How Animals Keep Fit — IELTS Reading Answers

The writer discusses marathon runners and barnacle geese to introduce the idea that

1. Amarathon runners may be using inefficient training methods.
2. Bthe role of diet in achieving fitness has been underestimated.
3. Cbarnacle geese spend much longer preparing to face a challenge.
4. Dserious training is not always necessary for physical achievement.correct

“Barnacle geese go one better. In the process of sitting around, they don't just maintain their fitness. They also develop stronger hearts and bigger flight muscles, enabling them to fly for thousands of kilometres in a migration that may last as little as two days”

D: barnacle geese 'don't just maintain their fitness' while sitting around but grow stronger hearts, so hard training is not always needed.

The writer says that human muscles

1. Ause up a lot of energy even when resting.correct
2. Bare heavier than other types of body tissue.
3. Cwere more efficiently used by our ancestors.
4. Dhave become weaker than they were in the past.

“Each kilogram contributes about 10 to 15 kilocalories a day to our metabolism when resting — which doesn't sound like much until you realise that muscles account for about 40 percent of the average person's body mass”

A: each kilogram of muscle adds kilocalories 'when resting', and muscle is 40 percent of body mass, so resting muscle burns plenty of energy.

The writer says that in order to survive, early humans developed the ability to

1. Ahide from their prey.
2. Brun long distances.correct
3. Cadapt their speeds to different situations.
4. Dpredict different types of animal movements.

“He argues that long ago on the African savannah, natural selection made us into 'supremely adapted' endurance athletes, capable of running prey into the ground and ranging over long distances with unusual efficiency”

B: early humans were 'capable of running prey into the ground and ranging over long distances', which requires running long distances.

“biologically speaking, all it means is that the body has undergone changes that make it stronger and more efficient”

The body becomes 'stronger and more efficient', so the adjective efficient completes the definition of fitness.

“these changes appear to be triggered by cues such as falling temperatures or insufficient food”

Changes are triggered by 'falling temperatures or insufficient food', so the noun food fits the gap.

“In the months of hibernation, these factors seem to prompt the release of muscle-protecting compounds which are then carried to the bears' muscles in their blood and prevent muscle loss”

The protecting compounds are released during 'the months of hibernation', so the noun hibernation names that period.

“these factors seem to prompt the release of muscle-protecting compounds which are then carried to the bears' muscles in their blood and prevent muscle loss”

Those compounds are 'carried to the bears' muscles in their blood', so the noun blood fits.

“Halsey suggests, may be responding to an environmental change such as temperature, which helps their bodies somehow 'know' that a big physical challenge is looming”

The cue may be 'an environmental change such as temperature', so temperature is the noun needed.

One belief about how animals stay fit is possibly untrue.

“Halsey points out that this may not necessarily be the case”

A: 'Halsey points out that this may not necessarily be the case', casting doubt on a common belief about animal fitness.

It may not be possible to train all animals to improve their speed.

“'I don't know that all animals are the same, performance-wise… and we don't know whether training would enhance their ability”

D: the speaker doubts 'whether training would enhance their ability', suggesting not every animal can be trained for speed.

One type of bird has demonstrated fitness when exposed to a stimulus in experimental conditions.

“Chris Guglielmo, a physiological ecologist, has studied the effect of subjecting migratory songbirds known as yellow-rumped warblers to changing hours of daylight”

B: Chris Guglielmo studied yellow-rumped warblers by subjecting them to 'changing hours of daylight', an experimental stimulus.

Human energy use developed in a different way from that of animals.

“This makes us evolutionarily different from most other animals”

C: 'This makes us evolutionarily different from most other animals', so human energy use diverged from that of animals.

One type of bird may develop more strength when the weather becomes warmer or cooler.

“Halsey suggests, may be responding to an environmental change such as temperature, which helps their bodies somehow 'know' that a big physical challenge is looming”

A: Halsey links the response to 'temperature', so a bird may gain strength when the weather warms or cools.