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BEST IELTS General Reading Test 558
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 558 – PASSAGE – 3

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 558
READING PASSAGE – 3
Festival of flight
Each year, thousands of people gather in the South Asian kingdom of Bhutan’s remote Phobjikha Valley for the Black-Necked Crane Festival, a contribution to the conservation of this endangered species.
Julia Horton reports.
A Black-necked cranes were the last of the world’s fifteen crane species to be discovered, found in the Himalayas on the remote Tibetan plateau in 1876 by the Russian naturalist Count Nikolai Przhevalsky. They are renowned for their ‘dancing’ behaviours, which include bowing, jumping and wing flapping. These activities are associated with courtship and are also believed to strengthen the pair bonds that form between male and female birds.
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The cranes, which reach a height of about 140 centimetres and have a 235-centimetre wingspan, are confined to the plateau and neighbouring regions, breeding in high mountain wetlands during spring and summer before migrating to lower altitudes for the winter. For centuries, their arrival in Bhutan – which usually begins in late October – has marked the end of the harvest season and signalled time for farmers and their families to move to lower, warmer altitudes.
B But changes in traditional farming practices throughout the birds’ range are threatening to destroy their habitat. These risks have resulted in them being placed on the IUCN’s (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species; they are currently categorised as ‘vulnerable’. Censuses carried out throughout the birds’ range suggest that the total population could be as high as 11,000 or as low as 8,800.
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About 500 cranes winter in Bhutan each year, mostly in Phobjikha, the kingdom’s largest wetland and most important black-necked crane habitat. They come to feed on the remains of the autumn harvest in the local agricultural fields, as well as on bamboos that grow in the valley’s wetlands, which they supplement with seeds, earthworms, beetles and snails. In recognition of Phobjikha’s importance to the birds, a conservation area was established in the valley in 2003.
C The conservation festival which takes place when the cranes return to Bhutan from Tibet for the winter, was started recently by the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN). Its aim is to promote ecotourism to provide the valley’s farmers with an alternative income, in order to reduce the pressure on the birds’ habitat. To this end, the 150 villagers who dance in the festival are paid 150 Ngultrums (£2) each for their performance.
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It may not sound like much, but with almost a quarter of the country living below the poverty line, it is welcome nonetheless. Recently, a group of entrepreneurial farmers have also begun offering homestays. As one of the main organisers of the event, Dawazam is among the most enlightened of the villagers, who now run the festival themselves. Thanks to the festival, everyone here is very well informed [about the fact that if they don’t harm the cranes, we will have lots of people coming here, she says.
D While livelihoods are important, the festival is also aimed at strengthening traditional celebrations to help increase villagers’ awareness of the birds’ importance – and the threats to their existence. Known as ‘thrung thrung karm’ in the local language, the cranes symbolise long life to the Bhutanese and are considered to be holy. People believe that the circling of the cranes as they come in to land confers a special blessing, so the winter wheat is not sown until after this has been received.
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E ‘Local people have a respect for the black-necked crane that is related to their culture; says Tshering Choki of the RSPN. ‘People would never eat these birds, but what they don’t understand is that they can damage their habitat indirectly. There are more and more settlements with people wanting more agriculture. Our main concern is about the use of agrochemicals (such as chemical fertilisers]. If we’re not careful and don’t educate people, there is a chance that they could have an impact on the birds’ feeding area! In the past, Choki explains, neighbours would help to work each others’ land, but now, they often have to pay people to be labourers.
Simply using agrochemicals to improve yields is easier and cheaper. Changing land use has also threatened the cranes’ wintering grounds. About 30 years ago, the government of Bhutan began distributing public land in the valley near the birds’ habitat to landless locals so that they could start growing potatoes to supplement the traditional wheat crop. There was also talk of draining the wetlands and turning them over to potatoes. Soon after, the process was stopped when the RSPN intervened, pointing out the importance of the land for crane conservation. By then, however, large areas of ground had already become private property.
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F Ironically, while the festival organisers would like to attract some foreign visitors to support conservation, there are fears that tourism businesses keen for a share of the action will destroy the very thing that draws people here. Choki says, ‘We’re worried because there are some people from outside this area of Bhutan who want to invest in tourism here, by building lodges, for example. That will also increase the population even more, bringing more people from other parts of Bhutan looking for jobs in the lodges. This will in turn lead to more land being used to build accommodation.
Questions 28-33
The text has six paragraphs, A-F.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix.
List of Headings
i. Birds whose behaviour is unique
ii. Why cranes are valued in the culture of Bhutan
iii. An increase in international tourism
iv. What makes the wetlands attractive to cranes
v. A policy of protecting the cranes by attracting visitors
vi. The problems that success might cause
vii. How cranes typically behave in the course of a year
viii. The effects of climate change on the cranes’ habitat
ix. Undesirable consequences of social changes
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28. Paragraph A
29. Paragraph B
30. Paragraph C
31. Paragraph D
32. Paragraph E
33. Paragraph F
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Questions 34-36
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
BLACK-NECKED CRANES
People admire this species of crane for the different forms of dancing they exhibit. These are thought to form part of the birds’ 34………………. habits. The cranes breed high up in the Himalayas and then migrate to Bhutan. By the time they arrive, the farmers are finishing the 35……………….
The cranes then spend the winter in wetland areas, such as Phobjikha valley, where they survive mainly on plants, like the 36………………. that grow there.
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Questions 37-40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
37. Why was the festival started?
A. to raise awareness of traditional farming
B. to try to maintain the cranes’ winter habitat
C. to increase local people’s income by organising homestays
D. to develop a tourist destination in Bhutan for the autumn season
38. The people of Bhutan consider the cranes to be particularly important because
A. their arrival coincides with the right weather to sow wheat.
B. they see them as sacred creatures which benefit both people and crops.
C. their return marks an opportunity to have local gatherings.
D. they are thought to be unusually long lived as a species.
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39. Choki believes that education is necessary to make people understand
A. which type of crops to grow in the valley.
B. what the best way is to help their neighbours.
C. what chemical fertilisers could do to the land.
D. how many farms there should be in each settlement.
40. What concerns the RSPN at the moment?
A. Tourists will soon forget about the cranes.
B. The number of unemployed will increase considerably.
C. Foreign companies will take over the running of the festival.
D. Their original aim in starting the festival will not be achieved.
IELTS General Reading Test

IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
28. VII
29. IV
30. V
31. II
32. IX
33. VI
34. COURTSHIP
35. HARVEST
36. BAMBOO(S)
37. B
38. B
39. C
40. D
IELTS General Reading Test