something is, rather than cynicism that something isn’t,” Mooney says. “If something crosses the road, it’s not a case of ‘I wonder what that was?’ Rather, it is a case of ‘That’s a thylacine!’”

However, Mooney treats all sightings at face value. “I never try to embarrass people,” he says, “but the fact that I don’t pack the car immediately after they telephone can often be taken as ridicule. Obsessive characters get angry that someone in my position is not out there when they think the thylacine is there.”

Hans Naarding, whose sighting of a striped animal two decades ago was the highlight of a lifetime of animal spotting, remains puzzled by the time and money people waste on tiger searches. He says resources would be better applied to saving another endangered animal, the Tasmanian devil, and helping declining migratory bird populations. Could the thylacine still be out there? “Sure,” Naarding says. “I know the vast south-west wilderness of Tasmania well. They could survive … [But] if this is the case, it will not be long before they do disappear completely.” Naarding believes that any discovery of surviving thylacines would be “rather pointless.” “How do you bring a species back from extinction?” he asks. “What could you do with it? If there are thylacines out there, they are better off right where they are.”

7
The thylacine was a dog-like animal which had a ______ coat and was carnivorous.
8
It was originally spread widely throughout the mainland of ______.
9
However, the number of thylacine decreased in that area around ______ ago because of climate change.
10
In the end, thylacines were found only on the island of ______, until the arrival of ______ with their farming practices brought about a drastic reduction in thylacine numbers.
11
There is no longer any hope of finding a surviving Tasmanian tiger.
- A. Hans Naarding
- B. Randolph Rose
- C. David Pemberton
- D. Nick Mooney
12
It would be preferable not to disturb any surviving Tasmanian tigers.
13
Many who claim to have seen Tasmanian tigers are not objective witnesses.
14
Expert estimates of numbers needed to ensure species survival may be inaccurate.
15
There is a great deal of international interest in Tasmanian tiger stories.
16
Some fresh evidence provided by a visitor to Tasmania seems credible.
17
Has Naarding’s sighting of a Tasmanian tiger resulted in
- A. the capture of the tiger.
- B. an extensive follow-up.
- C. many other sightings.
- D. the death of the tiger.
18
The example of the coelacanth is used to show that
- A. new animal species are still evolving.
- B. animals can possess surprising physical characteristics.
- C. species of sea animals can be saved from extinction.
- D. opinions regarding the extinction of animal species can be mistaken.

Reading Passage 3: What Are the 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die?

When was the last time you sat down to a meal of harnam meshwi, a.k.a. grilled pigeon, which is most likely found on a menu in Egypt? Or traveled to Oslo, Norway, for a breakfast of freshly caught shrimp? Chances are probably never. However, thanks to former New York Times restaurant critic, Smithsonian contributor and author Mimi Sheraton's latest book, 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die, your foodie life is about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Inspired by Patricia Schultz's best-selling 1,000 Places to See Before You Die (also published by Workman Publishing), Sheraton has rounded up 1,000 must-try dishes, restaurants, markets, cultural feasts, and even some relatively universal foods (such as bananas, olive oil, and whipped cream) that transcend regional categorization. Curated from cuisines around the globe, Sheraton has put them together in one large volume, along with details on historic and cultural context, tips on how to prepare or where to try a particular dish, and even several dozen recipes. It's a project that's been 10 years in the making—one that's as much a wonderful display of Sheraton's vast food knowledge (she's been writing about food for 60 years) as it is an ode to the world's sheer culinary diversity.

The ultimate gift for the food lover. In the same way that 1,000 Places to See Before You Die reinvented the travel book, 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die is a joyous, informative, dazzling, mouthwatering life list of the world's best food.

The book is organized not by country or type of food, but rather by the experience of eating itself. Sections guide the reader through "Street Food & Snacks," "Comfort Food," and "Sweets & Treats," among others. This structure encourages serendipitous discovery, where a reader looking for a classic French pastry might stumble upon a traditional Indonesian dessert and become captivated. Sheraton’s entries are more than just lists; they are miniature stories. She explains why a specific cheese from a remote village in Greece is worth seeking out, or how a particular noodle dish embodies the history of trade routes in Southeast Asia. This narrative approach transforms the book from a mere checklist into a compelling read about culture, history, and human connection through food.

Of course, a list of 1,000 items is bound to include some controversies. Some critics question the inclusion of ubiquitous items like the banana, arguing that it diminishes the exclusivity of the list. Others have noted a possible bias towards European and North American cuisines, though Sheraton defends her selections by pointing to the extensive research and personal travels that informed her choices. She emphasizes that the book is a personal, albeit expert, guide rather than a definitive, objective ranking. The goal, she states, is to inspire curiosity and appreciation, not to end debate.

Ultimately, 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die serves as a passport to gastronomic adventure. It challenges the reader to look beyond their culinary comfort zone, whether that means seeking out a rare ingredient, attempting a complex recipe at home, or simply ordering something unfamiliar at a local restaurant. For Sheraton, the book is a culmination of a lifetime's passion for food, an invitation to savor the incredible diversity of flavors the world has to offer, one unforgettable bite at a time.

19
27 Mimi Sheraton is currently working as a restaurant critic for the New York Times.
20
28 The book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die was directly inspired by a popular travel guide.
21
29 Sheraton's book includes recipes for every one of the 1,000 foods mentioned.
22
30 The book is organized according to the geographic origin of the foods.
23
31 Sheraton has been a food writer for six decades.
24
32 The main purpose of the first paragraph is to
- A. criticize people's boring eating habits.
- B. provide specific examples of exotic foods.
- C. explain the health benefits of a global diet.
- D. introduce the book by highlighting its adventurous nature.
25
33 According to the passage, the book includes all of the following EXCEPT
- A. historical background for certain dishes.
- B. recommendations on where to find specific foods.
- C. nutritional information for each food item.
- D. a small number of full recipes.
26
34 How is the book's structure described?
- A. It is organized by country to make it easy for travelers.
- B. It categorizes foods by their main ingredient.
- C. It groups foods by the type of eating experience.
- D. It is presented in a simple alphabetical list.
27
35 What is the author's stated goal for the book?
- A. To create an objective and definitive ranking of world foods.
- B. To settle debates about the best cuisines.
- C. To inspire curiosity and appreciation for diverse foods.
- D. To promote European and North American restaurants.
28
36 Mimi Sheraton's book has been described as a ________ for anyone who loves food.
29
37 It is noted for its narrative approach, where each entry is like a mini ________, explaining the cultural significance of a dish.
30
38 While the book has faced some ________, particularly over the inclusion of common items and a potential regional bias...
31
39 Sheraton clarifies that the selections are based on her own ________ and expert opinion.
32
40 The ultimate aim of the book is to encourage readers to expand their ________ and embark on a gastronomic adventure.

Phiếu trả lời

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Hiện đáp án

1. ocean / safety / record / size / confident / water / float / inadequate / procedures
The answer 'ocean / safety / record / size / confident / water / float / inadequate / procedures' is correct because each blank is filled with a word that matches the meaning in the passage: 'ocean' for the type of travel, 'safety' for the standard, 'record' for the industry's history, 'size' for luxury, 'confident' for the owners' belief, 'water' for what the ship could let in, 'float' for what it would do, 'inadequate' for the facilities, and 'procedures' for what was not followed.
2. vi
The answer 'vi. Iceberg locations not plotted' is correct because paragraph D describes how the locations of icebergs were not properly marked, which was the main cause of the problem. Option x 'Ice warnings ignored' is tempting but fails because the issue was not ignoring warnings, but not plotting the locations.
3. iii
The answer 'iii. Captain’s over-confidence' is correct because paragraph E focuses on the captain's belief that the Titanic was unsinkable, which led to risky decisions. Option ii 'Captain’s orders ignored' is wrong because the problem was the captain's attitude, not others ignoring his orders.
4. vii
The answer 'vii. Low priority placed on safety' is correct because paragraph G discusses how safety was not given enough importance, leading to problems. Option viii 'Number of lifeboats adequate' is incorrect because the issue was not about the number of lifeboats, but the overall attitude toward safety.
5. i
The answer 'i. Ignorance of the impending disaster' is correct because paragraph H shows that people did not realize how serious the situation was. Other options like iii 'Captain’s over-confidence' are not the main focus here.
6. ix
The answer 'ix. Inadequate training' is correct because paragraph I talks about how the crew was not properly trained, which made the situation worse. Other options like vii 'Low priority placed on safety' are not the main cause in this paragraph.
7. striped
The answer 'striped' is correct because the passage says the thylacine had a 'striped coat' and was carnivorous.
8. Australia
The answer 'Australia' is correct because the passage states the thylacine was originally spread widely throughout the mainland of Australia.
9. 12 million years
The answer '12 million years' is correct because the passage says the number of thylacine decreased in that area around 12 million years ago due to climate change.
10. Tasmania / Europeans
The answer 'Tasmania / Europeans' is correct because the passage explains thylacines were found only on Tasmania until Europeans arrived and their farming practices reduced thylacine numbers.
11. B
The answer 'B. Randolph Rose' is correct because the passage says Randolph Rose believes there is no longer any hope of finding a surviving Tasmanian tiger.
12. A
The answer 'A. Hans Naarding' is correct because Hans Naarding says it would be better not to disturb any surviving Tasmanian tigers.
13. D
The answer 'D. Nick Mooney' is correct because Nick Mooney points out that many people who claim to have seen Tasmanian tigers are not objective witnesses.
14. C
The answer 'C. David Pemberton' is correct because David Pemberton mentions that expert estimates of numbers needed for species survival may not be accurate.
15. A
The answer 'A. Hans Naarding' is correct because Hans Naarding notes there is a lot of international interest in Tasmanian tiger stories.
16. D
The answer 'D. Nick Mooney' is correct because Nick Mooney finds some fresh evidence from a visitor to Tasmania to be credible.
17. B
The answer 'B. an extensive follow-up' is correct because after Naarding’s sighting, there was a large follow-up effort, not a capture or death of the tiger.
18. D
The answer 'D. opinions regarding the extinction of animal species can be mistaken' is correct because the coelacanth was thought extinct but was found alive, showing extinction opinions can be wrong. Option C is tempting but the example is about mistaken beliefs, not saving species.
19. FALSE
The answer 'FALSE' is correct because the passage says Mimi Sheraton is not currently working as a restaurant critic for the New York Times.
20. TRUE
The answer 'TRUE' is correct because the passage states the book was directly inspired by a popular travel guide.
21. FALSE
The answer 'FALSE' is correct because the passage says the book does not include recipes for every one of the 1,000 foods.
22. FALSE
The answer 'FALSE' is correct because the book is not organized by geographic origin, but in another way.
23. TRUE
The answer 'TRUE' is correct because the passage says Sheraton has been a food writer for six decades.
24. D
The answer 'D. introduce the book by highlighting its adventurous nature' is correct because the first paragraph talks about the adventurous aspect of the book, not criticizing habits or giving health benefits.
25. C
The answer 'C. nutritional information for each food item' is correct because the passage says the book includes historical background, recommendations, and some recipes, but not nutritional information.
26. C
The answer 'C. It groups foods by the type of eating experience' is correct because the passage describes the book as grouping foods by eating experience, not by country, ingredient, or alphabetically.
27. C
The answer 'C. To inspire curiosity and appreciation for diverse foods' is correct because the author says the goal is to encourage curiosity and appreciation, not to rank foods or promote certain regions.
28. passport
The answer 'passport' is correct because the passage says the book is described as a 'passport' for anyone who loves food.
29. stories
The answer 'stories' is correct because the passage says each entry is like a mini story, explaining the cultural significance of a dish.
30. controversies
The answer 'controversies' is correct because the passage mentions the book has faced some 'controversies,' especially about common items and regional bias.
31. personal travels
The answer 'personal travels' is correct because Sheraton says her selections are based on her own personal travels and expert opinion.
32. culinary comfort zone
The answer 'culinary comfort zone' is correct because the passage says the book aims to encourage readers to expand their 'culinary comfort zone' and try new foods.

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Reading Passage 1: Lessons from the Titanic

Reading Passage 2: The Tasmanian Tiger

Reading Passage 3: What Are the 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die?

Phiếu trả lời

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