Mail Order Brochure, Formal Dress Code for Company Employees and The Lack of Sleep | IELTS General Reading Practice Test 19 with Answers

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

Read the paragraph and answer the following questions. Don’t spend more than 20 minutes on each section

Mail Order Brochure

Want some great clothing ideas for your family?

Our key for clothing specials in July:

M for men

W for women

C for children

For under $10

Cotton socks C – made of pure cotton for long-wearing

Woollen socks C – to keep young feet warm in winter

Sports socks M – to go with jeans and other casual clothes

Patterned belts W – to go with jeans and other casual clothes

For under $25

Cotton shirts W – for day and evening wear

Silk shirts M – five sizes, in designer colours, for that special social occasion

T-shirts C – hard-wearing, white with a variety of animal motifs

Colour T-shirts M W – cotton and polyester blend, plain colours, no ironing

For under $50

Blue jeans M W – non-shrink, colourfast, small sizes only

Silk shirts M W – plain and patterned, all sizes

Hooded jacket – protects from the wind, 4 sizes, large strong pockets

jacket W – waterproof with zipper front, all sizes

Or you can buy a gift voucher so that someone else can choose. These come in $10, $20 and $50 amounts.

Additional monthly specials for July to September

July – $10 voucher with any purchase over $60.

August – Travel alarm clock worth $19.95 free with purchases of $80 or more!

September – Children’s backpacks. Free with any credit card purchase over $75!

Note: Postage and packing charges

These are applied to each order as follows:

Within Australia:

$7.95 per address, regular post

$17.95 for Express Delivery Service (overnight)

Overseas:

Surface Mail (allow a minimum of two months for delivery)

Airmail (allow around two weeks delivery to most destinations)

Questions 1-7

In your answer sheet, write

True – if the statement agrees with the information

False – if the statement contradicts with the information

Not Given – if there is no information on this

1 Women’s cotton socks cost less than men’s.

2 Men’s silk shirts are available in more than five colours.

3 Children’s 7-shirts come in a variety of colours.

4 The child’s jacket has four pockets.

5 If you buy clothes worth $80 in August, you will receive a free alarm clock.

6 The charge for a special next-day delivery in Australia is $7.95.

7 All clothing is guaranteed to arrive within two months.

Question 8-14

The list of New Book Releases on the following page has nine book descriptions A-I.

Choose the correct title for each book from the list of book titles below.

Write the correct number i-xi in boxes 8-14 on your answer sheet.

List of Book Titles

i Field Guide to Native Birds of Australia

ii The Bush on Two Wheels: 100 Top Rides

iii Bush Foods of Australian Aborigines

iv A Pictorial History of the Dinosaur in Australia

v Bushwalking in Australia

vi World Geographica

vii Driving Adventures for 4-wheel-drive Vehicles

viii Survival Techniques in the Wild

ix Encyclopaedia of Australian Wildlife

x Guide to the Art of the Australian Desert

xi Field Guide to Animals of the World

8 Book A

9 Book B

10 Book C

Example: Book D vi

11 Book D

12 Book E

13 Book F

14 Book G

Example: Book I vii

New Book Releases

1. This book describes the creation of Aboriginal people living in the driest parts of Australia. Stunning reproductions of paintings, beautiful photography and informative text.
2. Pocket-sized maps and illustrations with detailed information on the nesting sites and migration patterns of Australia. This is a classic booklet suitable for both beginner and expert.
3. Packed full of information for the avid hiker, this book is a must. Photographs, maps and practical advice will guide your journeys on foot through the forests of the southern continent.
4. More than-an atlas – this book contains maps, photographs and an abundance of information on the land and climate of countries from around the globe.
5. Australia’s premier mountain biking guidebook – taking you through a host of national parks and state forests.
6. Here’s the A-Z of Australian native animals – take an in-depth look at their lives and characteristics, through fantastic photographs and informative text.
7. Graphic artists have worked with researchers and scientists to illustrate how these prehistoric animals lived and died on the Australian continent.
8. A definitive handbook on outdoor safety – with a specific focus on equipment, nutrition, first aid, special clothing and bush skills
9. Detailed guides to 15 scenic car tours that will take you onto fascinating wilderness tracks and along routes that you could otherwise have missed.

Also check :

• IELTS General reading practice test
• IELTS General Training

Section 2

Read the paragraph below and answer the following questions

Formal Dress Code for Company Employees

At Transit European, the company’s objective in establishing a formal dress code is to enable our employees to project the professional image that is in keeping with the needs of our clients and customers who seek our guidance, input, and professional services. Because our industry requires the appearance of trusted business professionals and we serve clients at our site on a daily basis, a more formal dress code is necessary for our employees.

Formal Dress Code Guidelines

In a formal business environment, the standard of dressing for men and women is a suit. Alternatively, a jacket may be worn with appropriate accessories. Torn, dirty, or frayed clothing is unacceptable. Clothing should be pressed and never wrinkled. No dress code can cover all contingencies so employees must exert a certain amount of judgement in their choice of clothing to wear to work. If you experience uncertainty, please ask your supervisor for advice.

Shoes and Footwear

Conservative walking shoes, dress shoes, loafers, boots, flats, dress heels, and backless shoes are acceptable for work. Not wearing stockings or socks is inappropriate. Tennis shoes and any shoe with an open toe are not acceptable in the office.

Accessories and Jewellery

The wearing of ties, scarves, belts, and jewellery are encouraged, provided they are tasteful. Items which are flashy should be avoided.

Makeup, Perfume, and Cologne

A professional appearance is encouraged and excessive makeup is unprofessional. Remember that some employees may have allergic reactions to the chemicals in perfumes and makeup, so wear these substances in moderation.

Hats and Head Covering

Hats are not appropriate in the office. Headcovers that are required for reasons of faith or to honour cultural tradition are permitted.

Dress Down Days

Certain days can be declared dress down days, generally Fridays. On these days, business casual clothing is allowed. Clothing that has our company logo is strongly encouraged. Sports team, university, and fashion brand names on clothing are generally acceptable. However, you may wish to keep a jacket in your office in case a client unexpectedly appears.

Violation of Dress Code

If clothing fails to meet these standards, as determined by the employee’s supervisor, the employee will be asked not to wear the inappropriate item to work again. If the problem persists, the employee will receive a verbal warning and may be sent home to change clothes.

Questions 15-21

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.

Notes on Company Dress Code

Aim of formal dress code: to present a 15……………….to clients.

Acceptable types of formal clothing: jacket or suit

State of clothes: they must be 16……………………….and in good condition

Footwear: tennis shoes and open-toe shoes are not allowed

Accessories: ties, scarves, belts and jewellery may be worn

-these must be 17………………and not brightly coloured

Makeup: avoid wearing too much makeup and perfume.

-these sometimes cause 18………………………

Hats: hats should not be worn

-headcovers in line with religious reasons or 19…………………..are allowed

Dressing down: casual clothing is allowed on some Fridays

-clothing with the 20………………………..on it is recommended.

Breaking the dress code: if advice is repeatedly ignored, a 21………………………..is given

JLP Retail: Staff benefits

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the text for each answer.

Whatever your role, your pay range will be extremely competitive and reviewed in the light of your progress. In addition to your salary, you will enjoy an array of excellent benefits from the moment you join the company.

Paid Holiday

The holiday entitlement is four weeks per year, rising to five weeks after three years (or in the case of IT graduate trainees, after promotion to programmer or trainee analyst). There are further long-service increases for most staff after ten or fifteen years. Managers, including graduate trainees, receive five weeks’ holiday from the outset.

Pension scheme

We offer a non-contributory final salary pension scheme, payable from the age of 60, to most staff who have completed the qualifying period of five years.

Life assurance

Our life assurance scheme pays a sum equivalent to three times your annual salary to your nominated beneficiary.

Discounts

After three months’ service, all staff are entitled to a 12% discount on most purchases from the company’s stores. This rises to 25% after one year’s service.

Subsided dining room

In most sites, we provide a dining room where you can enjoy excellent food at very reasonable prices.

Holiday and leisure facilities

The business owns a number of residential clubs which offer subsidised holiday accommodation for staff with at least three years’ service.

Sports clubs

We support an extensive range of sports activities including football, netball, golf, skiing, sailing, squash, riding and gliding.

Ticket subsidies

Ticket subsidies of 50% of the cost of plays or concerts are available. Staff may also take advantage of corporate membership to bodies such as the Science Museum.

Education subsidies

We give generous financial support to staff who wish to acquire leisure skills or continue their education, e.g. through the Open University or evening classes.

Extended leave

Staff who complete 25 years’ service can enjoy paid sabbatical leave of up to six months.

Health services

We have an occupational health service staffed by full-time doctors and health advisers.

Financial help, benefits and discounted deals

In cases of particular hardship, we will help staff with a loan. We have also negotiated a range of benefits for staff such as discounted private healthcare and a car purchase scheme, along with a number of one-off deals with hotels and amusement parks.

Questions 22-27

22 Pay increases to depend on them that each member of staff makes.

23 Employees must work a minimum of to be eligible for a pension.

24 Staff may take a holiday at one of the provided by the company.

25 The company pays half the seat price for and plays.

26 The company gives financial assistance for both educational courses and as part of staff development.

27 Employees may be entitled to if they find themselves in difficult circumstances.

Section 3

The Lack of Sleep

1. 1. It is estimated that the average man or woman needs between seven-and-a-half and eight hours sleep a night. Some can manage a lot less. Baroness Thatcher, for example, was reported to be able to get by on four hours’ sleep a night when she was Prime Minister of Britain. Dr Jill Wilkinson, senior lecturer in psychology at Surrey University and co-author of ‘Psychology in Counselling and Therapeutic Practice’ states that healthy individuals sleeping less than five hours or even as little as two hours in every 24 hours are rare, but represent a sizable minority.
   2. The latest beliefs are that the main purposes of sleep are to enable the body to rest and replenish, allowing time for repairs to take place and for tissue to be regenerated. One supporting piece of evidence for this rest-and-repair theory is that production of the growth hormone somatotropin, which helps tissue to regenerate, peaks while we are asleep. Lack of sleep, however, can compromise the immune system, muddle thinking, cause depression, promote anxiety and encourage irritability.
   3. Researchers in San Diego deprived a group of men of sleep between Sam and lam on just one night, and found that levels of their bodies’ natural defences against viral infections had fallen significantly when measured the following morning. ‘Sleep is essential for our physical and emotional well-being and there are few aspects of daily living that are not disrupted by the lack of it’, says Professor William Regelson of Virginia University, a specialist in insomnia. ‘Because it can seriously undermine the functioning of the immune system, sufferers are vulnerable to infection.’
   4. For many people, lack of sleep is rarely a matter of choice. Some have problems getting to sleep, others stay asleep until the morning. Despite popular belief that sleep is one long event, research shows that, in an average night, there are five stages of sleep and four cycles, during which the sequence of stages is repeated. In the first light phase, the heart rate and blood pressure go down and the muscles relax. In the next two stages, sleep gets progressively deeper. In stage four, usually reached after an hour, the slumber is so deep that, if awoken, the sleeper would be confused and disorientated. It is in this phase that sleep-walking can occur, with an average episode lasting no more than 15 minutes. In the fifth stage, the rapid eye movement (REM) stage, the heartbeat quickly gets back to normal levels, brain activity accelerates to daytime heights and above and the eyes move constantly beneath closed lids as if the sleeper is looking at something. During this stage, the body is almost paralysed. This REM phase is also the time when we dream.
   5. Sleeping patterns change with age, which is why many people over 60 develop insomnia. In America, that age group consumes almost half the sleep medication on the market. One theory for the age-related change is that it is due to hormonal changes. The temperature General Training: Reading and Writing rise occurs at daybreak in the young, but at three or four in the morning in the elderly. Age aside, it is estimated that roughly one in three people suffer some kind of sleep disturbance. Causes can be anything from pregnancy and stress to alcohol and heart disease. Smoking is a known handicap to sleep, with one survey showing that ex-smokers got to sleep in 18 minutes rather than their earlier average of 52 minutes.
   6. Apart from self-help therapy such as regular exercise, there are psychological treatments, including relaxation training and therapy aimed at getting rid of pre-sleep worries and anxieties. There is also sleep reduction therapy, where the aim is to improve sleep quality by strictly regulating the time people go to bed and when they get up. Medication is regarded by many as a last resort and often takes the form of sleeping pills, normally benzodiazepines, which are minor tranquilizers.
   7. Professor Regelson advocates the use of melatonin for treating sleep disorders. Melatonin is a naturally secreted hormone, located in the pineal gland deep inside the brain. The main function of the hormone is to control the body’s biological clock, so we know when to sleep and when to wake. The gland detects light reaching it through the eye; when there is no light, it secretes the melatonin into the bloodstream, lowering the body temperature and helping to induce sleep. Melatonin pills contain a synthetic version of the hormone and are commonly used for jet lag as well as for sleep disturbance. John Nicholls, sales manager of one of America’s largest health food shops, claims that sales of the pill have increased dramatically. He explains that it is sold in capsules, tablets, lozenges and mixed with herbs. It is not effective for all insomniacs, but many users have weaned themselves off sleeping tablets as a result of its application.

Questions 28-40

The passage has seven sections labelled A-G.

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 28-35 on your answer sheet.

Note: You may use any letter more than once.

28 the different amounts of sleep that people require

29 an investigation into the results of sleep deprivation

30 some reasons why people may suffer from sleep disorders

31 lifestyle changes which can help overcome sleep-related problems

32 a process by which sleep helps us to remain mentally and physically healthy

33 claims about a commercialised man-made product for sleeplessness

34 the role of physical changes in sleeping habits

35 the processes involved during sleep

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?

In boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet, write

True – if the statement agrees with the information

False – if the statement contradicts with the information

Not Given – if the information is not given

36 Sleep can cure some illnesses.

37 The various stages of sleep occur more than once a night.

38 Dreaming and sleep-walking occur at similar stages of sleep.

39 Sleepers move around a lot during the REM stage of sleep.

40 The body temperature rises relatively early in elderly people.

Answer Key 

Practice Test 18<< >>Practice Test 20