IELTS GENERAL READING PRACTICE [The Earth}

SECTION 1: The Earth (A) The Earth is the third planet from the Sun and it is the only planet known to have life on it. The Earth formed around 4.5 billion years ago. It is one of four rocky planets on the inside of the Solar System. The other three are Mercury, Venus, and Mars. (B) The large mass of the Sun makes the Earth move around it, just as the mass of the Earth makes the Moon move around it. The Earth also turns round in space, so different parts face the Sun at different times. The Earth goes around the Sun once (one "year") for every 365¼ times it turns all the way around (one "day"). (C) The Moon goes around the Earth about every 27⅓ days, and reflects light from the Sun. As the Earth goes round the Sun at the same time, the changing light of the Moon takes about 29½ days to go from dark to bright to dark again. That is where the idea of "month" came from. However, now most months have 30 or 31 days so they fit into one year. (D) The Earth is the only planet in our Solar System that has a large amount of liquid water. About 71% of the surface of the Earth is covered by oceans. Because of this, it is sometimes called the "Blue Planet". (E) Because of its water, the Earth is home to millions of species of plants and animals. The things that live on Earth have changed its surface greatly. For example, early cyanobacteria changed the air and gave it oxygen. The living part of the Earth's surface is called the "biosphere". (F) The Earth is part of the eight planets and many thousands of small bodies that move around the Sun as its Solar System. The Solar System is moving through the Orion Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy now, and will be for about the next 10,000 years. (G) The Earth is generally 150,000,000 kilometers or 93,000,000 miles away from the Sun (this distance is named an "Astronomical Unit"). The Earth moves along its way at an average speed of about 30 km or 19 mi a second. The Earth turns all the way around about 365¼ times in the time it takes for the Earth to go all the way around the Sun. To make up this extra bit of a day every year, an additional day is used every four years. This is named a "leap year". (H) The Moon goes around the Earth at an average distance of 400,000 kilometers (250,000 mi). It is locked to Earth, so that it always has the same half facing the Earth; the other half is called the "dark side of the Moon". It takes about 27⅓ days for the Moon to go all the way around the Earth but, because the Earth is moving around the Sun at the same time, it takes about 29½ days for the Moon to go from dark to bright to dark again. This is where the word "month" came from, even though most months now have 30 or 31 days.

Questions 1–8 Reading Passage 1 has eight paragraphs A-H. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A–H, in boxes 1–8 on your answer sheet. 1. Earth’s natural satellite _____ 2. Distance between Earth and Sun _____ 3. General information about Earth _____ 4. The Solar System ______ 5. Length of most moths _____ 6. Another name for Earth _______ 7. The living part of the Earth's surface ______ 8. The movements of Earth around the Sun __________

SECTION 2 : 1. The Vitamin Shoppe: 1,946 part-time openings. The Vitamin Shoppe is a New Jersey-based retailer of nutritional supplements. They also operate stores in Canada under the name "VitaPath". The company provides approximately 8,000 different SKU's of supplements through its retail stores and over 20,000 different SKU's of supplements through its online retail websites. Employee Review: "Good growth opportunities and stores opening all over the US all year 'round. Company based out of NJ, so more progressive policies on employment and benefits. Good vacation, health, and dental benefits. Payment is above average. Good policies on customer service interaction as well. Focus on Customer service vs. pushing products." 2. Chipotle: 1,553 part-time openings. Chipotle is known for its use of organic meats throughout its more than 1,500 restaurants, which are located in 45 states. Since having been founded in 1993, the chain has since exploded and now counts some 37,000 employees. It is a pioneer in the "fast casual" dining movement. Employee Review: "The people I work with are awesome and the food is good. It pays my bills and makes me laugh. The schedule is super flexible but it's a lot of work. If you're looking for something easy and laid back, keep looking." 3. Advantage Sales & Marketing: 1,742 part-time openings. Advantage Sales & Marketing provides outsourced sales, merchandising, and marketing services to consumer goods and food product manufacturers and suppliers. Owning more than 65 offices in the US and Canada, ASM does merchandising for 1,200 clients -- including Johnson & Johnson, Mars, Unilever, Energizer. Employee Review: "Long lasting business, able to adapt to changes in market. Well-thought out schedule, and flexible time off for both vacation and illness." 4. Universal Protection Service: 1,219 part-time openings. Universal Protection Service is one of the largest providers of security services in the U.S. They offer an expansive range of security solutions for airports, healthcare facilities, office buildings, and more. Employee Review: "Good pay depending on where you work. Room for advancement based on availability. Better company than any other I have worked for in security." 5. PSA Healthcare: 1,295 part-time openings PSA Healthcare, also known as Pediatric Services of America, provides comprehensive home health services through a branch of office across the United States. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. Employee Review: "I love working one-on-one with the pediatric patient and their families. You have the time needed to give great compassionate care! Office staff and supervisors are very good with both employees and clients. There is a lot of flexibility with staffing. I never received grief for requesting a day off."

Questions 9-13 Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer. 9. Apart from Earth, other rocky planets in our Solar Systems are Venus, Mars and ______. 10. Moon ______ from the Sun on Earth. 11. There are millions of _______ of plants and animals that inhabit Earth. 12. Now the Solar System is travelling through ________ . 13. The dark side of the Moon is the side, which ________ faces Earth.

Questions 14-22 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. 14. Which offer has the most part-time openings? A Chipotle B PSA Healthcare C The Vitamin Shoppe D Advantage Sales & Marketing 15. Which of these companies operate both in USA and Canada? A The Vitamin Shoppe and Advantage Sales & Marketing B PSA Healthcare and Advantage Sales & Marketing C Chipotle and PSA Healthcare D PSA Healthcare and The Vitamin Shoppe 16. Review of which company says that it is the best security company he/she worked for? A Chipotle B The Vitamin Shoppe C Universal Protection Service D PSA Healthcare 17. Which company was founded in 1993? A The Vitamin Shoppe B Universal Protection Service C PSA Healthcare D Chipotle 18. Main office of which company is situated in Atlanta? A The Vitamin Shoppe B PSA Healthcare C Chipotle D Advantage Sales & Marketing 19. VitaPath is the other name of which company? A PSA Healthcare B Universal Protection Service C The Vitamin Shoppe D Advantage Sales & Marketing 20. Which review doesn’t mention a comfortable timetable? A Chipotle B Advantage Sales & Marketing C The Vitamin Shoppe D PSA Healthcare 21. Which company is described as a long lasting business? A PSA Healthcare B Advantage Sales & Marketing C Universal Protection Service D Chipotle 22. Organic meat is used by what company? A Chipotle B The Vitamin Shoppe C Advantage Sales & Marketing D None of them

Questions 23-28 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Section 2? TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this 23. The Vitamin Shoppe has an above average salary, according to the review. Choose T/F 24. Reviewer of the company Chipotle says that working there is both fun and earns enough money. Choose T/F 25. Advantage Sales & Marketing owns 65 offices all over the world. Choose T/F 26. Universal Protection Service offers various security services in the USA. Choose T/F 27. Reviewer of the PSA Healthcare praises its high wages. Choose T/F 28. None of the offers included an approximate salary in the description. Choose T/F