BEST IELTS General Reading Test 485

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IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 485 – PASSAGE – 3

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 485

READING PASSAGE – 3

The Reindeer

The reindeer inhabits the bleak arctic plain or tundra, and the surrounding forest and mountain areas. Within this harsh and freezing- cold environment, reindeer live together in herds. The smallest herd may contain 20 animals, while the largest may contain thousands. The herd is almost constantly on the move.

The reindeer is a majestic animal that inhabits the frozen arctic tundra. It has adapted remarkably to a harsh, barren habitat where food is scarce much of the year. It is an excellent swimmer. Aided by a thick coat that traps air and gives good buoyancy in the water, it can easily swim across wide rivers.

IELTS General Reading Test

The reindeer mates sometime between August and November, depending on location, but mostly in October. This is known as the rutting season, and the male becomes very aggressive, fighting with other males as he competes to win control of a harem of 5 to 15 females. As the time approaches to give birth, the female leaves the herd and chooses a secluded spot. She usually returns to the same spot each year to calve, or bear young.

The calf is born between late May and early June, when the herd is at the summer grazing grounds. It weighs 11 – 20 pounds and can stand within minutes after being born. It suckles until it is five to six months old. Unlike many baby deer, the reindeer fawn’s coat is not marked with camouflaging spots. Because they are born in early summer, the calves have enough time to feed and grow strong before the fall migration, when predators are most likely to attack. The calf’s antlers begin to grow when the animal is a year old.

IELTS General Reading Test

The reindeer is a plant eater and eats a wide variety of vegetation. The mainstays of its diet are the lichens and tough grass that grows on the tundra. In the spring, the reindeer will graze the newly sprouted shoots of grass and shrubs. The green leaves of birches and willows are eaten at the summer grazing grounds. During the harsh winter months, the reindeer has a difficult time finding enough to eat. It will dig holes in the snow several feet deep to get to the lichens and moss underneath. At the same time, it feeds on the twigs of any shrubs it finds under or above the snow.

The reindeer is a valuable and important animal to the nomadic tribes of the arctic regions, especially the Lapps. It is the only deer that can be domesticated. It provides butter, meat, cheese, clothing, and transportation. Its antlers and bones are used to make tools and utensils, and the tough sinews in its legs are used to make thread. The reindeer’s range has decreased dramatically due to extensive hunting and the destruction of its natural habitat by man. The building of hydroelectric power plants has caused rivers to be diverted and large dams to be constructed in Canada and Siberia. The alteration of the natural landscape obstructs reindeer migration routes and causes thousands to drown.

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 29-33

Reading Passage 3 has five marked paragraphs, A-E.

Find suitable heading for each paragraph from the list given below

Write the appropriate number, i-viii.

29. Paragraph A

30. Paragraph B

31. Paragraph C

32. Paragraph D

33. Paragraph

i) Food and feeding

ii) Use in transportation

iii) Secret behind success

iv) Females leaving the group

v) Reindeer and man

vi) Habit and habitat

vii) Breeding

viii) Endangered population

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 34-40

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Reindeers are seen in frozen arctic tundra where 34……………….. is in short supply. They easily swim across wide rivers with the help of a thick 35……………….. that traps 36……………….. and keeps it afloat. The 36……………….. season of reindeers start in August and continues up to November. When it is time to give birth, female leaves the group and selects a 38……………….. place. The 39……………….. of a reindeer’s diet include the lichens and tough grass that grow on the tundra. An example of the nomadic tribes people who use reindeers is the 40……………….. of arctic region. However, the number of reindeers is declining dramatically due to habitat destruction and hunting.

IELTS General Reading Test

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