Reading 2026-05 Test 38 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

基于考生回忆投稿及材料收集整理 — 非官方 IELTS 资料。

Reading Passage 1: Effect and Cause

A chance finding by a Swiss research team explains an event that happened centuries ago around Lake Geneva.

In the sixth century Gregory of Tours, a chronicler of the Germanic people known as the Franks, told of an extraordinary event in what is now Switzerland, where the Rhone River spills into Lake Geneva. He wrote of a big rockfall in the year 563 AD in the vicinity of a place called Tauredunum. The debris plunged into the river, and a great mass of water 'overwhelmed with a sudden and violent flood all that was on the banks as far as the city of Geneva,' more than 64 kilometres across the lake. The Geneva bridge was demolished, and several people inside the city walls of Geneva were killed. Historians and scientists have long believed that Gregory and another chronicler, Marius of Avenches, who told a similar tale, were describing a tsunami that raced across the lake. But there has not been any direct evidence of it until now.

Researchers at the University of Geneva now say they have found that evidence, in the form of a large deposit of sediment in the middle of the lake. In a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, they also propose the sequence of events that caused the deadly surge. The researchers think that large boulders crashed down onto soft sediments which had accumulated at the river mouth because of the slowing of the river's flow when it enters the lake. These sediments formed an underwater delta that had several canyon-like channels. When the falling rocks hit the delta they destabilised the sediments and caused the canyons to collapse. It was this collapse that created the tsunami. The sediments from this collapse would have been propelled towards the lake's centre.

Guy Simpson, a lecturer in the University of Geneva's Department of Geology and Paleontology, says the thick layer of sediment, which has the same curved shape as a lens, lies more than 305 metres down in the deepest part of the lake, and was found largely by chance. Katrina Kremer, a University of Geneva doctoral student and the study's lead author, had been conducting seismic soundings, searching for thin sediment layers that might be evidence of major floods that had taken place in pre-historic times, long before the event described by Gregory of Tours. 'But we came across this enormous deposit,' Simpson says. 'We didn't know straight away that it was the deposit that caused the [sixth-century] tsunami. But it was a jumbled mess of sediment. It was quite obvious that it was deposited rapidly.'

The researchers then took samples of the sediments and used carbon-dating techniques on remains of leaves and other organic matter they found to determine when the deposit formed. This narrowed the range to a period between the late fourth century and the early seventh century. Other than the rockfall, there is no record of any special event during that period, Simpson says.

The researchers estimated that the deposit, which is at least 9.6 kilometres long by 4.8 kilometres wide, and averages about five metres thick, contains more than 248 million cubic metres of material. They ran multiple computer simulations showing that the collapse of that much sediment at the mouth of the Rhone would have caused a tsunami with an estimated height of 7.9 metres at Geneva - where it would have arrived in about 70 minutes. The rockfall itself may have been set off by a major earthquake, as some scientists have speculated.

Lake tsunamis, although unusual, are not unknown, says Richard Schweickert, an Emeritus Professor of Geology at the University of Nevada in Reno, in the United States. He cites evidence that the collapse of part of the shoreline of Lake Tahoe in northern California within the past 20,000 years caused a tsunami with wave heights of about 30 metres. There are two faults under the lake that could have caused an earthquake, he says and that the collapse of the Rhone delta sediments, as calculated by the Swiss researchers, 'would certainly be capable of moving a large amount of material into the lake.' He suggests that the findings could be corroborated by careful mapping of the shoreline to look for unusual deposits or erosion left behind by the giant waves.

Simpson says the Rhone delta sediments might collapse again, perhaps from an earthquake or even their own weight. In the sixth century, Geneva was a small community, mostly behind walls on a hill, whereas today it is home to international organisations and about 200,000 people, many living in low-lying areas near the water. Testing the stability of nearby slopes, and creating more detailed models of how a tsunami could affect Geneva today, would provide a more accurate assessment of whether or not this is something the lakeside city should be concerned about.

Most tsunamis occur in oceans and are generated by earthquakes. However, the study is a reminder that even a landlocked nation like Switzerland is not immune to catastrophic waves.

1
According to Gregory of Tours, the landslide which caused the flood happened near Tauredunum.
2
The city of Geneva was undamaged by the tsunami that Gregory described.
3
The work of Marius of Avenches supported the idea that there was a tsunami.
4
The rocks which fell into the delta were very hard and dense.
5
Richard Schweickert has published studies on lake tsunamis that have occurred in several countries.
6
The shoreline of Lake Tahoe has remained unchanged for 20,000 years.
7
Parts of the population of Geneva now live closer to the lake than was the case in the sixth century.
8
Katrina Kremer was looking for indications of prehistoric ______ that had occurred before the sixth-century event.
9
Researchers extracted samples from the deposit and dated organic material such as ______.
10
Carbon-dating confirmed that the deposit was present in the lake by the beginning of the ______ century.
11
The volume of the deposit was then ______ by the scientists.
12
The researchers established the approximate ______ and speed of the tsunami through extensive computer modelling.
13
A likely cause of the rockfall was a significant ______.

Reading Passage 2: Playing Soccer

There are many differences between playing soccer in the street and joining a youth team in an organized league in the USA.

A Street soccer, as its name implies, is an informal variation of the sport, often played on the street, particularly in urban areas. There are many reasons for the widespread popularity of street soccer. Unlike youth soccer, its more formally organized counterpart, no large space is needed, and goal posts, corner markers, and marked lines, associated with the formal game, are typically absent, as are game officials or referees. Another attraction of street soccer is that it is played frequently and competitively, but does not necessarily require standard 11-a-side teams or fixed playing positions. Unlike in youth soccer, inexperienced street soccer players rarely learn from repetitive technical and tactical drills. Instead, they learn from their poor performance in competition, unconscious of the skills they are nonetheless developing, and without older adults or coaches present. Players learn without effort through playing the game, and soon attain an almost natural feeling for the sport.

B However, there are lots of cities in the world today where conditions are such that street soccer is no longer possible. Congested traffic now dominates where games were once played. Parks and open fields are used as hangouts for older teenagers with other interests. Add to this the requirement in many localities for official permits to use public spaces and the managed schedules that many young people have today, and spontaneous play of any kind is hard to imagine.

C In spite of all these obstacles, which are probably solvable in most instances, there is another sociological explanation of why in many places street soccer doesn’t enjoy the same popularity it once did. In his book How Soccer Explains the World, US writer Franklin Foer observes: But for all the talk of freedom, the 1960s parenting style had a far less relaxed side too. Like the 1960s consumer movement which brought seat belts and airbags to cars, the (youth) soccer movement felt like it could create a set of … regulations that would protect both the child’s body and mind from damage. Soccer leagues like the one I played in as a child handed out ‘participation’ prizes to every player, no matter how few games his (or her) team won. Where most of the world accepts the practice of using your head to hit the ball as an essential element of the game, some (youth) soccer parents have worried over the potential for injury to the brain. An entire industry grew up to manufacture protective headgear. Even though very little medical evidence supports this fear, some youth leagues prohibited heading the ball altogether.

D A growing body of people don’t believe street soccer involves a legitimate educational method. They argue that children need to be taught by experts. Youth soccer instruction now begins with four-year-olds, so that they will have an advantage as six-year-olds. This need to get ahead brings with it a fear of falling behind that only expert instruction can prevent. This type of instruction leaves no room for the trial-and-error approach of street soccer.

E One of the basic ideas of street soccer is that young players are assigned a particular role by a better player and are expected to play for the good of the team. Such an assignment runs counter to the idea of youth soccer that every child needs to learn every position and will benefit from doing so. In street soccer, you fill the role that you are best able to at a particular time. While this role assignment can change from game to game, the purpose is always the same: to get the best out of each individual at any given moment.

F In street soccer, children have to learn patience, to wait their turn, to realize that they are not entitled to make decisions, or even be listened to simply because they show up. Positions of responsibility are earned through competition within the team. Younger players in street soccer must wait to attain those positions. In youth soccer, however, with its overly democratic values, youngsters are guaranteed their time in the spotlight. Whether it’s their turn to be captain, to play a central position or to take a crucial shot, youth soccer players come to believe that hard work and patience aren’t really necessary.

G Not only does every youth soccer player get a chance, it is assumed that each individual has played well. ‘Everyone’s a winner; no one’s a loser’ is a guiding principle of youth soccer. This ensures each individual goes away positive about themselves. No one can leave a game or a practice feeling bad. But, if there really are no losers, then why try at all? Since giving less than your best receives the same reward as giving your best, why go to any extra effort?

In street soccer, every game results in a winner and a loser and everyone knows who is who. Losing a game is a common experience and players learn early on how to handle this. As a result, unlike most youth soccer players, they acquire resilience.

A further difference between these two strands of soccer is that in street soccer a formal record is not kept. You can lose one day and win the next. The results are only temporary and are forgotten within minutes of the end of the match. But in organized youth soccer, the position each person plays and the results are formally noted and maintained throughout a season.

14
a contrast between the ways young players gain experience of playing different positions
15
examples outside sport of greater emphasis on individual safety
16
a description of methods of selection for leadership on soccer teams
17
details of urban changes that discourage street soccer
18
a mention of the lesson that failure teaches street soccer players
19
an explanation of why youth soccer emphasises the need for coaches
20
20–21. The list below gives some possible reasons for the popularity of street soccer. Which TWO of these reasons are mentioned by the writer of the text?
- A. Many famous soccer players got their start in street soccer.
- B. Young people can begin playing street soccer at a very early age.
- C. You do not need elaborate facilities to play street soccer.
- D. Inexperienced street soccer players are not criticised for mistakes.
- E. Street soccer teams can have varying numbers of players.
21
22–23. The list below gives some possible results of the 1960s parenting style. Which TWO of these results are mentioned by Franklin Foer in the excerpt from How Soccer Explains the World?
- A. Participation in youth soccer became much more expensive.
- B. Some youth soccer leagues adopted more restrictive rules of play.
- C. Fewer young people joined youth soccer teams.
- D. Youth soccer players were sometimes rewarded for simply playing in games.
- E. Soccer equipment manufacturers directed advertising towards parents.
22
Complete the summary below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer. Winners and losers For youth soccer players, a key ________ is that they should always come away from the game with a positive attitude. In this respect, regardless of the effort the players make, they get some kind of ________ at the end of a game. In street soccer, however, players gain resilience because they have to learn to cope with failure. But the outcome of a match isn’t remembered for long. In fact, no-one ever keeps a ________ of the results of games.

Reading Passage 3: All in the Family

We can choose our friends, the saying goes, but we cannot choose our family of origin. Our parents provide the genetic material and make powerful early role models, but even more influential in determining what kind of adult we will become are our brothers and sisters — our siblings. They occupy a position of unique intimacy in our lives and cast a longer shadow than many recognise or are prepared to acknowledge. By turns, enraging and lovable, familiar and mysterious, our brothers and sisters are the human beings who people our first social relationships. And a sibling relationship is the most enduring relationship many of us will ever have — no less emotionally intense than the bonds we form with our spouses and our own children — if only because they started when we were so young.

Surprising new research by Dr Gene Brody found that having older children who do well in school and are well liked by other children leads to parental ‘basking’ — increasing mothers’ self-esteem. It is clear that in turn this is associated with more positive parenting of younger children, who display fewer behavioural problems as a result. Conversely, parents who get a difficult first child may in turn experience a negative spiral of household tension.

International sports star Piri Weepu is a rugby hard man, but at least some of his tough temperament was forged long ago in the family home. His older brother Billy started rugby — tackling little Piri when he was just four — to ‘harden him up’. It seemed to work. Piri followed his brother in playing for the under-sevens league before he even started school. There are as many such stories as there are families: in the formative hothouse of the family, siblings interact in complex ways with the powerful forcefields of parents, genetics and personality already at work. It starts with birth order, which determines play roles: the firstborn leader, the middle-child mediator and the rebellious youngest. These are roles that can stick for life.

Clinical psychologist Claire Cartwright says she has clients who believe, and it might not have been true, that they were treated differently from their siblings, that one child in the family was preferred over others. They are quite convinced that the parental judgements on them all those years ago were harsher, and that they were the ones who always got into trouble. Later, in the workplace, such a person might be particularly defensive, and so behave in a way more prone to attracting harsh judgements.

However, the research shows that being Mummy or Daddy’s favourite has its own traps. If you were the easy-going, co-operative child at home, you probably excelled at pleasing parents and, later, bosses. But you might, as an adult, find it hard to be assertive with authority figures and lack direction. On the other hand, the sibling who is disruptive and annoying as a child may be able to reinterpret that role later, turning those attention-seeking characteristics into strengths like determination and leadership.

How is it that full siblings, despite sharing DNA, can turn out so differently? One answer is that, in fact, each sibling grows up in a different family, a unique micro-culture. For example, the firstborn is, for a while, an only child, and therefore has a completely different experience of the parents than those born later. The parents themselves are growing up too, weathering hardship or good fortune, so one sibling might experience stability and closeness while another might be raised in the midst of crisis.

Of course, there are many positive aspects of sibling relationships. Annette Henderson, a lecturer in psychology, says firstborn children learn vocabulary more quickly than their siblings because they are not competing to spend one-on-one time with parents. But younger children in turn benefit from unintentional instruction from their bigger brothers and sisters, acquiring entire phrases and an understanding of social concepts such as politeness. Similarly, a Cambridge University study of 140 children found that even when there is a great deal of conflict, siblings will still create a rich world of play and make-believe that extends them developmentally. Love-hate relationships were common among the children, but even those who fought the most had as many positive interactions as the other sibling pairs. It is also true that children compete for parental attention by making themselves different from their brothers and sisters, particularly if they are close in age. A 2003 research paper studied adolescents from 185 families over two years, finding that those who changed to differentiate themselves from their siblings increased the amount of warmth they gained from parents, and also developed stronger personalities and a better sense of their own identity.

Another consideration is that many families today are smaller and more intimate than their historical counterparts. This may be advantageous because siblings tend to know each other better and remain lifelong friends compared to children from bigger or more widely spaced families, who perhaps lose touch with one another after leaving home. Then there was a 2010 American study which found that having a sister, whether younger or older, meant that 10- to 14-year-olds were less likely to feel lonely, unloved, self-conscious or fearful. The same study found that having a loving sibling of either gender promoted good deeds, such as helping a neighbour around the house or helping other children at school.

23
27. Parents and siblings play equal roles in shaping people’s adult personalities.
24
28. People’s first social relationships tend to be with siblings of their own gender.
25
29. People’s relationships with their siblings tend to receive less attention when they marry.
26
30. Parental ‘basking’ is advantageous for later siblings.
27
31. What point does the writer make about birth order in the third paragraph?
- A. Its role is underestimated by parents.
- B. It may shape the characteristics of adults.
- C. Its importance decreases as children grow up.
- D. It has more influence on personality than genetics.
28
32. What are we told about some of Claire Cartwright’s clients?
- A. Their parents treated them fairly.
- B. They were treated harshly by their siblings.
- C. Their perceptions of childhood may be inaccurate.
- D. They have closer relationships with their siblings as adults.
29
33. What is the writer’s main point about siblings in the fifth paragraph?
- A. Parents tend to repeat their own parents’ mistakes.
- B. Favoured children are likely to make good leaders as adults.
- C. Negative characteristics in children can become positive in adults.
- D. Attention-seeking children are unlikely to please bosses in later life.
30
34. Which of the following best summarises the writer’s argument in the sixth paragraph?
- A. Many children have a favourite parent.
- B. Parenting skills improve with later children.
- C. Siblings are born with different personalities.
- D. The family environment may change over time.
31
35. Annette Henderson suggests that young children’s interactions with older siblings involve ________.
- A. parental love
- B. imaginative games
- C. physical development
- D. generous behaviour
- E. strong marriages
- F. greater individuality
- G. learning experiences
- H. career success
- I. closer relationships
- J. healthy competition
- K. mental well-being
32
36. Also, a Cambridge study found that siblings still enjoy ________ even when they have a tendency to fight.
33
37. Research conducted in 2003 suggests that children develop ________ as a result of seeking attention.
34
38. Another factor is the trend for smaller families, which may mean today’s siblings enjoy ________ as adults.
35
39. A 2010 American study linked having a sister with ________ among children aged 10–14.
36
40. Finally, having a sibling may promote ________ according to the same study.

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1. TRUE
This is TRUE because Gregory of Tours wrote that the landslide happened near Tauredunum, which caused the flood.
2. FALSE
This is FALSE because the city of Geneva was damaged by the tsunami, as described in the passage.
3. TRUE
This is TRUE because Marius of Avenches also wrote about the event, supporting the idea that a tsunami happened.
4. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN because the passage does not mention if the rocks were very hard and dense.
5. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN because there is no information about Richard Schweickert publishing studies on lake tsunamis in several countries.
6. FALSE
This is FALSE because the passage says the shoreline of Lake Tahoe has changed over the last 20,000 years.
7. TRUE
This is TRUE because the passage explains that parts of Geneva's population now live closer to the lake than in the sixth century.
8. floods
The answer is 'floods' because Katrina Kremer was searching for signs of prehistoric floods before the sixth-century event.
9. leaves
The answer is 'leaves' because researchers dated organic material such as leaves from the deposit samples.
10. seventh
The answer is 'seventh' because carbon-dating showed the deposit was present by the beginning of the seventh century.
11. estimated
The answer is 'estimated' because the scientists calculated or estimated the volume of the deposit.
12. height
The answer is 'height' because the researchers used computer modelling to find the approximate height and speed of the tsunami.
13. earthquake
The answer is 'earthquake' because a significant earthquake is mentioned as a likely cause of the rockfall.
14. E
E is correct because it describes how young players gain experience in different positions in contrasting ways.
15. C
C is correct because it gives examples outside sport where there is more focus on individual safety.
16. F
F is correct because it describes the methods used to select leaders on soccer teams.
17. B
B is correct because it gives details about changes in cities that make street soccer harder to play.
18. G
G is correct because it mentions the lesson that failure teaches street soccer players.
19. D
D is correct because it explains why youth soccer needs coaches.
20. C / E
C and E are correct because the writer mentions that street soccer does not need special facilities (C) and teams can have different numbers of players (E). Option A is tempting but not directly mentioned.
21. B / D
B and D are correct because the passage says some leagues made rules more restrictive (B) and players were rewarded just for playing (D). Option A is tempting but not mentioned.
22. principle / reward / record
The answers are 'principle', 'reward', and 'record' because the passage says youth soccer teaches a key principle of always being positive, gives a reward to all players, and that street soccer does not keep a record of results.
23. NO
NO is correct because the passage says parents and siblings do not play equal roles in shaping adult personalities.
24. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN because the passage does not say if first social relationships are with siblings of the same gender.
25. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN because there is no information about sibling relationships receiving less attention after marriage.
26. YES
YES is correct because the passage says parental 'basking' benefits later siblings.
27. B
B is correct because the passage says birth order may shape adult characteristics.
28. C
C is correct because the passage says some clients' memories of childhood may not be accurate.
29. C
C is correct because the passage says negative traits in children can become positive in adults.
30. D
D is correct because the passage argues that the family environment can change over time.
31. G
G is correct because Annette Henderson says young children learn from interactions with older siblings.
32. B
B is correct because the Cambridge study found siblings enjoy imaginative games even if they fight.
33. F
F is correct because the 2003 research says seeking attention helps children develop greater individuality.
34. I
I is correct because smaller families may mean siblings have closer relationships as adults.
35. K
K is correct because the 2010 study found having a sister is linked to mental well-being in children aged 10–14.
36. D
D is correct because the same study says having a sibling may promote generous behaviour.

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