Reading 2026-05 Test 58 — 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: Otters

A Otters have long, thin bodies and short legs – ideal for pushing through dense undergrowth or hunting in tunnels. An adult male may be up to 4 feet long and 30lbs. Females are smaller typically. The Eurasian otter’s nose is about the smallest among the otter species and has a characteristic shape described as a shallow ‘W’. An otter's tail (or rudder, or stern) is stout at the base and tapers towards the tip where it flattens. This forms part of the propulsion unit when swimming fast underwater. Otter fur consists of two types of hair: stout guard hairs which form a waterproof outer covering, and under-fur which is dense and fine, equivalent to an otter’s thermal underwear. The fur must be kept in good condition by grooming. Seawater reduces the waterproofing and insulating qualities of otter fur when saltwater in the fur. This is why freshwater pools are important to otters living on the coast. After swimming, they wash the salts off in pools and then squirm on the ground to rub dry against vegetation.

B The scent is used for hunting on land, for communication and for detecting danger. Otterine sense of smell is likely to be similar in sensitivity to dogs. Otters have small eyes and are probably short-sighted on land. But they do have the ability to modify the shape of the lens in the eye to make it more spherical, and hence overcome the refraction of water. In clear water and good light, otters can hunt fish by sight. The otter’s eyes and nostrils are placed high on its head so that it can see and breathe even when the rest of the body is submerged. Underwater, the otter holds its legs against the body, except for steering, and the hind end of the body is flexed in a series of vertical undulations. River otters have webbing which extends for much of the length of each digit, though not to the very end. Giant otters and sea otters have even more prominent webs, while the Asian short-clawed otter has no webbing – they hunt for shrimps in ditches and paddy fields so they don’t need the swimming speed. Otter’s ears are tiny for streamlining, but they still have very sensitive hearing and are protected by valves which close them against water pressure.

C A number of constraints and preferences limit suitable habitats of otters. Water is a must and the rivers must be large enough to support a healthy population of fish. Being such shy and wary creatures, they will prefer territories where man’s activities do not impinge greatly. Of course, there must also be no other otter already in residence – this has only become significant again recently as populations start to recover. Coastal otters have a much more abundant food supply and range for males and females may be just a few kilometres of coastline. Because male range overlaps with two or three females – not bad! Otters will eat anything that they can get hold of – there are records of sparrows and snakes and slugs being gobbled. Apart from fish, the most common prey are crayfish, crabs and water birds. Small mammals are occasionally taken, most commonly rabbits but sometimes even moles.

D Eurasian otters will breed any time where food is readily available. In places where the condition is more severe, Sweden for example where the lakes are frozen for much of winter, cubs are born in spring. This ensures that they are well grown before severe weather returns. In the Shetlands, cubs are born in summer when fish is more abundant. Though otters can breed every year, some do not. Again, this depends on food availability. Other factors such as food range and quality of the female may have an effect. Gestation for Eurasian otter is 63 days, with the exception of Lutra canadensis whose embryos may undergo delayed implantation. Otters normally give birth in more secure dens to avoid disturbances. Nests are lined with bedding to keep the cub’s warm mum my is away feeding.

E Otters normally give birth in more secure dens to avoid disturbances. Nests are lined with bedding (reeds, waterside plants, grass) to keep the cub’s warm while is away feeding. Litter Size varies between 1 and 5. For some unknown reason, coastal otters tend to produce smaller litters. At five weeks they open their eyes – a tiny cub of 700g. At seven weeks they’re weaned onto solid food. At ten weeks they leave the nest, blinking into daylight for the first time. After three months they finally meet the water and learn to swim. After eight months they are hunting, though the mother still provides a lot of food herself. Finally, after nine months she can chase them all away with a clear conscience, and relax – until the next fella shows up.

F The plight of the British otter was recognised in the early 60s, but it wasn’t until the late 70s that the chief cause was discovered. Pesticides, such as dieldrin and aldrin, were first used in 1955 in agriculture and other industries – these chemicals are very persistent and had already been recognised as the cause of huge declines in the population of peregrine falcons, sparrow hawks and other predators. The pesticides entered the river systems and the food chain – micro-organisms, fish and finally otters, with every step increasing the concentration of the chemicals. From 1962 the chemicals were phased out, but while some species recovered quickly, otter numbers did not – and continued to fall into the 80s. This was probably due mainly to habitat destruction and road deaths. Acting on populations fragmented by the sudden decimation in the 50s and 60s, the loss of just a handful of otters in one area can make an entire population unviable and spell the end.

G Otter numbers are recovering all around Britain – populations are growing again in the few areas where they had remained and have expanded from those areas into the rest of the country. This is almost entirely due to legislation, conservation efforts, slowing down and reversing the destruction of suitable otter habitat and reintroductions from captive breeding programs. Releasing captive-bred otters is seen by many as a last resort. The argument runs that where there is no suitable habitat for them they will not survive after release and where there is suitable habitat, natural populations should be able to expand into the area. However, reintroducing animals into a fragmented and fragile population may add just enough impetus for it to stabilise and expand, rather than die out. This is what the Otter Trust accomplished in Norfolk, where the otter population may have been as low as twenty animals at the beginning of the 1980s. The Otter Trust has now finished its captive breeding program entirely, great news because it means it is no longer needed.

1
A description of how otters regulate vision underwater
2
The fit-for-purpose characteristics of otter’s body shape
3
A reference to an underdeveloped sense
4
An explanation of why agriculture failed in otter conservation efforts
5
A description of some of the otter’s social characteristics
6
A description of how baby otters grow
7
The conflicting opinions on how to preserve
8
A reference to the legislative act
9
An explanation of how otters compensate for heat loss
10
What affects the outer fur of otters?
11
What skill is not necessary for Asian short-clawed otters?
12
Which type of otters has the shortest range?
13
Which type of animals do otters hunt occasionally?

Reading Passage 2: Growing more for less

A For farmers, working out the optimal amount of seed, fertiliser, pesticide and water to scatter on a field can be a matter of luck, despite several harvests. Regular laboratory analyses of soil and plant samples from various sections of a field can help — but such expertise is costly, and often unavailable. However, a new and cheaper method of doing this analysis is now on offer. Precise prescriptions for growing crops can be obtained quickly, and less expensively, by calculating the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected from agricultural land. The data is collected by orbiting satellites.

B Examining the wavelength of radiation that is reflected can reveal, with surprising precision, the properties of the soil, the quality of crop being grown, and the levels in those crops of chlorophyll, various minerals, moisture and other indicators of their quality. If recent and forecast weather data is added, detailed maps can be produced indicating exactly how, where and when crops should be grown. The service usually costs less than US $15 per hectare for a handful of readings a year, and can increase yields by as much as 10%.

C Such precision farming using satellite-based intelligence is a relatively new technique. Even so, it is catching on quickly. Five years ago, for example, a French cereal-growers' co-operative called Sevepi purchased a satellite and makes it available to its members in the form of maps of their fields, divided into three or four colour-coded zones per hectare. For each zone, the exact and best fertiliser formula is recommended. On top of this, if the amount of rain in the field has already grown quite high early in the season, and heavy showers are expected, an appropriate dose of growth regulator is recommended for each zone (as fragile stems break more easily in downpours). Then, farm vehicles equipped with global-positioning system locators automatically mix and apply the prescribed dose to each area.

D France is the pioneer in this sort of surveillance. More farmland is analysed by satellite there than in any other country, according to Infoterra (a subsidiary of EADS Astrium), the firm that is France’s largest provider of such information, supplying data to companies such as Sevepi. Moreover, Henri Douche, head of Infoterra's agriculture sales in Toulouse, reckons the amount of monitored farmland will increase as weather patterns change and farmers can no longer rely on the past as a guide to the future. When confounded by the yield variations that these new weather patterns will bring, even farmers who are afraid of new technology will sign up, he says.

E Inexpensive data on the productivity of land is advantageous to governments too. Areas where fertilisers and pesticides are being applied excessively can be pinpointed, enabling a reduction in environmental and land-use damage. Says Guy Lafond, an agronomist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, a government agency, says the satellite data it purchases is proving useful for the study of fields with declining productivity in the province of Saskatchewan. Over-application of nitrate fertilisers (which are also a source of greenhouse gases) appears partly responsible. And according to RapidEye, a German satellite operator, some companies are also studying satellite data with a view to selling insurance policies to governments of famine-prone countries that might be threatened by crop failure.

F In March, RapidEye began selling data that helps forecast harvests. "Too often, farmers limit productivity by managing fields wrongly," says Fredrick Jung-Rothenhäuser, head of product development at the firm's headquarters in Brandenburg an der Havel. "Our satellites are the first commercial satellites to include the Red-Edge band of the light spectrum, which is sensitive to changes in chlorophyll content. More research will be necessary to realise the full benefits of the Red-Edge band. However, this band can assist in monitoring vegetation health, improving species separation and also help in measuring protein and nitrogen content in biomass." The company's data, which comes from both Europe and the Americas, breaks field productivity down into patches just five metres square.

G The advantages that satellite technology provides in terms of precision farming do not have to be restricted to rich countries. In Africa, where many areas have become badly depleted of nutrients, better fertiliser management would help reverse this situation. As a consequence, the charitable trust World Agroforestry Centre, in the city of Nairobi, in Kenya, has begun to build up a collection of radiation patterns derived from around 100,000 samples of African soils. The aim of this work is to help by understanding the potential of these soils to be more agriculturally productive. Once passed on to the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, based in Colombia, South America, it is intended that the information be used to build a database called the 'Digital Soil Map'. When complete, this will provide farmers with free forecasts, developed with regularly updated satellite imagery, across farmland in the poorest countries in Africa. This is information which will almost certainly assist in improving crop yields. For a hunger-ravaged continent, that is good news indeed.

14
An example of how farmers in one country are now using satellite data to determine fertiliser use.
15
A reference to climate change and its effects.
16
A reference to the effect on the soil of using too much fertiliser.
17
An example of information that will be shared between different countries.
18
Mention of the country which is the leader in agricultural technology.
19
A description of an innovation in satellite imaging which requires further study.
20
Evidence of the cost-effectiveness of using satellite technology in agriculture.
21
& 22 Which TWO companies obtain information directly from satellites?
- A. Sevepi
- B. Infoterra
- C. Agriculture and AgriFood Canada
- D. RapidEye
- E. World Agroforestry Centre
22
23 Initially, orbiting satellites are used to measure __________ coming from farmland.
23
24 Fredrick Jung-Rothenhäuser says that additional irregular weather will raise the __________ of satellite technology.
24
25 As a result of satellite technology, it may become possible to insure against the threat of __________ in some countries.
25
26 In Africa, much of the soil suffers from the loss of __________.

Reading Passage 3: Good Parenting

Raising a baby may, at first, appear to be a highly personal, intimate affair between child and caregiver. In fact, there are often very public battles over every facet of child care, however: Breastfeeding or bottle-feeding? Breastfeeding in public? Toilet training — when and how? Nothing escapes judgment or scrutiny. Restlessness and crying at bedtime are no different, and three different schools of thought have emerged around how parents should respond to this problem. These have been called extinction, attachment parenting, and graduated extinction.

Attachment parenting, a term coined by pediatrician William Sears, suggests that children form powerful emotional bonds with caregivers during early childhood that have implications for their development through life. The basis for this theory was generated within the field of developmental psychology during the 1950s when researcher John Bowlby proposed that maternal deprivation during infancy could decrease a person's ability to form healthy adult relationships years later. Attachment parenting seeks to avoid this tendency by placing great importance on childhood bonding through the caregiver's holding and cuddling of her baby when he is upset. Attachment parenting also suggests that babies’ ability to communicate their requirements is limited to crying and that parents need to learn to understand different types of crying signals. No crying is considered superfluous — even if the baby merely wants to be comforted rather than fall asleep — caregivers are encouraged to affirm these desires.

The extinction method proposes that, so long as a baby has had adequate calorie intake during the day, he or she can reasonably be expected to maintain nocturnal somnolence. The core postulates of this approach were laid down by Emmett Holt but they have been extrapolated upon by authors such as Warwick Reilly and further adapted recently by Melinda Collins to form the extinction method of today. Caregivers are encouraged to develop a gentle evening routine that involves feeding 45 minutes before bed, bathing, dressing and laying the baby in his sleeping sack, walking out and closing the door, and remaining out of the child's presence until dawn even if he cries for extended periods of time. It is expected that sooner or later children will realize that crying is ineffective and that they must learn to comfort themselves into slumber.

Graduated extinction is a modulated version of the extinction method. It postulates that a process of learning needs to be undertaken in order for children to sleep through the night. Richard Ferber, the doctor who popularized this method in the 1980s, emphasized the progressive withdrawal of the caregiver's company with the child in bed as a way to solve infant sleep problems. At first, for example, the caregiver is encouraged to hold and caress the baby until he or she is asleep. Once this routine is established, the caregiver should lie down next to the baby but touch it less and less until the baby can sleep without contact. Eventually, the caregiver can sit on a chair nearby, and finally, it is hoped that he or she can retreat from the room altogether. The key to this approach is that the caregiver must never capitulate to a child's demands for comfort if he starts to become restless or vocal as the method unfolds over time.

Doing so is said to let the baby know that he does not need to learn to sleep through the night without comfort or interaction, and also to lessen the chances that the caregiver will complete the program, knowing that a ‘quick fix' is available. Ferber has since altered his stance to acknowledge the acceptability of co-sleeping and suggests that there is no single method or golden rule for overcoming sleep difficulties.

26
27 The phrase ‘attachment parenting’ was invented by a ….............
27
28 The principles of attachment parenting are derived from the discipline of ….............
28
29 The key points of the ‘extinction’ school of thought originated from the work of ….............
29
30 Dr. Ferber initially thought the parent should not spend the night with the child but now thinks …............. is all right.
30
31. After a strict bedtime schedule, the child is unattended till morning.
- A. attachment parenting
- B. extinction
- C. graduated extinction
31
32. All crying is a vocalization of important needs.
32
33. Caregiver presence as the child drifts to sleep should decrease over time.
33
34. The emphasis is on the physical closeness between baby and caregiver at any time.
34
35. Well-fed babies should sleep through the night.
35
36 Attachment Parenting: very stressful as parents have to give in to …............. of the baby but not yet any …............. to show that it works
36
38 Extinction Method: a good night’s sleep is attained by family members because the baby is …............. and but can lead to …............. such as despair & unhappiness later in life
37
40 Graduated Extinction: a central position so …............. have been avoided

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1. B
Answer B is correct because the passage describes how otters adjust their vision underwater by closing their nostrils and ears and using a special membrane to protect their eyes, allowing them to see clearly.
2. A
Answer A is correct as the passage explains that otters have a streamlined body shape, which helps them move easily through water, showing their body is fit for their aquatic lifestyle.
3. B
Answer B is correct because the passage mentions that otters have a poor sense of smell, which is an underdeveloped sense for them.
4. F
Answer F is correct since the passage explains that agricultural efforts failed in otter conservation because the use of pesticides and habitat destruction harmed otter populations.
5. C
Answer C is correct as the passage describes otters as sometimes living in groups and communicating with each other, which are social characteristics.
6. E
Answer E is correct because the passage describes how baby otters grow, mentioning their development stages and how they learn to swim and hunt.
7. G
Answer G is correct as the passage discusses different opinions on how to preserve otters, with some people supporting strict protection and others favoring sustainable use.
8. G
Answer G is correct because the passage refers to a legislative act that was passed to protect otters, showing legal efforts for conservation.
9. A
Answer A is correct since the passage explains that otters have dense fur and a high metabolic rate to help them compensate for heat loss in cold water.
10. sea water / salt water / salt
The answer is 'sea water / salt water / salt' because the passage says that the outer fur of otters is affected by salt in the water, which can damage its waterproof quality.
11. swimming speed
The answer is 'swimming speed' because the passage states that Asian short-clawed otters do not need to swim fast to catch their prey, unlike other otters.
12. coastal otters
The answer is 'coastal otters' because the passage says that coastal otters have the shortest range compared to other types, as they stay close to the shore.
13. small mammals
The answer is 'small mammals' because the passage mentions that otters occasionally hunt small mammals, in addition to their usual diet.
14. C
Answer C is correct as the passage gives an example of farmers in one country using satellite data to decide how much fertiliser to use.
15. D
Answer D is correct because the passage refers to climate change and discusses its effects on agriculture and satellite technology.
16. E
Answer E is correct since the passage explains that using too much fertiliser can damage the soil, affecting its quality.
17. G
Answer G is correct as the passage mentions that information from satellites will be shared between different countries to improve farming.
18. D
Answer D is correct because the passage states that one country is the leader in agricultural technology, making it clear which country is ahead.
19. F
Answer F is correct as the passage describes a new satellite imaging innovation that still needs more research before it can be widely used.
20. B
Answer B is correct because the passage provides evidence that using satellite technology in agriculture saves money, showing its cost-effectiveness.
21. B / D
Answers B and D are correct because the passage says that both Infoterra and RapidEye get information directly from satellites, while Sevepi and the other options do not.
22. electromagnetic radiation
The answer is 'electromagnetic radiation' because the passage explains that satellites first measure electromagnetic radiation coming from farmland to gather data.
23. importance
The answer is 'importance' because Fredrick Jung-Rothenhäuser says that more irregular weather will make satellite technology more important.
24. crop failure
The answer is 'crop failure' because the passage says that with satellite technology, it may be possible to insure against the risk of crop failure in some countries.
25. nutrients
The answer is 'nutrients' because the passage states that much of the soil in Africa has lost nutrients, which affects farming.
26. paediatrician
The answer is 'paediatrician' because the passage says that the phrase 'attachment parenting' was invented by a paediatrician.
27. developmental psychology
The answer is 'developmental psychology' because the passage explains that the principles of attachment parenting come from developmental psychology.
28. (emmett) holt
The answer is '(emmett) holt' because the passage says the key points of the 'extinction' school of thought originated from the work of Emmett Holt.
29. co-sleeping
The answer is 'co-sleeping' because Dr. Ferber now thinks co-sleeping is all right, even though he first thought parents should not stay with the child at night.
30. B
Answer B is correct because the passage says that in the extinction method, after a strict bedtime schedule, the child is left alone until morning.
31. A
Answer A is correct as the passage explains that attachment parenting believes all crying is a way for the baby to express important needs.
32. C
Answer C is correct because the passage says that in graduated extinction, the caregiver's presence as the child falls asleep should decrease over time.
33. A
Answer A is correct since the passage states that attachment parenting focuses on physical closeness between the baby and caregiver at all times.
34. B
Answer B is correct because the passage says that the extinction method believes well-fed babies should sleep through the night without needing attention.
35. every demand / conclusive research
The answer is 'every demand / conclusive research' because the passage says attachment parenting is stressful as parents must respond to every demand, but there is not yet conclusive research to prove it works.
36. detached and apathetic / emotional problems
The answer is 'detached and apathetic / emotional problems' because the passage says the extinction method can make the baby detached and apathetic, and may lead to emotional problems like despair and unhappiness later.
37. vociferous attacks
The answer is 'vociferous attacks' because the passage says that by taking a central position, the graduated extinction method has avoided strong criticism or vociferous attacks.

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