Reading Full 66 | IELTS Reading Practice

READING PASSAGE 1

PASSAGE 1

Read the text and answer questions 1-13

Australia's Airborne Dentists

Australians living or traveling in rural and remote areas can face particular difficulties when they need medical care. Hundreds of kilometres from major cities and many hours by road from the closest hospital or clinic, some rural Australians do not have easy access to doctors, nurses and dentists.

Organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) have been established to bring health services to outback Australian communities. The RFDS provides free medical care to people who live, work or travel in remote and regional parts of Australia. This non-profit organisation is the oldest and largest airborne health service of its kind in the world, and since 1928 it has used small planes to reach Australia's most far-away communities.

In recent years, the RFDS has also started to fly dentists to regional Australia. As well as offering mobile dental clinics, the RFDS offers a range of preventative and educational services. Looking after the teeth of people in remote areas presents special challenges. These include providing care to disparate communities with no established dental facilities, and dealing with higher incidences of other diseases which are linked to, or caused by poor dental health.

People in remote areas have very infrequent visits by health staff. RFDS dentists might only visit a community once every few months, or sometimes once per year. Because of infrequent dentist visits, patients in these areas often need to put up with their dental problems before they can get treatment; consequently, people in remote areas are more likely to have tooth decay (the blackening and deterioration of teeth) and develop gum and other mouth diseases.

In some locations that the RFDS visits, there are no suitable dental facilities, so dentists have to bring everything with them. This includes drills, dentists' chairs, portable X-ray machines, and computers for keeping track of patients' treatments. Equipment can weigh up to 100 kilograms, and since the small planes that transport dentists have limited space, dentists cannot always bring everything that they need.

While dentists in town or city centres can specialise in certain types of treatment, RFDS dentists need to be 'all-rounders'. They need to be able to do all kinds of dental procedures, as they don't have the ability to refer patients to more specialised dentists. Even with their broad experience, there are some services that are particularly challenging for RFDS dentists. For example, dentures (artificial teeth) can be very difficult to provide, as they need to be the right shape and size for the patient, and this requires many visits over a long period of time. As a result, it is not practical to make dentures available.

Some chronic illnesses are more common in remote communities than in the rest of Australia. These illnesses can in turn lead to a lowered resistance to infection, including gum and other oral infections. As a result, people in outback Australian communities are more likely to experience oral health problems than city folk, and this poses extra challenges for both the dentists and the doctors of the RFDS.

Because there aren't a lot of dental services in remote areas, people living in these areas also receive less education about good dental hygiene than their city counterparts do. Australians in very remote communities might not be aware of things that people in cities take for granted, such as the importance of daily tooth brushing. Also, basic dental hygiene items such as toothpaste and toothbrushes can be more expensive in outback areas. Many people are on low incomes, meaning they have extra difficulty affording these products. If this is the case, the RFDS supplies these.

As well as treating patients, RFDS dentists try to focus on preventative oral health and educate their patients on good oral hygiene, such as tooth brushing and flossing. The RFDS also provides mouthguards for young sports players. Playing contact sports, such as rugby league or Australian rules football, can damage young people's teeth, so mouthguards provide protection which prevents accidental injuries.

Adding fluoride to water supplies has been proven to reduce the incidence of tooth decay in many parts of the world. City dwellers in Australia use water supplies that have been fluoridated, and their rates of tooth decay are lower because of this. In remote areas, it is not practical to fluoridate drinking water supplies, and so people living in these areas are more subject to tooth decay. As a result, it is particularly important that people living in areas without fluoridated water pay special attention to regular brushing of their teeth with fluoridated toothpaste.

Despite many challenges, the RFDS continues to offer much-needed dental and medical support. Its presence in isolated communities greatly improves the quality of dental health, and supports important oral hygiene and health initiatives.

Questions 1-13

Questions 1-7

Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information given in the text, choose FALSE if the statement contradicts the information, or choose NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.

1 Many of the RFDS doctors work as volunteers.

TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN

2 RFDS dentists make trips to outback communities each month.

TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN

3 RFDS dentists are accompanied on their journeys to remote areas by a dental nurse.

TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN

4 RFDS dentists must provide a wide range of dental services.

TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN

5 Rural dental patients are more informed about oral hygiene than urban patients.

TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN

6 RFDS dentists educate patients about good eating habits.

TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN

7 Urban Australians generally have better teeth because their water is treated.

TRUE FALSE NOT GIVEN

Questions 8-13

Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Challenges faced by RFDS dentists

- need to bring equipment including for records

- aircraft used to carry equipment have restricted

- problems offering some services, e.g. fitting

- people in remote areas are more likely to have infection in their mouth

Products supplied by RFDS dentists

If necessary RFDS provides:

- and for regular use

- to limit dental accidents on the sports field.

READING PASSAGE 2

PASSAGE 2

Read the text and answer questions 14-26

Public art programs: research update

Researchers agree that art participation is an important leisure pursuit, with benefits not only to the individual, but also to the community. Art participation can be active, where people create or perform the art, or passive, as is the case when an audience views a performance or a person visits a gallery.

14Researcher Howard Spector suggests that active art experiences benefit all age groups by providing individuals with the means to freely and creatively express themselves. Self-expression, in turn, promotes individuality, bolsters self-confidence and improves motivation and attitudes towards academic performance. Both active and passive art experiences can provide the benefits of discovery, stimulation and relaxation (Oliphant 2000). Furthermore, people's participation in art enhances their development and expands their thoughts about culture. In short, art can make individuals more socially conscious.

15Communities committed to providing opportunities for experiencing art are considered more livable because they are attractive to businesses and industry and they offer a higher quality of life for residents (Riley 2002). Tourism is strongly linked to art; art is believed to stimulate tourism in a community, and vice versa. Art-related tourism generates tourists and revenue, attracts high-income consumers, extends the tourist season and is a "green" form of the industry (Hughes 2000). Revitalization efforts have increased in many cities because of the strong presence of art opportunities.

Art programs can be highly effective in reducing community problems related to delinquent behavior and truancy in youth (Spector 2000). The Philadelphia Department of Recreation Mural Arts Program (MAP) is one such program. It began in the early 1980s when the city undertook to remove graffiti in the city while creating a positive, productive and creative outlet for adjudicated graffiti artists, as they used their talents to beautify public spaces through the creation of murals, instilling a sense of pride, excellence, diligence and civic responsibility.

16In recognition of these and other benefits, communities are finding many ways to ensure that the public is provided with opportunities to experience art. Public art programs are one way. These programs are typically administered by government, which commissions or mandates works of art for display in public spaces. Public art works can include street furniture, decorations, paving and landmarks, and may take on many forms, including sculpture, decorative ironwork, mosaic flooring and murals. The primary purpose of public art is to bring art into everyday life, to energize public spaces and to arouse society's thinking and imagination.

17Despite the significant benefits that art participation can offer to individuals and communities, only 35 percent of the American adult population visit museums or galleries at least once during the year, and only about 25 percent attend a live performance (Bradshaw 1998). Even fewer (14 percent) participate directly in photography, painting, drawing, sculpting, dance (other than ballet), creative writing or classical music. If art experiences are so beneficial, why aren't more people participating?

To help researchers shed light on this question, the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through objective research and analysis, developed "A Behavior Model of the Participant Decision", which can be used to investigate people's inclinations about participating in an art activity (Yoshitomi 2000). According to Yoshitomi, each person has a disposition related to his or her interest in engaging in an art activity; a person's disposition is based on sociodemographic characteristics, social or cultural identity, personality and previous experience. The RAND model clusters participants into three groups according to their disposition toward art participation: those disinclined to participate; those inclined to participate; and those currently participating.

18The RAND findings reveal that the disinclined perceive themselves as being uncomfortable or unfamiliar with art. This disposition might occur among people who do not value art and who have not received art education, or who perceive themselves as unsophisticated or lacking skill to participate. The inclined are interested in participating, but may be constrained by particular barriers such as cost, time, and proper attire. Current participants are those who are involved, and influence or encourage others to participate. Researchers suggest that a strong relationship exists between childhood and adult art participation rates. Individuals with a greater number of childhood art experiences are more likely to have higher rates of participation as adults. Although 90 percent of Americans believe art instruction is important for children and should be offered in schools, almost 40 percent of schools either offer no art instruction or have art instructors with no formal art training.

19One recreation organization working to make sure children get exposed to art is the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which offer two innovative programs: The National Photography Program and the National Fine Arts Exhibit. Both are designed to get children excited about art. The photography program promotes new art that is technologically produced, including video and computer graphics, but primarily focuses on photography. The program provides club members with the opportunity to achieve personal growth and receive artistic recognition through instruction in photography. Participants also display their work at local, regional and national photography contests. The second program is the Fine Arts Exhibit. This encourages artistic expression, creativity, cultural appreciation and the development of artistic skills through classes, special events, exhibits and competitions. It allows participants to explore a variety of mediums, including drawing, painting, print making, collage and sculpture.

Because art experiences provide so many important benefits to individuals and communities, it is important for community programs to facilitate opportunities and provide encouragement to increase participation in a variety of programs.

Questions 14-26

Questions 14-19

Reading Passage 2 has ten paragraphs.

Choose the correct heading for paragraphs 1-6 from the list of headings below.

Drag each heading to the beginning of the matching paragraph.

Choose the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 14-19.

List of Headings

i Interpreting the research behind who is participating in art activities

ii How sales of artwork have increased in many countries

iii Two opportunities for getting kids involved in art activities

iv How art can be made accessible to the public

v Developing a model to explain the lack of participation in art

vi The connection between art and media

vii How involvement with art affects well-being and attitudes

viii How art makes communities safer and more vital

Drag a heading and drop it onto the matching paragraph in the passage.

Questions 20-23

Look at the following statements (Questions 20-23) and the list of researchers below. Match each statement with the correct researcher, A-F.

List of Researchers

A Spector
B Oliphant
C Riley
D Hughes
E Bradshaw
F Yoshitomi

Question	A	B	C	D	E	F
20 Art activities can contribute to lowering negative incidents associated with juvenile crime.
21 Art can bring money and visitors into a community.
22 Commercial interests are drawn to areas that emphasize public art.
23 Art activities can both energize and calm people.

Questions 24-26

Complete the sentences below. Write ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

24 Sometimes people want to get involved in art activities but can't afford it, can't fit it into their schedule, or don't have the suitable .

25 A noticeable correlation exists between art involvement in childhood and those in adulthood .

26 The National Photography Program allows members to grow personally and also gain for their artistic achievements.

READING PASSAGE 3

PASSAGE 3

Read the text and answer questions 27-40

200 Years of Australian Landscapes at the Royal Academy in London

This exhibition promises to chart the evolution of a nation through its art, but not everyone agrees with the reasons behind the choice of artwork

A For the casual viewer, the exhibition of landscapes, Australia, selected by the Royal Academy of Art will be a spectacular guide through Australian art history. Included in the exhibition are a range of artists and styles, dating from the earliest days of colonial art and progressing through expressionism and modernism to the artists of the 20th century, culminating with the current generation of Australian artists. It is hardly surprising, then, that this results in a flexible, wide-ranging notion of landscape.

B But this landmark exhibition gives rise to some questions, and perhaps problems, regarding Britain's relationship with its former colony. By choosing a style of painting at which British artists excel, the Academy could be seen as inviting criticism that hints at a telling attitude towards art by comparison. But it is the very theme of landscape painting that makes this a controversial selection. To consider if condescending is perhaps too strong, but for Joanna Mendelssohn, Australian critic and Associate Professor at the University of NSW's College of Fine Arts (COFA), there is a suggestion that British artistic values have directed this exhibition, rather than allowing Australia the freedom to demonstrate its maturity.

C What Mendelssohn found surprising about the exhibition was the underlying rules for the selection of works seemed to have been so conservative. Since the landscape is a very strong British artistic theme, it appeared to her that when the British looked to the art of a former colony, there was a tendency for them to think that those colonies would continue to be like the British themselves. In reviewing Australian art, the British insisted on looking at the genre of landscape painting.

D Because of colonial ties, it was inevitable during Australian art's formative years that it would reflect Britain's devotion to the beloved landscape before its own character and idiosyncrasies took shape. And while Mendelssohn's concern over the exhibition's conventional selection is valid, the Academy is nevertheless embracing the peculiarities of Australian art from the mid-19th century onward, albeit within the boundaries of landscape.

E Australia is curated by Kathleen Soriano, director of exhibitions at the Royal Academy. 'Certainly the influence of English, French or German art is much more evident in the early periods, in the early 1800s to mid-1800s,' she says. 'What I wanted to show was how Australian art develops a real distinctiveness, associated with the landscape and the light.'

F The fusion of 'tradition' of the European kind with something more specifically Australian, and often personal, is crucial to the exhibition and extends particularly to some of the more contemporary artists involved. Sydney-born video artist Shaun Gladwell is a good example of this. Gladwell's most famous piece, which is featured in the exhibition, is Storm Sequence (2000), a video of Gladwell skateboarding on the Bondi seafront as one of Sydney's signature brutal storms lingers offshore. It is his acknowledgment of landscape (or seascape) tradition, coloured by Gladwell's own individualism. 'To exhibit my work in this show might make some sense because I was interested in Turner and the idea of atmosphere affecting vision, something I was really interested in around the time of Storm Sequence. I was thinking about this tradition of Romantic landscape, but I wanted to make it personal,' says Gladwell. But he didn't want to just embark on borrowing imagery from elsewhere. He wanted to bring it to his experience and his world through skateboarding and beach culture.

G So while it may seem narrow for Britain to reduce Australian art to the genre of landscape, there can be little denying that British landscape painting is still relevant to a current generation of Australian practitioners, however indirectly.

H Visitors to the exhibition encounter Australian Aboriginal art first, the idea being that these works warrant a prominent position because they were 'first'. Over the last couple of decades, London has hosted many successful exhibitions of Aboriginal art in smaller spaces, but for Soriano, Australia represents an opportunity to place such art within the context of new relationships to the art of the settlers and white Australia. 'One of the reasons landscape was seen as being the right theme was because Australian art started in and on the landscape,' she says. '[The exhibition] is a beautiful meshing of the two different kinds of art that allowed me to bring them together comfortably and honestly with this theme. It was important for me to present Indigenous art to audiences, and I felt it was most accurate to be seen as part of Australian art history, rather than a separate exhibition of its own.'

I Meanwhile, Australian critic Mendelssohn also points out that London is increasingly less important to today's generation of artists, and this somewhat weakens the ceremony surrounding the exhibition in London. 'China is the most important art market in the world,' she says. 'If you've made it in Shanghai, you've made it. The world has changed. My students in Australia, who come from all over the world, really want to see Venice Biennale and Art Basel, but they're less interested in going to London. When I was growing up, London was the destination, and then when I was at university all the smart young things wanted to go to New York,' she added. 'Now they want to go everywhere. There's no such thing as the centre and the periphery like there used to be. It's much more complicated.'

Questions 27-40

Questions 27-31

Choose YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer, choose NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer, or NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

27 As expected, the artworks chosen for the exhibition reflect a narrow interpretation of landscape.

YES NO NOT GIVEN

28 The Academy rejected Australian suggestions for the subject of the exhibition.

YES NO NOT GIVEN

29 The colonial relationship meant that early Australian landscape painting followed the traditions of English landscape painting.

YES NO NOT GIVEN

30 The exhibition reflects the fact that Australian art developed its own particular qualities.

YES NO NOT GIVEN

31 Contemporary Australian artists have generally rejected British landscape traditions.

YES NO NOT GIVEN

Questions 32-36

Choose the correct answer.

32 What is the writer's main point in the second paragraph?

A Australian landscape painting derives from the British tradition. B Australian landscape painting is more highly regarded than British. C Britain is still imposing its principles on Australian art. D British art cannot be compared to Australian art.

33 What does Joanna Mendelssohn find surprising?

A Modern Australian landscape painting has great variety. B The guidelines for the choice of work were very traditional. C Landscape painting remains a popular subject for British artists. D The British find the Australian landscape unsuitable as a subject.

34 Shaun Gladwell's work is included in the exhibition because

A it adopts a subjective approach to depicting the landscape. B skateboarding is an inspiration to many Australian artists. C storms are a significant feature in the Australian landscape. D Bondi is an iconic Australian location.

35 What was the reason for Soriano including Aboriginal art in the exhibition?

A It is not well known in London art circles. B Aboriginal landscape painting influenced Australian settlers. C It is part of the Australian art tradition and not independent of it. D Modern Aboriginal painting deals with changes to the landscape.

36 By referring to China, Mendelssohn is making the point that

A having an exhibition in London is not as important as it used to be. B young artists in Britain are not interested in Australian art. C art from Shanghai is more important than Australian art. D New York is still a preferred destination for young artists.

Questions 37-40

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below.

List of Endings

A reflects the mood created by the natural environment.
B demonstrates that the dominant art form in Australia is landscape painting.
C demonstrates an understanding of the historical importance of the land.
D showcases a very small number of artists.
E demonstrates a strong European flavour.
F shows an acceptance of the unique qualities of Australian art.

Question	A	B	C	D	E	F
37 In spite of its conservatism, the Royal Academy exhibition
38 Australian art of the early to mid-1800s
39 The modern work by Gladwell chosen for the exhibition
40 Including Aboriginal art in the exhibition

Your test will begin shortly

IELTSwithJurabek

READING PASSAGE 1

Australia's Airborne Dentists

Questions 1-13

READING PASSAGE 2

Public art programs: research update

Questions 14-26

READING PASSAGE 3

200 Years of Australian Landscapes at the Royal Academy in London

Questions 27-40

Your test will begin shortly

IELTSwithJurabek

READING PASSAGE 1

Australia's Airborne Dentists

Questions 1-13

READING PASSAGE 2

Public art programs: research update

Questions 14-26

READING PASSAGE 3

200 Years of Australian Landscapes at the Royal Academy in London

Questions 27-40

Test Results