Highs & Lows — IELTS Reading Answers

Why did the divers perform less well in colder conditions?

1. AThey were less able to concentrate.correct
2. BTheir body temperature fell too quickly.
3. CTheir mental functions were immediately affected by the cold.
4. DThey were used to swimming pool conditions.

“This suggests that the low temperature did not slow down mental functioning directly, but the feeling of cold distracted the divers from their tasks”

The low temperature did not slow mental functioning directly; instead the feeling of cold distracted the divers from their tasks, reducing concentration.

The number of daylight hours

1. Aaffects the performance of workers in restaurants.
2. Binfluences animal feeding habits.correct
3. Cmakes animals like hamsters more active.
4. Dprepares humans for having greater leisure time.

“The amount of melatonin falls with greater exposure to daylight. Research shows that melatonin plays an important part in the seasonal behaviour of certain animals. For example, food consumption of stags increases during the winter, reaching a peak in February/ March”

Melatonin shapes seasonal behaviour in animals, and stags' food consumption rises in winter, so daylight hours influence feeding habits.

Human irritability may be influenced by

1. Ahow nervous and aggressive people are.
2. Breaction to certain weather phenomena.correct
3. Cthe number of ions being generated by machines.
4. Dthe attitude of people to thunderstorms.

“When there is a thunderstorm brewing, some people complain of the air being ‘heavy’ and of feeling irritable, moody and on edge”

People complain of the air being heavy and of feeling irritable, moody and on edge when a thunderstorm is brewing, so reaction to weather is responsible.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is disrupting children’s education in Russia.

“Some Russian scientists claim that children learn better after being exposed to ultraviolet light”

The text mentions Russian scientists claiming children learn better after ultraviolet exposure but never links SAD to disruption of children's education.

Serotonin is an essential cause of human aggression.

“High levels of serotonin in certain areas of the nervous system make people more active and reactive and, possibly, more aggressive”

Serotonin may possibly make people more aggressive; the text does not call it an essential cause of aggression, so the claim overstates it.

Scientific evidence links ‘happy associations with weather’ to human mood.

“Sceptics might say that longer exposure to sunshine puts people in a better mood because they associate it with the happy feelings of holidays and freedom from responsibility”

The happy association with holidays and freedom is what sceptics suggest, not something scientific evidence links to human mood.

A link between depression and the time of year has been established.

“In Britain, for example, the dull weather of winter drastically cuts down the amount of sunlight that is experienced which strongly affects some people. They become so depressed and lacking in energy that their work and social life are affected. This condition has been given the name SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)”

Dull winter weather cutting sunlight leaves some people depressed and lacking energy, a condition named SAD, establishing the seasonal link.

Melatonin levels increase at certain times of the year.

“The amount of melatonin falls with greater exposure to daylight”

Melatonin falls with greater exposure to daylight, which implies its levels rise when daylight is reduced at certain times of year.

Positively charged ions can influence eating habits.

“The positive charge increases the levels of serotonin (a chemical involved in sending signals in the nervous system). High levels of serotonin in certain areas of the nervous system make people more active and reactive and, possibly,”

Positive ions raise serotonin levels and serotonin affects activity and aggression, but the passage never says ions influence eating habits.

“Psychologists have conducted studies showing that people become less sceptical and more optimistic when the weather is sunny However, the belief that rain and murky weather make people more unhappy is borne out by a study in Belgium,”

B, D and E are the supported statements: sunshine raises optimism and lowers scepticism, rain increases suicidal calls, and high serotonin can heighten aggression.

It has been established that social tension increases significantly in the United States during ...

“Research in the United States has shown a relationship between temperature and street riots. The frequency of riots rises dramatically as the weather gets warmer, hitting a peak around 27-30°C”

US research links temperature and street riots, with riot frequency rising as weather warms and peaking around 27 to 30 degrees, i.e. hot weather.

Research has shown that a hamster’s bodyweight increases according to its exposure to

“The amount of melatonin falls with greater exposure to daylight In the laboratory, hamsters put on more weight when the nights are getting shorter and their melatonin levels are falling”

Hamsters put on more weight when nights are getting shorter and melatonin levels are falling, which happens with greater exposure to daylight.

Animals cope with changing weather and food availability because they are influenced by...

“It seems that time cues provided by the changing lengths of day and night trigger changes in animals’ behaviour - changes that are needed to cope with the cycle of the seasons”

Time cues provided by the changing lengths of day and night trigger behavioural changes needed to cope with the cycle of the seasons.