BEST IELTS General Reading Test 504

Table of Contents

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 504 – PASSAGE – 2

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 504

READING PASSAGE – 2

The Greatest Risks in Climbing Mount Everest

What are the Difficulties in Climbing Mount Everest?

Altitude Sickness: This is the biggest risk to Mt. Everest climbers. It will affect many aspects of their health. The higher they get, the less oxygen there is in the air. Their body can slowly adapt to this but only up to a point. Even with the comparatively lengthy period required to climb this high, they are unlikely to ever feel quite themselves above base camp, and in the Death Zone above 8,000m they are beyond the limit of their ability to adapt to the altitude.

Temperature: Air temperature drops by roughly 0.65 degrees Centigrade per 100 meters of height gained. That means at 8,800m they can expect the temperature to be about 57 degrees Centigrade less than at sea level. That’s a gross simplification ignoring many other factors but you get the idea: it is cold up there. It does not help that climbers switch from lying still in the darkness at night to slogging up-hill with the heat of the sun bearing down from above and reflecting up from the snow.

IELTS General Reading Test

Weather: The window of opportunity for summiting will be dictated by a good weather forecast but many are the climbers who have been caught out by storms, holding out a little too long on summit day. They can’t control the weather gods but they can get a good forecast, listen to their instincts and not ignore the early warning signs.

Falls: One of the highest direct causes of death on Everest is falls. These can happen both when actually climbing, particularly on the high ridges, and also in careless moments at the higher camps. Stepping out of the tent for a wee at night onto ground covered in ice being a particular example. Maintaining vigilance with their footwork, double checking knots and karabiners, and a good amount of prior experience on snow and ice are prudent steps for reducing this risk.

IELTS General Reading Test

Avalanche: Twice as likely as falls to get them on the slopes of Qomolangma (Tibetan name for Everest) are avalanches. There tend to be specific areas in which the likelihood of their occurrence is higher. In addition to falling snow, falling ice and rocks are yet other hazards they can face.

Crevasses: These are great cracks that appear in glacial ice which threaten to swallow careless or unfortunate climbers. To aid safe travel across glaciers, teams tie ropes between each of their members so they can drag out anyone unlucky enough to take a fall.

IELTS General Reading Test

Summit Fever: Easily said but near impossible to avoid entirely, the temptation to push on for “just another ten minutes” is strong in all of us. But combine it with the intoxication of so much effort and the mind-altering effects of altitude on the danger-ridden slopes of Mount Everest and you have a recipe for disaster.

The practical advice is to have a set “turn-around time” at which point you head back down regardless of where you are. Something else worth doing is taking the time to go through your motivation for being on the mountain. If you keep the summit in perspective with the rest of the challenge it may help stop you from getting carried away.

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 15-21

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

Write

YES – if the statement reflects the claims of the writer

NO – if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN – if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

15. The human body does not have unlimited ability to adapt itself to the adverse effects of high altitude.

16. It is not advisable to switch from lying still in the darkness at night to slog up-hill with the heat of the sun bearing down from above and reflecting up from the snow.

17. Pay attention to the weather forecast to help decide when to climb the summit.

18. One should avoid stepping out of the tent at night.

19. Avalanches are likely to cause more accidents than falls.

20. High altitudes impact your thought process.

21. In the final run, one has to push on regardless if one has to reach the summit.

IELTS General Reading Test

Read the text below and answer Questions 22 – 27.

Pros and Cons of Working from Home

More and more Americans are working from home, thanks to technological advances that make communication and collaboration over the miles easier. But before you take the plunge into a work-from-home situation, consider the pros and cons of this option…

Working from Home Pros:

1. Offers greater flexibility for moms. If you work from home, you are likely to have more control over the hours you work, and can carve out time for doctor’s appointments, attending the school party, or dropping off and picking up your kids from school. However, some employers want their work-from-home staff to be available at all times during standard office hours, so make sure you’re clear about expectations.

IELTS General Reading Test

2. Cuts out commute time. Some parents sacrifice an hour or more on each end of the work day just getting to and from the office. When working from home, it’s like adding another two hours back to your day-time that can be invested in the kids, exercise, or preparing a family meal. nsvig

3. Every day is a Casual Friday. Working from home cuts out the need for so many work- appropriate clothes, and gives you a break on the budget in this area. It’s also just nice to be able to spend a rainy work day in your favorite cozy sweater and yoga pants, rather than tromping down the sidewalk to the office in heels.

IELTS General Reading Test

4. Savings on lunch and gas. Unless you’re disciplined enough to pack a lunch every day, working away from home will cause you to dine out for lunch pretty frequently. Work-from-home types can just cruise into the kitchen and heat up last night’s lasagna, saving major dollars. Ditto for saving on transportation costs from eliminating that commute.

Working from Home Cons:

1. Isolation. If you thrive on the social interaction and collaboration that comes with an office environment, working from home might feel isolated and lonely to you.

2. Distractions at home. Working from home requires a different level of self-discipline. After all- there’s no one around to know if you’re on task all day, and you have no accountability outside of your own integrity. If you work for an employer, you have to find a way to create a work environment at home that keeps you focused and putting in the hours each day that you’d devote to your job in the office. If you’re self-employed, you still need boundaries to make sure that things get done, or your productivity-and income-will suffer.

IELTS General Reading Test

3. Cost of setting up a home office. To work from home, you’ll have to make an initial investment in basic equipment for production and communication with your employer and/or clients. A computer, printer, fast internet service, and conferencing accessibility are important to making yourself efficient and available.

4. Corporate disconnect. Remember the water cooler, where you learned about that coveted positions that were opening up in your department, or those lay-offs were coming and you’d better be on your toes? Working from home cuts you off from some of this type of important info. You’ll have to be more proactive about networking and staying in the loop with your co- workers and bosses.

5. Keeping work and family separate. When you’re working at home, you have to be careful that your work doesn’t spill into family time. Just because you can work from home doesn’t mean you should be available 24/7. When you’re off-duty, be sure you switch your focus to family.

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 22-27

Fill in the blanks below by choosing NOT MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text.

22. You should have no doubts about the ………………………. of your employer as regards your hours of work.

23. The time spent on travelling to your workplace and back is no longer required, so this saved time can be ………………………. in different ways.

24. When you work from home, you can dress any which way you want; you do not need to stock up on ………………………. clothes.

25. Since you do not have co-workers around, there is a sense of ………………………. when you work from home.

26. There are many ………………………. at home, so you need to impose some self-discipline.

27. When you work from home, there is a ………………………. from information about what is going on in the company you work for, which means you are not up-to-date with all the details of what is happening at your work-place.

IELTS General Reading Test

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