BEST IELTS General Reading Test 288

Table of Contents

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – PASSAGE – 1

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST

READING PASSAGE – 1

Management Of Activities

1. To provide suitable management and use of the Auditorium the Macao Museum of Art (the Museum) has established regulations in this document.

2. Standard rental terms for the Auditorium of the Museum and its facilities are as follows:
2.1. The conference room can seat 108. Facilities include: sound system, lighting, air-conditioning, microphone/s, screen, videocassette recorder, projector, visualizer, DVD player, CD player and recorder. Such facilities are suitable for seminars, lectures and audio-visual activities.
2.2. One session is classed as four hours, and is charged at $3,000. Less than four hours is deemed one session.

2.3. If application is made 90 days prior, a $1,000 deposit will be charged; if less than 30 days, a $1,500 deposits will be charged. The balance must be paid prior the day of use.
2.4. After the application is approved, the applicant cannot cancel the booking without just cause. If the applicant decides not to use the facilities, the fee cannot be refunded. The pre-paid deposit and/or rental are non refundable. However, if due to certain unavoidable circumstance, such as a natural disaster, and the applicant cannot use the facilities, it can write to the Museum and state the reason with a request for refund.

IELTS General Reading Test

3. Applications from organisations, schools, private organisations (users) except the Museum must fit the following criteria:
3.1. Promote art and cultural activities
3.2. International art and cultural exchange activities
3.3. Academic and educational activities
3.4. Conferences and celebration activities organised by the Government

4 The time for the use of the Auditorium is from Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 1 – 7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?

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. The document provides general information for use of the Auditorium of Macao Museum of Art.
2. The conference room is equipped with a DVD recorder.
3. The price for 4 hours and the price for under 4 hours are the same.
4. The deposit increases for later bookings.
5. If a natural disaster occurs the Museum will give a refund.
6. Not all applications from schools will be accepted.
7. The Auditorium closes at 7 pm on Mondays.

IELTS General Reading Test

Read the text and answer Questions 8 – 14

Our Art Specialists

A 20th Century Design
With the advent of a young generation of designers in the decorative arts from the 1960’s onwards, this trend to focus on visual communication and presentation in the decorative arts has led to some of the most striking results in furniture, ceramic and glass making. Our design specialist is an art historian and registered valuer.

After working as a decorative arts specialist for Sotheby’s for more than 10 years, he established himself as an independent consultant, valuer and broker within his field of expertise. Working for private collectors as well as museums, he has curated several exhibitions on design and is actively involved in scholarly research on this subject, resulting in various publications and lectures. Design has long been regarded as the ‘future collecting field’. Our specialist says: the future is now

B Toys and Dolls
Our expert worked for Sotheby’s, in Sussex for 25 years where she catalogued and valued dolls, teddy bears and other childhood memorabilia. Passionate about her field of expertise, she has seen the market change over the last 30 years, where dolls and toys have become increasingly collectible by the widest possible variety of audience ranging from 1900’s Steiff teddy bears to the more recent Star Wars memorabilia.

IELTS General Reading Test

C Coins
Our coins expert has had an interest in this subject since childhood and from 1990 to 2005 worked as auctioneer and cataloguer for two of London’s main numismatic auctioneers (Glendining’s and Baldwin’s). With his main speciality in commemorative coins, he has a deep knowledge of his subject and market and will be able to advise you on the value of your coins.

D Arms, Armour & Militaria
We have two experts in this field. Our expert in Arms, Armour and Militaria was formerly Head of Sotheby’s Worldwide Department of Arms, Armour and Militaria and assisted Sotheby’s with sales in London, New York, Denmark, Zurich, Billingshurst and Hanover. The sale of works of art from the Royal House of Hanover included arms and armour which sold for £4,764,004 ($8,392,610) which continues to stand as a World Auction Record for an ancestral collection in this field.

Now running his own business, he is an authority in the military collecting field. We also have a specialist in 20th century, mainly World War I and II, militaria which have become increasingly more collectable in recent years.

E Medals
Our medal specialist commenced his career as a member of the Coin & Medal Department at Sotheby’s in 1980, cataloguing British & foreign orders, decorations & medals – a date that now makes him the longest-served auction specialist in this field. He was appointed an auctioneer in 1987, and later became head of a newly created department for medals & militaria.

Reverting to a consultancy role in 1992, he moved to another well-known company in 1997 and thence to Dix Noonan Webb, in Mayfair, London, in 2002, an independent auction company that has achieved highest annual turnover in this field ever since 2000.

F Jewellery
The jewellery auction market is a rather fluctuating one, and even though very strong sales can be achieved, it is one where deep knowledge is required to be able to tell what sells and doesn’t. Apart from the intrisic market value of the diamonds and gold, the design and saleability is dependent on fashion and trendiness. Our Jewellery expert has worked for over 15 years at Sotheby’s London and will be able to give you the best advice and valuation of your items.

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 8 – 14

The text contains six paragraphs, A – F
Which paragraph contains the following information?

8. an art specialist whose interest started very early in life
9. an art specialist who has worked for organisations and individuals
10. a category of art whose value can be particularly hard to predict
11. a category of art in which Sotheby’s has more than one specialist
12. a specialist who has a record period of service in his field
13. a specialist who is now his own boss
14. a specialist who has witnessed significant changes in the last three decades

IELTS General Reading Test

ANSWERS ARE BELOW

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