Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 476
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 476 – PASSAGE – 1
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 476
READING PASSAGE – 1
Raise your Own Ducks by duck farmer George Morris
Have you ever wanted to have some ducks? Ducklings are adorable and when they grow up they lay great big eggs! There are a few ways you can get yourself some ducks or ducklings:
• You can buy ducklings from a farm hours after they have hatched and they ship them in a box by post! The post office gives you a call and you go and pick them up. It’s usually safe, as newly hatched ducklings don’t eat or drink for a few days. Just be sure you keep your eye on your phone waiting for that call and make sure it’s a reputable farm. You’ll need to keep them inside until they get feathers (about 8 weeks) before they can go to an outdoor coop.
IELTS General Reading Test
• You could also hatch the eggs yourself. Duck farmers will post you fertilized eggs. This is a lot less risky than shipping live ducklings. When the eggs arrive, you put them in an incubator for 28 days, regularly turning them and controlling the temperature and humidity. Most of them will hatch and you can put them into a heated indoor brooding box until they grow feathers.
• Keep your eye out on social media for people who live near you that might be giving adult ducks away. Often farmers have to reduce the number of drakes (male ducks) they have in their collection of birds (called a flock), or people have raised some ducks from ducklings and now find they have too many. You don’t get the same cute effect as having baby ducks, but you also don’t have to intensively care for them for eight weeks either.
IELTS General Reading Test
Of course there is the natural way… having your ducks hatch their own ducklings. This too is lot less work, as the mothers do all the caring. Some ducks don’t stay on the eggs long enough though and others don’t know what to do with their ducklings after they hatch. Not all ducks are natural mothers, so you have to keep an eye on how they progress.
One problem with ducks is that they can be very noisy. Only the females quack, so if you don’t mind missing out on the regular supply of eggs, you can get a few drakes. They live together quite well in a bachelor lifestyle. Get some female chickens if you want eggs. They can all live together quite happily in the same coop.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 1-7
Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the text for each answer.
Ducklings
It is important to make sure the seller of the ducklings is 1………………
It takes about two months for 2……………… to develop on a duckling.
You can hatch fertilized eggs in the controlled environment of an 3………………
You can also get adult ducks for free from nearby people who want to 4……………… the size of their flock.
If your adult ducks hatch their own eggs it is less laborious as you do not have to worry about 5……………… for the ducklings.
You may need to monitor the female ducks as they are not always the best 6………………
You might be better off keeping 7……………… as they do not quack like the females.
IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer Questions 8-14.
BARNABY SHOPPING CENTRE
Welcome to Barnaby Shopping Centre!
We offer a safe and welcoming place with comprehensive services for all shoppers. This includes families with young children, the elderly and people with disabilities. We invite suggestions from the community as to how we can improve any services or equipment to make your visits more comfortable and manageable. If you require special assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Assistance Hotline during working hours to arrange your next visit to the shopping centre.
Customer Assistance Hotline: 0204 39528
145 Pritchard Street
Barnaby, Essex
Opening hours
Monday – Saturday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sundays & Public Holidays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
www.barnabyshoppingcentre.co.uk
IELTS General Reading Test
Parking
We have two levels of free parking for all shoppers under the shopping centre. Both floors of the car park are accessible by lifts and ramps from all parts of the centre. The entrance is in Pritchard Street. There are 10 disabled parking spaces and 6 parent and child spaces in the car park. Bicycle racks are provided at the northern end of the shopping centre. Please note that bicycles are not permitted within the centre.
Animals
Apart from guide dogs and emotional support animals, pets or livestock are not permitted to enter the centre. At the entrance we have our Dog Bay where people are welcome to leave their dogs while they shop. Water and shelter are provided.
IELTS General Reading Test
Emergencies
In the event of an emergency please speak to any member of staff or contact the Customer Assistance Hotline.
Banking facilities
There are two cash machine areas in the centre with HSBC, Lloyds and Barclay’s banks. They are to the left of Waitrose Supermarket on the ground floor, and opposite Dave’s Shoes on the first floor.
Lost property
Any lost and found property enquiries can be directed to our administrative office on the ground floor. We can also be contacted via the Customer Assistance Hotline.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 8-14
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
In boxes 8-14 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE – if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN – if there is no information on this
8. The Customer Assistance Hotline is available at all times to shoppers.
9. On Wednesdays, the shopping centre opens at 8 a.m.
10. The disabled parking spaces are at the northern end of the shopping centre.
11. Guide dogs and emotional support animals are welcome.
12. If there is an emergency you should only contact an employee of the shopping centre.
13. There are cash machines available in the supermarket.
14. The Customer Assistance Hotline is based on the ground floor.
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
1. REPUTABLE
2. FEATHERS
3. INCUBATOR
4. REDUCE
5. CARING
6. MOTHERS
7. DRAKES
8. FALSE
9. TRUE
10. NOT GIVEN
11. TRUE
12. FALSE
13. FALSE
14. NOT GIVEN
IELTS General Reading Test