Helpful_Hints_for_IELTS

in addition to providing clues about the speaker's relationship to the listener, and the interest taken in the topic of conversation. Nonetheless, variations in talking speed are less a matter of context than of the speaker's basic personality (Goldman-Eisler, 1968).

There are three more non-verbal features of the voice to consider, each of which sends paralinguistic messages to the listener: voice quality, the tone ofvoice used, and continuity of speech, that is, the deliberate or nondeliberate use of pauses, hesitations, repetitions etc. Voice quality tells us about the physical attributes or health ofthe speaker; voice tone informs us ofthe speaker's feelings towards either the topic of conversation or the listener; and continuity of speech is particularly revealing ofthe speaker's nervous

Practice Test Three

state ofmind, as well as indicating familiarity with the listener and the language spoken.

All paralinguistic messages provide much useful information about the speaker; information which is either consciously or subconsciously received. In most cases people appear to interpret the messages appropriately, except where there is interference because of prejudice.

It is relatively easy to judge a person's age, sex and feelings from the paralinguistic clues they leave behind in their speech, but people are less able to correctly determine such detailed characteristics as, say, intelligence (Fay and Middleton, 1940).

Questions 27 - 31

You are advised to spend about 6 minutes on Questions 27-31.

Refer to Reading Passage 3 "Paralinguistic Communication", and look at the statements below. Write T if the statement is True, F if the statement is False, and NG (for Not Given) if there is no information about the statement in the passage. Write your answers in boxes 27 - 31 on your Answer Sheet.

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8

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Example: Paralinguistic communication refers to the definition of spoken words.

Q27. The volume at which we speak is a paralinguistic feature of our speech.

Q28. A speaker's accent always indicates the country or place he or she comes from.

Q29. People from the south of England are sometimes prejudiced against the accents of people from the north.

Q30. Personality is a greater determinant of talking speed than other factors in a person's speech.

Q31. The study of paralinguistics includes 'reading between the lines' in written communication.

0 NG

T F NG

T F NG

T F NG

T F NG

T F NG

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67-75

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72 73

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101 Helpful Hints for IELTS

PRACTICE WRITING TEST THREE

Writing Task 1

You are advised to spend a maximum of 20 minutes on this task.

The bar chart below shows the number ofoverseas students enrolled in a secondyear Graphic Design course at a college in the south ofEngland.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown.

You should write at least 150 words.

1 CAD - Computer-Aided Design

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Writing Task 2

You are advised to spend a maximum of 40 minutes on this task.

Write an essay for a university lecturer on the following topic:

That is the end of Practice Writing Test Three.

Check your answers to Practice Test Three with the Answer Key on page 168.

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101 Helpful Hints for 1ELTS

major concern of traffic choking the city.

The Beam-Operated Traffic System, on the other hand, provides a complete solution to city transportation. Included in its scope is provision for the movement of pedestrians at any point and to any point within the system. A city relieved ofroads carrying fast moving cars and trucks can be given over to pedestrians and cyclists who can walk or pedal as far as they wish before hailing a quickly approaching beam-operated car. Cyclists could use fold-up bicycles for this purpose.

Section (vi)

Since traffic will be designated an area high above the ground, human activities can take place below the transit system in complete safety, leading to a dramatic drop in the number of deaths and injuries sustained while in transit and while walking about the city. Existing roads can be dug up and grassed over, or planted with low growing bushes and trees. The look of the city is expected to improve considerably for both pedestrians and for people using the System.

Section (vii)

It is true that the initial outlay for a section of the beam-operated system will be more than for a similar stretch oftarred road. However, costs for the proposed system must necessarily include vehicle costs, which are not factored into road-building budgets. Savings made will include all tunnels, since it costs about US $120,000 per kilometre to build a new six lane road tunnel. Subway train tunnels cost about half that amount, because they are smaller in size. Tunnels carrying beamed traffic will have a narrowercross-sectional diameter and can be dug at less depth than existing tunnels, further reducing costs.

Objections

The only major drawbacks to the proposal are entrenched beliefs that resist change, the potential for vandalism, and the loss of revenue for car manufacturers. Video camera surveillance is a possible answer to vandalism, while the last objection could be overcome by giving car manufacturers beam-operated vehicle building contracts. 60% of all people on earth live in cities; we must loosen the immediate environment from the grip of the road-bound car.

Questions 1-4

You are advised to spend about 5 minutes on Questions 1 - 4.

Refer to Reading Passage 1 "The Beam-Operated Traffic System", and complete the flowchart

below with appropriate words or phrases from the passage. Write your answers in boxes 1 - 4 on your Answer Sheet.

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Proposed City Traffic System:

Questions10-12

You are advised to spend about 7 minutes on Questions 10 -12.

Refer to Reading Passage 1, and look at the statements below.

Write S if the statement is Supported by what is written in the passage, and write NS if the statement is Not Supported. Write your answers in boxes 10 -12 on your Answer Sheet.

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e

s

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The application of prevailing theories of economics has so far failed to lift developing countries out of the cycle of poverty that entraps the majority of inhabitants. Worldwide there are still an estimated 1.3 billion people earning a dollar or less a day and living in excruciating poverty. Decades of huge loans by banks from affluent nations - at interest rates that cripple developing economies - do not appear to be providing a solution to entrenched poverty. Professor Muhammad Yunus' Grameen Bank, however, is taking a different approach to the problem.

In 1976, the Bangladeshi economics professor embarked upon a microcredit programme with a loan of just 62 cents (U.S.) each to a group of 42 workers. Instead of loaning large amounts of money to well-off debtors, the bank he started made extremely small loans to poor Bangladeshis who were considered a bad risk by the traditional banking system. He astounded his critics by proving that the poor were more likely to repay their debts than the wealthy. Virtually none of the thousands of women who have been financially assisted by the bank for over 20 years have defaulted on their payments. Yet all are expected to pay interest and abide by the rules of contract. These borrowings have enabled Bangladeshi women to set up numerous small-scaleprojects which directly benefit their families and the communities in whichtheylive. The successoftheexperiment has brought about a revolution in the way anti-povertyprogrammes are now organised.

By the end of the century, almost 95% of borrowers in Bangladesh were women, but the bank did not set out to lend mainly to women. At first, women were reluctant to use the bank's services for fear of stepping out of line in a strongly male-dominated

society. Ittooksixyears toreacha50-50ratio of male and female borrowers. Over time, it became apparent that improving the income ofwomen has positive effects that are lacking when men are the beneficiaries. While men are likely to take risks with the money they have borrowed, women prove more capable of planning for the future and improving the family situation.

The Grameen Bank has loaned over $2 billion in Bangladesh to date. Over 3.5 million women from low income households have benefited from its schemes, receiving amounts that have increased to around $160 per loan. The bank claims a remarkable repayment rate of 98%. It works in 36,000 villages throughout Bangladesh, employs a staff of over 12,000, and has provided the blueprint for similar microcreditprogrammes working in over 56 countries, including the United States of America, where poverty remains an intractable problem in many large cities.

Offering credit to poverty-stricken women to start small enterprises is not the only way in which the bankhasimproved theirfinancial status. Thebankis thelargestinternet service provider in the country, and, in partnership with a Norwegian telecommunications company, lendscellularphones toborrowers, mostly women, who generate income by selling telephone services to the rural population. A telephone lady can earn $2 a daywhichamounts to $700 ayearmorethan triple the average Bangladeshi annual per capita income.

The success of the Grameen programme continues to confound the experts. Their reaction to Professor Yunus' bold plans to bring solar and wind energy to isolated communities, and to make the World Wide Web available to the poor is much the same

as the reaction of the orthodox banks to his initial concept - condemnation and disbelief. Itis sobering to reflect that despite the obvious success ofthe model, microcredit still receives only 2% of the world's $60 billion development budget.

It is true that the new goals of the Grameen programme are beyond mere banking and will require the involvement and funding of multinational companies and traditional aid agencies. It is equally true that engaging the poor to help with the removal of the poverty in which they find themselves is now a technique with a proven track record. This not only addresses the problem at grassroots level, but also preserves the dignity of those who participate by avoiding the need for charity.

Provided the latest extensions remain fundamentally 'bottom up' solutions, it seems sensible to believe they have more than a small chance of success.

Practice Test Four

Figure 1. Grameen Bank Performance

Questions 13 -15

You are advised to spend about 5 minutes on Questions 13 -15.

Complete the information for the pie charts below by referring to Reading Passage 1 "Microcredit - Helping to Alleviate World Poverty". Write your answers in boxes 13 -15 on your Answer Sheet. The first one has been done for you as an example.

Gender of borrowers:

Q14

(Ex:)

94.7%

Q15.

s

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54

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58

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