Online Tutors, Distance Learning and Slow Food

The IELTS General Training Reading will give you 60 minutes to complete 3 sections where the question subject will be everyday/ general topics.

Section 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

Read the information below and answer Question 1-7

Online Tutors

ONLINE Tutors are excellent EFL/ESL teachers from around the world! They can be your private English tutor right on your computer! To send an email message to an ONLINE Tutor, just click on the name and write a short message to introduce yourself!

A. I Astrid Manyana (F 46) Chile

Special offer for Spanish speakers: bilingual teaching of English grammar and explanations in Spanish. 25 years’ experience teaching all levels from age 15 to 55. Basics, oral, written, specific interests [eg: tourism] and preparation for Cambridge and IE0S exams. I can make speaking English easy for you!

B. John Bennett-Smith (M 27) Canada

I have been teaching English conversation as a volunteer in a language centre in my city for about one year. I have also been using e-mail. ICQ and NetMeeting to teach grammar, composition and conversation over the Internet to about 20 or so students for about the same length of time. I am willing to teach (free of charge), privately or to groups, and to teach those language skills which are of interest to a particular student.

IELTS Reading (General Training) Actual Tests with Answers (January – April 2021)

C. Pamela Arrowsmltfi (F 56) Australia

I have taught English for over 30 years, and have developed a range of classroom materials. I offer tutoring assistance in all areas of English, with an emphasis on Business Writing for EFL adults. I can arrange trips to Australia for business and professional adults, either individuals or groups [maximum of four adults] and these can include English classes. If desired.

D. Jean-Ptorre JoyaJ (M 22) France

I really like to create new kinds of teaching materials and I usually create my own activities instead of using the same kind of exercises and texts we all are used to. Let’s try that in our classes – it will be fun! I have a BA degree and a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language and I have been teaching all levels of ESL students for more than 3 years. I offer a complimentary assessment of your skill level.

E. Naoe Nagayo (F 36) Japan

I have taught English as a Foreign Language for 6 years. I have a TEFL certificate from the USA and a MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Birmingham, UK. My students range from preschoolers to adults. With my experience and knowledge, I can help you to target your learning difficulties and improve your English ability!

Question 1-7

Look at the description of Online Tutors (A-E). Write the appropriate letter A-E for each space.

Which tutor would you choose…?

Example: …If your first language was Spanish? – A

(1) …to teach young children?

(2) …to improve English for your business?

(3)…if you didn’t have much money?

(4)…if you were bored with the usual language learning exercises?

(5)…to do exam preparation

Which TWO descriptions mention

(6)…language teaching qualifications?

(7)…more than 10 years’ teaching experience?

Question 8-14

No-Waste Recycling Guide

No-Waste is a goal and a process that involves individuals, communities, businesses and all levels of government. It leads to a future where trash is a thing of the past. Solid waste isn’t hidden or buried in landfills but fully utilised as the valuable resource that it is. Through redesign, reduction, reuse, repair, recycling, composting and changes in attitude, we aim to create opportunity and wealth instead of garbage.

Recycling

Inside your blue box

Every second week: Put garbage and recyclables out before 8 AM on collection day.

Household Plastic containers 

Includes milk jugs, yoghurt containers, detergent bottles. Excludes containers made of foam, plastic containers which held ammonia-based products, or metal bottle lids. Rinse to remove food or residue. Leave labels on, flatten or stack plastic containers to reduce space required.

Glass containers

Leave labels on. Rinse. Discard caps.

No other types of glass such as kitchenware, drinking glasses, window glass, light bulbs, mirrors or any broken glass.

Metals

Food and beverage containers.

Cans — rinse and remove labels, flatten and fold together.

Foil trays — rinse, flatten and fold together.

No metal pots, take out container lids, cigarette wrappings.

Beside your blue box

Yellow Bag

Household paper — junk mail, envelopes, brochures, paper bags, egg cartons (fibre only); box packaging such as cereal, shoe boxes, paper towel cores, white and coloured office paper, telephone books.

Remove liners, flatten packaging and place inside the bag.

Mo drinking boxes, paper towels or waxed paper.

Blue Bag

Newspapers, inserts, sales flyers, magazines and catalogues. Remove magazine covers, perfumed inserts. Ho books or soiled newspapers.

Textiles, Clothing And Linens

Race clean textiles in a separate plastic shopping bag tied with string.

Cardboard

Packing boxes, liquor boxes.

Flatten bundles and tie — no larger than 30 x 30 x 8. Place beside a blue box. No waxed or coated boxes, soiled pizza boxes.

Choose ONE item only from the list below to go in each recycling container.

(8)       in the Blue Box             ……………

(9)       in the Yellow Bag            ……………

(10)     in the Blue Bag               ……………

List Of Items For Recycling

telephone book

old clothing

wed pizza delivery box

ceramic cup

heavy cardboard

packing box

magazines

old textbook

aluminium drink

light bulb

Look at the following statements.

YES                            if the answer is “yes’

NO                             if the answer is ‘no’

NOT GIVEN               if there is no information about this in the passage

11. Do I put out items for recycling every other week? …………………
12. Should I remove labels from food cans? ……………………..
13. Can I recycle a broken window?…………………
14. Is there a separate collection for large household items? ……………………

Section 2

Read the passage below and answer Questions 15-27.

Distance Learning

Students interested in enrolling on a distance learning course give many reasons for not being able to study in a conventional Way. Some may not have had the opportunity to follow a college course in the past. Others may be seeking qualifications which will improve their job prospects. Some already hold a qualification but now want to qualify’ in a new field for career reasons, and others want to study for personal interest.

People who cannot attend college as internal students, 100k to the flexibility that studying by distance education or distance learning, as it is sometimes called) provides to satis$’ their desire for a qualification.

The main attribute of distance learning is that students do not need to attend the course in person, although they may be involved in short courses or seminars from time to time throughout the period of study. Students can ct•mse for themselves where, when and for how long they want to study, using learning materials which have been specially constructed and presented to help them in their understanding.

The materials sent to students may take the form of workbooks, radio and TV or video programs and computer disks. Many programs of study are now delivered to the student home through the Internet.

Work is usually assessed by written assignments sent back to be marked and evaluated at the home institution. There may be a dialogue between the student and the tutor by phone, letter. fax or email. Often, there are summer schools or occasional revision classes run by the home institution. Some institutions also provide tutorials with the aid Of computer and/or video conferencing. Entrance requirements for distance learning Courses will vary according to the institution and the qualification sought.

Whatever study arrangements external students made. They need to come to terms with the difficulties and pressures involved in studying at a distance. Preparing for a degree as an external student is a real test of ability and character — strong and a determination to succeed are needed. Obviously the support of family, colleagues and friends are of enormous importance when studying for a degree by distance learning. Many employers are also aware of the difficulties that people have in working full-time yet regarding acquiring qualifications and keep them up to date. Now, distance programs are being devised and offered by institutions around the world.

Although studying at a distance will be cheaper than going to college, students must be aware of the difficulties of studying alone. They should watch out for bogus institutions offering learning opportunities at a high price with little service. Students have differing needs and the most suitable mode of study will vary from person to person.

Questions 15-20

Complete the following summary using ONE WORD FROM THE PASSAGE for each space.

The advantages of distance learning include the [15] …………………to study at a time and

place of your choosing and to work at your own pace.

Personal qualities essential for distance learning are a high degree of motivation and

[16]—————.

To succeed at distance learning, you need the assistance of friends, family and

[17] ———-.

Distance learning is [18] ___________than studying on campus but certainly not-easier.

Be careful of [19]…………..colleges which provide inadequate [20] …………….at great cost.

Questions 21-27

Business School Online

Our courses can be started anytime from anywhere in the world and completed at your own pace. A certificate is issued on successful completion of the course.

Ädvertising And Promotion Course

Duration: 100 Hours

Course Materials: Upon enrolment, you will receive all of the materials that are essential to complete the course. Course materials include subject guides, printed notes, textbooks, videos and practical equipment. In certain circumstances, you may be required to do extra research — in which case your tutor is able to advise you where necessary.

Course Outline: There are ten lessons in this course, each requiring about 10-12 hours of work by the student. This course is designed as a program to help you understand the marketing world, then, to assist you in making decisions and developing skills in marketing. Emphasis is placed on profitability and efficiency!

Examples Of The Type Of Assignments You Might Be Asked To Undertake:

1. A) Go shopping (your routine weekly shopping if you like). Take notice of how different sales staff communicate with you. Note the techniques they use (verbal and non-verbal), and how effective they are. Note the type of impression they seem to be creating. When you come home, write down notes on your observations.
2. B) Look through newspapers or magazines at advertisements or articles which discuss products offered for sale and find what you consider to be good examples of each of the following type of communication:

• Verbal Communication
• Non-verbal communication
• Combination of verbal and non-verbal communication

Explain why you think these are good examples?

1. C) Select a product or service for which you would like to improve the marketing. This might be something you are dealing with in your own business or a business you work for, or it might be something you think has potential. Something you think has potential — an idea you would like to develop into a business OR something another business is dealing with, but not handling as well as you think they could.

Develop an advertising campaign for this product or service

• You will need to select a method for determining an advertising budget and then set that budget.
• You will then need to find out the costs of advertising in different places.

You will then need to write advertisements for these various places. The campaign should be well-targeted.

Note: We do not expect you to present a highly detailed and involved campaign. This could take longer than the whole course! Put about 10 hours of work into this project, at the most, and then you will present what you have been able to achieve in that time. (You need not only to develop the ability to put a campaign together but also be able to put it together within a reasonable time frame)

Complete the summary. Choose your answers from the list of words below. There are more words than you need so you will not use all of them.

The first sample assignment asks you to [21]—————– sales personnel in shops, to note

the types of [22]_______________they use and to assess their effectiveness.

The second task involves finding [23]—————————————of good advertising and [24]…………………….

why these particular ads work well.

Another activity requires you to [25]___________________________an advertising campaign for a product or

service. You need to establish a [26] …………. ….for the project then design different kinds of ads, within a [27]…………timeframe.

List of Words

develop	reasoning	experience	communication
analysing	budget	examples	effective
observe	limited	campaigns	advertise
producing	company

Section 3

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow

Slow Food

1. Slow Food is an international grassroots movement dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of good food. It started as a humorous protest against the spread of fast food around the world and has developed into a major advocate for the world’s unique food products. The movement’s logo is a snail. Since being founded in 1986 the Slow Food snail has crept from its home in Italy to 45 other countries around the world and now boasts over members. The movement challenges the loss of flavour resulting from the industrialisation of food and agriculture. Its approach is ‘eco-gastronomic’. Slow Food is committed to compiling and distributing information about local foods, drink and culture. Its purpose is to preserve endangered foods, encourage biodiversity, and support small-scale producers of ethnic and local products around the world.
2. Modern agri-business has given the world cheap food with little taste, produced at a high cost to the environment. Slow Food has been instrumental in developing initiatives to revive products that take time and craftsmanship to create and which are threatened by global corporate practices. Protecting traditional local also means safeguarding the people and ecosystems involved in their manufacture. It also provides incentives for the pursuit of production methods which are healthier for taste, the environment and the agricultural economy.
3. Statistics on the loss of biodiversity in our food chain are alarming. In less than a century over 300 plant species have disappeared — one plant species disappears every six hours. Today less than 30 varieties of plant feed 95% of the world’s population, In Europe, half the breeds of domestic livestock became extinct during the course of the twentieth century. The crisis over mad cow disease and the ongoing debate over genetically modified food has given Slow Food, with its on organic methods, unexpected political influence.
4. In the space of a few years, Slow Food has become a major lobbying force in the European Union on agriculture and trade policy. Agri-business practices that have become dominant are geared to produce in quantity. This is a carryover from agricultural policies set in the 1950s in Europe when hunger from tlE war was still a vivid memory. At that åme, when the goal was self-sufficiency, farmers received subsidies to the amounts they produced. There was and Still is no reward for quality. Two generations ago, the average European family spent about one half of its income on food. Today it spends about 15 per cent. Surveys conducted by Slow Food show that a large majority of Italialu would be willing to pay up to 20 per cent more for food in order to guarantee its quality, especially given recent food scares and scandals.
5. As national boundaries disappear in Europe and become more open around the world, food has emerged as an important source of identity. Slow Food’s position on globalisation is that it has the potential to help as well as harm the small food producer. On the one hand, globalisation has allowed multinational corporations to extend their reach to virtually every corner of the world. However, rather than being afraid of the fast-food giants, Slow Food is attempting to offer an alternative choice of ‘virtuous globalisation’ by choosing to focus on quality and helping the small local producer to access the global market.
6. The Slow Food organisation has to find ways to ensure its own economic viability. An initial strategy to generate income through publishing led to a number of food guides that were quickly successful. Some of the most popular of these feature restaurants serving authentic, local foods at local prices. Numerous and varied initiatives have sprung around the world. Italy’s largest food show, the ‘Salon de Gusto’, sponsored by the Slow Food movement, provides an international market to hundreds of small producers whose goods, until recently, rarely left their village or region. Now there is even ‘slow travel’. A growing number of tour operators in Italy, France, Australia and India subscribe to the movement, promoting ‘cultural and educational journeys using food and the people that produce it as the learning medium’. ‘Slow cities’ are entire communities dedicated to improving the quality of life for their citizens through environmentally sound, culturally-aware, eco-gastronomic policies and activities.
7. Another significant initiative of Slow Food is the Ark of Tate, a database of endangered species of edible plants and domestic animals worldwide. Commissions have been set up in many countries to seek out and catalogue new products. So far, 800 products from 26 countries have been figuratively brought on board the Ark in the attempt to save them. The Ark of Taste has become an international project and a resource for agricultural biodiversity around the world.
8. So, a movement that began as a humorous protest against fast food has in its own organic way, evolved into a versatile and intelligent advocate for the protection of the environment. The best response to a global force challenging the ability to enjoy our food and our lives begins, according to the Slow Food movement, ‘at the table’. We are invited to slow down, appreciate the flavours of food and drink, and cultivate the art of living. Fast food isn’t likely to disappear, but Slow Food seems to be here to stay as well. Its message is getting through – encouraging pleasure-loving environmentalism as an alternative to the high-speed pace of the fast-food world. From its humble beginnings, Slow Food now includes a global network of people capable of generating ideas, and programs to defend the right to a responsible form of pleasure, respectful of cultural diversity and available to all.

Questions 28-31

The passage “Slew Food’ has 8 paragraphs (A-H). In which paragraph can the information below be found?

28. a catalogue of domestic animal* at risk of disappearing
29. statistics on the loss of variety in agricultural species
30. initiatives to ensure the financial survival of the organisation
31. information on the food budget of an average family

Question 32

Which of the following does the Slow Food Movement NOT promote? The first one has been done for you. Indicate the letters of the remaining TWO.

[32] ……………………..                          …………………………

A old-fashioned cooking methods

B. genetically modified foods

C. endangered species of edible plants

D. junk food culture

E. the enjoyment of good food and drink

P. high yield industrial fanning

G. rare local domestic animals

H. organic methods of production

Questions 33-38

Choose ONE phrase from the list (A-H) that matches each of the expressions below. There are more phrases than expressions so you will not use all of them. The first one has been done for you as an example.

[33] slow travel _______________ [36] Salon de Gusto_____________________

[34] Ark of Taste _______________ [37] agri-business_____________________

[35] virtuous globalisation ——————— [38] SLOW_______________________

List of Phrases

A. a resource for agricultural biodiversity

B. a showcase for Italian food products

C. a database of Slow Food members

D. ‘ helping local producers compete in the international market

E. published four times a year

F. operates in Europe, Asia and Australia

G. promotes the protection of the environment and good eating

H. produces food using industrial methods

Questions 39 and 40

Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS FROM THE PASSAGE.

[39] Following which crisis did the Slow Food movement become a political force?…………………………….

[40] This movement was started as a reaction against what?…………………………….

Answer Key 

Section 1

1. E
2. C
3. B
4. D
5. A
6. D, E (both required for 1 mark)
7. A, C (both required for 1 mark)
8. aluminium drink can
9. telephone book
10. magazines
11. Yes
12. Yes
13. No
14. Not Given

Section 2

15. flexibility
16. determination
17. colleagues/employers
18. cheaper
19. bogus
20. service
21. observe
22. communication
23. examples
24. analysing
25. develop
26. budget
27. limited

Section 3

28. G
29. C
30. F
31. D
32. B, F (both required for 1 more)
33. F
34. A
35. D
36.  B
37. H
38. E
39. mad cow disease
40. fast food