Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 523
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 523 – PASSAGE – 3

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 523
READING PASSAGE – 3
The Development of Clocks
A It was probably around 3,000 years ago that people first began making things to help them measure the passage of time. Having observed that shadows move around trees as the sun moves across the sky, someone drew a circle and put a stick in the center. As the sun passed overhead, he marked even divisions on the circle as the shadow of the stick crossed it. This circle was called a “sundial.” Later, they were made of stone and metal, which made them last longer.
B Of course, a sundial did not work at night or on cloudy days, so men kept inventing other ways to keep track of time. One invention was a water clock to tell time. A container had a line with a number beside it for every hour. It also had a tiny hole in the bottom. The container was filled with water that dripped through the hole. When the water level reached the first line, people knew that an hour had passed.
IELTS General Reading Test
C Water clocks helped people know how much time had gone by. But water clocks had to be refilled. So, after glass blowing was invented, the hourglass came into use. Glass bulbs were joined by a narrow tunnel of glass, and fine, dry sand was placed in the top bulb. The hourglass was easy to use, but it had to be turned over every hour so the sand could flow again.
D It was about 600 years ago that the first clock with a face and an hour hand was made. One of the first such clocks was built for a king of France and placed in a tower of the royal palace. The clock did not show minutes or seconds. Usually it did not even show the correct hour! Since there were no planes or trains to catch, however, people were not concerned about knowing the exact time.
IELTS General Reading Test
E Gradually, clocks began to be popular. They still did not keep correct time, but they were unusual, and they could be beautifully decorated. One clock was in the shape of a cart with a horse and driver. One of the wheels was the face of the clock.
F The pendulum clock was invented in 1657. This was the beginning of the style of clocks we call “grandfather clocks,” which were enclosed in tall wooden boxes. Pendulum clocks showed the hours more exactly than earlier clocks, since the weight on the pendulum could be moved up or down to make the clock go faster or slower. Forty years later, minute and second hands were put on some clocks. Grandfather clocks are very much in demand again today. They are usually very expensive, however, and require more space than other styles of clocks.
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G As people began to go to more places and do more things, they became more interested in knowing the correct time. By 1900, almost every house had a clock, and nearly every well-dressed gentleman wore a watch on a chain tucked in his vest pocket.
L Today, of course, we have electric clocks that keep giving the right time until they are unplugged or the electricity goes off. Scientists have invented clocks that look like large machines and tell the correct time to a split second.
IELTS General Reading Test
M The most modern electric clocks for home use do not have faces or hands. These clocks are called digital clocks, and they tell the time with a set of numerals which appear in a little window. The seconds are counted off like the tenths of a mile on the odometer of a car.
N Many electric clocks are combined with radios, which can sometimes be set to turn on automatically. Thus, instead of an alarm ringing in your ear in the morning, you can hear soft music playing when it is time to get up. Some clocks will even start the coffee maker!
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 28 – 33
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS.
DATE | EVENT |
(28)……………. ago | People began to find ways to measure the passage of time. |
After (29)……………. | People invented a clock available even at night or on cloudy days. |
About (30)……………. ago | The first clock with a face and an hour hand came into existence. |
In 1657 | The (31)……………. was invented. |
(32)……………. later | Minute and second hands began to appear on some clocks. |
By (33)……………. | The clock had become a household item. |
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 34 – 36
Complete each sentence.
34. Clocks using only the sun and a stick lasted longer because
35. Although the first clock made for a king of France had a face and only an hour hand, it did not matter because
36. Pendulum clocks showed the hours more exactly because
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A. someone drew a circle and put a stick in the center.
B. it was at night or on cloudy days.
C. they were made of stone and metal.
D. people were not concerned about knowing the exact time.
E. the weight imposed could help the clock go faster and slower.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 37 – 40
Read paragraphs D–L and look at the statements below. In boxes on your answer sheet, write:
TRUE If the statement agrees information
FALSE If the statement contradicts information
NOT GIVEN If the information is not given in the passage.
37. One disadvantage of hourglasses was that it was bothersome to turn it over repeatedly for the sand to flow again.
38. When clocks became popular, some carts used to decorate their interiors with beautiful clocks.
39. People’s demands towards knowing accurate time grew and it led them possess clocks.
40. Most electric clocks can even work when the electricity is unplugged as long as they are electrically charged.
IELTS General Reading Test

IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
28. 3,000 YEARS
29. SUNDIAL(S)
30. 600 YEARS
31. PENDULUM CLOCK
32. FORTY YEARS
33. 1900
34. C
35. D
36. E
37. TRUE
38. FALSE
39. TRUE
40. NOT GIVEN
IELTS General Reading Test