2025年雅思《阅读》考试题库

2025年雅思《阅读》考试题库

IELTSReadingTest

Time:60minutes

Instructions:Answerallquestions.Informationisgivenintheorderitappearsinthetext.

READINGPASSAGE1

Youshouldspendabout20minutesonQuestions1-13,whicharebasedonReadingPassage1below.

TheHistoryandScienceofSalt

A.Salt,chemicallyknownassodiumchloride(NaCl),isoneofthemostabundantmineralsonEarthandhasplayedapivotalroleinhumanhistory.Unlikemanyothercommodities,saltisessentialforhumanlife;thehumanbodyrequiresittoregulatefluidbalance,nervetransmission,andmusclefunction.However,beyonditsbiologicalnecessity,salthasbeenafundamentaldriverofeconomicdevelopment,warfare,andculturalpracticesformillennia.Itsabilitytopreservefoodwastheprimarycatalystforitsearlyvalue,allowingcivilizationstosurvivewintersandtravellongdistanceswithoutspoilage.

B.Theearliestevidenceofsaltprocessingdatesbacktoaround6000BCinRomania(Solnitsata)andChina.Theseearlysaltworkswereoftenspring-fedorlocatednearsaltlakes.InancientChina,saltwasastatemonopoly,andtherevenuesgeneratedfromsalttaxeswerecrucialforthefundingoftheGreatWallandvariousimperialarmies.TheChinesewerealsopioneersinsaltextractiontechniques,developingmethodslikedrillingdeepboreholesandusingbamboopipestotransportbrine,atechnologythatpredatedsimilaradvancementsintheWestbycenturies.

C.IntheMediterraneanregion,saltwasequallyvital.TheRomansconstructedextensiveroadsspecificallytofacilitatethetransportofsalt;theViaSalaria(SaltRoad)inItalyisaprimeexample.Theword"salary"originatesfromtheLatin"salarium,"whichreferstotheallowancepaidtoRomansoldierstopurchasesalt.Thisetymologicallegacyunderscoresthecommodity'shighvalue.Furthermore,Romanfishsauce,knownas"garum,"wasaubiquitouscondimentmadebyfermentingfishgutsinsalt,servingasaprimarysourceofflavorandproteinfortheempire.

D.DuringtheMiddleAges,Venicerosetoprominenceasasalt-tradinghub.TheVenetianscontrolledsaltproductionandtraderoutesacrosstheAdriaticandMediterranean.Theyoftenmanipulatedsaltpricestounderminecompetitorsandmaintaintheireconomichegemony.Similarly,inWestAfrica,thetrans-Saharantraderoutessawcaravansexchangingsaltforgold.SaltblocksminedintheSaharadesertweresovaluablethattheywereoftenusedascurrency,andmerchantswouldtravelformonthstotradetheminthegold-richregionsofsub-SaharanAfrica.

E.Themethodsofsaltproductionhaveevolvedsignificantlyovertime.Themostprimitivemethodissolarevaporation,whereseawateristrappedinshallowpondsandallowedtoevaporateunderthesun,leavingbehindsaltcrystals.Thismethodisstillwidelyusedinwarmclimatestoday.Incolderregions,boilingbrineoveropenfireswascommon,thoughthiswasenergy-intensive.Themodernindustrialeraintroducedvacuumevaporation,aprocessthatusessteamheattoevaporatewaterunderreducedpressure,allowingforrapid,high-puritysaltproduction.Thismethodisprimarilyusedtoproducethefinetablesaltfoundinmosthouseholds.

F.Saltalsohasadarkersideinindustrialhistory.The"salttax"(gabelle)inFrancewasoneofthemostunpopularandoppressivetaxesimposedbythemonarchy.ItwasamajorgrievanceleadinguptotheFrenchRevolution.Thetaxvariedbyregion,leadingtowidespreadsmugglingandunrest.InBritishcolonialIndia,MahatmaGandhiledtheSaltMarchin1930,anon-violentprotestagainsttheBritishsaltmonopoly.Bymarchingtotheseatoproducehisownsalt,GandhihighlightedtheinjusticeoftheBritishtaxthatmadeabasicnecessityunaffordableforthepoor.

G.Today,saltisproducedonanindustrialscale,withover270milliontonsminedormanufacturedannually.Whileculinaryuseremainssignificant,themajorityofglobalsaltproductionisdedicatedtoindustrialapplications.Thechemicalindustryisthelargestconsumer,usingsaltastheprimaryfeedstockforchlorineandcausticsodaproduction,whichareessentialformanufacturingplastics,PVC,andthousandsofotherproducts.Additionally,saltiscriticalforroadsafety;millionsoftonsarespreadonicyroadsinwintertolowerthefreezingpointofwater,ensuringsaferdrivingconditions.

H.Despiteitsabundance,concernsregardingsaltconsumptionhaveemergedinmodernnutrition.Excessivesaltintakeislinkedtohypertension(highbloodpressure)andcardiovasculardiseases.Publichealthcampaignsworldwideadvocateforreducedsodiumintake,leadingtoaboominlow-sodiumand"salt-free"foodproducts.However,recentscientificdebatessuggestthattherelationshipbetweensaltandhealthiscomplex,withsomeresearchersarguingthatforhealthyindividuals,thebody'sregulatorymechanismsarerobustenoughtohandleawiderangeofsodiumintake.Thisongoingdebatereflectsthecomplexdualnatureofsalt:asimplemineralthatisbothalife-sustainingnutrientandapotentialhealthrisk.

Questions1-5

DothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgiveninReadingPassage1?

Write:

TRUEifthestatementagreeswiththeinformation

FALSEifthestatementcontradictstheinformation

NOTGIVENifthereisnoinformationonthis

1.Saltistheonlymineralthatisbiologicallyessentialforhumansurvival.

2.Theprimaryreasonforsalt'shighvalueinancienttimeswasitscapacitytopreservefood.

3.AncientChinausedrevenuesfromsalttaxestofundtheconstructionoftheGreatWall.

4.TheRomansoldiers'dailywagewaspaidentirelyinsalt.

5.Venicelostitseconomicpowerbecauseitfailedtocontrolsalttraderoutes.

Questions6-9

Completethesentencesbelow.

ChooseONEWORDONLYfromthepassageforeachanswer.

6.InancientRome,apopularcondimentcalled__________wascreatedbyfermentingfishinsalt.

7.InWestAfrica,saltblockswereoftenusedas__________duetotheirhighvalue.

8.The__________evaporationmethodiscommonlyusedinmoderntimestoproducefinetablesaltquickly.

9.Inthechemicalindustry,saltservesasthemainfeedstockforproducingchlorineand__________.

Questions10-13

Matchthefollowinghistoricaleventsorperiods(A-H)withthedescriptionsbelow.

Writethecorrectletter,A-H,inboxes10-13onyouranswersheet.

NBYoumayuseanylettermorethanonce.

10.Aprotestmarchagainstacolonialmonopolyonsaltproduction.

11.Aperiodwhenaspecificsalttaxcontributedtoamajorpoliticalrevolution.

12.Aneracharacterizedbytheexchangeofsaltforgoldindesertregions.

13.Thedevelopmentofboreholedrillingandbamboopipetechnologyforbrinetransport.

READINGPASSAGE2

Youshouldspendabout20minutesonQuestions14-26,whicharebasedonReadingPassage2below.

Biomimicry:InnovationInspiredbyNature

A.Biomimicry,derivedfromtheGreekwords"bios"(life)and"mimesis"(imitation),isaninterdisciplinaryapproachtoinnovationthatseekssustainablesolutionstohumanchallengesbyemulatingnature'stime-testedpatternsandstrategies.Thecorephilosophyisthatnature,havingundergone3.8billionyearsofevolution,hasalreadysolvedmanyoftheproblemswearegrapplingwithtoday:energyconservation,waterfiltration,non-toxicmanufacturing,andeventransportation.Unliketraditionalindustrialprocesseswhichoftenoperateona"heat,beat,andtreat"model,biomimicrylookstonatureasamentor,measure,andmodel.

B.OneofthemostcelebratedexamplesofbiomimicryisthedevelopmentofVelcro.In1941,SwissengineerGeorgedeMestralreturnedfromawalkwithhisdogtofindburrsclingingtohisclothesandthedog'sfur.Examiningthemunderamicroscope,hesawhundredsoftinyhooksthatcouldlatchontoloopsoffabric.Thisnaturalmechanism,employedbytheburdockplanttodisperseitsseedsbyhitchingridesonpassinganimals,inspireddeMestraltocreatethetwo-sidedfastener.Ittookhimnearlyadecadetoreplicatethehooksandloopssynthetically,buttheresultwasarevolutionaryfasteningsystemthatreplacedzippersandbuttonsincountlessapplications.

C.Thefieldoftransportationhasalsobenefitedimmenselyfrombiologicalinspiration.TheShinkansen,Japan'shigh-speedbullettrain,facedasignificantproblemwhenitfirstlaunched.Whenthetrainexitedatunnelathighspeed,itcreatedamassivesonicboomthatdisturbedresidentslivingnearby.Thechiefengineer,EijiNakatsu,happenedtobeabirdwatcher.HemodeledthenoseofthetrainaftertheKingfisherbird,whichdivesseamlesslyintowatertocatchpreywithoutcreatingasplash.Theredesigned,elongatedbeak-shapednosenotonlyeliminatedthesonicboombutalsoincreasedthetrain'sspeedby10%andreducedelectricityconsumptionby15%.

D.Intherealmofarchitectureandmaterialscience,theEastgateCentreinHarare,Zimbabwe,standsasatestamenttobiomimeticdesign.DesignedbyarchitectMickPearceandengineersatArup,thebuildingwasinspiredbythepassivecoolingsystemoftermitemounds.Termitesmaintainaconstanttemperatureinsidetheirmoundsdespiteextremeexternaltemperaturefluctuationsbyconstantlyopeningandclosingaseriesofventsthroughoutthemound.TheEastgateCentremimicsthiswithaself-coolingsystemthatusesfansandchimneystodrawincooloutsideairatnightandexpelhotairduringtheday,reducingenergyconsumptionforcoolingby90%comparedtoconventionalbuildingsofsimilarsize.

E.Anotherareaofintenseresearchisstructuralcolor,aphenomenonfoundinbutterfliesandpeacocks.Unlikepigment,whichabsorbslight,structuralcolorisproducedbymicroscopicstructuresthatinterferewithlightwaves,reflectingspecificcolors.TheMorphobutterfly,forinstance,appearsiridescentblueduetothenanostructureofitswings,notbluepigment.Researchersareattemptingtoreplicatethistocreatepaintsanddisplaysthatdonotfadeovertimeandarefreefromtoxicheavymetals.Thistechnologycouldleadtoe-paperreaderswithhighervisibilityandlowerpowerconsumption.

F.Biomimicryalsoextendstothestudyofnon-livingnaturalsystems,knownas"geomimicry."Forexample,theformationofseashellsandabalonenacreinvolvesaprocessoflayeringcalciumcarbonatewithproteins,resultinginamaterialthatis3,000timestougherthanitscomponentsalone.Scientistshavesynthesizedasimilarcompositematerialbyfreezingceramicparticlessuspendedinwater,thenremovingtheiceandreplacingitwithapolymer.This"freeze-casting"techniqueproducesmaterialsthatareexceptionallystrongandlightweight,idealforaerospaceandmedicalimplants.

G.Thepotentialofbiomimicryisvast,yetitrequiresafundamentalshiftinhowdesignersandengineersapproachproblem-solving.Itdemands"biologistsatthedesigntable"totranslatebiologicalprinciplesintoengineeringterms.OrganizationsliketheBiomimicryInstituteareworkingtocatalognature's"genius"intoasearchabledatabase,makingiteasierforinnovatorstofindbiologicalanalogiesfortheirspecificchallenges.Aswemovetowardsamoresustainablefuture,lookingtonatureisnotjustanoption;itmaybetheonlywaytocreateaworldthatisconducivetolife.

Questions14-19

ReadingPassage2hassevenparagraphs,A-G.

Whichparagraphcontainsthefollowinginformation?

Writethecorrectletter,A-G,inboxes14-19onyouranswersheet.

14.Adescriptionofacoolingsystembasedoninsectbehavior.

15.Theoriginoftheterm"biomimicry"anditscoredefinition.

16.Anexplanationofhowstructuralcolordiffersfromtraditionalpigment.

17.Theaccidentaldiscoverythatledtoanewtypeoffastener.

18.Amanufacturingtechniqueinspiredbytheformationofseashells.

19.Howabird'sdivingabilitysolvedanoiseproblemforatrain.

Questions20-22

Choosethecorrectletter,A,B,C,orD.

20.Accordingtothepassage,the"heat,beat,andtreat"modelrefersto

A.theevolutionaryprocessofnaturalselection.

B.traditionalindustrialmethodsthatareoftenwasteful.

C.thespecificmechanismusedbytermitestocooltheirmounds.

D.theprocessoffreezingceramicparticlestomakestrongmaterials.

21.TheredesignednoseoftheShinkansentrainresultedinallofthefollowingEXCEPT:

A.eliminatingthesonicboom.

B.reducingtheuseofelectricity.

C.increasingthetrain'smaximumspeed.

D.allowingthetraintotravelunderwater.

22.Whatissuggestedaboutthefutureofbiomimicryinthefinalparagraph?

A.Itiscurrentlytooexpensivetobewidelyadopted.

B.Itrequiresadatabasetobefullyeffective.

C.Itisessentialforachievingsustainability.

D.Itislimitedtothefieldofarchitecture.

Questions23-26

Completethesummarybelow.

ChooseONEWORDONLYfromthepassageforeachanswer.

TheMorphobutterfly'sbluecolorisnotaresultofpigmentbutof23__________thatreflectlight.Scientistshopetousethisprincipletocreatedisplaysthataremoreenergy-efficientandfreeof24__________.Similarly,thestructureofabalonenacre,whichismuchtougherthanitscomponents,hasinspiredatechniquecalled25__________.Thistechniquecreatesstrong,lightweightcompositessuitableforusein26__________andmedicalimplants.

READINGPASSAGE3

Youshouldspendabout20minutesonQuestions27-40,whicharebasedonReadingPassage3below.

TheEnigmaofTimePerception

A.Timeisafundamentaldimensionofexistence,yetourperceptionofitisnotoriouslyelastic.Wehaveallexperiencedmomentswherehoursseemtoflybyinseconds,whileatothertimes,aminutecanfeellikeaneternity.Thissubjectiveexperienceoftime,oftenreferredtoas"psychologicaltime,"differssignificantlyfrom"physicaltime,"whichismeasuredbythetickingofaclock.Thestudyoftimeperceptionisamultidisciplinaryfield,drawingonpsychology,neuroscience,andphilosophy,allattemptingtounravelwhyourinternalclockdoesnotalwaysalignwithexternalreality.

B.Oneoftheprimarytheoriesexplainingtimeperceptionisthe"pacemaker-accumulator"model.Thismodelsuggeststhatthebrainpossessesaninternalpacemakerthatemitsneuralpulsesatasteadyrate.Anaccumulatorcountsthesepulses,andthenumberofpulsesaccumulatedbetweenastartandstopsignaldeterminestheperceivedduration.However,thisinternalclockisnotimmutable;itissusceptibletotheinfluenceofarousalandattention.Whenwearearoused,perhapsbyfearorexcitement,thepacemakerspeedsup,leadingtomorepulsesbeingaccumulated.Consequently,astandardphysicalintervalfeelslongerbecausethebrainhasregisteredmore"ticks."Conversely,whenweareboredordrowsy,thepacemakerslowsdown,andtimeseemstodrag.

C.Theroleofattentioniscrucialinthismechanism.Attentionactsasagatekeeperforthe"ticks"reachingtheaccumulator.Whenwearefullyengrossedinatask,attentionisdirectedawayfromthepassageoftime,andfewerticksareregistered.Thisexplainsthe"flowstate"describedbypsychologists,whereapersonissoimmersedinanactivitythattheyloseallsenseoftime.Conversely,whenwearewaitingforsomething,likeapotofwatertoboil,ourattentionisfixatedonthetime,leadingtoanoverestimationoftheduration.Thisisoftenreferredtoasthe"watched-poteffect."

D.Memoryalsoplaysadeceptiveroleinhowwejudgethepassageoftimeinretrospect.The"paradoxoftheholidays"illustratesthisphenomenonperfectly.Atwo-weekvacationoftenfeelslikeitpassesveryquicklywhileyouarelivingit.However,whenlookingback,thesamevacationfeelslikeitlastedalongtime.Thisdiscrepancyarisesbecauseretrospectivetimeperceptionisbasedonthedensityofnewmemoriesformed.Duringaroutineweekatwork,fewnewmemoriesareencoded,sotheweekfeelslonginthemoment(duetoboredom)butshortinretrospect(duetolackofdistinctmemories).Onvacation,theconstantinfluxofnovelsightsandexperiencescreatesahighdensityofmemorystorage,makingtheperiodfeelexpansivewhenrecalled.

E.Neuroscientificresearchhasidentifiedspecificbrainregionsinvolvedinprocessingtime.Thebasalganglia,particularlythestriatum,andthecerebellumarebelievedtohousetheinternalclockmechanism.Patientswithdamagetothebasalganglia,suchasthosewithParkinson'sdisease,oftenexhibitimpairmentsintimeperceptiontasks,particularlyindistinguishingdurationsofseconds.Furthermore,thedopaminesystemplaysacriticalmodulatoryrole.Dopamine,aneurotransmitterassociatedwithrewardandpleasure,appearstospeeduptheinternalclock.Thisexplainswhydrugsthatincreasedopaminelevels,likecocaineandmethamphetamines,canaltertimeperception,oftenmakingusersfeelthattimeispassingmoreslowlythanitactuallyis.

F.Developmentalpsychologyaddsanotherlayertothemystery.Childrengenerallyperceivetimeaspassingmoreslowlythanadultsdo.Thisisoftenattributedtothe"proportionaltheory,"whichsuggeststhatasweage,eachunitoftimebecomesasmallerfractionofourtotallifeexperience.Toafive-year-old,oneyearis20%oftheirlife;toafifty-year-old,itisonly2%.However,someresearchersarguethatitismoreaboutthenoveltyofexperience.Forchildren,theworldisfullofnewexperiences,leadingtoahighdensityofmemoryencoding,muchliketheholidayparadox.Asweage,routinesdominate,fewernovelmemoriesareformed,andyearsseemtoblendtogether.

G.Finally,theconceptof"mentaltimetravel"allowshumanstoprojectthemselvesintothefutureorrevisitthepast,acapabilitydistinctfromotheranimals.Whileepisodicmemoryallowsustoreconstructpastevents,ourabilitytosimulatefuturescenariosiscrucialforplanningandsurvival.Interestingly,ourperceptionofthefutureisoftencompressed;distanteventsfeelcloserthantheyare,abiasknownas"temporaldiscounting."Wevalueimmediaterewardsmorehighlythanfutureones,acognitivebiasthathassignificantimplicationsforfinancialdecision-makingandhealthbehaviors,suchasprocrastinationandsubstanceabuse.

H.Inconclusion,timeperceptionisnotapassiverecordingofobjectiverealitybutanactiveconstructionofthebrain.Itisacomplexinterplayofattention,emotion,memory,andneurochemistry.Whilewerelyonclockstosynchronizeoursocieties,oursubjectiveexperienceoftimeremainsadeeplypersonalandfluidphenomenon.Understandingthemechanismsbehindthiselasticitynotonlyilluminatesthehumanconditionbutalsoofferspotentialtherapeuticavenuesfordisorderswheretimeperceptionisdistorted,suchasschizophreniaanddepression.

Questions27-31

ChoosethecorrectheadingforparagraphsA-Hfromthelistofheadingsbelow.

Writethecorrectnumber,i-ix,inboxes27-31onyouranswersheet.

ListofHeadings

i.Theinfluenceofneurochemistryontheinternalclock

ii.Thediscrepancybetweensubjectiveandobjectivetime

iii.Theroleofmemoryinretrospectivejudgment

iv.Developmentalchangesintimeperception

v.Themechanicsofthepacemaker-accumulatormodel

vi.Theevolutionaryadvantageofmentaltimetravel

vii.Attentionasaregulatoroftimeperception

viii.Distortionsintimeperceptionduetoillness

ix.Futureimplicationsfortreatingmentaldisorders

27.ParagraphA

28.ParagraphB

29.ParagraphC

30.ParagraphD

31.ParagraphE

Questions32-36

DothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeclaimsofthewriterinReadingPassage3?

Write:

YESifthestatementagreeswiththeclaims

NOifthestatementcontradictstheclaims

NOTGIVENifitisimpossibletosaywhatthewriterthinks

32.The"pacemaker-accumulator"modelpositsthatthebrain'sinternalclockoperatesataconstant,unchangeablespeed.

33.The"watched-poteffect"occursbecauseattentionisfocusedonthepassageoftime.

34.Retrospectivetimeperceptionisprimarilydeterminedbytheemotionalintensityofthememories.

35.Damagetothecerebellumhasnoeffectonaperson'sabilitytoperceivetime.

36.Temporaldiscountingsuggeststhathumansgenerallyvaluefuturerewardsmorethanimmediateones.

Questions37-40

Completethesummarybelow.

ChooseONEWORDONLYfromthepassageforeachanswer.

Accordingtotheproportionaltheory,timeseemstospeedupasweagebecauseeachyearrepresentsasmaller37__________ofourtotallife.However,analternativeviewsuggeststhisisduetothelackof38__________experiencesinadulthoodcomparedtochildhood.Furthermore,ourabilitytoengageinmentaltimetravelinvolvesabiascalledtemporaldiscounting,whereweprefer39__________rewards.Thisbiascannegativelyimpactbehaviorssuchasfinancialplanningand40__________.

AnswerKey

1.FALSE

2.TRUE

3.TRUE

4.FALSE

5.FALSE

6.garum

7.currency

8.vacuum

9.soda(orcausticsoda)

10.F

11.F

12.D

13.B

14.D

15.A

16.E

17.B

18.F

19.C

20.B

21.D

22.C

23.nanostructures

24.metals(orheavymetals)

25.freeze-casting

26.aerospace

27.ii

28.v

29.vii

30.iii

31.i

32.NO

33.YES

34.NO

35.NO

36.NO

37.fraction

38.novel(ornew)

39.immediate

40.procrastination

DetailedAnswerExplanations

Passage1:TheHistoryandScienceofSalt

1.FALSE:Thepassagestatessaltis"essentialforhumanlife,"butitdoesnotclaimitistheonlyessentialmineral.Itmentionsitis"unlikemanyothercommodities,"butthisreferstoitshistoricalrole,notbiologicalexclusivity.

2.TRUE:ParagraphAexplicitlystates,"Itsabilitytopreservefoodwastheprimarycatalystforitsearlyvalue."

3.TRUE:ParagraphBmentions,"therevenuesgeneratedfromsalttaxeswerecrucialforthefundingoftheGreatWall."

4.FALSE:ParagraphCsays"salary"originatesfrom"salarium,"whichwasan"allowancepaidtoRomansoldierstopurchasesalt."Itdoesnotsaytheywerepaidentirelyinsalt,northatitwastheirwage,butratheranallowance.

5.FALSE:ParagraphDstatesVenice"rosetoprominence"and"maintainedtheireconomichegemony"throughsaltcontrol.Itdoesnotsaytheylostpowerduetofailingtocontrolit.

6.garum:ParagraphCmentions"Romanfishsauce,knownas'garum'..."

7.currency:ParagraphDstates,"saltblocks...wereoftenusedascurrency."

8.vacuum:ParagraphEdescribes"vacuumevaporation"asthemethodforrapid,high-puritysaltproduction(finetablesalt).

9.soda(orcausticsoda):ParagraphGmentionssaltisusedfor"chlorineandcausticsodaproduction."

10.F:ParagraphFdiscussesGandhi'sSaltMarchagainsttheBritishsaltmonopoly.

11.F:ParagraphFdiscussestheFrench"gabelle"(salttax)leadingtotheFrenchRevolution.

12.D:ParagraphDdiscussesthetrans-Saharantradewheresaltwasexchangedforgold.

13.B:ParagraphBmentionsChinadeveloping"drillingdeepboreholesandusingbamboopipes."

Passage2:Biomimicry:InnovationInspiredbyNature

14.D:ParagraphDdescribestheEastgateCentreinspiredby"termitemounds"(insects).

15.A:ParagraphAdefines"Biomimicry"anditsGreekroots.

16.E:Para