HearingProblems Paragraph 1 (Q.1) The old adage extols the virtue ofsilence by claiming it is golden, yet experience tells us thatsilence is as hard to come by as the precious metal itself. Thebenefit of silence to the human ear is scientificallydemonstrable. Less superfluous noise; less impairment to thehearing. Yet this precious commodity is no longer valued. Noiseis ever present in modern life and is an accumulative experience.The ill effects of noise pollution are of two kinds: acute -exposure to an individual instance of a very loud noise, such asa gunshot or explosion; and chronic - the experience of too muchnoise over an extended period of time. Paragraph 2 (Q.2) City and urban dwellers exist in anincreasingly noise-ridden environment, and it is now almostimpossible to escape exposure to high noise levels. Even if weexclude the more obvious sources of noise pollution such as jetplane engines, road works, power tools, loud music at danceparties and so on, it is clear that noise is a constant and oftenunwelcome companion. We have only to walk through a suburbanshopping mall or department store, or catch a bus or train to besubjected to noise levels that a few decades ago would have beenconsidered beyond human endurance. The popular practice of 'layering'sound, by adding a louder source of noise to that which alreadyexists in order to mask it, merely compounds the problem. Becauseof the accumulative nature of noise abuse, constant noise isworse than noisy periods interspersed with silence. Paragraph 3 (Q.3) Our noise level acceptance thresholdis rising in step with the number of persons developing hearingproblems. Data available from a recent survey conducted by theAustralian Bureau of Statistics show that 7.4% of people over 14years of age have some discernible hearing problem. According tothe survey, 24.6% of the 7.4% of persons with affected hearinghave problems caused by subjection to a constant barrage of noise,either at work, in the everyday living environment, or as theresult of a particular choice of leisure activity. The problem ismost severe for males aged between 25 and 64 years of age, 9.1%of whom have a hearing disability, and for which the cause isconstant noise in 44.4% of cases. Paragraph 4 (Q.4) Of current concern to acousticalengineers and psychologists at the National AcousticsLaboratories in Sydney, Australia, is the potential for damage tothe eardrum caused by the transmission of loud sound throughearphones placed directly into the ear canal. An almost universalfad among young people, the pocket-sized radio-cassette player (commonlyknown by the brand name 'Walkman') may be exposing its owner togreater than the maximum safe dosage of noise recommended forindustrial workers - 90 decibels* over a period of 8 hours. Thisdosage, called Dose 1, can be achieved much sooner by exposingthe ear to only slightly more than 90 decibels. Increases to thedecibel level logarithmically shorten the exposure time requiredto reach a given dose. For instance, to achieve Dose 1 in 4 hours,it is necessary to raise the decibel exposure level by a mere 3decibels. Paragraph 5 (Q.5) One danger posed to young ears isthat the peak sound level from these radio-cassette players isoften far too great; at high volume it is all too easy to receiveDose 1 in a short period of time. Any further noise heard above90 decibels that day and the recipient is causing measurabledamage to his or her ears. Another danger is the likelihood of achange in the pain threshold of noise resulting in userscompensating by increasing the volume to levels way above what isconsidered safe. Finally, insertable earphones block the earcanal, thereby further increasing the noise level absorbed. Paragraph 6 (Q.6) But perhaps the most alarmingpotential for danger caused by insertable earphones is the easewith which the listener can exceed the safe time length ofexposure to noise. The small earphones can be comfortably wornfor extended periods of time. What is more, there is the dangerof falling asleep with the earphones inserted, leading to anaccumulation of excess noise while unconscious. Paragraph 7 (Q.7) Noise abuse soon leads to varyingdegrees of hearing loss. What may begin as an acute temporarycondition, in time becomes a chronic and irreversible disability.A common complaint is 'tinnitus', or a 'ringing in the ears'which fails to subside after the ears are subjected to a shortbut extreme dose of noise. It is an exhausting condition that canseriously threaten the composure of the sufferer who can bedriven to near madness. It is believed the composer Beethoven wasparticularly aggravated by this malady. At present, there islittle that can be done in the majority of cases, although thevictim might be able to obtain some temporary relief by using amasking device which blocks out the offending frequencies ofsound with other, less annoying frequencies. Paragraph 8 (Example) Inevitably, though, years ofexcessive noise accumulation take their toll and partial orcomplete deafness results. If silence is the cure for ailing ears(or, at least, the best way to prevent further deterioration ofone's hearing), it is sobering to realise that it is also theunfortunate and permanent curse of a lifetime of noise abusecaused by ignoring the warnings. * decibel: standard unit of sound measurement Questions 1 - 7 Match the headings below with paragraphs 1 - 8 in the readingpassage entitled "Hearing Problems". There are moreheadings than required. The last paragraph heading has beencompleted for you as an example. A. Research into earphones inserted in the ear canal B. Listening through earphones for too long C. The maximum noise level of the 'Walkman' D. The benefit of silence E. An environment of constant noise F. Three problems caused by inserted earphones G. The maximum safe noise dosage H. The curse of silence (Example) 8 I. A cure for 'tinnitus' J.Alarming statistical evidence K.A chronic hearing loss impairment L. The danger of falling asleep Questions 8 - 16 Refer to the reading passage entitled "Hearing Problems"and answer the questions below with answer T (for True) or F (forFalse) in the box below. The first one has been done for you asan example. Ex. Silence is not beneficial to the human ear F Q8. Silence is no longer a precious commodity Q9. There are basically two kinds of noise pollution Q10. The noise from a jet plane engine is not an obvious formof noise pollution Q11. 'Layering' sound reduces the overall amount of soundby masking it Q12. More males than females suffer the consequences ofconstant noise Q13. To achieve Dose 1 in 4 hours, the ear needs to be exposedto 93 decibels for that period of time Q14. The passage outlines four main dangers from usinginsertable earphones Q15. Beethoven's ability to compose music was threatened byhis 'tinnitus' Q16. Deafness is caused by not hearing the warnings aboutnoise abuse Questions 17 - 20 Answer the questions below by using words and phrases takenfrom the reading passage entitled "Hearing Problems". Notethat there is a maximum of three words for eachanswer. Q17. In Paragraph 1, what are the words of the old adage? Q18. In Paragraph 1, less damage to the hearing is the resultof Q19. How many sources are given for hearing problems caused byconstant noise? Q20. What might a sufferer of 'tinnitus' get by blockingout certain sound frequencies? Writing Writing Task 1 You are advised to spend a maximum of 20 minutes on thistask. In June 1996, an experimental flu vaccine was trialled in alarge country town on females only . Write a report for a university tutor describing theinformation shown in the diagrams below. You should write at least 150 words. 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: The costs of medical health care are increasing all the time. Governmentsare finding it difficult to balance the health care budget.Should citizens be totally responsible for their own health costs and takeout private health insurance, or is it better to have a comprehensive healthcare system which provides free health services for all? Discuss. You should write at least 250 words. Practise answering the suggested practice questions forthe 5 Stages of the IELTS interview below, remembering to giveanswers that are as detailed and informative as you can. Ifpossible, practise with a partner and compare your responses. Stage 1 Hello, please come in and take a seat. How are you today? CanI see your passport please? and your CV? Thank you. My name is (interviewer's name). What shall Icall you? Where do you come from? Where is that exactly? Can you tell me a little about your educational background? Did you like school? What were your favourite subjects? Why? So, what do you intend to study now? What is it that interests you about that? And, your family? Do they support you in your decision? Tell me a little about your family. What does your family like doing on the weekend? Stage 2 And you? What do you like doing on the weekend? I'm going to ask you to talk about a particular topic - let'ssee - er, sport and fitness. What do you do to keep fit? How often do you play a sport? Do you consider yourself to be healthy?Why? Is there anything you could do to increase your fitness levelthat you don't do at present? Tell me about sport in your country. What kinds of sport aremost popular? Why? How important is it that sport be included in the secondaryschool curriculum? Should team sports be compulsory at school? If you had the chance to take up a new sport, which would youchoose? Why? Stage 3 Thank you. Next, I'll give you the chance to ask me somequestions. I want you to pretend that you are a new student atuniversity (or college) and that you wish to find out aboutbecoming a member of the Sports Centre. Take this role-play card You can ask me any questions you wish. The topics on the cardwill give you some ideas. SPORTS CENTRE MEMBERSHIP You are a new student at university. You wish to join the university Sports Centre because you want to get fit. The interviewer is a Student Union Representative who has information about the facilities available on campus. Find out as much as you can about how to become a member of the Sports Centre. Suggested topics that may help you: - facilities available - swimming pool costs - aerobics classes - opening and closing times - massage and sauna - parking - joining fees - hire of equipment - rules and regulations Stage 4 Thank you. Now I'd like you to give me back the card, and tell me in more detail about your future plans. What do you intend to do after this examination? Have you made any enquiries about courses that offer you what you want? Is it easy to succeed in this particular field of work? What are the problems you might encounter? Can you be a little more specific? What kind of person do you have to be to succeed in this line of work? What kind of qualities do you need to possess? Why? What might you do if you had to pursue another career? Do you have any personal goals in life other than those pertaining to your career? Do you intend to travel or live for a time overseas, for example? Are you the kind of person for whom financial success is very important? Stage 5 Very good. That just about brings us to the end of the interview. Is there anything else you might like to tell me about? Right, then. Goodbye, and thank you for sharing your time with me. I wish you all the best. You are required to support your arguments with relevant information and examples basedon your own ideas, knowledge and experience [...]... is Golden Q18 In Paragraph 1, less damage to the hearing is the result of less superfluous noise Q19 How many sources are given for hearing problems caused by constant noise? 3 Q20 What might a sufferer of 'tinnitus' get by blocking out certain sound frequencies? (some) temporary relief 3.Writing Writing Task 1: The diagrams show data for a flu epidemic which hit a large country town in 1996 Figure... constant noise T Q13 To achieve Dose 1 in 4 hours, the ear needs to be exposed to 93 decibels for that period of time T Q14 The passage outlines four main dangers from using insertable earphones F Q15 Beethoven's ability to compose music was threatened by his 'tinnitus' T Q16 Deafness is caused by not hearing the warnings about noise abuse T Questions 17 - 20 Q17 In Paragraph 1, what are the words of... "always" is a 'danger' word in True/False type tasks In fact,the body weight is "likely to be a good deal less than normal" 2.Reading Questions 1-7 A Research into earphones inserted in the ear canal 4 B Listening through earphones for too long 6 C The maximum noise level of the 'Walkman' D The benefit of silence 1 E An environment of constant noise 2 F Three problems caused by inserted earphones 5 G The... A cure for 'tinnitus' J Alarming statistical evidence 3 K A chronic hearing loss impairment 7 L The danger of falling asleep Questions 8 - 16 Q8 Silence is no longer a precious commodity F Q9 There are basically two kinds of noise pollution T Q10 The noise from a jet plane engine is not an obvious form of noise pollution F Q11 'Layering' sound reduces the overall amount of sound by masking it F Q12... health insurance premiums if they know that they are getting good value for their money If they get sick, they should pay very little or nothing at all In addition, the privately insured are entitled to special benefits such as having the choice of their own doctors, and being able to avoid long waiting lists for hospital beds On the other hand, those who really cannot afford to pay private insurance... Yes "If the clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain, the result is a stroke if the clot blocks an artery in the heart, the result is a heart attack." Q11 Yes "The risk of cancer is greater for all smokers." (Usually, wordssuch as "all", or "only" etc., being 100% inclusive or exclusive, are foundin statements that are later modified or qualified in some way But, inthis case, the statement is true.)... take part in the trial Of those females who took part, 35% were aged (over 65 years old); 24% were babies or children; and 13% were either hospitalised or receiving other medical attention From Figure 3 it is clear that the new vaccine had a positive effect on the number of new cases of flu reported in females There were just over 1000 cases reported in March, climbing rapidly to a peak of 3500 in June... flu vaccine; and Figure 3 gives the number of cases of flu before and during the epidemic In Figure 1 it can be seen that the flu was responsible for the deaths of 2 females but no males in the period from March to May However, from June to August, there were 4 female deaths and 1 male death According to the pie chart in Figure 2, only those females most at risk were given the new flu vaccine; 28%... to Writing IELTS answers 1.Listening Questions 1-9 1 4 out of 5 2 10 3 350,000 4 50,000 5 4 6 0 7 87.5% 8 1/4 Notes: Q4 The number of people per year who die in the US from smoking is 7 times the number who die from car accidents ( 350,000 / 7 = 50,000 ) Q5 The question asks for the number of decades (a decade is a period of 10 years) that tobacco has been recognised as dangerous Q6 Since nicotine is... Thereafter, the number of cases dropped slowly to about 2800 in August, before levelling off at 2500 for the rest of the year For males, the figures were lower but showed a similar trend throughout the epidemic (232 words) Writing Task 2: A much debated issue these days is whether citizens should take out private health insurance or not The cost of providing free medical care for both the wealthy and the poor . HearingProblems Paragraph 1 (Q.1) The old adage extols the virtue ofsilence by claiming it is golden,. (Q.3) Our noise level acceptance thresholdis rising in step with the number of persons developing hearingproblems. Data available from a recent survey conducted by theAustralian Bureau of Statistics