BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 553

Table of Contents

IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST 553 – PASSAGE – 1

IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST – 553

READING PASSAGE – 1

Sight into Butterfly Farm

A. Butterflies are less plentiful than they used to be and many species are now endangered. Yet, butterflies like plants, animals and other insects are important to the survival of all living. For this reason alone the conservation of butterflies is becoming crucial. The good news is that it is very easy to attract butterflies to your own backyard, no matter how small or urban, and you can help to preserve these most brilliant and fascinating creatures. With just a little effort the butterflies will reward yon with the spectacle of a variety of living colour that is unmatched by any other wildlife.

B. Where to find your caterpillars? Depending on the season, where you live, and how much time you have, finding your own caterpillars can be a rewarding task. The best way to find caterpillars is to look for the plants that are known host plants for local butterflies. If the leaves of the plants are eaten chances are if you look carefully you will find caterpillars. Alliteratively you can grow your own host plants and wait for the female butterfly to lay her eggs on them. We use small plastic aquariums to grow our caterpillars, but a one-gallon jar is also suitable.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

The top of your container should be covered by a piece of cheesecloth (we use kitchen roll which works too) and fastened securely by a rubber band. You should also provide your caterpillars with some sticks that fit securely into the cage for them to pupate on. Do not use a jar lid with holes punched in it. Not only will this provide inadequate ventilation, but the caterpillars can also be cut open by the sharp edges of the holes. Keep your container with caterpillars in a light, airy space, but not direct sunlight.

C. The most difficult part in raismg butterflies is to provide your caterpillars with fresh cuttings from the host plant approp1’iate for the species of caterpillars you are raising. Caterpillars are very picky eaters. Each species will only eat very specific plants.

Therefore, in order to take care of a caterpillar, it is important to know what kind of caterpillar it is, and what kind of food it eats. A good rule of thumb is that a caterpillar is most likely to eat the kind of plant you found it on. If you are in doubt about what kind of caterpillar you have found, it is best to let it go. Caterpillars will starve to death before they will eat the wrong food.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

Once you have found the correct food, remember your caterpillars must always have fresh food! Caterpillars will not eat old or dry leaves. The easiest way to feed your caterpillars is to provide them with a live, potted plant in their cage. However, because many host plants are large bushes or trees, this is not always possible. Therefore, it is best to provide new cuttings of host plant every day. We use small plastic cups filled with vermiculite and water to hold the cuttings and stop the caterpillars falling into the water.

If you cut too much food at once, give some of it to your caterpillars and put the rest in a glass of water in refrigerator until you are ready to use it. This will keep the food fresh longer. Always carefully inspect your fresh plant cuttings for spiders or insects. It is very disappointing to find that you have inadvertently fed your caterpillars to a very fat and happy spider! Caterpillars receive all the water they need from the plants they eat so you don’t have to provide any additional water.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

D. Caterpillars are very susceptible to a variety of bacterial infections, including bacteria we all carry on our hands without knowing it. Be sure to always wash your hands thoroughly before handling your caterpillars. Caterpillars are relatively fragile creatures. Handle them very gently. If you are changing their host plant, it is best to put the fresh host plant into the cage, then wait a few hours for the caterpillars to crawl onto the new host plant on their own. Then you can remove the old food. Alternatively you can use a small paintbrush to carefully move the caterpillars from one plant to another, this works for us.

Remember how many caterpillars you have and count them all before you throw out old host plant so you do not accidentally throw away your caterpillars; it happens to the best of us! Do not pick up caterpillars with branching spines! These spines can deliver a very painful sting. If your caterpillars seem lethargic or have changed colour, do not handle them. They are probably preparing to molt or form their pupa and are very vulnerable at this stage. Or they may be sick. If your caterpillars die, remove them from the cage immediately to help prevent infection of the other caterpillars in the cage.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

E. However, if your caterpillars pupate in the fall there is a good chance that they will remain in their pupae until spring. Keep the cage humid with occasional misting. Many pupae will either turn dark or become clear when the butterflies are ready to emerge. When this happens, be especially sure that your cage is humid. Keep a careful watch? It only takes a few seconds for a butterfly to come out of its pupa and it usually emerges in the mornings? Dead pupae often turn very dark. If you gently bend the abdominal region of the pupa and it stays bent, the pupa is probably dead.

Questions 1-4

Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-E in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

1. purpose to throw away dead caterpillars out of the cage

2. beneficial factors that should be taken into consideration in finding caterpillars

3. eat nothing but the particular plants before they meet their end

4. device appropriate to grow caterpillars

IELTS Academic Reading Test

Questions 5-9

Do the following statements agree with the information given in READING PASSAGE 1?

TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE– if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN – if there is no information on this

IELTS Academic Reading Test

5. A kaleidoscope of shades that butterflies offer visitors to enjoy could not be rivalled.

6. To look for and prepare caterpillars, there is only one way.

7. The provision of specific fresh food for particular species is deemed as the extremely demanding task when butterflies are to be raised.

8. It is always true that the easiest food to provide caterpillars with is a live and potted plant.

9. As it is the high time for the butterfly to emerge, the majority of butterfly pupae will take on dark.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

Questions 10-13

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from paragraph D for each answer.

Caterpillars are liable to the influence of (10)……………… , with no exception of unconscious carry-on (11)………….. Thus, prior to dealing with them, it could not be ignored that hands should be washed attentively. For another, as vulnerable living things, caterpillars could only be (12)…………. touched. Ideally, the fresh host plant is to be put into the cage, then wait for a real while. After that, all work is done. In addition, (13)…….. might serve its own purpose to help move caterpillars around.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

SEE MORE POSTS>>