Cambridge IELTS 20 - Reading Test 1 With Practice

Test, Answers And Explanation

DOL IELTS Đình Lực 24/07/2025

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Bài đọc passage 1
The kãkãpo

The kãkãpõ is a nocturnal , flightless parrot that is critically endangered and one of New Zealand's
unique treasures .

The kakapo, also known as the owl parrot, is a large, forest-dwelling bird, with a pale owl-like face. Up to
64 cm in length, it has predominantly yellow-green feathers, forward-facing eyes, a large grey beak, large
blue feet, and relatively short wings and tail. It is the world's only flightless parrot, and is also possibly one
of the world's longest-living birds, with a reported lifespan of up to 100 years.

Kakapo are solitary birds and tend to occupy the same home range for many years. They forage on the
ground and climb high into trees. They often leap from trees and flap their wings, but at best manage a
controlled descent to the ground. They are entirely vegetarian, with their diet including the leaves, roots
and bark of trees as well as bulbs, and fern fronds.

Kakapõ breed in summer and autumn, but only in years when food is plentiful. Males play no part in
incubation or chick-rearing - females alone incubate eggs and feed the chicks. The 1-4 eggs are laid in
soil, which is repeatedly turned over before and during incubation. The female kakapo has to spend long
periods away from the nest searching for food, which leaves the unattended eggs and chicks particularly
vulnerable to predators.

Before humans arrived, kãkãpõ were common throughout New Zealand's forests. However, this all
changed with the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers about 700 years ago. For the early settlers, the
flightless kakapo was easy prey. They ate its meat and used its feathers to make soft cloaks. With them
came the Polynesian dog and rat, which also preyed on kakapo. By the time European colonisers arrived
in the early 1800s, kãkãpõ had become confined to the central North Island and forested parts of the
South Island. The fall in käkãpõ numbers was accelerated by European colonisation. A great deal of
habitat was lost through forest clearance, and introduced species such as deer depleted the remaining
forests of food. Other predators such as cats, stoats and two more species of rat were also introduced.
The kãkãpõ were in serious trouble.

In 1894, the New Zealand government launched its first attempt to save the käkapo. Conservationist
Richard Henry led an effort to relocate several hundred of the birds to predator-free Resolution Island in
Fiordland. Unfortunately, the island didn't remain predator free - stoats arrived within six years, eventually
destroying the kakapo population. By the mid-1900s, the kakapo was practically a lost species. Only a few
clung to life in the most isolated parts of New Zealand.

From 1949 to 1973, the newly formed New Zealand Wildlife Service made over 60 expeditions to find
käkapo, focusing mainly on Fiordland. Six were caught, but there were no females amongst them and all
but one died within a few months of captivity. In 1974, a new initiative was launched, and by 1977, 18 more
käkãpõ were found in Fiordland. However, there were still no females. In 1977, a large population of males
was spotted in Rakiura - a large island free from stoats, ferrets and weasels. There were about 200
individuals, and in 1980 it was confirmed females were also present. These birds have been the
foundation of all subsequent work in managing the species.

Unfortunately, predation by feral cats on Rakiura Island led to a rapid decline in kăkãpõ numbers. As a
result, during 1980-97, the surviving population was evacuated to three island sanctuaries: Codfish Island,
Maud Island and Little Barrier Island. However, breeding success was hard to achieve. Rats were found to
be a major predator of kakapo chicks and an insufficient number of chicks survived to offset adult
mortality. By 1995, although at least 12 chicks had been produced on the islands, only three had survived.
The kakapõ population had dropped to 51 birds. The critical situation prompted an urgent review of
kakapõ management in New Zealand.

In 1996, a new Recovery Plan was launched, together with a specialist advisory group called the Kakapõ
Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee and a higher amount of funding. Renewed steps were taken
to control predators on the three islands. Cats were eradicated from Little Barrier Island in 1980, and
possums were eradicated from Codfish Island by 1986. However, the population did not start to increase
until rats were removed from all three islands, and the birds were more intensively managed. This involved
moving the birds between islands, supplementary feeding of adults and rescuing and hand-raising any
failing chicks.

After the first five years of the Recovery Plan, the population was on target. By 2000, five new females
had been produced, and the total population had grown to 62 birds. For the first time, there was cautious
optimism for the future of kãkãpõ and by June 2020, a total of 210 birds was recorded.

Today, kakapõ management continues to be guided by the kãkãpõ Recovery Plan. Its key goals are:
minimise the loss of genetic diversity in the kakapo population, restore or maintain sufficient habitat to
accommodate the expected increase in the kakapo population, and ensure stakeholders continue to be
fully engaged in the preservation of the species.
Câu hỏi passage 1
Question 1 - 6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in this Passage?

In the following statements below, choose

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

There are other parrots that share the kakapo's inability to fly.

Adult kakapo produce chicks every year.

Adult male kakapo bring food back to nesting females.

The Polynesian rat was a greater threat to the kakapo than Polynesian settlers.

Kakapo were transferred from Rakiura Island to other locations because they were at risk from feral cats.

One Recovery Plan initiative that helped increase the kakapo population size was caring for struggling young birds.

Question 7 - 13
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

New Zealand's kākāpõ

A type of parrot:

• diet consists of fern fronds, various parts of a tree and 7.

• nests are created in 8. where eggs are laid.

Arrival of Polynesian settlers

• the 9 . of the käkäpõ were used to make clothes.

Arrival of European colonisers

• 10 . were an animal which they introduced that ate the käkãpõ's food sources.

Protecting kãkäpõ

Richard Henry, a conservationist, tried to protect the kãkäpõ.

• a definite sighting of female kakapo on Rakiura Island was reported in the year 11. .

• the Recovery Plan included an increase in 12 . .

• a current goal of the Recovery Plan is to maintain the involvement of 13 . in kakapõ

1 False Xem full giải thích

2 False Xem full giải thích

3 False Xem full giải thích

4 Not Given Xem full giải thích

5 True Xem full giải thích

6 True Xem full giải thích

7 bulbs Xem full giải thích

8 soil Xem full giải thích

9 feathers Xem full giải thích

10 deer Xem full giải thích

11 1980 Xem full giải thích

12 funding Xem full giải thích

13 stakeholders Xem full giải thích

Mark Rowe investigates attempts to reintroduce elms to Britain

A. Around 25 million elms, accounting for 90% of all elm trees in the UK, died during the 1960s and '70s
of Dutch elm disease. In the aftermath, the elm, once sc dominant in the British landscape, was largely
forgotten. However, there's now hope the elm may be reintroduced to the countryside of central and
southern England. Any reintroduction will start from a very low base. 'The impact of the disease is difficult
to picture if you hadn't seen what was there before,' says Matt Elliot of the Woodland Trust. "You look at
old photographs from the 1960s and it's only then that you realise the impact [elms had] ... They were
significant, large trees ….. then they were gone.'

B. The disease is caused by a fungus that blocks the elms' vascular (water, nutrient and food transport)
system, causing branches to wilt and die. A first epidemic, which occurred in the 1920s, gradually died
down, but in the '70s a second epidemic was triggered by shipments of elm from Canada. The wood
came in the form of logs destined for boat building and its intact bark was perfect for the elm bark beetles
that spread the deadly fungus. This time, the beetles carried a much more virulent strain that destroyed
the vast majority of British elms.

C. Today, elms still exist in the southern English countryside but mostly only in low hedgerows between
fields. 'We have millions of small elms in hedgerows but they get targeted by the beetle as soon as they
reach a certain size,' says Karen Russell, co-author of the report 'Where we are with elm'. Once the trunk
of the elm reaches 10-15 centimetres or so in diameter, it becomes a perfect size for beetles to lay eggs
and for the fungus to take hold. Yet mature specimens have been identified, in counties such as
Cambridgeshire, that are hundreds of years old, and have mysteriously escaped the epidemic. The key,
Russell says, is to identify and study those trees that have survived and work out why they stood tall when
millions of others succumbed. Nevertheless, opportunities are limited as the number of these mature
survivors is relatively small. 'What are the reasons for their survival?' asks Russell. 'Avoidance, tolerance,
resistance? We don't know where the balance lies between the three. I don't see how it can be entirely
down to luck.'

D. For centuries, elm ran a close second to oak as the hardwood tree of choice in Britain and was in
many instances the most prominent tree in the landscape. Not only was elm common in European forests,
it became a key component of birch, ash and hazel woodlands. The use of elm is thought to go back to
the Bronze Age, when it was widely used for tools. Elm was also the preferred material for shields and
early swords. In the 18th century, it was planted more widely and its wood was used for items such as
storage crates and flooring. It was also suitable for items that experienced high levels of impact and was
used to build the keel of the 19th-century sailing ship Cutty Sark as well as mining equipment.

E. Given how ingrained elm is in British culture, it's unsurprising the tree has many advocates. Amongst
them is Peter Bourne of the National Elm Collection in Brighton. 'I saw Dutch elm disease unfold as a small
boy,' he says. 'The elm seemed to be part of rural England, but I remember watching trees just lose their
leaves and that really stayed with me.' Today, the city of Brighton's elms total about 17,000. Local factors
appear to have contributed to their survival. Strong winds from the sea make it difficult for the determined
elm bark beetle to attack this coastal city's elm population. However, the situation is precarious. 'The
beetles can just march in if we're not careful, as the threat is right on our doorstep,' says Bourne.

F. Any prospect of the elm returning relies heavily on trees being either resistant to, or tolerant of, the
disease. This means a widespread reintroduction would involve existing or new hybrid strains derived
from resistant, generally non-native elm species. A new generation of seedlings have been bred and
tested to see if they can withstand the fungus by cutting a small slit on the bark and injecting a tiny
amount of the pathogen. 'The effects are very quick,' says Russell. "You return in four to six weeks and
trees that are resistant show no symptoms, whereas those that are susceptible show leaf loss and may
even have died completely.'

G. All of this raises questions of social acceptance, acknowledges Russell. 'If we're putting elm back into
the landscape, a small element of it is not native - are we bothered about that?' For her, the environmental
case for reintroducing elm is strong. They will host wildlife, which is a good thing.' Others are more wary.
'On the face of it, it seems like a good idea,' says Elliot. The problem, he suggests, is that, 'You're
replacing a native species with a horticultural analogue*. You're effectively cloning." There's also the risk
of introducing new diseases. Rather than plant new elms, the Woodland Trust emphasises providing space
to those elms that have survived independently. 'Sometimes the best thing you can do is just give nature
time to recover ... over time, you might get resistance,' says Elliot.

* horticultural analogue: a cultivated plant species that is genetically similar to an existing species
Câu hỏi passage 2
Question 14 - 18
Which paragraph contains the following information?

NB You may use any letter more than once.

14 reference to the research problems that arise from there being only a few surviving
large elms

15 details of a difference of opinion about the value of reintroducing elms to Britain

16 reference to how Dutch elm disease was brought into Britain

17 a description of the conditions that have enabled a location in Britain to escape Dutch
elm disease

18 reference to the stage at which young elms become vulnerable to Dutch elm disease
Question 19 - 23
Match each statement with the correct person, A, B, or C.

List of Findings

A Matt Elliot

B Karen Russell

C Peter Bourne

19 If a tree gets infected with Dutch elm disease, the damage rapidly becomes visible.

20 It may be better to wait and see if the mature elms that have survived continue to
flourish.

21 There must be an explanation for the survival of some mature elms.

22 We need to be aware that insects carrying Dutch elm disease are not very far away.

23 You understand the effect Dutch elm disease has had when you see evidence of how
prominent the tree once was.
Question 24 - 26
Complete the summary below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Uses of a popular tree

For hundreds of years, the only tree that was more popular in Britain than elm was 24 . .
Starting in the Bronze Age, many tools were made from elm and people also used it to make weapons.
In the 18th century, it was grown to provide wood for boxes and 25 . . Due to its strength,
elm was often used for mining equipment and the Cutty Sark's 26 . was also constructed
from elm.
Đáp án & giải thích 2

14 C Xem full giải thích

15 G Xem full giải thích

16 B Xem full giải thích

17 E Xem full giải thích

18 C Xem full giải thích

19 B Xem full giải thích

20 A Xem full giải thích

21 B Xem full giải thích

22 C Xem full giải thích

23 A Xem full giải thích

24 oak Xem full giải thích

25 flooring Xem full giải thích

26 keel Xem full giải thích

How stress affects our judgement

Some of the most important decisions of our lives occur while we're feeling stressed and anxious. From
medical decisions to financial and professional ones, we are all sometimes required to weigh up
information under stressful conditions. But do we become better or worse at processing and using
information under such circumstances?

My colleague and I, both neuroscientists, wanted to investigate how the mind operates under stress, so
we visited some local fire stations. Firefighters' workdays vary quite a bit. Some are pretty relaxed; they'll
spend their time washing the truck, cleaning equipment, cooking meals and reading. Other days can be
hectic, with numerous life-threatening incidents to attend to; they'll enter burning homes to rescue
trapped residents, and assist with medical emergencies. These ups and downs presented the perfect
setting for an experiment on how people's ability to use information changes when they feel under
pressure.

We found that perceived threat acted as a trigger for a stress reaction that made the task of processing
information easier for the firefighters - but only as long as it conveyed bad news.

This is how we arrived at these results. We asked the firefighters to estimate their likelihood of
experiencing 40 different adverse events in their life, such as being involved in an accident or becoming a
victim of card fraud. We then gave them either good news (that their likelihood of experiencing these
events was lower than they'd thought) or bad news (that it was higher) and asked them to provide new
estimates.

People are normally quite optimistic - they will ignore bad news and embrace the good. This is what
happened when the firefighters were relaxed; but when they were under stress, a different pattern
emerged. Under these conditions, they became hyper-vigilant to bad news, even when it had nothing to
do with their job (such as learning that the likelihood of card fraud was higher than they'd thought), and
altered their beliefs in response. In contrast, stress didn't change how they responded to good news (such
as learning that the likelihood of card fraud was lower than they'd thought).

Back in our lab, we observed the same pattern in students who were told they had to give a surprise
public speech, which would be judged by a panel, recorded and posted online. Sure enough, their cortisol
levels spiked, their heart rates went up and they suddenly became better at processing unrelated, yet
alarming, information about rates of disease and violence.
When we experience stressful events, a physiological change is triggered that causes us to take in
warnings and focus on what might go wrong. Brain imaging reveals that this 'switch' is related to a sudden
boost in a neural signal important for learning, specifically in response to unexpected warning signs, such
as faces expressing fear.

Such neural engineering could have helped prehistoric humans to survive. When our ancestors found
themselves surrounded by hungry animals, they would have benefited from an increased ability to learn
about hazards. In a safe environment, however, it would have been wasteful to be on high alert constantly.
So, a neural switch that automatically increases or decreases our ability to process warnings in response
to changes in our environment could have been useful. In fact, people with clinical depression and anxiety
seem unable to switch away from a state in which they absorb all the negative messages around them.

It is also important to realise that stress travels rapidly from one person to the next. If a co-worker is
stressed, we are more likely to tense up and feel stressed ourselves. We don't even need to be in the
same room with someone for their emotions to influence our behaviour. Studies show that if we observe
positive feeds on social media, such as images of a pink sunset, we are more likely to post uplifting
messages ourselves. If we observe negative posts, such as complaints about a long queue at the coffee
shop, we will in turn create more negative posts.

In some ways, many of us now live as if we are in danger, constantly ready to tackle demanding emails
and text messages, and respond to news alerts and comments on social media. Repeatedly checking your
phone, according to a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, is related to stress.
In other words, a pre-programmed physiological reaction, which evolution has equipped us with to help us
avoid famished predators, is now being triggered by an online post. Social media posting, according to
one study, raises your pulse, makes you sweat, and enlarges your pupils more than most daily activities.

The fact that stress increases the likelihood that we will focus more on alarming messages, together with
the fact that it spreads extremely rapidly, can create collective fear that is not always justified. After a
stressful public event, such as a natural disaster or major financial crash, there is often a wave of alarming
information in traditional and social media, which individuals become very aware of.
But that has the effect of exaggerating existing danger. And so, a reliable pattern emerges - stress is
triggered, spreading from one person to the next, which temporarily enhances the likelihood that people
will take in negative reports, which increases stress further. As a result, trips are cancelled, even if the
disaster took place across the globe; stocks are sold, even when holding on is the best thing to do.

The good news, however, is that positive emotions, such as hope, are contagious too, and are powerful in
inducing people to act to find solutions. Being aware of the close relationship between people's emotional
state and how they process information can help us frame our messages more effectively and become
conscientious agents of change.
Câu hỏi passage 3
Question 27 - 30
Choose appropriate options A, B, C or D.

27 In the first paragraph, the writer introduces the topic of the text by

A defining some commonly used terms.

B questioning a widely held assumption.

C mentioning a challenge faced by everyone.

D specifying a situation which makes us most anxious.

28 What point does the writer make about firefighters in the second paragraph?

A The regular changes of stress levels in their working lives make them ideal study subjects.

B The strategies they use to handle stress are of particular interest to researchers.

C The stressful nature of their job is typical of many public service professions.

D Their personalities make them especially well-suited to working under stress.

29 What is the writer doing in the fourth paragraph?

A explaining their findings

B justifying their approach

C setting out their objectives

D describing their methodology

30 In the seventh paragraph, the writer describes a mechanism in the brain which

A enables people to respond more quickly to stressful situations.

B results in increased ability to control our levels of anxiety.

D is activated when there is a need to communicate a sense of danger.

Question 31 - 35
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-G, below.

List of Findings

A made them feel optimistic.

B took relatively little notice of bad news.

C responded to negative and positive information in the same way.

D were feeling under stress.

E put them in a stressful situation.

F behaved in a similar manner, regardless of the circumstances.

G thought it more likely that they would experience something bad.

31 At times when they were relaxed, the firefighters usually

32 The researchers noted that when the firefighters were stressed, they

33 When the firefighters were told good news, they always

34 The students' cortisol levels and heart rates were affected when the researchers

35 In both experiments, negative information was processed better when the subjects
Question 36 - 40
Do the following statements agree with the information given in this Reading Passage?

In following statements below, choose

YES if the statement agrees with the information

NO if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

36

The tone of the content we post on social media tends to reflect the nature of the posts in our feeds.
37

Phones have a greater impact on our stress levels than other electronic media devices.

38

The more we read about a stressful public event on social media, the less able we are to take the information in.

39

Stress created by social media posts can lead us to take unnecessary precautions.

40

Our tendency to be affected by other people's moods can be used in a positive way.
Đáp án & giải thích 3

27 C Xem full giải thích

28 A Xem full giải thích

29 D Xem full giải thích

30 C Xem full giải thích

31 B Xem full giải thích

32 G Xem full giải thích

33 F Xem full giải thích

34 E Xem full giải thích

35 D Xem full giải thích

36 Yes Xem full giải thích

37 Not Given Xem full giải thích

38 No Xem full giải thích

39 Yes Xem full giải thích

40 Yes Xem full giải thích