IELTS PREDICTION TEST

A river reveals its Roman past
2,000 years ago the town of Arles, in what is now south-western France, was a busy gateway to the area of the Roman Empire known as Gaul. Goods from all over the Mediterranean were transferred there to barges – long, shallow riverboats – then pulled up the Rhône river to supply the northern half of the great empire. Today, Arles is a small, quiet place, and the Rhône is polluted and mostly ignored.
Archaeologist Luc Long is a native of Arles. He had already worked on sunken ships all over the Mediterranean when, in 1986, a friend persuaded him to dive for the first time in his home river. Long reluctantly agreed. The two men entered the river on a chilly November morning, when the water was around 8°C, thick, cloudy and foul-smelling. They could see no more than a metre ahead through the murky water. At a depth of about six metres, Long saw a sunken truck. To his surprise, he discovered an ancient Roman jar – known as an amphora – on the driver’s seat. These containers were used throughout the Roman Empire to transport olive oil, fish sauce, and other products. When empty, they would simply be discarded. Within a short time the divers found themselves swimming over a vast field of amphorae. Long had never seen so many intact ones, and he has been mapping this Roman rubbish dump ever since.
For the first 20 years or so, no one paid much attention to what Long was doing. When, in 2004, one of his colleagues came across a 34-metre-long Roman barge, Long doubted that there would ever be enough money available to raise it. In 2007, Long handed over the study of this wreck – which he named Arles-Rhône 3 – to three younger archaeologists, and continued his survey of the rest of the dump, around 50 metres upstream. This was where he started finding pieces of the Roman town of Arles, including statues. Word began to leak out. The French customs police warned Long that antiquities thieves might be watching his operation. So when his divers found a two-metre statue of the god Neptune, they brought it to the surface at night.
Before the diving season was over, divers had discovered a rare marble bust of the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. An exhibition was built around the statue, and news of it spread around the world. ‘The exhibition’s success was astonishing,’ said Claude Sintes, director of Arles’ local antiquities museum, where the exhibition was held. ‘When a modest town like ours got 400,000 visitors, the politicians understood that the economic return was strong.’ By the autumn of 2010, the Caesar exhibition was nearing its end, and those same politicians were looking for more culture to invest in, because the European Union had designated the region around Arles a 2013 European Capital of Culture. Suddenly nine million euros became available to build a new wing on the museum and put a Roman barge into it. There was just one problem. The project would need to be completed by 2013. That meant the barge needed to be extracted by the end of the diving season in 2011. This was because although the wood of the boat had suffered no microbial decay, water had filled its cells, leaving the whole structure soft and spongy. If that were to evaporate, the boat would collapse. The solution was to bathe the wood for months in a polymer called polyethylene glycol, then freeze-dry it in small sections – gradually infusing it with the polymer before extracting the water. The process would take nearly two years.
So there was only one diving season to extract the boat from the Rhône. ‘We thought the project was doomed to fail,’ said Benoit Poinard, a professional diver and the site foreman. Normally, Poinard explained, the Rhône is safe for diving only from late June to October; otherwise the current is too strong. Three or four months would not be enough to excavate Arles-Rhône 3. Then 2011 arrived. It hardly snowed in the Alps that winter; that spring it barely rained. The Rhône’s current was so gentle that the team got in the water by early May. The team worked straight into November, losing only a single week to bad weather – and completed the job. ‘Two hours after we finished,’ Poinard said, ‘the Rhône became undiveable for the whole winter.’
 
When Arles-Rhône 3 sank, it was carrying 33 tons of stone for building work. It had come from a quarry just north of Arles, and was probably heading towards a construction site further down the river. The boat was pointed upstream, though, rather than downstream, indicating it had been moored at the quay when it sank. A flash flood had probably swamped it. As soon as the flood subsided, the barge would have been covered in a coating of fine clay no more than 20 cm thick. This was where the archaeologists discovered the personal effects that the crew had left on the boat, including cooking utensils and plates. When the restorers were taking the boat apart, they also found a silver coin sealed between two planks of wood; it had been put there to bring good luck. And it did – 2,000 years later. Arles-Rhône 3 was able to take its place in the new wing of the museum, on schedule, just over two years after re-emerging from the cloudy depths of the Rhône.

1. In 1986 Luc Long had been looking for an opportunity to dive in the Rhône for some time. — {FALSE}
<ul data-path-to-node="4">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…in 1986, a friend persuaded him to dive for the first time in his home river. Long reluctantly agreed.” (Đoạn 2)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Long “miễn cưỡng đồng ý” sau khi được bạn thuyết phục, chứ không phải ông đã tìm kiếm cơ hội này từ lâu.
</li>
</ul>
2. Long and his friend were the first divers to find Roman remains in the Rhône. — {NOT GIVEN}
<ul data-path-to-node="6">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 2 mô tả việc họ tìm thấy các bình amphora (bình cổ La Mã).
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Bài đọc chỉ nói họ tìm thấy di tích, nhưng không có thông tin khẳng định họ là những người đầu tiên tìm thấy đồ La Mã ở dòng sông này.
</li>
</ul>
3. Long’s work in the Rhône attracted immediate interest. — {FALSE}
<ul data-path-to-node="8">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “For the first 20 years or so, no one paid much attention to what Long was doing.” (Đoạn 3)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Trong khoảng 20 năm đầu, không ai chú ý đến việc Long làm. Điều này trái ngược hoàn toàn với từ “immediate interest” (sự quan tâm ngay lập tức).
</li>
</ul>
4. It was thought that the Neptune statue would be of interest to thieves. — {TRUE}
<ul data-path-to-node="10">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “The French customs police warned Long that antiquities thieves might be watching his operation. So when his divers found a… statue of the god Neptune, they brought it to the surface at night.” (Đoạn 3)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Cảnh sát đã cảnh báo về trộm cổ vật và họ phải đưa tượng thần Neptune lên vào ban đêm để tránh bị chú ý, chứng tỏ bức tượng là mục tiêu của kẻ trộm.
</li>
</ul>
5. Benoît Poinard doubted that the barge could be raised in one diving season. — {TRUE}
<ul data-path-to-node="12">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “‘We thought the project was doomed to fail,’ said Benoit Poinard… Three or four months would not be enough to excavate Arles-Rhône 3.” (Đoạn 5)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Poinard tin rằng dự án sẽ thất bại vì thời gian lặn an toàn trên sông Rhône quá ngắn, không đủ để trục vớt con tàu trong một mùa.
</li>
</ul>
6. The restorers were surprised to discover a silver coin on the barge. — {FALSE}
<ul data-path-to-node="14">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…they also found a silver coin sealed between two planks of wood; it had been put there to bring good luck.” (Đoạn 6)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Việc đặt đồng xu giữa các tấm ván là một tập tục để cầu may mắn (quen thuộc trong khảo cổ hàng hải), bài đọc không hề nhắc đến việc các nhà phục chế cảm thấy ngạc nhiên.
</li>
</ul>

Questions 1–6

7. …stations built on snow might {melt} if they don’t have good insulation.
<ul data-path-to-node="18">
<li>
Giải thích: Nhiệt độ từ bên trong tòa nhà có thể làm tan chảy lớp tuyết bên dưới nếu không được cách nhiệt tốt.
</li>
</ul>
8. …strong winds can damage buildings, especially the {roofs}.
<ul data-path-to-node="20">
<li>
Giải thích: Tại Nam Cực, gió cực mạnh thường là nguyên nhân chính gây hư hại cho phần mái nhà.
</li>
</ul>
9. Neumayer III Station is built on special {legs} so it won’t be buried.
<ul data-path-to-node="22">
<li>
Giải thích: Việc đặt trạm trên những chiếc chân trụ giúp nâng tòa nhà lên cao, tránh bị tuyết vùi lấp theo thời gian.
</li>
</ul>
10. {wheels} underneath Halley VI Station allow it to be moved.
<ul data-path-to-node="24">
<li>
Giải thích: Trạm Halley VI có thiết kế đặc biệt với các bánh xe (hoặc ván trượt) để có thể di chuyển toàn bộ trạm khi băng nứt.
</li>
</ul>
11. Halley VI has… facilities including a {gym}.
<ul data-path-to-node="26">
<li>
Giải thích: Để phục vụ đời sống tinh thần và sức khỏe, trạm có các khu giải trí và phòng tập gym.
</li>
</ul>
12. …some bigger stations have staff… including a {chef} and a nutritionist.
<ul data-path-to-node="28">
<li>
Giải thích: Các trạm lớn cần đội ngũ chuyên nghiệp để chuẩn bị bữa ăn, bao gồm đầu bếp và chuyên gia dinh dưỡng.
</li>
</ul>
13. South Pole station produces {vegetables} using a special system of nutrition.
<ul data-path-to-node="30">
<li>
Giải thích: Bằng phương pháp thủy canh hoặc các hệ thống dinh dưỡng đặc biệt, trạm Nam Cực có thể tự trồng rau tươi.
</li>
</ul>

Questions 7–13

PASSAGE 1

Decision Fatigue
‘Decision fatigue’ helps explain why ordinarily sensible people avoid making decisions or are easily persuaded to make the wrong decisions when they are tired. Yet few people are conscious of it, and researchers are only beginning to understand why it happens.
A No matter how rational people try to be, they can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price. This ‘decision fatigue’ is different from ordinary physical fatigue. People are not conscious of being tired, but nevertheless they are low on energy. The more choices one makes throughout the day, the harder it becomes for the brain, and eventually it looks for shortcuts: either to act impulsively instead of expending the energy to think through the possible results, or the ultimate energy saver: do nothing. Avoiding a decision often creates bigger problems in the long run, but for the moment it eases the mental strain.
B Decision fatigue involves a phenomenon called ego depletion, a term coined by social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister. His research demonstrated that there is a finite store of mental stamina for exerting self-control. For example, when people fended off the temptation to eat freshly baked biscuits, they were then less able to resist other temptations. When they tried to resist the urge to cry during a sad movie, afterwards they gave up more quickly on tasks requiring self-discipline, such as working on a geometry puzzle. The experiments confirmed the 19th-century notion of willpower being like a muscle that became tired with use; something which could be conserved by avoiding temptation.
C Decision fatigue leaves people vulnerable to marketers who know how to time their sales, as Jonathan Levav demonstrated. He visited a tailor to have a suit made for his wedding and began going through the choices of fabric, buttons, and so forth, and when he got through the third pile of fabric samples. Levav recalls, “I couldn’t tell the choices apart anymore. After a while my only response to the tailor became, ‘What do you recommend?’” Levav put the experience to use in an experiment conducted at German car dealerships, where real customers had to choose among four styles of gearshift knobs, 25 configurations of the engine and gearbox, and a palette of 56 colours for the interior. As they started picking features, customers would carefully weigh the choices, but as decision fatigue set in they would start settling for the default option. By manipulating the order of the car buyers’ choices, the researchers found that customers would end up paying more.
D Similarly, sweet snacks are featured prominently at cash registers at most supermarkets. With their willpower reduced after shopping, people are especially vulnerable to sweet drinks and snacks. While supermarkets figured this out a long time ago, only recently did researchers discover why. Baumeister’s research team tested the notion that people could build up willpower by first indulging in pleasure. They found that a delicious, thick milkshake strengthened willpower by helping people perform better than expected on their next task. However, the experiment also included a control group who drank a tasteless low-fat dairy beverage. It provided them with no pleasure, yet it produced similar improvements in self-control. Baumeister concluded that even the tasteless drink had worked because the brain, like the rest of the body, derived energy from glucose, the simple sugar manufactured from all kinds of foods, including milk.
E To establish cause and effect, researchers at Baumeister’s lab tried refueling the brain in experiments involving lemonade mixed either with sugar or with a diet sweetener. The sugary lemonade provided a burst of glucose, the effects of which could be observed immediately in the lab; the sugarless sweeteners tasted similar but did not contain the glucose. Again and again, the sugar restored willpower, but the artificial sweetener had no effect. The glucose would mitigate the ego depletion and sometimes completely reverse it, improving self-control and the quality of decisions: the subjects resisted irrational bias when making choices and, when making financial decisions, they were more likely to choose the better long-term strategy instead of going for a quick payoff.
F However, some brain researchers had reservations about the glucose connection. “Todd Heatherton, a pioneer of social neuroscience, believed in ego depletion but didn’t see how this process could be caused simply by variations in glucose levels.” To observe the process, and to see if it could be reversed by glucose, Heatherton’s team recorded images of the brains of 45 people who were on a low-calorie diet as they reacted to pictures of food. Next, these dieters watched a comedy video while forcing themselves to suppress their laughter—thereby draining mental energy and inducing ego depletion. When they were again shown pictures of food, further brain scans revealed more activity in the brain’s reward centre and a decrease in the amygdala, which helps control impulses. The food’s appeal, in other words, registered more strongly while impulse control weakened. What surprised Heatherton was that administering glucose completely reversed the brain changes brought about by ego depletion.
G “Good decision-making is not a trait of the person,” Baumeister says. “It’s a state that fluctuates.” His studies show that people with the best self-control are the ones who avoid temptations and who establish habits that eliminate the mental effort of making choices. Instead of counting on willpower all day, they conserve it so that it’s available for important decisions. “Even the wisest people won’t make good choices when they’re not rested and their glucose is low,” Baumeister notes. If a decision must be made late in the afternoon or in the evening, they know not to do it on an empty stomach. The best decision-makers, according to Baumeister, “are the ones who know when not to trust themselves.”

14. research in which two substances that tasted alike had different effects — {E}
<ul data-path-to-node="4">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…lemonade mixed either with sugar or with a diet sweetener. …the sugarless sweeteners tasted similar but did not contain the glucose.” (Đoạn E)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Thí nghiệm so sánh nước chanh pha đường và chất tạo ngọt ăn kiêng (vị giống nhau) nhưng chỉ có đường mới phục hồi được ý chí.
</li>
</ul>
15. controlling emotions while viewing something upsetting led to a lack of perseverance — {B}
<ul data-path-to-node="6">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “When they tried to resist the urge to cry during a sad movie, afterwards they gave up more quickly on tasks requiring self-discipline…” (Đoạn B)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Việc kìm nén cảm xúc khi xem phim buồn khiến đối tượng nghiên cứu mất đi sự kiên trì (perseverance) trong các bài tập hình học sau đó.
</li>
</ul>
16. an explanation of why it is important to eat something before making a decision — {G}
<ul data-path-to-node="8">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “If a decision must be made late in the afternoon… they know not to do it on an empty stomach.” (Đoạn G)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Baumeister khuyên không nên đưa ra quyết định vào cuối ngày khi bụng đói (cần nạp năng lượng/glucose).
</li>
</ul>
17. a reference to a researcher who was not initially convinced of the effect of glucose — {F}
<ul data-path-to-node="10">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “Todd Heatherton… didn’t see how this process could be caused simply by variations in glucose levels.” (Đoạn F)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Heatherton ban đầu có sự dè dặt (reservations) và không tin rằng chỉ sự thay đổi glucose có thể gây ra hiện tượng này.
</li>
</ul>
18. an account of research that mirrored an experience the researcher had in his personal life — {C}
<ul data-path-to-node="12">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “Levav recalls, ‘I couldn’t tell the choices apart anymore…’ Levav put the experience to use in an experiment conducted at German car dealerships…” (Đoạn C)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Levav đã dùng chính trải nghiệm mệt mỏi khi đi may bộ đồ cưới của mình để thiết kế thí nghiệm mua xe ô tô.
</li>
</ul>
19. an example of how the location of products in a shop can be used — {D}
<ul data-path-to-node="14">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…sweet snacks are featured prominently at cash registers at most supermarkets.” (Đoạn D)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Việc đặt đồ ngọt tại quầy thu ngân tận dụng sự suy yếu ý chí của khách hàng sau khi đã mua sắm xong.
</li>
</ul>

Questions 14–19

20. Even khi people attempt to be {rational}, they experience ‘decision fatigue’…
<ul data-path-to-node="18">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “No matter how rational people try to be, they can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price.” (Đoạn A)
</li>
</ul>
21. They are not aware of how {tired} they are…
<ul data-path-to-node="20">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “People are not conscious of being tired, but nevertheless they are low on energy.” (Đoạn A)
</li>
</ul>
22. After making many decisions in one day, the brain seeks {shortcuts} in order to conserve energy.
<ul data-path-to-node="22">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…the more choices one makes… eventually it [the brain] looks for shortcuts…” (Đoạn A)
</li>
</ul>

Questions 20–22

23. The energy people have for exercising willpower is limited — {A} Roy F. Baumeister
<ul data-path-to-node="26">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “Baumeister. His research demonstrated that there is a finite store of mental stamina…” (Đoạn B)
</li>
</ul>
24. Even an unpleasant substance had a positive effect on willpower — {A} Roy F. Baumeister
<ul data-path-to-node="28">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “Baumeister concluded that even the tasteless drink had worked…” (Đoạn D)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Loại đồ uống không vị (tasteless/unpleasant) vẫn có tác dụng vì nó chứa glucose.
</li>
</ul>
25. People’s responses to images changed after having to exercise self-control — {C} Todd Heatherton
<ul data-path-to-node="30">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “Heatherton’s team recorded images… as they reacted to pictures of food. …further brain scans revealed more activity…” (Đoạn F)
</li>
</ul>
26. The sequence of options presented to consumers could be used to the consumers’ disadvantage — {B} Jonathan Levav
<ul data-path-to-node="32">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…experiment conducted at German car dealerships… By manipulating the order of the car buyers’ choices… customers would end up paying more.” (Đoạn C)
</li>
</ul>

Questions 23–26

PASSAGE 2

The Dunedin study
The New Zealand city of Dunedin in the early 1970s can easily be made to sound idyllic. There was next to no unemployment and people left their doors unlocked at night. New Zealand was then the ninth richest country in the world and many residents believed that, as a place to bring up children, this was a city without rival. However, Phil Silva, an educational psychologist, was not so certain and decided to take a closer look. Silva identified those children born in the year from April 1, 1972 whose mothers were still living in the city three years later. The parents were asked if they would mind bringing their children in for a health and development assessment. Incredibly, no fewer than 91% agreed to help and 1037 three-year-olds completed half a day of tests and experiments. In the process, the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study was born.
There was precious little money at Silva’s disposal, so the assessments were done in a church with the help of dozens of volunteers. Each child was assessed against a range of measures such as height, weight, and head circumference. Language skills were assessed and profiles of behaviour were compiled. However, one set of assessments was never going to satisfy Silva’s curiosity, so when the children were five, his same team asked the parents to bring the children back for a second study. Of the original 1037 children, 96% came. The data gathered at age three was updated and new measurement criteria – discipline, nutrition, dental health – were introduced.
By 1978, Silva was able to shock the nation with his findings: one in four children had delayed language development; 15% had ear problems; the researchers had identified one child who was blind and another who might have died from undetected skin cancer. New Zealanders, Silva declared, were more diligent about their cars than their children. Cars were required by law to be regularly checked; if children were treated similarly, ideally at behavioural clinics in schools, problems could be picked up in time to prevent lasting damage.
The parents were asked to bring their children back at ages seven, nine and 11 to the old church for further assessments. Crucially for the study’s survival, the politicians were finally starting to take note and government funding began to trickle in. By the time the children returned at age 13, the study had taken up residence in an abandoned building tucked behind the dental school. It wouldn’t have been the researchers’ first choice, and was certainly not grand, but it was at least a site for the long term and its acquisition represented a landmark in the study’s development. It was to this building that the participants returned at ages 15, 18, 21, 26 and, most recently, at 32.
Among the most recent findings are that birth complications – a focus of Silva’s original research – don’t necessarily set children up for problems as they mature in later life, although the amount a newborn infant weighs is associated with IQ. Paediatric textbooks had insisted for years that breast-feeding protected against medical problems like asthma and allergies. The Dunedin study has shown that assumption to be incorrect. Other findings that challenged the received wisdom include the fact that thumb-sucking does no harm; birth order makes no difference to later development; and pre-schoolers whose mothers work are not disadvantaged. Overall, the study has confirmed the notion that broad personality traits are laid down by the age of three. Along the way, the Dunedin researchers have been able to contradict old assumptions and explode medical myths long held by the profession.
The Dunedin study is important not only because of its findings, however. It also provides a model because of the extraordinary commitment of study members. No other longitudinal research project in the world matches its retention rate of 96% at age 32. Silva concedes that luck has a lot to do with this: Dunedin city was, and largely still is, close-knit, homogeneous and devoted to its university and medical school. It is large enough to produce a study population that produces findings that can be generalised to New Zealand and other developed countries, yet small enough that one in every 10 households has had a child or relative in the study.
More important than circumstance, though, was the approach taken by the researchers. Silva recalls that by year 13, participation had dropped off – only 82% came in for assessments. He realised the most important asset they had was the sample group and these people must be nurtured at all costs. He spent many long hours out in the field, finding those participants who had gone adrift and persuading them to come in. Study members are kept up to date with the steady flow of findings to which they have contributed. Privacy is absolutely paramount: Silva won’t even say how many of the study members are now in prison: nothing must erode the trust that’s been built up over the years.
Today, more than a quarter of the sample live overseas so the study also has its own travel agent, who does her best to accommodate requests to spend Christmas in Dunedin with family. This is just one example of the enormous effort that goes into maintaining contact and removing obstacles to participation. With such diligence and care, researchers hope the Dunedin study will continue for many years, perhaps generations, to come.

27. What does the writer say about Dunedin in the 1970s? — {D}
<ul data-path-to-node="4">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “New Zealand was then the ninth richest country in the world and many residents believed that… this was a city without rival [to bring up children].” (Đoạn 1)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: “Wealthy” tương ứng với quốc gia giàu thứ 9, và “ideal place to raise children” tương ứng với “city without rival” (thành phố không đối thủ).
</li>
</ul>
28. What did the writer find surprising about Phil Silva’s original study? — {C}
<ul data-path-to-node="6">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “Incredibly, no fewer than 91% agreed to help…” (Đoạn 1)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Từ “Incredibly” (đáng kinh ngạc/thật khó tin) thể hiện sự ngạc nhiên của tác giả về tỉ lệ cha mẹ đồng ý tham gia rất cao.
</li>
</ul>
29. What was Silva’s main finding in 1978? — {B}
<ul data-path-to-node="8">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…one in four children had delayed language development; 15% had ear problems; …one child who was blind…” (Đoạn 3)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Các con số này cho thấy nhiều trẻ em gặp phải các vấn đề về phát triển (developmental problems) mà trước đó chưa được phát hiện.
</li>
</ul>
30. What was different about the first and second studies? — {D}
<ul data-path-to-node="10">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “The data gathered at age three was updated and new measurement criteria – discipline, nutrition, dental health – were introduced.” (Đoạn 2)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Nghiên cứu thứ hai đã đưa thêm các tiêu chí đo lường mới (additional types of information) như kỷ luật, dinh dưỡng và sức khỏe răng miệng.
</li>
</ul>
31. What problem did Silva face when conducting the original study? — {B}
<ul data-path-to-node="12">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “There was precious little money at Silva’s disposal, so the assessments were done in a church with the help of dozens of volunteers.” (Đoạn 2)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Việc phải làm trong nhà thờ và dùng tình nguyện viên cho thấy sự thiếu hụt nghiêm trọng về kinh phí (lack of available funding).
</li>
</ul>
32. Why does the writer mention the new building in the fourth paragraph? — {B}
<ul data-path-to-node="14">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…the politicians were finally starting to take note and government funding began to trickle in. …it was at least a site for the long term and its acquisition represented a landmark…” (Đoạn 4)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Việc có một tòa nhà cố định (dù không sang trọng) đánh dấu việc nghiên cứu bắt đầu được chính quyền coi trọng và đầu tư dài hạn.
</li>
</ul>

Questions 27-32

33. Recent results suggest that intellectual development and birth weight are linked. — {YES}
<ul data-path-to-node="18">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…the amount a newborn infant weighs is associated with IQ.” (Đoạn 5)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Cân nặng khi sinh liên quan đến IQ (chỉ số thông minh/phát triển trí tuệ), khớp hoàn toàn với nhận định.
</li>
</ul>
34. Medical textbooks used to claim that breast-fed children were more intelligent. — {NOT GIVEN}
<ul data-path-to-node="20">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “Paediatric textbooks had insisted… breast-feeding protected against medical problems like asthma and allergies.” (Đoạn 5)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Sách giáo khoa nói nuôi con bằng sữa mẹ giúp chống lại bệnh tật (hen suyễn, dị ứng), chứ không nhắc gì đến việc giúp trẻ thông minh hơn (intelligent).
</li>
</ul>
35. Children who suck their thumbs are prone to developmental problems. — {NO}
<ul data-path-to-node="22">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…thumb-sucking does no harm…” (Đoạn 5)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Bài đọc khẳng định mút tay không gây hại, trái ngược với ý kiến cho rằng nó gây ra các vấn đề phát triển.
</li>
</ul>
36. The findings of the Dunedin study have challenged some doctors’ preconceptions. — {YES}
<ul data-path-to-node="24">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…Dunedin researchers have been able to contradict old assumptions and explode medical myths long held by the profession.” (Đoạn 5)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: “Contradict old assumptions” và “explode medical myths” chính là việc thách thức các định kiến (preconceptions) của giới y khoa.
</li>
</ul>

Questions 33-36

37. …provides {H results} that can be applied both nationally and internationally…
<ul data-path-to-node="28">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…produce findings that can be generalised to New Zealand and other developed countries…” (Đoạn 6)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: “Generalised” (khái quát hóa) đồng nghĩa với việc kết quả có thể áp dụng rộng rãi.
</li>
</ul>
38. …conviction that the {B study members} must be looked after…
<ul data-path-to-node="30">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…the most important asset they had was the sample group and these people must be nurtured at all costs.” (Đoạn 7)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Sample group (nhóm mẫu) chính là các thành viên tham gia nghiên cứu.
</li>
</ul>
39. …nothing should be done to threaten the study’s {G confidentiality}…
<ul data-path-to-node="32">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “Privacy is absolutely paramount: Silva won’t even say how many of the study members are now in prison…” (Đoạn 7)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: Quyền riêng tư (Privacy) tương ứng với tính bảo mật (Confidentiality).
</li>
</ul>
40. …work is done to minimise {F barriers to involvement}…
<ul data-path-to-node="34">
<li>
Dẫn chứng: “…maintaining contact and removing obstacles to participation.” (Đoạn 8)
</li>
<li>
Giải thích: “Removing obstacles” (loại bỏ rào cản) tương ứng với “minimise barriers”.
</li>
</ul>

A model study
The success of the Dunedin project has been put down to two principal factors: good fortune and Phil Silva's methodology. The demographics of Dunedin mean that residents feel committed to the study, and that it also provides {H results} that can be applied both nationally and internationally, but even more important was Silva's conviction that the {B study members} must be looked after; nothing should be done to threaten the study's {G confidentiality} and as a result Silva is cautious when questioned, and a lot of work is done tominimise {F barriers to involvement} in order to ensure that the study continues into the future.

Reading Test 47

IELTS Reading Exam

Lịch sử làm bài

Download PDF

Bài test nổi bật

Reading Test 48

Có thể bạn quan tâm

Reading Test 39

Reading Test 38

Reading Test 37

Bài thi tương tự

Reading Test 48

Reading Test 39

Reading Test 38

Reading Test 37

Sẵn sàng cho kì thi IELTS máy?