IELTS Reading Test 1

Sorry—Who Are You?

Prosopagnosia is a medical condition that stops people from recognizing faces. But how common is it and why does it happen?

It was Jacob Hodes' first day at college. He can still recall spending an enjoyable afternoon being shown around campus by a second-year student named Daniel Byrne, who happened to be from his hometown. Jacob then spent the rest of the year ignoring him. “I never saw him again,” he says. “Well, I'm sure I walked past him plenty of times, but I just didn't see him.” This behavior wasn't intentional. Jacob just couldn't recollect what his fellow student looked like. He had had the same trouble all his life. Friends and relatives would greet him, and he would have no idea who they were. It wasn't until five years ago that it all made sense.

Questions 1-7: Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.

Before attending college, Jacob was capable of recognizing people he knew well.

Researchers believe that prosopagnosia may be a growing problem.

It is harder to identify developmental prosopagnosia in babies than in young children.

A German study seems to support the Harvard and UCL research findings.

In general, prosopagnosics are aware that other people can recognize faces more easily than they can.

In most cases, prosopagnosics have developed ways to deal with their problem.

The study of prosopagnosia may help neuroscientists to treat different kinds of brain injury.

Should we try to bring extinct species back to life?

IELTS Reading Test 1

The passenger pigeon was a legendary species. Flying in vast numbers across North America, with potentially many millions within a single flock, their migration was once one of nature's great spectacles. Sadly, the passenger pigeon's existence came to an end on 1 September 1914, when the last living specimen died at Cincinnati Zoo. Geneticist Ben Novak is lead researcher on an ambitious project which now aims to bring the bird back to life through a process known as 'de-extinction'. The basic premise involves using cloning technology to turn the DNA of extinct animals into a fertilised embryo, which is carried by the nearest relative still in existence – in this case, the abundant band-tailed pigeon – before being born as a living, breathing animal.

Questions 1-6: Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 2?

Reintroducing an extinct species to its original habitat could improve the health of a particular species living there.

It is important to concentrate on the causes of an animal's extinction.

A species brought back from extinction could have an important beneficial impact on the vegetation of its habitat.

Our current efforts at preserving biodiversity are insufficient.

Yawning

IELTS Reading Test 1

How and why we yawn still presents problems for researchers in an area which has only recently been opened up to study. When Robert R Provine began studying yawning in the 1960s, it was difficult for him to convince research students of the merits of 'yawning science'. Yawning is an ancient, primitive act. Humans do it even before they are born, opening wide in the womb. Some snakes unhinge their jaws to do it. One species of penguins yawns as part of mating. Only now are researchers beginning to understand why we yawn, when we yawn and why we yawn back.

Questions 1-5: Match each statement with the correct letter, A-H.

The rate for yawning shows some regular pattern.

Yawning is an inherent ability that appears in both animals and humans.

Stretching and yawning are not always going together.

Yawning may suggest people are having positive notice or response in communicating.

Some superior areas in the brain may deal with the infectious feature of yawning.