FTp eee) cl mela cel) LLG Exam information | Multiple-choice questions In the exam, there are different types of multiple-choice questions: you may be asked to choose the correct answer to a question, or you may be given a choice of sentence endings and asked to form a sentence that reflects the meaning of the text. The questions will be in the same order as the information in the text. 10 The value of friendship Recent research into the world of teenagers has suggested that they value friendship above everything else. Children aged between 12 and 15 were asked what was important to them. Their answers included possessions such as money and computer gadgets but also relationships with people. The teenagers questioned said that friends were the most important to them, more even than family, or boyfriends and girlfriends, ‘We wanted to find out more about the results of this research so we asked our readers what they thought about the value of friendship. Here are some examples of what they said ‘about their friends: Ben, 15: Every time | have a fight with my parents, I need some time ‘on my own. But after that, the “first thing | do is meet up with my friends. After playing football fora while, or skateboarding, | usvally feel much happier again. Get Ready for IELTS: Reading Read the following text and then look at the questions on the next page. Rory, 13: ‘When | moved to a village in the countryside, | thought that it would be the end of my friendships. But my old friends have kept in touch and they come and visit in the holidays. There's a lake nearby, 80 we often go sailing, waterskiing or windsurfing, And | have made some new friends here too, at school, and since | joined the rugby club. 7 Carlos, 11: Last year, | broke my arm on 2 skiing holiday. Unfortunately, it ‘was my left arm and | am left- handed. My school friends all helped and copied their notes for me. It seems that our readers value their friendships very highly. From what they told us, they spend a lot of time with their friends, just henging out, or sharing hobbies and interests. They seem to need their friends for advice, help, chats, and for having fun. Clearly, friends make each other feel better. Looking at what our readers told us, the results of the recent research are not really surprising.Unit 1 Try to answer this question yourself first, before reading the explanation. Choose the best answer from the letters ad. To teenagers, money is a not important. ¢ as important as relationships with people. b as important as computer gadgets. d_ less important than friendships. The correct answer is d. The teenagers said that money, gadgets and relationships are all important to them. However, the text also tells us that the teenagers value friendships most, therefore money is less important. Exam tip Deciding which are the key, or most important, words in a question can help you to locate the appropriate section of the text more quickly. Look at the questions in Exercise 4, without reading the answer options. Underline the question words (e.g. where, when, what) and the key words in each of the questions (1-3) and sentence stems (4-5). Now answer these multiple-choice questions. Choose the appropriate letter a, b, c or d. i Whyare Ben, Rory and Carlos mentioned in the article? a They know why teenagers value They read magazines. friendship. d_ They are teenage boys. b They gave information about themselves, Which of the following best describes Ben? a He often has fights, © He is happier than his friends. b He likes being alone. d_ He likes some sports, iii What do we know about the lake that Rory visits? a Itis near the school, ¢ tis used by a lot of people who do water sports. b_ Itis near his home. d_ Itisina village. iv Carlos mentions that he is left-handed because . ait makes skiing harder. ¢ itis an interesting fact about himself and he b_ it makes it worse that he broke the was talking about his left arm. arm he uses most. d itis very unfortunate when you break your left arm. v__ The answers to the recent research and the answers from the readers a_ were surprising © were similar. b_ were the same. d_ were both about sports. Friendship 11art 3: Exam practice Exam tip If @ question is difficult, don't spend too much time on it - go to the next one. Once you find the next answer, you can go back in the text to find the answer to the previous question. This is because, in this type of task, the questions are in the same order as the information in the text. Questions 1-6 Choose the appropriate letters a, b, c or d. u vi How many friends do the majority of people probably have? a 30 real friends or fewer ba minimum of 30 real friends Itis difficult ato believe the numbers about friendship. b to keep your friends happy. Friendship means a different things to different people. dying for your friends if you need to. Sometimes people worry because a they think that they have too many friends. b they spend too much time with friends. Most of us ... a_are dissatisfied with our friends. b build friendships late in life, c d c d 150 internet friends 400 internet friends over the course of their lives to trust what you read on social networking sites. to give a definition of ‘friendship’ helping each other until it is no longer necessary. accepting people with different views. they think they are too old to make friends. there are no guidelines about friendship. are trightened to talk to strangers, need to be with others. What does ‘Strangers are friends we have not met yet’ mean? a We have not met strangers before. b Strangers are also our friends. 12 Get Ready for IELTS: Reading ce a We should not talk to strangers. Strangers may become our friends.Unit 1 Itis said that most people have no more than 30 friends at any given time, and 400 over the whole Of their lives. However, on social networking sites, most users have about 150 friends. If these numbers are correct, then friendship means different things in different situations. One of the reasons for having more online friends than real friends at a certain point in time is ‘that online friendships do not require much time and energy: it is easy to accept friendships and keep them forever. Another possibilty is that itis difficult to say ‘no’ when somebody asks us to be their friend online, even it we feel we dor't really know them, The fact that they ask us suggests that they do consider us a friend, which is 2 nice feeling. Alternatively, they may be ‘collectors’ of online friends and just want to use us to get a higher number of friends and eppear to be popular. Online friendships are quite easy, but in the real world decisions about friendships are harder to make. There are no rules about friendship. There are no guidelines about how to make friends, how. ‘10 keep friendships going, and how to finish friendships if we want to move on. People have very different opinions about this: some people would die for their friends and they value them more ‘than family. Others say that friends are temporary, only there to help each other until they are no longer needed. If people with such different views become friends, this can lead to problems. Because of these different definitions of friendship, it is easy to be unhappy about our friendships. ‘We may want them to be deeper or closer, or we may want to have more friends in our lives. Sometimes we simply do not have the time to develop our friendships, or we fear we have left it 09 late in life to start. If we move to another country or city, we have to find ways to make new friends again. ‘This dissatisfaction shows us how important friendships are for most of us. WWe should not think Hat it could be two late to build friendships. We also need to understand that the need to be around other people is one that is shared by many. Therefore, we should not be too frightened about starting to talk to people who in the future may become our friends: its likely that they too would like to get closer to us. Remember what people say: strangers are friends we have not met yet Progress check How many boxes can you tick? You should work towards being able to tick them all Did you remember to underline the key words in the questions and look for them in the text? read only the parts of the text that you needed to? remember that the questions are in the same order as the information in the text? first skip a difficult question and then go back to it after you found the answer to the next one? base your answers on the text, not on your own opinion? Friendship 13Part 3: Exam practice Exam information | Short-answer questions Just as with multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions are normally in the ‘same order as the information in the text. Sometimes in short-answer tasks, the instructions will ask you to use words taken directly from the text. Questions 1-10 Using NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS for each, answer the following questions. i In what ways do our bodies physically differ? Why do our bodies aitfer physically? iii’ What types of jobs are poor people likely to have? iv What aspects of poor people's living environments are not good? v Whaat influences how groups of people value bodies? vi What have wealthy cultures changed their opinion about? vii In the past, what part of the body could indicate that people were rich? viii According to sociology, in what ways should we think about the body? ix Which two physical factors contribute to whether people are obese or not? x What does society say that being obese is? The body ‘The concept of ‘the body’ is closely related to main reasons for the differences are genetic, the ideas of ‘illness’ and ‘health. and the fact that people's bodies change as {All of us exist n ‘bodies’ ofctferent shapes, ev 290. However, alee oe heights, colours end physical abilities. The : 18 _ Get Ready for IELTS: ReadingPoorer people are more likely to eat ‘unhealthy’ foods, to smoke cigarettes and to be employed in repetitive, physically difficult work or the opposite: boring, inactive employment. Moreover, their housing conditions and Neighbourhoods tend to be worse. All of these factors impact upon the condition of a person's health: the physical shapes of bodies are strongly influenced by social factors. These social factors are also closely linked to emotional wellbeing. People with low or no incomes are more likely to have mental health problems. It is not clear, however, whether Poverty causes mental iliness, or whether it is the other way around, For example, certain people with mental health issues may be at risk of becoming homeless, just as a person who is homeless may have an increased risk of illnesses such as depression There are other types of social factors too. Bodies are young or old, short or tall, big ‘or small, weak or strong. Whether these judgments matter and whether they are positive or negative depends on the cultural ‘and historical context. The culture - and media ~ of different societies promote very different valuations of body shapes. What is considered as attractive or ugly, normal or abnormal varies ‘enormously. Currently, for example, in rch societies the idea of slimness is highly valued, Progress check Unit 2 but historically this was different. In most societies the ideal body shape for a woman. ‘was a ‘full figure’ with a noticeable belly, while in middle-aged men, a large stomach indicated that they were financially successful in life. In many traditional African and Pacific island ‘cultures, for example, a large body shape was a sign of success and a shape to be aimed at. Itis easy for people to feel undervalued because of factors they have no power to change, for ‘example, their age and height. Equelly, they can feel pressured into making changes to their ‘appearance when there is a choice, which in extreme cases can lead to obsessions with weight loss and fitness regimes. Sociologists, then, are suggesting that we should not just view bodies and minds in biological terms, but also in social terms. ‘The physical body and what we seek to do with it change over time and society. This has important implications for medicine and ideas of health. Thus, the idea of people being ‘obese’ is physically related to large amounts of processed food, together with lack of exercise, and is therefore a medical issue. However, it has also become a mental health issue and social problem as a result of people coming to define this particular body shape as ‘wrong’ and unhealthy, How many boxes can you tick? You should work towards being able to tick them alll. Did you remember that the questions are in the same order as the information in the text? read the questions slowly before reading the text? use the key words technique? read the instructions carefully to know what the word limit was? count the words in your answers? check if you needed to use words from the text or not? Body and mind 19Part 3: Exam practice Questions 41-44. Using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer, complete the table and the flow chart below. The required documents: Evidence of language ability 1ELTS 6.5 OF (1) .--..sesseeeeen Evidence of studies Information about motivati Proof of identity Other ee ae a Dutch WO diploma, or other secondary schoo! diploma, jon (3) ‘with a maximum length of (4) (orate Oe and passport photo -if originals are in a foreign language The online application process for people outside the EU: your application is unsuccessful, the process ends here. ‘Online application procedure STAGE 1: Getting Document checklist documents together see table above STAGE 2: Submitting the application online aay If you are not (10) the process ends here = .. or held STAGE 3: i aiine or (9) (7) 24 Get Ready for IELTS: Reading We will either offer you a place immediately or put you on a (11) STAGE 4: Our decision 1 STAGE 5: Your replyApplying to Stellinga College Why Stellinga? ‘Thank you for your interest in Stelling International College. As an intemational student, we are sure you will find our University college an exciting place to study, with like-minded and ambitious individuals. Preparing and submitting your application ‘We have tried to make the application process 4s easy as possible for you, but there are a number of procedures you must follow. All our courses are taught in English, 50 first of all you will probably need to submit proof of your English language ability. We require an IELTS score of 6.5 or another test result which is equivalent {see appendix). You will also have to send us your secondary schoo! diploma, so that we can evaluate it. If you have the International Baccalaureate or a Dutch WO diploma, you don't need to provide English language test results We will also require a personal statement. This is a text of up to 1000 words in which you introduce yourself, explain your interest, in our college, and why you want to study your chosen course. If you are from outside the European Union (EU), itis important that you have an entrance visa before you come to study in the Progress check Unit 3 Netherlands, but we will apply for this for you. We now only accept oniine applications, 0 please ensure that you have all your documents ready to uploed before you begin. Any docurnents that are not in English ‘originally will aiso need to be transiated and the translations also uploaded. ‘You will need a passport photograph: a copy of your passport; copies of all your certificates, diplomas, ote.; your proof of language ability (see above); and your personal statement in English What happens next? ‘Your application will then be considered. If your initial application is successful, you will be invited for an interview. This will be conducted in English via Skype, over the phone or on site, depending on whether You can come and visit us. You will talk to ‘two or three members of staff for up to 30 minutes, and will be asked to elaborate ‘on your application documents and your personal statement. We aim to inform you of our decision in writing, within 4 weeks. ‘There are several possible outcomes: you may not have been successful; you may be offered a place at the college or you may be offered a place on the waiting list. You will need to reply to any offers within two weeks, otherwise your place may be offered to somebody else. Good luck with your application: How many boxes can you tick? You should work towards being able to tick them all. Did you use scanning techniques? read thoroughly only the parts of the text that you needed to? read the instructions carefully to know what the word limit was? count the words in your answers? only use words that were in the text? Studying abroad © 25,