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: transport passages

Ships, railways, cars, aircraft and navigation: how people and goods have moved around the world.

38 passages mainly about transport · 72 more that touch on it · from 97 full tests

Passages mainly about transport

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.

Other passages that cover transport

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

72 passages

Key transport vocabulary

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

WordMeaningExample from a passage
kerbside
noun
the strip of road next to the pavement where vehicles stop“the real question is how a limited kerbside should be shared” Test 425
segregated
adjective
kept physically apart from other road users by a barrier“Segregated routes, which separate riders from moving vehicles by a physical barrier” Test 425
materialise
verb
actually happen or appear as expected“the traffic forecast to appear simply failed to materialise” Test 425
coherent
adjective
carefully organised so that the parts form a sensible whole“the benefits depend on a coherent plan rather than on isolated interventions” Test 425
subsidise
verb
pay part of the cost of something that another person uses“so that people without a car subsidise those who own one” Test 425
subsidy
noun
public money paid to keep the price of a service low for users“The subsidy also goes to every rider, including the well-paid commuter” Test 429
deterrent
noun
something that discourages people from taking a particular course of action“the deterrent for most drivers is not the price of a ticket” Test 429
municipal
adjective
belonging to or controlled by the local government of a city“the money involved, in the context of a municipal budget, is not enormous” Test 429
enforcement
noun
the process of making people obey a rule or pay what they owe“Some operators report that enforcement is the most unpleasant part of the job” Test 429
diverted
verb
directed money or attention away from the purpose it was intended for“enthusiasm for free travel has diverted attention and money from these problems” Test 429
stealth
noun
the quality of moving quietly so as not to be noticed“the kayak carried a single hunter, and it was built for stealth” Test 463
supple
adjective
soft and flexible, and therefore not likely to crack“treated the skin with oil to keep it supple” Test 463
manoeuvrable
adjective
easy to steer or turn, especially in confined spaces“Boats used on rivers or among pack ice are shorter, wider and therefore more manoeuvrable” Test 463
lashings
noun
ties made of rope or cord used to fasten parts together“The frame was held together with pegs and with lashings of sinew” Test 463
durable
adjective
able to last a long time without breaking or wearing out“The design has proved remarkably durable. A boat shaped by the need to hunt silently” Test 463
corridor
noun
a narrow strip of land that forms a route between two places“this corridor formed part of the network of trade routes later known as the Silk Road” Test 481
impassable
adjective
so blocked or difficult that nobody can travel along it“and in winter the track was frequently impassable” Test 481
carriageway
noun
the part of a road on which vehicles travel“the slopes above the carriageway release rock and mud” Test 481
submerged
verb
caused something to be completely covered by water“created a lake that eventually submerged some twenty kilometres of the highway” Test 481
self-sufficient
adjective
able to produce everything you need without help from outside“Villages that were once almost self-sufficient now depend on supplies brought in by lorry” Test 481
grounding
noun
the situation of a boat resting on the bottom in shallow water“Because it can be raised, it survives grounding in shallow water” Test 483
buoyancy
noun
the upward force that keeps a floating object on the surface“provides additional buoyancy precisely where the rudder is suspended” Test 483
draught
noun
the depth of water a vessel needs in order to float“with a shallow draught that enables a junk to penetrate a tidal creek” Test 483
partitioned
verb
divided into separate sections by walls or panels“Internally, the junk is partitioned from bow to stern by a succession of solid wooden walls termed bulkheads” Test 483

Question types in these passages

  • True / False / Not Given · 66 passages
  • Multiple choice · 29 passages
  • Summary completion · 23 passages
  • Yes / No / Not Given · 22 passages
  • Table completion · 17 passages
  • Note completion · 17 passages
  • Flow-chart completion · 15 passages
  • Summary completion (word list) · 15 passages
  • Matching information · 15 passages
  • Sentence completion · 13 passages
  • Multiple choice (choose more than one) · 11 passages
  • Diagram label completion · 8 passages
  • Short-answer questions · 7 passages
  • Matching sentence endings · 7 passages
  • Matching features · 6 passages
  • Matching headings · 5 passages

Practise one question type at a time →

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