What aspects of reading are tested in IELTS Academic Reading?
　　Candidates are tested on their ability to identify main ideas, supporting ideas, writer's opinions and specific information.
　　How long should candidates spend on each passage?
　　Candidates have 60 minutes to read through three passages and answer 40 questions. Candidates are advised to spend about 20 minutes on each passage. Candidates should make sure that they do not waste time worrying about items they can't answer and that they use their time sensibly to read through what they can and answer as many questions as possible.
　　How do candidates record their answers?
　　All answers must be entered on an Answer Sheet during the 60-minutes allowed. Candidates may first write their answers on the Question Paper if they wish to, but no extra time is allowed to transfer answers to the Answer Sheet.
　　How many different task types are there in IELTS Academic Reading?
　　There are 10 basic task types, some with possible variations. A variety of task types are used in Academic Reading and more than one task type may be used for each passage. Some questions may appear before a passage and some may come after, depending on the nature of the questions.
　　When the instructions state that the candidate should answer in, for example, NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS, would they lose marks by writing an answer with more than three words, even if one is 'a' or 'the'?
　　Yes. Answers which exceed the word limit will be marked incorrect.
　　Are candidates penalised for spelling and grammar mistakes made in their answers?
　　All words that candidates will need in order to answer the questions will be given in the passage, so they should be encouraged to transfer their answers to the Answer Sheet with care. Candidates should be aware that poor spelling and grammar are penalised.
　　How is the band score for Academic Reading calculated?
　　One mark is awarded for each of the 40 questions in the test. A band score conversion table is produced for each version of Academic Reading, which translates scores out of 40 onto the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are reported as a whole band or a half ba12
　　How does the Academic Reading score relate to the overall band score?
　　The overall score is an average of the band scores for the four Modules; the final score may be reported as a whole band or a half band.
　　If you have any other questions about IELTS Academic Reading, please contact us and we'll answer the most frequently asked questions here.
　　Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?
　　Write your answer in Boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
　　TRUE               if the statement reflects the claims of the writer
　　FALSE                if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
　　NOT GIVEN     if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
　　1.      McDonald was showing the sign of recovery in all European countries except France after Denis Hennequin took office as the boss of Euro-markets.
　　2.      Starting from last year, detailed labels are put on McDonald's packaging and detailed information is also printed on tray-liners.
　　3.      France is said to be the most anti-American country in Europe, but the ideas of the “open door” visiting days and “McPassport” are invented in the French market.
　　4.      Britain possesses the weakest McDonald market among European countries and approximately 1214 McDonald's restaurants are company-owned.
　　5.      According to David Palmer, a restaurant analyst at UBS, David Hennequin should treat the problem about McDonald in Britain as the most important thing.
　　6.      David Palmer suggested that the management of McDonalod in Italy should sell as many its outlets which lose money in business as possible for revival.
　　Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 7-10 on your answe sheet.
　　7. The word “sterling” in line 3 of Paragraph A means__________.
　　A.     difficult
　　B.     menial
　　C.     terrible
　　D.     excellent
　　8. Which of the following statements on the accusation of MacDonald is NOT TRUE?
　　A.     It tends to make people fat.
　　B.     Its operations are very vague.
　　C.     It tends to exploit workers.
　　D.     It tends to treat animals cruelly.
　　9. Which of the following measures taken by Denis Hennequin produced undesired result?
　　A. “Food Studio” scheme.
　　B. “Open Door” visitor days.
　　C. The “McPassport” scheme.
　　D. The Nutrition Information Initiative.
　　10. What did Denis Hennequin do so as to respond to local trends?
　　A. set up a “Food Studio” .
　　B. established a “Design Studio”.
　　C. hired celebrities as local brand ambassadors.
　　D. employed local bosses as much as possible.
　　Complete each of the following statements （Questions 11-14） with words or number taken from Reading Passage 1.
　　Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
　　Write your answers in boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet.
　　11. After January 2004, McDonald was making improvement following a period of slump in America and Australia, but sales in Europe were ………………………….
　　12. Business of McDonald in France and Britain was particularly good in December since customers took to …………………………………
　　13. Compared with other countries, France is McDonald's ………………………. next to America.
　　14. ……………………. of McDonald's restaurants in America are companied–owned and the figure is much lower than that in Britain.
　　Part II
　　Notes to Reading Passage 1
　　1.sterling高质量的
　　e.g.  He has many sterling qualities. 他身上有许多优秀的品质。
　　2. menial  不体面的, 乏味的（工作、职业）
　　3. spruce up打扮整齐、漂亮、装饰
　　4. mastermind指挥、谋划（一个计划或活动）
　　e.g.  The police know who masterminded the robbery.警察知道是谁策划了那次抢劫。
　　5. underperform表现不佳表现出低于标准的工作水平、企业出现亏本
　　Part III
　　Keys and explanations to the Questions 1-14
　　1.      FALSE
　　See the second sentence in Paragraph A “One exception was France, where Mr Hennequin had done a sterling job as head of the group's French subsidiary to sell more Big Macs to his compatriots. His task was to replicate this success in all 41 of the European countries…”.
　　2.      TRUE
　　See the last sentence in Paragraph D “The Nutrition Information Initiative, launched last year, put detailed labels on McDonald's packaging with data on calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates and salt content. The details are also printed on tray-liners.”
　　3.      NOT GIVEN
　　See Paragraph D, E and H “Given France's reputation as the most anti-American country in Europe, it seems odd that McDonald's revival in Europe is being led by a Frenchman, using ideas cooked up in the French market.”.
　　4.      FALSE
　　See the last sentence of Paragraph H and first sentence of Paragraph L “The market where McDonald's is weakest in Europe is not France, but Britain…Almost two-thirds of the 1,214 McDonald's restaurants in Britain are company-owned…”
　　5.      TRUE
　　See the first sentence of Paragraph I “Fixing Britain should be his priority,” says David Palmer, a restaurant analyst at UBS“.
　　6.      NOT GIVEN
　　See the last sentence of Paragraph I “So it should sell as many underperforming outlets as possible, says Mr Palmer”.
　　7.      D
　　See the first sentence of Paragraph A “One exception was France, where Mr Hennequin had done a sterling job as head of the group's French subsidiary to sell more Big Macs to his compatriots”.
　　8.      B
　　See the second sentence of Paragraph D “McDonald's is blamed for making people fat, exploiting workers, treating animals cruelly, polluting the environment”
　　9.      C
　　See the second sentence of Paragraph E “But some of his efforts have backfired: last year he sparked a controversy with the introduction of a ”McPassport“ that allows McDonald's employees to work anywhere in the European Union……”
　　10. A
　　See the last sentence of Paragraph G “He also set up a ”food studio“, where cooks devise new recipes in response to local trends”.
　　11. sluggish or declining
　　See the first sentence of Paragraph A “When Denis Hennequin took over as the European boss of McDonald's in January 2004, the world's biggest restaurant chain was showing signs of recovery in America and Australia, but sales in Europe were sluggish or declining.”
　　12. seasonal menu offerings
　　See the last sentence of Paragraph B “December was an especially good month as customers took to seasonal menu offerings in France and Britain, and to a promotion in Germany based on the game of Monopoly”.
　　13.most profitable market
　　See the second sentence of Paragraph H “But France is in fact the company's most profitable market after America”.
　　14. 15%
　　See the second sentence of Paragraph I “Almost two-thirds of the 1,214 McDonald's restaurants in Britain are company-owned, compared with 40% in Europe and 15% in America”.
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