Reading 2026-06 Test 14 — 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: The Blockbuster Phenomenon: A New Museum Trend

Museums in Australia, like other pleasure-giving public organizations, are adapting their activities so that they more closely reflect the marketplace.

A Since the 1980s, the term ‘blockbuster’ has become the fashionable word for spectacular, high-profile museum exhibitions that have the ability to attract large crowds. A blockbuster is a ‘large-scale loan exhibition that people who normally don’t go to museums will stand in line for hours to see’ (Eisen 1984). Once the museum that created the exhibition has shown it to its local market, it can be offered to other organizations for a fee. This means that you can boost your own door takings and make money from boosting someone else’s door takings.

B While partaking of the excitement of the blockbuster, visitors thus lured are likely to stay longer at the museum. Betty Churcher, when Director of the Australian National Gallery, summed up the new blockbuster creed as follows: ‘The bonus of the blockbuster exhibitions is that people come to see the blockbuster and they stay to look at the permanent collection, so you are getting broader exposure for your collection.’

C Museums across the UK, USA, Canada and Australia currently operate under a system of plural funding: revenue raised through contributions by federal, state and/or local governments, combined with revenue raised through admission charges and other activities. Maintaining and increasing visitor levels is thus paramount and involves not only creating or hiring blockbuster exhibitions, but providing regular exhibition changes and innovations. In addition, the visiting public have become known as customers rather than visitors, and the skills that are valued in museums to keep the new customers coming through the door have changed. Curators are now administrators, and being a museum director no longer requires an Arts degree—but public relations skills are essential if the museum is going to compete with other museums to stage travelling exhibitions which draw huge crowds.

D The convergence of museums, the heritage industry, tourism, profit-making and pleasure-giving has resulted in the new ‘museology’. This has given rise to much debate about whether it is appropriate to see museums primarily as tourist attractions. In literature from both the UK and USA, the words that are starting to appear in some descriptions of blockbusters are ‘less scholarly’, ‘non-elitist’ and ‘popularist’, while others extol the virtues of encouraging scholars to co-operate on projects, and to provide exhibitions that cater for a broad selection of the community rather than an elite sector. Whatever commentators may think, managers of museums worldwide are looking for artful ways to blend culture and commerce, and blockbuster exhibitions are at the top of the list.

E But do blockbusters held in public institutions really create a surplus to fund other activities? If the bottom line is profit, then according to the records of many major museums blockbusters do make money. For museums in some countries, it may be the money that they require to replace parts of their collections or to fix buildings that are in need of attention. For some museums in Australia, it may be the opportunity to illustrate that they are attempting to pay their way by recovering part of their operating costs. Also, creating or hiring a blockbuster has many positive spin-offs: blockbusters mean crowds, and crowds are good for the local economy, providing increased trade for shops, hotels, restaurants, the transport industry and retailers. The argument that the arts provide sustained economic benefits has been well illustrated in impact studies in the USA and UK.

F However, blockbusters require large capital expenditure and draw on resources across all branches of an organization, and the costs don’t end there. There is a Human Resource Management cost in addition to a measurable ‘real’ dollar cost. Receiving a touring exhibition draws resources from across functional management structures in a project-management style. Everyone—from general labourers to building services, front-of-house, technical, promotional, educational and administrative staff—is required to perform additional tasks. Furthermore, as an increasing number of institutions try their hand at increasing visitor numbers and memberships (and therefore revenue) by staging blockbuster exhibitions, it may be less likely that blockbusters will continue to provide a surplus to subsidize other activities due to the competitive nature of the market.

G It has been illustrated in both the UK and USA that the blockbuster ideology has resulted in the false expectation that the momentum required to stage blockbusters can be maintained continually. Creating, mounting or hiring blockbusters is exhausting, with the real costs throughout an institution difficult to calculate. Secondly, as some analysts have argued, the ‘shopkeeping’ mentality and cost-benefit analysis, and a pure concentration on the bottom line, can squeeze substance out of an exhibition. Taking out substance can be a recipe for blockbuster failure and therefore financial failure.

H Perhaps the best pathway to take is one that balances both blockbusters and regular exhibitions. However, this easy middle ground may only work if you have enough space, and have alternative sources of funding to continue to support the regular, less exciting fare. Perhaps the advice should be to make sure that you find out what your local community wants from you and make sure that your regular activities and exhibitions are more enduring.

1
the reason why museum directors need to constantly alter and update their exhibits
2
mention of the length of time people will queue to see a blockbuster
3
terms that people have used when referring to blockbusters
4
the various ways that institutions like museums get financial support
5
These days, museum visitors tend to be referred to as __________.
6
Museum curators now need __________ rather than academic qualifications.
7
The linking of a range of public institutions that entertain the public is known as _______.
8
There is discussion about whether museums can be regarded in the same way as other __________.
9
Which TWO of the following are mentioned by the writer as advantages of blockbusters?
- A. Some of the money they raise can be used for structural repairs.
- B. They can provide funds to help support amateur artists.
- C. Local services benefit from the extra business they bring about.
- D. They encourage overseas workers into the local area.
- E. They raise employee performance levels.
10
Which THREE of the following are mentioned by the writer as disadvantages of blockbusters?
- A. They do not suit museum management styles.
- B. Specialist business advice has to be paid for.
- C. They involve an increased workload for personnel.
- D. They do not increase overall annual visitor numbers.
- E. They are very tiring to put on.
- F. What is popular in one country may not be popular in another.
- G. The content can be weakened through financial pressure.

Reading Passage 2: New filter promises clean water for millions

An ingenious invention is set to bring clean water to developing countries, and while the science may be cutting edge, the materials are extremely down to earth.

A handful of clay, yesterday’s coffee grounds and some cow manure are the ingredients that could bring clean, safe drinking water to many developing countries. The simple new technology, developed by Australian National University (ANU) materials scientist and potter Tony Flynn, allows water filters to be made from commonly available materials and fired (or baked) using cow manure as the source of heat, without the need for a kiln (an oven for baking or drying pottery). The filters have been tested and shown to remove common pathogens (disease-producing organisms) including E. coli.

The invention was born out of a project involving the Manatuto community in East Timor. A charity operating there wanted to help set up a small industrial site manufacturing water filters, but initial research found the local clay to be too fine — a problem solved by the addition of organic material. While the problems of producing a working ceramic filter in East Timor were overcome, the solution was kiln-based and particular to that community’s materials and couldn’t be applied elsewhere. Flynn’s technique for manure firing, with no requirement for a kiln, has made this zero-technology approach available anywhere it is needed.

Other commercial clay filters do exist, but, even if available, with prices starting at US$5 each, they are often outside the budgets of most people in the developing world. Unlike other water filtering devices, Flynn’s filters are inexpensive and simple to produce. Take a handful of clay, mix it with a handful of organic material such as used tea leaves, coffee grounds or rice hulls, add water in a sufficient quantity to make a stiff mixture and form a cylindrical pot that has one end closed, then dry it in the sun. According to Flynn, used coffee grounds have given the best results to date. The walls of the filter can be measured using the width of an adult finger as the standard. Next, surround the pots with straw, put them in a mound of cow manure, light the straw and then top up the burning manure as required. The filters are finished in 45 to 60 minutes.

The properties of cow manure are vital, as the fuel can reach a temperature of 700 degrees in half an hour, and will be up to 950 degrees after another 20 to 30 minutes. The manure makes a good fuel because it is very high in organic material that burns readily and quickly. The manure has to be dry and is best used exactly as found in the field; there is no need to break it up or process it any further. In contrast, a potter’s kiln is an expensive item and can take up to four or five hours to get up to 800 degrees. It needs expensive, scarce fuel, such as gas or wood to heat it, and experience to use it. With no technology, no insulation and nothing other than a pile of cow manure and a match, none of these requirements apply.

It is also helpful that, like clay and organic material, cow manure is freely available across the developing world. A cow is a natural fuel factory. Manure is a mixture of vegetable materials of different sizes, and cow manure as a fuel is the same wherever it is found. Just as using manure as a fuel for domestic use is not a new idea, the fact that liquid can pass through clay objects is something that potters have always known, and clay’s porous nature is something that, as a former ceramics lecturer in the ANU School of Art, Flynn is well aware of. The difference is that, rather than viewing the porous nature of the material as a problem — after all, not many people want a pot that won’t hold water — his filters capitalize on this property.

The filtration process is simple, but effective. The basic principle is that there are passages through the filter that are wide enough for water droplets to pass through, but too narrow for pathogens. Tests with the deadly E. coli bacterium have seen the filters remove 96.4 to 99.8 per cent of the pathogen — well within safe levels. The thickness of the clay container needs to be the same thickness as an adult finger for the process to be effective. If this is the case, using only one filter, a liter of water can be obtained in two hours.

The use of organic material, which burns away leaving cavities after firing, helps produce the structure in which pathogens will become trapped. It overcomes the potential problems of finer clays that may not let water through and also means that cracks are soon halted. And like clay and cow manure, organic material is universally available in the developing communities that need the most assistance, as tea, coffee and rice are grown in these areas.

With all the components being widely available, Flynn says there is no reason the technology couldn’t be applied throughout the developing world. He has no plans to exploit his idea financially by registering ownership through a patent. If he did, any commercial copying would legally entitle him to a share in any profits made. Without a patent, there will be no illegality in it being adopted in any community that needs it. “Everyone has a right to clean water, and these filters have the potential to enable anyone in the world to drink water safely,” says Flynn.

11
Make the mixture for the filter from organic material (e.g., tea, coffee, rice), 14 ______ and 15 ______
12
Shape into pots and place them in a fire made from 16 ______ and 17 ______
13
Fuel the fire to reach a maximum temperature of 18 ______
14
Bake the filters in the fire for a maximum period of 19 ______
15
The clay in the Manatuto project was initially unsuitable for the purpose of the project.
- TRUE. TRUE
- FALSE. FALSE
- NOT GIVEN. NOT GIVEN
16
Coffee grounds produce filters that are twice as efficient as those using other organic materials.
17
It takes half an hour for a cow manure fire to reach 950 degrees.
18
E. coli is the most difficult bacterium to remove from water by filtration.
19
The Manatuto project aimed to set up a
- A. charitable trust.
- B. filtration experiment.
- C. water filter factory.
- D. community kiln.
20
To be effective, the Flynn filters must
- A. remove all dangerous pathogens.
- B. be a particular thickness.
- C. filter water as quickly as possible.
- D. be made from 100 per cent clay.
21
Flynn does not intend to patent his filter because he
- A. wants it to be freely available.
- B. has produced a very simple design.
- C. cannot make a profit in poor countries.
- D. has already given the idea to a charity.

Reading Passage 3: Linguistic Diversity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

22
27. The Onge language has a particularly poor chance of survival.
23
28. Most linguists oppose the idea of a single global language.
24
29. Many citizens of the Roman Empire chose to become Latin speakers.
25
30. Majority languages such as Spanish and English are now spreading faster within smaller communities than larger ones.
26
31. There is a greater proportion of English used on the internet nowadays than in the 1990s.
27
32. If everybody spoke the same language, whether Spanish, English or Chinese, there would certainly be less chance of ........... between people.
- A. ideas
- B. speakers
- C. connections
- D. surroundings
- E. families
- F. occupations
- G. relationship
- H. words
- I. misunderstandings
28
33. According to Marcus Colchester, people's use of native languages is key. He also emphasises the link to how they relate to their ..........
29
34. between indigenous people's traditional .......... and the recounting of the myths and folk tales which are integral to their sense of identity.
30
35. Louisa Maffi describes how loss of language diversity leads to a loss of collective human knowledge, so there could be fewer .......... available to help solve problems in the world.
31
36. In the first paragraph, the writer mentions two particular languages in order to indicate
- A. a key factor in determining how endangered a language is.
- B. alternative methods of interpreting data about languages at risk.
- C. different reasons why a minority language might be under threat.
- D. difficulties involved in assessing a language's survival prospects.
32
37. What similarity between the Roman Empire and the present day does Nicholas Ostler mention?
- A. the growth of international trade.
- B. the shift towards living in more extended social groups.
- C. the attitude of governments towards minority languages.
- D. the speed with which minority languages fall out of use.
33
38. According to Louisa Maffi, many people wrongly believe that
- A. it is more difficult for minority-language speakers to access education.
- B. majority-language speakers can participate better in national life.
- C. their national government is opposed to the use of minority languages.
- D. they need to choose between being a minority- or majority-language speaker.
34
39. What problem among minority-language speakers is mentioned in the eighth paragraph?
- A. younger people's perceptions of their mother tongue.
- B. breakdown of communication between the generations.
- C. older people's attitudes to their children's language use.
- D. generational differences in ability to access the mass media.
35
40. What does Peter Austin see as the main advantage of the internet for minority language groups?
- A. the variety of media it can use.
- B. the freedom its users can have.
- C. the wide geographical area it can reach.
- D. the range of people it can be accessed by.

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1. C
Answer C is correct because museum directors must keep changing exhibits to attract repeat visitors, as people will not come back to see the same things again.
2. A
Answer A is correct because the passage mentions how people are willing to queue for hours to see a blockbuster exhibition.
3. D
Answer D is correct because the passage lists terms like 'blockbuster', 'blockbuster exhibition', and 'blockbuster show' that people use for these events.
4. C
Answer C is correct because the passage explains that museums get financial support from government grants, private sponsorship, and entrance fees.
5. customers
'Customers' is correct because the passage says visitors are now often called customers, showing a shift in how museums view their audience.
6. public relations skills
'Public relations skills' is correct because the passage says curators now need these skills more than just academic qualifications.
7. museology
'Museology' is correct because the passage describes this as the linking of museums and other public institutions that entertain people.
8. tourist attractions
'Tourist attractions' is correct because the passage discusses whether museums can be seen in the same way as other tourist attractions.
9. A / C
A and C are correct because the passage says blockbusters raise money for repairs and bring extra business to local services. Option B is wrong because there is no mention of supporting amateur artists.
10. C / E / G
C, E, and G are correct because the passage mentions increased workload, that blockbusters are tiring to put on, and that financial pressure can weaken content. Option D is tempting but fails because the passage does not say blockbusters do not increase annual visitor numbers.
11. clay / water
'Clay' and 'water' are correct because the passage says to make the filter mixture from organic material, clay, and water.
12. straw / cow manure
'Straw' and 'cow manure' are correct because the passage says to place the pots in a fire made from straw and cow manure.
13. 950 degrees
'950 degrees' is correct because the passage says the fire must reach a maximum temperature of 950 degrees.
14. 60 minutes
'60 minutes' is correct because the passage says to bake the filters for a maximum of 60 minutes.
15. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says the clay in the Manatuto project was not suitable at first and needed to be improved.
16. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not say coffee grounds make filters twice as efficient as other materials.
17. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage says it takes longer than half an hour for a cow manure fire to reach 950 degrees.
18. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not say E. coli is the most difficult bacterium to remove.
19. C
C is correct because the passage says the Manatuto project aimed to set up a water filter factory.
20. B
B is correct because the passage says the filters must be a particular thickness to work well.
21. A
A is correct because Flynn does not want to patent his filter so it can be freely available to everyone.
22. NO
NO is correct because the passage says the Onge language has a better chance of survival than some others.
23. YES
YES is correct because the passage says most linguists do not support having just one global language.
24. YES
YES is correct because the passage says many people in the Roman Empire chose to speak Latin.
25. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not compare the speed of language spread in small and large communities.
26. NO
NO is correct because the passage says the proportion of English on the internet is now less than in the 1990s.
27. I
I ('misunderstandings') is correct because the passage says if everyone spoke the same language, there would be less chance of misunderstandings.
28. D
D ('surroundings') is correct because Marcus Colchester says native languages are linked to how people relate to their surroundings.
29. F
F ('occupations') is correct because the passage links traditional occupations with the telling of myths and folk tales.
30. A
A ('ideas') is correct because Louisa Maffi says loss of language diversity means fewer ideas to help solve world problems.
31. A
A is correct because the writer mentions two languages to show a key factor in how endangered a language is.
32. B
B is correct because Nicholas Ostler says both in Roman times and today, people are living in larger, more extended groups.
33. D
D is correct because Louisa Maffi says many people wrongly think they must choose between being a minority- or majority-language speaker.
34. A
A is correct because the passage mentions that young people see their mother tongue as less useful or important.
35. B
B is correct because Peter Austin says the main advantage of the internet is the freedom it gives users, especially for minority language groups.

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