Reading answers with explanations
IELTS and Multilevel Reading passages with every answer, why it is right and the line of the passage it comes from. Practise each passage in the exam interface.
287 parts
Multilevel · Part 5
'Don't be modest'
Iannucci suggested one way of easing the strain on the licence fee was "by pushing ourselves more commercially abroad". "Use the BBC's name, one of the most recognised brands in…
IELTS · Part 3
'This Marvellous Invention'
A Of all mankind's manifold creations, language must take pride of place.Other inventions - the wheel, agriculture, sliced bread - may have transformed our material existence, but…
Multilevel · Part 4
A good night’s sleep — an impossible dream?
Tonight, do yourself a favor. Shut off the TV, log off the Internet and unplug the phone. Relax, take a bath, maybe sip some herbal tea. Then move into the bedroom. Set your alarm…
Multilevel · Part 5
A home-sewing revival: the return of Clothkits
In the 1970s, Clothkits revolutionised home sewing. Later, a woman from Sussex, England, revived the nostalgic brand and brought it up to date. ‘I can’t remember many of the…
IELTS · Part 3
A neuroscientist reveals how to think differently
In the last decade a revolution has occurred in the way that scientists think about the brain.We now know that the decisions humans make can be traced to the firing patterns of…
IELTS · Part 3
A new role for livestock guard dogs
Livestock guard dogs, traditionally used to protect farm animals from predators, are now being used to protect the predators themselves A For thousands of years, livestock guard…
IELTS · Part 2
A second attempt at domesticating the tomato
A It took at least 3,000 years for humans to learn how to domesticate the wild tomato and cultivate it for food.Now two separate teams in Brazil and China have done it all over…
Multilevel · Part 4
Activities for Children
Twenty-five years ago, children in London walked to school and played in parks and playing fields after school and at the weekend. Today they are usually driven to school by…
IELTS · Part 2
Adapting to the effects of climate change
A All around the world, nations are already preparing for, and adapting to, climate change and its impacts. Even if we stopped all CO2 emissions tomorrow, we would continue to see…
IELTS · Part 1
Alexander Henderson (1831-1913)
Born in Scotland, Henderson emigrated to Canada in 1855 and became a well-known landscape photographer Alexander Henderson was born in Scotland in 1831 and was the son of a…
IELTS · Part 3
Alfred Wegener: science, exploration and the theory of continental drift
by Mott T Greene Introduction This is a book about the life and scientific work of Alfred Wegener, whose reputation today rests with his theory of continental displacements,…
IELTS · Part 3
An ideal city
Leonardo da Vinci's ideal city was centuries ahead of its time The word 'genius' is universally associated with the name of Leonardo da Vinci.A true Renaissance man, he embodied…
IELTS · Part 3
An inquiry into the existence of the gifted child
Let us start by looking at a modern "genius", Maryam Mirzakhani, who died at the early age of 40.She was the only woman to win the Fields Medal - the mathematical equivalent of a…
IELTS · Part 2
An Introduction to Film Sound
Though we might think of film as an essentially visual experience, we really cannot afford to underestimate the importance of film sound.A meaningful sound track is often as…
IELTS · Part 1
Archaeologists discover evidence of prehistoric island settlers
In early April 2019, Dr Ceri Shipton and his colleagues from Australian National University became the first archaeologists to explore Obi, one of many tropical islands in…
Multilevel · Part 5
Architecture in Britain
From the Middle Ages to the 20th century, what are the influences and movements that have shaped the changing face of British architecture? Romano-British culture—and that…
Multilevel · Part 5
Architecture in Britain
From the Middle Ages to the 20th century, what are the influences and movements that have shaped the changing face of British architecture? Romano-British culture—and that…
IELTS · Part 3
Artificial artists
Can computers really create works of art? The Painting Fool is one of a growing number of computer programs which, so their makers claim, possess creative talents.Classical music…
IELTS · Part 3
Artificial Intelligence
In many countries in the West, hysteria about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. There seems to be no shortage of sensationalist news about how AI could…
IELTS · Part 2
Athletes and stress
A It isn't easy being a professional athlete.Not only are the physical demands greater than most people could handle, athletes also face intense psychological pressure during…
IELTS · Part 1
Attitudes to language
It is not easy to be systematic and objective about language study.Popular linguistic debate regularly deteriorates into invective and polemic.Language belongs to everyone, so…
IELTS · Part 3
Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence
A Artificial intelligence (AI) can already predict the future.Police forces are using it to map when and where crime is likely to occur.Doctors can use it to predict when a…
Multilevel · Part 1
Australia
Read the text. Complete the gaps with ONE word only.
IELTS · Part 2
Autumn leaves
Canadian writer Jay Ingram investigates the mystery of why leaves turn red in the fall A One of the most captivating natural events of the year in many areas throughout North…
IELTS · Part 2
Back to the future of skyscraper design
Answers to the problem of excessive electricity use by skyscrapers and large public buildings can be found in ingenious but forgotten architectural designs of the 19th and…
IELTS · Part 1
Bats to the rescue
How Madagascar's bats are helping to save the rainforest There are few places in the world where relations between agriculture and conservation are more strained.Madagascar's…
Multilevel · Part 4
BE WEB WISE
Protect your computer, by all means, but don't forget to protect yourself, advises web safety expert, Amanda Knox. We're always being urged to stay safe online. But in an era…
Multilevel · Part 3
Becoming Successful
Becoming Successful I One of the first steps in the process of becoming successful is to make the decision to achieve something. All of us know that nothing can move forward until…
Multilevel · Part 3
Beneficial Work Practices for the Keyboard Operator
A Sensible work practices are an important factor in the prevention of muscular fatigue; discomfort or pain in the arms, neck, hands or back; or eye strain which can be associated…
IELTS · Part 3
Beyond the blue horizon
Ancient voyagers who settled the far-flung islands of the Pacific Ocean An important archaeological discovery on the island of Efate in the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu has…
IELTS · Part 3
Book Review
The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being By William Davies "Happiness is the ultimate goal because it is self-evidently good.If we are asked…
IELTS · Part 3
Book review: The World of Sugar by Ulbe Bosma
Ulbe Bosma's The World of Sugar is a genuinely global history. Bosma discusses all the sugar-growing places of the world, beginning with Cuba and Java, the largest exporters of…
IELTS · Part 2
Bring back the big cats
It's time to start returning vanished native animals to Britain, says John Vesty There is a poem, written around 598 AD, which describes hunting a mystery animal called a…
Multilevel · Part 4
Bring back the big cats
It's time to start returning vanished native animals to Britain, says John Vesty There is a poem, written around 598 AD, which describes hunting a mystery animal called a llewyn.…
IELTS · Part 1
Bringing cinnamon to Europe
Cinnamon is a sweet, fragrant spice produced from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum, which is native to the Indian sub-continent. It was known in biblical times, and…
Multilevel · Part 4
Britain needs strong TV industry
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci has called for an industry-wide defence of the BBC and British programme-makers. "The Thick of It" creator made his remarks in the annual MacTaggart…
IELTS · Part 3
Building the Skyline: The Birth and Growth of Manhattan's Skyscrapers
Katharine L. Shester reviews a book by Jason Barr about the development of New York City In Building the Skyline, Jason Barr takes the reader through a detailed history of New…
Multilevel · Part 3
Buses
Buses I A walking school bus is a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. It can be informal — when two families take turns in getting their children to…
Multilevel · Part 1
Buying Toys for Children
Buying Toys for Children Buying toys for children can be somewhat confusing and frustrating for parents as well as for gift givers. _____(1)_____ can show surprising preferences…
Multilevel · Part 5
California's Earthquake Threat
California's Earthquake Threat California may be in danger of losing its major cities. Several along the coast were built upon a dangerous section of fault line known for ferocity…