IELTS General Training Reading practice test 3

SECTION 1 Questions 1 to 14

Hoffmann's Sausage Kitchen: Frequently Asked Questions

Hoffmann's Sausage Kitchen is a family-run stall selling German-style sausages at Westbrook Market. Here are the answers to some of the questions our customers ask most often. What do you sell? Our steamed sausage is a simple recipe made from a mix of beef and pork, gently cooked in steam rather than smoked. We also offer a smoked sausage made with pork only, for those who prefer a stronger flavour. All our sausages are made in our own kitchen, a short drive from the market, using recipes handed down by the founder's grandmother. When are you open? We trade every Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm and every Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm. On busy days we sometimes sell out early, so it is worth arriving before lunchtime. What comes with each sausage? Every sausage is served in a fresh bread roll with a spoonful of sweet mustard. Can I order sausages for a party? Yes. For parties and other orders of twenty sausages or more, please give us at least 48 hours' notice by phone or email. Payment is taken when you collect your order. Smaller amounts can simply be bought at the stall on the day. Do you cater for special diets? Our standard rolls contain wheat. Gluten-free rolls are available, but on Saturdays only, as they are delivered fresh by our baker on that day. Unfortunately, we do not make a vegetarian sausage at present. How should I heat sausages at home? If you buy sausages to take away, keep them in the fridge and eat them within three days. Warm them in a pan of hot water for about ten minutes, but don't let the water boil, or the skins may split. Where else can I buy your sausages? Customers often ask whether we have a shop. At the moment, you can only find us at Westbrook Market. Our stall is on the corner nearest the car park, next to the flower seller.

Larchwood Fold-Away Desk: Online customer reviews

A Hannah I bought this desk because it was cheaper than anything similar I'd seen, though it also suits my small spare room. The website promised delivery on Tuesday, but it didn't turn up until Friday. Once it arrived, I was pleased. It's light enough to carry from room to room on my own, and the top is a good size for a laptop and a few books. B Marcus The first one arrived with a crack across the top, so I returned it and the replacement came within a week. The second desk was perfect, and the customer service team were very polite about the whole thing. My only real complaint is the height. At six foot three I find it a bit low, and I've had to put it on wooden blocks to stop my back aching. C Leila My flat is tiny, and the main reason I picked this desk was that it folds flat and fits behind the bedroom door. I work from home three days a week, so I set it up each morning and put it away in the evening. The instructions were confusing, but I managed to put it together myself in about an hour. D Joanne Assembly was harder than I expected. I couldn't hold the side panels straight and tighten the screws at the same time, so in the end my neighbour came round to help. Now it's up, it feels sturdy. The desk is a comfortable height for me, although my old kitchen chair turned out to be far too high for it, so I'm looking for a new one. E Dev When I unpacked it, I honestly thought it looked too light to hold two monitors and almost sent it back, but it hasn't moved an inch. During the week it's my office, and at weekends I clear the laptop away and use it for painting my model aircraft. The surface wipes clean easily, which is handy when I spill paint.

1. The steamed sausage sold at the stall contains more than one kind of meat.

TRUE) TRUE

FALSE) FALSE

NOT GIVEN) NOT GIVEN

2. The stall opens at the same time on Saturdays and Sundays.

TRUE) TRUE

FALSE) FALSE

NOT GIVEN) NOT GIVEN

3. The mustard served with the sausages is produced by a local company.

TRUE) TRUE

FALSE) FALSE

NOT GIVEN) NOT GIVEN

4. Customers who want a large order for a party need to contact the stall in advance.

TRUE) TRUE

FALSE) FALSE

NOT GIVEN) NOT GIVEN

5. Gluten-free rolls are available every day the stall is open.

TRUE) TRUE

FALSE) FALSE

NOT GIVEN) NOT GIVEN

6. Customers are advised not to boil sausages when warming them up at home.

TRUE) TRUE

FALSE) FALSE

NOT GIVEN) NOT GIVEN

7. The owners intend to open a shop in the town.

TRUE) TRUE

FALSE) FALSE

NOT GIVEN) NOT GIVEN

8. The customer needed another person's help to put the desk together.

A) Hannah

B) Marcus

C) Leila

D) Joanne

E) Dev

9. The desk arrived later than the customer had been told it would.

A) Hannah

B) Marcus

C) Leila

D) Joanne

E) Dev

10. The customer uses the desk for paid work and for a leisure activity.

A) Hannah

B) Marcus

C) Leila

D) Joanne

E) Dev

11. The customer had to send back the first desk that was delivered.

A) Hannah

B) Marcus

C) Leila

D) Joanne

E) Dev

12. The customer chose this desk mainly because of the limited space at home.

A) Hannah

B) Marcus

C) Leila

D) Joanne

E) Dev

13. The customer finds the desk too low to be comfortable.

A) Hannah

B) Marcus

C) Leila

D) Joanne

E) Dev

14. The customer was unsure at first whether the desk would be strong enough.

A) Hannah

B) Marcus

C) Leila

D) Joanne

E) Dev

SECTION 2 Questions 15 to 27

Calder Vale Housing: induction notes for new customer service advisers on repair reports after the Linden House fire

In September a fire broke out on the third floor of Linden House, one of our larger blocks of flats. Nobody was hurt, but several flats were damaged by smoke, and many more on the floors below were affected by the water used to put the fire out. Over the coming months you will take a large number of calls from these tenants. This guidance explains how to deal with the most common requests. Taking the first call Begin by checking the tenant's address and asking which rooms have been affected. Tenants often call because their walls feel wet or the paint is peeling. Some damp is to be expected for several weeks after this kind of incident, and on its own it does not change the priority of a repair job, so you can reassure the caller that the building is drying out as planned. If a tenant reports mould on walls or ceilings, however, the job moves up to priority two. Heating Many tenants lost their heating when the water reached the boiler cupboards. We lend portable heaters to every household that needs one, and these are normally delivered by one of our drivers within two working days. When no driver is free, tenants may collect one from our depot on Carr Lane. Please do not send tenants to the main office in town, as no heaters are kept there. The heaters run on electricity, and tenants often find their bills rise noticeably. They can claim back the extra electricity costs by sending a meter reading taken on the day the heater arrives. Remind callers that the gas supply to affected flats is normally cut off until a safety check has been carried out, so they should not try to use their cookers or boilers in the meantime. Repairs and moving out Tenants are naturally keen to see their homes put right quickly. Electricians may visit early on to make the wiring safe, but the walls themselves take longer. No plastering can begin until a surveyor has inspected the walls and confirmed they are dry enough, and in some flats this may not happen before the new year. Some callers will ask whether they can stay somewhere else while the work is done. A temporary move is offered only when the bathroom or kitchen is unusable. Tenants who have lost the use of one other room, such as a bedroom, can usually remain in the flat while the work goes on around them. Keeping tenants informed Once a repair job has been opened, every Friday the system sends the tenant a text message summarising progress, so there is no need for you to call each household. You should phone a tenant yourself only when an appointment has to be changed. Complaints If a tenant tells you they are unhappy with how long the repairs are taking, listen carefully, apologise for the inconvenience and pass the call to the duty supervisor. Only if the matter is still not resolved after ten working days should it be referred to the complaints team.

Fernley Logistics staff guide: paid volunteering leave

About the scheme Fernley Logistics delivers to homes and businesses across the region every day, and we want our staff to be able to give something back to the communities we serve. Our volunteering leave scheme lets you spend time helping a local charity, school or community group without losing any pay. Whether you work in a warehouse, drive one of our vans or are based in an office, the scheme is open to you. Who can take part You are entitled to two paid volunteering days a year once you have passed your probation period. This applies equally to full-time and part-time staff, and part-time colleagues receive the same two days rather than a reduced amount. The organisation you help must be a registered charity or a non-profit group; unfortunately, we cannot approve volunteering for political parties. Asking for leave Talk to the organisation first and agree a date with them. Requests should reach your line manager at least a month ahead, using the volunteering request form on the staff intranet. This gives your team time to arrange cover for your shifts. Your manager will normally reply within a week. If the request is turned down because of staffing levels, you will be asked to suggest another date. What the allowance covers The allowance covers only the time you actually spend volunteering, up to a normal working day of seven and a half hours. Time spent travelling to the site is not included, so if the journey is long you may wish to choose an organisation closer to home or to your usual workplace. Reasonable bus or train fares can, however, be claimed back through the usual expenses form, as long as you keep your tickets. Recording your day Log each day on the online rota as 'VOL' rather than as annual leave. Your timesheet is then filled in automatically, so you do not need to change it yourself. Days recorded as annual leave by mistake will reduce your holiday entitlement, so please check the entry carefully. Sharing your experience We are always keen to hear what colleagues have done. After your day, your manager may invite you to give a short talk at a team meeting, describing the organisation and what you did. Some colleagues also choose to write a piece for the staff newsletter, which often encourages others to get involved. When to use your days The allowance runs with the financial year, so any days not taken by the end of March are lost and cannot be carried over into the following year. Please also bear in mind that requests for dates between mid-November and early January, our busiest delivery period, are unlikely to be approved. We recommend planning your days early in the year to avoid disappointment.

15. • some damp is expected; priority rises if {{15}} is reported on walls or ceilings

16. • if no driver is free, the tenant collects a heater from the {{16}}

17. • extra {{17}} costs refunded: tenant sends a meter reading from the day of delivery

18. • plastering starts only after a {{18}} has inspected the walls

19. • temporary move offered only if the {{19}} or kitchen cannot be used

20. • progress update sent as a {{20}} message every Friday

21. • complaints about slow progress: transfer the call to the duty {{21}}

22. Staff must have completed their {{22}} period before they can apply for volunteering leave.

23. Requests should reach a line manager at least one {{23}} before the volunteering day.

24. The allowance covers only the time spent volunteering, not time spent {{24}} to the site.

25. Each volunteering day should be entered in the online {{25}} as 'VOL' rather than as annual leave.

26. After volunteering, staff may be invited to give a short {{26}} at a team meeting.

27. Any volunteering days not taken by the end of {{27}} are lost.

Read the text below and answer Questions 28 to 40.

Built like us: the humanoid robots arriving at work

A Visitors to a robotics exhibition ten years ago would mostly have seen humanoid machines on research stands, performing a single carefully rehearsed trick for the cameras. Today a small number of them are stacking crates and moving stock in British warehouses, and many people's first question is why they look like us at all. A machine on wheels with one arm is, after all, far simpler to design. The answer lies less in the robots than in the buildings around them. Stairs, door handles, shelves placed at arm height and the tools hanging on a workshop wall were all designed for people with two legs, two arms and two hands. Rather than rebuild every warehouse, shop and kitchen for machines, engineers have chosen to build machines that fit the places we have already built for ourselves. A wheeled robot may be cheaper to make, but if a company has to widen its doorways, add ramps and lower its shelving before the robot can start, the savings quickly disappear. A humanoid, by contrast, can in principle walk in through the front door and begin work. B The idea is hardly new, so why has it taken so long? For years the bodies simply could not keep up with the ambition. Most earlier machines lost their balance on anything but a perfectly flat floor, and a loose cable or a raised doorstep was enough to bring one down. Short battery life was another weakness, with many models needing a recharge after less than two hours. What has changed in the past few years is not one breakthrough but several arriving at once. The most important concerns the way the machines are taught. Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, robots can now pick up a new task by studying videos of people doing the same job, instead of waiting for engineers to write instructions for every movement. The hardware has improved as well. Motors have become lighter, allowing arms and legs to move more quickly and smoothly. Batteries, first developed for electric cars and now produced in enormous numbers, have become much cheaper, and in the latest models they now last a whole eight-hour shift. C Calderwood Supplies, a company that delivers office and cleaning products to businesses across the Midlands, was among the first to put the new machines to a practical test, at its distribution centre near Leicester. For twelve weeks, four of the robots worked the same shifts as the centre's existing team, and no one's job was cut while the trial ran. The robots unloaded lorries, carried boxes to the shelves and prepared orders for dispatch, and they kept going through the night shift as well as during the day. Not everything went smoothly. In practice, the robots had to return to their charging points far more often than the makers had promised, particularly in the cold of the loading bay. They handled neat, undamaged packaging well, but a box that had been crushed or had a torn corner would often defeat them, and a member of staff had to step in. Dana Okafor, a shift supervisor at the centre, admits she was nervous at first. 'I expected to spend the whole day watching my back,' she says. 'In fact, we kept working at our usual pace. Whenever one of us came close, the robot slowed down and moved aside by itself.' She was also surprised by how quiet the machines were. 'Honestly, they make less noise than the forklifts I've been used to for twenty years.' D For a company thinking about robots of its own, cost is the first obstacle. The purchase price of a single humanoid is currently similar to that of a family car, and that is before training and insurance are taken into account. Unsurprisingly, few firms want to pay the full purchase price up front, especially for a technology that may look out of date within a few years. Instead, most makers now rent their robots out, charging a fixed fee for every hour the robot is switched on and working. For customers, the attractions are obvious. A robot that stands idle over a quiet weekend costs them nothing. In addition, repairs are included in the hourly fee, and so are any updates to the robot's software, so a business is never left with an expensive machine that has stopped improving. Several makers expect this arrangement to bring robots within reach of far smaller firms than the large warehouses that use them today. E Before any of this happens, however, some basic questions still have no clear answer. A full-size humanoid can weigh more than an adult, so what happens if one loses its footing and falls against a person? And when a robot does cause harm, who is responsible: the maker, the company renting it, or whoever wrote the software it learned from? Looking further ahead, robots may one day help with cooking and cleaning in private homes, although most engineers still describe that as some way off. Even then, people will have to accept a machine with cameras moving around their kitchens and bedrooms. That kind of trust cannot simply be built in at the factory; it will have to be earned.

28. Section A

i) Paying for a robot without buying one

Early models that never left the laboratory

A body shaped by the spaces people already use

Unresolved doubts about safety and trust

v) Why the technology has improved so quickly

Plans to sell the robots for use in private homes

Testing the machines alongside human staff

Staff replaced by machines at a warehouse

29. Section B

i) Paying for a robot without buying one

Early models that never left the laboratory

A body shaped by the spaces people already use

Unresolved doubts about safety and trust

v) Why the technology has improved so quickly

Plans to sell the robots for use in private homes

Testing the machines alongside human staff

Staff replaced by machines at a warehouse

30. Section C

i) Paying for a robot without buying one

Early models that never left the laboratory

A body shaped by the spaces people already use

Unresolved doubts about safety and trust

v) Why the technology has improved so quickly

Plans to sell the robots for use in private homes

Testing the machines alongside human staff

Staff replaced by machines at a warehouse

31. Section D

i) Paying for a robot without buying one

Early models that never left the laboratory

A body shaped by the spaces people already use

Unresolved doubts about safety and trust

v) Why the technology has improved so quickly

Plans to sell the robots for use in private homes

Testing the machines alongside human staff

Staff replaced by machines at a warehouse

32. Section E

i) Paying for a robot without buying one

Early models that never left the laboratory

A body shaped by the spaces people already use

Unresolved doubts about safety and trust

v) Why the technology has improved so quickly

Plans to sell the robots for use in private homes

Testing the machines alongside human staff

Staff replaced by machines at a warehouse

33. Which TWO difficulties with the robots were reported during the trial at the Calderwood Supplies distribution centre?

A) They were too noisy for staff to work beside them

B) They had to stop and recharge more often than expected

C) Staff had to slow down to keep a safe distance from them

D) They had trouble handling boxes that were damaged

E) They were only able to operate during daytime shifts

34. Which TWO difficulties with the robots were reported during the trial at the Calderwood Supplies distribution centre?

A) They were too noisy for staff to work beside them

B) They had to stop and recharge more often than expected

C) Staff had to slow down to keep a safe distance from them

D) They had trouble handling boxes that were damaged

E) They were only able to operate during daytime shifts

35. • Earlier humanoid robots could only move safely on surfaces that were completely {{35}}.

36. • Robots can now learn new tasks by studying {{36}} of people doing the same work.

37. • The latest models can now work a full shift because of improvements in the {{37}} they use.

38. • Few companies are prepared to pay the full {{38}} price at once.

39. • Instead, makers charge a fixed fee for every {{39}} that a robot is working.

40. • This fee covers repairs and any {{40}} the software may need.