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BEST IELTS General Reading Test 561
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 561 – PASSAGE – 3
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 561
READING PASSAGE – 3
Wildlife in the South Atlantic
Lucy Grewcock on her trip to South Georgia
‘Act like a penguin and you’ll be accepted as a penguin,’ Frank Todd, an expert in birds and our expedition leader, briefed us as we put on our life jackets and prepared to go ashore. Dropping anchor in South Georgia’s Bay of Isles, we walked down the gangway into eight-person inflatable boats. Mine was the first to fill and we sped away with the engine revving loudly, leaving a swell of icy water in our wake.
Cold air filled our lungs as we raced towards the shore, which came alive with frantic fur seals splashing in the surf and wriggling up the beach beyond. It was like a holiday resort for the creatures and everyone in the boat was taking photographs.
IELTS General Reading Test
Having embarked in Argentina, I’d spent over a week rocking and rolling across the Scotia Sea on board the M/S Expedition with 100 other passengers. And now, South Georgia seemed set to exceed expectations.
As we entered the shallows, the engine of the boat was cut and the air filled with the noises made by seal pups – a constant murmur beneath the barks and snorts of their parents, who moved awkwardly along the water’s edge. Swinging our wellie-booted feet onto the beach, we pulled the inflatables ashore as a squad of seals shuffled over on their front flippers and cautioned us with sharp yellow teeth and low growls.
As I shook a trekking pole in defence, a party of well-dressed penguins paraded through a crowd of seal pups and waddled down the beach to welcome us, just as though they were human beings. One particularly smart adult stepped forward and casually waved a wing at the scene behind him. As I followed his gesture, was astonished. While I knew we would see penguins, I had had no idea of the reality: they adorned the dunes in their thousands, packed out the plain beyond, and sprawled up the hillside until their silvery silhouettes merged into the horizon. We had arrived at one of the biggest penguin parties on the planet.
IELTS General Reading Test
More than 100,000 of them populated the scene, and were bathed in a pool of golden light that radiated across them like a warm glow. But searching the sky for a break in the clouds, I saw nothing but a solid mass of grey mist over the bay. I think they look better in poor light,’ Frank commented from behind me. They really shine, don’t they?’ I nodded in agreement, suddenly realising it was their yellow-tinged chins that were giving off the glow. Mesmerised, I picked my way across the pebble beach towards the colony, taking care not to squash the seal pups that fidgeted about my feet and doing my best to avoid their pugnacious parents.
Like a busy market, the penguin colony was in a constant state of murmur and mutter. Every few minutes, the hubbub was cut through by groups of adults, who would stretch their throats skywards, raise their beaks above the throng, and maintain contact with their chicks with a chorus of trumpet calls. Their calls were answered by the squeak of indignant chicks, who sat in thick fur coats, awaiting their next feed of fish. These infants take more than fourteen months to go from fur ball to fully watertight and, until then, are beach-bound and at the mercy of the petrels and skuas – predatory birds circling above and waiting for the opportunity to carry off a chick.
IELTS General Reading Test
Distancing themselves from their squeaking siblings, adolescents waddled around in various stages of losing their juvenile feathers. In contrast, their parents stood in perfect penguin plumage, their coats acting as natural wetsuits, and each appeared to be wearing on its head a set of carrot-coloured earmuffs over a velvet-black hood – handsome markings which seemed to give them inner confidence.
Seeing the next lot of tourists arrive on the beach, I set off to find a quiet spot to take it all in. But as I clambered across the dunes, I had the feeling I was being followed and turned to find a penguin following me. Up to my waist in height, he wobbled along with his head down, his feet slipping across the stones. ‘They are prone to being groupies,’ Frank had warned us during our briefing. South Georgia’s penguins have little reason to fear us. They have never been hunted by human beings, and their only visitors these days are groups of tourists and a scattering of scientists. Consequently, it appears, fear has been replaced with fascination.
IELTS General Reading Test
Finding a patch of rough grass, I sat down and sighed contentedly. The beauty of this unspoilt wilderness was almost too much to take in. Gazing out across the bay at the immense glaciers and peaks beyond, I heard a shuffle of stones behind me and soon found my feathered follower standing by my shoulder.
His eyes level with mine, the penguin followed my gaze out to sea, nodding his head as we took in the scene together. The pair of us stayed like that for a while, listening to the whimper of seal pups and watching the tide tickle the shoreline. ‘Act like them, and you’ll be accepted by them,’ I smiled to myself. I’m sure he was thinking the same.
Questions 28-32
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
Landing in South Georgia
The expedition was led by Frank Todd, a specialist in the study of 28…………….. The journey began in 29…………….. and when the ship reached South Georgia, the passengers transferred into small boats. As they approached the shore, they all wanted 30…………….. of the seals on the beach. When the noise from the 31…………….. stopped, they could hear the young seals. As the group landed, some seals approached and showed their 32…………….. as a warning.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 33-40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
33 According to the fifth paragraph, Lucy was surprised by
A the lack of human beings.
B the reaction of the seals.
C the number of penguins.
D the distance to the horizon.
34 What do Lucy and Frank agree about the penguins’ appearance?
A The dull light made part of them seem bright.
B The sunshine made them shine.
C Light was reflected onto them from the sea.
D The mist made their white parts hard to see.
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35 Lucy mentions a market to emphasise
A the range of colours on the penguins and seals.
B the noise made by the penguins.
C the difference in behaviour between the penguins and the seals.
D the contrast between the penguins’ territory and surrounding areas.
36 Why did groups of adult penguins give ‘trumpet calls’?
A to frighten the birds away
B to make sure they all kept close together
C to warn other penguins to keep away
D to communicate with their young
IELTS General Reading Test
37 In the eighth paragraph, what does Lucy imagine about adult penguins?
A Those with damaged feathers stayed away from the others.
B They were more likely to move around than adolescents.
C They preferred to keep separate from adolescents.
D Their appearance influenced the way they felt.
IELTS General Reading Test
38 Why did Lucy want to find a quiet spot?
A to look around her without being disturbed by other people
B to get away from the noise of the penguins and seals
C to look for a penguin that had become separated from the others
D to find somewhere suitable for the tourists to gather
39 What did Lucy learn in the briefing about the penguins of South Georgia?
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A Their habitat has been damaged by the number of visitors.
B They are very interested in people.
C They are protected so that scientists can carry out research.
D They will not allow people to come close to them.
40 What did Lucy decide about the penguin that followed her?
A He had similar thoughts and feelings to her.
B He was more interested in the young seals than in her.
C He was a more suitable height for the terrain than her.
D He had more difficulty walking than she did.
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
28. BIRDS
29. ARGENTINA
30. PHOTO(GRAPHS)
31. ENGINE / BOAT
32. TEETH
33. C
34. A
35. B
36. D
37. D
38. A
39. B
40. A
IELTS General Reading Test