ENSpeak the language you have been studying.
DESprich die Sprache, die du gelernt hast.
ESHabla el idioma que has estudiado.
ARتكلم اللغة التي درستها.
HIजो भाषा पढ़ी है, उसे बोलो।
URوہ زبان بولو جو سیکھی ہے۔
ZH说出你学过的那门语言。
PTFale o idioma que você estudou.
FRParle la langue que tu as étudiée.
JA勉強してきた言語を話そう。
ENSpeak the language you have been studying.
DESprich die Sprache, die du gelernt hast.
ESHabla el idioma que has estudiado.
ARتكلم اللغة التي درستها.
HIजो भाषा पढ़ी है, उसे बोलो।
URوہ زبان بولو جو سیکھی ہے۔
ZH说出你学过的那门语言。
PTFale o idioma que você estudou.
FRParle la langue que tu as étudiée.
JA勉強してきた言語を話そう。

IELTS Reading: animals passages

Animal behaviour, migration, intelligence and survival, including birds, insects and sea creatures.

93 passages mainly about animals · 24 more that touch on it · from 103 full tests

Passages mainly about animals

Each passage opens as a timed 20-minute practice with its 13–14 questions. Submit to see your band estimate and the sentence that proves every answer.

Show 45 more animals passages

Other passages that cover animals

These passages have a different main subject but deal with animals along the way.

24 passages

Key animals vocabulary

Words worth knowing before you read about animals, each with the sentence it appears in.

WordMeaningExample from a passage
nocturnal
adjective
active at night rather than during the day“the heaviest parrot in the world, and one of very few that are nocturnal” Test 408
mottled
adjective
marked with patches of different colours or shades“Adults are mottled moss green, barred with yellow and black” Test 408
conifer
noun
a tree that bears cones and usually keeps its leaves all year“the rimu, a tall native conifer, produces a heavy crop of fruit” Test 408
descent
noun
a movement downwards from a higher place to a lower one“its wings are now used mainly for balance and for slowing a descent from a tree” Test 408
vulnerable
adjective
easily harmed or attacked; not well protected against danger“Low genetic diversity leaves the species vulnerable to disease” Test 408
desalinates
verb
removes salt from something, especially from water“The gland, in effect, desalinates by removing salt rather than by producing pure water” Test 408
secretion
noun
a liquid that a gland or organ produces and releases“the source of the salty fluid, and that secretion could continue for hours” Test 408
concentration gradient
phrase
a difference in strength of a dissolved substance between two areas“Pushing sodium ions out of the blood against a concentration gradient requires energy” Test 408
metabolism
noun
the chemical processes in a living body that use and release energy“the gland can account for a significant share of its resting metabolism” Test 408
oxidised
verb
combined with oxygen, a process that releases energy from food“the breakdown of fat in particular releases water as it is oxidised” Test 408
plumage
noun
the complete set of feathers covering a bird's body“with grey-brown plumage, to which the male adds a black throat and white cheeks” Test 411
brood parasites
phrase
birds that lay their eggs in the nests of other species“whose members are all thought to be brood parasites” Test 411
pupae
noun
the resting stage of an insect between larva and adult“the wax combs of wild bees, together with the larvae and pupae inside them” Test 411
intriguing
adjective
so interesting that it makes you want to know more“Later work in Tanzania pointed in an intriguing direction.” Test 411
deliberately
adverb
on purpose, as a conscious choice rather than by accident“a wild bird that deliberately guides people to food” Test 411
modify
verb
to change something, usually in a noticeable way“Few mammals modify their environment as extensively as the beaver.” Test 413
ecosystem engineer
phrase
an animal whose building work creates habitats that many other species rely on“Ecologists classify the species as an ecosystem engineer” Test 413
incisors
noun
the sharp front teeth that mammals use for biting and cutting“beavers possess incisors that continue growing throughout their lives” Test 413
accumulates
verb
gradually collects or builds up in one place“Sediment accumulates in the pond, and the nitrogen and phosphorus attached to it” Test 413
demarcate
verb
to mark the limits or boundaries of an area“Beavers demarcate territorial boundaries with a pungent secretion” Test 413
confined
adjective
restricted to one particular area and not found elsewhere“The species is confined to the Southern Ocean.” Test 414
dynamic soaring
phrase
a way of gliding that gains speed by crossing layers of air moving at different speeds“The technique, known as dynamic soaring, exploits the fact that wind travels more slowly close to the waves” Test 414
foraging
adjective
relating to the search for food over a wide area“a single foraging trip may last a fortnight and cover several thousand kilometres” Test 414
carrion
noun
the decaying flesh of dead animals, eaten by some birds and mammals“they will readily eat carrion, including the carcasses of seals and whales” Test 414

Question types in these passages

  • Multiple choice (choose more than one) · 53 passages
  • Sentence completion · 39 passages
  • Matching information · 33 passages
  • Short-answer questions · 32 passages
  • Summary completion · 31 passages
  • True / False / Not Given · 30 passages
  • Note completion · 29 passages
  • Matching headings · 25 passages
  • Matching features · 16 passages
  • Multiple choice · 13 passages
  • Table completion · 11 passages
  • Yes / No / Not Given · 10 passages
  • Matching sentence endings · 8 passages
  • Summary completion (word list) · 7 passages
  • Flow-chart completion · 6 passages
  • Diagram label completion · 2 passages

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