IELTS Reading Passages with Answers and Explanations
Browse IELTS reading passages with full answer keys, per-question explanations, and exam-style practice links.
- Traditional Farming in Zambia's Luapula Province
By tradition, land in Luapula Province is not owned by individuals but, as in many other parts of Africa, is allocated by the headman or headwoman of a village to people of either sex according to need. Since land is...
- Coins the first form of money
Few people pay much attention to coins; we take them for granted. Since the advent of paper currency and the abandonment of a monetary system based on intrinsic of actual value, they have been demoted to the status of...
- New Understanding of Giraffes in the Wild
Even as the tallest animals on Earth, giraffes can be easy to overlook. Despite being a favorite in zoos, until recently almost nobody studied giraffes in the wild. 'When I first became interested in giraffes in 2008...
- Andrew Carnegie: industrialist and philanthropist
The Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who was the leader of the American steel industry from 1873 to 1901, donated large sums of his fortune to educational, cultural, and scienti...
- Coins - the first form of money
Few people pay much attention to coins; we take them for granted. Since the advent of paper currency and the abandonment of a monetary system based on intrinsic of actual value, they have been demoted to the status of...
- The mystery of Easter Island
The giant stone statues of Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean have perplexed archaeologists ever since European explorers first witnessed them three centuries ago. Jacob Roggeveen, the Dutch seaman who gave the island...
- Translating: a key to international understanding?
The term 'translation' is used for all cases where the meaning of expressions in one language (the 'source' language) is turned into the meaning in another (the target language), whether the medium is spoken, written,...
- Healthy buildings, productive people
Have you felt tired at your desk lately? According to new research, some often overlooked environmental factors within buildings - the degree or type of ventilation, airborne contaminants, lighting and noise levels, f...
- Creating a Better Grapefruit
There is a reason why grapefruit juice is served in little glasses. Most people don't want to drink more than a few ounces at a time. This is because a natural chemical compound found in grapefruit, naringin, has a bi...
- The Placebo Effect
Want to devise a new form of alternative medical treatment? No problem. Here’s the recipe. As a practitioner, be warm, sympathetic, reassuring and enthusiastic. Your treatment should involve physical contact, and each...
- Lawrence Johnston and Hidcote Garden
Today, the National Trust in the UK administers hundreds of public gardens, but sixty-odd years ago there was only one: Hidcote Manor near the English village of Chipping Campden. In 1949, Hidcote attracted a mere 600...
- How to be Happy
A psychiatrist Tony Fernando was walking down the street when he saw a group of young homeless men sitting on the footpath. As Fernando handed out gifts of food, he tried to video the men’s reactions in his mind, reco...
- Improving Patient Safety
One of the most prominent design issues in pharmacy is that of drug packages and the patient information leaflets (PILs) included in them. Many pharmacists are concerned that current designs are 'accidents waiting to...
- Computer Games for Preschoolers: Nintendo's Research and Design Process
Designing computer games for young children is a daunting task for game producers, who, for a long time, have concentrated on more "hardcore" game fans. This article chronicles the design process and research involved...
- Traditional Māori Fishing Hooks
The discovery of ancient fishing hooks in New Zealand has revealed that the Maori people were remarkably skilled at crafting highly effective tools for catching fish. These hooks, often made from organic materials suc...
- The Power of Smell
Dog noses are renowned for sensitivity to smells, while human noses are thought to be poor by comparison, yet that might be a misconception. According to recent studies, our noses are in fact acutely sensitive instrum...
- Rebranding art museums
As anyone with even a passing interest in cultural institutions will know, art museums are adapting to keep up with changes in society. Do any of these newly developed spaces indicate a fundamental shift in the ways w...
- The Pyramid of Cestius
Though Rome draws tourists from around the world to its many impressive sites, one notable monument there has never attracted nearly as much interest: The Pyramid of Cestius. But why would there be a pyramid in Italy?...
- All in the family
We can choose our friends, the saying goes, but we cannot choose our family of origin. Our parents provide the genetic material and make powerful early role models, but even more influential in determining what kind o...