TASK TYPE 1 Identifying Information (True/False/Not Given)

IELTS PRACTICE TASK

Charles-Marie de la Condamine
The man who helped measure the shape of the world

Although ordinary people may have thought so, few scientists had ever really believed that the
world was flat. And certainly, by the beginning of the eighteenth century, they agreed without
exception that it was round. There was still some minor disagreement, however, about exactly what
being 'round' meant in this context. Some said the planet was a perfect sphere, like a ball. Others
thought it might be generally round, but with some irregularities. The English scientist Sir Isaac
Newton argued that the Earth bulged outwards around the equator. On the other hand, the French
astronomer royal, Jacques Cassini, believed that the planet was stretched out at the north and
south poles, making it shaped more like an egg. The debate was partly just a reflection of the way
England and France competed about many things at the time, but it was also a serious question
that affected how maps and sailing charts were drawn, and therefore the safety of sailors at sea. So
in 1734 the French Academy of Sciences decided to measure the Earth's shape. An expedition
under Pierre de Maupertius would travel close to the North Pole, and another under Charles-Marie
de la Condamine would travel to the equator. Both expeditions would survey the shape of the
Earth's surface and then compare findings. After a long voyage, Condamine reached Peru in South
America, where the scientific experiments began. His team climbed high into the mountains to take
measurements using surveying equipment and then descended to the desert plains to continue their
work. Finally, after four years' work – more than twice the time the leader had intended – the survey
work was complete. As part of their research, they had built small pyramids made of rock as
permanent features from which to take certain measurements, and their remains can still be seen
today as monuments to the expedition. When Condamine's team returned to France, the Earth was
found to be slightly wider between the poles than when measured through its centre at the equator.
Condamine and Maupertius were now counted as among the most eminent scientists in Europe.

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 TASK TYPE 1 Identifying Information (True/False/Not Given)

Questions 1–6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
You should write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1 At the start of the eighteenth century, scientists knew the Earth was round.
2 Sir Isaac Newton had done scientific experiments at the equator.
3 The debate between Newton and Cassini was important for sailors.
4 Maupertius and Condamine had worked together in the past.
5 Condamine finished his research sooner than he had expected.
6 Condamine left behind no physical evidence of his expedition to South America.

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 TASK TYPE 2 Note/Table Completion

IELTS PRACTICE TASK

Extinct birds of New Zealand

Many species of birds that once lived in this South Pacific country aren't found today.

Today, New Zealand is a typical, modern country with cities, towns and roads. But for many
thousands of years, and until relatively recently, the more than 3,000 islands that make up the
country had no human inhabitants at all. Instead, a vast number of birds lived in its forests,
mountains and along the thousands of kilometres of beaches. In fact, New Zealand probably had
more species of birds than any other country in the world. One reason for this was that the natural
environment was a perfect source of food to support the bird population, particularly from the
enormous oceans that surround the country. With so much food readily available, it's not surprising
that the bird population grew. Another important factor was that the birds had no predators on land
because, with the exception of a single species of bat, there weren't any mammals at all in the
country that would otherwise have killed birds and kept their numbers down. Because of this, over
many, many years, New Zealand's birds developed characteristics not associated with bird
populations in other countries. For example, they didn't have to defend themselves from predators,
so many birds lived on the ground and didn't have wings because they didn't need to fly, such as
the iconic kiwi bird and also the much larger, ostrich-like bird called the moa. This characteristic
allowed the birds to save huge amounts of energy and provided them with numerous other
advantages – so long as they didn't need to defend themselves against attacks by predators! One
final development was that many of these birds now made their nests on the ground rather than in
tress and the eggs that they laid became much bigger over time. This was just one more factor that
made these populations of birds very vulnerable when humans eventually reached New Zealand.

The first human migrants to New Zealand were the Maori people, who arrived approximately 800
years ago. The Maori sailed from their original homes in the tropical Pacific to New Zealand in
canoes, bringing food supplies and many of the things they needed to set up new homes.
Unfortunately, however, they unintentionally brought Pacific rats with them as well, a species
previously unknown in New Zealand, and these killed many birds that were unable to fly away. The
Maori themselves also hunted birds for food, and their loud calls in the forest at night time made
them particularly easy to find. Birds were useful in other ways, too. Fish hooks were frequently
manufactured from bones, while feathers were highly prized as decorations to be worn in the hair or
clothing. The results of this, in terms of bird populations, has been calculated by the scientist Paul
Martin. His research since the 1960s has assessed the impact on flora and fauna of human arrival
in various parts of the world, and he has concluded that New Zealand is a unique example because
bird species were wiped out so fast, relative to other countries.

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 TASK TYPE 2 Note/Table Completion

European migrants started arriving in significant numbers in the early 1800s and brought with them
a whole lot of new problems. The journals of the earliest European explorers in the country are full
of references to how they relied on their hunting dogs to catch birds in order to supply the expedition
with food, and these animals have been a constant threat to bird life ever since. Many of the
European settlers came to New Zealand to set up farms, but before this was possible it was
necessary to clear the land of trees, and this process of deforestation had serious consequences for
many birds, as their habitats were destroyed. As the country's population has grown and the need
for more land for housing, industry and farming has increased with it, many more bird species have
faced extinction. However, in recent decades attempts have been made to save some of these
endangered species by creating sanctuaries where they can live and breed. The location for nearly
all of these sanctuaries has been small islands scattered around the coastline, which can be kept
free of predators and pests. In some cases, this includes human beings, allowing the environment
to return to its original condition.

Questions 1–4

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

New Zealand before humans arrived

 there were many birds

 the large 1 ....................... provided food for birds
 there were no 2 ........................ on land so birds had few predators
 many birds had no 3 ............................ so couldn't defend
themselves, e.g. moa
 birds' 4 ........................ were also very large
 birds were very vulnerable

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 TASK TYPE 2 Note/Table Completion

Questions 5–10
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Human migration to New Zealand

Reasons Birds Died Results

Maori  5 .................... were accidentally
 according to Paul Martin,
migration introduced to New Zealand the extinction of some
species was unusually
 birds' loud calls made them easy to 7 ....................
find

 birds' feathers were used for

decoration and bones for
6 ....................

European  explorers used 8 .................... to kill  attempts to save

migration birds for food endangered species on
10 .................... around the
 creating farms caused country
9 .................... and loss of habitat

The Complete Guide To IELTS (ACADEMIC READING)