Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 489
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 489 – PASSAGE – 3
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 489
READING PASSAGE – 3
TRAVELLING IN AUSTRALIA
A. Australia is a multicultural country with a wide variety of landscapes, with deserts, tropical rainforests and mountain ranges. It is a country which boasts of multicultural influence on its food, culture and cuisine. The Mediterranean popularised the coffee culture in Australia and the influence of Asian cultures has led to Australian variants of their staple foods which were inspired by China such as the Chiko Roll.
The best Australian foods are Vegemite, pavlova, lamingtons and meat pies. Australian wine is famous and contributes a large chunk to the economy of the country. Apart from wine and agriculture, tourism in Australia is an important component of the Australian economy. Tourism represented 3.0% of Australia’s GDP contributing $47.5 billion to the national economy in the financial year 2014/15.
IELTS General Reading Test
Tourists thronged to the most popular destinations of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, along with Queensland, the Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef which are favourite tourist attractions. Other popular locations include Uluru and the Australian outback. The Australian wildlife is another significant factor of interest in the country’s tourism.
B. The most popular state to visit for international tourists is New South Wales, which by far has the highest visitor count, followed by Victoria and Queensland. The highest increase in visitors was monitored for Chinese visitors, with 22 percent more visitors in 2016 compared to the previous year. Over 41.3 million Australian dollars were spent on the trip expenditure of international tourists in Australia in 2017, with visitors spending on average 3.5 thousand Australian dollars during their trip.
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Apart from domestic and international travellers, a major source of tourists to Australia includes backpackers that are mostly young people from Western European countries. A majority of backpackers participate in working holidays enabling them to stay longer in the country. Most of the Western European citizens, Canadians and citizens of Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea are granted working holiday visa by the Australian Government to people between 18-30 years to boost tourism.
C. As Australia offers a huge variety of landscapes, travelling within the country is also very popular among Australian residents. In 2017 the domestic visitor trip expenditure reached around 62.6 billion Australian dollars and which exceeded the trip expenditure of international tourists. The choice of travel destinations matched among the domestic visitors and the international visitors.
IELTS General Reading Test
Driving is the most common mode of transportation for domestic tourists travelling through the country, though airplanes remain an important mode of transportation. Overall, Tourism is important revenue generating industry in Australia and the latest consumer campaign of Australia’s Tourism, “There is nothing like Australia” invites people to share their favourite Australian experience with the world.
D. People travel solo, with partners and with friends to Australia. The main tourist attractions are The Sydney Opera House, The Great Barrier Relief, Uluru and Bondi Beach. Tourism is a lucrative industry as enthusiasts, the culture vultures, the foodies, the retirees, the tourists, the pseudo-hippie, students and families all head towards Australia to spend quality time. The Opera House is synonymous with Sydney as a city. The building was declared a UNESCO World Heritage.
IELTS General Reading Test
The Great Barrier Reef is considered to be one of the largest living structures in the world and is listed as a world- heritage site. The reef is home to coral reefs and islands. Another world heritage site Uluru is situated in the Uluru-keta National Park. Sunrise and sunset are particularly popular times for visits as the colour of the rock and surrounding area are transformed by the changing light. Home to one of the oldest surf life saving club in the world, Bondi Beach is an iconic Australian beach known for its prime location to the city centre and fantastic views.
E. There are some incredible attractions for nature enthusiasts like the zoo, the aquarium, nature parks prolific with native wildlife. Melbourne has a very hip, youthful vibe and lively university culture and offers both a spiritual, urban night life scene and plenty of opportunities for employment. Melbourne is progressive, multi-cultural, food obsessed and has a non-stop events calendar which is always packed with art festivals, live music, exhibitions, blockbuster theatre shows, sports and activities for kids. It is a heaven for the culture obsessed. In 2017, 9.3 million domestic overnight tourists and 2.7 million international overnight tourists visited Melbourne. The summer months of December, January and February attract most of the visitors to the country.
IELTS General Reading Test
F. When you travel to Australia you can find hostel prices for about $20 AUD per night to $35 AUD per night. If you are staying in a private room you could spend $100-200 per day. Your average meal in Australia will run you about $15 AUD to $40 AUD. Beers cost $4 AUD to $9 AUD. A typical multi day tour will cost around $400-540 AUD. Flying is very expensive in Australia but tourists buses are cheaper.
If you are a back packer, expect to spend $60-80 AUD per day. If you are on shoe lace budget the best time to book your tickets would be from mid April until late June. Most people travel Australia for about a month. Be prepared to spend an average of 2500 AUD on Melbourne to Cairns route which would take care of budget stay, food, sightseeing and public transport costs. By 2020, tourism in Australia expects to see over $115 billion in overnight spend.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 28-33
The following text has sections, A-F.
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, I-IX, in boxes 28-33 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
I. Boarding and lodging expenses in Australia
II. No dearth of job opportunities
III. Worth seeing places of Australia
IV. Influence of various cultures on its food and cuisine
V. Tourism represented 0.3% of Australia’s GDP
VI. Huge visitor number in New South Wales
VII. Domestic and international travellers are the only major source of tourists to Australia
VIII. Domestic and international visitors choose common destinations to visit
IX. Visitors love to come here all year round
IELTS General Reading Test
28. Paragraph A
29. Paragraph B
30. Paragraph C
31. Paragraph D
32. Paragraph E
33. Paragraph F
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 34-36
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D
34. Which of the following foods are regarded as iconic Australian ones?
A. lamingtons and meat pies
B. Dim Sim and Chiko Roll
C. Australian wine
D. Coffee
35. This place has spectacular nature attractions.
A. Victoria
B. New South Wales
C. Melbourne
D. Queensland
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36. Australia grants a working holiday visas for those aged between:
A. 30 to 38
B. 18 to 30
C. 16 to 18
D. 18 to 20
Questions 37-40
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
As Australia provides an enormous range of 37………………………. it is also common among Australian citizens to travel within the nation. In 2017, national tourist travel spending reached approximately 62.6 billion Australian dollars. For national tourists, the selection of travel 38………………………. is the same as for global tourists.
There are some amazing attractions for nature lovers like the zoo, the aquarium, nature parks with indigenous wildlife. Melbourne has a youthful atmosphere and vibrant university culture, offering urban 39………………………. scene as well as plenty of job possibilities. Melbourne is progressive, multicultural and has a calendar of non-stop 40……………………….
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
28. IV
29. VI
30. VIII
31. III
32. II
33. I
34. A
35. C
36. B
37. LANDSCAPES
38. DESTINATION
39. NIGHT LIFE
40. EVENTS
IELTS General Reading Test