Reading 2026-02 Test 3 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

基于考生回忆重建 — 非官方 IELTS 资料。音频和原文均为练习用途的重现版本。

Reading Passage 1 — A Survivor's Story

One native bird in New Zealand that has managed to survive the introduction of non-native species.

As an island country with a fauna dominated by birds, New Zealand was once home to an owl species which is now extinct. The laughing owl, named for its distinctive cry. This bird was widespread throughout the islands when European settlers arrived in the middle of the 19th century and remained in good numbers for some years thereafter. Where other native birds suffered from predation by the Polynesian rat, the laughing owl turned the tables and adapted its diet to include the rodent. It was also capable of catching and killing the other New Zealand owl, the morepork, and even larger birds, such as the weka. However, the laughing owl was wiped out around the beginning of the 20th century, its demise caused by specimen collectors, habitat changes, and non-native predators including cats and stoats. Surprisingly, it is the smaller owl, the morepork, that has managed to survive until this day.

At dusk, the melancholy sound of the morepork can be heard in forests and parks as it calls to other moreporks and claims territory. Its Maori name, ruru, echoes its two-part cry. In the tradition of the Maori people of New Zealand, the morepork, or ruru, was often seen as a careful guardian. A number of sayings referred to the bird's alertness. As a bird of the night, it was associated with the spirit world. Moreporks were believed to act as messengers to the gods in the heavens, flying along spiritual paths in the sky. They were the mediums used to communicate with the gods. The occasional high, piercing call of the morepork signified bad news, but the lower-pitched and more common ruru call heralded good news.

Speckled dark brown, with yellow eyes and long tails, they are around 20 centimeters long from head to tail and 175 grams in weight. Moreporks have hinges on the edge of their feathers, so they can fly almost silently and not alert potential prey. They have acute hearing and their large eyes are very sensitive to light. Moreporks nest in tree hollows, in clumps of plants, or in cavities among rocks and roots. In the wild, moreporks usually start nesting in October, although zoo specimens have been recorded nesting in midwinter, possibly stimulated by an ample food supply. The female lays up to three white eggs, which she incubates for 20 to 30 days. During this time, she rarely hunts, and the male brings food to her. Once the chicks hatch, she stays mainly on the nest until the young owls are fully feathered. When hatched, chicks are covered in light grey down, and have their eyes closed. The eyes do not open until the eighth day after hatching. They can fly at around 35 days.

By day, moreporks sleep in crevices. By night, they hunt a variety of animals mainly large invertebrates including scarab and huhu beetles, moths, caterpillars and spiders. They also take small birds and mice. They can find suitable food in pine forests as well as native forest. A morepork will swoop to catch or stun its prey, which it then carries away in its bill. Moreporks are clever hunters and birds such as robins, grey warblers and fantails can end up as their prey. In the day, these small birds sometimes mob drowsy moreporks and chase them away from their roosts. They have a more peaceful life.

The New Zealand Department of Conservation

The New Zealand Department of Conservation is taking steps to ensure the preservation of New Zealand's only native owl. The department is involved in measuring the population of moreporks and has put transmitters on a number of birds to determine survival and mortality. As well as being New Zealand's only native owl, the morepork has symbolic and spiritual importance, so in monitoring the bird it is hoped that the morepork will continue to survive and thrive.

Other Threats to Moreporks

Predation by non-native predators: Cats, stoats, and ferrets are a major threat to moreporks, especially nestlings and young owls. Habitat loss: Deforestation and urban development are reducing the amount of suitable habitat for moreporks. Pesticides: The use of pesticides can poison prey species, which can then accumulate in the food chain and harm moreporks. Road mortality: Moreporks are often killed by cars when they fly across roads at night.

Conservation Efforts

In addition to the efforts of the New Zealand Department of Conservation, there are a number of community groups and individuals working to protect moreporks. These efforts include: Nest box installation: Providing artificial nest boxes for moreporks to breed in. Predator control: Trapping and poisoning predators to reduce their impact on morepork populations. Education and awareness: Educating the public about the importance of moreporks and how to help protect them. By working together, we can help ensure that the morepork continues to be a part of New Zealand's natural heritage for generations to come.

Questions 1–7: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, 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.

1
Early European settlers made detailed studies of the morepork.
2
The Polynesian rat had a negative effect on the number of laughing owls.
3
The laughing owl was larger than the morepork.
4
Rats pose a risk to young moreporks.
5
The New Zealand Department of Conservation is hoping to limit the population of moreporks.
6
Other bird species are frightened away when they hear the morepork's cry.
7
In Maori tradition, the low call of the morepork had negative associations.

Questions 8–13: Note Completion

Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Appearance

8. Approximately _________ in length

large yellow eyes

feathers with fringes to enable quiet flight

Nesting

9. nests in trees, plants or spaces in roots and _________

after about 25 days, baby moreporks are capable of leaving the nest

Hunting

10. transports prey using its _________

11. can be chased away by other birds during the _________

12. attacked by _________ that had been introduced to Motuora Island

Threats

13. may be exposed to _________ in their prey

Reading Passage 2 — Unique Golden Textile

A rare textile made from the silk of more than a million wild spiders has been on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. To produce this golden cloth, 70 people spent four years collecting golden orb spiders from telephone poles in Madagascar, while another dozen workers carefully extracted about 80 feet of silk filament from each of the arachnids. The resulting 11-foot by 4-foot textile is the only large piece of cloth made from natural spider silk existing in the world today.

Spider silk is very elastic and strong compared with steel or Kevlar, said textile expert Silom Peers, who co-led the project. Kevlar is a lightweight synthetic fabric which is chemically related to nylon. It is very tough and durable and used in bullet-proof vest. Kevlar is also resistant to wear, tear, and heat and has absolutely no melting point. But the tensile strength of spider silk is even greater than Kevlar's amid filaments, and greater than that of high-grade steel. Most importantly, spider silk is extremely lightweight: a strand of spider silk long enough to circle the Earth would weigh less than 500 grams (18 oz). Spider silk is also especially ductile, able to stretch up to 140 percent of its length without breaking. It can hold its strength below -40c. This gives it a very high toughness, which equals that of commercial fibers.

Researchers have long been intrigued by the unique properties of spider silk. Unfortunately, spider silk is extremely hard to mass produce. Unlike silk worms, which are easy to raise in captivity, spiders have a habit of chopping off each other's heads when housed together. According to Peers, there's scientific research going on all over the world right now trying to replicate the tensile properties of spider silk a apply it to all sorts of areas in medicine and industry, but no one up until now has succeeded in replicating 100 per cent of the properties of natural spider silk.

Peers came up with the idea of weaving spider silk after learning about the French missionary Jacob Paul Camboue, who worked with spiders in Madagascar during the 1880s and 1890s. Camboue built a small, hand-driven machine to extract silk from up to 24 spiders at once, without harming them. The spiders were temporarily restrain their silk extracted, and then let go, Peers managed to build a replica of this 24-spider silking machine that was used at the turn of the century, said Nicholas Godley, who co-led the project with Peers. As an experiment, the pair collected an initial batch of about 20 spiders. When we stuck them in the machine and started turning it, lo and behold, this beautiful gold-colored silk started coming out, Godley said.

But to make a textile of any significant size, the silk experts had to drastically scale up their plan. Fourteen thousand spiders yield about an ounce of silk, Godley said, and the textile weighs about 2.6 pounds. The numbers are overwhelming. To get as much silk as they needed, Godley and Peers began hiring dozens of spider handlers to collect wild arachnids and carefully harvest them to the silk-extraction machine. We had to find people who were willing to work with spiders, Godley said, because they bite. By the end of the project, Godley and Peers extracted silk from more than 1 million female golden orb spiders, which are abundant throughout Madagascar and known for the rich golden color of their silk. Because the spiders only produce silk during the rainy season, workers collected all the spiders between October and June. Then an additional 12 people used hand-powered machines to extract the silk and where it into 96-filament thread. Once the spiders had been silked, they were released back into the wild, where Godley said it takes them about a week to regenerate their skill. We can go back and resilk the same spiders, he said. It's like the gift that never stops giving.

Of course, spending four years to produce a single textile of spider silk isn't very practical for scientists trying to study the properties of spider silk, or companies that want to manufacture the fabric for the use as a biomedical product, or an alternative to Kevlar armor. Several groups have tried inserting spider genes into bacteria or even cows and goats to produce silk, but so far, the attempts have been only moderately successful. Part of the reason it's so hard to generate spider silk in the lab is that it starts out as a liquid protein that's produced by a special gland in the spider's abdomen. Using their spinneret, spiders apply force to rearrange the protein's molecular structure and transform it into solid silk. When we talk about a spider spinning silk, we're talking about how the spider applies forces to produce a transformation from liquid to solid, said spider silk expert Todd Blackledge of the University of Akron, Ohio, US, who was not involved in creating the textile. Scientists simply can't replicate the efficiency with which a spider produces silk. Every year we're getting closer and closer to being able to mass produce it, but we're not there yet. For now, it seems we'll have to be content with one incredibly beautiful cloth, graciously provided by more than a million spiders.

Questions 14–19: Matching Headings

Reading passage has six paragraphs A-F. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

i. Experimenting with an old idea

ii. Life cycle of Madagascar spiders

iii. Advances in the textile industry

iv. Resources needed to meet the project’s demands

v. The physical properties of spider silk

vi. A scientific analysis of spider silk

vii. A unique work of art

viii. Importance of the silk textile market

ix. Difficulties of raising spiders in captivity

14
Paragraph A
15
Paragraph B
16
Paragraph C
17
Paragraph D
18
Paragraph E
19
Paragraph F

Questions 20–23: Matching Researchers

Look at the following statements (Questions 20-23) and the list of researchers below. Match each statement with the correct researcher, A, B or C. Write the correct letter A, B or C in boxes 20-23 on your answer sheet. List of Researchers A Simon Peers B Nicholas Godley C Todd Blackledge

20
It takes a tremendous number of spiders to make a small amount of silk.
- A. Simon Peers
- B. Nicholas Godley
- C. Todd Blackledge
21
Scientists want to use the qualities of spider silk for medical purposes.
22
Scientists are making some progress in their efforts to manufacture spider silk.
23
Spider silk compares favourably to materials known for their strength.

Questions 24–26: Summary Completion

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

Producing spider silk in the lab

Both scientists and manufacturers are interested in producing silk for many different purposes. Some researchers have tried to grow silk by introducing genetic material into 24 _________ and some animals. But these experiments have been somewhat disappointing. It is difficult to make spider silk in a lab setting because the silk comes from a liquid protein made in a 25 _________ inside the spider's body. When a spider spins silk, it causes a 26 _________ that turns this liquid into solid silk. Scientists cannot replicate this yet.

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

Written by a former New York Times restaurant critic, this tome will keep your appetite satisfied for a lifetime.

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 contribution 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.

Questions 27–31: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 27–31 on your answer sheet, 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.

27
Mimi Sheraton is currently working as a restaurant critic for the New York Times.
28
The book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die was directly inspired by a popular travel guide.
29
Sheraton's book includes recipes for every one of the 1,000 foods mentioned.
30
The book is organized according to the geographic origin of the foods.
31
Sheraton has been a food writer for six decades.

Questions 32–35: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 32–35 on your answer sheet.

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.
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.
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.
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.

Questions 36–40: Summary Completion

Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Mimi Sheraton's book has been described as a 36 _________ for anyone who loves food. It is noted for its narrative approach, where each entry is like a mini 37 _________, explaining the cultural significance of a dish. While the book has faced some 38 _________, particularly over the inclusion of common items and a potential regional bias, Sheraton clarifies that the selections are based on her own 39 _________ and expert opinion. The ultimate aim of the book is to encourage readers to expand their 40 _________ and embark on a gastronomic adventure.

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显示答案

1. not given
There is no information in the passage about European settlers making detailed studies of the morepork.
2. false
The passage says the laughing owl adapted its diet to eat the Polynesian rat, so the rat did not reduce laughing owl numbers.
3. true
The laughing owl could catch and kill the morepork, showing it was larger.
4. true
The passage lists cats, stoats, and ferrets as threats to young moreporks, but not rats.
5. false
The Department of Conservation wants to preserve and help moreporks survive, not limit their population.
6. not given
There is no information about other birds being frightened away by the morepork's cry.
7. false
The low ruru call of the morepork meant good news, not bad news, in Maori tradition.
8. 20 centimeters
The passage says moreporks are around 20 centimeters long from head to tail.
9. roots
Moreporks nest in tree hollows, clumps of plants, or cavities among rocks and roots.
10. bill
A morepork carries away its prey in its bill.
11. day
During the day, small birds sometimes mob and chase away drowsy moreporks from their roosts.
12. plovers
The passage mentions plovers as birds that attacked moreporks introduced to Motuora Island.
13. poison
Pesticides can poison prey species, which can then harm moreporks.
14. vii
Paragraph A is about the survival of a native bird, matching heading vii: 'A survivor’s story.'
15. v
Paragraph B discusses the morepork’s role in Maori tradition, matching heading v: 'A bird of spiritual significance.'
16. ix
Paragraph C describes the morepork’s physical features and nesting, matching heading ix: 'Physical description and breeding.'
17. i
Paragraph D explains the morepork’s hunting and feeding, matching heading i: 'A clever hunter.'
18. iv
Paragraph E talks about conservation efforts, matching heading iv: 'Conservation and monitoring.'
19. vi
Paragraph F lists threats to moreporks, matching heading vi: 'Threats to survival.'
20. B
Nicholas Godley says 'Fourteen thousand spiders yield about an ounce of silk,' showing it takes many spiders to make a small amount.
21. A
Simon Peers mentions research to replicate spider silk for medicine and industry, showing scientists want to use its qualities for medical purposes.
22. C
Todd Blackledge says, 'Every year we're getting closer and closer to being able to mass produce it,' showing some progress is being made.
23. A
Simon Peers says spider silk is stronger than Kevlar and high-grade steel, showing it compares favorably to strong materials.
24. Bacteria
The passage says researchers have tried inserting spider genes into bacteria and some animals to produce silk.
25. gland
Spider silk starts as a liquid protein made in a special gland inside the spider's body.
26. transformation
A spider applies force to cause a transformation from liquid to solid silk.
27. FALSE
The passage says Sheraton is a former New York Times restaurant critic, not a current one.
28. TRUE
Sheraton’s book was inspired by '1,000 Places to See Before You Die,' a popular travel guide.
29. FALSE
The passage says the book includes several dozen recipes, not one for every food.
30. FALSE
The book is organized by eating experience, not by geographic origin.
31. TRUE
Sheraton has been writing about food for 60 years, which is six decades.
32. D
The first paragraph uses examples of exotic foods to introduce the book’s adventurous nature, so D is correct. Option B is tempting but too narrow.
33. C
The passage mentions historical background, recommendations, and recipes, but not nutritional information for each food item.
34. C
The book groups foods by the type of eating experience, not by country, ingredient, or alphabetically.
35. C
Sheraton says the goal is to inspire curiosity and appreciation, not to rank or settle debates.
36. passport
The book is described as a 'passport' for anyone who loves food.
37. stories
Each entry is described as a mini 'story,' explaining the cultural significance of a dish.
38. controversies
The book has faced some 'controversies,' especially about common items and regional bias.
39. personal travels
Sheraton says her selections are based on her own 'personal travels' and expert opinion.
40. culinary comfort
The book aims to encourage readers to expand their 'culinary comfort' and try new foods.

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